It has been almost 3 weeks and I am still enjoying my series of birthday presents from my hubby! I have been waiting for this one - molecular gastronomy class at
Sur La Table with
Chef Whitney Werner. We definitely had our fun!
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| Chef Whitney Werner, creating edible lemon drop |
Chef Whitney has been a part of Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, Tavern on the Green in New York, Beverly Hills Hotel, and Whitney's (his own restaurant). He specializes in creating foam as a part of molecular gastronomy and is currently the Executive Chef at the Beach Club in Santa Monica.
We started the class making "Green Eggs and Ham". Spherical green eggs, or creamed spinach, were created via the chemical reaction between Calcium Lactade Gluconate and Algin Water.
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| Making Spherical "Green Egg" (creamed spinach) |
The egg white portion is actually truffle foam, created using the Foamer with Nitrogen Dioxide to keep the foam lasting longer. These green eggs were served with ham, or prosciutto crisp, and garlic butter toast. Pretty, isn't it?
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| My Green Eggs and Ham |
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Next on the menu was Salmon and Crab Involtini. Involtini was served with a light fruit salad comprised of lime and orange slices to introduce a tart citrus flavor and topped with some miso foam.
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| Salmon and Crab Involtini with Citrus Salad and Miso Foam |
Although I enjoyed making the green eggs and ham the most, this was by far the most interesting course. We created an edible lemon drop with lemon foam, vodka snow, and croquante. Once again, lemon foam was made using Nitrogen Dioxide to turn vermouth lemon curd into foam. Gelatin sheets were also added for stabilization since the mixture was not very thick to begin with. The vodka snow was so much fun to watch - combining the use of Liquid Nitrogen and a Mixer.
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| Liquid Nitrogen |
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| Let it Snow, Vodka |
We assembled our lemon drop and enjoyed every last bite of it. What a great way to spend an evening!
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| Edible Lemon Drop |
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See my
Molecular Gastronomy post Part I for a list of recommended starter items to get into modern cooking!
