Madrid Fusión 2008

[docsconz]

John, If I am good in this life, do I get to come as you in the next one?

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I'm not complaining.

[docsconz]

elBulli's Oriol Castro waiting for a plate of corn dentelles with truffles

Liquid Croquette

Nitro Caipirinha

Something a bit more conventional

More to come...

[docsconz]

The microwaved sesame biscuits mentioned during Ferran adria's presentation

Amongst the items that were served that I either did not get to try or couldn't photograph were

• Snacks:
  Beetroot profiterol
  Parmesan Airbag
  Raspberry fondant
  Almonds, pin nut and nuts “polvorón”
  Nitrogen:
  Dragon Oil
  Nitro Lyo Apricot
  
  Spherification:
  Spherical olive
  Mini cuisine:
  Shanghai Brioche
  Foie gras cut with spice bread
  Olive oil soup with diced lobster and grapefruit
  Oysters with lemon air
  Tempura maki with soy mayonnaise
  

[docsconz]

A few scenes before heading upstairs to dinner:

Elena Arzak chats with Juli Soler while Oscar caballeros has a conversation with Juan Marie Arzak and Ferran Adria

Heading upstairs to dinner...

[docsconz]

As we took seats at the various tables, I was pleased to sit next to Daniel Patterson of Coi and his lovely wife on one side and a journalist from New Zealand on the other. Our table was rounded out by several Scandinavians and a Spaniard. It was lovely. The table directly to my left was home to Adria, Arzak, Soler, Subijana, Pierangelini and several others. I did not want anyone to pinch me. The table behind them held many of the young Scandinavian chefs including Redzepi, Ek, and Dahlgren. The photo above looks back into the main part of the room.

The menu was going to be pretty interesting as well with some Spanish heavyweights preparing our meal.

The first course:

Mother of pearl, molluscs and vegetables soup by Koldo Rodero

Koldo Rodero of Restaurante Rodero in Pamplona created a dish as visually appealing as it was to eat. As the name implies and the photo hopefully shows, the soup had a wonderful shimmering opalescence that was stirred up with each spoon stroke. This dish reminded me of Quique Dacosta's Guggenheim (Bilbao) oyster.

[docsconz]

I neglected to mention that the dinner was sponsored by Marques de Riscal wines from the Rioja. They paired lovely wines with each course. For Rodero's soup they paired Marqués de Riscal Limousin 2006.

The second course was by Joan Roca of Can Roca called Hare Royal

This was a marvelous dish that was deep, rich and complex, much "meatier" than I would have expected as I had never had hare before. This was much different than domesticated rabbit. It was served with the flagship red wine of Marques de Riscal, their lovely Barón de Chirel 2002.

Gran cru creamy chocolate, taihí vanilla and toffee

The dessert by Oriol Balaguer was delicious as well.

People enjoying their dinners

After dinner there were various single malt scotches and other beverages available, but first the chefs were introduced along with their crews.

Host chef Paco Roncero

Joan Roca. His brother, Jordí is to the far left.

Koldo Rodero

Oriol Balaguer

After the chefs were introduced, of course there was some mingling.

Joan Roca chats with Pedro Subijana

Conference co-founder and organizer, Esmeralda Capel (R.) chats with Juan Marie Arzak and Ferran Adria.

Juli Soler photographs his friends

Juli Soler takes a self-portrait with Gerry Dawes

Believe it or not, as this event winded down, I went out with Gerry Dawes for a nightcap at Casa Lucio! Getting up the next morning was not fun. If it wasn't for the fact that there was so much on tap, I don't think I would have.

[docsconz]

While I most definitely did not feel like getting out of bed the next morning, it was ultimately quite worth it.

The first session of the day was entitled "Exoticism Updated: modernity, fusion and magic." The first presenter was Vineet Bhatia of London's Rasoi Restaurant. Originally from Bombay, Bhatia was the first Indian chef to garner a Michelin star when he was awarded one back in 2001 at the Restaurant Zaika which had opened in 1999.

Vineet Bhatia

Bhatia showed the now obligatory video of his restaurant that detailed some of the dishes that they prepare. In addition he and an assistant created some dishes on stage. In addition to srving classic Indian dishes at his restaurant, Bhatia's approach is to create dishes using traditional Indian ingredients and techniques that although based on tradition, are entirely new. To my currently inexperienced eye when it comes to Indian cuisine, my initial impression was that he was incorporating some western techniques and ingredients as well such as whole butter. I had been well aware that ghee, or clarified butter, is a staple of many of the regional cuisines of India, but had no clue that whole butter is also used. After the presentation, I had the opportunity to talk with the congenial Chef, who was quite informative, telling me that indeed, though not as commonly used as ghee, whole butter is a part of the cooking of India.

