Culinary Foam
Culinary Foam – An introduction
In the past decade, there has been an up going trend among chefs in the usage of culinary foam made famous by Ferran Adria of elBulli fame. There are two schools of thoughts among chefs regarding food such as culinary foam. On one side, the old guards believe food should be wholesome, natural, with minimal meddling around with. The other school, which proclaim itself as “progressive cuisine”, embraces all things new that would help in the advancement of gastronomy. Stuffs which not look out of place in a scientific laboratory like a centrifuge, rotary evaporator, test tubes and liquid nitrogen are becoming the norm in such experimental kitchens.
We are not here to debate who is right. I believe that as long as such modern techniques contributes something to the dish and makes it even better, it has served its purpose. Putting culinary foam must make sense to the food, and not just for the sake of putting some little foam here and there just because it looks pretty.
Today, we will talk about the science of culinary foam, its usages, and maybe show a recipe or two on it.
Culinary Foam – The science of culinary foam
Why do we use culinary foam?
Culinary foam is like a sauce thickened by air. For me, I use culinary foam when I want to impart a light aromatic flavour to the food when a liquid sauce will be pooling unsightly all around the plate. It also lends a unique contrast to the textures of the food. As an added bonus is, it’s visually exciting.
Making culinary foam is very easy. You just blend or whisk the liquid at high speed, and hey presto… there you get it. But wait… after a few seconds it simply disappears…
Making culinary foam is easy, maintaining or stabilizing it is the harder part which takes some scientific knowledge. To make culinary foam, you need to introduce bubbles into the liquid by means of agitating it, there are many methods of doing it such as – blending it at high speed in a blender, whisking it hard enough, pumping it with gas in a whipping canister, or even using a fish tank pump to create bubbles.
The bubbles created will be very short-lived and highly unstable if there is no stabilizer to hold them in place. The bubbles generated will quickly coalesce and burst. Pure water does not provide bubble stability, and you should be very much concern if your drinking water is able to hold bubbles!
As chefs, we need to hold culinary foam until the food gets to the dining room and reaches the guests. We do this by introducing a surfactant into the liquid so as to coat the surface of air bubbles and water, and create a thin barrier between surrounding bubbles to prevent them coalescing. There are many edible stabilizers or surfactant which can temporarily stabilize culinary foams in the kitchen. Common stabilizers are proteins from eggs, lecithin, gelatine, and emulsified fat.
Culinary Foam – Video on making culinary foam
In this video, I demonstrated by using water as the base liquid as it is neutral. As can be seen in the video, I tried blending just the water itself but the bubbles won’t hold. I then add de-oiled lecithin powder, which is a surfactant into the water and blend again. This time, the culinary foam came out beautifully. I then aromatised it by grating some lime zest over it
You can use other liquid like juices, tea, and herb-infused liquid instead of water. The possibilities are endless. But do take note that the base liquid needs to be very intense as the air incorporated will dilute its flavour. Lecithin works well only in a non-fat environment. So if your base liquid contains any fat, other surfactants such as protein, gelatine, hydrocolloids, sucro, or emulsified fat should be used instead.
The photo above is the culinary foam in the video after ten minutes. As can be seen, it still holds its shape beautifully.
Culinary Foam – Recipes to try:
Lime Air
225 grams lime juice
275 grams water
1.5 gram lecithin (0.3%)
Combine the three ingredients and use a hand-held mixer on the surface of the liquid; allow to stabilise for one minute and collect the air that has form on top.
Recipe by Texturas elBulli
Tea Air
500 grams milk
100 grams muscovado sugar
10 grams Earl Gray tea
5 grams lecithin (0.83%)
Bring milk and sugar to the boil, infuse tea for four minutes. Strain, add lecithin, and froth with a hand-held blender. Allow to stabilise for one minute and collect the air that has form on top.
Recipe by The Chef Story.
Now that you know how culinary foam is made, try playing around with it to add some excitement to your food.
