The Dinner Lab

Creative Dinner Party Guide

Molecular Cooking Lab Night

Welcome to your Molecular Cooking Lab Night! This unique dinner party is all about experimenting with the science of food and drinks. You’ll be combining fun, culinary creativity, and a little science to transform ordinary dishes and drinks into something extraordinary. Ready to impress your guests with the magic of molecular gastronomy? Let’s dive into the details. We also have a full blog post on how to do this at home with what you have here!

The Setup

Atmosphere: The Lab Setup

• Setting: Think of your kitchen as a modern science lab. Set the mood with a sleek, minimalist aesthetic and lab-inspired decor (think beakers, test tubes, and pipettes). Use dim lighting to create a dramatic atmosphere.

• Table Setting: Consider using black or white plates for a stark contrast to the vibrant colors of the food. Small lab-inspired elements like Erlenmeyer flasks, test tubes, and metal skewers can serve as place settings or decoration.

• Music: Playlist Here!

The Menu

Menu Ideas: Molecular Marvels

Appetizers

• Spherified Olive Oil (Olive Oil Caviar)

  • What It Is: A small caviar-like sphere filled with liquid olive oil that bursts in your mouth.

  • Ingredients: Olive oil, sodium alginate, calcium lactate.

  • Execution: You’ll use a method called spherification to create these "caviar" spheres.

  • Resources: Liquid Spherification Techniques - Modernist Cuisine

• Nitro Popcorn

  • What It Is: Popcorn frozen instantly with liquid nitrogen, creating an exciting smoky, frosty effect.

  • Ingredients: Popcorn kernels, liquid nitrogen.

  • Execution: Pop the popcorn and immediately dip them in liquid nitrogen, serving them with dramatic vapor.

  • Resources: Liquid Nitrogen Cooking - The Kitchn

Main Course

• Foamed Beetroot Soup

  • What It Is: A velvety beetroot soup transformed into a light foam.

  • Ingredients: Beetroot juice, soy lecithin, vegetable stock.

  • Execution: Using a siphon, you will create a light foam of the beetroot soup that’ll float on your plate.

  • Resources: Molecular Gastronomy with a Siphon - ChefSteps

• Sous-Vide Beef Tenderloin with Garlic and Herb Gel

  • What It Is: Perfectly cooked beef tenderloin paired with a fresh garlic and herb gel.

  • Ingredients: Beef tenderloin, garlic, fresh herbs, agar agar (for the gel), vacuum-seal bags.

  • Execution: The sous-vide technique ensures your beef is cooked to perfection. The gel is made using agar agar and set into small gelatinous pieces.

  • Resources: Sous-Vide Cooking – Anova Culinary Blog

Side Dish

• Molecular Mash Potatoes

  • What It Is: Potato mash reimagined into fluffy clouds of potato foam.

  • Ingredients: Mashed potatoes, lecithin, butter, salt.

  • Execution: Using lecithin and a siphon, you’ll create light and airy potato foam to serve on your plate.

  • Resources: The Ultimate Guide to Molecular Gastronomy - Heston Blumenthal

Dessert

• Chocolate Lava Cake with Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

  • What It Is: A molten center chocolate cake served with a scoop of ice cream frozen instantly with liquid nitrogen.

  • Ingredients: Dark chocolate, butter, eggs, sugar, liquid nitrogen, cream, vanilla extract.

  • Execution: Freeze the ice cream with liquid nitrogen right before serving for that dramatic frozen effect.

  • Resources: Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream – Serious Eats

Fun Drinks

• Smoked Old Fashioned

  • What It Is: A classic old fashioned cocktail infused with smoky flavors using a smoking gun.

  • Ingredients: Bourbon, sugar, orange peel, bitters, wood chips for smoking.

  • Execution: Prepare the cocktail and then use a smoking gun to add a smoky aroma to the drink.

  • Resources: Smoking Cocktails - Liquor.com

• Molecular Mojito

  • What It Is: A mojito with mint foam instead of muddled mint leaves, created with a siphon.

  • Ingredients: White rum, lime juice, simple syrup, fresh mint, soda water.

  • Execution: The mint foam is made using the siphon technique to replace traditional muddled mint.

  • Resources: Molecular Mojito Recipe – The Chef in Me

• Edible Cocktail Beads

  • What It Is: Create tiny edible beads that burst with liquid inside.

  • Ingredients: Fruit juice or cocktail base, sodium alginate, calcium chloride.

  • Execution: Using reverse spherification, you create tiny cocktail beads with a burst of flavor.

  • Resources: Spherification Techniques – Molecular Recipes

Resources for Execution: Cookbooks & Blogs

• Cookbooks

  • "Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor" by Hervé This – This book offers a great introduction to the scientific principles behind molecular cooking.

  • "Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking" by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young, and Maxime Bilet – An extensive collection of techniques and recipes for the modernist kitchen.

  • "The Fat Duck Cookbook" by Heston Blumenthal – A wonderful resource for those interested in a deep dive into the creative world of molecular gastronomy.

• Blogs and Websites

  • Molecular Recipes – A comprehensive resource that covers a wide array of molecular gastronomy techniques and recipes.

  • ChefSteps – Offers an extensive collection of videos and tutorials on molecular gastronomy, sous-vide cooking, and other innovative techniques.

  • The Kitchn – Features practical advice and recipes on how to integrate molecular cooking into everyday meals.

  • Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream - Serious Eats – A guide to making ice cream using liquid nitrogen.

The Dining Experience

Have fun with the experience! Everyone will be amazed by the molecular lab you’ve created so be sure that everyone stays interactive and engaged throughout the night. With the drinks flowing and the food that good, it’s a great way to wow your guests!