Perhaps the most significant piece of information he gave during his presentation was his views on how spice is best used in Indian cuisine. While spice is an essential element in all Indian cooking, Bhatia feels that it is best to limit a dish to three or four different spices. The important aspects of their use include balance of flavor and color. Turmeric, for example, is a spice used commonly in India as it imparts flavor aas well as a distinct yellow color.

Several dishes including one of lobster and another of prawns as shown above were presented through video.

They did, however, prepare two beautiful dishes on the stage. The first was a dish of grilled sea bass encrusted with a blend of star anise, green coriander, cilantro and fennel, over a toasted pine nut khichdi and rice with a sauce of turmeric and coconut. For the basmati rice, Bhatia used whole butter, broth and shallots.

Grilled Sea Bass with spice crust, turmeric and coconut sauce and toasted pine nut "khichdi"

Bhatia's second dish, a take on street food that is intended as an appetizer was almond encrusted paneer with grilled asparagus and a sweet and sour tamarind and date chutney.

Almond encrusted paneer with tamarind and date chutney and grilled asparagus.

[docsconz]

The next one to the stage was Susur Lee, who has been one of my favorites since my wife and I dined at his restaurant with our then 12yo eldest son. Not only was the food fantastic then, it was also an unforgettable experience as Susur came to our table, took a special interest in our son's dining experience and invited us back into the kitchen for a tour and a photo op, the photo from which I have on my iphone and had the opportunity to show Susur. That experience was elemental in the culinary development of my family as it showed my wife and I that our son was ready to take the plunge into exploring cuisine and encouraged me to pursue my interests further and design vacations with my family centered around food.

Susur Lee

I was not the only one interested in Chef Lee's presentation. The European press was out in force. It was also one of the most widely attended presentations outside of those of the Spanish Michelin 3-starred chefs.

Susur Lee in action

Preparing a tuna "mousse"

Frying lobster tempura

Crafting his plates.

Chef Lee prepared a number of dishes combining his Sino-European approach to food, which as it happens appears to be quite in vogue in Madrid as exemplified by the popularity and awards given to the young David Muñoz and his restaurant, DiverXo.

Chef Lee with his dishes

Tuna mousse with red algae sauce

The tuna is folded around a wasabi based mousse. other elements on the plate include taro, potato, avocado, and salmon roe.

Cod with winter melon, chorizo, and crustacaen consommé

Lee ordinarily uses Chinese ham in this dish, but was pleased with the results he had using chorizo in its place.

Lobster tempura

This fusion dish consists of tempura fried lobster served on lettuce leaves and topped with basil, shallots, chilis, cilantro, garlic, curry, ginger, lime and shredded salted duck egg.

Unfortunately, as this presentation came to an end I was forced to make a very difficult choice...

[adey73]

Susur Lee's book is one of my most treasured possessions.

Good to see this, thanks again John.

[docsconz]

The choice I had to make was attend the presentations of the Roca brothers and Quique Dacosta or attend a special Rioja tasting to which I was specifically invited. This was indeed very difficult as I have seen Joan Roca do demos before and they are wonderful and I have been to both restaurants. Well, given my relative familiarity with the Rocas and Dacosta and that I did have a specific invitation for the tasting, I opted for the latter, in which case I apologize to anyone who may have been anticipating a report of their presentations from me.

Rioja is certainly the most well known wine region of Spain, though in recent years, it has been arguably wines from other, previously less well known regions and denominations that have led Spain's charge into wine superstardom. Rioja has always been an area that befuddled me as I only had them sporadically and had never been in a situation in which I was particularly thrilled by what I had tasted. As such, I was particularly curious to try them in what would likely be near ideal conditions with some top-flight wines. If I wasn't impressed then, I would never be. In addition, there was a panel well versed in Rioja to offer their insights and opinions.

The three critics I was familiar with were John Radford who covers Spanish wines for Decanter, Andrés Proensa, one of Spain's most well known wine critics and author of the Proensa Guide to Spanish wines and Gerry Dawes, perhaps America's foremost critic of Spanish wine.

