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ANDONI LUIS ADÚRIZ HIS RESTAURANT,

Despite his youth, 40, Andoni Luis Adúriz is already one of the most beloved culinary creators worldwide.
MUGARITZ, HAS JUST BEEN CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE THREE BEST IN THE WORLD AND
IN IT HE SHOWS THAT HIS CREATIVE POTENTIAL IS LIMITLESS EVERY DAY. VANGUARD,
PRODUCT, CONTRASTS AND EMOTIONS; these are concepts that can be repe-
atedly found in their spectacular sweet proposals, ever daring, suggestive, full of discourse.
This last year has been for him a year of change, of deep thought. For starters, after a tragic fire in early
2010, Adúriz was forced to redo the entire kitchen, a problem that eventually became the opportunity to
design new and spectacular facilities. Furthermore, aware of the need to constantly renew its gastrono-
mic proposals, Andoni and his team decided to keep the restaurant closed for 3 months to develop a new
menu.
ANDONI HIMSELF EXPLAINS THE DETAILS
OF THIS PROCESS OF REBIRTH AND WHAT
ROLE DESSERTS PLAY IN HIS MUGARITZ.
Photos: Jose Luis López de Zubiria / www.mugaritz.com

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RANT,
AND
UARD,

THE CONSTRUCTOR OF EXPERIENCES

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Andoni Luis Adúriz
Why this reflection period of three months?
Mugaritz is a restaurant that is 13 years old. Last year
(actual data) 94% of the customers came from outsi-
de the Basque Country, and of that 94% half even
came from outside of Spain. And this percentage is
accentuated even more. Our customer prepares the
trip well in advance; they make reservations with
plenty of time. Given all this evidence you wonder, do
people who come from afar really come to eat? And
you realize that what they are actually looking for is an
experience that justifies the effort made to come. And
what we have sought is to build that moment. We
generated a kind of ideas accelerator. Instead of doing
things in three years we have tried to do it in three
months. In the end, we have invested 7,200 hours in
creativity for about 40 new dishes.
At the time of creating these dishes, what have
you focused on?
We decided to deal with what we know, which is an
element of competitiveness. We must be creative and,
again, at a global level. I do not compete with my
immediate setting. I'm trying to seduce those who
come from around the world.
26
In short, we have tried to internalize that we are the
diner’s guides. They trust us and we take them by the
hand and we take them and point out what we think is
worth being noted. This would be a bit of a sketch of
what we want it to be like when coming to Mugaritz.
It’s what we call "Mugaritz experience”.
What conclusions have you drawn from this
period of reflection?
We have worked to build that Mugaritz experience. To
begin with, we thought a lot about the vital importan-
ce of time. In preparing a dish, ten seconds after you
finish it until you take it out are keys so that this dish
can really be expressed. Sometimes in a few seconds
at a temperature (for me the temperature is as impor-
tant as salt) keeps you from getting what you want.
These latter are essential for this dish to be at its best.
This, that may seem obvious, is not so much if you look
at the real day to day of a restaurant. We worked on
the importance of time on fractal level. That is, if those
20 seconds are critical, so is the duration of the expe-
rience of eating at Mugaritz, or the three months of
reflection we had. We have worked hard this year to
offer 16 or 17 things in two hours or two and a half
hours at most (it also depends on the
diner).
We have also worked the concept
of what the menu has to be. We
have made menus where there are
new techniques, new concepts,
fusions of things known or unk-
nown. And of course there are
also new products.
In addition, we want the room to
interact more than ever, aware of
the importance of the playful, the
game. In fact, we once again had an
impact on unpredictability, which is
the engine of hope, of constructi-
ve provocation.
What has been accomplished
out of all of these reflections?
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e are the
m by the
we think is
sketch of
Mugaritz.

