Calcium lactate. Sodium alginate. Xanthan gum. It’s not your typical Whole Foods shopping list.
But in the world of molecular gastronomy, where chefs use exotic additives and tech-heavy preparation methods to create wildly experimental items, such ingredients are critical.
Lucky for Wylie Dufresne wannabes, amateur chefs can now whip up an array of out-there dishes and cocktails with the help of the Molecule-r at-home kit.
The two sets, one focused on cocktails and the other on appetizers ($58.95 each at molecule-r.com), contains sachets of various additives, including soy lecithin, an emulsifier, and agar-agar, a gelatin substitute, as well as measuring spoons, a syringe, a slotted spoon and a bundle of strange plastic tubes whose purpose eludes me still.
You’re on your own when it comes to purchasing the ingredients, such as produce and booze, but unless your cupboard is completely bare, you might have a lot of this stuff around already, or could buy it easily. The only real stumbling block on my grocery list was beet juice. After a bit of searching, I found some from a Midtown fruit cart for $4 — even though I’d only need three tablespoons. Ouch.
I unpacked it all in my 100-square-foot kitchen in Park Slope, and set out to whip up a dish worthy of wd-50. I chose four items out of the 80 total offered — two cocktails and two appetizers.
The first hiccup came after I realized I had to watch the recipes on an enclosed DVD. Not a particularly confidence-inspiring move on the company’s part, because if something is so complicated that it can only be properly demonstrated on video, less-experienced chefs are going to be in serious trouble. (Case in point: me.) Plus, who has a DVD player in his kitchen? I ended up having to transcribe the recipes, then work off paper.
In the process of making four items, I managed to dirty seemingly every dish in my kitchen, and spatter something red on my wall. I’m really hoping that’s beet juice.
Dish No. 1: Tomato and Mozzarella with Balsamic Pearls and Arugula Spaghetti
This spin on the classic caprese gets shaken up with a topping of gelatinous vinegar balls and a garnish of bright green extruded arugula.
As for the tomato? Well, that’s just a plain tomato. Sorry.
The vinegar globules are made with a technique used in many of the kit’s dishes: gelification. It works by mixing agar-agar with balsamic vinegar, heating it on the stove top, then gently dripping droplets of the solution into cold olive oil. The vinegar immediately solidifies, thanks to the agar-agar, and the tiny balls are fished out with a slotted spoon, rinsed in a water bath and served.
The video shows perfectly uniform, round balls emerging, but I had an impossible time making mine as photogenic. Some were large, some small, others lumpy. One misfit resembled the head of Justin Bieber; I’m thinking of selling it on eBay.
The arugula is prepared similarly. The leaves are blended with water, agar-agar and then heated. Using a syringe, the liquid is pushed into plastic tubing, cooled and forced out with air from the now-empty syringe.
If only. My strands were stubborn, and forcing them out of the tube required all the pressure I could muster. The whole strand ultimately exploded, missing the plate altogether and landing about three feet away.
The finished dish, with its rainbow of colors and caviar-esque pearls, did look great, and took about 30 minutes to prepare. It tasted only so-so. The arugula added little beyond bitterness, and the chewy texture of the balsamic vinegar was off-putting.
Drink No. 1: The Red Ginger
This spin on a dark ’n’ stormy uses another popular ingredient in molecular gastronomy: foam. Soy lecithin is combined with ginger ale, lemon and beet juice, then blended. Ideally a robust froth should form, which is then spooned on top of rum and ginger ale.
Despite mixing mine with a hand-held blender until my arms went numb from the vibration, the foam never got very rich and frothy.
The drink did have a beautiful red color, but it tasted just wrong. Even a little beet can overpower other flavors with its earthiness, and that’s what happened here.
Dish No. 2: Spherical Tzatziki
This appetizer involved mixing up a standard yogurt-dill sauce, then adding calcium lactate. Spoonfuls are then dropped in a bath of water and sodium alginate. A chemical reaction quickly forms a membrane, creating round jelly-like balls of tzatziki, with liquid sealed inside. The white spheres are rinsed, placed atop a cucumber slice and crowned with a sprig of dill. Again, it looks amazing, but tastes like what it is: a slice of cuke splashed with watery yogurt sauce.
In the end, these dishes and drinks are sure to make great conversation pieces. But just opt for one or two starters or cocktails in a night. After a starter of arugula spaghetti, your guests might be glad to tuck into a simple roast chicken for the main course.