Chef Conference 2005: Spanish flyer

Spain is the country that everybody in the culinary world is looking to at the moment, and this year Caterer pulled off a significant coup at its annual Chef Conference by managing to lure over one of its newest culinary stars, Andoni Adúriz, to tell us about his unique brand of cooking.

Adúriz, whose restaurant Mugaritz, just outside the Basque city of San Sebastin, has one Michelin star, was introduced to the conference by the UK's own leader of experimental cooking, Heston Blumenthal, of the Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire.

"I first ate at Andoni's restaurant a couple of years ago and was immediately impressed by the balance and sensitivity of his cooking," Blumenthal told the audience. "He never loses sight of his Basque origins, but he is also open-minded and always wants to push to find a better way of doing what he does. His cooking can be very complex, but it's done with a sleight of hand that's unsurpassed."

Central to the essence of Adúriz's cooking is his herb garden at Mugaritz, where some 200 different varieties of herbs are grown, but Adúriz also demonstrated to the conference how he cooks cod without the loss of gelatine (or collagen). Gelatine, which helps to retain the texture of the fish, drains away when a temperature of 30°C is reached, he explained. This poses problems, as the ideal temperature range for cooking cod is between 40°C and 50°C.

Following consultations with Italian molecular chef Ettore Bocchia, executive chef at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni on Lake Como, and physicist Davide Cassi, Adúriz experimented with wrapping some cod in leaves and cooking it in hot caramel at 180°C.

"The texture and quality of the fish amazed me," said Adúriz, speaking through an interpreter. "The density of the sugar at that temperature meant that the fish cooked under its own steam and the gelatine didn't leach out."

This led Adúriz on to dipping cod into methylcellulose (a plant fibre, also used by Blumenthal, which sets when hot and melts when cold), before cooking in oil or water. One again, the methylcellulose ensured the gelatine was retained in the fish.

Adúriz also explained how he extracts the natural gelatine from cod - by making a stock from cod skins, cooked together with some bacon, which is reduced and reduced until very thick and sticky and then dried to create a transparent film - then adds it to less gelatinous fish to improve the texture. It can also be used to protect delicate vegetables such as beans and peas and give them a shiny coating.

A selection of Adúriz's recipes - including stewed salt cod lips and tripe, escalope of toasted foie gras with fresh soya and picada cream and a yeast emulsion, and pigeon breast with nutmeg bchamel without fat or flour - were presented to the delegates.

When asked if the Basque people appreciated his work, Adúriz replied: "It's a very interesting gastronomic region, and I use a lot of typical products from that part of the world. Whether the people like the food or not, they are very respectful.

"Some love it, but some hate it so much they want to kill me."

Sponsors message

As the main sponsor of this year's Chef Conference, Nestlé Foodservices is honoured to have been in such great company. We acknowledge that everyone who attended the event shares the same passion for the out-of-home market as we do.

For our own part, Nestlé Foodservices is wholly committed to supplying quality culinary aids developed by chefs for chefs. We invest heavily in research to ensure that any new product not only meets current consumer demand but also delivers significant benefits to chefs, which is why Nestlé Foodservices develops products such as the Maggi "A Natural Choice" range, as demonstrated in front of delegates during the produce-rich "marketplace" at the conference.

We were delighted that this year's winners of our prestigious Nestlé Toque d'Or competition, Westminster Kingsway College, were given the platform to cook alongside Millennium Conference Centre executive head chef Ian Boxall and his brigade for the Chef Conference dinner, which catered for 200 guests. Nestlé Toque d'Or underlines our support to education and the ongoing nurturing of young talent in the UK.

As ever, the Chef Conference has been a chance to share ideas and listen to feedback from chefs on the ground.

As a company committed to the out-of-home market, Nestlé Foodservices is delighted to have supported this unique event.

David Field, managing director, Nestlé Foodservices