April 27
Marcus Samuelsson was actually in the kitchen at Aquavit, on Monday, during lunch.
That might sound a little condescending, but Marcus is the chef-owner of Aquavit, not the executive chef (that would be the able and always-gracious Johan Svensson), so he doesn't really need to be there.
But he came out, said hello and chatted a bit with me and my lunch companions, publicist Jeffrey Ward and chef Rodelio Aglibot. Jeffrey's from Rockit Ranch Productions, a restaurant company based in the Chicago area. One of its newer restaurants is Sunda, where Rodelio's the chef. He calls his food “New Asian,” which he thinks sounds less hackneyed than "pan-Asian" and less lame than "fusion," and I think he's right.
I'd interviewed Rodelio before, when he was at Yi Cuisine in Los Angeles, and he always was doing interesting things with food
(sweet avocado mousse with lychee sorbet and raspberry sauce, garnished with candied jalapeño; eggs benedict with kurobuta pork adobo, instead of Canadian bacon, in puff pastry — this was back in 2004-2005), so it was good to finally meet him.
He's about to add a lunch menu that will have ramen and his own take on such Hawaiian items as plate lunch and loco moco. He also does a great-sounding Thai fried chicken, which he marinates in coconut milk with various Thai flavors, simmers it to an internal temperature of 160, and then coats it in rice flour and deep fries it.
But today, this is what I ate:
chilled watercress soup with tuna tartare, watermelon, egg and caviar
a mid-course sent out by Marcus of braised short ribs with leeks, pumpkin seed pesto and sweet potato
Gravlax and shrimp sandwich with avocado, egg and espresso mustard sauce,
then we split an Arctic Circle (goat cheese parfait with blueberry sorbet and passionfruit curd)
and I finished it off with an expresso.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Salt & Vinegar Crisps
With the intro out of the way, we can crack on. Let’s begin with air. Or maybe foam. Anyone know when an air becomes a foam? Answers below please.
For the uninitiated, and those without access to liquid nitrogen, vacuum packaging devices, Large Hydron Colliders and other assorted machinery, airs and foams seem to be an excellent point of entry into the seemingly murky (and achingly complex) world of molecular gastronomy.
They are also relatively easy to create and apparently hard to fuck up (although, as expected, I did manage. You shan’t be seeing my ‘poached egg with paprika foam and roasted chickpeas’ because it looked like something from low budget Korean horror movie, circa 1983).
Airs and foams have come in for a bit of stick recently with some chefs apparently desperate to adorn all their dishes with a garnish that looks like gargled frog spawn. This is a bad thing.
But they do have their uses. They are light, delicate and carry flavours in a completely unexpected way. They’re also tremendous fun.
If you think you’ve never experienced such a level of gastronomy, think again. Unless, of course, you’ve never had a cappuccino – foam at its most famous. Or Foamous. *Sigh*
Using milk is one way to create the effect. Another is to use a chemical derived from soya beans or egg yolks called lecithin.
Although predominantly used in food production as an emulsifier (a go-between that helps the combining of fats and water – as in a béarnaise sauce), lecithin can also be added to virtually any liquid then whizzed up to create delicate bubbles of flavour.
Not wanting to ruin another perfectly good egg (see above), I thought about other possibilities and came round to the idea of using an air to flavour homemade crisps – something I first encountered at Midsummer House in Cambridge where we had crisps with a sweet balsamic foam as a pre-lunch nibble.
It was a neat twist on olive oil and balsamic vinegar, so often a satisfying starter when served with crusty bread. Time to get experimental.
With this in mind, instead of deep-frying the thin slices of potato, they were brushed on both sides with extra virgin olive oil and put into a hot oven.
Meanwhile, I mixed 75g of balsamic vinegar (not the good stuff) with the same amount of water, added 0.5g of lecithin and let it dissolve into the liquid.
Using a ‘wide mouthed container’, as recommended by another blogger, I then applied a hand blender to the surface of the liquid in an effort to create the small, stable, bubbles that form the ‘air.’
Oops.
There are still dots of balsamic vinegar on the ceiling, the fridge, the kettle and, probably, my hair.
Panicking, I plunged the blender deeper into the dark liquid.
Oops. Again.
The blade managed to cut cleanly through a small raised nipple in the base of the plastic tub and all I could do was watch as foamy (hooray!) vinegar and water slowly leached out onto the surface and down onto my socks.
Sometimes all you can do is watch as the horror unfolds. So that’s what I did.
