Why a Book Was Needed

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In this video, Nathan passionately explains the need he perceived and is trying to fill with Modernist Cuisine. You may have heard his story before: having realized that no book included all of the science, techniques, and information out there on Modernist cooking, he strove to create the ultimate guide, including the best high-tech techniques from world-renowned chefs. But it’s different hearing Nathan tell it; his enthusiasm is catching. We bet you’ll be running to your set of books in no time.

If you would prefer to watch this video on YouTube, you can view it here.

Astor Center Presents Dr. Nathan Myhrvold

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Astor Center of New York City will present an evening with Nathan Myhrvold on Thursday, November 17, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.:

Join Nathan Myhrvold at Astor Center to learn more about the journey of discovery behind the project, from the new techniques to the cutting-edge photography, the scientific and mathematical modeling used, and what the team envisions for the kitchens and restaurants of the future.

Nathan during his March talk with Padma Lakshmi at the New York Academy of Sciences

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $25. For tickets and more information, click here.

Maxime Will Teach Modernist Cooking at Sur La Table

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Maxime tossing pad thai

Maxime Bilet, coauthor of Modernist Cuisine, will team up with the elite national cooking store Sur La Table for a one-day class. Max will present cooking demonstrations of the following dishes from MC:

  • Extracted Berry Juice Soda
  • Pressure-Cooked Carrot Soup with Coconut Cream
  • Brined and Slow-Poached Wild Salmon
  • Seared Sous Vide Steak with Creamed Spinach
  • Lemon Curd with Sliced Citrus

The class will be held on Wednesday, September 28, 2011, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Sur La Table in Kirkland, Washington. Tickets are $95 and can be purchased through Sur La Table. For tickets and more information, click here.

New Recipe in the Library: Mughal Curry Sauce

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We served this lamb shank with Mughal curry, Indian sorrel leaves, fresh apricot slices, and cashew halvah (halvah recipe on page 5·93).

Just what does curry mean, anyway? Find out its history, flavors, the science behind chilies, and more in our 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Curry list. We’re sure you’ll be eager to try it out yourself, so we’ve provided the Mughal Curry Sauce recipe from the Historic Lamb Curries spread in volume 5 of Modernist Cuisine. We’ve also compiled several helpful hints to make your curry a success! Find the new page here.

Nathan Talks Texas Barbecue on Bloomberg

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On a recent business trip to Austin, Texas, Nathan Myhrvold seized the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to not one, not two, but four renowned barbecue joints within 24 hours. Writing for Bloomberg, Nathan chronicles his encounters in Texas’s Cult of Smoke: Barbecue-Land Journeys. Driving 35 miles to Lockhart, Texas, Nathan and a few friends dined at Smitty’s, Kreuz Market, and Black’s. The next morning, he woke up at dawn to drive 50 miles to visit Snow’s in Lexington, Texas, a joint that makes barbecue so sought after that the place opens only on Saturday mornings.

Sausage, pork ribs, and brisket served on traditional butcher paper at Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Texas.

Modernist Cuisine covers the art and science of barbecue in great detail. Do you have strong opinions on the subject? Tell us in the comments or on our forum.

Poll: Help us choose prints for the third printing!

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We are going back to print! That’s exciting in and of itself, but it also means we get to choose four new 8″ x 10″ prints to accompany the volumes in boxed copies of Modernist Cuisine.

Help us select by choosing your four favorite photos from among those below. Polls will close Thursday, September 15, 2011. After all, we have deadlines to meet!

[poll id=”3″]

Toasting the Stars

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Nathan Myhrvold, author of Modernist Cuisine, recently shared some neat tricks for adding barrel-aged flavor to cocktails on starchefs.com. Nathan says:

“When you age a liquid in a wood barrel, whether it’s wine or it’s whisky, you wind up leeching some flavor compounds out of the wood, and those wood flavor compounds can be amazing. Until recently, those things have been the purview of the winemaker or the whisky maker, but there’s no reason you can’t do those extractions as a mixologist or cocktail chef or whatever you want to call it.”

Just last week, Star Chefs announced that Modernist Cuisine coauthor Chris Young will make another appearance at the Star Chefs Congress (October 2-4, 2011, at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City) this year. Chris will make his main-stage presentation on the afternoon of October 3. His talk will cover several techniques from Modernist Cuisine.

Ryan Matthew Smith to Teach at SAM

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Join Ryan Matthew Smith, lead photographer for Modernist Cuisine, for a hands-on food photography workshop on Sept. 18 at TASTE restaurant at the Seattle Art Museum in downtown Seattle. Ryan will explain the lighting techniques used during the making of Modernist Cuisine, as well as advanced Photoshop editing steps to make your images pop.

Agenda:

    An introduction to Ryan’s food photography

  • Demos of strobe light techniques used in Modernist Cuisine
  • Lunch provided by TASTE restaurant
  • Hands-on action shooting workshop. Attendees will learn to shoot food in motion!
  • Photoshop Lesson 1: Curves–The nearly everything tool
  • Photoshop Lesson 2: Layer masking techniques–How to localize your adjustments
  • Photoshop Lesson 3: Making a single image from multiple captures
  • Q&A session
  • Student portfolio critique (optional)

A digital SLR camera and previous Photoshop experience is recommended but not required. If you have a DSLR, please bring it for the hands-on shooting workshop. If not, a loaner camera will be available. You will have the opportunity to work with high-end Broncolor lighting equipment and also experiment with budget-friendly AlienBees strobes. But the lessons you’ll learn will enhance your food photography skills regardless of the equipment you use at home. Your ticket price includes a lunch provided by TASTE restaurant. Confirmed attendees will be allowed to upload samples of previous work into a Flickr pool for the student portfolio critique at the end of the workshop.

Sunday, September 18
10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
TASTE restaurant at SAM
1300 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
United States

Space is limited to 12 students, so order your ticket soon!

Ticket site: Brown Paper Bag Tickets

How Many Stars Would You Give Us?

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{a href=”http://www.saltyseattle.com” title=”Salty Seattle’s Our striped mushroom omelet.” target=”_blank”}Our striped mushroom omelet. Photo courtesy of Salty Seattle.{/a}

Restaurants, and therefore chefs, are usually rated in stars. MC is actually no different. If you have had the chance to plunge into all six volumes, please come tell us on Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com, and give us your rating.