technique vs. taste

[bilrus]

Chef Adria,

In a Q & A with your colleague Jose Andres earlier this year I mentioned that I felt the best dishes at his Minibar were ones where the new and interesting techniques were put to use in service of enhancing the flavor of an existing, familiar dish and the less successful ones (in my mind at least) were the ones where the technique itself was the centerpiece. Chef Andres' response was that it was all about the technique.

What are your thoughts on whether there is a point where a technique itself distracts rather than enhances a dish or the overall experience?

[Ferran Adrià]

Interesting question, Bill. If you don't know a technique, you're going to be surprised: you're surprised the first time you eat sushi. That doesn't mean that sushi is bad or the technique interferes. But the first time, your attention would probably be focused on the technique and the process.

The first time you eat the spheric ravioli of pea, it has a wonderful taste of, well, pea. But you're surprised by the technique. Once you get used to the technique, you start re-focusing again on the taste and "discount" what the technique brings to the dish.