All language subtitles for S01E03 - Modernist Masters

[light music]

[Emeril]
Modernist cuisine,

or avant-garde cooking,

some people even call it
"molecular gastronomy."

It's part science,

French classic technique,

and modern art.

I'm gonna be honest...
[chuckles]

...it's not completely
my style.

But it's fascinating to me.

So I'm meeting my friend
José Andrés,

modernist master and
mad scientist of the kitchen

in Spain.

Together we'll visit

the founding father
of modernist cuisine,

Ferran Adrià,

considered to be
the best chef in the world.

He is allowing cameras

in his top secret test kitchen

for the first time ever.

When chefs get together,

magic begins
to start happening.

Who knows what
we're going to find.

[flamenco music]

**

I've arrived in Oviedo,

the capital city of Asturias
in northern Spain.

It's a town that dates back
to the early middle ages,

**

Look at this cathedral here.

This is really gorgeous.

* *

[laughs]
He made it.

[laughter]

- You made it.
- How are you?

- So happy you're here.
- I'm so happy to be here.

How are you, brother?

Oh, man.

- I cannot believe it.
- I'm so excited.

[José]
I hope you're hungry.

[Emeril] I am hungry, always.
You know that.

We're gonna eat,
We're gonna drink.

- We're gonna talk.
- I love it.

And hopefully you're gonna
fall in love with this region.

Oh, I'm already--

As I fall in love
with New Orleans.

Okay, I--I--

So you've been always
a great host of mine,

so I hope I'll be
a good host of you.

Oh, I know--
I have no doubt in my mind.

You're gonna love it.

[upbeat music]

[Emeril]
José Andrés is the man.

José's a master
of modernist cooking,

a James Beard
award winner,

and one of "Time" magazine's
most influential people.

He doesn't just cook food.

He transforms it.

For José, food and life

are all about exploration
and invention.

So you grew up here?

I was born here.

- You were born here.
- I was born here--

I've never been
to this region.

Almost nobody comes
to Asturias.

Everybody goes Barcelona.

Everybody goes Madrid.

But if you want to find

the true spirit of Spain...

Yes.

You will find it
in Asturias.

[Emeril] This was
the last thing I expected;

a lesson in modernism

in a tiny, historic town

that's anything but modern.

I love to walk
in these streets.

Everyone is specializing
into something.

- Right.
- The cheese shop...

the place that they sell
the blood sausage,

the morcilla.

- Walking along--
- Everyone--

everyone has a purpose.

And getting inspired.

You're looking for
the new ideas.

What happens here,

the new ideas come

from very old traditions.

Right.

So going back
to my roots

is the way
I understand my present

and, Emeril,

I keep looking
into the future.

And then push you.

[José] Modernity is just
a subtle change

in a very traditional dish.

And this is what
we're going to see today.

Oh!

Smell it.
Smell it, baby.

[Emeril] The sweet smell
of smoked meats

is unbelievable.

My kind of place.

Chorizo,
morcilla, jamón,

man, do I love pork

in any and every form.

[José] Smell it.
No, no, hold on.

Oh, smells un--

No, no, you're not doing it
enough, my man.

Sometimes people
when they go to the mountains,

they like to do this.

Oh, yeah.

Me, you know where
I like to do it?

- In the ham shops.
- Right here.

[José]
That's where the real smell is.

This is ibérico ham.
This is the---

- Gracias.
- The Rolls Royce of pork.

[Emeril] It's incredible
to eat iberico ham

here in Spain.

It comes from
the black iberico pig

native to this region.

These pigs feed
on acorns,

which gives their meat
a sweet, nutty flavor

and extra layers
of beautiful fat.

The part that makes it
just melts in your mouth.

Smell, smell again.
No, smell.

- It's not the smell--
- I got it.

It's not the smell
like the ingredient?

Mm...
I got an idea.

We're gonna create
a dish.

- We're gonna create a dish.
- Okay.

Huevo Ilado.

This is amazing
because this is like,

nowhere else but in Spain
you find this.

Dame dos rodajitas
del jamón Ibérico.

[Emeril]
Okay.

Look it, look it.

This is like hair.

Look at this.

And this is only egg yolk

that has been cooked in syrup.

It's a very old dish,

but at the same time

you could argue
can be very modern,

but this has centuries.

