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When Yoshihiro Murata talks about seasoning food, he’s not talking about salt and pepper. An amino acid and nucleotide are at the forefront of his food thoughts, specifically glutamate and inosinate—the very basic components of umami. A veritable umami guru, Murata poses that when you harness the savor of umami, salt and pepper are superfluous.
A master of kaiseki cuisine (Japan’s ultra-seasonal traditional cookery), Murata has long been steeped in the nuances of the savory fifth taste. For Murata, and any other classically-trained Japanese chef, dashi is at the heart of his cooking, and umami is at the very heart of dashi.
Since discovering that the amino acid glutamate is destroyed when exposed to heat in excess of 80ºC, Murata has been perfecting his dashi technique to extract the most umami from his dashi ingredients. At the 2009 StarChefs.com International Chefs Congress last September, Murata demonstrated his kombu dashi technique with his Vegetables with Kuzu Jelly and Aromatic Kombu Dashi. The kombu dashi combines kombu, a type of seaweed that’s loaded with glutamate, and dried bonito, a small tuna that carries the inosinate; when combined they “improve the taste six to eight times” and with “almost no calories” says Murata.
To maximize the umami, Murata steeps the kombu in 60ºC water for an hour (he doesn’t boil it as many do) and then removes the seaweed from the water. He increases the water temperature to 80ºC (not above) and adds dried bonito shaved to 0.3 millimeter in thickness. The bonito is in contact with the water for just ten seconds; any longer and too much inosinate and unwanted acids are extracted and the dashi will be off balance, according to Murata.
Having the base of an umami-rich dashi set the stage for Murata to build the rest of his dish, taking into consideration the other four basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter), texture, and aroma. With this kombu dashi, accented with freshly squeezed ginger juice and a pinch of salt, he builds a multi-component vegetable dish with turnips and carrots boiled in their own juices to increase their natural glutamate; a pork broth heavy with inosinate; an aromatic, bitter citrus jelly with yuzu; edamame for their glutamate and texture; and rice crackers for crunch.
The dish is deceptively simple in preparation but deeply complex in flavor, texture and aroma—classic of kaiseki cuisine and ideal in the eyes of kaiseki master Murata.
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Layered Foie Gras Terrine
Chef Adam Schop of De La Costa –
Chicago, IL
Adapted by StarChefs.com
Foie gras may be banned in Chicago, but that hasn’t stopped Adam Schop from sneaking this wonderfully textured dish to prime customers (the trick: make it free! Foie gras is legal in Chicago as long as you don’t charge for it). Schop’s terrine switches it up, alternating dense, creamy layers of poached foie gras mousse with soft, almost jelly-like slices of seared foie gras. Textures and flavors meld together – it satisfies cravings for both poached and seared – and really, what goes better with foie gras than…more foie gras? The high fat content of the liver eliminates any need for aspic; simply layer, press, rest, and serve.
Step 1: Season or marinate half of the foie gras, and poach. (Schop cooks his sous vide.) Pass through tamis and beat to form a mousse. Let cool.
Step 2: Slice second half of foie gras, season, and sear. Let cool.
Step 3: In a plastic-lined terrine, alternate layers of foie gras mousse and slices of seared foie gras until filled.
Step 4: Cover with plastic, press, and let rest overnight. Slice and serve.
Layered Foie Gras Terrine with Smoked Dates, Hearts of Palm, and Coconut
Chef Adam Schop of De La Costa – Chicago, IL
Adapted by StarChefs.com
Yield: 8 Servings
Ingredients:
3 pounds foie gras
4 ounces Calvados
2 ounces shaved garlic
2 ounces shaved shallot
6 sprigs thyme
3 Tablespoons salt
2 grams pink salt
8 ounces Plugra butter, at room temperature
White pepper
Salt
Smoked Dates:
10 ounces dates
Hearts of Palm:
1 pound hearts of palm
Duck stock
Coconut Fluid Gel:
100 milliliters coconut cream
3 grams agar agar
To Assemble and Serve
2 ounces celery leaves
2 ounces toasted coconut
2 ounces parsley leaves
Sherry vinegar
Olive oil
Rendered foie gras fat (optional)
Sea salt
Peppercorns
For the Terrine:
Clean foie gras, removing all veins and impurities. Reserve half of the foie gras for the next day, and cover the remaining half with Calvados, shaved garlic, shaved shallot, and thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pink salt, cover with plastic wrap, and let marinate for 24 hours. Put contents in Cryovac® bag, poach in a water bath at 58ºC for 9 minutes, and cool. Empty bag contents, discarding onion, thyme and shallot, but reserving the rendered foie fat. Pass the poached foie through a tamis then fold in room temperature butter and reserved foie gras fat, and stir or whisk until evenly distributed. Season with ground white pepper and salt, to taste. Slice the remaining foie gras then sear in hot pan on both sides and let cool.
