Chef Ferran Adrià i Acosta – Made Famous El Bulli

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Ferran Adrià i Acosta is a world-famous chef known in the culinary world. In fact, he is considered as the world’s greatest chef, having received numerous awards not only for his creativity but for his scrumptious cuisine. Today, he is the head chef that handles and manages the kitchens of El Bulli http://www.elbulli.com/, a world famous restaurant made famous by this brilliant chef.

Born in Barcelona, Spain on the 14th of May 1962, Ferran Adrià went to school at the Instituto Verge de la Merci to study business administration. He soon found out though that it was not his calling, and so quit school.

His first taste of the culinary world was in 1980, but it was not that exciting. He was in Ibiza at that time for a vacation, but he needed cash to sustain his vacation. Looking for a job, he landed at the Hotel Playafels, which is situated in Castelldefels, Spain. At the Hotel Playafels, he was a mere dishwasher, but when he met and befriended the hotel’s chef de cuisine, that was when he found his calling. There, he was taught the classic culinary techniques of Spanish cuisine.

Eventually, Chef Ferran Adrià found himself in Ibiza where he worked at the Club Cala Lena. He stayed at the Club Cala Lena for four months.

After his stint in Ibiza, he went back to Barcelona where he found jobs at a variety of restaurants where he finally got a big break when he landed an assistant chef post at the Finisterre. However, he was drafted into the military, so he had to leave Finnisterre and work as an employee at the captain general’s kitchen. His skills soon made him the head of the captain general’s kitchen, and this was the first time that he became the head chef of a kitchen.

After Chef Ferran Adrià finally fulfilled his service in mid 1983, at the age of 22, he was given a chance to try out for a post at the El Bulli, which is located in Roses, Spain. The chef of the restaurant liked Chef Ferran Adrià’s skills, so he was given the post of the line cook. Little did he know that a year and a half later, he would be managing its kitchen as the head chef, and with him heading El Bulli’s kitchen came the first recognition of this humble restaurant.

El Bulli before Chef Ferran Adrià was relatively not that popular, especially since it is remotely located, but through Chef Ferran Adrià, the restaurant enjoyed an increase in customers that soon it finally received its Michelin stars and landed a spot at the World’s Best Restaurants.

Chef Ferran Adrià reinvented El Bulli’s traditional French cuisine. He became an apprentice to some of the top French restaurants and soaked in all the techniques that he could learn. In time, he applied what he learned to his cooking in El Bulli, infusing his own techniques that he developed over time. His restaurant then became known for his culinary foam method, a method which makes use of natural flavors combined with an organic gelling agent. Of course, taste was never sacrificed for aesthetic appeal.

To Chef Ferran Adrià’s credit, his education did not stop just because his restaurant received Michelin stars. In fact, he more than proved to himself as well to his critics that they deserve to be number one. After numerous years of being the second best, Chef Ferran Adrià finally brought El Bulli to the number one spot in 2006. In late 2008, Chef Ferran Adrià, together with Juli Soler as well as Albert Adrià, finally published his first book, which talks about his life at El Bulli complete with photos. Included in the book are 30 scrumptious recipes of this famous restaurant’s cuisine.

Chef Ferran Adrià Pistachio-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Pancetta

Ingredients:

1/3 cup unsalted pistachios
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
One 1 1/2 pound rack of lamb, frenched (8 chops)
6 ounces thinly sliced pancetta or bacon
8 scallions, white and tender green parts only

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. In the bowl of a mini processor, finely chop the pistachios with the thyme and rosemary. Add half of the olive oil and process to a paste; season with salt and pepper. Scrape half of the pistachio paste into a small bowl and stir in the remaining olive oil.
Coat the lamb with half of the remaining pistachio paste. Wrap the pancetta slices around the lamb, between the bones, leaving the bones exposed. Spread the remaining pistachio paste over the pancetta and set the rack in a small roasting pan. Roast the rack for about 40 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the meat registers 130° for medium-rare. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Reserve the pan drippings.
Meanwhile, spoon 1 teaspoon of the rendered pancetta fat from the roasting pan into a medium skillet and heat until shimmering. Add the scallions and cook over high heat until softened and browned in spots, about 4 minutes. Carve the lamb rack into four 2-chop servings and transfer them to plates along with the scallions. Drizzle the pistachio pesto all around and serve right away

Make Ahead:

The pesto can be refrigerated overnight.

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