A pretty dish does not a tasty one make

If you're ever in the kitchen and find yourself bored and uninspired visit playing with fire and water for a dose far out creativity. The author of said blog is a true visionary and artist. Her dishes are not so much something to eat as something to gaze upon. We've all seen this food before and can envision it landing on the table in front of us from the hands of a Parisian waiter as he glares at you disapprovingly down the barrel of his French nose. Shocked it's been made to be eaten and not hung on a wall, unsure how best to consume the dish in the true fashion it deserves, being modern art and all. I don't cook like this in my kitchen... not because I find this food pretentious and not because I'm a purist who wants my dishes rustic and unrefined to stand alone on their exquisite flavor. The reason is that my pantry is usually not stocked with sodium alginate, calcium chloride, sodium citrate, and soy lecithin among other molecular gastronomy components. When I saw her coconut fig terrine with fig leaf and curry foam and Hyssop flowers, I thought, "hey, that's not so bad... I can do that." Here's her creation...

Nicely composed eh? Interesting combination of ingredients, some conventional techniques, one not so conventional, and Hyssop petals, notwithstanding, surely within my reach. Take a look at the recipe, it's pretty accessible to even an amateur cook (who possesses soy lecithin and a digital kitchen scale). The recipe calls for the curry foam to be made with a tea-like extraction of fig leaves with hot water. I didn't have fig leaves, or Hyssop flowers, so I used basil in the place of fig leaves and unflavored air in the place of the Hyssop petals. Let me preface the remainder of the post by sharing that I was on the three prescription medicines shown below for severe back pain and inflammation during the execution of the recipe so please refer to the actual recipe should you wish to give it a try (btw, two of the three made for a pretty groovy time in the kitchen).

The first mistake I think I made was to use light coconut milk. The end product lacked a bold coconut flavor and this is my best guess for the reason why.

The recipe reads more like a buffer formulation than anything by Betty Crocker. All ingredients amounts are specified in grams.

Blooming the gelatin

Fill halfway, harden, then fill all the way

I had some leftover coconut terrine mixture so I made a little taste test sample. After hardening, I sprinkled the gelatin with some honey and grated lime zest. This reminds me of an experiment I conducted a few years ago. I juiced fresh watermelon, strained it, and gelatinized it in two wide bowls. Once hardened, I sprinkled a variety of flavorings on the gelatin around the perimeter of the bowl. Sea salt at 12:00, pepper at 1:00, paprika at 2:00, cayenne, saffron, roasted sesame seeds, and so on. Shelese and I tasted each sprinkling with the watermelon gel; some great, some the opposite of great. I got this idea from Jose Andres who does this with grape gelatin to deduce successful pairings with wine.

To make the foam you steep the leaves in hot water for about five minutes and then combine it with the curry and soy lecithin. Then use an immersion blender to create the foam.

I didn't have a pyramid mold lying around the kitchen so the finished product was not as interesting to look at. The chef who wrote the recipe gives a tutorial on mold making if your into that sort of thing.

As it turns out, I don't think I really like fig. It has a dusty earthy flavor about it and I can't say it's pleasant. Furthermore, the essence of coconut is lost between the dirty filthy fig and the curry foam. While the dish underwhelmed me, it did inspire me to experiment with foam for the first time. It is a unique and effective way to deliver flavor; the incorporated air seems to enhance the featured flavor as it hits your tongue. When I ordered the soy lecithin I couldn't resist putting a couple other uncommon kitchen chemicals into my basket so more molecular gastronomy experiments soon to follow.