Molecular Gastronomy Comes to Ann Arbor

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5224140688/" title="molecular4635 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="molecular4635" height="375" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5248/5224140688_68f9d9bbcd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5223542625/" title="molecular4640 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="molecular4640" height="374" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5008/5223542625_cd4ed6a6d0.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Last night I had a nitrogen shake. At tableside, the waiter stirs liquid nitrogen into a hot ice cream preparation (such as you might put into an ice cream maker, I think). The result is a cold mixture of chocolate and other flavors that you drink with a straw, consistency of a milkshake. I guess nitrogen is tasteless, otherwise we'd smell it all the time when we breathed. I thought when molecular gastronomy reached Ann Arbor I would hate it -- but in fact it was fun. The taste? Not much different from most milkshakes.<br /><br />My previous posts on molecular gastronomy:<br /><ul class="posts"><li><a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2008/05/futurists-see-future.html">Futurists see the future</a></li><li><a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2008/05/moleular-gastronomy.html">Molecular Gastronomy</a></li><li><a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2008/11/cookbooks-i-do-not-want.html">Cookbooks I DO NOT WANT</a></li></ul>

Molecular Gastronomy Comes to Ann Arbor

Last night I had a nitrogen shake. At tableside, the waiter stirs liquid nitrogen into a hot ice cream preparation (such as you might put in...

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Pumpkin Lasagna Recipe by Request

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5065947033/" title="pumpkin4298 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="pumpkin4298" height="180" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5065947033_04cbc243c8_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">PUMPKIN LASAGNA</span></span><br /><br />First prepare a medium-sized pumpkin by cutting it in eighths and removing stem, seeds, and stringy interior stuff. Bake the slices on a cookie sheet, skin down, at 350º until it's pretty soft and you can easily peel off the skin. Cut the peeled pieces into 1/2 inch chunks. You will need around 2 or 3 cups of pumpkin -- if you have extra, use it in soup or make it into a side-dish with another meal. The pumpkins in the photo are the two that ended up in my two recipes of lasagna. <br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);">Ingredients</span><br />2-3 cups cooked pumpkin as described above.<br />2 or 3 onions, chopped and browned in butter or oil<br />Around 2/3 of a box of no-boil lasagna noodles<br />1 lb. of ricotta or farmer's cheese (ricotta makes a sweeter filling)<br />Optional: additional 1/2 cup of cottage cheese<br />Around 2-3 cups of shredded cheese that melts nicely (for the topping)<br />Sage-flavored white sauce (ingredients below)<br />Sage, basil, salt, and pepper to taste<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);">Method</span><br />Make the white sauce (see notes).<br /><br />Mix ricotta/farmer's cheese/cottage cheese with sage and basil.<br /><br />Brown the onions. Add sage, salt, pepper, and pumpkin and cook in the butter for a while longer.<br /><br />Generously coat a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with butter. Layer the ingredients as follows:<br /><ul><li>A layer of sauce</li><li>A single layer of noodles, touching each other and covering most or all of the surface and coated with more sauce. (Break noodles to make them fit if necessary.)</li><li>Half of the pumpkin-onion mixture evenly spread over the noodles.</li><li>Another layer of noodles covered with more sauce.</li><li>All of the ricotta/farmer's cheese/cottage cheese mixture spread evenly over noodles.</li><li>Another layer of noodles/sauce.</li><li>The rest of the pumpkin.</li><li>More sauce and noodles.</li><li>ALL the rest of the sauce and a bit more milk if needed.</li><li>The shredded cheese evenly spread over the top.</li></ul> After assembling the lasagna, be sure that all the noodles are in liquid sauce -- if not, add a bit of milk. Before putting it in the oven, let the assembled dish rest for around 20 minutes so that the noodles can begin to absorb the sauce.<br /><br />Cooking time at 400º -- 30 minutes covered with foil followed by 15 minutes uncovered -- enough to brown the cheese. After removing it from the oven, keep the dish at room temperature for around another 15 to 20 minutes so that the cheese and sauce all firm up. Otherwise you will have trouble cutting and serving nice squares (this is true for all lasagna).<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);">NOTES</span><br /><ul><li>White sauce ingredients are: 2 -4 Tb butter (can omit butter if browning flour in non-stick pan), 1/3 cup flour, 4 cups milk, around 1 Tb. sage, salt & pepper. Should not be too thick. If you have never made white sauce, you need to look up the standard method of making a roux, adding hot milk, and simmering the sauce.<br /></li><li>To make onions brown better, add 1 tsp. of balsamic vinegar or a pinch of sugar.</li><li>The lasagna can be refrigerated after baking and reheated a day or two later.<br /></li><li>Obviously if you use browned flour only (no butter) in the white sauce, skim milk, non-fat ricotta or farmer's cheese, little butter or oil for browning the onions/pumpkin, and low-fat mozzarella for topping, you can make this an incredibly low-fat lasagna. I did not try making it low-fat.</li><li>I would NEVER use canned pumpkin for this!<br /></li></ul>