I learned a few interesting facts that if I had been previously aware of , were not exactly at the front of my memory. Though a wine-making region for ages, the Rioja ( a derivation of two words, "Rio" or river and "Oja", a tributary fo the Rio Ebro) was specifically demarcated as a wine region by the area's governing body in 1926. Winemaking was prominant in the area from the time of the Romans, but ceased when under domination by the Moors. After reconquest by El Cid, viticulture resumed under the influence of Benedictine monks who had come down from Cluny in Burgundy. initially the wines made were white. By the 14th century, English traders influenced winemaking to produce red and white blends called Blancos Pardillos to be followed in time by lighter reds. It wasn't until the outbreak of phylloxera in Bordeaux in the second half of the 19th century that

the great red wines that the Rioja is currently known for started to be produced in the French tradition.

What is known as Rioja is an area that actually covers three related, but distinct sub-regions located within three regions of Spain, La Rioja, The Basque Country and Navarra. The largest is the Rioja Alta located on the southern bank of the Rio Ebro and upstream from Rioja Baja. Rioja Alavesa is, with the exception of an encroachment in non-Basque lands from Rioja Alta, the northernmost section of the wine region. It is that area of Alava that lies within the Basque Country. Throughout all areas the most prominent grape is tempranillo. That grape hugely predominates in the Alavesa and Alta areas. In the more Mediterranean Baja garnacha plays a much greater role than elsewhere in the region. The most common white grape is viura.

Pouring wines - whites first.

[docsconz]

...on to the wines!

We started with a couple of whites.

The first was the 2005 from Remelluri in Labistida in Alava. This oak aged wine spent 15 months in barrel and has a whopping 14.5% alcohol volume. The principle grape varieties include Garnacha Blanca, Moscatel, Malvasía, Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Rousanne and Marsanne. Gerry Dawes began talking about how modern styles have taken away much of the more drinkable aspects of fine wine. he lamented that wines in the modern style are constructed to be alcoholic behemoths that ultimately fatigue the palate. He prefers to enjoy his wines as accompaniment to food and finds that is more difficult to accomplish with today's high alcohol wines. A brief discussion ensued about the reasons so many high alcohol wines are being made. Aside from the obvious nod to a style favored by a certain American wine critic that has resulted in superior sales, it was also mentioned that it is becoming increasingly difficult to make low alcohol wines as the grapes are by and large being picked with higher concentrations that some think may be a result of global warming. I thought this wine was delicious in the context of a tasting., but understood Dawe's issues with high alcohol wines.

A very special white, the Viña Tondonia Reserva 1989 from R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia from Alfaro in La Rioja was poured next. This wine of only 12.5% alcohol was fermented in oak barrels for 72 months. It was comprised of Viura and Malvasia. The slight maderization of this deeply golden wine was charming. This was a traditional styling of wine, low in alcohol and with a unique character.

[docsconz]

Certainly some of the whites from Rioja like the Tondinia are special, but Rioja is most well known for its reds.

We started with a red from the Rioja Baja area, 2005 Propiedad Herencia Remondo from Bodegas Palacios Remondo. The wine is made by Alvaro Palacios, who made his name in the Priorato and returned to the winery founded by his father in the 1940's. Aged in French and American oak for 13 months, this is a blend of classic Rioja grapes including 45% Tempranillo, 35% Garnacha, 10% Graciano and 10% Mazuelo. This was a very fruit forward wine with nice balance.

Roda I 2004 from Bodegas Roda in the Rioja Alta area was next up in the glass. 100% Tempranillo, this wine was aged for 16 months in French oak barrels. The alcohol was 14.5% This was another bright fruit-forward wine, but I started to notice a pattern in the reds of bracing acid that bolstered the wine and provided balance to the fruit and alcohol. This was also the case with the Torre Muga 2004 from Bodegas Muga in the Rioja Alta. That was a mix of Garnacha, Graciano and Tempranillo.

John Radford talked repeatedly about the Rioja nose especially with the Tempranillo heavy wines. Though I can't describe it myself, i was starting to get a sense of what he was talking about.

The Lan Edición Limitada 2004 from Bodegas Lan in La Rioja, 85% Tempranillo was only 13.5% alcohol. The wine is aged in French and russian barrels for 10 months.

Bodegas Ysios with its Calattrava designed winery poured their Ysios Edicion Limitada Reserva 2001. 100% Tempranillo from Alava, this wine was aged for 18 months in French (85%) and American oak barrels. It is 14% alcohol and delicious.

