This is really an amazing book! Not only you have the toprecipes of chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre like his famous Kiwître, you have also an overview of his suppliers. As food for design is also one of his suppliers, we also have the honour to be mentioned. For only 85 euro you get a book where the whole concept, pictures, recipes,... are of very high quality. Congratulations to Jean Pierre Gabriel and Sang Hoon Degeimbre!
'Kasteel van Poucke', Aalter (Belgium) will be the scene of an experience which will surprise all senses. During the week of the taste in Belgium (22 to 25 November), chef Lieven Lootens will provide an unique, innovative concept on senses in cooperation with companies like Belcolade, Fogscreen, The chocolateline,... If you're in Belgium at that time, certainly worth passing by.
In partnership with Sodexho, the Dutch University of Wageningen's opened a new €3 million research center-slash-restaurant, the "restaurant of the future," that is focused on the study of its patrons' eating habits by way of dozens of unobtrusive (but still totally creepy) cameras and close monitoring. Ultimately, these studies will "help the Center for Innovative Consumer Studies 'find out what influences people: colors, taste, personnel. We try to focus on one stimulus, like light,'said Rene Koster, head of the center, as overhead bulbs switched through green, red, orange and blue."
From a hidden control room, researchers maneuver the hidden cameras to zoom in and spy on diners and what and how they munch--everything from how someone walks with a tray of food, what food they choose to jam on, where they sit, and what they waste.
Food for design will be one of the lecturers at the 9th gastronomic congress in San Sebastian together with the belgian top chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre of L'air du temps. This congress hosts some of the top chefs in the world like Ferran Adria, Grant Achatz, Quique Dacoste, Martin Berasategui, Wylie Dufresne, Joan Roca, Sergio Herman, Peter Goossens,... At the congress we will launch our free accessible foodpairing website which contains now 80 food products and their pairs. We are also preparing the lauch of 2 innovative products. So if you want to be part of these revelations, subscribe for this congress. We will give our seminar on Thursday the 22th of November at 16:30.
Last week we had a very nice,tastefull diner at Oud Sluis, one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. We very enjoyed the taste palet of the dishes. The chef, Sergio Herman is an inspiring person not only by his food, but also how he looks at everything around the eating experience. If you want to know more what we ate, click on the link to our flickr photos.
We were pleased to be invited at the renovated restaurant 'In de wulf' to enjoy a fantastic diner. We have always been excited by what Kobe Desramaults is doing in his kitchen. By renovating the restaurant, the picture of the food and the ambiance is better matched. A nice open rural interior combined with top gastronomy. If you want to see what we have eaten, click on the flickr link. The pictures added here are; first the 'foie d'or' and secondly; textures of zucchini, bouillon of bouillabaise, rouget barbet.
In previous posts we already talked about interchangeability of food. A new recipe from Sang Hoon Degeimbre illustrates this good. If you compare all the flavour components of tomato and search for the product most similar to those, you obtain...strawberry. So image you have orginally a recipe of lobster and tomato coulis, replace the tomato by strawberry coulis. The recipe of the first picture is called: 'Breton lobster, gaspacho of strawberries, lobster powder' In the second picture you see the foodpairing of asparagus and violet essence. The chef of L'air du temps has a talent for these combinations. One of the reasons why L'air du temps is one of our favourite restaurants. Another nice foodpairing we ate at El Bulli was the combination of potato, coffee and capers. Really great combination. An italian chef started this combination and if you look on the internet you find recipes like risotto with espresso and capers.
First, I want to thank Jean Pierre Gabriel, a journalist which we respect a lot, for giving us the opportunity to meet the chefs of 'El celler de can roca' and 'El Bulli'. Thank you Jean Pierre for the opportunity and the nice company! We were very charmed by the open mentality of the chefs. So also thanks to Joan and Jordi Roca, Ferran Adria and Oriol Castro for spending some time with us.
In the morning we visited Alicia, the institute which will deal with gastronomy and science. Very nice location, an hour drive from Barcelona. During the noon we had a conversion with Joan and Jordi Roca. Very nice guys. They also showed their new restaurant which will open in autumn, a combination of a old building and new architecture.
In the afternoon we met the chefs of El Bulli. Oriol Castro, the right hand of Ferran Adria, showed us around in the restaurant. Quiet impressive. If you want to see what was served for dinner, click on the link to Flickr. Photos and descriptions are added.
Imagine; you sitting at a table in the middle of the kitchen of the chef, with candles, fine food and wine and while you're eating a dozin of chefs are preparing for you the most fabulous food. This unforgetable experience is something you can experience at Kasteel Withof. The chef in charge is Peter Coucquyt, one of the leading chefs in Belgium. So if you ever have the opportunity to eat at this place, ask for the table in the kitchen. An experience that you will never forget
Moto Restaurant's 21-year-old Pastry Chef Ben Roche demonstrates the unique dining experience at Moto with his version of Carrot Cake, Nachos and Wine and Food Pairing.
