New York Times columnist Melissa Clark gave Nathan Myhrvold what many might consider the ultimate challenge: teach me recipes from Modernist Cuisine that I can make for a dinner party without buying any unusual ingredients or equipment.
Nathan isn’t one to turn down a challenge, and besides, cooking from Modernist Cuisine in a home kitchen is much easier than lifting it. Nathan taught Melissa how to cook salmon sous vide using tap water, cook steak in the oven, infuse celery with apple juice, caramelize delicata squash in a pressure cooker, and make balsamic panna cotta. For the results of Melissa’s dinner party, plus the recipes and videos, read the article here.
jaka
6:38 pm
I love Melissa Clark, and her challenge is great. The lessons of MC don’t remain in rarefied kitchens or in their plexiglass box, but are shown in a real kitchen, albeit owned by an accomplished food writer and cook herself. Clark’s writing always makes a recipe sound spontaneous and doable. If I had not bought the books already, this would be the clincher.
doug_eike
7:28 pm
I enjoyed watching the video! The camera angles were good, and the two searing techniques were interesting. I prefer the frying pan over the propane torch!! Thanks for the excellent cooking tips!
Joe Feldman
11:27 am
I enjoyed learning the two searing techniques and plan on trying both of them at home. I love the flavor that my marinade adds to the steak. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to incorporate my marinade into this technique?
nancy Stahl
10:58 am
I made the panna cotta, but, unfortunately, it separated — the top looked slightly firm but underneath was liquidy.
What went wrong? I was maybe too careful not to let it boil — taking it off the heat when quite a few bubbles appeared on the surface. Or maybe my burner wasn’t hot enough. Any suggestions would be appreciated as it tastes wonderful but the consistency was off.