Bernar Venet’s Corten steel sculptures have created dramatic statements at Versailles, Nice, New York and, most recently, in the grounds of Cliveden in Buckinghamshire. Their elegant forms reflect a lifetime of careful study. ‘They take 65 years to consider, then it’s eight minutes to build the maquette, and up to three months to make them,’ he says. His oeuf caviar is equally considered: two elementally similar yet visually opposite ingredients, arranged in perfect harmony. It’s his dish of choice at the Michelin-starred Les Gorges de Pennafort, run by his friend Philippe Da Silva and located near Venet’s art foundation in Provence. Venet is fond of the dish’s simplicity. ‘It’s quick and visually sober, like my artwork.’
Ingredients
1 egg
Caviar
Method
Very gently cook an egg over low heat, with a little butter that has just begun to melt in a frying pan. Ensure that the yolk remains soft and not overcooked.
To avoid unsightly little points on the surface, do not season the egg (in particular the yolk) with salt.
To finish, encircle the egg with a crown of caviar. The caviar will provide the salt.
As originally featured in the October 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*223)