Molecular cuisine recipes. What is molecular cuisine and specific recipes

Have you ever tried orange spaghetti, smoked mackerel ice cream, coffee meat or beef tea? Thanks to molecular cuisine, all these and many other dishes have long existed not only in science fiction films, but also in our lives. Molecular cuisine has become one of the trendiest and most exotic haute culinary trends today. With the help of physicochemical mechanisms, it changes the consistency and shape of familiar products beyond recognition and at the same time remains healthy and tasty. Whether this is so, we will figure it out.

The connection between science and cooking

"The trouble with our civilization is that we are able to measure the temperature of the atmosphere of Venus, but we have no idea what is going on inside the soufflé on our table." This dictum belongs to one of the founders of molecular gastronomy and cooking, physicist from the University of Oxford, Nicholas Curti.

During his lifetime, Kurti loved to cook. And one day he came up with an interesting idea: he decided to apply his scientific knowledge in cooking. The scientist began to study various principles and methods of cooking, develop new products and create amazing dishes. Thus, the physicist wanted to tell the public about science and its impact on everyday life.

And he told. In 1969 at the Royal Society, Kurti gave a lecture "Physicist in the Kitchen". A little later, he organized several international seminars in Erice (Italy) on the topic "Molecular and Physical Cooking", in which he demonstrated how you can cook meringues in a vacuum chamber, sausages - using a car battery, make "Baked Alaska" - cold outside and hot inside - using a conventional microwave oven and much more. All his speeches greatly impressed the audience, who then could not have imagined that molecular cuisine would soon be used everywhere.

In addition to Nicholas Curti, the French scientist and chef Herve Tisz also studied the interaction of chemistry, physics and gastronomy. He deduced molecular formulas for classic sauces, learned to change the taste of dishes using physical and chemical reactions and unusual methods of heat treatment. In 1988, Tees invented and introduced into general use the term "molecular and physical gastronomy", which is actively used today.

But all this is theory and only a little practice. And when did the dishes of molecular cuisine begin to complement the usual menu?

In 1999, the head chef of the famous English restaurant Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal, prepared the first molecular dish - caviar and white chocolate mousse. Since then, molecular cuisine has become an integral part of some restaurants, and the first successful dishes have been named after famous scientists. For example, gibbs is an egg white with sugar and olive oil in a gel, waklein is a frothy fruit, and bame is an egg cooked in alcohol.

Is molecular cuisine good for you?

Enough time has passed since 1999. Today, molecular cuisine is served in many restaurants around the world. People specially come to some places to try, for example, liquid bread, hard borscht or fondant egg. Many will say that this is all chemistry, because in their natural state these products cannot have such a consistency. In some ways they are right, only chemistry in a molecular kitchen is a chemical process, and not something harmful. All additives are natural and healthy. Let's talk about the most popular ones.

1. To make jelly, in addition to the usual gelatin, agar-agar and carrageenan algae extracts are also used in molecular cuisine;

2. Calcium Chloride and Sodium Alginate will turn any liquid into a caviar-like ball;

3. Egg powder is just evaporated protein, which will create a dense, non-settling foam;

4. Glucose - slows down crystallization and prevents fluid loss;

5. Sodium citrate - prevents fat particles from joining;

6. Trimolin (inverted syrup) - does not crystallize, unlike sugar;

7. Xanthan (soy and corn extract) - stabilizes suspensions and emulsions.

Thanks to these and many other additives, molecular cuisine dishes acquire unusual images and tastes. But in order for everything to work out, it is also necessary to use special technologies, which we will talk about later.

Technology in molecular cuisine

1. Freezing

To prevent food spoilage, they must be frozen. In molecular cuisine, liquid nitrogen, which has a temperature of 196 ° C, is responsible for this process. By the way, it instantly freezes any dish and at the same time preserves its beneficial properties, color and taste.

2. Emulsification

Espumas, or espuma, is an airy foam or mousse that can be made from absolutely any product, even from potatoes, salt or meat. The espum effect is obtained using a special additive - soy lecithin, taken from pre-filtered soybean oil.

3. Vacuumization

Vacuuming in a molecular kitchen is the heat treatment of food in a water bath. For this, for example, the meat is placed in special bags and placed in a water bath at a temperature of 60 ° C for several hours.

To many of us who are not used to gastronomic delights, molecular cuisine seems like something out of the ordinary. Although her adherents assure her: the use of knowledge about the physical and chemical properties of products will create a healthy dish with excellent taste. So, let's open the curtain and find out what it is - molecular cuisine, how to cook delicious dishes at home and get acquainted with recipes.

