I'd never forgotten the boiled-sweet flavor of that childhood duck à l'orange, and it gave me an idea for the presentation of the dish.
Because I am a visual person, I devote as much attention to the presentation of each dish as I do to ingredients and preparation.
It was about the food, of course – the preparation and presentation of each dish was lovingly shot.
"I always look for the same four things in any restaurant for the food - the quality of ingredients used, presentation of the dish and how attractive it is, how it is cooked and the harmony of the dish.
While Adria and his heavily male staff give microscopic attention to the ingredients and presentation of each dish (his chefs are equally adept with laptops and digital cameras as they are with a stove), the secret is to watch Ferran's eyes as he observes what's taking place around him and, most particularly, as he tastes something.
Garnishes add color, flavor or texture, while also contributing to the presentation of the dish.
Either method is perfectly fine, and will only majorly affect the presentation of the dish after it's done.
After the attractive presentation of the scallop dish, I was puzzled by another starter, a Napoleon of grilled and layered eggplant, roasted peppers and yellow squash, laced with ribbons of aged balsamic sauce.
In the 18th century, he explains, the artistry of the meal stemmed from a combination of both the presentation of the dishes themselves and their arrangement on the table.
There was a fancy-frumpy tension, deliberate, in that dish, as there was in the presentation of a phenomenally good collection of bread in a miniature burlap sack.
Although many diners enjoy the dramatic presentation of tandoori dishes, arriving as they do sizzling in a cloud of steam, rare is the kitchen that can prepare the skewered pieces of chicken, shrimp or lamb without overcooking them.
