Day 16
This week's theme in class is molecular gastronomy. The concept of molecular gastronomy is one that has caught on in recent years and is in some ways played out. However, our production in class does not focus necessarily on the addition of chemicals and etc. to create new forms of food. Instead, we take traditional recipes, look at them on the molecular level and the best way to cook them.
Today, we made a roulade of quail and lard that was cured in a marble cave (there's a special name for it, which has slipped my mind). We deboned the quail, pounded it to a even thickness, seasoned and added the lard. Then we rolled it up in plastic wrap and steamed it in the wrap. The heat was not high enough to melt the plastic, yet set at the maximum temperature that the quail should reach. This is similar to the concept of sous vide. After the quail was done, we seared it along with the confited legs and kale 3 ways: fried, sauteed, and creamed.
The second dish we made was soft cooked egg, baked instead of boiled or poached. This created an odd texture of the egg, however it is not real practical. The egg became overcooked within a few minutes after removing from the shell. However, the egg couldn't be taken out of the shell at a lower temperature because the whites hadn't coulagated. We served the egg with asparagus tips, pruchutto crisp, and a potato mouse. The mouse was made using potatoes, cream and olive oil. The contents were placed in a canister (foamer) and put under pressure, from there, they could be placed on the plate. This too needed revising. As with most foams, they do not hold when combined with heat and create a melted mess. This happened a bit when it was plated and took away from the nice, clean plate. The addition of agar agar (a gelatinous derived from seaweed) would had probably helped. Overall, it was a nice dish and a neat play on American breakfast using Italian ingredients and modern techniques, a fusion of cultures and times for sure.
After class we went to the local market instead of having lecture. This was a thrill for me for several reasons. 1. I love markets. Pretty much any kind of market. Food, Antique, Flea, Open air, black (only in Europe though). 2. Lectures get boring. I have fallen asleep a good bit in class (a bit embarrassing, but with the hum or the ac, high starch lunch, tired from production, the professors' voice all combine to put me to sleep). 3. Its a great way to get in touch with the culture, you see the locals where they shop, where the food in restaurants comes from. you can feel the pulse of Florence here.
The market that we went to is Florence's oldest, dating back to the 1800's, building dating to the turn of the century. There is a newer, more modern market on the edge of town, but this market still serves a great purpose and still very busy. When we arrived, it was shortly after 12:30. Which is twards the end of the market's hours, they close at 2. We saw the fish stalls were yesterday's catch (in this case Friday's because there are no boats that come in on the weekend). A good number of the stalls are closed on mondays for this reason. The seafood that they have is along the same lines of what I've been writing about: squid, cuttlefish, octopus, seabass, and tuna. From there, the market splits into two path ways: dried and fresh pasta and produce. We went through pasta and other prepared goods. The goods ranged from pasta, olive oils, etc. From there it led into the meat section beef, beef, pork, beef, poultry, beef offal, more offal. yeah beef is beast around these parts. One of the oldest stands in the market is an offal stand (offal are the left overs from the whole cuts and bones, think intestine, stomachs, testicles, nerve bunches, etc.). After that was the produce. Beautiful. Only adjective to describe.
Along the backside of the market are stands to get food at- mostly street food served inside the market. Our professor had been talking about a sandwich called limpido or "clear" in Italian. It is made from the tripe of the last stomach of the cow. It is stewed in a large pot for countless hours. From there a large, and rather dry roll is sliced and half is dipped into the stewing liquid. From there, the lumpido is sliced thinly and topped with salt, pepper, parsley pesto, and chili sauce. It is then placed in a plastic baggie and served with a handful of napkins. DELICIOUS!!!!!!! to say the least. The fattyness mixed with the meatyness, mixed with the spiciness that is undertoned by the herbal flavor of the parsley with a touch of salty flavor. This combined three of my favorite things: offal, street food, and spicy/salty/fatty combination. This dish began as a working man's dish and still remains that way. For 3 euro, i got a large sandwich (about 6.5 inches wide) which I could not bring myself to finish because I was so full.
So i could write about the rest of my day: laundry, window shopping, post office, family meal at ganzo, taking pictures (I'm up to around 2,500 now), soccer parade. But all that will not be what I remember from today. Instead I will remember the awesome sandwich, which I wouldn't of touched 5 years ago prior to school, but now I haven't met and offal variety I haven't liked.
Always eat with an open mind, you might just surprise your taste-buds and yourself.
Until-
Matt
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