Heston Blumenthal is a UK chef and owner of The Fat Duck, known for combining science and cooking to create some truly weird and wonderful dishes. He’s part magician, part chef – and part mad scientist. Here are some tips for creating amazing gourmet food in Heston’s distinct style of molecular gastronomy.
Science
It might be using dry ice to create fantastical displays around your food or you might use nitrous oxide to whip cream (this is very simple with the right tools, take a look at http://www.creamchargersdirect.co.uk).
It’s easy to bring a bit of science into the kitchen and this is something Heston does so well. You could impress guests at a dinner party by using liquid nitrogen to make ice cream in seconds. It’s this theatrical style that not only gets people thinking about the science of food but it adds an entertainment factor to any party.
Think big
Think about what you’d like to cook and go big. Perhaps make a ginger bread house big enough for your children to play in before it gets eaten. (Take a look at the one Heston made here.)
You might want to make a gigantic pie for dinner or a huge cookie for a party you’re hosting. It’s quite a challenge to create something on a large scale so your cooking skills will certainly be put to the test.
Go retro
You can either recreate old favorites or you can give them a modern twist. How about savory rocket lollipops, cheese toasties or something reminiscent of a school dinner? Visit this website for some superb nostalgic school dinner recipes – including the popular British dessert, spotted dick, and custard.
If you’re cooking for a dinner party then you’re going to give guests a touch of nostalgia while presenting them will delicious, interesting food. You can combine this with the idea of creating something huge. Why not make your favorite dish from childhood but on a massive scale?
Get weird
Shock and wow your guests with some weird and wonderful food. We’ve seen Heston make edible dentures and edible poo (gross!) in the past so you could try to take a leaf out of his book and achieve something similar.
You don’t necessarily need to go that weird but you could try your hand at something like fried Oreos, savory jelly and ice cream, crickets, or mozzarella balls that look like eyeballs.
International cuisine
While Heston’s feasts tend to be about British fare, you could use international food to create the same shock and awe amongst your guests. Have they ever eaten sheep’s eyeballs? Perhaps you’d like to serve an appetizer of friend insects? You could try making some of the more unusual types of sushi.
If you travel a lot then you might be able to bring some interesting pieces back with you (do look at customs laws, though, and make sure you declare everything). Will it be snake wine or a hundred-year egg?
The setting
In Heston’s restaurant the tasting menu is accompanied by music as well as table-side entertainment. This is something you can bring into your own dining room. It’s possible to match music to the courses while creating some of the more theatrical parts of the dinner in front of the diners.