A huge number of various speculations and rumors revolve around the unusual cuisine. Like, natural chemistry, and not food at all. But let's not rush, because any food is chemistry. More precisely, food digestion is a real chemical process.

Hence, any cuisine is chemistry, including molecular ones. The question is, what are we going to digest. Besides, think, but what do traditional chefs learn during their studies? That's right, it's not coal to mine.

By the way, not all professional chefs recognize this type of gastronomic art. Remember how the heroes of the famous TV series "Kitchen" also at first did not greet a fashion specialist too warmly, but only until they tried her dishes.

You may be surprised, but each of us owns the techniques of an amazing cuisine, and, moreover, without even suspecting. Did you all prepare jellied fish? Well, this is the real molecular one.

Molecular cuisine - what is it

These are very healthy dishes, just exotic and unusual for us. The term was widely used in 1992 of the last century by two scientists: British physicist Nicholas Curti and French chemist Herve Tees. And the first chef to prepare a delicious and shocking dish in 1999 was Heston Blumenthal, who offered caviar mousse with white chocolate.

If you try to accurately determine that this is a molecular cuisine, then in a nutshell, the definition will mean a special approach to cooking. Knowing the processes that take place during cooking, the specialist processes the products in a special way. This changes the consistency of products, their taste, color and aroma. Solid ones become liquid, liquid ones - of stone hardness, thick ones begin to foam.

Each molecular specialist receives specialized education. The task is to learn about the physical and chemical properties of food, about the methods of processing, heating, the subtleties of working with special equipment and much more.

The main task of each dish is to deceive the senses and surprise you very much. Just imagine: in a restaurant they brought you food that looks like something you are already familiar with, but in reality the taste sensations are completely different. In addition, the flavor of the food was generally served separately. The unusual thing is that up to 30 different dishes will be offered to you at the same time. Only the portions are insignificant and there is no need to be afraid of the stomach: sometimes the whole portion will fit in a teaspoon.

And what names! Just listen attentively: hard borscht, liquid bread, transparent dumplings.

Interesting! For those who want to lose weight, molecular cuisine is a godsend. Just imagine, you are on a diet, and your teeth are already cramping with desire, for example, for chocolates. And you will be offered it, only your favorite delicacy will be made from healthy carrots.

And the desired effect is achieved thanks to special technologies and various devices.

Novice molecular scientists who want to feed their household members at home will find it useful to learn about the most popular cooking technologies:

• Freezing food. You don’t have to take it literally, you won’t use the refrigerator. In molecular gastronomy, liquid nitrogen is used for this purpose. The substance has its own subzero temperature of 196 ° C, and allows almost instantaneous freezing of any product. And quick freezing fully retains all useful properties, concentrates taste and color. In addition to nitrogen, dry ice is often used.
• Emulsification. Foam dishes are the hallmark of any molecular culinary restaurant. This foam is called espumas by specialists and is made from any product. Everything is used - potatoes, bread, meat, salt. With the help of soy lecithin, they are transformed into an unusually gentle foam - mousse, giving the impression that fruit juice has been used.
• Sous-vide technology. We are talking about the thermal processing of food products using a water bath. For this, special packages are used. Cooking lasts from several hours to several days at 60 o C. Any meat processed in this way is incredibly aromatic and juicy.
• Thickeners and food additives. Everyone knows what gelatin is, but agar-agar and carrageenan, made on the basis of algae, are used in molecular cuisine. With their help, ordinary dishes are prepared from unusual products. You can make spaghetti from oranges, the eggs will taste like a peach.
• Gum, albumin and maltodextrin are used as food additives, which convert fat into powder. In addition, there are other substances that can transform any product into another state. For example, sodium alginate, when diluted in liquid, becomes a thickener. When mixed with calcium lactate, you have a gelling agent of any flavor. Imagine being served red caviar, but it tastes like real strawberry jam.
• Creation of gels. Specialty substances are capable of making a liquid product in the form of a gel. With the help of this technology, for example, the famous "hot and cold tea" has been created. The impression that from one cup you first drink hot, and then cold tea. In fact, there are not two different liquids in the cup, but two gels, and they do not mix due to their different density.
• Transglutaminase. A complex term means the ability to glue proteins together, and, obtaining a homogeneous structure from meat and fish, create other products on this basis. An enzyme capable of doing this was studied and isolated in Japan, back in 1959. And now the substance is used in the production of meat and fish semi-finished products, and not only in molecular gastronomy.

