July 2008 Archives
I felt the cake was too heavy, all the flavors were very strong and overpowering. Even with a light and airy cake, the multiple glazes and heavy buttercream, and chocolate were just too much. M y wife felt the same way. Even with tiny little slices, the cake was too much. It didn't taste bad, it was just too heavy. I didn't think the opera cake was too heavy, I think the addition of mousse lightened the overall texture and feel of the cake, This one was just buttercream and buttercream.
Chris from Mele Cotte picked the recipe - it was a little tough following the instructions, but the final product looked good. Just read and reread the recipe a few times. You might want to print it out and organize it by sub recipes, and make sure you know how they will be used together. Here is a list of others who participate in the Daring Bakers Challenges.
One thing that I did learn -- I should not be given a piping bag. I need to find a class and learn how to use those damn things!
SO - in summary - didn't like it, so I can't recommend it to others. I know other bakers had much better experiences with it, maybe I just don't like cakes like this? Who knows?
Someone posed this question to me today:
My wife and I watched Decoding Ferran Adria:Hosted by Anthony Bourdain a few days ago. This was an insightful look into the mind, kitchen, and lab of the world's leading molecular gastronomist, and still reigning holder of the title of the worlds best restaurant. It was a fascinating video behind the process of the dishes they prepare at elBulli, but it also explains the world of MG in a way that can be absorbed by they television watching public.
When trying to explain my fascination behind MG, I often need to explain the concepts behind it. Most people think it's about foams, sferes, gells, and chemicals. Well, that is partially right, but the part they fail to see is the science part. The priceless work of Harold McGee, Herve This, and other scientists and chefs. McGee and This have spent years finding out why things work the way they do. Why does food brown when seared, why does acid break certain sauces, why do eggs whip, what is a hydrocolloids and how do they work?
For the average home chef, you never think about why whipped egg whites form stiff peaks, or why flour sauces thicken when they cool. You just follow the recipes and hope for the best. This is one area I find so interesting. Once you understand the mechanics behind the chemical bonds, proteins, and emulsifications, you can take that knowledge to the experimental side. This is the other side of Molecular Gastronomy. I prefer to think of this as the application of the knowledge gained from the research.
There are many facets to this side of cooking. Some are considered standard techniques, some are considered exotic and radical. A few days ago I made a tomato consommé. The traditional consommé involves egg whites, rafting, and other steps. The MG solution involves a few grams of sheet gelatin, a coffee filter, and time. It was cheaper ingredient wise, and you get a purer flavor in the end. Gelatin filtration was discovered in 2004, and is still relatively unknown to the home cook. You can use this technique for anything, and you get a clear liquid from whatever you use. Fruit, stock, vegetables, bread, cookies - the gelatin will hold all the particulate matter, so all you end up with is clear liquid.
Most people only see the foams and caviar side of molecular gastronomy. Every now and then you have someone who is making ice-cream with liquid nitrogen. I want to explore those aspects of MG, but I also want to try the things people aren't familiar with. I want to do this for a few reasons. I want to know more about the ingredients and how they work, but I also want to be able to surprise company with things they are familiar with, but served in a totally foreign way. Is the taste any better - in the case of caviar and ravioli - no, it tastes the same. Is the experience different - yes. Most people find these experiences enjoyable, where the traditional experience is just eating.
In this quest for knowledge, I have come across ways to make dishes I have made before even better. Parmesan crisps - melt the cheese on a silpat, then form when it is still warm. when it dries, you have a lacy crisp. Well, I have a recent post about a new way to make these. The addition of egg white makes a much more refined crisp. It is lighter and more delicate. The egg white acts as a binding agent for the cheese and allows it to be manipulated in a way that straight cheese will not allow.
Currently, I have two pouches of Activa (transglutamase) taunting me at home. One is the powder form, the other should be used as a slurry. This chemical has large purposes in the industrial food industry, and has been used for a few years in a few restaurants. It is meat glue. It is used in every chicken nugget, formed meat patty, and in many vegetarian dishes. The enzyme binds meat proteins together and forms a permanent bond. The real challenge is to find an interesting application, with regard for cook times. You could bond a chicken breast to a NY strip steak, but the cooking temperatures will not jive together. You'd end up with cooked chicken and overcooked beef.
