Events

On Thursday, I had the extremely rare privilege of getting an inside look at the kitchen laboratory at Intellectual Ventures.  If you aren’t aware, Nathan Myhrvold (Intellectual Ventures CEO) along with chefs Chris Young and Maxime Bilet, has spent the last four years working on the book Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking.  This will be no ordinary cookbook – at 2400 pages and 5 volumes, it is unarguably the most in-depth, detailed compendium on the scientific process of cooking that has ever been written.  I’ll have many more interesting facts on the book in upcoming posts, but if you want the big picture, check out my interview with Nathan Myhrvold back in May.

The pictures and videos below are from a reception that the Modernist Cuisine team hosted as part of the International Food Blogger’s Conference.   Needless to say, this is the most sophisticated kitchen on earth, and as a food geek, I was in heaven.  Click through for more photos and video.

[Click the picture to view full-size] This panorama gives you a sense of the kitchen’s layout.  All of the stations are on wheels and the whole kitchen can be rearranged as the team focuses on different projects. 

In this video clip, CEO and King of the Food Geeks Dr. Nathan Myhrvold discusses the decision to not dumb down the book to cover only the equipment you’re likely to have in your home kitchen.

[Click the picture for the full-size image (so you can read the labels)]  This is the Modernist Cuisine kitchen’s idea of a spice cabinet.  Many of the products are available through the website www.chefrubber.com

A centrifuge is used here to separate solids from liquids and clarify sauces and stocks.  The green bottle is finely-blended raw peas that have separated into solids and pea water.

In this video, Chef Chris Young talks about the benefits of having a kitchen without customers.  The unique design of the Modernist Cuisine kitchen allows the staff (up to 36 people at certain points in the book’s development) to focus on research and testing of new recipes and techniques. 

You’re looking at the world’s only deep-fried watermelon chips.  I have no idea how they managed to deep fry watermelon, but I promise that it’s a dangerous proposition if attempted incorrectly.  The chips were light and delicious, with a recognizable hint of caramelized watermelon flavor.

Those look like beautiful cherries, don’t they? They’re actually made of foie gras.  And yes, they were delicious.

Chefs plate a small bite of horse mackerel sashimi with ginger and plum, proving that not all of the recipes require a particle accelerator.

My favorite dish of the night’: "tongue and cheek pastrami and rye”.  A thin slice of sous vide smoked Wagyu beef cheek is served with thinly-shaved tongue and delicate rye chips.  But, what makes this dish spectacular is the beef marrow mousseline (shown being shot out of a CO2 charger).  The mousseline is like the richest, fattiest mayonnaise you could imagine, except it’s made from sous vide egg yolks and bone marrow, and it is served warm. 

The frozen pistachio “cream” (ie. pistachio ice cream) alone is worth the price of the book.  As you can see from its beautiful glossy sheen, the ice cream was creamy and incredibly smooth.  What makes this dish really incredible is that the ice cream is made only from pistachios, emulsifiers and sugar.  No milk. No Cream. No eggs.  That’s right, it’s vegan!

And, for a little whimsy, they made olive oil and vanilla bean gummy worms.

And finally, I was thrilled to get a picture with Nathan.  See that grin on my face?  I kept it for days.

For more information on the book, check back here and also be sure to visit the official site for the project, www.ModernistCuisine.com. 

 
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from an evening called “Drinking Lessons”. I knew I signed up for a $50 “class” with 12 other people, I knew it took place at the bar in Sorrento’s Hunt Club restaurant, and I knew that on this evening we’d have the rare privilege of being students of Seattle’s most renowned bartender, Murray Stenson.  But that was about it. 

As it turns out, the details were missing intentionally.  This project, part of an ongoing series, was the brainchild of OnePot’s Michael Hebb, who has been working with the Sorrento Hotel to create a greater presence between the historic hotel and the community.  As Hebb introduced Murray, he told us that there was no syllabus, and that each evening would be left entirely up to the visiting bartender (/professor).  And so it was, and it was good. 

With little fanfare, but a deep respect from the dozen or so eager drinkers who lined the bar, Murray took center stage.  He, too, wasn’t quite sure how the evening would unfold, or what to expect from his “students” that night.  As we introduced ourselves to Murray and each other, one pattern emerged: we all had a good appreciation for a great drink. 

Murray began mixing the first round almost as if by instinct.  He narrated his actions, describing the character and tone of the liquors he poured.  He discussed the use of bitters and the spectrum of other aromatics that are rare on American bars.  He talked about his favorite Seattle bars, and recalled the best drink he’d ever had, and shared his thoughts on the classic Manhattan and Martini as the real test of a bartender.  The whole time his hands pouring, stirring, straining and serving, seemingly independent of the rest of his body. 

Foodista’s got a great writeup of the evening, complete with Murray’s recipes, so I’ll skip the details.  But, if you’re even a little curious about what you can learn from an experienced bartender in two hours in a historic hotel bar, I’d recommend you sign yourself up soon.  Here’s a hint: what’ you learn about liquor isn’t half the wisdom that someone like Murray has to share.