Cooking tools

Anyone who is going to join home molecular cuisine will have to master several special tools that help prepare delicious unusual dishes.

1. Centrifuge. The device has long been known in the dairy industry and farms. It separates the cream from the milk. But in molecular gastronomy, a centrifuge is used in a somewhat unusual way: foam is made from products - a paste. For example, from a cucumber or tomato, you can make the most delicate paste of any color with an incredible aroma.
2. Rotary evaporator. The purpose of the device is that it will allow you to change the pressure during cooking. Any liquid will boil at the lowest temperature, but the essential oil that will inevitably be released will not evaporate and can be collected separately. Essential oil is the source of aromas. Once collected, you can endow them with other foods. Example: don't like the fishy smell? Prepare lily-of-the-valley fish.

Beginning lovers of molecular cooking for cooking at home, in addition to pots and pans, will need:

• Vacuum unit - for vacuum packaging.
• Slow cooker for sous vide, injection hob.
• Thermometer.
• Kremer.
• Liquid nitrogen (available for rent) or dry ice.
• A set of textures (ordered in the online store).

Molecular cuisine recipes

You have already mastered the initial knowledge and you know in detail what molecular cooking is, it remains to master the recipes for the dishes. Are you ready for the magic? Although I want to warn you right away, it is quite difficult to cook a real dish at home. Let's start with simple recipes.

Molecular egg

Send the pot of eggs to the oven at 64 ° C. Taste it two hours later - the taste will be extraordinary.

Tomato Soup Recipe

• Chicken fillet broth - 350 ml.
• Carrots - 1 pc.
• Leeks - half a stem.
• Cherry - 6 pcs.
• Garlic - 2 cloves.
• Tomato paste - two tablespoons.
• Agar-agar sachet - 1 pc.
• Greens of your choice.

1. Add chopped vegetables and herbs to the chicken broth, salt, put the pasta and cook everything together after boiling for 20 minutes.
2. When the soup has cooled, grind with a blender, strain through cheesecloth and put an agar-agar sachet there.
3. Put it back on the fire and let it boil while stirring. Pour into molds and refrigerate, let the soup harden.

Roll herring under a fur coat

In the proposed way, you can prepare any salad, for example - Olivier, Mimosa.

Take:

• Beets, potatoes, eggs, carrots, herring.

Preparation:

1. Cut the beets into pieces and chop with a blender. Strain through cheesecloth and pour the resulting liquid into a saucepan.
2. Place an agar-agar sachet in the beetroot liquid, bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
3. Take a flat dish and pour hot juice over it. When it hardens, put boiled and grated eggs, boiled and mashed vegetables on a plate, and strips of herring fillets on top.
4. Roll everything into a roll, and then cut it into rolls.

You will see a master class on cooking molecular cuisine in the video that I found for you. Bon Appetit! With love ... Galina Nekrasova.

It would seem that everything that is possible has already been prepared and tasted, but cooking continues to develop. Molecular cuisine is replacing the fusion style in "haute cuisine", changing the consistency and shape of products beyond recognition. An egg with a white inside and a yolk outside, frothed meat with a garnish of frothed potatoes, jelly with the taste of pickled cucumbers and radishes, crab syrup, thin slices of fresh milk, ice cream with tobacco flavors exist not in science fiction novels, but in our time.

At the end of the 19th century, the famous chemist Berthelot predicted that by the year 2000, humanity will abandon traditional food and switch to nutritional pills. This did not happen, since a person, in addition to nutrients, requires the taste and aroma of the dish, the beauty of serving and a pleasant conversation at the table. This is why molecular gastronomy has not taken the path of creating "nutritional pills", if you do not take into account food for space stations. Molecular cuisine is prepared in the best restaurants in the world, where recipes are developed for wonderful dishes that cannot be prepared in a regular kitchen or bought in a store. So far, this culinary trend does not go beyond expensive restaurants, but who knows what people will eat in a few centuries ... Perhaps food will become “digital”, and dishes will be “downloaded” from the Internet and “printed” on special “printers”.