om this
A new menu. More than menu, I would call it a Not classically trained. We have a person in charge,
sequence of dishes (we give each client a minimum of who is actually a chef. And since here we are quite fle-
rience. To
16, also depending on each client), in perfect harmony xible and dynamic here, we change people around the
mportan-
with the room, working on a range of about 30 dishes different stations. Anyway, we try to get people to
after you
and customizing many tables. educate themselves, whether in Alain Ducasse’s scho-
this dish
ol or sending restaurant professionals to learn from
w seconds
And how do you personalize them? the greats in patisserie such as Paco Torreblanca or
as impor-
We work hard with the market. This year more than Pierre Hermé.
you want.
ever we are very aware of the market, because we
t its best.
want people to live an experience very close to the Isn’t it more difficult to create a dessert without
you look
territory. For example, we go to the fish market in the classical pastry training?
orked on
Ondarroa, but before, directly from the boat, the cap- We are only chefs who make desserts. And this has its
s, if those
tain calls out to us and tells us what they have. At 6 in advantages. As the Basque master pastry chef Jose
he expe-
the morning, the fish is picked up and based on that we Mari Gorrotxategui says, in the kitchen everything is
months of
know what we have, how we have it and who we're designed to be eaten freshly made. This fact has drawn
s year to
going to give it to. In fact, the menus are done almost quite different possibilities in terms of techniques, con-
and a half
the day before and we are splitting hairs trying to put cepts and possibilities.
ds on the
in every menu what we feel is going to be the best to It is true that we lack classical pastry training, that we
get that sequence. As I said, it's all divided in terms of have big gaps to be filled with imagination. In fact, one
e concept
concepts, techniques and products. And the products of the advantages of not knowing something is that
o be. We
used are the ones out there: if we have tear-shaped you have to find an alternative, and so things can come
there are
peas for 15 people, 15 people will eat it, not the whole out really innovative, creative.
concepts,
room. Others will eat some else, also exceptional, but
or unk-
it will be different. In general, we try to adapt to all the For example?
We want the room to
here are
singularities that each diner can express. One of the new desserts this year, for example, is a interact more than ever,
cone of flowers and nails, for which we had to develop
room to aware of the importance
Focusing on the topic of dessert, what path have four new techniques. For starters, the cone is crystal
aware of
you followed? How have you evolved in this clear and what we had to invent using starch because
ayful, the of the playful, the game.
aspect? we wanted to greatly reduce the amount of sugar (up
ain had an
As the restaurant’s own kitchen did. The dessert menu to only 20%). This dessert also has meringue, but In fact, we once again
y, which is
also expresses the nature of influences that are occu- made with flax instead of eggs. A third innovation was
onstructi- had an impact on unpre-
rring in the restaurant. If we are in a time of greater
simplicity and naturalness, or if we are in a time when
dictability, which is the engine of hope, of constructive provocation.
the product appears to be more available, all this is
mplished
reflected in the desserts.
ctions?
You do not have a head pastry chef.

27 so good..
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Andoni Luis Adúriz
The senses and the absorptive capacity of the diner diminish as the
sequence of dishes progresses. So as the last dishes come in we try
to be less ambiguous and abstract.
the nails, crispy and prepared in a mold with scented
chocolate with cocoa butter with cloves*. Aesthetically
they look like rusty nails. Finally, the dessert has flowers
that we dry in lactose, a technique that allows us to get
flowers that seem almost decorative, because they are
completely dry and maintain color. As you see, to give
life to this dessert we had to develop our own tools.
That is the good thing about having those gaps.
A very provocative dessert. In general what
grabs your attention when creating a dessert?
We are always in a bit of a problematic situation with
the desserts. And it’s that the senses and the absorpti-
* Translator's note: In the original Spanish text, the author plays with the word 'clavo', which in English can be translated both as 'clove' (the spice) and 'nail' (metal spike).
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ve capacity of the diner diminish as the sequence of
dishes progresses. So as the last dishes come in we try
to be less ambiguous and abstract. We show dishes
with new products, new concepts and new techni-
ques, but we try that the dish itself is closest to what
the guest already knows. When the desserts come
out, the customer is already pretty full and expects to
find what he imagines to be a dessert.
If at first we play around more with contrasts interwo-
ven with some harmony, in the end we are looking for
more harmony and less contrast. But we always try
make that final powerful shot and for people to have a
good time.
How many desserts does Mugaritz’s menu
currently include?
Of the 30 dishes we are currently playing around with,
there are five or six desserts. In addition, we have no
problems in retrieving past creations.
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Andoni Luis Adúriz