Two towels later I remembered the potatoes, now a slightly darker shade of brown than I’d anticipated.
Oops thrice. Time for coffee.
Composure and cool regained I forgot everything that had gone before and started again.
Peel potato. Slice thinly on mandolin (carefully avoiding the cutting off of fingertips). Brush lightly with EVOO and bake in a slightly cooler oven for about four minutes on either side. Salt with Malden sea salt on emergence and leave to cool on something slightly absorbent. Like David Guest’s face. Or some kitchen paper. I tend to use the latter.
Meanwhile: mix vinegar and water with weird yellow powder and blitz carefully with a hand mixer. Leave for five minutes then collect the resultant bubbles into a small receptacle. A shot glass or small espresso cup will suffice.
Phew.
Dip each crisp into the foam and then shove it into your expectant mouth. Prepare yourself for a flavour explosion and a melding of textures so wondrous you’ll want to streak naked through the streets. Or at least have another. And then keep going until they are all gone.
For more delicate morsels, follow me on Twitter.
For the uninitiated, and those without access to liquid nitrogen, vacuum packaging devices, Large Hydron Colliders and other assorted machinery, airs and foams seem to be an excellent point of entry into the seemingly murky (and achingly complex) world of molecular gastronomy.
They are also relatively easy to create and apparently hard to fuck up (although, as expected, I did manage. You shan’t be seeing my ‘poached egg with paprika foam and roasted chickpeas’ because it looked like something from low budget Korean horror movie, circa 1983).
Airs and foams have come in for a bit of stick recently with some chefs apparently desperate to adorn all their dishes with a garnish that looks like gargled frog spawn. This is a bad thing.
But they do have their uses. They are light, delicate and carry flavours in a completely unexpected way. They’re also tremendous fun.
If you think you’ve never experienced such a level of gastronomy, think again. Unless, of course, you’ve never had a cappuccino – foam at its most famous. Or Foamous. *Sigh*
Using milk is one way to create the effect. Another is to use a chemical derived from soya beans or egg yolks called lecithin.
Although predominantly used in food production as an emulsifier (a go-between that helps the combining of fats and water – as in a béarnaise sauce), lecithin can also be added to virtually any liquid then whizzed up to create delicate bubbles of flavour.
Not wanting to ruin another perfectly good egg (see above), I thought about other possibilities and came round to the idea of using an air to flavour homemade crisps – something I first encountered at Midsummer House in Cambridge where we had crisps with a sweet balsamic foam as a pre-lunch nibble.
It was a neat twist on olive oil and balsamic vinegar, so often a satisfying starter when served with crusty bread. Time to get experimental.
With this in mind, instead of deep-frying the thin slices of potato, they were brushed on both sides with extra virgin olive oil and put into a hot oven.
Meanwhile, I mixed 75g of balsamic vinegar (not the good stuff) with the same amount of water, added 0.5g of lecithin and let it dissolve into the liquid.
Using a ‘wide mouthed container’, as recommended by another blogger, I then applied a hand blender to the surface of the liquid in an effort to create the small, stable, bubbles that form the ‘air.’
Oops.
There are still dots of balsamic vinegar on the ceiling, the fridge, the kettle and, probably, my hair.
Panicking, I plunged the blender deeper into the dark liquid.
Oops. Again.
The blade managed to cut cleanly through a small raised nipple in the base of the plastic tub and all I could do was watch as foamy (hooray!) vinegar and water slowly leached out onto the surface and down onto my socks.
Sometimes all you can do is watch as the horror unfolds. So that’s what I did.
Two towels later I remembered the potatoes, now a slightly darker shade of brown than I’d anticipated.
Oops thrice. Time for coffee.
Composure and cool regained I forgot everything that had gone before and started again.
Peel potato. Slice thinly on mandolin (carefully avoiding the cutting off of fingertips). Brush lightly with EVOO and bake in a slightly cooler oven for about four minutes on either side. Salt with Malden sea salt on emergence and leave to cool on something slightly absorbent. Like David Guest’s face. Or some kitchen paper. I tend to use the latter.
Meanwhile: mix vinegar and water with weird yellow powder and blitz carefully with a hand mixer. Leave for five minutes then collect the resultant bubbles into a small receptacle. A shot glass or small espresso cup will suffice.
Phew.
Dip each crisp into the foam and then shove it into your expectant mouth. Prepare yourself for a flavour explosion and a melding of textures so wondrous you’ll want to streak naked through the streets. Or at least have another. And then keep going until they are all gone.
