Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Federico Bolaños on November 4, 2008 at 7:16pm

I think that Salvador (mexico's 2007 & 2008 champion) used molecular technology for his sig drink on the 2007 WBC in Tokyo.

Permalink Reply by Sarah Dooley on November 5, 2008 at 10:51am

Oh my goodness! Would a sweet basil cream or panna cotta be a good base for something like that considering the intense aromatics and evergreeny like tones in basil? I am interested in what else comes of this. perhaps a beverage that uses an orange blossom honey and basil?

So just curious, how different is the molecular structure and can you sort of explain how you got to the "molecular cell structure" to create beverages?

Permalink Reply by Brady on November 6, 2008 at 12:23pm

Perhaps you could elaborate a bit?

I know that some of the texture manipulation and sensory tricks that the Molecular Gastronomy guys developed have been used in sig drinks - clouds of vapor to be inhaled before consuming the drink, little espresso caviar balls, etc. But I don't think that's what you mean.

Do you mean trying to discover new affinities with unusual ingredient pairings with coffee? Or are you looking for things that have more flavor contrast? I'm assuming the former... cause I think the purpose of flavor contrasts in food is to combat palate fatigue. Perhaps this "find a contrasting flavor" approach could help you pick a sort of intermezzo that might help separate your drink from the one before?

In general, I would think that would be a hard way to look at the "problem", since coffee has far more flavor complexity than your typical ingredient, and each coffee is so different and dynamic. Your first step would have to be to try to define which flavor and aroma molecules were most prevalent in your specific coffee when prepared in your specific way. That seems like a monumental task. It is a neat idea though.

Guess I'm off to dig out my Harold McGee book... there's a great section in it that discusses the dominant aromatics and flavors in common spices.

Permalink Reply by Tristram on November 9, 2008 at 10:15pm

This is all of what i am talking about!
Its all about tasting new flavours and smelling new aromas!

Also has anyone ever heard of poeple blending their single origins to come up with their final blend in this manner?

Permalink Reply by Scott Bruggman on January 7, 2009 at 2:24pm

In the mood of Molecular gastronomy my company held our Christmas party at a molecular gastronomy restaurant. The chef created 5 courses using our (Mont Blanc Gourmet) products. The coolest was Single Origin Ghana Chocolate Space Foam. Made by freezing the chocolate in liquid nitrogen. He did dessert with our chai tea and made Chai tea noodles, Coffee jelly and liquid nitrogen Ice Cream. Here is the link to the menu:

http://montblancgourmet.com/blog/archive/molecular-gastronomy-the-h...

Check it out hopefully it will give some of you great ideas.