The term "molecular cooking" is not entirely correct, because the chef does not work with individual molecules, but with the chemical composition and state of aggregation of products. Chemistry and physics in recent decades are especially closely associated with cooking, but the foundations of all modern knowledge in this area were laid many centuries ago and have already become universal knowledge. For example, everyone knows that a soft-boiled egg is obtained by reducing the cooking time, and long beating of the protein turns it into foam. Fermentation, fermentation, salting, smoking are the first human experiments to change products chemically. Scientists were interested in the physical and chemical aspects of cooking even in Ancient Egypt, and in the 18th century fundamental scientific works appeared, describing the processes of cooking and methods of obtaining new dishes. So, Lavoisier studied the change in the density of foods after cooking. In the middle of the 20th century, scientists were more interested in the composition of products and their effect on humans. Only at the end of the 20th century did a separate industry emerge - molecular gastronomy, which applied knowledge from the field of chemistry and physics to food.

Molecular gastronomy and gastronomy were pioneered by the French scientist Herve This and Nicholas Kurti, a physics professor at Oxford. In 1999, Heston Blumenthal, chef of the famous English restaurant Fat Duck, prepared the first "molecular dish" for the restaurant - caviar and white chocolate mousse. These products appear to contain similar amines and are easy to mix. In 2005, the Institute for Advanced Studies on Flavor, Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts was opened in Reims (France), bringing together the world's leading culinary experts.

All our food consists mainly of water, whether it be plant cells or animal tissues, therefore the properties of water and aqueous solutions are one of the most important issues in molecular cooking. All the laws of physics and chemistry apply to cooking. From the point of view of chemistry, there is nothing strange in the fact that alcohol coagulates protein, but if you transfer this knowledge to the field of cooking, it turns out that a raw egg can be cooked by leaving it for a certain time (about a month) in alcohol or alcohol-containing drink. Chemistry and physics have helped to better understand the processes occurring in food, and have debunked some culinary myths. For example, when boiling green vegetables, you don't need to add salt to preserve flavor and color; salt does not enhance boiling, but only adds oxygen dissolved in crystals to the water, due to which a bubbling is formed; the boiling point increase is insignificant. Cooking time for a large piece of meat does not depend on the weight, but on the distance from its edges to the center - the larger it is, the longer the meat is cooked.

After studying the metamorphosis that occurs with food, the following steps in molecular cooking followed: improving traditional dishes, inventing new dishes based on conventional ingredients, inventing new products (additives), and experimenting with combining flavors. The first successful molecular cooking dishes are named after famous scientists. For example, Gibbs (egg white with sugar and olive oil in the form of a gel), Wacklein (frothy fruit), Bame (an egg cooked in alcohol).

The scientific approach to cooking is complicated by the fact that dishes should not only be unusual and tasty, but also beautiful. The need to sell the advances in molecular cooking slows down the progress of this branch of science somewhat, but to some extent helps to study the connections between human senses. For example, molecular cooking has shown that tactile sensations while eating have an effect on taste. Try ice cream with your eyes closed while stroking the velvet, then touch the sandpaper. When was ice cream tastier? The consistency and sound "made" of food also greatly affect the taste. This is used by the manufacturers of chips, emphasizing the crispness of the chips with crispy packaging.

By the way, Molecular cuisine and the fast food industry are different. Potato chips, candy, and multi-flavored beverages are achievements in the chemical industry. Molecular cooking uses only natural ingredients. Therefore, molecular cuisine dishes are balanced and healthy.

The “molecular food” chef uses a variety of tools and devices that heat, cool, mix, grind, measure mass, temperature, and acid-base balance, filter, create a vacuum, and pressurize. Typical techniques used in molecular cooking are carbonation or enrichment with carbon dioxide (carbonation), emulsification (mixing insoluble substances), spherization (creating liquid spheres), vacuum distillation (separation of alcohol). To accomplish these tasks, special products are used:

• Agar-agar and carrageenan - algae extracts for making jelly,
• Calcium chloride and sodium alginate convert liquids into caviar-like balls,
• Egg powder (evaporated protein) - creates a denser structure than fresh protein,
• Glucose - slows down crystallization and prevents fluid loss,
• Lecithin - combines emulsions and stabilizes whipped foam,
• Sodium citrate - prevents fat particles from joining,
• Trimolin (inverted syrup) - does not crystallize,
• Xanthan (soy and corn extract) - stabilizes suspensions and emulsions.