Pumpkin Lasagna Recipe by Request

PUMPKIN LASAGNA First prepare a medium-sized pumpkin by cutting it in eighths and removing stem, seeds, and stringy interior stuff. Bake th...

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Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving dinner is served --<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5207532419/" title="dinner4612 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="dinner4612" height="480" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5207532419_0bc37c61cd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5208111102/" title="buffet4614 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="buffet4614" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/5208111102_b21bcb8c3f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />The chefs:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5208111500/" title="gravy4586 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="gravy4586" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5208111500_f3bdc90a40.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />Lenny making gravy.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5208111238/" title="aparna4592 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aparna4592" height="493" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5047/5208111238_1f9d8a938e.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />Aparna whipping cream to top the pies. Foreground: spinach ready to saute.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5207514019/" title="carving4603 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="carving4603" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/5207514019_86ea3c5b47.jpg" width="420" /></a><br />Larry carving the turkey.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5207514087/" title="elaine4604 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="elaine4604" height="500" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5124/5207514087_85c34c4050.jpg" width="482" /></a><br />Elaine cleaning up.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5208111624/" title="girls4595 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="girls4595" height="477" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5250/5208111624_35706c1611.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />The girls playing.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving dinner is served -- The chefs: Lenny making gravy. Aparna whipping cream to top the pies. Foreground: spinach ready to saute. L...

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Happy Thanksgiving

We are all gathered in Pittsburgh, having traveled on dry roads -- some of us yesterday and others, the day before. The turkey cooks are working on the stuffing and stock. We had our traditional breakfast of chocolate cherry bread and cranberry pecan bread which we brought from Zingermans bakehouse (arriving there just one moment before the huge rush began yesterday morning).<br /><br />In other years, I have photographed the entire process of cooking dinner, eating each meal, and children playing, but this year I think I'll wait and publish a selection at the end of the day to avoid repeating myself. Eating the same ritual meals each year is great, but posting the same photos doesn't seem right.<br /><br />Happy thanksgiving to all!

Happy Thanksgiving

We are all gathered in Pittsburgh, having traveled on dry roads -- some of us yesterday and others, the day before. The turkey cooks are wor...

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Banquets

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYl41MAqWS6uqghFpff84aSF6aWcmZlAvJh86HRtHoch9qf3Fgs4hodKu0t3fK5od_6GBZkV1qpL05tja0jr6Kl2b5BcUJORrNVa481ivw0XC4BtumDlZSJkYOqH6vPA3ATFd37mr08qzY/s1600/unswepthall.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542465344122064946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYl41MAqWS6uqghFpff84aSF6aWcmZlAvJh86HRtHoch9qf3Fgs4hodKu0t3fK5od_6GBZkV1qpL05tja0jr6Kl2b5BcUJORrNVa481ivw0XC4BtumDlZSJkYOqH6vPA3ATFd37mr08qzY/s400/unswepthall.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 232px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Courtesans & Fishcakes: The Consuming Passions of Classical Athens</span> by James Davidson begins with a discussion of an ancient mosaic from Hadrian's villa at Tivoli, a copy of a famous mosaic by Sosos of Pergamum called "Unswept Hall." He says "It is a floor that depicts a floor, closing the gap between art and life.... it is a trick floor, impossible to clean."<br /><br />I've just begun reading, and I'm intrigued, so I looked up this photo of the mosaic. It's a long book -- it might take me quite a while to get further than page XV !

Banquets

Courtesans & Fishcakes: The Consuming Passions of Classical Athens by James Davidson begins with a discussion of an ancient mosaic from...

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What did Cleopatra Eat?

