HD: Give me your own definition of molecular gastronomy. JR: It is the way that most people refer to contemporary or “avant-gar- de” gastronomy, a term that a scien- tist used that became popular very fast. Rather than molecular, for me, the term “modern” or “avant-garde” is more appropriate. HD: How did you become interest- ed in taking food apart? JR: While eating I became inter- ested in the different textures that were in one spoonful. HD: Are there any techniques you would consider to be out of fash- ion or out of date? JR: I don’t consider any technique out of fashion. Any way of cooking can be very new in the right context. We are now doing macerations and distilling as they were done centuries ago. HD: Some believe that the taste of food is what matters most. The ap- pearance and experience of eating does not play an important role. Do you agree? JR: To me, everything deserves at- tention—So does the presentation, so does the taste. The way you invite the guest’s senses to approach the dish is going to define the taste experience. HD: Do you think of yourself as a scientist or an artist?
JR: I consider myself a craftsman doing his crafts the best he knows. Sometimes I find inspiration in the world of art, other times in science. It helps me to understand the changes in the food and helps me to advance. HD: Growing up what was your favorite dessert? JR: Crema Catalana. HD: Have you tried to replicate that dessert or evolve it in any way since you have become a pastry chef? JR: Yes, now I’m doing a tangerine dessert very similar to it. I always reinvent it. HD: What are you working on this week? JR: On a dessert that tastes like pen- cils and erasers— a jump to child- hood school times. HD: Speaking of childhood, how did you make the flavor of moist dirt for Rainy Forest? JR: With real moist soil from the woods that surround the restaurant [El Celler de Can Roca] and a still that allows us to capture aromas that we can turn into flavors. HD: Would you say that it tastes how it might smell? JR: Yes.
HD: What dish of yours took the longest to perfect? JR: Anarkia— it’s a dish with more than 40 different elements. It has been worked on for 10 years and it keeps evolving and improving, as it is deliberately imperfect. HD: What is the best mistake that you’ve ever made that had a positive impact on a dish? JR: Putting cigar smoke into a dish. It opened up the door to volatile aroma. HD: How long did it take to mas- ter the complicated technique of spherification? JR: I guess you mean the technique of “blowing sugar.” Spherification is a technique developed by Albert Adrià. It took me some time, but when you practice a new technique that does not exist yet in cuisine, you aren’t concerned with time. HD: What do you think the next major innovation is in molecular gastronomy? JR: Enfleurage and distillation. These are two processes that allow us to turn things that are not edible into something that is. HD: What is a culinary trend that you don’t like or don’t want to work with? JR: Adding avocado to a toast.
ORANGE COLOUROLOGY : This dessert cleanses the palate with both sweet and fresh flavors. PHOTO: El Celler de Can Roca
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FM/AM FASHION MAGAZINE AT MARIST
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