To assemble the terrine, alternate layers of seared foie gras with foie gras mousse in a plastic wrap-lined terrine until the top is reached. Cover with plastic and apply pressure to ensure a tight terrine without any air pockets. Let set overnight.
For the Smoked Dates:
Place dates in bowl and cover with boiling water to release the skin. After about 30 seconds, remove dates and carefully remove skin and pit. Place on a wire rack in a smoker and smoke for 20 minutes. Remove from smoker, stack in a line, and tightly roll into a tube shape using plastic wrap. Let chill and slice into small coins.
For the Hearts of Palm:
Trim the fibrous outer layers of hearts of palm and cut into a 6 inch tube with a 1.5 inch diameter. Place in a Cryovac® bag with duck stock and cook at 84ºC for 20 minutes until flavor is infused and vegetable is tenderized. Let cool.
For the Coconut Fluid Gel:
Place coconut cream in pot and bring to boil. Add agar agar and return to boil. Let mixture cool and set, then blend until smooth.
To Assemble and Serve:
Shave hearts of palm and mix with celery leaves, toasted coconut and parsley. Dress with sherry vinegar and olive oil. Slice foie gras terrine and place on plate. Plate a few date coins, and dot plate with Coconut Fluid Gel and reserved rendered foie fat (optional). Garnish with sea salt and fresh cracked peppercorns.
Noma :
nominated as the 3rd. best restaurant in the world.
chef :Rene Redzepi
At noma, we aim to offer a personal rendition of Nordic gourmet cuisine, where typical methods of cooking, fine Nordic produce and the legacy of our common food culture are all being subjected to an innovative gastronomic approach. Carrying this line of thinking further, we view it as a challenge to play a part in bringing forth a regeneration of Nordic culinary craft, in its capacity to encompass the North Atlantic region and to brighten the world with its distinctive tastiness and special regional character.
Guide Michelin has again in 2009 chosen to give noma two stars. The enitre team behind and at noma is very proud and happy for the fact, that the guide again acknowledges the effort being put into noma.
In order to make this ambition come alive, noma is piloted by a chef, a skilled craftsman who happen to be one of Denmark's finest culinary artists Chief cook and owner Rene Redzepi , who comes to noma after having served as assistant manager at Kong Hans Restaurant in Copenhagen. Mr. Redzepi has previously worked for extended stints at some of the world's most highly esteemed 3-star Michelin restaurants (French Laundry, El Bulli and Jardin des Sens).
René Redzepi has been appointed ambassador for the New Nordic Food -programme by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The programme is a Nordic cooperation to expose the value of Nordic food and Nordic food culture. René has been chosen as New Nordic Food -ambassador because of his ongoing efforts to advance and promote the knowledge of Nordic food.
website: http://www.noma.dk
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Carrot Top Crust Technique
Chef Christopher Kostow of The Restaurant at Meadowood – St. Helena, CA
Carrots go three ways in this dish by Chef Christopher Kostow of The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa, but what stands out is the simple technique used to turn blended carrot tops into a colorful crust on top of a pavé of steamed fish.
Kostow cleverly uses the firming properties of gelatin and egg whites. The gelatin helps set the thin sheet of puree while it chills. As the fish is steamed with the sheet on top, the gelatin melts while the egg whites harden, leaving the fish with a hard crust.
Step 1: Blend bloomed gelatin with egg whites and carrot tops.
Step 2: Using a rolling pin, roll mixture flat between two sheets of plastic film.