Molecular cooking principles can be useful in everyday life when working with traditional foods:

• The right temperature is very important when baking. Using a special thermometer will improve both the taste and appearance of baked goods, baked meat and vegetables. Remember that the temperature at the edge of the oven is significantly higher than at the center.
• Consider the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of the various materials. Freeze soufflé and ice cream in metal containers; defrost meat on a metal surface, not in the microwave; beat the cream on a low temperature. To shorten the cooking time of the meat, first fry or bake it over a high flame for 5-10 minutes, then cover with a lid or foil and turn off the flame to allow the heat to reach the inside, then cook over low heat.
• Control the texture of the dish. Heating makes the proteins hard, and the tender structure of the meat is explained by the fact that collagen turns into gelatin at 70 ° C. The soufflé rises due to the evaporation of water. Adding cold water while whipping the whites will make the lather thicker. If the meat is kept in a salty solution from several hours to 2 days, it will remain juicy after cooking. Partially thawed ice cream or meat will become tough when re-frozen due to increased ice crystals. The fish becomes juicier when cooked with lemon juice, and pineapple juice has a positive effect on the juiciness of the meat. Lingering greens can be revitalized by placing them in cold water for 10-20 minutes.
• Remember that 80% of the taste is perceived by the nose, and only 20% by the tongue, therefore, in the presence of unpleasant odors, even the most delicious dish will seem tasteless. Salt in small amounts enhances the sweetness. Salt and acid reinforce each other. Vanilla and cinnamon increase the sweetness, while black pepper reduces it. Capsaicin, found in pepper, activates heat receptors and creates a hot sensation. Buy spices whole and grind them yourself. Add sugar or salt to speed up the process. Add coarse spices at the beginning and thin ones at the end of cooking.
• Long-term exposure to the same taste and smell makes it invisible, so try to use several different tastes and smells in the finished dish. (For example, the occasional splash of lemon jelly in mashed potatoes makes the potato taste bright.) The smell and texture of the dish affects the taste (for example, soft ice cream with vanilla smell seems sweeter than hard and odorless).
• Do not rely entirely on cookbooks, as your area may have different water, temperature, humidity, altitude, which cannot but affect the metamorphosis of food.
• Experiment, confirm or disprove your hypotheses with the "experimental" and "control" groups, and remember to write down the results of the experiments.

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A restaurant serving molecular cuisine is like a laboratory, experimenting with familiar recipes, flavoring products, and looking for new ways to serve dishes.

The task of molecular cuisine is not to feed to the dump, but to surprise and sometimes even pleasantly overwhelm. Of course, most of the dishes at home cannot be repeated. But the simplest ones, without the use of complex devices and special additives, can be prepared in your own kitchen.

site picked up recipes that will definitely work without a chemist's diploma and the experience of a chef.

Fondant egg

After 2 hours, we get a softer and softer taste in texture, slightly unusual, similar to unsweetened fudge.

Beetroot roll with soft cheese

You will need:

• 2 beets
• 1 sachet agar agar
• 250 g spicy soft cream cheese

Preparation:

Beet juice and beet pulp, beat in a blender. Filter and add 1 agar-agar sachet. Stir well and bring to a boil.

Pour the slightly thickened beet juice in a thin layer onto a tray with cling film. After the gelled sheet has cooled down, apply a thick layer of spicy soft cream cheese on it and roll it into a roll. We cut the resulting roll with a sharp knife.

Orange spaghetti

You will need:

• 400 ml orange juice
• 25 ml thick orange syrup
• 75 ml sugar syrup
• 25 g gelling agent

Preparation:

We mix all the ingredients and heat, avoiding boiling. We collect the resulting liquid into a syringe. With its help, we fill a flexible silicone tube of the required length with liquid. You can use regular pharmacy drip tubes.

Immerse the filled tube in cold water for 3 minutes. Then we connect the syringe and the tube and squeeze out the spaghetti using the air coming from the syringe.

Chocolate mousse

You will need:

• 225g good quality dark chocolate
• 200 ml of water

Preparation:

Break the chocolate into pieces and pour it into a saucepan with water. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely dissolved. Pour cold water into a large bowl and add crushed ice.

Pour the liquid chocolate into a small bowl and place it in a bowl with ice and water. Beat with a mixer until whipped cream.

Coffee meat

You will need:

• 1.5 kg pork neck
• 1 cup of espresso
• ground coffee
• 50 g coffee oil
• salt pepper

Preparation:

Preparing a cup of espresso. Cooking a paste from coffee oil (can be replaced with butter), salt, pepper and ground coffee. Using a syringe, inject the cooled espresso into a piece of pork neck. Rub a piece of meat with the resulting paste.

Put the meat in a baking bag, close it tightly. Boil water in a saucepan, place the bag in the saucepan. Simmer over the lowest heat for 2 hours. Cool and cut in portions.