The Conde de la Salceda Reserva 2001 from Viña Salceda in Alava had great balance, a long finish and a flowery, fruity nose. Like many of the Rioja Alaves wines it was dominated by Tempranillo (95%) with a touch (5%) of Graciano. It was aged for 18 months in French oak.

More to come...

[docsconz]

There were three more Riojas to come. The Baron de Chirel 2001 was almost familiar having tasted Baron de Chirel the evening before at the dinner sponsored by Vinos de Los Herederos del Marques de Riscal. This 14% alcohol wine was 85% Tempranillo that had spent 20 months in American oak. It too had a fine acid backbone to cut through the oak. Marques de Riscal is the winery with the hotel designed by Frank Gehry.

Castillo Igay Gran Reserva 1998 from Bodegas Marqués de Murrieta, the winery that brought the techniques of Bordeaux to the Rioja, was the penultimate wine poured. Only 13% alcohol, this Tempranillo dominated wine, was very high in acid. Though any association with a vinegar is not generally considered a good trait for a wine, this one reminded me of a sherry vinegar - in a good way. It had been aged in American oak for an astounding 41months, yet I did not feel that the oak was overdone. This wine was one of my favorites.

The last wine, however, was my favorite of the tasting. It was the 890 Gran Reserva 1995 from La Rioja Alta. At a miniscule 12.5% alcohol, this wine made from 95% Tempranillo spent a whopping 72 months in American oak barrels! It was simply beautiful, the epitome of balance and flavor.

I found as I made my way through the tasting that, while I liked all the wines poured, I gravitated towards the wines with lower alcohol much like Gerry Dawes was talking about. They had character and balance. My palate was not in the least bit fatigued, which was especially noteworthy as this event took place in the late morning.

I know that I missed some pretty cool demonstrations in the auditorium, but I can't say that I was sorry about attending this marvelous tasting.

[docsconz]

While I tasted a lot, I tried not to swallow too much wine at the Rioja tasting, but I still needed a nibble or two afterwards. Fortunately, I passed by the Cinco Jotas table as they were setting up for lunch...

...absolutely wonderful stuff!

On my way back to the main auditorium to get back to the presentations I passed a couple of chefs being interviewed by various journalists...

Mathias Dahlgren

Rene Redzepi

[docsconz]

I managed to make it back to the auditoreum in time for the presentation of Andoni Luis Aduriz and Angel León on "Ecological Fuels: coal from olive stones, a revolution in roasts."

We may think that we like olives in the U.S., but our production and consumption can only pale to that of Spain. Not only does Spain produce a lot of olives, it also by necessity produces a lot of olive pits, a here-to-fore largely neglected byproduct of the industry. According to Aduriz and León, olive pits, abundantly available in Spain, make for a very good, efficient, inexpensive, cleaner-burning and flavorful charcoal, something they proceeded to demonstrate by preparing a grilled lacquered beef.

Olive pit charcoal embers aglow.

León getting the coals nice and hot

Aduriz explained the process as the meat cooked on the grill.

Advantages were shown on a background slide while Aduriz spoke

The steak sliced open to show its level of doneness.

Loin of Beef Grilled and Perfumed

The beef loin had been vacuum sealed with ash flavored oil and chilled for 24-48 hours prior to its grilling. It is served with crisp radishes , thyme, natural anthocyanins, ashes and salts.

Andoni Luis Aduriz

[docsconz]

I neglected to mention the names of the restaurants of the two chefs, Andoni Luis Aduriz and Ángel León, from the prior presentation. Luis Aduriz, as most people reading this are probably aware, is the chef at Mugaritz in San Sebastien, while León is the chef at Aponiente in Cádiz.

[docsconz]

Immediately following the presentation of Aduriz and León, sveral extremely large and fragrant black and white truffles were brought onstage to be auctioned off on behalf of Fundacion Luis Grinella to support its efforts to find employment for Spanish women.

These four black truffles, donated by Alimentos de Soria, were auctioned first.

The winning bidder to the tune of 2,000€ was Alejandro Fernández of Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Tinto Pesquera.

Next was the white alba truffle sponsored by Restaurante Vittoria

Martin Berasategui was a spirited bidder, but...

He lost out to Emilio Moro of Bodegas Emilio Moro at a winning bid of 8,400€

[catsrus9]

When I ate at Mugaritz in October, I was served that beef dish as part of the tasting menu. It was without a doubt the most flavorful piece of beef I'd ever had. Thank you so much for sharing the secret to its preparation! (not that I would attempt this at home...but its still awesome to know!)