[Emeril] Huevo Hilado means
"spun egg".

Egg yolks are pulled
into thin strands

and dipped into
sweet boiling syrup.

Even though the technique dates
back to the 14th century,

a sweet egg in the shape
of a noodle

could easily come
from a modernist kitchen.

Dame, dame el jamón.

Yeah, grab it,
grab this.

[laughing]

I'm cooking for Emeril

in my hometown.

We got the taco
with the ham.

- Uh, ba-ba, no. Hello.
- Okay.

- Are you ready for this?
- I'm ready.

Kiss me.
Mmm.

Good, huh?

Eh? Garde.

The national dish
of Asturias is called

fabada asturiana.

- Fobada.
- Fabada.

- Fabada.
- Asturiana.

- Okay, it's beans?
- Yeah.

- With cuts of pork?
- Yep.

- And like a stew.
- Yeah.

And they simmer down,
right?

- Yep.
- I can't wait.

- Keep going, baby.
- We're gonna taste that?

Keep going.
Are you kidding me?

- Okay.
- I'm gonna take you to...

- the cathedral.
- Of that?

Of fabada.

To the Pope of fabada,
but slowly.

- Let's go little by little.
- Okay, okay.

Amigo...

- I'm driving.
- You're driving?

- I'm driving.
- All right, here we go.

[upbeat music]

[Emeril]
I've tasted fabada

It's delicious comfort food
at its best.

Fabada's been around
for centuries,

but José promised me a twist.

I will bet you money
right now...

[Emeril]
I'm drooling.

That this is gonna be the best
beans you've ever eaten.

[Emeril]
I--I'm drooling.

I'm so excited.

Casa Gerardo is a legendary
Michelin starred restaurant.

José tells me the Moran family

has owned it for 135 years.

They've made a name
for themselves

by adding contemporary twists

to classic Spanish recipes.

Hey. Jefe.

[speaks Spanish]

Hey.

Yes.

- El Jefe.
- El Jefe.

[Emeril] In the 1970's,
French nouvelle cuisine

was all the rage.

Chef's started to focus
on seasonal ingredients

and light, subtle flavors.

Inspired, Chef Pedro Moran
rocked the culinary world

by updating Casa Gerado's
classic Spanish dishes.

He and his restaurant are
the link between tradition

and modernism.

And now he's passing
his passion on to his son,

Chef Marcos.

- Hi.
- Marquitos!

- How are you?
- How are you, Marcos.

[speaks Spanish]

[laughing]

[speaking Spanish]

[José] Okay,
are we hungry or what?

[Emeril] Yes, yes.

[José]
So baby eels.

Only for Emeril.

[Emeril] These eels are
the caviar of Spain;

hard to find and
even harder to prepare.

How would you
serve them here?

We make little different
and we cook like this, alive.

[Emeril] Usually baby eels
arrive at restaurants

preserved or frozen

where they're sauteed in oil

with a touch of red pepper.

At Casa Gerardo,

they ditch
the old-school method,

inventing a radical technique

to showcase the subtle flavor
and texture

of this delicacy.

Eh, smoked eel,
big one?

Now you see
how hungry they are.

Okay, now the eels
are alive.

[Emeril] Marcos first tosses
small chunks

of smoked mature eel
into the glass.

- Look at here, huh?
- Yes.

Then he takes
the hot consomé or broth

and pours it over
the baby eels.

[Marcos]
Drink and eat.

It's called "quisquilla".

It's a quisquilla,
it's a baby shrimp.

- Yeah.
- Yum.

Salty...

the consomé--

[Marcos]
The consomé is fantastic.

[Emeril]
The taste is like the sea.

So delicious.

Do you remember when I knew one
amazing guy on TV?

That every time something
was amazing,

used to say
something like...

- Bam!
- Yeah!

[laughter]

That's my boy.

So are you gonna show us
how to make the fabada or what?

Venga, come on.

[Emeril] José claims
Casa Gerardo makes

the best fabada
in the land.

It's basically
a hearty bean stew,

so I'm curious to see
how they've modernized it.

Okay, this is
the fresh bean.

Yeah.

Yes.

So hold on because
this is very important.

Traditionally, these beans,
they are always dry.

- Dry, right.
- They are legumes.

