As you may have already seen in some of my previous posts, every time I feel more and more connected to nature and, in this new stage in my life, I’m applying also this philosophy to my creations. That’s why today I want to show you this new product, that is a result of this new phase and I have made with lots of excitement: It is called Botanic and it is a glass tray with which I try to get close gastronomy and nature.
Why Botanic?
As you know, my work and philosophy are based in sustainability. But this time, I wanted to go beyond being eco-friendly: I wanted to create a product connected with nature, that was like an homage. That’s why I dediced to let my ideas flow and I created Botanic, this glass tray that evokes a fruit of nature. My goal was not only to create a beautiful object; I would like that, when someone tries a recipe from Botanic, it would feel as if the food came directly from a fruit and this would complete the gastronomic experience. All our food comes from nature and, in these times in which we have practically lost contact with the origin of the raw food we nurture ourselves with, I see as a beautiful exercise to become aware of it doing something as basic as eating.
I’ve created it from a cava bottle (a well renowned sparkling wine from the land where I live, Catalonia) and I have not only represented the form of a fruit, but also its texture: outside is matt, pretending to imitate a fruit’s skin and, inside, preserves the original brilliance of the bottle, highlighting the food that’s destined to contain. To make the product, I’ve employed tecniques as sandblasting, cut with a diamond blade saw or handpolishing, all low-environmental impact ones.
Once I finished Botanic, I realized that eating in harmony with nature is a concept that is not so easy to understand. To make it clear and also to explore its possibilities, I asked a vegan chef to create a special recipe for Botanic. It is chef Prahbu, an experienced vegan cook that shares my vision and love for nature. Since he saw Botanic, he got fascinated and its inspiration began to create this recipe. Prahbu understands cooking as an observation and understanding exercise and, from the beginning, he had a clear idea about the recipe: it had to be something you wanted to drink, at least in essence. So, he paid homage to the cava bottle creating his own “cava”. The final recipe is a Tiradito, a Peruvian plate that is made in essence with raw fish cut in sashimi and marinated in a cold, spicy and acid sauce. Prahbu has adapted it to a vegan version using with black turnip pickled with a beetroot “cava” made by himself, accompanied with little tomatoes in cebiche. Both the colour and the flavour of this dish are spectacular, I love the recipe! I don’t have enough words to thank Prahbu for this precious gift.
To all who buy a Botanic unit, they will receive the chef’s Prahbu recipe as well to try it at home. For the moment, it only will be available at my online store. Now that Christmas is around the corner, if you are looking for a special gift for a friend or relative that is a cooking lover, Botanic can be a great choice!