Dinner at Les Amis
Dinner at Les Amis
In the past, Western food meant chicken chop or sirloin steak with fries and canned beans at your neighbourhood hawker centre. For those that indulged occasionally, it could meant Jack’s Place or Swensen’s. Fine-dining restaurants were virtually unheard of.
However, during the past two decades, the local dining scene had changed dramatically. Now, there is absolutely no need to go away to faraway F rance or torture your ass during a long haul flight for a Michelin-starred dining experience. There are quite a number of world-class restaurants right here at our doorsteps in sunny Singapore. One of the more well known which is Les Amis. Come journey with me, as I take you through one of the Grand dame of Singapore’s fine-dining.
Dinner at Les Amis – The Chef
Les Amis restaurant had a history of very fine chefs working in her kitchen, all of them with stars-studded resume. From her very first chef, Justin Quek, to the current chef, Armin Leitgeb; all of them stamped their own unique individual style and experiences in the cuisine served. Chef Armin had worked in a few three-stars restaurants, including what was once considered the mecca of fine-dining gastronomy; The French Laundry.
Dinner at Les Amis – The Food
We began our culinary adventure with this cute little amuse bouche. In the bottom of the glass is a clear tomato jelly, on top of it is some marinated crab, followed by a light basil espuma. Flavours rounded up beautifully. A very delightful start to the dinner at Les Amis.
Next to come was described as ‘Marinated Norwegian Scallops, caviar, agrumes and herbs.’ Scallops were thinly sliced and marinated with a citrus dressing. Presentation was lovely with that beautiful shell on rock salt, and flavours goes very well together.
This lobster dish with pumpkin puree and its seeds was a complimentary from the chef. The lobster chunks were just cooked enough to retain all that juiciness. Combination was okay though it seemed weird at first.
‘Pan seared John Dory, bean cassoulet, thyme oil’ was a total let down for me. I mean it’s an okay dish. But there’s nothing special going on. Fish was ordinary, beans were ordinary. Everything was so ordinary even my mama could cook it. I’m okay with ordinary food if the prices I’m paying is ordinary; but paying such ‘special prices’ at Les Amis, I was also expecting the food to be special.
A very classic dish, the ‘Double boiled beef broth, bone marrow, sliced pancakes and root vegetables.’ The beef broth was very tasty and the bone marrow was silky tender. Very nice, but still nothing unique about it.
One of Chef Armin’s signature, this ‘Lightly smooked eel “tiede”, crispy pork crouton, horseradish and Dijon mustard emulsion” was simply delicious. The smoked eel from France was meltingly tender and bursting with flavours. The crispy pork crouton was a revelation; that thin slice of bread was infused with pork flavours and made to resemble pork crackling. Just one word – amazing. A dish worthy to be one of his signature’s.
For our main course, we had the ‘Iberico pork tenderloin & belly, mushrooms, broccolini and potato mousseline.’ This dish have all my favourites in it; pork, mushrooms, brocollini. It’s hard not to like the dish. The tenderloin was just as its name described; very tender. The pork belly was roasted and nice, but I still prefer Chinese-style roasted pork. Overall, this dish was still quite good.
We choose the “Carrot cake, fennel pollen ice cream and orange” for our first dessert. The fennel pollen ice cream was nice, lending a very subtle but sweet anise-like flavour which compliments the carrots very nicely. On the whole, the dessert was so-so. The cake crumbs was just like the usual carrot cake which you can find in Starbucks, only it was presented in a deconstructed way. Nothing spectacular about it.
For the second dessert, we had the Tiramisu 2012. It was presented uniquely in a round orb with a sprinkle of cocoa. It had all the usual suspects of mascarpone, coffee, cocoa powder and tasted just like a tiramisu would. Again, nothing outstanding in the dessert.
As you can see from the pictures, the petits fours were nothing to rave about. It’s very ordinary.
Dinner at Les Amis – My reviews
When we were there, there was only one other couple in Les Amis. The atmosphere there was quiet and relaxing. Service was attentive without being too cloying.
