The Silent Insurrection of the Chef

With more than 30 years in the kitchen and almost 15 years defending two Michelin stars, Paco Roncero is not only an indispensable chef on the Spanish gastronomic scene, but also a guardian of the profession like few others. He proves it in each and every one of the more than 250 pages of 'Paco Roncero. The silent insurrection of the chef', his new and great masterpiece with Montagud Editores; a centenary publisher that has only published gastronomy since the year of its foundation, and which has been recognised for this with several National Gastronomy Awards and Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Insurrectionist for cooking and acting against the established, silent for doing it discreetly, the chef presents in black on white a hundred creations of Paco Roncero Restaurante; a retrospective of rabid topicality brimming with profession, school, product and, above all, cuisine. "Paco Roncero gives a great deal of professionalism and knowledge in these pages. The public doesn't expect a book like this", says Javi Antoja de la Rosa, director of the book, editor and CEO of Montagud Editores. "It is an outstanding work", adds chef Alberto Chicote. "It is full of clairvoyance and inspiration. Dreams came true on Tuesday 24 October 2023, the date of the book's worldwide launch, which was celebrated in style with a book signing day at the Milhojas bookshop (Barcelona). Located at number 70, Enrique Granados Street, it is the only one in Barcelona specialising in gastronomic themes, and completes its offer with wines, drinks, oils and all kinds of culinary gadgets. Throughout almost 600 processes, Paco Roncero's 'The Silent Insurrection' takes shape in the most varied way possible, with all kinds of registers and covering the whole spectrum of a haute cuisine restaurant. There is specialisation, for example, with recipes centred on a fetish for the chef, olive oil, and on stocks and stocks with quantities and cooking times adjusted specifically for each dish. They are also technical and avant-garde, with different types of spherifications, uses of obulato and ways of using liquid nitrogen. They dance to the sound of academicism, with a brilliant treatment of game, and with an extensive range of excellent and seasonal products, no matter how short the season. Thus, pigeon, hare, truffle and caviar coexist with morel mushroom, cardoon and tear pea; treated here with an apparently simple complexity that enhances its essence. All in a very balanced proportion of snacks that stand out as great dishes in a contained format; of hot and cold starters, of fish and seafood that look to classicism with an unmistakable personal touch; of meats far beyond the obligatory game; the complicated terrain of pre-desserts, which are brilliantly resolved here; and desserts in which both the sweetest cakes and the most audacious vision of classic patisserie stand out.