For more delicate morsels, follow me on Twitter.
What Might Have Been...(an introduction to 'Molecular Gastronomy')
Between the ages of about 12 and 16 we spent, as a family, three summers in a tiny coastal town on Spain’s northern Costa Brava.
At the time, the resort of Roses was known for few things apart from the inevitable mini golf course, a go-karting track and perfectly serviceable stretch of beach. It was bustling enough in the evenings without feeling oppressive and enjoyed a steady trickle of tourists, predominantly from Germany and Britain.
How things change.
Sort of.
Roses’ most famous landmark is now a restaurant. But not just any restaurant: the best restaurant in the world. Officially. Ferran Adria’s El Bulli has once again been awarded the accolade of serving the best food of any establishment on the planet.
The restaurant’s name (meaning ‘bulldog’ in honour of the orginal owner’s pets) has become a by-word for culinary experimentation, as well as excellence, and Adria’s influence continues to make its mark on menus all over the world.
His, now notorious, style of cooking has been dubbed ‘molecular gastronomy’ but the name is considered to be something of a misnomer with even the founding fathers of this new cuisine trying to throw off the tenacious label to try and make it sound less inaccessible.
Where is all this going? Well, sadly, at the time I was holidaying there, El Bulli, despite having notched up two Michelin stars, was not the place of gastronomic pilgrimage it now is. It was known amongst the tightly knit fraternity of the foodie elite, but certainly didn’t feature on my culinary radar, nor that of my parents.
As a result, we never went.
It saddens me to know that at the time, there were some nights the restaurant would struggle to make ten bookings.
They now receive about two million requests a year with only a tiny handful – 8,000 – lucky enough to bag themselves a place during the six months it is open.
But, whilst I might not have direct experience, or even a reservation, I am in possession of the next best thing.
A while back I wrote about receiving the Texturas starter kit, the equivalent of a foodist’s chemistry set to allow budding ‘molecular gastronomists’ (since no better term has been invented I’ll struggle on with this one) to replicate some of the cutting edge techniques that have made Ferran Adria truly famous.
And I’ve finally got round to paying with it.
So, this is by way of introduction. And, hopefully a justification for the slightly – erm – unusual nature of the next few posts.
For more verbal foams, airs, spheres and purees, follow me on Twitter.
At the time, the resort of Roses was known for few things apart from the inevitable mini golf course, a go-karting track and perfectly serviceable stretch of beach. It was bustling enough in the evenings without feeling oppressive and enjoyed a steady trickle of tourists, predominantly from Germany and Britain.
How things change.
Sort of.
Roses’ most famous landmark is now a restaurant. But not just any restaurant: the best restaurant in the world. Officially. Ferran Adria’s El Bulli has once again been awarded the accolade of serving the best food of any establishment on the planet.
The restaurant’s name (meaning ‘bulldog’ in honour of the orginal owner’s pets) has become a by-word for culinary experimentation, as well as excellence, and Adria’s influence continues to make its mark on menus all over the world.
His, now notorious, style of cooking has been dubbed ‘molecular gastronomy’ but the name is considered to be something of a misnomer with even the founding fathers of this new cuisine trying to throw off the tenacious label to try and make it sound less inaccessible.
Where is all this going? Well, sadly, at the time I was holidaying there, El Bulli, despite having notched up two Michelin stars, was not the place of gastronomic pilgrimage it now is. It was known amongst the tightly knit fraternity of the foodie elite, but certainly didn’t feature on my culinary radar, nor that of my parents.
As a result, we never went.
It saddens me to know that at the time, there were some nights the restaurant would struggle to make ten bookings.
They now receive about two million requests a year with only a tiny handful – 8,000 – lucky enough to bag themselves a place during the six months it is open.
But, whilst I might not have direct experience, or even a reservation, I am in possession of the next best thing.
A while back I wrote about receiving the Texturas starter kit, the equivalent of a foodist’s chemistry set to allow budding ‘molecular gastronomists’ (since no better term has been invented I’ll struggle on with this one) to replicate some of the cutting edge techniques that have made Ferran Adria truly famous.
And I’ve finally got round to paying with it.
So, this is by way of introduction. And, hopefully a justification for the slightly – erm – unusual nature of the next few posts.
For more verbal foams, airs, spheres and purees, follow me on Twitter.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Limited Offer
Hey readers and friends!