Step 3: Place on a sheet pan in freezer or blast chiller to set.
Step 3: Cut into shapes as needed.
Step 4: Place on protein.
Step 5: Steam protein in a bamboo steamer.
Grant Achatz : Rising Star of Molecular Gastronomy
Grant Achatz (born 1974) is an American chef and restaurateur who is considered to be on the cutting edge of the movement of menu item construction often referred to as molecular gastronomy or progressive cuisine. Achatz has won numerous awards from prominent culinary institutions and publications including the "Rising Star Chef of the Year Award" for 2003 and Best Chef in the United States for 2008 from the James Beard Foundation
In October 2008 Grant Achatz and co-author Nick Kokonas published Alinea, a hardcover coffee-table style book featuring more than 100 of the restaurant's recipes
Enter: Alinea
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Latest Trends from Bocuse d'Or 2009
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Frozen Foam Technique
Pastry Chef Rick Billings of L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon –
New York, NY
Freezing foam sounds much more difficult than it actually is—but that’s not to say it’s not a textural feat. Pastry Chef Rick Billings of L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in New York City first created the chilled froth while perfecting his balance of flavor and texture at Clio in Boston following in Alex Stupak’s ingenious footsteps. “With pastry, any ingredient can take on countless forms; frozen, hot, liquid, powder, crunchy, soft,” says Billings.
At an ICC pastry workshop this year, Chef Billings demonstrated his frozen foam technique to an engaged group of students and other chefs, like pastry colleague Johnny Iuzzini and experimental guru Wylie Dufresne. The full dessert he created was called “Le Rocher” or The Rock (see recipe below). Billings says his approach to pastry is to take familiar flavors and present them to people in an unfamiliar way.
The process starts off like a text book foam, but jumps off the page once Billings shoots the frozen mixture from a siphon onto a shallow pan and freezes it in a blast chiller. He shatters the frozen foam into abstract pieces for individual servings. The result is a rough-looking pumice stone that tastes like chewy chocolate ice cream. The first version created at Clio used additives, but his technique evolved to use kuzu starch (or arrowroot powder). It’s molecular innovation using au natural ingredients.
Step 1: Bring equal parts cream and water to a boil with kuzu starch, sugar, and
dry flavoring ingredients.
Step 2: Pour heated cream mixture over chocolate in a bowl and chill to 45°C/113°F.
Step 3: Pour mixture into siphon charger and pump three times.
Step 4: Dispense foam from siphon in an even layer on a plastic-lined pan.
Step 5: Freeze for 8 hours in a blast chiller.
Step 6: Break into pieces and store in freezer.
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Intensifying Flavors Through Curing
Chef Brian Scheehser
Salt curing is a form of preserving that draws out excess moisture from meat or fish, while at the same time intensifying the natural flavor of the product. Once cured, the meat or fish can serve as a deeply flavorful base for a dish. The technique can be used with many types of meat and fish.
STEP 1: Mix salt and spices together and rub mixture over meat.
STEP 2: Refrigerate meat, covered: cure duck for 10 minutes; lamb or beef for 30 minutes; salmon for 48 hours.
STEP 3: Rinse meat in water and dry thoroughly.
STEP 4: Re-season meat and cook by grilling or pan searing.
Medallions of Lamb With Wild Foraged Morels
Adapted by Chefsden..com
Yield:2 - 4 Servings
Ingredients:
Cure:
- 2 sprigs thyme, chopped
- 2 sprigs savory, chopped
- 1 cup kosher salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- Light dusting of pepper
- Zest from 1 orange
- Zest from 1 lemon
Lamb:
- 1 rack Niman Ranch lamb
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- Local wild foraged morels, sautéed in butter, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 bunch watercress for garnish
Method:
Mix together all curing ingredients in a medium bowl. Rub mixture over lamb and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes. Rinse meat and toss with olive oil, shallots, and pepper. Grill lamb over oak chips to desired temperature. Remove from heat and let rest about 5 minutes before cutting meat into medallions.
To serve:
Arrange medallions with natural juices on warmed plate along with sautéed morels. Garnish with watercress.