Balsamic caviar

You will need:

• 100 ml olive oil
• 60 ml balsamic vinegar
• 30 ml of water
• 1 tbsp. l. Sahara
• 1 sachet agar agar

Preparation:

Chill the olive oil bowl in advance. Mix vinegar, water, sugar and agar-agar in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, simmer over medium heat for 1 minute. The mixture thickens slightly. We remove from the stove and cool for a few minutes.

We collect the mixture into a syringe without a needle. Hold the syringe horizontally over a container of chilled oil and squeeze the mixture into the oil drop by drop. Drops should not fall on top of one another. At the bottom of the container, the eggs will form perfect spheres. We filter the eggs.

Carrot oil

You will need:

• 6 medium-sized carrots
• 500 g butter

Preparation:

Squeeze the juice out of the carrots. Melt 500 g butter in a saucepan. Pour hot oil and carrot juice into a blender and blend at high speed until smooth. Bring the resulting mixture to a boil in a saucepan over low heat. We filter from the formed foam.

Pour into a mold and place it in a bowl of ice. We put it in the refrigerator. As soon as the carrot oil hardens, transfer it to a plate. Can be used as a butter sandwich, or melted slightly and used as a sauce.

Spicy truffles

You will need:

• 100 g chocolate
• 75 ml heavy cream
• 20 g butter
• a pinch of dry chili

Preparation:

Break a bar of chocolate into pieces, fill it with cream, add butter, a pinch of dry chili and melt everything over low heat until a silky consistency.

Cool and refrigerate for 2 hours. When the mass hardens and begins to resemble plasticine in consistency, we form spheres with a spoon and roll them in cocoa powder. Put the finished truffles in the refrigerator until they solidify.

Surprise egg

You will need:

• 3-4 eggs
• spicy sauce
• pate
• ground crackers
• deep fat oil

Preparation:

Peel hard-boiled eggs and cut off their tops. We remove the yolks. Put a little spicy sauce and pâté inside each. Cover with egg lids and refrigerate.

Dip the cooled eggs in flour, dip in a raw egg beaten with a whisk, dip in ground crackers and deep-fry.

Tomato Soup Jelly

You will need:

• 350 ml light chicken stock
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 leek stalk
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp. l. thick tomato paste
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 15 g parsley
• 15 g green onions
• salt and pepper

Preparation:

Add carrots, leeks, cherry and garlic, tomato paste, herbs, salt, pepper to the broth. Put the saucepan over low heat and cook after boiling for 20 minutes.

Puree the soup with a blender and filter. Add 1 sachet of agar-agar, stir and bring to a boil over low heat. Pour into molds and put in the refrigerator until completely solidified. We spread it on portioned plates.

Pumpkin spheres
For those who move to the next level of difficulty

You will need:

For the cake:

• 400 g pumpkin puree (baby food)
• 1 pack of cream cheese
• 2 tbsp. l. corn starch
• 2 tbsp. l. soy milk
• agave syrup to taste
• cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg to taste

For the jelly base:

• 3 glasses of cold water
• 1 tsp sodium alginate

For the sphere:

• leftover pumpkin pie filling
• 1 tsp calcium lactate

For decoration:

• whipped cream (soy can be used)
• chopped pieces of pie for sprinkling

Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients for the cake in a blender until smooth. If you do not have ready-made pumpkin puree on hand, you can make it using a pumpkin blender. You will need about 450 g of pulp. Transfer the mixture to an oven dish and bake for about 45 minutes.

Pour 3 cups of water into sodium alginate. Using a hand blender, blend at high speed for at least 2 minutes. Set aside for half an hour to release any remaining air bubbles.

We combine calcium lactate and the rest of the cake. Stir by hand until smooth and set aside.

We take glassware no more than 10 cm in diameter. Pour a small amount of water with sodium alginate on the bottom. Take the mixture of pumpkin filling with 2 tablespoons. We put it as neatly as possible. Then we tilt the dishes at an angle of 45 degrees and slowly pour in the mixture with sodium alginate until it covers the future sphere. Then slowly raise the glassware to 90 degrees. The method is similar to pouring beer into a glass. Rotate the dishes for 30 seconds to form a sphere. Then we set aside the dishes with the sphere for 2 minutes.

In a saucepan, mix sriracha sauce, sesame oil, broth and agar-agar. We put on medium heat. As soon as the mixture begins to boil, wait 45 seconds and remove from heat. Let cool the mixture for 2 minutes.

