Alfredo Machado's lemon cake (Tickets, Barcelona) that has made him Revelation Pastry Chef 2020
“It is a reinvention of a classic, of a lemon pie , in which we have modified the things that we think are missing or that can be improved: It has less sugars and fats than the traditional one . That is why the tartlet is hazelnut, the meringue is marshmallow style and we accompany it with hazelnut ice cream and cane honey ”. Alfredo Machado , which has been formed in Barcelona Hoffmann School , defines Traveler.es the dessert presented to the contest, which in Ticket Bar you can try it for about €12, although there the tartlet is almond, cane honey contains basil oil and served with a lemon peel sorbet
“ I've always seen my mother make American pastry . And although I started in the kitchen, thanks to my friend Enric Monsonis I went over to the sweet side, but I also have a lot to thank Albert Adria and David Gil, who have bet on me from minute one. In this case, it is a creation of the entire team, in which we have all contributed our grain of sand”, he tells us in the midst of the hubbub and celebration of ** Madrid Fusión 2020 .**
The jury, chaired by ** Paco Torreblanca **, liked or the concept, the daring to allow oneself to revisit something as typical as the lemon pie . And the confectioner from Alicante himself, moreover, gave an idea to the New Pastry Chef Revelation : “some would look good on you drops of balsamic vinegar of Modena , which would give it acidity and a refreshing effect”.
Alfredo Machado, Revelation Pastry Chef 2020
Pol Contreras (creative head of the R&D workshop of the El Portal del Echaurren restaurant, Revelation Pastry Chef of the previous 2019 edition) also gave his opinion, after the blind tasting: “ It is very sweet, very modern, with current techniques and a beautiful presentation ”.
Javier Antonja ( Montagud Publishers ) agreed: “ technically very good and spectacular flavor even though it should have been called the hazelnut cake that wanted to be lemon ”.
Another member of the jury, Sister Miriam (head pastry chef at the Poor Clares de Belorado convent in Burgos), stressed the accuracy of the textures and the clear lemon flavour. Y Ricardo Velez , from Moulin Chocolat (which makes one of the best Roscones de Reyes in Madrid) and knows what he is talking about, stated: “ well executed, technically flawless It tastes like lemon but not bitter”.
And who is bitter about a lemon tart? Jesús Terrés already said it in our ode to this dessert: “ Lemon pie is the new black , the new gin and tonic and the new sushi; everything at once. an immortal dessert whose origin, it is assumed, dates back to Queen Elizabeth I. Massimo Bottura, who at Osteria Francescana serves his oops! Mi è caduta la crostata al limone in the form of an error, crashed against the plate and now turned into a worldwide success.
Full jury of the Madrid Fusión Revelation Pastry Chef contest
THE BEST PASTRIES IN SPAIN FOR THIS 2020
In this third edition of Madrid Fusión Revelation Pastry Chef Award , the Valencian has also achieved a second position Sira Veiga (head chef of the Sa Pedrera d'es Pujols Restaurant, Sant Lluis , Menorca) with dessert cheese revolution , also a reinvention, in this case, of the classic cheese board with which many diners always finish off any gastronomic feast.
And third, Marlene Hernández (100% Bakery and Pastry Shop, Tenerife) with Organic , a dessert sculpted by hand and that arises from another review: in this case, from another pastry classic, a baba , which here hides the strength of passion fruit and tangerine, to which is added the smoothness of white chocolate, the freshness of ginger and hazelnut and an air of cheesecake.
The other finalists who have competed for the award were completed with **Marina Arcas (Andreu Genestra Restaurant, Hotel Predi Son Jaumell, Mallorca), Verónica Fernández (Amadía, Las Rozas, Madrid) and Cristina García Suárez (Espacio UMA, Barcelona) * *.
Some say that in gastronomy everything has already been invented, but perhaps, in the bakery , the era of versions has arrived. Welcome be.