More Info on Salt Enter Chefden Forum
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Fish Wrapped in Chicken Skin
Chef Josh Emett of Gordon Ramsay at the London – New York, NY
This technique makes it possible to have tender fish with crisp chicken skin without the use of weird genetic science (or Activa meat glue). Salting the chicken skin overnight draws out the moisture, making for a wrapping that readily becomes a crispy exterior when stuffed with fish and roasted in hot oil. To achieve the perfect contrasting textures of crispy skin and tender, moist interior, be sure to repeatedly turn the roulade in the hot oil while simultaneously basting it with a light batter.
Step 1: Carefully remove the entire skin from chicken legs.
Step 2: Cover skin in salt and reserve 12-24 hours.
Step 3: Stuff fish portions into chicken skin.
Step 4: Tightly wrap fish with skin in cling film and tighten to form a round shape.
Step 5: Blanch two minutes in boiling water and shock in an ice water bath.
Step 6: Remove plastic and roast in hot oil, turning constantly while brushing the chicken skin with a light batter. Repeat baste-and-turn motion until skin is crispy.
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FOR MORE RECIPES CLICK LINK BELOW:
CHEFSDEN.COM FORUM
Collection of recipes to define molecular gastronomy.
A little about:
A hydrocolloid can simply be defined as a substance that forms a gel in contact with water. Such substances include both polysaccharides and proteins which are capable of one or more of the following: thickening and gelling aqueous solutions, stabilizing foams, emulsions and dispersions and preventing crystallization of saturated water or sugar solutions.
In the recent years there has been a tremendous interest in molecular gastronomy. Part of this interest has been directed towards the “new” hydrocolloids. The term “new” includes hydrocolloids such as gellan and xanthan which are a result of relatively recent research, but also hydrocolloids such as agar which has been unknown in western cooking, but used in Asia for decades. One fortunate consequence of the increased interest in molecular gastronomy and hydrocolloids is that hydrocolloids that were previously only available to the food industry have become available in small quantities at a reasonable price. A less fortunate consequence however is that many have come to regard molecular gastronomy as synonymous with the use of hydrocolloids to prepare foams and spheres. I should therefore emphasize that molecular gastronomy is not limited to the use of hydrocolloids and that it is not the intention of this collection of recipes to define molecular gastronomy.
Along with the increased interest in hydrocolloids for texture modification there is a growing scepticism to using "chemicals" in the kitchen. Many have come to view hydrocolloids as unnatural and even unhealthy ingredients. It should therefore be stressed that the hydrocolloids described in this collection are all of biological origin. All have been purified, some have been processed, but nevertheless the raw material used is of either marine, plant, animal or microbial origin. Furthermore hydrocolloids can contribute significantly to the public health as they allow the reduction of fat and/or sugar content without loosing the desired mouth feel. The hydrocolloids themselves have a low calorific value and are generally used at very low concentrations.
One major challenge (at least for an amateur cook) is to find recipes and directions to utilize the “new” hydrocolloids. When purchasing hydrocolloids, typically only a few recipes are included. Personally I like to browse several recipes to get an idea of the different possibilities when cooking. Therefore I have collected a number of recipes which utilize hydrocolloids ranging from agar to xanthan. In addition to these some recipes with lecithin (not technically a hydrocolloid) have been included. Recipes for foams that do not call for addition of hydrocolloids have also been included for completeness. Some cornstarch recipes have been included to illustrate it's properties at different consentrations. Recipes where flour is the only hydrocolloid do not fall within the scope of this collection as these are sufficiently covered by other cook books.
All recipes have been changed to SI units which are the ones preferred by the scientific community (and hopefully soon by the cooks as well). In doing so there is always uncertainty related to the conversion of volume to weight, especially powders. As far as possible, brand names have been replaced by generic names. Almost all recipes have been edited and some have been shortened significantly. To allow easy comparison of recipes the amount of hydrocolloid used is also shown as mass percentages and the recipes are ranked in an ascending order. In some recipes, obvious mistakes have been corrected. But unfortunately, the recipes have not been tested, so there is no guarantee that they actually work as intended and that the directions are complete, accurate and correct. It appears as if some of the recipes are not optimized with regard to proper dispersion and hydration of the hydrocolloids which again will influence the amount of hydrocolloid used. It is therefore advisable to always consult other similar recipes or the table with the hydrocolloid properties.