These guys,
one day they wake up--

- My father.
- And his father said:

"Why do we need
to dry the bean?

Why we cannot cook the bean

when the bean is
still fresh in the pod?"

This was
a very huge improvement.

- Advancement.
- Yes.

Advancement.

We put water.

Oil. Olive oil.

Okay, we put pancetta.

Salt pork?

Pancetta
from the belly.

- Salt pork.
- Salted, yes.

Okay, we boil
five minutes.

The chorizo morcilla,
black pudding and chorizo.

- Yes.
- Hold on, but why you boil it?

Because if you boil,
that fat don't come here,

- Yes.
- And that's the...

- I got it.
- Yeah, yeah, the impurities.

- Yes.
- Okay?

Now we put oil,
a little bit of onion,

and paprika
and this is saffron.

Saffron.
Okay.

And you put the saffron
in the boil.

Yeah.

And you always move
the fabada like this.

- Yeah.
- Never put nothing into.

They hurts the beans.
Don't want to hurt the beans.

Because we don't want
that the beans break.

The beans are
like a little baby.

- Religion, religion.
- Pimentón.

- Yes, pimentón.
- And very fast.

- Very fast.
- You don't want it to burn.

- Yes.
- And then inside.

- Shh...
- Okay.

Look at that.

And again...

Ay, ay, ay.

You shake.

And now we put the lid.

The lid and turn it off.

Yes, and put the fire
very, very, very slowly.

And more or less
in 40 minutes...

Fabada.
[clapping]

- Come on.
- [laughing]

[speaking Spanish]

I've been dreaming
about this.

- They're really healthy.
- The queen.

The queen of the cooking
of Asturias.

This dish is the queen
of the cooking of Asturias.

It's very important for them
that no bean will ever break.

It's very easy to cook
breaking beans.

Sure.

It's almost impossible

to cook them
without breaking one.

[speaking Spanish]

[José] He says,
"You have to put the bean

"on the tongue
and smash the bean

with the tongue
to the top of the palate".

[Marcos]
Without the teeth.

[José] And when you see
it's soft,

that means
an amazing bean.

It's as important
learning about eating

as it is about
where it comes from

or how it's cooked.

I have a whole
different philosophy now

about eating a bean.

- Yeah.
- And in New Orleans,

we eat a lot of beans.

You eat a lot of beans,
yeah.

And this is the meat
of the fabada.

Traditional way,

we put this into.

So traditional way
this would be in--

- Mixed, yeah.
- Mixed inside.

Yes, and now you can eat
whatever you want.

I always explain that
we make contemporary food.

We don't make
traditional food yesterday,

and we don't make
modern food tomorrow.

We cook today.

And tomorrow,
today again.

- No better.
- I'm blown away.

I raise my glass
to you, guys.

- Gracias.
- Thank you.

And I want to say
to you no good-byes.

- No good-byes.
- I see you soon.

See you soon.
See you soon.

Hasta pronto.

[upbeat music]

[Emeril] My search
for an understanding

of modernist cuisine
would not be complete

without a stop
in Barcelona,

the birthplace
of avant-garde cooking.

This style of cooking
became popular in the '80's.

That's when Ferran Adrià,

considered to be
the best chef in the world,

started what many consider
a food revolution

at the iconic restaurant
"elBulli" in Spain.

**

[José] Today, my friend,
I'm so excited because--

[Emeril]
What's in store?

We're gonna go see
Ferran Adrià,

the only, the one.

And you know one thing?

When I was
a very young cook--

uh, I was 16, 17--

I went to this town
two hours north of Barcelona,

called Roses,

where there was his restaurant,
"elBulli,"

where Ferran Adrià worked.

I met him
and my life changed.

[Emeril] Ferran Adrià
is a legend,

a pioneer of
the avant-garde movement.

He used to compare a dinner
at his restaurant "elBulli"

to having a night out
at a theater or an art gallery

with waiters and sommeliers
moving around

in beautiful choreography.

Ferran wanted to turn eating
into an artistic experience.

So "elBulli"
closed 2011,

and was such
a crazy moment.

How is possible
that a restaurant

like "elBulli"
is closing?

Why Ferran is closing?

[speaking Spanish]

[whistling and cheering]

[José] I was there
with my daughter.

