Chef Alex Atala – One of Brazil’s Greatest Living Chefs
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Milad Alexandre Mack Atala, or simply Chef Alex Atala to the culinary world, is recognized as one of Brazil’s greatest living chefs right now. He has transformed traditional Brazilian dishes into a trendy and innovative cuisine by introducing French as well as Italian culinary techniques into his cooking. His culinary technique and skills have definitely paid off as his restaurant, D.O.M. became the 18th best restaurants in the world, climbing six spots since last year.
This famous Brazilian chef is not only a great chef but is also a former DJ who found his true calling in the culinary world. Born on the 3rd day of June 1968 in from a middle class family, Chef Atala grew up Sao Bernardo do Campo. His father worked at a rubber factory, and his mother stayed at home to take care of the children, so it was from his mother that he learned to appreciate good food.
When he was 14 years old, he decided to leave home and live in Sao Paulo. There, he became a DJ at the Rose Bom Bom, a local night club, but his restless nature urged him to go on, so, with money that he saved during his stint as a DJ, he left Sao Paulo at the age of 18 to go backpacking across Europe. During his travels, he has had numerous odd jobs. He became a painter and a dish washer just to survive, and he continued with this kind of lifestyle until a friend of his suggested the idea of enrolling himself in a catering school. Although this was not what he wanted for a career, it did provide him a work permit to work in Europe, but little did he know that this was to be the best choice after all.
After he graduated from the culinary school, he worked at several restaurants, and his job took him to countries across Europe. He stayed in Belgium and France, and he even went to Italy to improve his culinary skills as well as to learn from some of the greatest chefs in these countries. In fact, he has worked at the Cote D’Or Hotel and became an apprentice to Chef Bernard Loiseau, and he even worked with Chef Jean Pierre Bruneau at the Bruneau Restaurant where he soaked up all that he could when it comes of French cuisine, especially the techniques and cooking style.
Finally, in 1994, he went back to Brazil, armed with a good background on French cuisine and a culinary skill of his own. He was itching to make a name for himself in Brazil’s culinary world, and those years leading to his opening of D.O.M. was a continuation of his culinary education as he looked for his own culinary identity.
Five years after he returned to his own country, he finally launched D.O.M. in 1999, the year that marked the start of a bright culinary era in the country’s gastronomy.
Chef Atala reshaped the traditional Brazilian cuisine, tweaking it and refining it to create a very innovative haute Brazilian cuisine. His dishes exemplify his personality – adventurous, unique, and quirky – a dish that captures the interest of many.
Chef Alex Atala’s Lemon Banana Ravioli with Priprioca Caramel
Ingredients:
For caramel priprioca:
- 320g sugar
- 20ml essence of priprioca
- 80ml water
For crème patissiere:
- 40g pasteurised egg yolk
- 40g caster sugar
- 8g wheat flour
- 200ml milk
For sugar syrup for the confit of lemon zest:
- 500ml water
- 500g sugar1 lemon
For lemon and banana ravioli:
- 175g sugar
- 175ml water
- 100ml of lemon juice
- 2g of agar-agar
- 20g of gelatin
- Banana, finely sliced into rounds
Directions:
1.     Make a caramel with 320g sugar to about 142°C and add 20ml essence of priprioca and 80 ml water.
2.     Make the patissiere by mixing the pasteurised egg yolks with 40g sugar and 8g flour in a bowl. Bring the milk up to the boil. Then slowly mix the milk into the yolks. Strain the mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes.
3.     Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and sit in a bowl of iced water. Cover the surface of the crème patissiere with cling film to prevent it forming a skin.
4.     Make a sugar syrup by boiling together 500 ml water with 500g sugar until the sugar dissolves. Pare the peel from the lemon, leaving some of the pith attached to the zest. Cut into julienne and blanch in boiling water. Cool quickly in iced water and repeat the process three times. Then heat the sugar syrup and add the blanched lemon zest.
5.     To make the banana ravioli, mix together 175 g sugar, 175 ml water, 100 ml lemon juice and 2 g agar-agar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat and sprinkle the gelatin over the liquid. Once it has dissolved, pour the liquid into a wide mould so that it sets into a 2 mm thick sheet. Chill until set.
6.     Stamp out 5 cm diameter rounds and assemble the ravioli on a baking sheet as follows:  Place a round of lemon jelly on the plate, top with a drop of crème patissiere followed by 3 slices of banana, then cover with another round of lemon jelly.
To serve: Take a slate 25 cm x 10 cm and arrange the ravioli on the left side. Garnish with the candied lemon zest and finish with a whisk of caramel priprioca to one side of the ravioli.
Servings: Serves 10.
Image Credit: resenhaem6.com.br
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Australian Chef- Matthew J. Goudge is the mastermind behind the formation of the ProChef360 platform.
I hope you enjoy this! I dunno how i ended up on this page, but i need to say it produced for some exciting reading thanks.
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I will look forward to reading more of your work.
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