I’ve watched shows, I’ve read books. I know the difference between julienne, chiffonade, and brunoise, how to execute them, and how to pronounce them. I’ve eaten and prepared authentic food from many different ethnic backgrounds. I’m not afraid of my hollandaise breaking, and sometimes I whip cream by hand for fun. I feel like I have a better-than-average understanding of classic food preparation.
The modern stuff (usually referred to as “molecular gastronomy”) is intriguing to me. There’s hydrocolloids and anti-griddles. Syringes and liquid nitrogen. Chefs like Grant Achatz (cf. Alinea book or website) are playing with food preparation and presentation in new ways that excite me. I will never have the space or money to have the equipment they have, but I can still play with some of the ingredients and methods.
I’ve been following a blog titled Workbook by Michael Laiskonis, pastry chef at Le Bernardin. In it, he talks through things that he’s trying out. Some of them are destined for the dessert plates in the award-winning restaurant. While he has a strong hold on classic techniques for making ice creams, meringues, and ganache, he also explores the modern ways of pearls, gelees, and foams.
I’ve decided that I want to try some of these things out, and I’ve ordered some powders and a high-precision scale. After some of these things come in, I plan on posting my own Workbook-like posts with some pictures and notes from my experience playing with food the modern way.