This is the fun challenge with the application molecular gastronomy. Finding ways to execute dishes that taste good, while using these new techniques. Some may ask - why not cook it like you've always cooked it. Some people may not like change, but I love change. There's a place for everything, but there's no harm in trying something new. What happens if I add some dehydrated orange powder to my meat rub? Will the added sugars in the orange powder assist the Maillard reaction on the pork, or will it add an off flavor? If it creates a nice flavorful brown crust, I might have discovered a new ingredient to include in all my meat rubs.
I keep track of all my kitchen adventures on this blog, and in a little black leather book next to the kitchen computer. Each time I try an elBulli recipe, I write notes on what worked, what didn't work, and what I added/took away from the recipe. I've tried more then a handful of marshmallow recipes. Some with egg whites, some without, some with sheet gelatin, some with powdered gelatin. Different ratios of sugar, egg white, gelatin, water, juice, extracts, etc. When I take these recipes and the knowledge I have acquired from reading about the molecular bonds that are formed, and the chemical reactions that take place as the ingredients combine and cook, I have come up with a foolproof recipe that I can call my own and be proud of.
When I give my people my marshmallows, I typically get this one reaction: Oh WOW.....mmmmm... I don't think I can eat store bought marshmallows ever again.
See if you can get a hold of Decoding Ferran Adria. It is a great way to get a little knowledge behind the true concept of Molecular Gastronomy.
Molecular Gastronomy? Why? Why!? WHY!?!?! It just seems so ridiculous and over the top for no reason except shock value to me.I think this attitude comes from a misunderstanding about the whole concept of Molecular Gastronomy. Most of the general public's only exposure to molecular gastronomy comes from Top Chef and Iron Chef America. You have people like Marcel using foams on every dish, and chefs making monstrosities of dishes on Iron Chef. Hell, Anthony Bourdain thought this way - it's all for show, useless for the cooking world. Well, that was until he spent some time with Ferran Adria.
My wife and I watched Decoding Ferran Adria:Hosted by Anthony Bourdain a few days ago. This was an insightful look into the mind, kitchen, and lab of the world's leading molecular gastronomist, and still reigning holder of the title of the worlds best restaurant. It was a fascinating video behind the process of the dishes they prepare at elBulli, but it also explains the world of MG in a way that can be absorbed by they television watching public.
When trying to explain my fascination behind MG, I often need to explain the concepts behind it. Most people think it's about foams, sferes, gells, and chemicals. Well, that is partially right, but the part they fail to see is the science part. The priceless work of Harold McGee, Herve This, and other scientists and chefs. McGee and This have spent years finding out why things work the way they do. Why does food brown when seared, why does acid break certain sauces, why do eggs whip, what is a hydrocolloids and how do they work?
For the average home chef, you never think about why whipped egg whites form stiff peaks, or why flour sauces thicken when they cool. You just follow the recipes and hope for the best. This is one area I find so interesting. Once you understand the mechanics behind the chemical bonds, proteins, and emulsifications, you can take that knowledge to the experimental side. This is the other side of Molecular Gastronomy. I prefer to think of this as the application of the knowledge gained from the research.
There are many facets to this side of cooking. Some are considered standard techniques, some are considered exotic and radical. A few days ago I made a tomato consommé. The traditional consommé involves egg whites, rafting, and other steps. The MG solution involves a few grams of sheet gelatin, a coffee filter, and time. It was cheaper ingredient wise, and you get a purer flavor in the end. Gelatin filtration was discovered in 2004, and is still relatively unknown to the home cook. You can use this technique for anything, and you get a clear liquid from whatever you use. Fruit, stock, vegetables, bread, cookies - the gelatin will hold all the particulate matter, so all you end up with is clear liquid.
Most people only see the foams and caviar side of molecular gastronomy. Every now and then you have someone who is making ice-cream with liquid nitrogen. I want to explore those aspects of MG, but I also want to try the things people aren't familiar with. I want to do this for a few reasons. I want to know more about the ingredients and how they work, but I also want to be able to surprise company with things they are familiar with, but served in a totally foreign way. Is the taste any better - in the case of caviar and ravioli - no, it tastes the same. Is the experience different - yes. Most people find these experiences enjoyable, where the traditional experience is just eating.
