Last Monday at Identità Golose I sat in on Carlo Cracco’s presentation. I was, I admit, a bit biased, fearing that I would encounter his television persona with the “attitude”, the retorts and all of the show-biz nonsense that has come to characterize celebrity chefs.
I was forced to revise my opinion. In a setting more congenial to his authentic profession, I discovered what television has never been able to convey: the informed chef in top form on ingredients, culinary chemistry and cooking technique. Above all, I discovered a man who, despite his media overexposure, did not seem hungry for still more visibility. Generous with the best talent of his brigade, he let the young chefs occupy the spotlight and receive the applause much as one hopes a true “maestro” would behave.
He was a man of few words, offering just enough commentary to explain the gustatory complexity of the dishes that the pastry chef Luca Sacchi was preparing. Without belaboring the point and without the typical know-it-all attitude he explained the importance that cooking technique may hold for a pastry chef.
This was a reflection I found quite interesting and certainly pertinent at a time when real training and background experience seem to be giving way to affected specialization.
So, while the pastry chef executed what could be considered an unusual passage for a dessert recipe – pan roasting a mango peel – Cracco emphasized that this idea could be traced to the fact that this particular chef had consented to getting his hands dirty on the savory side of the kitchen. Experience gained regarding techniques associated with the “other side” of the kitchen permitted the pastry chef to add to his dessert original flavors and aromas, to imbue it with the personal touch that elevates a dish.
Well done Cracco. You illuminated us with a consideration that may be obvious, but should nevertheless not be taken for granted. You are far more appealing when you stick to what you know, speaking proficiently about food and technique, than when you play fast and loose with your image and your role. Only the former Cracco helps us to understand why you’re so much admired and why you’ve come so far.
Anyone lucky enough to find himself in the splendid Tuscan countryside near Siena on 26 September might think about using that opportunity to meet Franco Luise, Cuoco senza stelle per eccellenza. He’ll be speaking at one of the restaurants that played an important role in his career, the Locanda dell’Amorosa in Sinalunga (SI). …
Additional savings on the discounted prices of the Bibliotheca Culinaria website. Insert the coupon code in the appropriate space at checkout and you will receive a discount in the amount of € 5,00. Offer valid until 15 aprile 2015 on orders totaling € 90,00 (excluding shipping costs). – Discount coupon code: pas2015qua – Coupon value: …
Just back from Jerusalem, chef Franco Luise will be on the road promoting his new book, Cuoco senza stelle, at a series of events. Save the dates! 10 September – Latina, Hotel Europa 12 September – Sorrento, Hotel Conca Park 17 September – Pompei, Ristorante President 20 September – Pordenone (Literary festival “Pordenonelegge”), Pasticceria …
Carlo Cracco: pastry chefs, it’s time to bone up on cooking technique
Last Monday at Identità Golose I sat in on Carlo Cracco’s presentation. I was, I admit, a bit biased, fearing that I would encounter his television persona with the “attitude”, the retorts and all of the show-biz nonsense that has come to characterize celebrity chefs.
I was forced to revise my opinion. In a setting more congenial to his authentic profession, I discovered what television has never been able to convey: the informed chef in top form on ingredients, culinary chemistry and cooking technique. Above all, I discovered a man who, despite his media overexposure, did not seem hungry for still more visibility. Generous with the best talent of his brigade, he let the young chefs occupy the spotlight and receive the applause much as one hopes a true “maestro” would behave.
He was a man of few words, offering just enough commentary to explain the gustatory complexity of the dishes that the pastry chef Luca Sacchi was preparing. Without belaboring the point and without the typical know-it-all attitude he explained the importance that cooking technique may hold for a pastry chef.
This was a reflection I found quite interesting and certainly pertinent at a time when real training and background experience seem to be giving way to affected specialization.
So, while the pastry chef executed what could be considered an unusual passage for a dessert recipe – pan roasting a mango peel – Cracco emphasized that this idea could be traced to the fact that this particular chef had consented to getting his hands dirty on the savory side of the kitchen. Experience gained regarding techniques associated with the “other side” of the kitchen permitted the pastry chef to add to his dessert original flavors and aromas, to imbue it with the personal touch that elevates a dish.
Well done Cracco. You illuminated us with a consideration that may be obvious, but should nevertheless not be taken for granted. You are far more appealing when you stick to what you know, speaking proficiently about food and technique, than when you play fast and loose with your image and your role. Only the former Cracco helps us to understand why you’re so much admired and why you’ve come so far.
Foto Brambilla / Serrani
Identità Golose
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Anyone lucky enough to find himself in the splendid Tuscan countryside near Siena on 26 September might think about using that opportunity to meet Franco Luise, Cuoco senza stelle per eccellenza. He’ll be speaking at one of the restaurants that played an important role in his career, the Locanda dell’Amorosa in Sinalunga (SI). …
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Additional savings on the discounted prices of the Bibliotheca Culinaria website. Insert the coupon code in the appropriate space at checkout and you will receive a discount in the amount of € 5,00. Offer valid until 15 aprile 2015 on orders totaling € 90,00 (excluding shipping costs). – Discount coupon code: pas2015qua – Coupon value: …
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