A Degree in Cell and Molecular Gastronomy?

Yes, I finally graduated from my BSc in a Specialization of Cell and Molecular BIOLOGY! But these days as I search for jobs and cook I find myself falling further into the culinary aspects of the molecular world as opposed to Genomics. This whole Molecular Gastronomy craze both annoys and intrigues me. I truly believe in a whole and healthy meal; you know those ones that have been prepared the same way for generations. On the other hand I am constantly interested in the 'what, why, and how can I mess with it to make it better' aspect of life.


In comes this month’s Daring Cooks challenge, a recipe from Alinea the leading edge cookbook on molecular gastronomy. Supposedly this is the easiest recipe in the book as it doesn’t call for any ingredients or instruments that would have to be checked out of the lab. The idea was to present five different powders made from simple dehydrated ingredients to accompany a lush burre monte poached Skate wing.

For this challenge I decided to powder Capers, Lemon, Red Onion, Cilantro, and Field Strawberries from last weekend’s Quinn Farms raid. Everything was going well until the last minute of dehydration. You see I was one of the participants that didn’t own a dehydrator and had to “wing it” with the microwave. Each ingredient that I painstakingly attended to tried eagerly to burn in mere seconds after almost 30 minutes on low. Luckily I caught them before they all burnt to a crisp and most were salvaged. Needless to say I spent most of Sunday making and ruining powders.

Despite the small setbacks everything turned out wonderfully. The burre monte poached skate was tender yet juicy and each powder added a burst of flavour to every succulent bite. I really only made the strawberry powder for aesthetic reasons, but in the end it was one of my favourites. The lemon and red onion powders were transformed into an intensely flavourful complement to the Skate that I wasn’t expecting.

After the two days of dehydration and prep that went into this dish I don’t think that I will be making it again anytime soon, but I'm so glad to have tried it. Thanks to Sketchy's Kitchen for picking such a wonderful challenge and you can find the recipe for this and other challenges at The Daring Kitchen.

Beer Battered Halibut with Chips and Tartar Sauce

Beer Battered Halibut with Chips and Tartar Sauce


I did it, hit one right out of the park so to speak. Let me fill you in. My roommate and I have been mentioning on and off for the past few weeks how we should make a dinner of homemade fish and chips, being both huge fans of the meal. So this afternoon, while getting ready for my daily walk, I decided to take a quick look at my new favourite Food Network Chef, Michael Smiths website for recipe ideas. Lo and behold, right there, a recipe for fish and chips, I was excited. Not only had I found a recipe that had piqued my interest, but I had also found something productive to do with my evening.

I found everything I needed at my local grocery store, minus the Halibut. Though there was some halibut labelled “fresh” on the packaging, it also had a special “for quick sale” label next to it, not worth the risk for fish thank you very much. Off to the local fish market I went, and found that they also were out of “regular’ halibut, and only had the “Wild Atlantic” sort, which was actually a very large piece of fish on ice in the counter, when I say big, I mean 4 feet long big, seriously, that’s a big piece of fish. The wild Atlantic Halibut is a wee bit expensive mind you, so stick with the usual supermarket type if possible, saving the wild stuff for special occasions (at 35$ for 4 smallish parts its costly). Any kind of fish that you want to do will suffice, but I have a hard time imagining myself eating Salmon battered and fried (I am also from PEI, so I have seemingly grown a taste for saltwater fish, and detest freshwater fish in most cases). The important thing here is to get yourself nice, thick de-boned cut as they have less risk of being overcooked. For the Chips I went for a no brainer, Russet potatoes. So, without further ado, here is the recipe as adapted from Michael Smiths original. I hope you like it as much as Tom and I did. What are you waiting for? Seriously, get away from your computer and make this tonight, you wont regret it.

Fish
4 x 8-ounce halibut filets
1 cup all purpose flour
½-cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 x 12-ounce bottle of your favorite beer
Salt and pepper to taste
More flour for dredging

Tartar sauce
½-cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons green hot dog relish
1-tablespoon capers
4 green onions, thinly sliced
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Chips
1 small bag of Russet potatoes, peeled



Heat a deep fryer with vegetable oil to 375 degrees and carefully maintain oil until ready to fry.

Chips

Peel the potatoes, approx 2-3 medium sized potatoes per serving is fine. Cut the potatoes lengthwise into ¼ inch fries, then place into a bowl of cold water and allow to soak for 20 minutes. Drain water and pat dry with a paper towel. Cook in fryer until golden brown. Place in oven at 200 degrees on a baking sheet to keep warm until fish is ready to serve. Salt as desired to taste.

Fish
Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt and pepper. Add beer and stir just until combined. If batter is over mixed, it will be tough.

Dredge halibut in flour then dip in batter. Allow any excess batter to drain away, then slowly, carefully, dip the fish into the hot oil. Fry until golden and crispy and fish is cooked through, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. The oil temperature will drop a bit, 365 degrees is ideal.

Tartar sauce
Whisk together the mayonnaise, relish, capers, green onions and lemon juice. Serve with the fish.