ColoradoBiz

Here is the 2nd segment of 3. Here we demonstrate our floating plate using superconductivity.
http://www.cobizmag.com/videos/view/nitrogen-chef-demonstrates-superconductivity/

Tasting menu 84

My wife and I did a demo at Mckinley-Thatcher elementary school yesterday. There is no doubt that I would rather cook for kids then adults. I have so much fun showing them how everyday products they buy at the store can be made at home using a little imagination. We are getting ready for Mother's day brunch next weekend. We should do around 800 for brunch and another 150 that night for early dinner. We have hired a new Executive chef for our hotel, I cannot wait for him to start. I need to learn a lot more before I become a hotel chef and he is the guy that will bring me to the next level.

Compressed Mexican papaya
Jerk shrimp, avocado pudding, parsnip

Spring ramps
Foie, tempura berries, coco nibs

Acidic yogurt space foam

Smoke bubbles
New York, jalapeno jelly, tamale pie

Pecan waffle with maple ice cream
Made table side with LN

Denver Restaurant Examiner

Jake came in last week for a tasting menu. He is a good friend that has given our restaurant a lot of support. http://www.examiner.com/x-2954-Denver-Restaurant-Examiner~y2009m4d24-molecular-gastronomy-denver-westminster-os-ian-klienman

My First Mixology Gig

I had a local entertainment company call me a few months ago about doing a mixolgy demo for a party. I have never bartended, in fact I hate alcohol. I will have a occasional beer but I like to stay away from the ruff stuff. We had a liquid nitrogen tank delivered to the Curtis and we hand carried all of our other props, pumps and ingredients in. We had 3 drinks last night.

First was a carbonated blueberry vodka martini. My sister Rachael took this station and it was a good thing. She added the finishing elements to the drink.

My wife dished out the whiskey caviar and cream. This was the most popular drink of the evening. We counted 10 shots for one guy.

The final drink was coconut ice cream with rum, compressed pineapple and pineapple bubbles. We had a absolute blast doing the event. It was nice being in the front for a night, less sweat and swearing.

Tasting menu 83

This is Jacob Williams. He is working with us for his day on the job project through Stanley Lake High School. What do I tell these young culinarians about my business. Don't do it unless you really love it. The hours are horrible, the stress levels are sometimes unbearable and if your looking to get rich, look somewhere else. I have a school demo coming up this week. The kids at Mckinley-Thatcher have challenged me with homemade root beer, should be fun to learn how to make it.

Sage derby cheese
Roasted cauliflower, pear jel, shaved bread

Hamachi carpaccio
Togarashi aioli, fennel, “fried rice”

Mustard braised pork belly
Israeli cous cous carbonara, black truffle sheet, spinach

Pineapple crème brulee tart
Coconut ice cream made table side with LN

Herve This Building A Meal

Ever since my wife and I went to San Francisco to see Herve speak, I have been fascinated with his passion and his ability to come up with new concepts. The other day I was contacted by Philip Leventhal from Columbia University Press. He wanted to see if I was interested in obtaining a copy of Herve's new book along with a invitation to interview him. Of course I would I said, I have a few crazy theories I want to run pass him. My book arrived yesterday in a horrible spring storm. While I was waiting for it I exchanged some interesting emails with Herve. Here is Herve's take on the term molecular gastronomy and molecular cooking.

"Indeed, the confusion between the two terms will be soon over, as chefs don't want any longer the term molecular cooking (they are probably afraid of some reactionary media that attack them for using "additives"). On the contrary, I shall never drop the term "molecular gastronomy" for science, because it's entirely legitimate.
And when all chefs will have new tools, ingredients, methods in their kitchen, the job of molecular cooking will be over, and, as I long to have for decades, we can move to something newest... such as "note by note cooking".

Note by Note cooking is a new concept that Herve is exploring. From what I can gather before I completely read the book is it is a way of adding notes or ingredients to obtain new and precise flavors. You can check out this site under the question and answer page for his comments.http://www.agroparistech.fr/mmip/tice/agrovideo/this/ Our menu still says molecular tasting menu but I cannot wait for the day where we all are looking for the best technique, not the best label. I will have a full review after I get through my copy. Thanks Herve

The Coldest Beer in the World

We will be starting a mixology program here at the hotel in the next couple of weeks. This is a Corona super cooled with LN with lime juice powder sprinkled on the frozen foam. There is nothing better then a super-cooled beer

Colorado BizMagazine

Mike the editor came up and did a little video and article about how we like to use nitrogen in our kichen. This is the first part of the video with more segments to come. http://www.cobizmag.com/articles/nitrogen-chef-puts-cuisine-in-the-deep-freeze/

