Freebie Friday: Win two tickets to a Molecular Gastronomy Dinner Class at Chef's Armoury
For many of us, food is no longer just a source of fuel - eating out is more often about adventure, entertaining and discovering something new.
The growth and influence of molecular gastronomy continues to expand - from the wild and whimsical experiments by Heston Blumenthal on Heston's Feasts , to the spherification of peas by Aaron Thomas on MasterChef season one, to the high-end deconstructivism of dishes by Ferran Adria at El Bulli.
Today's Freebie Friday is your chance to learn more about the molecular cooking methods used in Tokyo's top restaurants with a molecular gastronomy dinner class, Tokyo Food Trends, by Chef's Armoury.
Molecular Gastronomy powders and tools at Chef's Armoury
THE PRIZE:
One reader will win two tickets to Tokyo Food Trends - Molecular Cooking & More, a dinner class that will reveal the magic behind esters, foams, clouds, deconstruction, reconstruction, spheres and soil.
This is an intimate class of only eight people, and is part of the Talk & Taste series for the Crave Sydney International Food Festival [tickets available here].
Venue: Chef's Armoury
Address: 747 Botany Road, Rosebery
Date: Thursday, October 21, 2010
Time: 6.30pm - 9.00pm
Prize value: $270
Please note that food allergies cannot be catered for on the night.
HOW TO ENTER:
All you have to do is fulfil the requirements below:
- Leave a comment on this post and tell us: What's the most impressive food technique you've seen (in person, or on TV)?
- And then send an email to grabyourforkfreebiefriday@yahoo.com.au with the subject heading "Tokyo" and include your full name and a copy of your published comment from this post.
- OR ENTER VIA THE GRAB YOUR FORK FACEBOOK FAN PAGE - Simply leave your answer on the event listing here.
The Tokyo Food Trends competition closes on Sunday 10 October 2010 at 9.30pm AEST. The winner will be announced on Grab Your Fork on Monday 11 October 2010.
EDIT: Congratulations to the winner announced here.
More Grab Your Fork competitions to enter:
> Win two new Smirnoff Vodka mixers
> Win two new Smirnoff Vodka mixers
(entries close Sunday 26 September 2010) <- LAST DAYS
(entries close Monday 27 September 2010) <- LAST DAYS
> Win a $100 dining voucher at Signorelli Gastronomia
posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 9/24/2010 02:14:00 am
32 Comments:
At 9/24/2010 8:27 am,
Shanks said…
The most awesome technique I've seen is dehydrating garlic to create a fine powder and using a fairy floss machine to create garlic fairy floss on a rosemary stick.
At 9/24/2010 10:02 am,
Julia said…
I loved the edible Hansel and Gretel house that Heston made for the Fairytale Feast...eating a house is like a dream come true!
At 9/24/2010 10:25 am,
Unknown said…
And what about Heston's luminescent absinthe jelly...can you think of a better use for a vibrator?
At 9/24/2010 10:39 am,
Phuoc'n Delicious said…
I think the most impressive food technique had got to be when Heston made the chocolate water in the Chocolate Factory Feast. They say water is good for you.. So give me some of this water please!!
(The thing is, we have the contraption at one of the uni labs as well. Maybe I'll have to start bribing some people with desserts...)
At 9/24/2010 12:16 pm,
mel said…
I was duly impressed by the dry freezing of the vienneta on Heston's Feast last night. Removing water from ice cream to make into a powder puff yum!
If anyone can make garbage look at taste great that would be impressive... not sure if it's been done!
At 9/24/2010 1:46 pm,
snaplings said…
The most interesting techniques I saw were when Ferran Adria came to Sydney and explained how he makes his edible art. I just love the original and the best - his nitrogen "fried" molten chocolate spheres, one of the few molecular gastronomy tricks that would actually taste yummy.
At 9/24/2010 5:32 pm,
Pat said…
I saw Jose Andres on the telly at his tapas bar, Minibar. He was blowing into hot sugar like a glass-blower. The result was a translucent bubble made of harden sugar which he served as part of an array of other inventive tapas morsels. It looked as delicious as it was fun to eat!