Just in case you plan to visit Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (formerly Saigon)–I want you guys to grab the promo offer of PAL. Book only today and tomorrow. $92 round trip (Less than five thousand bucks) if you are traveling from June to October. To the Artist Chef followers, I hope you can drop by and dine at my place when you visit Vietnam. And to my friends, I'd love you guys to come over. You are all welcome to stay at my place by then.
Joanie is off to Saigon very soon. Few more days left and I'm leaving. I have so many announcements to make. I will share to you guys the details soon. Hope that all of you would still be there as I take a new journey in life.
Joanie is off to Saigon very soon. Few more days left and I'm leaving. I have so many announcements to make. I will share to you guys the details soon. Hope that all of you would still be there as I take a new journey in life.
hugs,
joanie xxx
Hati hati virus flu babi
Milis dari tetangga lagiiii...pentinggg...
Berita flu babi saat ini menjadi perhatian dunia, Asalnya dari Babi yang Demam, Batuk dan Depresi
Menyebarnya juga sangat cepat, hati-hati dan waspada dengan keluarga kita.
Berikut postingan nya aku copas dari detik com;
Negara-negara Asia mulai mengambil tindakan untuk mengantisipasi menyebarnya flu babi Meksiko ke seluruh dunia. Beberapa di antaranya memberlakukan karantina dan pengecekan terhadap orang-orang yang baru saja tiba dari Meksiko dan Amerika Serikat yang terindikasi gejala flu.
Seperti diberitakan Reuters, Minggu (26/4/2009), pemerintah China telah mengeluarkan peringatan darurat dan meminta warganya yang baru saja pulang dari Meksiko dan AS melapor jika mengalami gejala seperti flu. Departemen Kesehatan dan Departemen Pertanian juga terus memantau perkembangan penyebaran virus ini.
Sedangkan Singapura terus memantau dan meminta seluruh petugas kesehatan waspada jika terjadi kasus yang mencurigakan. Pemerintah juga menyarankan warganya yang dalam seminggu terakhir baru pulang dari Meksiko dan Texas serta California segera memeriksakan diri ke dokter jika mengalami gejala yang menyerupai flu.
Selain itu warga juga diminta membatasi kunjungan ke Meksiko dan AS. "Yang mengkhawatirkan adalah banyak penderita yang sebelumnya tidak pernah melakukan kontak dengan peternakan maupun babi. Artinya penularan dari orang ke orang sangat bisa terjadi," ujar Menkes Singapura Khaw Boon Wan.
Sementara itu Vietnam telah meluncurkan sistem pengawasan penyakit untuk mendeteksi kasus-kasus yang mencurigakan. Pemerintah Vietnam juga telah berkoordinasi dengan WHO untuk mencari informasi tentang penyakit tersebut dan cara-cara pencegahannya.
Korea Selatan bahkan telah mengkarantina dan mengecek setiap orang yang baru datang dari Meksiko dan AS. Hal serupa diberlakukan untuk daging babi impor dari kedua negara tersebut.
Di Hong Kong, pemerintah melakukan pengawasan terhadap titik-titik perbatasan. Orang-orang yang kedapatan mengalami gejala seperti flu babi dibawa ke rumah sakit untuk diperiksa lebih jauh.
Di Jepang, petugas Bandara Narita yang terletak di sebelah timur Tokyo mengecek suhu badan setiap orang yang baru datang dari Meksiko. Pemerintah juga memeriksa setiap babi impor yang hidup.
Kementerian Luar Negeri Jepang juga mengeluarkan nasehat (advisory) agar warga yang hendak pergi ke Meksiko mempertimbangkannya kembali jika tidak benar-benar perlu.
Di Filipina, pemerintah meningkatkan pengawasan di pelabuhan untuk mencegah masuknya daging babi impor dari AS dan Meksiko. Mereka juga menyerukan agar dilakukan vaksinasi rutin terhadap peternakan babi.
Adapun di Malaysia, orang-orang yang menuju dan pulang dari Meksiko diperiksa kesehatannya.
Di Indonesia sendiri, Departemen Kesehatan telah mengambil berbagai langkah antisipatif dan berkoordinasi dengan WHO serta Departemen Peternakan dan Departemen Pertanian. Namun sejauh ini belum ada pemeriksaan dan karantina yang dilakukan terhadap warga yang baru datang dari Meksiko dan AS.
Flu babi jenis baru yang merupakan kombinasi antara flu burung, flu babi, dan flu manusia ini telah merenggut 81 nyawa dan menginfeksi lebih dari 1.300 orang di Meksiko. Flu ini juga telah menjalar ke AS dan menginfeksi 11 orang dan diduga telah pula merambah Selandia Baru.
