Saturday Night Projects

Every Saturday night at the end of dinner service a few chefs and/or stagiers at Noma prepare a "project" for the entire kitchen to try. Basically during the week chefs will come in early or stay late to work on their project for the week. They will continue to prep for their dish throughout the week whenever they have free time. The chefs/stagiers taste and make changes to their dishes daily. On Saturday night at the end of dinner service, after the kitchen meeting, everyone will gather around the pass and plate there dishes in order of where their dish would come on a menu. (starters, mains, desserts etc.) The chefs/stagiers will each plate 3-6 plates in order for the entire kitchen to have a taste. Chef Rene leads a discussion and breaks down everyones dish and offers constructive criticism to the chefs. Anyone who wants to speak up with their own opinion on a dish is welcomed. I really really enjoyed this part of the week while I was staging at Noma. There is a great sense of urgency throughout the week to get all of your components together. The nervousness overwhelms you as you plate your dish, explain it, and answer questions in front of the worlds greatest chef and 30 of his best kitchen team. A sense of calm and relief overtake you as you clear your plates. Below is a picture of my project I worked on for my last week, as well as a link to Rene Redzepi's twitter feed where you can find pictures and brief explanations of past projects at Noma.

Smoked skyr mousse, fennel, compressed apple, celery ribbons,

apple gel, smoke gel, bronz fennel, lovage, crown fennel, coriander flowers

Rene Redzepi's Twitter Feed: http://twitter.com/#!/ReneRedzepiNoma/media/slideshow?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitpic.com%2F717rlm

AFK.....Noma

I will be back posting when I return from Denmark, OCT 24.

Goodbye New York...

My next adventure awaits....Stay tuned

Hydrocolloids- Kappa Carrageenan

Kappa is one of the three Carrageenans extracted from red seaweed. The other two being Iota, and Lambda. Typical manufacturing of the raw seaweed produces a wide range of blends all with different properties. A lot of producers of this particular seaweed derived hydrocolloid follow a specific extraction process that involves cleaning, heated extraction, clarification, concentration, drying, grinding and blending to specific customer needs. After manufacturing you a left with a fine powder. Kappa Carrageenan like Iota forms a thermoreversible gel. (A gel that can be remelted after setting...usually by heating about 10 degrees above the gelling temperature.) It is important to note that Kappa pruduces strong and brittle gels in the presence of potassium. It can also form very creamy textures when used in conjuction with dairy products (milk, cream) in concentrations as low as .15%. Kappa shows a great deal of synergism with Locust Bean Gum, and Konjac Flour, both increasing the gels elasticity and strength. Another important note to consider when using Kappa is the fact that gels formed by using this hydrocolloid are very susceptable to syneresis. (syneresis-the separation or release of water in gels). One can combat syneresis in Kappa gels by using a combination of either LBG (Locust Bean Gum) or Konjac Flour. Kappa is a very versatile gelling agent that can be used in a variety of applications in the kitchen. It has the ability to form gels that set very quickly, which in turn can be remelted and set again. Kappa can also be used in conjuction with Iota and Lambda to create a wide variety of textures.

Meadowood

I had the chance to fly out to Napa this past week and stage at one of the best restaurants in the country/world. I had an amazing experience. I had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the most professional and humble chefs this country has to offer. I want to thank everyone at Meadowood for a really great experience. A special thanks goes out to Chef Kostow, and Chef Boris. I look forward to seeing and working with everyone again in the near future. Below are a few pics of some of Boris's desserts.

WD~50 for the week 8/31-9/4

Its always a pleasure to be in the kitchen at WD~50. Creativity, humility, professionalism are a few words that come to mind. Below are a few pictures of "The youngest pastry chef in NY" and his desserts. Thank you again Malcolm, Scott, and the rest of the team at WD~50 for another amazing experience.

New Dessert

Soft chocolate ganache spheres, chocolate high ratio cake, chocolate crumbs,

matcha sabayon, tempura shards, chocolate vines, yuzu caramel