QUIQUE DACOSTA IN FOUR

FOUR MAGAZINE

Quique Dacosta

Taking a glance at the exquisite dishes chef Quique Dacosta produces at his three Michelin star restaurant, Quique Dacosta, in Spain, one would never guess that this master of Spanish cuisine started out his culinary career working in the kitchen at a pizzeria at the age of 14. The rest of his time as a teenager was spent probing the pages of cookbooks by some of his favourite French chefs. At 18 years old, Quique had entered the world of fine dining by eating at the best restaurants of the moment in Spain to get inspired by their dishes.

A few years (and many, many fine dining dishes) later, Quique began working in what is now his own restaurant, Quique Dacosta restaurant (previously El Poblet), in 1988.

Considered one of the pioneers of avant-garde cuisine in Spain, Quique has built a distinctive kitchen which contextualises Alicantine, Valencian and Spanish innovative food and only uses ingredients sourced within 75km of his restaurant.

Awards
3 Michelin stars
#39 | The World's 50 Best Restaurants

Recipes
Find Quique's recipes from FOUR's International Winter 2014 Edition here.
http://www.four-magazine.com/files/images/articles/157/Quique%20Dacosta1.pdf

RECIPES:

Photography | Sergio Coimbra

Pickled Scarlets

This delightful tapa dish from 3 Michelin star chef, Quique Dacosta, is a wonderful and versatile recipe taken exclusively from his new book, 3 by Quique Dacosta.

Ingredients
Scarlet pickling liquid
5l water
35g salt
300g cooked beetroots with their juice
400ml cidar vinegar
1kg liquid used to pickle red onions

Beetroot reduction
300g boiled beetroot
500g still mineral water
6 whole, fresh, scarlet dog roses in an infusion bag
150g sugar
Tapioca flour

Pureed daikon "marrow" cloud
300g puréed daikon “marrow”
1.5l milk
10 gelatine leaves
Salt
White pepper
Arbequina olive oil

 Radish slices
Daikon radish, sliced very finely
5l water
50g salt
Chilled scarlet pickling liquid

 To serve
Daikon radish leaves
Daikon radish shoots
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt flakes
Fresh scarlet dog rose petals to scatter over the dish

Method
Scarlet pickling liquid

Heat the water, salt and beetroots and cook for 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours. Drain, then add the vinegar and the red onion pickling liquid. Keep refrigerated. Slices of wild daikon radish (prepared later) will be soaked in this liquid until it is time to serve.


Beetroot reduction
Put the roses in the water, and heat to infuse and evaporate. Meanwhile, make a light caramel in another saucepan and add the cooked, blended beetroots when you see that the water with the flowers has almost evaporated, leaving only 75 ml of water. Add the beetroot caramel and mix well. Refrigerate. At the last minute, use a fine brush to paint a brushstroke of reduction across the base of a flat rectangular plate.

Pureed daikon "marrow" cloud
Dissolve the gelatine leaves in 50 ml of milk, then mix the ingredients together, cover and refrigerate. When the gelatine has set, use an electric whisk to aerate. Whisk as if making whipped cream, then transfer to a laminated tray, previously pre-chilled to prevent the heat from making the emulsion collapse. To serve, cut into uniform 1 cm squares.


Radish slices
Blanch the daikon radish slices in lightly salted water. Shock and leave in the scarlet pickling liquid (previously prepared) for 1 hour. At the last minute, drain well and arrange the slices on the plate on top of the uncooked daikon cloud (previously prepared).

To serve

Plate up all ingredients according to picture and garnish with daikon radish leaves, shoots and top with a dash of extra virgin olive oil, salt flakes and the rose petals.


Quique Dacosta Restaurant
Urb. El Poblet
Ctra. Las Marinas, km 3.
03700 Dénia
Alicante
Spain
+34 965 78 4I79

www.quiquedacosta.es

http://www.four-magazine.com/articles/157/quique-dacosta