Michael Ferriell Zbyszyński » gastronomy

Carrot Caviar

admin — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 17:46:24 +0000

Here’s a video from Wired Magazine’s Blog of me making carrot caviar.

There is a movement in the cooking world called “Molecular Gastronomy.” The term was coined by Herve This, and become associated with chefs like Ferran Adria at El Bulli, Wylie Dufresne at wd~50, Grant Achatz at Alinea, and Homaru Cantu at Moto. Here is an interesting article in the New York Times.

Essentially, it involves applying scientific techniques and methodologies to the cooking process. One of the interesting results is found in the use of common substances to control the texture of foods, often in surprising ways.

You don’t need a chemistry lab to pull off such effects. Jump on board the Molecular Gastronomy train by making up some carrot caviar in your own kitchen.

Charcutepalooza

admin — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:54:00 +0000

So far, I’ve made some duck prosciutto. Hoping to move on to a terrine next.

Click here for more info about Charcutepalooza.

Sous vide

admin — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:14:28 +0000

I made this steak at home using a Sous Vide setup I made using a hot plate and a relay circuit controlled by a Make Controller Kit and custom software in Max/MSP. It sat in a 135°F (57°C) bath for three hours to get to the perfect, à pont temperature, and then I seared the heck out of it to get a nice exterior. Next time, I’ll do the second step with a blowtorch.

Nocino

admin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 21:07:04 +0000

Nocino is a sticky dark brown liqueur from the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is made from unripe green walnuts steeped in spirit. It has an aromatic but bittersweet flavor. It may be homemade, and is also available commercially in bottled form. Commercially available Nocino is typically 40% alcohol by volume, or 80 proof.

Milkbottle Megaphone

admin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:09:06 +0000

Intergalactose Scream: Make a milk-bottle megaphone in Buckley, Patrick and Lily Binns, eds. The Hungry Scientist Handbook (HarperCollins Publishers: New York, 2008) pp. 74-82.

Mojito Moléculaire

admin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:57:17 +0000

Molecular Gastronomy: Spherify your food for a new culinary experience (Make Magazine, Vol. 14 pp. 149-152, 2008)

The motivation of the Mojito Moléculaire is to deconstruct the traditional ingredients (lime, sugar, mint, and rum) into individual caviars. Each caviar would have a distinct color and flavor, and the drink would come together on the tongue.

Terracotta Smoker

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:54:44 +0000

I made this smoker from flower pots and a hot plate. There are some great online instructions on instructables:

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Smoker/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheap-redneck-ceramic-smoker/

It works really well for pulled pork, and I’ve also done a duck breast smoked ham-style.

PID Controller

admin — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:09:25 +0000

Here’s the PID Contoller I used for my Sous Vide rig. There are some idiosyncrasies that relate to my particular setup, but the math part is adaptable.

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