Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Modern Cooking Techniques: Don't get it twisted
A lot of people either hate or love "modern cooking techniques," "molecular gastronomy," "food science" or whatever you want to call it. People dislike it because so many try to experiment with these techniques without any foundation of classic cooking. Classical french, Asian, Spanish, European, or any food style or race is the base of everything. Your grandma's, mom's, and dad's cooking is the "base" for our future culinary world. If you cannot cook and have zero knowledge of our culinary fathers and mothers, what is the point of adding kelcogel, transglutinamese, and liquid nitrogen to your food? It sure does not make the dish taste any better. Guaranteed. You do not just add an air or foam because of appearance or trend. You add a foam to balance a dish or add another dimension to your food. People need to understand this. To me, Molecular gastronomy is the process of taking classic techniques and totally transforming it to stimulate every sense of a human being. It is the modification of textures, aromas, and basically makes eating food fun again. The process of taking you on a journey from childhood and adulthood through food cannot be expressed with words.
I love cooking and respect my upbringing. Thank you to all of my mentors, you know who you are. I have so much respect for Escoffier and the long line of french chefs. Bocuse, Robuchon, Ducasse, T Keller, H Keller....to many to name...
Bottom line....for the youngin's, including myself....grab a foundation..."You'll never be a Grant Achatz unless you've worked for a Thomas Keller."- Bauti
I love cooking and respect my upbringing. Thank you to all of my mentors, you know who you are. I have so much respect for Escoffier and the long line of french chefs. Bocuse, Robuchon, Ducasse, T Keller, H Keller....to many to name...
Bottom line....for the youngin's, including myself....grab a foundation..."You'll never be a Grant Achatz unless you've worked for a Thomas Keller."- Bauti
"Meat Glue" ing....
Ajinomoto activa has been sitting in the walk-in for the 3-4 months now with limited use. So I decided to pull it out for some meat gluing fun. For those who don't know, meat glue is an enzyme called transglutaminase. When it comes in contact with a certain enzyme like lysine and glutinamine it forms a covalent bond that acts like a glue. Virtually all fish, meat and poultry contain enough lysine and glutinamine for this reaction to happen. (Via Wylie Dufresne"wd-50")...In non scientific terms, you can glue virtually all proteins together...including your fingers. With this inspiration I bound slipper lobster pieces together to make a Lobster roulade, mocking the most succulent piece of a lobster, the tail....


The makisu helped in making a uniform shape and pushing a lot of the air bubbles out....
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
New thoughts...coming soon? pics as well
Crispy Lake Superior Whitefish
Sous vide pan roasted sweet pearl onions, warm grapes, hydroponic mache, pickled hen of the woods/honshemeji mushrooms, Celeriac puree, brown butter powder, port molasses syrup
Seared U-10 Diver Scallops
Cauliflower Couscous(Grated cauli flower, lemon zest, pine nuts, fine herbs, butter), Chorizo sherry emulsion, heirloom tomatoes, mint/thai basil fluid gel.
Pork Tenderloin "Jamon and Melon"
Parsnip Coulis, Compressed Melons, Basil, Pancetta Jam, Pork Fig Glace
"Fish N' Chips"
Crispy Exotic Snapper, Pomme puree, Fingerling BBQ potato coin "chips", Malt Pear Vinegar Gastrique, Pickled Brussels
Heirloom Tomato "Poke"
Heirloom Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Aerated Mozzarella, Sherry Gel, Basil Blanket, Brioche Croutons
Sous vide pan roasted sweet pearl onions, warm grapes, hydroponic mache, pickled hen of the woods/honshemeji mushrooms, Celeriac puree, brown butter powder, port molasses syrup
Seared U-10 Diver Scallops
Cauliflower Couscous(Grated cauli flower, lemon zest, pine nuts, fine herbs, butter), Chorizo sherry emulsion, heirloom tomatoes, mint/thai basil fluid gel.
Pork Tenderloin "Jamon and Melon"
Parsnip Coulis, Compressed Melons, Basil, Pancetta Jam, Pork Fig Glace
"Fish N' Chips"
Crispy Exotic Snapper, Pomme puree, Fingerling BBQ potato coin "chips", Malt Pear Vinegar Gastrique, Pickled Brussels
Heirloom Tomato "Poke"
Heirloom Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Aerated Mozzarella, Sherry Gel, Basil Blanket, Brioche Croutons
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
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