Warm grilled Bresse pigeon liver mousse with legumes, seeds, berries and sprouts

After winning Chef of the Year in 2001, Quique Dacosta has reached, on his thirtieth birthday, two milestones in his professional career: the award and the fact that two of his creations merit inclusion in Dishes of the Year. His evolution, the constant progress that has been evident in his work for a long time, has culminated in a qualitative leap that places him among the very great. Once again—and to make it very clear—he is now a member of the culinary elite.

At the suggestion of the Lo Mejor de la Gastronomía Congress, which proposed the idea to all of the chefs featured in the guide, his investigative capacity has inspired him to think up and produce one of the few great existing sprout recipes in the world. Without referring elsewhere, he has come up with a thoughtful and exciting ensemble, a show of sensibility, temperance, control… that is at the same time ambitious, idealistic and triumphant with the presence of organic quinoa real, Puy green lentils, black lentils, green soy beans, fenugreek seeds and wild radish and white asparagus seeds; all except the last two are perfumed with dill smoke. These vegetal sensations are arranged on the plate over a coagulated smoked pancetta consomé. Within the sprouts appear a few bleeding escalopes of Bresse pigeon liver and bitter chocolate flakes. It is all topped and enveloped in a veil of smoked pancetta, a gelatin that acts as a fusing element to the recipe and as a refined translucent stew that enhances the flavor of the vegetables and contrasts their freshness, also producing a variety of consistencies. It is served warm with a few final garnishes: asparagus sprouts, chives and salt flakes.