-Charlie

[docsconz]

When I ate at Mugaritz in October, I was served that beef dish as part of the tasting menu. It was without a doubt the most flavorful piece of beef I'd ever had. Thank you so much for sharing the secret to its preparation! (not that I would attempt this at home...but its still awesome to know!)

-Charlie

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Thanks for commenting!

I wish I had a chance to taste it. It certainly looks marvelous. It is nice to hear that it does indeed taste as good as it looks. Someday (hopefully in the not-too-distant future) I will get to Mugaritz myself!

Right now the four restaurants in the world that I haven't been to, but most wish to get to include Mugaritz, Etxebarri, Noma and Ryugin. There are quite a few right behind them, but they are at the top of my list at the moment.

[YKL]

Thanks for putting together all these posts docsconz - terrific reading for all of us who couldn't be there.

[docsconz]

Pedro Subijana

The second of the three representatives at the Conference of what is now the senior element of the Spanish Vanguard, Pedro Subijana, was next up to the stage, commanding rapt attention from the audience. Subijana, of the restaurant Akelare in San Sebastien, followed the lead of Ferran Adria calling for freedom of chefs to do what they see fit and works for them. He encouraged young chefs to not simply follow the footsteps of others because any given style of cooking may be the cuisine of the moment. He suggested that chefs not follow himself or Adria unless that is something they truly feel compelled to do. Subijana then continued with his demonstration entitled, "Flavor Enhancers: powders, granules and slices."

Subijana started preparing a dish of langoustines in powdered shells. He separated the meat from the elements of the crustacean, then used parts that would ordinarily be discarded or perhaps used for a stock. He dried the shells in a non-stick pan, lightly toasting them before pulverizing them in a food processor. The langoustines are then coated in the powder and warmed under a salamander. The idea of using the shells is to deepen the flavor of the langoustine. He prepared this dish with various seaweeds.

Langoustine in Powdered Shells

Next up was a dish very similar to one that I was extremely taken with this past fall at the Starchefs International Chefs Congress done by Shannon Bennett of the Restaurant Vue de Monde in Melbourne, Australia. I had been under the impression that the technique was Chef Bennett's until I had the opportunity to ask Chef Subijana about it afterwards. Chef Subijana told me that he developed the technique, has been doing this dish for a couple of years and has presented it elsewhere. He had been unaware of Chef Bennett's presentation in New York, however, he was not upset by it either.

Subijana placing ingredients in the upper bowl of the Cona pot

Heat applied to the bottom container increases pressure forcing the liquid into the top container, where it seeps with the ingredients there. The broth is then allowed to return to the bottom container from which it is served.

Subijana serves the broth in a glass as part of a dish containing lobster that had been cooked in the broth, "earth" consisting of various pulverized ingredients, flowers and vegetables.

Lobster with "Earth" and "Sea".

Subijana prepared another dish using various "sands" that he prepared. These included one made from scallop roe, another from pepper and a few others. The "sands" are prepared by mixing he ingredients with rice and water, creating a paste, spreading it on silpats , oven-drying the preparations , frying in olive oil and finally crushing the product with a knife until the consistency of sand is achieved. The dish was served with a cooked scallop on top.

Scallop on colored sand.

[docsconz]

After the presentation of Pedro Subijana, I headed off to lunch, but on my way I took some time to check out the first edition of the C3 International Restaurant Desserts Competition organized by Valrhona. An initial group of 30 chefs had been narrowed to 6 finalists, who were present to create two desserts each for a panel of International professionals as well as a panel of international journalists using a palette of ingredients available to all and their own ingenuity, skill and creativity.

The finalists included:

• Alexandre Bonnefoi. France
  Rémy Pourcharet. France
  Arnaud Visioni. Switzerland
  Piere Lingenser. Germany
  Yannis Jansses. Miami, USA
  Omer Zernitsky. Israel
  

Frederic Bau of Valrhona was master of Ceremonies as each finalist came out to present his desserts.

Ferran Adria was the head judge.

Adria had plenty of help. Professionals sat at two tables. Along with Adria at one table was Sebastien Gaudard, Nils Henkel, Susur Lee, Christophe Michalak and Marcelo Tejedor.

The panel of international journalists

Unfortunately, I did not get all their names. Gerry Dawes from the US and Paul Wootton from Great Britain are on the far right of the photo above.

The other table of culinary professional judges included Davide Scabin, Joaquin Felipe, Johnny Iuzzini, and others I am not sure of.