CHOPPED, ROASTED AND SALTED WALNUTS, MILK ICE CREAM AND ARMAGNAC JELLY

In Mugaritz, we like to work abstraction and ambiguity, and we make a large number of dishes in which you don’t know what you are eating. On this
occasion, we wanted to do something quite realistic: replicate some walnuts that resembled walnuts but that you could eat entire. One of the greatest
technical achievements of the dish was reached thanks to the salted walnuts, which we leave in brine and then dry in oven, thus enhancing their aroma in
a spectacular way. It is also important for us to obtain creamy, balanced ice creams.

filled walnuts goat’s milk ice cream

70 g white chocolate 609 g fresh goat’s milk
40 g gianduja 166 g cream
20 g caolin 40 g milk powder
20 g cocoa butter 90 g dextrose
100 g sucrose
Chop the white chocolate, butter and gianduja on a board. Place in 5 g fine salt
a bowl and melt in a bain marie, ensuring that the temperature 6 g cremodan emulsifier
does not exceed 45ºC. When the mixture is melted and homoge-
neous, add the caolin. Mix well. When receiving the milk, it has to be kept in refrigerator at a tem-
Keep this mixture at a temperature of 40ºC to be able to work perature of 4ºC to 10ºC for 4 days so that the pre-maturing pro-
with it properly. Fill a silicone mold (with the shape of an entire cess is completed. This will help the flavors and aromas concentra-
walnut) with 5 g of the chocolate mixtures with the help of a small te in a natural way.
spatula. Slightly press on the mold so that the chocolate is properly In a wide saucepan, combine the goat’s milk, cream, salt, milk pow-
spread. Seal the mold and freeze until serving time. der and dextrose. Mix with a wire whisk. Heat the milk up to 40ºC
over a gentle heat and add the sucrose mixed with the emulsifier.
Heat to 85ºC while constantly stirring and immediately cool down.
walnut filling Vacuum-pack and let mature the ice cream mix in refrigerator for
200 g Comte de Louviac Bas Armagnac at least 12 hours before use. The ice cream must be at a tempera-
25 g sugar ture lower than 4ºC before being processed in the ice cream
2 g iota machine so that the best overrun is guaranteed (volume which the
0.2 g granulated xanthan gum ice cream gains due to the air addition).

Combine all the ingredients and vacuum-pack. Store in refrigerator

for at least 6 hours before use. Pour the content of the bag into a
saucepan, making sure all of it is used, and heat to a boil, then
remove from the heat. Before it cools down completely, fill syringes
with 10 ml of this mixture. Keep the syringes in the refrigerator.
15 minutes before serving, take the walnuts out of the freezer and
with the help of a hot punch make a small hole in the base of the
walnut. Fill the chocolate walnuts with the Armagnac mixture
straight from the syringe and store in refrigerator.
SERVING

salted walnuts BEFORE SERVING, PLATES MUST BE KEPT IN THE FREEZER.

4 u walnuts IN A FROZEN BOWL, PLACE APPROXIMATELY 80 G OF GOAT’S CHEESE
1 l water ICE CREAM AND COMBINE WITH SOME SMALL SALTED WALNUTS.
50 g fine salt HOMOGENIZE. STORE IN THE FREEZER UNTIL SETTING UP.
PLACE THE ICE CREAM ON THE FROZEN PLATE AND GENTLY PRESS
Carefully remove the shells, trying not to break the walnuts so that DOWN WITH THE HELP OF A SPATULA TO FLAT SLIGHTLY.
the pieces are big and eye-catching when serving them. Make a TOP THE ICE CREAM AND WALNUT MIXTURE WITH SOME BIGGER
brine with the water and salt and put the unshelled walnuts in it. SALTED WALNUTS, A WALNUT FILLED WITH ARMAGNAC AND SOME
Leave for 30 minutes. Then drain and dry in an oven at 150ºC for
CHOPPED CHOCOLATE WALNUTS.
20 minutes or until they are dry outside and slightly roasted inside.