In this quest for knowledge, I have come across ways to make dishes I have made before even better. Parmesan crisps - melt the cheese on a silpat, then form when it is still warm. when it dries, you have a lacy crisp. Well, I have a recent post about a new way to make these. The addition of egg white makes a much more refined crisp. It is lighter and more delicate. The egg white acts as a binding agent for the cheese and allows it to be manipulated in a way that straight cheese will not allow.
Currently, I have two pouches of Activa (transglutamase) taunting me at home. One is the powder form, the other should be used as a slurry. This chemical has large purposes in the industrial food industry, and has been used for a few years in a few restaurants. It is meat glue. It is used in every chicken nugget, formed meat patty, and in many vegetarian dishes. The enzyme binds meat proteins together and forms a permanent bond. The real challenge is to find an interesting application, with regard for cook times. You could bond a chicken breast to a NY strip steak, but the cooking temperatures will not jive together. You'd end up with cooked chicken and overcooked beef.
This is the fun challenge with the application molecular gastronomy. Finding ways to execute dishes that taste good, while using these new techniques. Some may ask - why not cook it like you've always cooked it. Some people may not like change, but I love change. There's a place for everything, but there's no harm in trying something new. What happens if I add some dehydrated orange powder to my meat rub? Will the added sugars in the orange powder assist the Maillard reaction on the pork, or will it add an off flavor? If it creates a nice flavorful brown crust, I might have discovered a new ingredient to include in all my meat rubs.
I keep track of all my kitchen adventures on this blog, and in a little black leather book next to the kitchen computer. Each time I try an elBulli recipe, I write notes on what worked, what didn't work, and what I added/took away from the recipe. I've tried more then a handful of marshmallow recipes. Some with egg whites, some without, some with sheet gelatin, some with powdered gelatin. Different ratios of sugar, egg white, gelatin, water, juice, extracts, etc. When I take these recipes and the knowledge I have acquired from reading about the molecular bonds that are formed, and the chemical reactions that take place as the ingredients combine and cook, I have come up with a foolproof recipe that I can call my own and be proud of.
When I give my people my marshmallows, I typically get this one reaction: Oh WOW.....mmmmm... I don't think I can eat store bought marshmallows ever again.
See if you can get a hold of Decoding Ferran Adria. It is a great way to get a little knowledge behind the true concept of Molecular Gastronomy.
A few weeks ago I was talking about starting a business. Well, after much research, standing in line, and talking on the phone, I discovered that we would never pass the health inspection. We have 4 cats, and three of them have access to the kitchen. There is a open clause that says "No domesticated animals may remain in the food preparation area."
Well, we have an open house layout, so we would need to put up new walls and doors to block off the kitchen, but I like the openness in the kitchen, and I could not close it off. So - no business. We would need to convert part of the garage, or build an addition to the back of the garage. I would love that, but you'd be talking six or seven thousand for appliances, couple hundred fro plumbing, electrical, and AC/Heating. then you have the Sheetrock, floors, waterproofing, storage, cabinets, countertops, and if we expand - new siding, small trusses, and shingles. At least ten to twenty thousand to convert the garage/expand.
I'd so love to expand a little, but I don't think that will happen.
So -- things I have learned:
No cats
If you have cats, they can never get in the room
If they can get in the room, they must be shaved
If you want to sell at the farmers market, you don't need a business license, but you need a health inspection
you cannot pass an inspection if cat hair can float into the kitchen
Some people mentioned getting space at a community center, but almost everything I am cooking involves multiple days and long rest periods. My sourdoughs require two days, and the barm is a living creature that would need to live in the kitchen full time. Marshmallows need to sit for at least 4 hours, but 12+ is better.
So, no matter how clean you keep the kitchen, if they might find cat hair, they can take away your license and hit you with a misdemeanor. When I do eventually start this business, I want it to be legit. I know it's a yearly inspection, and they might skip your house, but I would want my customer to know that I care about how their food is being prepared. So -- for now, there is no business. If you want to eat my marshmallows, cookies, cakes, or breads, you need to come to my house, work with me, or move in next to me.
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thanks to those who left comments before the upgrade. I'm sorry I lost your posts.
Well, we have an open house layout, so we would need to put up new walls and doors to block off the kitchen, but I like the openness in the kitchen, and I could not close it off. So - no business. We would need to convert part of the garage, or build an addition to the back of the garage. I would love that, but you'd be talking six or seven thousand for appliances, couple hundred fro plumbing, electrical, and AC/Heating. then you have the Sheetrock, floors, waterproofing, storage, cabinets, countertops, and if we expand - new siding, small trusses, and shingles. At least ten to twenty thousand to convert the garage/expand.