Westword and eGullet

Jason called and interviewed Steven from eGullet about his meal he had with us a couple of weeks ago. Jason makes a very interesting point at the end of the article. Sometimes geography can be your biggest enemy. There are restaurants all over the world that get looked over because of where they are at. Would this be a better restaurant if It was in New York, maybe, maybe not. I am proud to live in Colorado and I want people to know that there are great meals anywhere you go. http://www.westword.com/2009-04-16/restaurants/ian-kleinman-and-o-s-get-a-rave-from-egullet/
http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/2009/04/just_a_little_bit_more_love_so.php

Tasting menu 82

I have a mixology gig coming up that I am getting ready for. I am not a bartender by any stretch but I am going to lean on my experiences with flavor to execute the menu. We are doing coconut sorbet with spiced rum and pineapple bubbles, whiskey caviar and cream, carbonated blueberry vodka with compressed apples. The event is at the Curtis downtown and it should be a good time. We have some media friends coming up in the next couple weeks to play in the kitchen with us.

Oregano grilled clams
Potato confit, pancetta foam, nitro mirapoix

Carbonated cantaloupe consommé
Scallop ceviche, roasted apples

Black truffle popcorn

Sous-vide pork and goji berries
45 second parsnip cake, date power, garlic honey

Caramel banana bread pudding
Barley malt ice cream made with LN

CO2 Machine 2.0

We can now carbonate 2 different beverages at the same time

Are You A Supertaster

I first heard about this when I did the miracle fruit demo at the New York Academy of Science. The premise is simple, some people have more taste buds then other people. It is believed that 20% of the population are super tasters, 60% are regular tasters and another 20% are non tasters. I have really never thought about the fact that a customer might not have the biological make up to enjoy a meal. Super tasters are believed to be attracted to the food industry either working in it or being a foodie. It would be interesting experiment to take a picture of all of the great chefs tongues to see if the theory is correct. My other thought would be to have a scanner at the host stand when the guest walks in. A kind of molecular finger print to determine someones taste profile.

Tatsing Menu 81

If you have children or will in the near future you will get my take on fruit salad. A friend brought a Wiggles tape in for me and my wife after we had our first girl Taylor. She would play this video over and over. Anyway one of the songs is called Fruit Salad Yummy Yummy. Unfortunately the song has been burned into my psyche and now I cannot say the word without singing the song. We have this little Mexican taco fast food place by our house that serves a horchata drink on ice. I am having a few of the cooks help me with making the recipe but apparently you soak rice for a day, not cooking it at all. You take the remaining liquid and add sugar and vanilla. Some variations also have nuts in it. We will make the ice cream and then roll it in croquant, a puffed sweet rice.

Fruit salad “yummy yummy”
Lavender legos, yogurt crisps, mint

Southern grit French fries
Buttermilk aioli, greens, fried chicken

Pina Colada space foam

Smoked corn powder encrusted halibut
Lobster gnocchi, papaya pipette, coconut blanket

Horchata ice cream
Croquant, agave
Made tableside with LN

eGullet

Steven A. Shaw Founder and Director of eGullet was in town for the IACP awards. He was gracious enough to make the drive from Denver to try us out.
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=123222

8th Continent Demo

I did a extended demo in banquets last night that was attended by some very interesting people. As I started my demo I could tell that everyone in the room was familiar with using liquid nitrogen. I found myself surrounded by astrophysicists and engineers from different firms around the area. I started talking to Rainer Kunz, founder and president of ColdQuanta in Boulder. Come to find out that his company makes Bose-Einstein condensates. This is a type of matter that happens before absolute zero where it is not a gas, solid or liquid. It is a new matter that behaves in ways that we can't quite comprehend. I have had a theory about being able to combine flavor atoms using a condensate. As of today they are only able to produce the condensate using non edible atoms. Maybe some day in the near future we can use this theory in the culinary world to make new flavors on a cellular level. He has invited me down to the lab to talk about some of the theories that I have. http://8cproject.com/

Cookstreet

We had a great class at Cookstreet the other night. We demoed everything from a A-1 sphere to the coconut air freshener. I have learned that it is very hard to pull off a class when I am not here at the hotel. The amount of equipment and prep I need to take is insane. Thanks to my wife for coming and assisting me again.

Channel 2

http://www.2thedeuce.com/news/daybreak/

The Secret Session to Change "Molecular Gastronomy"

I just received an email from a chef friend in Spain. He told me of a secret session in Costa Brava with some of the most influential people in the molecular movement. The premise of the meeting is to find another term besides molecular gastronomy to describe the movement of this radical cuisine. The argument is that we need to change the term or it will destroy movement. The consensus seems to be leaning towards the word ORGASMIC, an acronym for ORganoleptics, Gastronomy, Art, & Science Meet Cuisine. A final vote is scheduled for tomorrow morning with a press conference to follow. They will announce the final name by creating giant edible alphabet letters that will be suspended by hot air balloons. As they move across the country side in Spain, they will drop to form the new term for "Molecular Gastronomy" After the letters have been used, they will go to feed some lucky school children in Spain.