Many of the people
worked with Ferran,

we were all there,

supporting and working
on the last service.

[Emeril]
Wow.

At the time
Ferran told the press

that he needed to take
some time off.

He had been working
15 hours a day

for 25 years,

and he just needed a break.

Since then,
he's admitted

he was simply afraid of
repeating himself creatively.

So what has he been doing?

[José] He always loved
creativity,

research,
development,

pushing the boundaries.

He's very much like
decoding the DNA of cooking.

Trying to understand
what cooking is.

[Emeril] Unbelievable.
[José] He's more than a chef.

He's more than a cook.

He's just a dreamer

of what is
beyond the horizon.

Right.

[José]
And quite frankly,

I think I understand
sometimes,

but as more as I learn
about what he's doing,

more clueless I feel.

And I feel
I know Ferran.

Ferran!

Oh, my God.

Look at this place here.

[knocking]

[José]
Ferran!

Hey!

- Hey, buddy.
- Oh.

Ferran.
Good to see you.

Welcome.

[Emeril]
Walking in the "elBulli" lab

you immediately get the sense

that there's important
work being done.

There's a quiet
intensity,

walls filled
with charts,

artwork,
photographs.

This is the first time

cameras have ever been
allowed inside.

[Ferran speaking Spanish]

[applause]
[José] Emeril.

[Ferran speaking Spanish]

[José] Here now is not
only chefs, only cooks.

Here you have biologists,

historians,

sociologists,

all coming to try to help
how to decipher creativity,

in cooking,
but one day hopefully

to take it
to other fields.

[Ferran speaking Spanish]

[Jose]
Do we understand a tomato?

[Ferran speaking Spanish]

How would you understand
a tomato?

[Ferran speaking Spanish]

What is a tomato?

[speaking Spanish]

[José] How do you create
a new variety?

- [speaks Spanish]
- How do you produce it?

- [speaks Spanish]
- How do you commercialize it?

[speaking Spanish]

Through Internet?
Through markets? Through--

[speaking Spanish]

If you have knowledge,
you will cook better.

- Yes.
- [speaking Spanish]

[José] What's the problem?
That we cannot know everything.

[speaking Spanish]

Why? Because there are 3,000
varieties of tomato, my friend.

[Emeril] The amount of
information is staggering.

Ferran is essentially
categorizing

everything having to do
with food and cooking,

going back to
the beginning of man.

He's working to put
all this information online

on a site called
"Bullipedia."

It will be the greatest
encyclopedia of cooking

ever created.

His goal is to share any
and all information he gathers

with the world,

in hopes of
inspiring new ideas,

new dishes,

and new generations
of chefs.

[Ferran speaking Spanish]

[José] It's the first time
he shows this to anybody

outside his wall
because he feels

like around now
is the first time

he really can explain
what he's really doing.

[speaking Spanish]

'Cause everybody thinks
they're closed,

that he closed,
like he's out of the world.

Right.
You're hiding.

- You're hiding.
- [laughs]

[Emeril] Ferran may no longer
run a restaurant,

but his influence
has only grown.

This Einstein of food

is getting ready
to set the world

completely on its head
with elBulli Lab.

and I'm humbled to be
one of the first people

he shares this dream with.

[camera clicks]

[Ferran speaking Spanish]

[José] It's an honor
because he knows

how much you represent
for American cooking,

and people like you
they--

[Ferran speaking Spanish]

They've made America
very important...

uh...country
in the world of food.

[speaking Spanish]

The first thing
they teach everybody here

is respect, respect, respect
that sometimes is missing.

Because history.

Thank you.

I want to tell him...

I can't appreciate...

[José]
He gets very emotional.

[laughs]

He's a emotional guy.

[speaking Spanish]

You know one thing,
my friend?

Emotion and feelings
is the most important thing

in creativity.

You better believe it.

Now I feel like I have
to start from scratch.

- [laughs]
- All over.

[José] When he closed,

he closed with a purpose.

because he realized that
he thought he knew so much.

He's Ferran Adrià,

he's done so many techniques,

so many dishes, so many things.

[Ferran speaks Spanish]

You know what he realized?

He knew nothing.

[speaking Spanish]

And that's the best gift
he got.

This much...

- Okay.
- No translation.

[Ferran]
Okay.