We take out the chilled butter and a glass from the refrigerator. Pour oil into a glass so that at least 5 centimeters remain to the top. Using a pipette or syringe, we collect the mixture and slowly squeeze the mixture into it as close to the surface of the oil as possible. The resulting granules will fall to the bottom of the glass. We do not make many pearls at once so that they do not stick to each other. We take out the obtained pearls using a sieve and use the oil again to prepare the next batch. We store all the resulting pearls in cold water while we cook the tofu.

Cut the tofu layer into 6 cubes. Heat the peanut butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Lower the tofu cubes and brown them for 4-5 minutes on each side. If the cubes start to burn, add a little oil to the pan. Once all the cubes are well browned, transfer them to a plate while making the icing.

In a saucepan, combine sesame oil, soy sauce and mirin and bring to a boil over medium heat. Mix well, add vinegar and sprinkle with brown sugar on top. Add a mixture of water and cornstarch, stir and remove the thickened frosting from the heat.

Sprinkle the blush tofu with glaze, put the pearls on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

If we talk about molecular cuisine, then perhaps you need to start with what molecular cuisine is. There are a lot of rumors and conjectures: this is pure chemistry, it is actually not food, etc. The definition from Wikipedia is a section of trophology, it does not bring clarity to the consumer. Moreover, if cuisine is a trophology, and even molecular one, and the term “molecular cuisine” itself was introduced into wide use by an American physicist and a French chemist.

However, let's not rush, because any food is chemistry. Not in the sense that there are no natural products left in the supermarket, but in the fact that the digestion of food in our body is a chemical process, and therefore, in the end, any cuisine is chemistry, and molecular is no exception. The question is what we will digest and what this kitchen is for at all.

Not all professional chefs are willing to accept molecular cuisine, which is sometimes called experimental and / or culinary physics cuisine. But there are already leaders and authorities among the chefs.

What is molecular cuisine

Of course, molecular cuisine is, on the one hand, a fashionable trend in cooking. To say that it is only in this kitchen that chefs study the physicochemical properties of food is nonsense. You might think that traditional chefs are studying metallurgy. Well, God bless her, with fashion. Let's just go back to the kitchen and its molecularity.

A specialist who prepares dishes of molecular cuisine should not only know about the chemistry and physics of food, but also be able to use technology that the tongue will not turn to call household or kitchen: heat, freeze, create a vacuum and treat with pressure, emulsify and process food with carbon dioxide , etc.

Andria Ferran, the famous chef from Catalonia, spoke well about molecular food.

... molecular cuisine is an attempt to feed the audience with incredible nonsense and shock conservative gourmets

Hence, the gourmet's preparedness for the unusual look and taste of cuisine dishes, which in a decent restaurant will be served in a strictly defined sequence. It is unusual that you will be offered 15-30 different dishes, but do not be afraid for your stomach - the portions are quite scanty and very often the whole portion fits in a teaspoon. Rather, you should worry about your wallet.

The chef does not have the task of feeding you - his task is to surprise with an incredible combination of tastes, textures, colors and to achieve at first a silly, and then an admiring smile on the gourmet's face: liquid bread, hot and at the same time cold tea, transparent dumplings and hard borsch, etc.

Moreover, having received modern technologies and modern (not kitchen) equipment in their hands, some chefs began to reconstruct dishes from the past: the chef Blumenthal invites you to taste the tastes and aromas of the dishes of the British royal table during the 15-16th century, and the Gran Ekitz pampers guests "Dishes" of France-1865 or Mexico-1625.

Molecular cuisine is a deception of the senses: food will be brought to you, and its smell will be served separately. No matter how ridiculous it may sound, it is reality. And the reality is harmless - the bulk of molecular foods are dietary. Just an unusual appearance, unusual taste and aroma.
And this effect is achieved by using special equipment, various devices and a unique cooking technology. Let's consider the most popular technologies for preparing molecular dishes.

Freezing

We are not talking about freezing food in the refrigerator - liquid nitrogen has found wide application in molecular cuisine, which, as you know, has its own temperature of minus 196 degrees Celsius. This temperature allows any food to be frozen almost instantly, and the nitrogen evaporates. Such freezing allows you to preserve all the useful properties of products, their color and natural taste.

Emulsification

Imagine the most delicate foams made from fruit or vegetable juices - there is a taste and aroma, but the product itself does not seem to exist. Why are there fruits or vegetables! And imagine the most delicate mousse, which consists of fresh Borodino bread, unrefined butter and salt. Imagine such a foamy dish.
The effect of espum is obtained using a special additive - soy lecithin, which is extracted from pre-filtered soybean oil.