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31 so good..
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THE SMASHED EGG, THE FROZEN EGG YOLK AND THE WHITE FLOWERS
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SOME SPOONFULS OF RELATED CONTRASTS: MILK, LEAVES AND SWEET AROMAS

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Andoni Luis Adúriz

Seven years ago we traveled to Japan, and a friend of ours surpri- almond milk
sed us by offering some eggs in an egg case as last course in the 750 ml mineral water
menu. After breaking the shell with a spoon and starting eating 250 g Marcona almond
thinking they were boiled eggs, we realized that there was no egg
yolk and that, in fact, those were no eggs. It was a milk gelatin Crush the almond and water in a food processor on high speed for
which had been inserted after emptying the egg through a hole 30 seconds. Pass through a chinois. Pass again through a fine strai-
which was later filled. We thought it was an extraordinary idea, and ner and finally strain again using a micro-strainer. Vacuum-pack in
then the idea of making an egg whose shell could also be eaten
crossed our minds. 450g portions. This milk should not be stored in the refrigerator
Since then, we have spent five years developing it, and to find the longer than three days.
solution we had to make a silicone mold and contact a local artist
who showed us how to work silicone. Then we had to systemize
the egg, as initially we obtained 20-gram eggs. Nowadays, after egg isolating layer
polishing up the process, we are able to make 6-gram eggs. 205 g cocoa butter, melted
We also wanted to bit sort of transgressors when it came to the 100 g almond
serving time. When the restaurant staff arrive at the table, they 1 g salt
smash the egg onto the plate in front of the customer. A lot of q.s. fat-soluble white coloring
work which finally has led us to carry out a mini-performance.
Toast the almonds with salt at 200ºC. Place in a food processor
together with the cocoa butter and pulse. Leave to rest and sift.
THE SMASHED EGG, THE FROZEN EGG YOLK AND When it has cooled down, place the mixture inside the egg and
THE WHITE FLOWERS help spread until creating a thin layer inside.

egg yolk ice cream egg white

550 g fresh milk 450 g almond milk
100 g cream 55 g sugar
100 g dextrose 1.5 g salt
55 g milk powder 1.6 g iota
200 g fresh egg yolks 1.2 g agar-agar
25 g sugar 0.2 g easy-use xanthan gum
q.s. salt 2 drops bitter almond extract
Heat the milk together with the cream in a bain marie to 40ºC. Combine the dry ingredients (sugar, salt, xanthan, iota and agar) in
Add the powdered milk and dextrose and mix with the help of a a small bowl. Place the 450 g almond milk in a small saucepan and
hand blender. In a bowl, beat the egg yolk and sugar until slightly mix in the dry ingredient mixture. Heat this mixture up to 85ºC.
foamy. Place into a saucepan together with the first mixture and Keep at that temperature for 1 minute in order to ensure the
mix with the hand blender. Heat to 83ºC while constantly stirring hydration of the components.
with a spatula and remove from the heat ensuring that the mixture Remove from the heat and transfer to a container in which the
reaches 85ºC thanks to the waste heat. Rapidly chill in an ice bain mixture can cool down. Add the extract drops and gently stir.
marie. Churn the ice cream after a two-hour rest under 5ºC. When the mixture is at 28ºC, start to fill the eggs.

chopped egg yolk for the egg yolk ice cream unusual egg
1.8 kg sugar edible egg shell
200 g fine salt egg white mixture
12 u egg yolks
With the help of a 200ml squeezing bottle, fill the egg shells with
Combine the sugar and salt. On a gastronorm pan, place the egg the egg white mixture. Each egg should contain a 45g filling. Put the
yolks between layers of this mixture for 24 hours. Remove and eggs in the refrigerator and keep for approximately one hour befo-
clean off. Coarsely chop and store in refrigerator. re serving.

edible egg shell white flowers

80 g mannitol q.s. ‘labio caliente’ sage
2 g white coloring (vegetal glycerin, lactose, q.s. cosmos
titanium dioxide, corn starch) q.s. soapwort
q.s. chrysanthemum
Melt the mannitol in a saucepan and add the coloring when it gets
to 150ºC. Fill an egg mold with the mixture and clean off any Pick up the flowers very carefully. Store in a slightly humid, cool
excess. Unmold and polish if necessary.