I'd so love to expand a little, but I don't think that will happen.
So -- things I have learned:
No cats
If you have cats, they can never get in the room
If they can get in the room, they must be shaved
If you want to sell at the farmers market, you don't need a business license, but you need a health inspection
you cannot pass an inspection if cat hair can float into the kitchen
Some people mentioned getting space at a community center, but almost everything I am cooking involves multiple days and long rest periods. My sourdoughs require two days, and the barm is a living creature that would need to live in the kitchen full time. Marshmallows need to sit for at least 4 hours, but 12+ is better.
So, no matter how clean you keep the kitchen, if they might find cat hair, they can take away your license and hit you with a misdemeanor. When I do eventually start this business, I want it to be legit. I know it's a yearly inspection, and they might skip your house, but I would want my customer to know that I care about how their food is being prepared. So -- for now, there is no business. If you want to eat my marshmallows, cookies, cakes, or breads, you need to come to my house, work with me, or move in next to me.
------------------
thanks to those who left comments before the upgrade. I'm sorry I lost your posts.
This last Saturday we had company over for dinner. Aidan and Finn ran around and exhausted each other while I ran a marathon in the kitchen. Piet, his wife (and their son), brought over some excellent gravlax and sauce. I made some sourdough pumpernickel bread. This was my first time making pumpernickel, it was surprising that so few stores have pumpernickel flour. I tried Ukrops, Krogers, The Fresh Market, and Elwood Thompson's. As a last attempt, I tried the organic section of the Ukrops by my house. They had a small bag of dark rye flour, this is not pumpernickel flour, but it was really close, and closer then anything I had found. The addition of coffee and the molasses from the brown sugar made a very dark crust, and a deep, rich colored crumb. 
Next was a little kitchen science. This was my first attempt at the elBulli staple: Liquid Pea Ravioli. This is a simple mixture of peas, mint, and two chemicals, topped with a tiny mint leaf and a bit of sea salt. This was interesting, the texture of the peas is much thicker then the fruit juice mixtures I've been doing. It took a little experimenting to get a clean release from the spoon, but once that was solved, we had a handful of pea ravioli to munch on.During this entire time, we were sipping miscellaneous drinks. We had carbonated Bombay Sapphire Gin, foamy absinthe mojitos, and passionfruit whisky sours with passionfruit foam. The mojitos were made in the soda siphon, and the passionfruit foam was made in the gourmet whip. We broke up the red wine and white wine for dinner.
I had been rolling and cutting pasta all afternoon. The KitchenAid attachment makes this so easy. If you like to make pasta, I highly recommend the attachments. No hand cranking, variable speeds and size settings. I've rolled pasta by hand, without the aid of a crank machine, and they all produce the same quality, but the amount of work involved in making the pasta is minimal with the automated tools. Once the pasta was rolled and cut, it rested for a few hours in the refrigerator. Next up was more food prep. Pancetta and bacon from Belmont Butchery. The smell of cured and smoky pork. Mmmmmmmmm.This was sauteed in white wine, then tossed with the hot pasta with eggs, parmegianno reggiano, pecorino romano, and garlic. More commonly known as Pasta alla Carbonara. This was accompanied with some sundreid tomato, basil, and parmigiano sourdough bread. We had a fresh heirloom tomato and olive oil topping for the bread. The pasta cooked in two minutes and thirty seconds, one of the nice things about fresh pasta.
I had a intermediate course planned, but we were all full from dinner. I'll discuss this down at the bottom of the post.For dessert, we had a chocolate tart with caramel and peanuts. This was my second recipe from the Baking with Dorie cookbook. This came out very well. I made ti a few hours before company arrived, and have been enjoying it for dessert each night this week.
The skipped course. I was planning on sfering some cantaloupe and serving it with prosciutto. Sunday night, amid the thunderstorms, I was in the kitchen. Like Dr. Frankenstein, I was making something come to life as the lightning struck around me. Drip Drip Drip Drip. One by one, droplets of melon were going into a waterbath and being transformed into melon caviar. I've made fruit caviar a few times, and I have the technique down.
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