Chefs Ruscalleda and Jubany reveal their secrets at Harvard

Barcelona (CNA).- Catalan cuisine is taught at Harvard this autumn in a seminar directed by the Catalan Ferran Adrià who, for many years, has been considered the best cook in the world. The course focuses on the link between cuisine and chemistry, while exploring Catalan cuisine. Several top Catalan chefs teach in the course, such as chefs Joan Roca and Carme Ruscalleda, both of whom have been awarded 3 Michelin stars, as well as Ferran Adrià himself. Nandu Jubany, from the award-winning restaurant, Can Jubany, will explain how water and oil are used in cooking, while Carme Ruscalleda will talk about the process of roasting and marinating. The course is central to efforts to consolidate the international reputation of Catalan cuisine and its master chefs.

On Monday 18 October, Jubany will give a conference entitled ‘The Concept of Stabilizing Oil & Water’, which will focus upon the importance of maintaining a balance between oil and water when cooking and the importance of temperature. Among the demonstrations he will perform, which will be available via live streaming at http://seas.harvard.edu/cooking at 13h00 (CET), there will be cold emulsions, such as ‘aioli’ (Catalan traditional garlic sauce) and mayonnaise, and hot sauces of both heavy and soft varieties, such as pili-pili sauce. Vinaigrettes will also be a centre point of the seminar. The chef’s objective is to demonstrate that factors such as time, speed and temperature are key to successful culinary processes. “I am very keen to participate in this course. I have opened my dream restaurant, I go to Harvard to teach a class and, when I come back, we’ll celebrate Can Jubany’s 15^th anniversary. It may seem exhausting, but it gives me more energy to work for those who made this possible, those who enjoy my cuisine,” affirms Jubany, who has recently renovated his restaurant.

In addition, Carme Ruscalleda, will give a conference entitled, ‘Browning & Oxidations’ on 1 November. She will present different types of roasts and marinades. Ruscalleda states that “going to Harvard is a great opportunity, even for the cook itself, as we will scientifically discover the evolution from raw to cooked food. It will be a great platform to demonstrate our diverse and pluralistic cuisine, which fuses trends from all over the world in search of gastronomic equilibrium. This is entering through the great door.”

Carme Ruscalleda, the Chef of the 3-Michelin star Sant Pau Restaurant, in the coastal town of Sant Pol de Mar near Barcelona will be the final Catalan chef to participate in the course. Her seminar started in September and is entitled ‘Science and Cooking: from Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science’. Chefs Ferran Adrià, Joan Roca, Carles Tejedor and chocolate artist Enric Rovira have already given their lectures.