SERVING
BEAT THE EGG YOLK ICE CREAM, ADD THE EGG YOLK PIECES AND STORE IN THE FREEZER AT -12ºC. ON A PLATE, PLACE THE ICE CREAM AND WHITE FLOWERS.
HAND THE UNUSUAL EGG TO THE WAITER FOR HIM TO SERVE IT.

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Andoni Luis Adúriz

On several occasions, savory food in a restaurant is intended to show some exuberance, with a lot of flowers and herbs. This plate was thought to trans-
fer that exuberance to the world of desserts, although keeping away from classic red fruits or herbs traditionally related to sweet creations. Surprisingly
enough, the result is not aggressive at all, but quite the opposite, harmony prevails while playing with varied textures, so that the customer finds some-
thing similar and something different in each spoonful. This is a very rich plate.

SOME SPOONFULS OF RELATED CONTRASTS: MILK, herbs

LEAVES AND SWEET AROMAS Viper’s Bugloss (Echium vulgare)
Garden Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva)
celeriac ice cream Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
2 l sheep’s milk Mexican marigold (Tagetes lucido)
300 g white sugar Agastache (Agastache)
90 g atomized glucose Bathua (Chenopodium album)
30 g invert sugar Tagete Tenuifolia (Tagetes tenuifolia)
50 g milk powder New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonoides)
12 g stabilizer Sansho (Zanthoxylum piperitum)
1 kg celeriac Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
20 g butter Red Spinach (Amaranthus dubius)
Melissa (Melissa officinalis)
Peel the celeriac and cut into approximately 2-cm cubes. Sautee Lovage (Levisticum officinale)
with the butter until slightly golden, add the sheep’s milk and leave
to sit for about 12 hours. With the help of a food processor, pro- For the herbs, rinse with plenty of water with vegetable disinfec-
cess this mixture on low speed so as to help extract its aroma. tant. Drain and rinse wish regular water. Store the leaves in sealed
Strain and add the remaining ingredients. Heat to 85ºC. containers, in a humid atmosphere so that they keep firm for a lon-
Immediately chill in an ice bain marie down to 4ºC. ger time. For the flowers, select and rinse carefully so as not to
damage them. Store in a sealed container with some humidity in
order to keep their liveliness.
celeriac rocks
1 kg celeriac
1 l mineral water
1 kg sugar

Combine the mineral water and sugar and bring to a boil to make
a syrup.
Peel the celeriac and remove the softest parts. Coarsely chop into
approximately 4-cm pieces.
Dip the irregular celeriac pieces into the syrup and leave to crysta-
llize slowly for 4 to 5 hours.
Lift out the crystallized celeriac chunks and drain well. Finally dry
them with some paper.
Store the crystallized celeriac at 60ºC and leave to crystallize for 24
hours.

fenugreek powder
180 g flour
60 g olive oil
60 g almond
50 g lactose SERVING
40 g fenugreek BEAT THE ICE CREAM TO THE DESIRED TEXTURE. STORE THE ICE
CREAM IN A FREEZER AT -10/-12ºC. PLACE A SPOONFUL OF FENUGRE-
Put the olive oil and fenugreek into a vacuum bag. Immerse in a EK POWDER ON A SOUP DISH, AND THEN A CELERIAC ROCK.
bath at a controlled temperature of 55ºC for 2 hours so as to
IN A BOWL, PLACE A SPOONFUL OF CELERIAC ICE CREAM. ADD HALF
enhance their aroma. Strain and temper.
Over a tin, sift the flour and place in the oven at 170ºC for 30 THE HERBS AND MIX. LAY THE SPOONFUL OF ICE CREAM AND HERBS
minutes to toast it. Constantly stir so that it toasts evenly. Crush ON THE POWDER. THEN SCATTER THE REMAINING HERBS AND THE
the almond in a food processor and slowly add the flour and lacto- FLOWER PETALS. FINISH BY SPRINKLING SOME MORE FENUGREEK
se. Dribble in the scented oil. Pass through a tamis and store in an POWDER.
airtight container in a dry place.

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