About Ferran Adrià
Ferran Adrià Acosta is a chef born on 14 May 1962 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
He is the famed head chef of El Bulli restaurant in Roses, on the Costa Brava. Today he is considered one of the best chefs in the world and tops the European Restaurant Ranking.
Ferran Adrià began his culinary career in 1980 during his stint as a dishwasher at the Hotel Playafels, in the town of Castelldefels (Catalonia).
The chef de cuisine at this hotel taught him traditional Spanish cuisine. At 19 he was drafted into military service where he worked as a cook. In 1984, at the age of 22, Adrià joined the kitchen staff of El Bulli as a line cook. Eighteen months later he became the head chef.
Along with British chef Heston Blumenthal, Adrià is often associated with "molecular gastronomy," although the Spanish chef does not consider his cuisine to be of this category. Instead, he has referred to his cooking as deconstructivist. Adrià's stated goal is to "provide unexpected contrasts of flavor, temperature and texture.
Nothing is what it seems. The idea is to provoke, surprise and delight the diner."This is also combined with a large dose of irony and a sense of humor, making his dishes highly épatants (impressive). As he likes to say, "the ideal customer doesn't come to El Bulli to eat but to have an experience."
El Bulli is only open from April to October. Adrià spends the remaining six months of the year perfecting recipes in his workshop, "El Taller," in Barcelona. He is famous for his thirty course gourmet menu.
He is also well known for creating "culinary foam". In his quest to enhance flavor, Adrià discards the use of cream and egg; foam is made exclusively of the main ingredient and "air" (combined in a whipped cream maker equipped with N2O cartridges).
Adrià's foam creations include foamed espresso (Èspesso), foamed mushroom and foamed beet.
El Bulli has 3 Michelin stars and is regarded as one of the best restaurants in the Western world. In 2005 it ranked second in the Restaurant Top 50. It was awarded the first place in 2006, displacing The Fat Duck in England. El Bulli has retained this title in 2007.
Ferrán Adrià began his famed culinary career washing dishes at a French restaurant in the town of Castelldefels, Spain. Here, Adrià familiarized himself with basic cooking methods as he applied a variety of culinary techniques, building his gastronomic repertoire.
Adrià then went on to work at various restaurants before becoming assistant chef at Finisterre, a popular Barcelona restaurant. Following that, he served in the Spanish military at the Naval Base of Cartagena, where he was suitably stationed in the kitchen. In 1984, at the age of 22, Adrià joined the kitchen staff of El Bulli, and only 18 months later, he became head chef.
El Bulli, located on the coast of Catalonia on the outs***ts of Barcelona, was known as a traditional French restaurant. When Adrià joined the staff, the restaurant’s manager, Juli Soler, urged Adrià to travel in order to acquire new and fresh culinary ideas.
Adrià soon began touring some of France’s top kitchens, learning various techniques from many distinguished culinary masters. During the second half of the 1980’s, Adrià began performing culinary experiments, which were based on the use of fresh materials and adapting classic Mediterranean preparations to give El Bulli’s cuisine new twists with creative flair.
Among the many experiments Adrià conducted, one of the most impressive and well received was his use of foams.
This technique, consisting of aerating ingredients with a siphon, introduces minute bubbles which alter the texture of food. Adrià began applying this culinary method to both sweet and savory dishes always respecting his philosophy of combining unexpected contrasts of flavor, temperature and texture. His culinary approaches are intended to provoke, surprise and delight the diner.
In line with Adrià’s experimental philosophy, he dutifully closes El Bulli for six months every year in order to travel abroad, in search of new inspiration and ideas with which to astonish his diners. And amazed they are. Adrià, who has been called “the Salvador Dali of the kitchen,” has won global acclaim as one of the most creative and inventive culinary geniuses in the world.
Apple Caviar
Yield: 10 Servings
Ingredients:
Apple Juice
1 ¼ pounds golden apples
Apple Reduction
¾ pound Granny Smith apples
Caviar
8 ounces Apple Juice
½ teaspoon Alginato
1/8 teaspoon citric acid
Calcium Chloride
2 cups water
½ teaspoon calcium chloride
Garnish
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and very cold
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3/8 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Method:
For Apple Juice:
Wash and core apples and cut into quarters. Purée apples and pour liquid into a tall and narrow container. Freeze about 30 minutes so that the impurities solidify and rise to the top. Remove from freezer and extract impurities with a skimmer. Strain juice and reserve.
For Apple Reduction:
Wash and core apples and cut into quarters. Purée apples and pour liquid into a tall and narrow container. Freeze about 30 minutes to solidify impurities, which will rise to the top. Remove from freezer and extract impurities with a skimmer. Strain juice and place over medium heat until reduced to caramel consistency.
For Apple Caviar:
While cold, mix 1/3 of juice with Alginato in blender until Alginato has dissolved. Heat mixture to 205°F, then remove from heat and stir in remaining juice. Add baking soda and stir to dissolve. Strain and freeze until service.
For Calcium Chloride:
Dissolve the calcium chloride in water and reserve.
To Serve:
Purée Granny Smith apples and freeze in a very tall and narrow container 5 minutes. Fill 4 syringes with apple solution. Release one drop at a time into Calcium Chloride and cook 1 minute in water. Strain and rinse caviar in cold water bath. Drain and add 2 teaspoons of Apple Caviar. For each serving, put ¾ ounce of caviar in a cylindrical mold, season caviar with a little Apple Reduction, cinnamon and 3 drops vinegar. Seal and serve.