I would not say that the food is lousy, but I came with very high expectations. I had expected more excitement for my taste buds for the price I’m paying. Nothing particularly stood out for me, and in my own personal view, the food could be more exciting.
I would say that the service was great, ambience was okay. Food was generally good, but at not such a good deal for value. I felt that I was paying three stars price for one star food at Les Amis.
How to Select the Right Baking Pan for Cakes & Cookies
How to Select the Right Baking Pan for Cakes & Cookies
Are you fond of cakes and cookies? Whether it’s a birthday party, holiday season or a special occasion, the joy is boundless when you bake cakes and cookies at home for your loved ones. There is baking pan that is used in the home kitchen, and there are baking pans which are used for commercial purpose as in restaurants or hotels to bake large quantities of mouth-watering and colorful cakes and cookies. Here we will address how to choose the right baking pan for baking delicious cakes and cookies. Although there are plenty of options available in baking, grabbing the right baking pan is no more a daunting task if you follow the simple tips that are mentioned below:
How to Select the Right Baking Pan for Cakes & Cookies – Materials Used:
Many choices in materials available these days for baking, which includes stainless steel, copper, cast iron, anodized aluminum, and non-stick or teflon coatings. The traditional shiny aluminum or dark non-stick coated metal pans are widely used for baking pans. Each material has its own features and benefits. Based on the features of each material available, you need to select the right choice of material for cake baking. A shiny, light colored baking pan will distribute the heat during baking by reflecting the same heat away from the cake, thereby resulting in a moist interior with crisper crust. Dark colored pans absorb heat more than the shiny, light colored pans and bake cakes with darker crusts. Most of the cake recipes utilize light colored pans for cake baking.
How to Select the Right Baking Pan for Cakes & Cookies - Shapes:
Commercial baking pan shapes ranges from traditional to contemporary. Basic metal shapes which create elegant desserts include hearts, tube pans, or round pans with a fluted edge as well as shaped cake pans such as flowers, diamonds or seasonal items like Christmas Trees, Lamb Cakes and more. Additionally, you can find creative cartoon character metal shapes that include Disney characters like Mickey, Goofy, Tinker Bell, etc. Sheet pans, baking trays or baking sheets are generally flat and rectangular, which can be used in an oven for baking cakes, cookies, pizza, etc. Traditional round cake pans, Bundt or spring form pans are also available.
How to Select the Right Baking Pan for Cakes & Cookies - Sizes:
Cake pans come in many sizes. Be sure you buy a cake pan which is at least 1 ½ inches deep, 8 to 9 inches round, 1 ½ to 3 inches in height. Depending on your baking needs when using a rectangular baking pan, choose the right sized pan as there are many sizes and depths available in baking pan, but the most common size is the 13 x 9 x 2-inch. The next most popular size is the 11 x 7 x 2-inch. Other common sizes include: the 8 x 8 inch square pan or rectangular pans that are 15 x 10 x 1-inch (jelly-roll), and 18 x 13-inches by 1 or 2 inches in depth (1/2 sheet pan). The most common size available in springform pan is 10-inch. Cookie sheets are in two sizes with four sides or with only a lip on one side. A single layer sheet cake is most often baked in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch rectangular sheet pan.
Spend time deciding on what you will be baking, so that you will make a wise choice when you purchase a baking pan to bake and create delectable cakes and cookies!
Naughty Nuri’s Warung
Naughty Nuri’s Warung
For the past two weeks, The Chef Story was under a malicious virus attack. This technical issue was finally resolved by our efficient support team from E-Alchemists, and we are now back with a vengeance; with a slightly new, improved look and format.
Now let’s to get right back to the topic of “food-ing.”
Let’s rewind a bit back here. The scene is set in Bali three weeks ago. So far, I still have not had a satisfying meal in the ‘Island of Gods.’ I ate where the locals ate, and I also ate where the tourist ate. Most of the eats were nothing to crow about. And nah, I rather not talk about that expensive beautiful sunset Jimbaran dinner by the beach (by the way, I went there twice on different days to different restaurants) which had me hugging the toilet bowl as my best friend for the next four days. That was a real nightmare for my digestive tracts.
