You can call it a revolution in culinary or glamorous snobbery, but molecular cuisine is not just surprising - it is stunning. Judge for yourself: jellied beef steak, eggs or olives that burst in the mouth and spread over the tongue receptors like mojito, a scoop of ice cream from shrimp, coffee cookies, tea sorbet ... These dishes are so unusual that the logical question arises: is it possible to eat them ? Are they harmful? This concern is all the more obvious when you observe the process of preparing such molecular dishes. Centrifuges, flasks, liquid nitrogen, gum and other chemicals - not a kitchen, but a whole laboratory! Unlike cheap fast food, where all kinds of flavor enhancers, dubious dyes and emulsifiers are used, molecular ingredients use only natural ingredients. So in jellied bacon there is real meat, and in any crackers or chips it was not even close. The focus of this article will be molecular cocktails. Is it possible to cook them yourself, or will you need a whole laboratory for this? We will answer this question below.
A brief historical excursion
It will sound strange, but the first molecular cocktails appeared in ... 1840. Yes, back in the nineteenth century. Even then, people experimented with coffee and milk, using different densities of liquids to create layered cocktails. The fact that the black and white layers are not mixed seemed miraculous. This explains the popularity of latte and other coffee drinks with milk around the world.
But chemists from cooking went even further. They began to look for ways to change the state, texture, shape of the usual drink in order to dazzle and charm gourmets. Changes at the molecular level also affected taste. An innovative cocktail can not only be eaten with a spoon or swallowed in the form of gelled eggs. The very taste of such a “drink” will surprise you with its unusualness. The pioneers in the field of molecular mixology were chef Heston Blumenthal and bartender Tony Cogliaru from the British restaurant “Fat Duck”, as well as Spaniard Ferran Adri from “El-Bulia”. And for twenty-five years, their followers have moved much further than creating culinary foam without eggs.
Molecular shakes - to the masses
After New York bartender Eben Freeman treated his visitors to spheres with mint and lime, immersed in a mixture of soda, Bacardi rum and xanth gum, a drink called Bacardi Mojito of the Future became a hit of the season. Around the world, establishments began to open under the guise of Molecular Cocktail Mixology. This fashion has reached us. Another thing is that molecular mixology is a highly scientific industry. It is difficult to change the quality of the beverage ingredients through physical and chemical influences. This business requires the use of instruments such as a centrifuge and a laser. The slightest deviation from the formulation reduces all work to create a miracle drink to zero. Therefore, such cocktails are not cheap compared to traditional ones. But the demand for them is still growing.
Is it possible to make molecular shakes at home?
It is unlikely that you have liquid nitrogen in your kitchen or you store sodium alginate in a spice cabinet. But do not despair. Some of the molecular cocktails you can create. What technical equipment will be required for this? Firstly, a professional blender capable of mashed a product of any hardness. Secondly, the siphon is for carbonating drinks with carbon dioxide. We also need a powerful mixer, which at the very least will replace the centrifuge. Accurate scales. And as chemicals we will use granular or sheet gelatin, various food colors and emulsifiers. Some cocktails are created using ultra-low temperatures. In this case, liquid nitrogen will replace dry ice. When creating molecular cocktails, bartenders often resort to emulsification. Soya lecithin will turn any liquid, whether it is juice or milk, into a resistant foam like soufflé.
Simple but delicious and amazing drinks
With a bit of chemical awareness, it is possible to make molecular cocktails at home. Recipes of such drinks do not require the use of centrifuges and liquid nitrogen. But still we will use some chemicals. Here is the first recipe, the easiest. Brew green tea (20 g of crushed leaf a glass of boiling water). Add two tablespoons of granulated sugar and let it brew for five minutes. Pour 50 g of lime juice and strain through a fine strainer. When the tea has cooled completely, add one egg white. Using a mixer, beat the drink into foam. The only minus of the cocktail is that you need to eat it right away. Five minutes later, the foam settles, and the drink loses its shape.
Macchiato
Do not forget that the first molecular cocktail was a coffee and milk layered drink. So, we will cook macchiato. It is still cold (then it is called kaldo) and hot (cortado). But we will prepare a classic layered macchiato. Milk (150 ml) is divided into three parts. Pour one cold in the bottom of a transparent high glass. The second is heated to 70 degrees. We beat the third part into lush foam. To make it more resistant, you need to use a whole product or cream. Now we pour hot milk into the glass on top of the cold. Spread whipped foam. Gently pour hot espresso. Coffee will be placed exactly on the milk layer under a head of white foam. Latte is similar to macchiato layering. The difference is only in the proportions of coffee and milk. In latte, it is 1: 3, while in macchiato it is 1: 2. You can decorate such a cocktail with cinnamon, cocoa.
Original martini
Molecular cuisine often uses a simple method such as gelation. But for this we’ll use some chemicals, such as xanthan gum and calcium chloride. Squeeze the juice out of the olives. Mix it with vermouth and gin. Add our chemical thickeners. Pour a solution of water and sodium alginate. And we’ll be surprised how the liquid turns into capsules in the form of beads. Inside, they are liquid, and outside, like jelly. In the mouth, such a bead bursts and spreads across the sky with the familiar taste of martini.
Milk shake
Mango (or other fruits freed from skins and seeds) are cut into cubes and chopped with a blender. Add the same amount of whole milk to a glass of fruit pulp. Season with sugar to taste. And add one gram (it is important to strictly adhere to the proportions) of xanthan gum. Beat in a mixer with a few ice cubes. Pour into high glasses, decorate with mint leaves and slices of fruit. Making molecular cocktails, you can resort to ultra-low temperatures. Mix lemon juice, rum, mango puree and sugar syrup. Mix thoroughly. Add diluted gelatin. And subject the cocktail to deep freeze.