He is the famed head chef of El Bulli restaurant in Roses, on the Costa Brava. Today he is considered one of the best chefs in the world and tops the European Restaurant Ranking.
Ferran Adrià began his culinary career in 1980 during his stint as a dishwasher at the Hotel Playafels, in the town of Castelldefels (Catalonia).
The chef de cuisine at this hotel taught him traditional Spanish cuisine. At 19 he was drafted into military service where he worked as a cook. In 1984, at the age of 22, Adrià joined the kitchen staff of El Bulli as a line cook. Eighteen months later he became the head chef.
Along with British chef Heston Blumenthal, Adrià is often associated with "molecular gastronomy," although the Spanish chef does not consider his cuisine to be of this category. Instead, he has referred to his cooking as deconstructivist. Adrià's stated goal is to "provide unexpected contrasts of flavor, temperature and texture.
Nothing is what it seems. The idea is to provoke, surprise and delight the diner."This is also combined with a large dose of irony and a sense of humor, making his dishes highly épatants (impressive). As he likes to say, "the ideal customer doesn't come to El Bulli to eat but to have an experience."
El Bulli is only open from April to October. Adrià spends the remaining six months of the year perfecting recipes in his workshop, "El Taller," in Barcelona. He is famous for his thirty course gourmet menu.
He is also well known for creating "culinary foam". In his quest to enhance flavor, Adrià discards the use of cream and egg; foam is made exclusively of the main ingredient and "air" (combined in a whipped cream maker equipped with N2O cartridges).
Adrià's foam creations include foamed espresso (Èspesso), foamed mushroom and foamed beet.
El Bulli has 3 Michelin stars and is regarded as one of the best restaurants in the Western world. In 2005 it ranked second in the Restaurant Top 50. It was awarded the first place in 2006, displacing The Fat Duck in England. El Bulli has retained this title in 2007.
Ferrán Adrià began his famed culinary career washing dishes at a French restaurant in the town of Castelldefels, Spain. Here, Adrià familiarized himself with basic cooking methods as he applied a variety of culinary techniques, building his gastronomic repertoire.
Adrià then went on to work at various restaurants before becoming assistant chef at Finisterre, a popular Barcelona restaurant. Following that, he served in the Spanish military at the Naval Base of Cartagena, where he was suitably stationed in the kitchen. In 1984, at the age of 22, Adrià joined the kitchen staff of El Bulli, and only 18 months later, he became head chef.
El Bulli, located on the coast of Catalonia on the outs***ts of Barcelona, was known as a traditional French restaurant. When Adrià joined the staff, the restaurant’s manager, Juli Soler, urged Adrià to travel in order to acquire new and fresh culinary ideas.
Adrià soon began touring some of France’s top kitchens, learning various techniques from many distinguished culinary masters. During the second half of the 1980’s, Adrià began performing culinary experiments, which were based on the use of fresh materials and adapting classic Mediterranean preparations to give El Bulli’s cuisine new twists with creative flair.
Among the many experiments Adrià conducted, one of the most impressive and well received was his use of foams.
This technique, consisting of aerating ingredients with a siphon, introduces minute bubbles which alter the texture of food. Adrià began applying this culinary method to both sweet and savory dishes always respecting his philosophy of combining unexpected contrasts of flavor, temperature and texture. His culinary approaches are intended to provoke, surprise and delight the diner.
In line with Adrià’s experimental philosophy, he dutifully closes El Bulli for six months every year in order to travel abroad, in search of new inspiration and ideas with which to astonish his diners. And amazed they are. Adrià, who has been called “the Salvador Dali of the kitchen,” has won global acclaim as one of the most creative and inventive culinary geniuses in the world.
Apple Caviar
Yield: 10 Servings
Ingredients:
Apple Juice
1 ¼ pounds golden apples
Apple Reduction
¾ pound Granny Smith apples
Caviar
8 ounces Apple Juice
½ teaspoon Alginato
1/8 teaspoon citric acid
Calcium Chloride
2 cups water
½ teaspoon calcium chloride
Garnish
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and very cold
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3/8 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Method:
For Apple Juice:
Wash and core apples and cut into quarters. Purée apples and pour liquid into a tall and narrow container. Freeze about 30 minutes so that the impurities solidify and rise to the top. Remove from freezer and extract impurities with a skimmer. Strain juice and reserve.
For Apple Reduction:
Wash and core apples and cut into quarters. Purée apples and pour liquid into a tall and narrow container. Freeze about 30 minutes to solidify impurities, which will rise to the top. Remove from freezer and extract impurities with a skimmer. Strain juice and place over medium heat until reduced to caramel consistency.
For Apple Caviar:
While cold, mix 1/3 of juice with Alginato in blender until Alginato has dissolved. Heat mixture to 205°F, then remove from heat and stir in remaining juice. Add baking soda and stir to dissolve. Strain and freeze until service.
For Calcium Chloride:
Dissolve the calcium chloride in water and reserve.
To Serve:
Purée Granny Smith apples and freeze in a very tall and narrow container 5 minutes. Fill 4 syringes with apple solution. Release one drop at a time into Calcium Chloride and cook 1 minute in water. Strain and rinse caviar in cold water bath. Drain and add 2 teaspoons of Apple Caviar. For each serving, put ¾ ounce of caviar in a cylindrical mold, season caviar with a little Apple Reduction, cinnamon and 3 drops vinegar. Seal and serve.