Naughty Nuri’s Warung – The Place
I arrived at Naughty Nuri’s Warung for lunch on my last day in Bali. It was from a friend’s recommendation saying that this place is good. The deco was indeed nice with a touch of naughtiness. From what I could tell by the place, the food certaintly looks promising.
Naughty pictures of piggy were decorating the wall, and they made such a brand out of it that they also retail their own ‘naughty but nice’ T-shirts for sale.
Naughty Nuri’s was jam-packed with hungry crowds awaiting their wicked ribs.
Naughty Nuri’s Warung – The Food
The menu at Naughty Nuri’s is not that large. They serve some nachos, quesadillas, the usual salads, soup, and some sandwiches. But what Naughty Nuri’s is really known for is their so called ‘infamous BBQ’ meat items from the charcoal grill; especially their wicked pork ribs.
I ordered what I think the two if us could finish and well, the food was so far the best I had in Bali. Fresh, simply done, and tasty. Isn’t that what food should be? The sausages and grilled chicken were okay; what I meant by okay is above average if you compared it to those over-priced junks I had in the past few days.
What really stood out were the pork ribs; juicy, tender, and flavourful. Can I have another slab of it please? I don’t mind waking up at five to put on my running shoes for that…
If you’re going to Bali for a holiday, you won’t want to miss Naughty Nuri’s Warung for a taste of those oh-so wicked pork ribs.
Kopi Luwak
Kopi Luwak – The world’s most expensive coffee
I had heard of the “cat shit” coffee in the past, but never really had a chance to try it as the price tag on this rare cuppa make it somewhat prohibitive for me. Well, I’m first to admit that I’m not a gourmet coffee connoisseur, and so paying $30 – $50 for a cup of Kopi Luwak in café seems kind of excessive to me.
One thing I know, it’s one of the most expensive coffee in the world. My resistance to the high price tag of Kopi Luwak was thrown out of the window when I toured a coffee plantation in Bali last week.
“What the hell; I’m in the Kopi Luwak producing region, and if I’m not buying it now, then when?”
Kopi Luwak – The Wild Civet Cat’s Shit
Kopi Luwak is indeed the rarest and most exotic coffee in the world. “Kopi” is the Indonesian word for coffee, and “Luwak” is local name of this wild civet cat which eats the raw red coffee ‘cherries’ as part of its usual diet.
What makes this coffee so exotic and bizarre is that the coffee beans are harvested only after passing through the digestive tracts of this wild civet cat or “Luwak”. That’s right; in other words, we humans collect and made this pricey coffee out of the coffee beans from the cat’s shit.
No shit, no expensive coffee. After shit, world’s most expensive coffee – that’s the irony of us humans.
What’s so special about the civet cat’s shit? Apparently, the coffee bean undergoes chemical treatment and fermentation in the civet cat’s stomach.
The internal digestion adds a unique flavour to the beans, removing the bitter flavour, and is passed out still intact. The coffee beans are then collected from the forest floor, cleaned, roasted, and then ground just like any other coffee.
The resulting Kopi Luwak has distinctive textures from any other coffees in the world. It has a rich flavour with with hints of caramel or chocolate, smooth body, with a mild and long lasting after-taste sensation.
Kopi Luwak – Why so expensive?
The most expensive Kopi Luwak coffee beans can cost up to $100 bucks per 100 grams, and up to $50 per cup. As can be seen on the picture, the price of Kopi Luwak is more than ten times that of ordinary coffee.
The sky-high prices of the Kopi Luwak could be attributed to limited production and intensive labour. It is estimated that the annual production of Kopi Luwak is limited to 300 kg – 500 kg per year.
Beware of fake Kopi Luwak though, there’re countless of imitation Kopi Luwak by unscrupulous people out there trying to make a fast buck. You’ll know it when you’d tasted the real deal.
Excuse me now, while I’m going to brew myself a cup of exotic Kopi Luwak.