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Ingredients avavilable from
:en-placefoods.com
Agar Agar Powder 100gm
Agar Agar powder allows for the formation of heat stable “hot gels” which can withstand temperatures of up to 80 °C or can be used to set cold jellies which can then be processed to form fluid jel. In acidic mediums agar agar loses part of its gelling capacity.
Xanthan Gum 100gm
Xanthan Gum can thicken and stabilise most liquids (soups, sauces, foams, emulsions, creams, etc.). It is stable over a range of pH values (acidity), salt contents, and temperatures, being soluble in hot or cold liquids without loosing viscosity even when gas foamed. Very small amounts of the product are required meaning there is no masking of taste in a recipe preparation.
100% Pure Apple Pectin Powder 100gm
Natural apple pectin powder is usually combined with sugars and acids (sometimes with the addition of fruit pastes) to form gels, It may also be used as a thickener and stabilizer particularly with milk based recipes where it enhances the properties of whey proteins utilizing the calcium source to stabilize foams and emulsions.
Citric Acid 100gm
A natural occurring acid found nearly in all fruits. Used for taste adjustment, to support thickening or gelling and to reduce pH value, which in turn improves microbial stability and colour. Also essential for making sherbet or partially inverted sugar syrup. (See fact sheet recipe)
Lecithin 100gm
Made from soy, lecithin is a natural emulsifier (lecithin is the emulsifier that keeps chocolate and cocoa butter in a chocolate bar from separating). It is very soluble in aqueous solutions and is an ideal stabilizer for foams and airs. The proteins of lecithin make emulsions of otherwise incompatible solutions possible.
Calcium Chloride 100gm
A water-soluble crystalline compound primarily used to make a poaching bath for fruit and sodium alginate bases in the style of “el bulli caviar”. The highly soluble calcium content forms a reaction with sodium alginate to create a second skin around stabilized purees to form diverse shapes – a process referred to as spherification
Sodium Alginate 100gm
The sodium salt of alginic acid, sodium Alginate is an extract of kelp seaweed. It is widely applied to food as a thickener, emulsifier, stabilizer, gelling agent and binder and used in a range of liquid centre flavour carriers. (See spherification and calcium chloride above).
Sodium Citrate 100gm
Sodium Citrate is required for adjusting acidity in some recipes to enable Spherifications
Metilcellulose 100gm
Metilcellulose is a vegetable extract, which gels when heated and thickens when cold. This allows the creation of surprising combinations of temperature and texture such as hot ice cream, which will melt on cooling or hot fried mayonnaise.
Carrageenan Iota 100gm
A cold-water soluble seaweed extract Carrageenan iota will produce a soft gel that can be broken and reformed. It can also be used to create a dip for food items to form a flavoured gel layer or coating.
Kitchen Tools & Accessories
Digital scales
Weighing from 0.1gm up to 350gm
Accurate scales for measuring the fine tolerances required when working with specialist food ingredients.
Nitrous Oxide 8g
N2O gas canisters; for use with cream whippers for production of foams.
Plastic Pipettes
For the efficient and accurate transfer and measuring of small volume liquids.
Aromatiser Spray bottle
Required for the setting of flavoured alginate gel sheets by spraying with calcium solutions
Enter:
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Shrimp Cones
Recipes
The Elle & Vire challenge award-winning recipe created by the students of the Institute Paul Bocuse, class of 2007.
Appetizers
20 pieces
Preparation time :
Cooking time :
Ingredients
Cones
6 sheets of phyllo dough
20 g Elle & Vire Gourmet Butter
Shrimp tartare
100 g shelled shrimp
3 g curry powder
5 g olive oil
Garnish
60 g mango
80 g cucumber
80 g tomato
30 g red onion
Curry Mayonnaise
0.250 l grape seed oil
20 g mustard
4 g sherry vinegar
1.5 egg yolks
Curry powder
Realisation
Cones
Cut the sheets of phyllo dough in half. Using a mould, roll the phyllo dough into cones. Brush with butter. Bake at 180° C.
Shrimp tartare
Dice the shrimp.
