Spain's 10: The Summit

This article was guest written by Nina Callaway. For more by Nina, visit her website at http://weddings.about.com.

Juan Mari Arzak, the father of modern Spanish cuisine

Paco Torreblanca, the best pastry chef in the world

And, of course, Ferran Adrià, the man many call “the best chef in the world”.

Together with Martin Berasategui, Alberto Chicote, Quique Dacosta, Daniel García, Enrique Martínez, Joan Roca, and Paco Roncero these legendary chefs came together at a once-in-a-lifetime New York event called “Spain’s 10: The Summit.” Created to celebrate the opening of the new International Culinary Center in New York, Spain’s 10 was also a means of highlighting Spain as a unique culinary travel destination, and introducing these chefs to American foodies.

I had the pleasure of attending this unique event in order to share the proceedings with you. The majority of the day was devoted to demonstrations -- each chef showed older techniques and unveiled some of the latest things they have been working on, as well as spoke a little about their philosophy of cooking. But attendees also got to taste wines, olive oils, cured meats and other unique Spanish products, and were served a tapas-style Spanish lunch.

Juan Mari Arzak

Arzak, San Sebastián
Called the father of New Basque Cooking, Chef Arzak’s food straddles the line between traditional Spanish cuisine and hypermodern cooking. It uses inventive techniques and wit, while still retaining familiarity. “I don’t believe in globalization of cooking,” he said at the start of his demonstration. “When you eat something, if you don’t know where you are, then it is a failure. We can use [foreign ingredients] but we must adapt them to our way of cooking.”

Chef Arzak demoed four dishes which highlighted his playfulness and need to have fun while he is cooking. As he said, “In my entire life, I haven’t eaten anything I haven’t had fun making.” His work is thoughtful but not overly intellectual, and can be made by home chefs. For example, his first dish, Steamed Shrimp with Apple Juice and Almond Oil. He place olive oil, shrimp, vegetable stock, and apple juice in a bowl, and covered it tightly with plastic wrap. He cut a small hole in the plastic wrap, inserted the steam nozzle of a cappuccino machine and steamed for 15 seconds. These are the only steps in this simple dish, yet the shrimp has the perfect texture and is infused with the flavors of the other ingredients.

Arzak looked like a kid with new toys as he showed his next dish. Chopped baby squid were covered with a “veil” – a thin black slice of squid ink gelatin. At the table, hot broth is poured over the dish, melting the gelatin and changing the color of the broth before the diner’s eyes. On the video screen he showed the same technique over pumpkin ravioli, and his restaurant often serves meat dishes with coffee or other types of veils.

Burned leeks might not initially sound so appetizing, but Arzak pureed the charred leeks with blood orange juice, extra virgin olive oil and vinegar to form a vinaigrette which he served along side sea bass and pistachio nuts. He prescribed that the diner first taste each ingredient in turn, then can feel free to combine the ingredients in any way that he likes.

And for a fun finish to his demonstration, Arzak showed a simple yet playful dessert: Roasted Pineapple with Piña Colada bubbles. At the table, dry ice is added to a strawberry cream, causing it to bubble over and create a sauce for the pineapple.

Enrique Martínez

Restaurant Maher, Navarre
In a country famous for its love of meat, Enrique Martínez is a chef known for his wizardry with vegetables. He talked at length about the medicinal properties of vegetables and the importance of supporting producers. Navarre, the area of Spain where Chef Martínez lives and has his Restaurant Maher, is a relatively arid climate. The climate not only produces fantastic vegetables, but also means that they have a great respect for water. Martínez has worked extensively with water purification, and on condensing as a form of cooking. He demonstrated his multi-vitamin broths that he serves as an amuse at the restaurant, as well as Grilled Codfish and Vegetables in Vitamin Broth. First the cod is poached in a vegetable broth. Then carrots and other vegetables are dipped in a simple sugar syrup, forming a sweet crispy shell. Other vegetables are grilled, and then everything is plated along with some pepper reduction and olive oil. As the diner eats, he experiences both crispy and non-crispy vegetables, as well as the fish infused with the flavor of the vegetables.

One of the more interesting techniques Chef Martínez demonstrated was also the simplest. In the same way that you can roast fish in a salt crust, you can also roast vegetables such as fennel, leaving them tender but with a concentrated flavor. Unfortunately, it seemed like technical problems with the video and some unclear translations prevented Chef Martínez from communicating everything he wanted to.