OK, Dave Arnold at Cooking Issues is officially on a roll.  I loved the piece about all the crazy meats, but his infusion technique has my mind bubbling .  Now, you may be aware that you can carbonate fruit using an ISI foamer with CO2, as the estimable Martin Lersch pointed out a few years ago.  But what Dave Arnold is doing is infusing liquor and water-based liquids with aromats by pressurizing them with NO2 in an ISI foamer.  Did I mention it only takes one minute?

Busy week here at Rancho Deluxe World Headquarters, but I have a feeling I’m making some crazy flavored vodka.  Perhaps I’ll have to see how well it infuses olive oil, too.

Take the time to read the comments, too. Alexander Talbot and a few other people chip in some great ideas.

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I’m quite sure the German donor-driven cannibalistic restaurant is ,thankfully, only a hoax .  Sigh.  Another high concept restaurant that I could have mocked sadly tossed into the dustbin of possible history.

Though good for me, it actually reminds me of one of three jokes I can tell without screwing them up:

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other, ”Does this taste funny to you?”

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What’s for Supper? Beaver, Yak, a Whole Raccoon, Bear, and a Lion

August 31, 2010

If you want to read some good stuff on some really unusual meat, hit this entry at Cooking Issues where David Arnold has the gastronomic cajones to order beaver,  yak, a whole raccoon, some bear, and a lion steak and cook ‘em all.  Some fascinating reading for the most nerdy of cooks.  And the best [...]

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New Clarification Technique: Agar w/o Vacuum

August 28, 2010

So, most cooks these days know the cold consommé technique as described by Harold McGee.  If you aren’t familiar, the technique involves creating a flavorful liquid, straining it, adding some gelatin (no where near enough to make gelatin), freezing it (which will break the gelatin), and finally allowing it to drip while wrapped in cheesecloth [...]

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Nathan Myhrvold’s “Modernist Cuisine” – Free Excerpt

August 13, 2010

Amuse bouche, anyone?

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Spiced Summer Lemonade

August 8, 2010
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It’s hot and I’ve been thinking about lemonade. And not just any lemonade.  I chef’d a party in June at the Taft Museum and I got to serve this insanely beautiful spiced lemonade.  It was made by someone I used to work with, Danni Browning, the sous chef at eat well, and while she didn’t [...]

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Moved the Blog: A Few Minor Casualties

August 8, 2010

OK, a few folks have emailed me and said (paraphrased) “WTF? You changed things!”. And indeed I did.  And unfortunately lost a few things along the way.  For example, I lost almost all of my comments.  Ah, so be it.  If you want to login along with fond memories or whatever, please do so.

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Nathan Myhrvold’s “Modernist Cuisine” Cookbook Website is Up

August 7, 2010
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If you know who Nathan Myhrvold is, you may remember him as the former Chief Technical Officer of Microsoft.  Not as many may know of Myhrvold’s passion for the kitchen and more specifically, modern cooking technique.  But all that may change soon with the publication of Myhrvold’s “Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking“, [...]

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TV Host Meets Benriner; Hilarity Ensues

August 6, 2010

The only time I’ve ever cut myself in the kitchen was not with one of my surgically sharp knives; rather, it was with a mandoline.  That being said, what could possibly go wrong when Katie Lee gives one to Harry Smith to use on live television? Hat tip to Eater.com.  And I must put an [...]

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HFCS: Demon or Demonized?

August 5, 2010

I’ll be honest and admit right up front that I avoid high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in a fairly active manner, primarily as a result of having had a sugar-sweetened Mexican Coca Cola and realizing that it tasted better than its north of the border HFCS-sweetened cousin. Certainly, I’m interested in the health implications of consuming [...]

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