[Emeril]
The day he closed "elBulli,"

Ferran promised he would never
open another restaurant.

But his younger brother
Albert,

who was also a chef
at "elBulli" for 23 years,

has continued
the family tradition

of mind-blowing innovation.

He's about to open

one of the most highly
anticipated restaurants

on the planet,

and Ferran
has arranged for us

to get an exclusive
sneak peak.

[speaking Spanish]

[Emeril] This is like
a secret place here.

[José] You're asking yourself,
"Where are they taking me?

[Emeril] Yeah, where
are you taking me?

[José] Where no man
has been before.

[Emeril] Okay.

- Albertito.
- [speaks Spanish]

- Nice to meet you, sir.
- It's a pleasure.

My pleasure to meet you.

[Emeril] With only weeks
till it opens,

Albert is showing us
his behind-the-scenes efforts

to push the culinary limits.

He's gonna be telling us
about "Enigma",

which is a dream of his
for at least 17, 18 years.

- Sure.
- Okay.

[Albert speaking Spanish]

He says that,
you know,

creativity is 20% knowledge,

20% inspiration,

but 60%...

- Intensity.
- Intensity.

Intensity.

[Emeril] There's no doubt
Albert has been influenced

by his older brother,
Ferran.

But he's clearly breaking out
from under his wing

with his dream restaurant,
"Enigma,"

a place where creativity
is not only encouraged,

it's demanded.

[Emeril] This is modern
cuisine on steroids.

So that was gelatin
you added?

- At the end?
- Gelatin.

- Gelatin.
- Yes.

What can they do

with ink, water

and gelatin?

[Emeril] After heating
then cooling the mixture,

the final result
is a hard disk.

It's an ink paper,
okay?

[José]
It's just the texture.

[Emeril]
It's the ultimate tease,

because he's only showing us
bits and pieces.

- This is the milk mousse.
- Yes.

Fatless.

But behaving
like a mousse.

- Wow.
- It's only milk.

But this can be a milk
with a flavor of truffle,

- Right.
- Of meat, who knows what.

[Emeril] Mousse is
traditionally made with eggs,

but Albert is using
milk and gelatin

beaten until fluffy.

The puffs are then infused
with almond oil

and topped
with grated parmesan cheese.

They're so light,

they practically melt
in your hand.

[José]
It's almost like if you're going

walking down 5th Avenue...

- Right.
- And a cloud shows up,

and you're hungry,

and you dream for a second
of opening your mouth

biting into that cloud,

and for a second,

I want that cloud
to taste like parmesan.

- Bam!
- That's a cloud.

- That's what it is!
- It's a cloud of parmesan.

Yes. Yes.

[Emeril] Albert makes this all
look so simple,

but it actually requires

an extraordinary amount
of scientific knowledge

about food
and preparation.

The key to modernity

seems to be as simple
as asking the question:

"What if?"

Where do you think
this method of work comes from?

From him,
from his brother.

- Yes.
- Ideas, ideas, ideas.

Testing, testing,
testing.

Hard work.
That's creativity!

Creativity is not,
"Let's get drunk.

Oh, I came up
with a dish!"

No, ain't gonna happen
this way.

- Hard work, hard work.
- Ideas, ideas, ideas.

And he has
plenty of ideas.

- Right.
- [laughs]

[guitar music]

**

- Unbelievable.
- Intense, no?

Very intense.

Can you believe
that behind a door like this

and in a place like that,

so much creativity
is happening?

So much creativity,
thinking,

tasting,
experimenting.

What an experience,
my friend.

[Emeril] Okay, now you gonna
buy me a drink?

[José] I think it's time
for some seafood, my friend.

[Emeril] Seafood?

[José]
I'm gonna blow your mind.

[Emeril] It was
an incredible experience

being in the lab
with these chefs.

This brilliance,
and seeing the process

of developing
and experimenting,

and it's made me realize

that not only
do I need to get better

and we all need
to get better,

but it's hard work.

I have to be thankful because
you've showed me the way.

I'm glad I'm showing you
the way here,

but you,
and you know it,

you've been showing
the way

to so many, many people,

and for that, my friend,
we love you.

Aw, man.

Love you, buddy.

[José] The Jedi of New Orleans
came to Spain.

[laughter]