Twenty-two year old, Ben Roche discovered a fascination with science after creating Alka Seltzer “bombs” as a young boy in his best friend’s kitchen in Beaufort, South Carolina. So it seems fitting that this young, aspiring pastry chef now finds himself working alongside Postmodern culinary star, Chef Homaro Cantu. At Moto where the kitchen resembles a lab with tanks of nitrogen gas, helium and liquid nitrogen being used daily in cooking techniques, Roche’s love of science and his Johnson & Wales culinary degree are in perfect harmony.
Translation from an abstract of an article by Pieter van Doveren for Trends.
Rafael Garcia Santos, organizer of one of the world's most important culinairy congresses, was 2 days in Belgium. Together with Martin Berasategui he visited several adresses in belgium (see earlier post)including L'air du temps.
L'Air du temps is one of the most interesting places in the french part of belgium for gastronomic innovation. Rafael Garcia Santos and Martin Berasategui came over to see and taste if chef Sang-Hoon Degeimbre could be one of the chef who will do demonstrations in San Sebastian. Sang-Hoon Degeimbre made an exquisite diner where the talented sommelier Maximin De Munck added the wines.
Mise-en-bouche:
- Tofu and miso with crispy black salsify and powder of dried tuna. - Creamy mousseline made by in ginger water cooked sweet potato with spicy chorizo and a mousse of yoghurt. - Crispy tube of pumpkin, filled with ice, slighty beaten foie gras and foam of licorice. - Bulgur with small grey snails and curcuma sauce. - Egg shell filled with truffle snow.
Main dishes:
- Oyster and Kiwi with a cream of coconut and sepia ink (wine:Dr. Bürklin-Wolf, 2006 Riesling.) - Sushi of red tuna, Belgian caviar, Japanese algues and mayonaise with Ras-el-Hanout spices (wine:Sauvignon Claudy Bay 2006.) - On 43 °C cooked salmon of Cherbourg with foie gras and mint, capers, pickled onions and lemon grass (wine:Anjou, Les Bonnes Blanches of René Moss.) - Thymus and langoust with a butter made with berries, sirope of hoisin and rice vinegar. - Waret pigeon, couscous with artichoke and lime, parfume of tonka beans (wine: austrian Arachon Evolution TFXT 1999.)
Desserts:
- cuberdon meringue tremped into liquid nitrogen. - bonbon with an emulsion and crispy caramel - Yoghurtbead with a soupe of mango and pineapple - Soufflé of abricots - Soupe of chocolate with marmelade of plums, sorbet of saffran
:: REPORT ::
Felicitations from Rafael Garcia Santos and Martin Berasategui. Sang-Hoon Degeimbre passed with brio for the test and was invited to do a demonstration in San Sebastian. Belgium can be proud.
Sang Hoon was also invited to Singapore a few weeks ago where he did some demonstrations and also met the belgian chef Emmanuel Stroobandt from Saint Pierre. If you like to read more about Sang Hoon, click on the click to an article of Reuters. L’Air du Temps: Chaussée de Louvain 181, 5310 Noville-sur-Mehaigne, 081 81 30 48, ‘Grand menu’ for 75 euro (110 euro with wines).[+ L'air du temps] [+ Reuters about Sang Hoon] [+ trends]
Sam Mason, the former star pastry chef at wd-50, will be opening his own restaurant and lounge, Tailor, the coming weeks. Sam Mason has writen a number of articles on what it’s like to be a young chef about to open up his own restaurant for the first time. It seems to be not that simple. As he is one of our favorite pastry chefs, the first time we're back in NY we will certainly visit the restaurant.
Rafael Garcia Santos, the organiser of one of the most important culinar congresses in the world, Lomejordelagastronomia did a tour in Belgium a few months ago. The restaurants he visited were 'De Schone van boskoop', 'L'air du temps', 'Hertog Jan' and Bruneau.
Of course this is only a selection of the good restaurants in belgium. L'air du temps, hertog jan, Hof van Cleve we already visited one of multiple times. 'De Schone van Boskoop' is reknown for his terroir and definetly on our to do list.
You can find more pictures of our restaurant visits on our flickr page.
We had a very nice dinner at 'De jonkman' in Bruges. The chef, Filip Claeys, worked several years at the side of Sergio Herman (Oud Sluis) and knows certainly what cooking is. We were impressed by combinations like chickpeas, shrimps, ajo blanco or the langoustine marinated in lemon myrtle and creation of cucumber,... This was the first time we ate there, many times will follow.
