The Foodie Report
Where Science and Food Collide
Alex Chen
Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: Reviews
Take a look in your kitchen. What sort of stuff do you see? Probably basic staples like salt, pepper, flour, sugar, a toaster oven or a microwave (or if you are an undergrad, more like a hot plate and ramen noodles…). In Wylie Dufresne's kitchen at WD-50, you are more likely to find a blowtorch and a thermal immersion circulator than a microwave, and the spice rack looks more like a chemist's storage closet. Chef Dufresne is the most recognizable face (in New York City at least) of an innovative and experimental style of cooking known as molecular gastronomy, which uses scientific methods and innovation to enhance the dining experience. His restaurant WD-50, located at 50 Clinton Street in the Lower East Side, is the location of my latest foodie adventure, and this time I'm sparing no expense and going for the 12 course tasting menu. I think I may have passed out from fullness somewhere between courses 9 and 10, but I'll try my best to describe some of the dishes that really showcase what molecular gastronomy is all about.
Deconstruction is one approach to cooking that is often seen in molecular gastronomy. It involves taking a well-known dish and separating and manipulating the ingredients, resulting in a new preparation that still maintains the flavors of the original dish. Most of us have had bagels and lox before: smoked salmon, cream cheese, and red onion served on a bagel. The deconstructed version at WD-50 replaces the traditional smoked salmon with "salmon threads", a dehydrated salmon hash. I wasn't in love with the texture of the threads, but they did maintain a strong salmon flavor. The cream cheese came in the form of a crispy sliver, similar in shape and texture to a thin shaving of white chocolate, but flavored like cream cheese. The onions were pickled, adding tartness and strengthening the onion flavor. But the real magic in the dish was the "bagel" which was actually made of ice cream (!) sprinkled with poppy and sesame seeds. The illusion was so complete that I honestly didn't know it was ice cream until I tried to cut it with my knife. Aside from looking just like an everything bagel, the ice cream actually tasted like an everything bagel as well. Now while I won't be going to Pinkberry anytime soon and ordering up a cone of bagel flavored ice cream, it worked for the dish. Take a little ice cream, coat it with some salmon threads, add a piece of onion, and a flake of cheese and you've got your classic bagel and lox, in a completely new way.
Deconstruction is one approach to cooking that is often seen in molecular gastronomy. It involves taking a well-known dish and separating and manipulating the ingredients, resulting in a new preparation that still maintains the flavors of the original dish. Most of us have had bagels and lox before: smoked salmon, cream cheese, and red onion served on a bagel. The deconstructed version at WD-50 replaces the traditional smoked salmon with "salmon threads", a dehydrated salmon hash. I wasn't in love with the texture of the threads, but they did maintain a strong salmon flavor. The cream cheese came in the form of a crispy sliver, similar in shape and texture to a thin shaving of white chocolate, but flavored like cream cheese. The onions were pickled, adding tartness and strengthening the onion flavor. But the real magic in the dish was the "bagel" which was actually made of ice cream (!) sprinkled with poppy and sesame seeds. The illusion was so complete that I honestly didn't know it was ice cream until I tried to cut it with my knife. Aside from looking just like an everything bagel, the ice cream actually tasted like an everything bagel as well. Now while I won't be going to Pinkberry anytime soon and ordering up a cone of bagel flavored ice cream, it worked for the dish. Take a little ice cream, coat it with some salmon threads, add a piece of onion, and a flake of cheese and you've got your classic bagel and lox, in a completely new way.
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