Chef Carme Ruscalleda – Known for Her Authentic and Traditional Catalan Cuisine
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Chef Carme Ruscalleda is one of the most famous chefs of Spain known for her authentic and traditional Catalan cuisine. Her culinary skill has brought the Catalan cuisine to the forefront of the culinary world, and it is also what put Ruscalleda Sant Pau on the 68th place of the San Pellegrino’s World’s Best Restaurants.
Born on 1952 in Sant Pol De Mar, Barcelona, Spain, she grew up in a family who respects the bountiful produce of her native land, a family who has also made cooking a center of their home and tradition. As a young girl, one of her duties was in the kitchens, and so, at a very young age, she has discovered the joys of cooking.
In college, she took up commerce, and to further her culinary knowledge, she also took up charcuterie to master the techniques in preparing meat products. It was in 1975 that she married Toni Balam, who owned a grocery store in her hometown.
Opening her own restaurant has always been in the back of her mind, but that dream only came into fruition in 1988 when she finally convinced her husband to launch their own restaurant. Her cuisine was mainly focused on traditional Catalan cuisine, and she took her inspiration from her province, from the traditions of her family and home, and from the fresh produce that the fertile land provides.
In time, her cuisine evolved, becoming more modern to suit the ever-changing tastes of her diners. Chef Ruscalleda would experiment with the different ingredients that can be found in her native land, combing it with other fresh ingredients to create her own version of traditional Catalan dishes, and always making sure that her cuisine stays true to tradition and what a wholesome dish really is about.
Such was her culinary skill that the restaurant soon had its loyal patrons who frequent Ruscalleda Sant Pau, and in 1990, the Michelin guide finally took notice of her culinary skill and awarded her with her first star. This immediately made her as the first woman chef in Spain to have ever earned a Michelin star. It took another six years for her to earn her second Michelin star and another ten years to earn her third. This is a very big accomplishment, indeed, considering that she is mostly self-taught and is one of the few women chefs who have made a name for herself in a male-dominated industry.
Right now, Chef Ruscalleda has five Michelin stars under her belt. Three of those are for her restaurant in Spain, and the other two are for the restaurant that she manages in Tokyo. Aside from three Michelin stars for Ruscalleda Sant Pau, the Campsa Guide has also awarded her with three suns in 1999.
Chef Ruscalleda is not only active in the culinary world as she travels from one country to another and manages two restaurants, but she has also written a number of books that focus on Mediterranean cuisine. Her books have received good praises, the most popular of which is the Cuinar per ser felic, which was published in 2001.
Chef Carme Ruscalleda’s Lemon Potato Chips
Ingredients:
- 2 kg (4 1/2 lb.) Lemons
- Sea salt
- 2 kg (4 1/2 lb.) Potatoes, preferably Kennebec
- Olive oil
Directions:
Lemon salt:
1.     Peel the lemons with an appropriate peeler, keeping only the zest with the white pith removed.
2.     Blanch these peels in boiling water with a little salt Refresh in cold water and dehydrate in a 40°C (100°F) sterilizer for 48 hours.
3.     Chop the peels very finely, put them through a sieve and combine with the sea salt. Set aside in a dry place. (Proportion: 3 g lemon powder to 30 g salt.)
4.     Now you have lemon salt that is perfect for seasoning foods that require both salty and lemony flavours.
For the chips:
1.     Cut the potatoes into thin (1 mm) slices. Place them in water and rinse 3 or 4 times to remove the starch. Dry well with a kitchen towel.
2.     Deep fry the potato slices in hot oil in a deep pan. Do not fry too many of the chips at once: keep them well separated. Drain and place on paper towels. Sprinkle with lemon salt. Dry for 3 hours at 90°C (195°F) for 3 hours.
Image Credit: lienzoculinario.com
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[...] prepared by the best women chefs in the world such as Annie Feolde and Anne-Sophie Pic as well as Carme Ruscalleda and Nadia Santini. Lea Linster as well as Luiza Valazza completes the all-female team preparing [...]