Semi-Successful Experiment

Colorado Bulldog in foam form. I mixed an ounce of vodka and an ounce of Kahlua with half a pack of gelatin. Substituting cream for milk, I add four ounces and two ounces of cola. Put it in an N2O siphon, and let it chill for an hour. It may have been enough just having the cream in the mix, because the final product was too thick to be dispensed properly with the siphon. I'll definitely have to try again, as it was like eating coffee-flavored alcoholic Cool Whip.

Overheard Today

"I need a knife skills class for meat. The only vegetable I need to know how to cut is a french fry."

Bravo For Blais

OK, bad pun, but it was nice to see Richard Blais win not only the Quickfire Challenge, but also win, along with Dale, the Elimination Challenge on this week's Top Chef. His dishes are always interesting and inspiring. Hell, I even went out and finally purchased Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory after the film food episode. It would be awesome to one day have the opportunity to work for him.

We're Gonna Need A Bigger Bowl

I finally found a handheld electric smoker at a local head shop. Fans of Top Chef may have seen Richard Blais use a similar model, as well as Katsuya Fukushima during Iron Chef America Battle Goat. I need to get a bigger bowl for the thing as the one it came with isn't quite large enough. I broke out the aluminum foil and improvised one. It worked better than I expected.
Sous-vide mahi mahi, braised swiss chard, lemon powder. The fish wasn't bad though it probably would have been better prepared another way, but I felt like playing. The chard was just braised with lemon juice. The powder is lemon oil and tapioca maltodextrin. After plating the chard and fish I wrapped the plate with plastic wrap and smoked it with the same Tazo tea that I have previously used to poach orange roughy. I let it stay wrapped for about five minutes. When I removed the film, the nice aroma of the tea wafted out after imparting a subtle flavor to the fish.
For dessert, I melted some chocolate, and using balloons, I made little bowls. I mixed some strawberries and 8-year old balsamic vinegar, tossed them in a siphon, and added some CO2 to carbonate them. Some superquick strawberry ice cream and creme fraiche, et voila, a really good ending to a meal.

Chemical Cocktails

Apple Martini gelled with agar. Not so good.

Colorado bulldog. Vodka and Kahlua thickened with xanthan gum, milk gelled with iota carrageenan, cola caviar.

While I liked the presentation of the shotglass, serving on the spoon is a better idea, being easier to ingest.

Cola Caviar

Preparing for an excursion into molecular mixology, I made some cola caviar following a recipe from the hydrocolloid recipe collection on khymos. They turned out very well, though I did have to strain the cola/alginate mixture to remove some clumps. While I made them to go in a Colorado Bulldog, it was pointed out to me that they would also go well with vanilla ice cream, playing with the idea of a coke float.

Night of the Living Leftovers

Porc au poivre, applewood-smoked potatoes, chipotle-pomegranate molasses. Still tasty.

Apples & Cream

Applewood-smoked potato puree, spinach, porc au poivre. The pork loin chops were prepared in the manner of Alton Brown's steak au poivre, with the chops taking the place of the steaks, and Calvados instead of Cognac.
The potatoes were first peeled and cut into eighths, then boiled in salted water until tender. They were then placed in a stovetop smoker with applewood chips. I smoked them for about 25 minutes, then used a ricer. Next I worked in warm cream and butter while working the potatoes over with a stick blender until proper consistency was achieved.
This was also the first time I flambeed. Usually I substitute apple juice for Calvados, but I thought I'd try something more adventurous. I say that because I have a small apartment kitchen where the possibility of unintentional damage is high since the microwave is mounted a scant 18 inches above the stovetop. I lit the brandy using a match held in a pair of tongs, and was glad that I didn't try to hold the match in my hand, as that would have ended badly. As it was, I think I let the alcohol burn too long and should try to swirl the fire out earlier next time.
After all that, the flavors were good, the pepper and smoke played really well together, though such strong tastes run the risk of blowing the palate out. A peach sorbet would have been a nice way to end.

Flank Steak With Chipotle-Pomegranate Reduction

Flank steak roasted then seared with a blowtorch, sauteed black beans and roasted red peppers, cellophane noodles, chipotle-pomegranate reduction, chiffonade of cilantro.
I was lazy and used roasted red peppers from a jar. Fresh definitely would have been better, as they would have added a needed crunch. And while the chipotle gave a nice heat, the sweetness of the pomegranate was a little more prominent than I would have liked. I probably used too much of the reduction, though that was because the sauce was not as thick as I wanted it to be. I unfortunately didn't have time to let the sauce rest before plating. Ah well, it's a learning experience.