Simplicity

     This is a post that could go on forever.  There are so many unbelievable transformations that can happen with food using ingredients that are not often seen in a kitchen.  For instance, have you ever heard of a carbonated blackberry?  What about caramel salt, not salted caramel?  Ever had Brie that was blown-up and resembled sea foam or how about an Edible Photograph? 

     There are so many more amazing transformations that can take place that I wouldn't even know where to begin.  Molecular Gastronomy is the term that most people would apply to food preparations like this but for some chefs, such as Grant Achatz of Alinea, he would actually tell you that he hates this terminology.  While Chef Achatz needs to understand the science of his food, he doesn't like to call it "science".

     I've met so many people over the years that are on either side of the fence when it comes to cooking.  Classical French cuisine still intrigues people that are much younger than me, even though the new trend is to fuse cuisines together and/or manipulate the same product with chemicals to create impressive, edible showpieces.

     While I am interested in the food that chefs like Richard Blais, Wylie Dufresne, and Grant Achatz create, it's just something that I've never really tried to do.  No matter what style that I've tried over the years, I just can't seem to break away from what I like, simplicity.  After thinking over the menus that I've created in my career, they have always been straight forward and simple.  I never liked to add so much to a plate that it's hard to decipher what you're eating.  Here's an example.

     I was one of the Sous Chef's at the last restaurant that I worked at and we had to create a special tasting menu every Saturday night.  We tried to make something different every weekend and after a few months, it became increasingly difficult since the money we were given to spend was rather limited.  Because of this, we typically kept our menus light, yet interesting.  One particular menu went as follows:

Fried Oyster Martini

Stone Ground Mustard Cream Sauce, Jalapeno Aioli

Seared Scallops

Sweet Corn & Bacon Risotto, Chimichurri, Shaved Parmesan

Chocolate Lavender Pot de Creme

Grand Mariner Chantilly