Mix with the curry powder and olive oil. Sauté in a pan.
Garnish
Cut all ingredients into a fine dice.
Curry Mayonnaise
Make a mayonnaise and add the curry powder.
Decoration
Mix the diced vegetables and the shrimp. Add the mayonnaise. Season, add lemon juice, olive oil and chopped coriander leaves. Fill the cones with this mixture and sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds
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Caul Fat
Technique from Chef Vuong Loc
Chef Vuong Loc of Portage – Seattle,
Combi ovens can roast and steam, but Vuong Loc’s got something better. Well, not necessarily better…but certainly smaller and more traditional. It’s caul fat, the spider web of fatty membrane that encases the internal organs of pigs, cows, and sheep, and it can be used in a variety of meat-friendly ways.
At Portage in Seattle, Loc uses caul fat to wrap ballantines and crepinettes, and to bind verdant parsley-chicken mousse to lamb chops. But it can also be wrapped around lean meat – like venison or pheasant – to introduce extra fat (and thereby flavor) to the cut. Monkfish benefits too, especially rubbed with Café de Paris butter (a spice compound butter), wrapped in caul fat, and roasted.
Loc calls it "kind-of like the original combi oven,” because: “It allows the meat to roast and steam at once. It can get to a super hot temp because it’s fat, but it also keeps the moisture locked inside. It gives the meat a unique texture."
Caul fat can be sourced from a butcher, and Loc prefers pork to veal or sheep, saying pork is finer. It tends to be available in large batches, but its high percentage of fat (nearly 90%, according to Loc) means that it’s easy to freeze and store. It can be wrapped in plastic and foil or vacuum-sealed, and kept in the freezer for up to a few months. Defrost overnight in the cooler before using, rinse (to get the offal odors off it), and dry well. Once defrosted, it can sit for 3-4 days before being used.
And what about squeamish diners not initiated in the offal cult? “For people who aren’t familiar [with caul fat], we explain that it’s very mild and even say it’s like bacon in that it adds flavor and richness. And once you say ‘like bacon,’ you’re good.”
Step 1: Lay caul fat on a flat surface.
Step 2: Season chicken skin and lay on fat.
Step 3: Lay mousse and then tenderloin in the center, and more mousse.
Step 4: Wrap the skin around mousse. Use caul fat to roll it and make the cylinder shape. Pull caul fat back, trim caul fat to shape, and then wrap ballantine in caul fat, like a package.
Step 5: Sear seam side-down in a hot pan with a little bit of oil, and roast.
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- FOODPAIRING -
"Food combines with each other when they have major flavour components in common.”
A list was made of 250 food products each with their major flavour components. By comparing the flavour of each food product eg strawberry with the rest of the food and their flavours, new combinations like strawberry with peas can be made. The way to use is, is just to select a food product like strawberries. You will get a plot where you have strawberry in the middle surrounded by other food products. Take one of those other food products and try to make a new recipe by combining those two. The more flavours food products have in common the shorter the distance between the food products.
- FOOD IS INTERCHANGEABLE -
A food product has a specific flavour because of a combination of different flavours. Like basil taste like basil because of the combination of linalool, estragol, …. So if I want to reconstruct the basil flavour without using any basil, you have to search for a combination of other food products where one contains linalool (like coriander), one contains estragol (like tarragon),... So I can reconstruct basil by combining coriander, tarragon, cloves, laurel. The way to use it is to take from each branch of the plot one product and make a combination of those food products.
Remark
This is just a tool to inspire you. You still need as a chef the craftsmanship, the experience,…to translate this inspiration into a good recipe. It is not only mixing two components together. The balance between the two is important.
Good luck!
click the enter chart
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Click the like below for Hydrocolloid recipe collection
RECIPE BOOK FOR DOWNLOAD
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Searing is not sealing
Many cookbooks still recommend that a piece meat should be seared at high temperature to seal the juices. This is one of the most widespread kitchen myths and can be traced back historically to the German chemist, Justus von Liebig, who was convinced that high temperatures would coagulate surface proteins in the meat and thus seal of the surface to prevent further loss of juice from the meat. In his book "The Curious Cook", Harold McGee approaches the problem scientifically. He weighs slices of beef before and after cooking and what he finds is that meat that has been seared in fact loses more of the original weight than meat which is cooked at a lower temperature. The reason for this is that as the meat is heated, the proteins coagulate and squeeze water out of the muscle.
