Surprising the taste buds of your guests is an increasing challenge. That certainly applies if you are in the company of unadulterated culis. If you want to look good as an amateur chef, the recipes of top chef Ferran Adriá of the renowned restaurant elBulli offer a solution. The cookbook Home cooking with Ferran Adriá was recently published by Van Dishoeck, part of Uitgeverij Unieboek / Het Spectrum bv
elBulli
elBulli was a globally renowned Catalan restaurant in Roses, located on the Costa Brava north of Barcelona. It owes its name to the French bulldogs, the bulli, of the German couple who first opened a mini golf course in Cala Montjoi in 1951. In the 1960s this was expanded with a beach bar, then with a simple restaurant. From 1970 the quality of the restaurant continued to improve and in the second half of the 1970s it received a Michelin star. From 1984, chef Ferran Adriá held sway, who left his own mark on elBulli’s kitchen through the technique of molecular cooking. Under his leadership, the restaurant has already been voted the best restaurant in the world four times. In 2011 the doors of this famous restaurant closed. However, it is the intention that elBulli will reopen in 2014 as a research center in the field of new cooking techniques and flavors. “El Bulli does not close, El Bulli changes”, says Ferran Adriá.
The film went into the Netherlands at the end of August 2011 “El Bulli, Cooking in Progress” premiered. This documentary film offers a glimpse into the cooking laboratory, in which the top chef and his team indulge in their creativity during the six months in which the restaurant closed. This documentary can still be ordered via bol.com and this film can also be seen (in part) via youtube.
Molecular cooking
Molecular cooking applies science to the way food is prepared. It is a search for the processes that take place and the circumstances under which this takes place with the aim, for example, of applying the correct preparation method for each type of meat. This may be in contradiction with the views of classical cuisine. It is not just about the behavior of proteins, but also about the results of combinations of water, fat, solid and gas. More extensive information on this subject can be found at Wikipedia under the heading molecular cooking
Cooking at home with Ferran Adriá
Incidentally, in the present cookbook there is not immediately anything to be found about this molecular cooking in so many words. This preparation method is integrated in the cooking instructions.
In the book “Cooking at home with Ferran Adriá“are tips, tricks and techniques from this best chef in the world, supplemented by many recipes. These recipes were originally intended for the meals of the elBulli staff, but when it was announced in July 2011 that elBulli would close, it was decided to record these recipes in a book. The book shows how easy it is to cook in an organized way. The meals described often contain simple dishes, which are not too expensive. Most cookbooks contain individual recipes; “Cooking at home with Ferran Adriá“however, provides complete (responsible) meals, consisting of a starter, main course and dessert. Of course you can of course switch between themselves with these dishes.
The book consists of three main chapters, supplemented with a glossary and index:
- From elBulli to your kitchen
- Basic recipes
- The meals
In the chapter “from elBulli to your kitchen“All kinds of instructions can be found in the field of organizing, purchasing, storing food at home, freezing, (indispensable) kitchen tools, etc. and a laundry list for the ingredients you should have in stock in the refrigerator, freezer and pantry. know and / or have it, at least for the seasoned cooking fanatics among us.However, you can also check ad hoc what you need and possibly go get it, if you have a specific recipe in mind. Sometimes the amount of ingredients is huge along.
In the chapter “Basic recipes“you will find the recipe for many freshly prepared sauces such as picada, sofrito, tomato sauce and pesto as well as for the preparation of various broths.
All recipes are explained step by step with accompanying photos. In this way, it almost cannot go wrong. Also in the chapter “The meals“This is the case. It contains no less than 31 complete meals, from which you can of course also get individual recipes. The descriptions include lists of ingredients that you must have or get at home and timetables, so that you can get started in an organized manner. You can therefore also select your recipes in advance according to the amount of time involved. If you have little time, you can choose as a main course, for example “Sausages with tomato sauce“; you can start this 15 minutes before your meal (assuming you have freshly made tomato sauce in stock). cream catalane, then you have to make this 3 hours in advance because of the cooling-off period.
A few random examples of complete meals: cauliflower with bechamel, pork ribs with barbecue sauce and bananas with lime; or fried egg with asparagus, chicken wings with mushrooms and sangria with fruit. Many dishes have a surprising twist, such as dessert watermelon with cough sweets or oranges with honey, olive oil and salt.
There is a lot to read, learn and experience in this book, which is very inviting for escapades in the kitchen. And that is because the barriers that give access to this form of elBulli enjoyment have been deliberately kept low.