Not only the food, ambiance are premium at WD-50. Even the cocktails underline the richness of the restaurant. Jose Miranda of WD-50 in New York makes a Malta Fizz, with an egg yolk. The strangest ingredients sometimes make the best drinks. Real bartenders occasionally invent cocktails that their customers would rather not try. The trouble may be personal, an aversion rooted in an unhappy memory. But we tasted it and indeed it was superb.
We were lucky to meet Gerald of foodite (one of the best sites on molecular gastronomy in the states) and Wylie Dufresne (chef of WD~50) at WD~50 in New York. WD~50 was already long on my list of restaurants I want to go and I can only talk in superlatives on the food and the ambiance of the restaurant. With every recipe Gerald and I were looking for the ingredients the chef added. And what strokes me is that we're so used to think in alginates, methylcellulose,... and we forget about simple solutions like freezing. Like for instance the fried mayonaise. The reflex is that it will be methylcellulose, but it was just freezing the mayonaise, coating with breadcrumb and frying.
Another interesting fact was that there was a dessert tasting menu, at ant time you just step into the restaurant to eat desserts. The desserts were by the way fabulous. Congratulations to Alex Stupak. It seems WD~50 can attract the best pastry chefs like Sam Mason, Alex Stupak. Wylie Dufresne is some one we should look up to. For the people who also love WD~50, when you're ever in Belgium, don't forget to visit some fantastic restaurants like 'L'air du temps', 'Hertog Jan' or 'In de wulf'. Belgium is also finding his way to the top.
'T AARDS PARADIJS AT THE INNOVATION DAYS OF MICROSOFT
Lieven Lootens, chef at "'t aards paradijs" in Nevele, was invited at the Innovation day of Microsoft in Brussels. The event was basically a show case of various high tech projects aimed at EU representatives and journalists basically. But also the chef did a high tech show case with Texturas products and liquid nitrogen.
Heston Blumenthal (born May 27, 1966 at High Wycombe, near London) is the chef and owner of The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in the village of Bray in Berkshire.
His fame is based upon his scientific approach to cooking which is often referred to as "molecular gastronomy" or "culinary alchemy". The phrase "molecular gastronomy" was coined by the late Professor Nicholas Kurti at University of Oxford and later promoted by the French scientist Hervé This. Kurti's original idea was that it is worthwhile for science to investigate the chemical processes that occur in food during cooking as well as the inherent physical properties of foodstuffs. Blumenthal has seen this idea as a way of making tastier food. While some are sceptical about the application of science to cooking, Blumenthal has remained a steadfast proponent, going so far as to open his own research and development kitchen in early 2004.
Had again a very nice diner at 'in de wulf'. The chef (Kobe Desramault) is the youngest Michelin star chef in Belgium. Each time we go over for dining we're always supprised. The chef will also do demonstrations at the 1° seminar MG in Belgium. Sadly for the ones who still want to join the seminars; it is full booked. But there will follow other opportunities.
Food for design wants to be an open source for design, food and science cross-over. We are not interested in creating hypes, but in long term co-operations, where everyone benefits. Promoting quality and collective creativity are the things that count... So please take a seat and have a bite! Best view [res: 1024 x 768] x [browser: firefox]
_ random newsletter
_news
_m[eat]ing 003
17.03.2007::MATERIALS ::
Food for design was invited by the Meat & Fresh expo and will install a creative food laboratory at the rambla during the fair,
where people can find inspiration towards form and taste.
[+ more]
_m[eat]ing 002
18.11.2006::MATERIALS ::
A feast of surfaces, textures, colors and other sensorial elements, using a large palette of food materials.
The objective is to inspire new uses for food materials and provoke new applications within a design context.
[+ more]
_seminar
20.09.2006::MG SEMINAR IN BELGIUM ::
This seminar [ 20 november 2006 ] is organised by the innovation and knowledge centre of food for every one who is interested in food science, technology and cooking processes. This can be chefs, scientists, recipe developers, foodies,...
The guest speakers tell and demonstrate how food science and technology can inspire gastronomy...
[+ english][+ dutch]
_manifesto 001
03.02.2006::FOOD for design::
The first aim of this project is to explore and understand the physicochemical properties of materials / ingredients and apply this under-standing when designing.
_manifesto 002
28.01.2006::food for DESIGN::
A different way of thinking : abandoning the role of "creator" and "descending" to the role of a participant playing within the rules of an experimental process.
All experiments come into being as a result of self-formation processes.
_manifesto 001
22.01.2006::food FOR design::
In exploring the materials the main focus lays on the food as in exploring the structure the primary focus lays on the process.
The goal of this cross-fertilisation project is to add more senses / experience to design, it is a way of sustainable, random, natural thinking to in-spire others, giving food for the future.