At 9/25/2010 3:32 am,
Sascha L (via Facebook) said…
Heston Blumenthal making a lobster cappuchino through a coffee percolator and frothing the 'lobster milk' topping on a coffee machine. I was absolutely amazed at his creativity and ingenuity. It seemed bizarre yet delicious AND looked possible to recreate at home for those who are brave enough to try!
At 9/25/2010 3:33 am,
Maria M (via Facebook) said…
Blowing air on the bum of the chicken to make its skin crispy when fried! Look's like 'chicken CPR'!
At 9/25/2010 3:33 am,
Liliana S (via Facebook) said…
Heston Blumenthal 80's theme dinner is rocks! Love how he made these moons, balls of dried dessert and serve them floating on table. Also long live to the toasted sandwich with gooey cheese!
At 9/25/2010 8:26 pm,
Steph Bond-Hutkin said…
There are lots of clever people doing tricky things with food, but probably the most impressive for me is exquisitely sliced sashimi - amazing technique that is incredibly hard for a home cook like me to replicate.
At 9/26/2010 9:15 am,
Unknown said…
Heston Heston Heston - need I say more? I am most amused with what he does with his food! Saw an episode where he had chocolate & ginger ganache knives, forks and spoons, "pewterised" with silver dust, fondant icing napkins (wouldn't mind wiping my mouth with that!) and light-able white chocolate candles oozing with caramel sauce. Can I have all of these at home please?
At 9/26/2010 8:57 pm,
Anita said…
When Heston made his dessert fly!!!! He is one very creative, quirky guy.
At 9/27/2010 8:28 pm,
Margie said…
This takes to a whole new depth the technique of barbecuing/pressure cooking - the volcano barbecue. When chef Firdgeir Eriksson cooked a gourmet meal on the lava of an erupting Icelandic volcano, harnessing nature's power. Definitely a unique once-off experience and taste sensation. Sadly, not very accessible!
At 9/28/2010 10:40 pm,
Mark @ Cafe Campana said…
My most memorable molecular gastronomy technique for me is the Ferran Adria and his spherical olives with aromatized olive oil from Gourmet Traveller. It was my first introduction to MG and it captures the spirit of using innovative techniques to capture flavour.
At 9/30/2010 10:03 pm,
Wasabi-Helen said…
Most 'gastronomical' drama I've seem cannot go pass by Heston Blumenthal's 'Ejaculating Cake'! The simple chemistry with the dry ice, making it all bubble up in the centre of the cake using a 'chocolate chamber', and the cake base of crackle popping candy. Sounds most aphrodisiac gastronomical!!!
At 9/30/2010 10:28 pm,
Amy said…
Heston is God! The ejaculating cake has got to be the most impressive technique I've seen, not only does it look amazing, it would most likely make me "mouthgasm" too!
Also, this was possibly the only way for me to say to my bf that I want Heston's ejaculating cake lol
At 10/01/2010 12:33 am,
Melody N (via Facebook) said…
Heston's Roman Feast, where he cooked a whole pig in a hot spa, finished it off with edible intestines that fell out when the pig was cut! classic!
At 10/01/2010 12:33 am,
Anjoli P (via Facebook) said…
Iron Chef Carrot Battle - where the challenger carved a crazy pagoda out of carrot just because he was bored at the end!
At 10/01/2010 12:34 am,
Nathan D (via Facebook) said…
I have to admit as a chef I am constantly amazed by the art of fruit carving, but what takes the cake is certainly Ferran Adria's use of N2 (liquid) to quick temper chocolate allowing it to shapped and moulded so elegantly.
At 10/01/2010 12:34 am,
Christina T (via Facebook) said…
the knifework it takes to cut metre-long ribbons from cucumbers.... I remember sitting at a japanese-thai restaurant in the city watching a young chef prepare the cucumber ribbons for the sushi, to the point my boyfriend was getting annoyed I wasn't staring at him!
At 10/01/2010 12:35 am,
Jasmine P (via Facebook) said…
making carrot jam in ten minutes on ready steady cook!
