Kitchen Alchemy: 2 molecular gastronomy recipes for the adventurous

Would you like to take up a challenge that ensures delicious results? A happy twist from the usual cooking, molecular gastronomy is an avant-garde cooking style that combines traditional food with technical processes to create outlandish dishes. Here are two interesting recipes by Sujan S, Chef de Cuisine, The Tasting Lab at Olive Qutub, New Delhi:1. Perfect Yolk with Liquid Gnocchi and Mushroom Textures in Consomme

For the yolk 5 whole free range eggs

For the mushroom consomme 200 ml water, 50 ml white wine, 50 gms white onions chopped, 50 gms mushroom morels, 15 gms butter, 4 garlic cloves crushed, salt and pepper to taste

For mushroom textures 100 gms button mushrooms, 100 gms shimeji mushrooms, 50 gms mushroom morels, 100 gms shallots, chopped and confit, sea salt, white pepper

For truffle oil powder 20 ml truffle oil, 50 gms (Sosa) maltodextrin to make liquid mushroom gnocchi

For Algin bath 4 gms algin textura, 500 ml mushroom stock For mushroom puree60 gms mushroom paste, 40 gms mash potatoes, 100 ml mushroom morel stock, 2 gms calcic textura, 2 gms ultra-tex

Method

For the perfect yolk Keep the eggs in a steamer at 63°C for 1 hour 15 minutes. Once cooked, dip in ice cold water till the temperature comes back to normal. Remove shells and collect yolk. Place the yolk in a vacuum pack bag with few drops of olive oil. Place the bag into a 63°C water bath. For mushroom consomme Leave mushroom morels in running water to wash off dirt. Melt butter in pan. Add garlic and onion. Saute for a few minutes and pour in white wine. Cook till wine evaporates. Add morels and water. Simmer for an hour. Strain liquid with fine strainer. Save morels to use later. For mushroom texturesWash button mushrooms and dry with cloth. Make slivers using a mandolin slicer. Dehydrate in a dehydrator at 55°C for 6 hours for a dry and crispy texture. Cut the tails of shemeji mushrooms, wash and pat dry with a towel. Arrange on a non-stick mat and dehydrate in a dehydrator at 55°C for 6 hours. Chop mushroom morels. Mix shallots, sea salt and white pepper. For truffle oil powder mix truffle oil and (Sosa) maltodextrin in a blender and churn till you get a powder consistency. For algin bathMix all ingredients with a hand blender. Strain and refrigerate for one hour. For mushroom puree Mix all ingredients together with a hand blender to form liquid gnocchi. For liquid gnocchi Take mushroom puree, algin bath and measuring spoons to make large spheres to resemble gnocchi. Prepare another bowl with plain water for rinsing the spheres to remove excess algin. Take a measuring spoon of the desired size. Fill it with mushroom puree and wipe the bottom with a paper towel. Place spoon over the bath slightly touching its surface. Flip to pour liquid into algin bath. Stir bath gently with slotted spoon without touching spheres. Do not let spheres touch each other, settle at the bottom or float. Start with one globe at a time. Wait for a minute to make the gel thicker. Carefully remove spheres (liquid gnocchi) from the algin bath using a slotted spoon. Rinse in bowl with clean water. Store all liquid gnocchi in warm morel stock. For presentation Place egg yolk at the bottom of a glass bowl. Place two liquid mushroom gnocchi next to the yolk. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Spoon cooked morel mushroom into the bowl and arrange dehydrated mushrooms on the yolk and gnocchi. Sprinkle truffle oil powder. Pour in hot consomme and serve.

2. Compressed Strawberry in Fermented Tea, Frozen Glass, Jelly and Granita with Sorrel Leaf

For compressed strawberry 20 ml homemade fermented tea decoction, 500 gms fresh strawberry

For strawberry jelly 100 ml water, 30 ml white balsamic vinegar, 100 gms sugar, 10 gms (Sosa) vegetable gel

For strawberry granita 500 gms strawberry puree, 50 gms glucose, 50 gms sugar

For strawberry glass 400 gms strawberry puree, 54 gms icing sugar, 66 gms Isomalt, 15 gms glucose

For garnish Sorrel leaf

Method

For compressed strawberries Wash strawberries. Remove top and place in a vacuum bag with fermented tea. Compress in full vacuum and refrigerate.

For strawberry jelly Combine all ingredients in a tall container and blend with a stick blender. Transfer the liquid in a pan, heat at 90°C and pour in a shallow tray. Refrigerate till set. Cut jelly into cubes before use.For strawberry granitaMix all ingredients in a container and freeze. Once set, scrape with a fork. Repeat to create strawberry snow.

For strawberry glass Blend ingredients. Place in a tray to get a thin layer of jelly. Refrigerate. Once set, cut with the help of a cutter in the desired shape. Place in the freezer to create strawberry glass.

For presentation Remove compressed strawberries from bag and cut lengthwise. Place in a bowl. Add jelly and strawberry glass on top. Pour liquid from vacuum bag next to the strawberries. Spoon in some granita and garnish with sorrel leaf.