Despite this fact, it is still recommended to sear a piece of meat at high temperature. But this has to do with taste. When the temperature rises above 110-120 °C, proteins and amino acids start to react with sugars present. This reaction is known as the Maillard reaction, named after the French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard. The Maillard reaction produces characteristic brown and golden colors plus a large number of taste and aroma molecules. To understand the importance of the Maillard reaction, just think of the huge difference between meat cooked in boiling water and meat cooked in a skillet at a temperature above 120 °C. The Maillard reaction is not limited to the cooking of meat. We also find products of the Maillard reaction in potato chips, bread crust, fried onions - to mention just a few. Even in vintage champagne, one can find products of the Maillard reaction. Despite the fact that the champagne is not heated to above 120 °C, storing it for several years compensates for this. Put simply, at lower temperatures, the Maillard reaction simply takes much longer. For vintage champagne, the Maillard reaction can take several years to develop the characteristic compounds.
Low temperature cooking with DIY "sous vide"
One important aspect of molecular gastronomy is the application of scientific principles to food preparation in a normal kitchen. This can very well be illustrated by discussing the preparation of a steak. The surface of the meat needs to be heated to > 120 °C (250 F) for the Maillard reaction to take place at a reasonable rate. This gives meat much of it's characteristic aroma. The interior of the meat however should not be heated to more than 50-65 °C (120-150 F) for a rare or a medium rare appearance. If the heat is provided by a frying pan with a temperature typically in the range 120-160 °C (250-320 F), the different temperature required for the interior and the surface of the meat can actually be quite difficult to achieve. Bringing the meat to room temperature before cooking by taking it out of the fridge 1-2 hours in advance helps. Also, half way through the cooking it's advisable to let the meat rest on a plate to allow the heat to diffuse into the interior and to let the surface cool down a little.
There is however an easier way to make a perfect steak! In restaurants the method has been around since the 70's and is known under the name sous vide (fr. under vacuum). The meat is packed in plastic bags, vacuumed and put into thermostated water baths. This equipment is not (yet?) found in the average kitchen. So here is a simple DIY procedure. You just use a normal plastic bag, leave the meat in the water bath for 30 min (or longer) and then quickly fry both sides to generate the products of the Maillard reaction. You do need a thermometer though to control the temperature of the water bath, preferably one with a dip in probe.
1. Put the meat (I used arib eye steak for this experiment) in a thick plastic bag. Only put one or two pieces of meat in each plastic bag - this ensures a greater contact surface with the water.
2. Add any spices you like (salt and pepper always works well - for the experiment shown I used curry paste, soy sauce and chili sauce in stead), press out the air and close the plastic bag tightly by tying a knot (or use a zip-lock bag). You don't want any water to enter the bag!
3. Heat a pot of water to the desired temperature (or use hot tap water) and place the plastic bag with meat in the water. Cover with a lid (not shown in the picture) to reduce heat loss. If you use a large pot of water it's easier to keep the temperature constant. Also, it's easier to control the temperature with an induction or gas stove top than with an electric plate since there is no additional heating once you turn them off. Regarding the temperature, start with 60 °C (140 F) and experiment from there (or check this table at Wikipedia for doneness temperatures of meat). You should leave the meat in the water for at least 30 minutes - more for a thicker cut. But the good thing is you can leave it for much longer (several hours) provided the temperature does not come above 60 °C (or whatever temperature you decided on). A convenient way to keep the temperature constant for a long time is to put the pan with water into the oven and use the thermostat of the oven.
4. Heat a frying pan, add a fat of you choice, remove meat from plastic bag and brown both sides of the meat. Since you take the meat directly from the water bath it's already at about 60 °C. Therefore the browning is very fast.
5. A temperature of 60 °C (140 F) gives the meat a pink interior. It's succulent and juicy. The short frying gives it a nice browned crust and the chewing resistance is perfect. All in all a wonderful combination of taste, aroma, texture and mouth feel!
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