At 10/01/2010 8:16 am,
Anonymous said…
Although I'm head over heels in love with Heston and immensely admire Ferran Adria, I'd have to say the most impressive thing I've seen was the chefs at a tiny little dumpling house in Chinatown making handmade noodles, stretching them, shaping them and cutting them in a matter of seconds. Not exactly fine dining or molecular gastronomy - but seriously awe-inspiring!
At 10/01/2010 4:14 pm,
Phuoc'n Delicious said…
We all know how food and wine can be paired together to heighten the dining experience but I recently watched an impressive food technique where infra-red lasers are used to vapourise freeze-dried food items and trap this vapour into a wine glass so when the wine is poured into the glass, the wine will have the caramelised, laserised food vapour in it.
Really gives new meaning to food and wine pair for sure!
Check out the vid here for yourself, scroll to 1:42
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47qgz4ToBfE
At 10/02/2010 3:11 am,
Anonymous said…
I was very impressed with the dish Heston Blumenthal displayed on Masterchef AU, where he made food that look like real fruits..the amount of detail and effort behind the creation, was simply marvelling.
At 10/06/2010 9:00 pm,
Clement Ting said…
Heston's Graveyard dessert makes me want to eat all the tombstones I see!!! Maybe not.... but who would've thought eating a tombstone and a coffin made outta chocolate? Even the soil used to bury the coffin is chocolate. Mud never taste better til now
At 10/07/2010 1:24 am,
Karina W (via Facebook) said…
Carving flowers out of watermelons!
At 10/07/2010 1:25 am,
Jane L (via Facebook) said…
Heston Blumenthal's grape mandarin FOOD MEAT was amazing!! How he managed to balance the ingredients in a way that it would stay still and have the shine of a grape or mandarin....that when he revealed it was NOT a fruit, but actually made from food, I was literally looking back and forth from a mandarin I was eating a...t at the TV screen, just so shocked that it was not a plate of real fruit!
Amazing..and furthermore, when Aaron attempted to make the grapes, it was a good try but real skill, research, trial and error and lots of time must have been used to perfect the masterpiece.
He really inspires me to cook and to learn new techniques. I would really love to see this molecular cooking in real life, as I have not located a restaurant in Adelaide that I could see the magic behind molecular cooking.
Thank you for this opportunity to win a chance to experience an unforgettable experience at Tokyo Food Trends!
At 10/08/2010 12:39 am,
Clement T (via Facebook) said…
Heston's Graveyard dessert makes me want to eat all the tombstones I see!!! Maybe not.... but who would've thought eating a tombstone and a coffin made outta chocolate? Even the soil used to bury the coffin is chocolate. Mud never taste better til now
At 10/08/2010 5:58 pm,
Hugh Peterswald said…
In 1969, the hungarian born physicist Nicholas Kurti (1908-1998) described how the microwave ovens can be used to create an inverted baked Alaska. Baked Alaska is a dessert where a hot, baked meringue contains cold, frozen ice cream. The inverted baked Alaska, described as a Frozen Florida, consists of a container made out of meringue. The container is filled with an alcoholic liquor and put in the freezer. After a couple of hours, the container is taken from the freezer and put into a microwave oven. The result is a dessert which is hot inside, but remains cold on the outside.
At 10/08/2010 9:33 pm,
bacon so good said…
it would be like @shanks... but it is bacon fairy floss (ok, they call cotton candy) @ McCrady's Restaurant in Charleston, SC, US of A.
yes, there has been a bacon madness for the last few years, but fairy floss... I gave up, I LOVE it.
No receipe that I could found online... quite sure involve bacon fat emulsified by some MG chemical in sugar, then spun... but the simplicity of it just works for me.
At 10/08/2010 10:34 pm,
Anna (Morsels and Musings) said…
pick me! pick me!
san sebastian's ultra-trendy pintxos bar "a fuego negro" served up a delicious cherry meringue topped with toothsome cubes of horse mackerel, crumbled of local sheeps cheese and micro mint.
not outrageously weird, but definitely outrageously delicious.
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