A pensive Johnny Iuzzini

Finalist Yannis Jansses of Miami with Frederic Bau

I went to get some lunch as the competition came to a close, however, I will jump ahead at this point to show the results. Later in the afternoon, the results of the competition were announced in the main auditorium between presentations.

Frederic Bau continued his duties as emcee.

The six finalists on stage with Ferran Adria

There were a number of categories, however, there was only one winner, Piere Lingenser of Germany. The oldest of the bunch, Lingenser joked about how great it was that "an old man" could do so well amongst all the kids.

The finalists on stage with their awards.

These are all clearly names to keep an eye out for.

Edited February 24, 2008 by docsconz (log)

[docsconz]

It turned out that I didn't have much time for lunch after all...

... a little Jerez...

...and various nibbles from the Ayuntamiento de Valladolid.

Rene Redzepi trying a croqueta.

My favorites were the cochinillo and this, my first ever taste of lechazo or very young lamb.

The reason my lunch was so short was because I went to attend a special press conference...

[docsconz]

The press conference, of course, was for Ferran Adria, the main star of the show.

Here paraphrased, unless specifically quoted, are a few of the thoughts he expressed during the press conference as he answered questions from the audience:

• He was asked if his style was similar to Japanese kaiseki. He stated that he admires kaiseki very, very much and has been greatly influenced by it, however, he noted some significant distinctions, such as a lack of humor in kaiseki as well as a very strict structure. He is not sure if one can really be creative within the structure of a traditional kaiseki meal.
  When asked about the importance of sustainability and the environment, Adria responded that he considers it his obligation to achieve maximal ecological protection in his work and he does his best to reflect that with his cooking.
  He feels that it is important to teach children to eat better and thinks that the movie, Ratatouille, has done more to achieve that end than anything else so far.
  He responded to a question about the extent of his culinary interests by stating, "I am concerned about everything culinary."
  He thinks Jose Andres' Spanish television show is "delightful."
  Although they may not be bad for cooking, he generally does not enjoy tv "pretend chefs."
  When asked why Spain 's creative vanguard has flourished, while Italy's has had much difficulty being accepted within its own country, Adria attributed it to timing, saying that in Spain, the culinary vanguard had an 8 year head start and that he expects that Italy will be catching up to Spain soon and that there already is extraordinary creative talent there.
  Adria was asked about home cooks vs. restaurant cooks. He responded that traditional home cooks are not lacking in skills. he considers it to be technically much more difficult to make a good croqueta than a spherification, although the spherification technique intimidates people as yet unfamiliar with it. He feels that the technique may eventually make its way into the home kitchen. Along similar lines, he said that while in the past techniques and recipes have migrated from home kitchens to professional ones, the likelihood of that happening today or in the future is very small, although the reverse can and does happen. Currently, he finds very little connection between home and professional kitchens other than for committed enthusiasts.
  

As fascinating as Adria's discussion was, I was happy that it finished in time for me to make it to the next presentation, one I very much wanted to get to...

[docsconz]

Daniel Patterson

After the previous evening, I had now had dinner at Daniel Patterson's restaurant, Coi and with him. In addition, I try to read whatever he writes in the New York Times as he tends to be provocative and more often than not brilliant. He seems to be much like his food, not overtly fussy or overwrought on the outside, lacking in Baroque presentation and overstatement, but deep on the inside, holding much complexity, while remaining pure of purpose. Patterson does not overuse words. He chooses them carefully and sparingly, much the same way he appears to choose his ingredients. His presentation entitled, "Aromas: cooking with essential oils" provided a window into the man and his work.

I learned that the name of Patterson's restaurant, Coi (pronounced Kwa) is a medieval French word meaning "Tranquility." The name fits the restaurant.

Patterson talked about his use of essential oils in his cuisine s well as their various roles throughout history. He gave the audience a small vial of essential garlic oil to sample and using video described his technique for creating essential oils. he stressed the potency of these oils and

said that they should be used sparingly and with great care as a little goes a long way. He provided video demonstrations with preparations of pink grapefruit, ginger black pepper and tarragon with the dish to be eaten after a spray of the essential oils on the diner's wrist (in the same way as I experienced at his restaurant and as described and shown in my report from that meal linked to above) and another of sauteed sea bream with braised lettuce, pork belly cured orange and spice and litsea cubeba.

Primacy of product is essential to Patterson's cooking. He prepared a dish live to reflect that, using a perfect carrot as his principle ingredient.

Patterson, the only representative from the United States presenting this year, carried that responsibility well.