Evacuation

When experts in molecular cuisine talk about vacuumization, they are talking about the heat treatment of food in ... a water bath. Everything that is needed is put into special bags, in which food is cooked in a water bath at a temperature of about 60 degrees for several hours, or even several days. Meat cooked in this way acquires an incredible aroma, becomes very tender and very juicy.

Gelatinization

All housewives work with gelatin. And what is the secret of molecular cuisine? In products. Molecular cuisine involves the preparation of ordinary dishes from unusual products: honey caviar, orange spaghetti, peach-flavored egg, etc.
The following additives are used for cooking:

• agar-agar
• carrageenan.

Both thickeners are based on natural algae.

Spherization

Take sodium alginate and dilute it in liquid - you get a thickener, and upon contact with calcium lactate, we get a gelling substance. Something like this you get caviar with the taste of anything. You expect the taste of red caviar (for example), but you get raspberry jam (also an example). And everything looks like red caviar.

Centrifuge application

And what could be innovative here? With the help of a centrifuge, for example, milk has been separated from cream for many years. It's just that experts in molecular cuisine use a centrifuge in an unusual way: (for example) an ordinary tomato produces the most delicate and aromatic tomato paste, yellow (from red tomato) juice and incredibly aromatic foam.

Dry ice in molecular cuisine

You certainly know about such a property of dry ice as the ability to evaporate at room temperature. But if a piece of dry ice is poured over something fragrant or just odorous ... The smell will not be just strong.

Rotary Evaporator Applications

What is a rotary evaporator for in a molecular kitchen? The device itself allows you to change the pressure during the cooking process, i.e. A wide variety of liquids can boil at very low temperatures, but the essential oils that are released during such a low-temperature boil will not evaporate. Thus, you can collect these oils for the subsequent "fumigation" of dishes and not only dishes. For example, fish with a rose scent (for those who don't like the fishy smell).

Molecular cuisine recipes

It must be admitted that it is very difficult to cook a real molecular cuisine dish at home. And the point is not even the lack of special equipment. Just the same equipment can be bought, and it is relatively inexpensive. For example, a siphon for mousses and foams costs 4,500 rubles, and for 11-12 thousand rubles you can buy a quite tolerable set of a novice molecular cuisine chef. It's about knowledge.

However, not everything is so hopeless. I offer you some simple recipes that will allow you to surprise and delight your loved ones.

Molecular egg
This dish can be prepared in the most unusual way - put the pan with the egg in the oven (just like you put it on the stove) and set the temperature to 64 degrees. Cook for two hours. And you will have a completely different (in taste and tenderness) dish.

Tomato soup
Pour 350 ml of low-fat chicken broth into a saucepan. Cut vegetables into slices: carrots - 1 pc., Half a leek stalk, cherry tomatoes - 6 pcs. Add vegetables to the broth, season with spices and herbs in accordance with your taste, salt. Then you can squeeze 2-3 cloves of garlic into the broth, add 2 tablespoons of thick tomato paste. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes.
Cool and pass through a blender. Strain the resulting puree through cheesecloth, and then add one sachet of agar-agar to the resulting broth. Put the pan on the fire again, stirring to bring to a boil. Pour the broth into molds and place in the refrigerator until it solidifies.

Herring under a fur coat - roll
Beat pulp (with juice) beat in a blender, and then strain through cheesecloth. Pour the resulting "beetroot" liquid into a saucepan and add one sachet of agar-agar, bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Pour the resulting juice onto a flat dish or tray covered with cling film. After the juice has solidified in the form of gelled plates, grated boiled vegetables, an egg and herring strips are applied in a thin layer to these plates. Roll the roll and then cut it into rolls.
Any salad can be prepared in the same way. For example, "Mimosa".

These are probably the simplest recipes for molecular cuisine that do not require special equipment and food chemistry.

And don't be intimidated by the word chemistry. Molecular cuisine is very different from molecular chemistry, and the chemical ingredients used in it are designed to change the consistency of the finished dish.
Also, there just isn't much about how molecular cuisine can be used. This is a very useful invention for those who want to lose weight. Imagine roasted pork-flavored oatmeal or healthy chocolate-flavored carrots. At a time when you want to reduce your teeth ah, you can afford such culinary masterpieces. But this is already a topic for another article.

I bring to your attention 2 videos on the topic of molecular cuisine

Video 2