Guest Chef Reveals Secrets

Projecting a photograph of a classic Spanish dessert menu for the audience to see, Chef Carme Ruscalleda began Science and Cooking’s twelfth guest lecture by sharing a secret.

“By browning an ingredient, we bring it to a different level of taste,” she said in Spanish as a translator interpreted her remarks. “Food acquires a different taste and becomes more sophisticated.”

Ruscalleda is the only female chef who currently holds six Michelin stars, and is one of only four women who have ever received the distinction.

This week’s Science and Cooking lesson centered on the Maillard reaction—a process of heating similar to caramelization that causes food to turn brown. In a brief scientific overview before the lecture, Harold McGee, who authored the course textbook, explained the concepts underlying the reaction as it unfolded on stage.

“It’s very complicated,” he said, referring to the pan on the table. “It’s sugar and water in a pan with heat.”

He lifted the stirring spoon as the audience laughed, revealing a sticky and dark brown substance. Sugar and water, heated long enough, had turned into caramel.

“To me, that’s the magic of cooking,” McGee said.

Ruscalleda, who is the course’s only female guest chef, then went on to explain the significance of this browning reaction in her own cooking. In strong, passionate Spanish, she shared four recipes with the audience—garlic tapas, pasta, migas, and polvorón—all of which showed the effects of browning.

Though Ruscalleda used photographs instead of giving a live demonstration, audience members saw each recipe’s step-by-step process in five times the speed. This allowed the chef to cover more of her recipes.

Ruscalleda, who was born to a family of farmers and shopkeepers in Catalonia, Spain, continuously emphasized the influence of culture and geography on her cooking throughout her talk. Her restaurant, Sant Pau, is located in her hometown and is known for its specialization in Catalan cuisine. Another branch of the restaurant is located in Tokyo, Japan.

While Ruscalleda is known for bringing contemporary innovations to traditional dishes, the chef also said that her aim is always to provide healthy, tasty, and well-prepared cuisine.

“Her food is inventive and creative,” said Science and Cooking Professor David A. Weitz. “But it’s also more traditional than others, and that’s why so many people like it.”

Pep Vicente, who works as the interpreter for Science and Cooking’s guest lecturers, said that Ruscalleda is not only an incredible chef—she is also an incredible person.

“She’s a very difficult mix to achieve,” Vicente said. “She’s very down-to-earth, but at the same time, she has a certain elegance and sophistication.”

People who attended the event said that they enjoyed hearing Ruscalleda talk about her cooking, despite the fact that she needed a translator.

“Some of the other [guest chefs] looked to create something very sophisticated,” said Science and Cooking student Sam R. Peinado ’15. “[Ruscalleda’s] cooking seemed to be more based on her surroundings, and I liked that.”