WHO telah memperingatkan semua negara di seluruh dunia agar waspada terhadap kemungkinan munculnya pandemi global. Pandemi flu terakhir kali terjadi pada tahun 1968 saat flu 'Hong Kong' menewaskan sekitar 1 juta orang di seluruh dunia. (sho/irw)
Berita flu babi saat ini menjadi perhatian dunia, Asalnya dari Babi yang Demam, Batuk dan Depresi
Menyebarnya juga sangat cepat, hati-hati dan waspada dengan keluarga kita.
Berikut postingan nya aku copas dari detik com;
Negara-negara Asia mulai mengambil tindakan untuk mengantisipasi menyebarnya flu babi Meksiko ke seluruh dunia. Beberapa di antaranya memberlakukan karantina dan pengecekan terhadap orang-orang yang baru saja tiba dari Meksiko dan Amerika Serikat yang terindikasi gejala flu.
Seperti diberitakan Reuters, Minggu (26/4/2009), pemerintah China telah mengeluarkan peringatan darurat dan meminta warganya yang baru saja pulang dari Meksiko dan AS melapor jika mengalami gejala seperti flu. Departemen Kesehatan dan Departemen Pertanian juga terus memantau perkembangan penyebaran virus ini.
Sedangkan Singapura terus memantau dan meminta seluruh petugas kesehatan waspada jika terjadi kasus yang mencurigakan. Pemerintah juga menyarankan warganya yang dalam seminggu terakhir baru pulang dari Meksiko dan Texas serta California segera memeriksakan diri ke dokter jika mengalami gejala yang menyerupai flu.
Selain itu warga juga diminta membatasi kunjungan ke Meksiko dan AS. "Yang mengkhawatirkan adalah banyak penderita yang sebelumnya tidak pernah melakukan kontak dengan peternakan maupun babi. Artinya penularan dari orang ke orang sangat bisa terjadi," ujar Menkes Singapura Khaw Boon Wan.
Sementara itu Vietnam telah meluncurkan sistem pengawasan penyakit untuk mendeteksi kasus-kasus yang mencurigakan. Pemerintah Vietnam juga telah berkoordinasi dengan WHO untuk mencari informasi tentang penyakit tersebut dan cara-cara pencegahannya.
Korea Selatan bahkan telah mengkarantina dan mengecek setiap orang yang baru datang dari Meksiko dan AS. Hal serupa diberlakukan untuk daging babi impor dari kedua negara tersebut.
Di Hong Kong, pemerintah melakukan pengawasan terhadap titik-titik perbatasan. Orang-orang yang kedapatan mengalami gejala seperti flu babi dibawa ke rumah sakit untuk diperiksa lebih jauh.
Di Jepang, petugas Bandara Narita yang terletak di sebelah timur Tokyo mengecek suhu badan setiap orang yang baru datang dari Meksiko. Pemerintah juga memeriksa setiap babi impor yang hidup.
Kementerian Luar Negeri Jepang juga mengeluarkan nasehat (advisory) agar warga yang hendak pergi ke Meksiko mempertimbangkannya kembali jika tidak benar-benar perlu.
Di Filipina, pemerintah meningkatkan pengawasan di pelabuhan untuk mencegah masuknya daging babi impor dari AS dan Meksiko. Mereka juga menyerukan agar dilakukan vaksinasi rutin terhadap peternakan babi.
Adapun di Malaysia, orang-orang yang menuju dan pulang dari Meksiko diperiksa kesehatannya.
Di Indonesia sendiri, Departemen Kesehatan telah mengambil berbagai langkah antisipatif dan berkoordinasi dengan WHO serta Departemen Peternakan dan Departemen Pertanian. Namun sejauh ini belum ada pemeriksaan dan karantina yang dilakukan terhadap warga yang baru datang dari Meksiko dan AS.
Flu babi jenis baru yang merupakan kombinasi antara flu burung, flu babi, dan flu manusia ini telah merenggut 81 nyawa dan menginfeksi lebih dari 1.300 orang di Meksiko. Flu ini juga telah menjalar ke AS dan menginfeksi 11 orang dan diduga telah pula merambah Selandia Baru.
WHO telah memperingatkan semua negara di seluruh dunia agar waspada terhadap kemungkinan munculnya pandemi global. Pandemi flu terakhir kali terjadi pada tahun 1968 saat flu 'Hong Kong' menewaskan sekitar 1 juta orang di seluruh dunia. (sho/irw)
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