Cookbook review: Mugaritz: A Natural Science of Cooking, by Andoni Luis Aduriz

This is one cerebral cookbook.  Despite spending a couple seasons on the creative team at El Bulli, it wasn't a cinch for Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz to take his restaurant Mugaritz from foundation to being one of the top restaurants in the world.  Where others might want to play up any connection to a chef like Ferran Adria, Chef Aduriz wanted to set his restaurant apart from what he saw emerging as the "molecular" scientific approach to the dining experience.  He wasn't looking to ignore the value in the knowledge of such cuisine, rather he was looking to naturalize it a bit and bring it back to earth.

When you look at the pictures in this book, they are beautifully simple, but then look at the corresponding recipe and you can see the thought that went into the dish.  You can be sure that the "spice rack" at Mugaritz is as out of this world as any of the "molecular" restaurants, it's just a bit more subtle as to how it hits the plate.  Eating rocks and "petrified" wood is definitely not going to strike you as normal, but Chef Aduriz makes it seem as natural as a mixed green salad.  Where other chefs are deconstructing dishes, Mugaritz has been deconstructing the whole thought process behind the creation of a dish.  I find some of the more interesting essays are those that discuss how they have actively worked with their suppliers.  In some cases, they have managed to get the farmers to tailor their crops to the restaurants specific needs and desires.  In other cases, the farmers have had to educate them on the limitations of particular crops.  How many chefs when confronted with inconsistent results with their foie gras would not simply return it to the supplier, but actually do some legwork to help their supplier achieve better results?

I've always been enthusiastic about the potential that food science has brought to the culinary industry, but always felt a certain measure of restraint and a sense of appropriateness are needed to avoid "molecular cuisine" coming off as a gimmick.  Chef Aduriz and his team are doing just that.  Don't worry so much about whether or not you have all the ingredients to pull off all the recipes here, the important thing to take away is the approach to the food.  CHECK IT OUT HERE.