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkobRFB3TOzDr-gyqlD1no4t3T5qAwkWikl-SURsK0HCZRGUJFng-bO4D-uUr55U_N5ZcfhGy9DlAFniGbvDn_C3SIumuJJIrkp1jvpCIysPEWwcubmL5EWfA6bJDfTI0-UbKVd22B3_6Y/s1600/cleopatra.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539955998541263650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkobRFB3TOzDr-gyqlD1no4t3T5qAwkWikl-SURsK0HCZRGUJFng-bO4D-uUr55U_N5ZcfhGy9DlAFniGbvDn_C3SIumuJJIrkp1jvpCIysPEWwcubmL5EWfA6bJDfTI0-UbKVd22B3_6Y/s320/cleopatra.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" /></a>Cleopatra, the most famous queen in history, was proficient in several languages and at least two cultures. She traveled throughout her Egyptian kingdom and went to Rome and other places to advance her dynastic and personal interests.<br /><br />Cleopatra's first identity came from her ancestors, the Ptolemys: kings and queens of Egypt, descended from a Macedonian general in the army of Alexander the Great. They had ruled Egypt for around 300 years when Cleopatra was born, and always maintained a strong connection to Hellenism -- the Greek culture that Alexander had spread with his military successes, even inventing a synthetic god that combined both Greek and Egyptian god-like qualities. So Cleopatra's first two cultures were Egyptian and Hellenistic Greek.<br /><br />Further, when Cleopatra was a young queen, Julius Caesar was creating a new empire for Rome, conquering new territories throughout the Mediterranean and Europe. After Julius Caesar's assassination, Mark Anthony became the next Roman conqueror. Cleopatra's sexual conquest of both of these heroes is what she's best known for. Of course.<br /><br />I was wondering how this multi-cultural experience combined with the incredible wealth and status of an Egyptian queen to result in interesting dining experiences. In one story about her, Pliny says that she dissolved a valuable pearl in a glass of wine and then drank it to demonstrate the extravagance of her hospitality. This isn't cuisine. Several of Cleopatra's Ptolemy forebears were known for their love of eating -- to the extent that they were vastly obese. Much else that one can learn is only generalization. What products were grown? Which were valued highly? What did various customary dining conventions dictate? But I found a few specifics.<br /><br />Dates from the date palms that grew near the Dead Sea were considered to be the best in the Roman world. During the same era of Roman conquest that brought both Caesar and Mark Antony to Egypt, Rome had begun to dominate Palestine, which was ruled by their client King Herod I. One of Cleopatra's political moves was an attempt to rule the nearby coastline of the Middle East -- she asked to be made queen of the entire region.<br /><br />Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian, described how Antony made King Herod give Cleopatra his date groves and farms producing sweet balsam, but that he was responsible for managing them and paying her what was due:<br /><blockquote>When Cleopatra ... accompanied Antony in his expedition to Armenia as far as Euphrates, she ... passed on to Judea, where Herod met her, and farmed of her parts of Arabia, and those revenues that came to her from the region about Jericho. This country bears that balsam, which is the most precious drug that is there, and grows there alone. The place bears also palm trees, both many in number, and those excellent in their kind....<br /><br />But then, as to the tributes which Herod was to pay Cleopatra for that country which Antony had given her, he acted fairly with her, as deeming it not safe for him to afford any cause for Cleopatra to hate him. (Josephus, Chapter 4)<br /></blockquote>Surely we can assume that Cleopatra enjoyed eating the greatly prized dates from these orchards that were her own property.<br /><br />In the matter of wine, the Ptolemys and many immigrant Greeks who had accompanied them to Egypt had added Greek-style vineyards and many other crops to those already grown in the fertile Nile valley and other parts of Egypt, which was far less arid than it is today. Near Alexandria at Lake Mareotis, a highly productive agricultural region yielded a particularly nice wine that was a favorite of Cleopatra, said the Roman poet Horace. Various writers described this wine. Athenæus mentioned that Mareotic wine was "white, its quality excellent, and it is sweet and light with a fragrant bouquet; it is by no means astringent, nor does it affect the head." Virgil said the grapes themselves were white, and Strabo said the wine aged well. Grain, olives, and other fruit were also cultivated in this region, and probably contributed high-quality foods to the royal kitchens.*<br /><br />The author Lucan (born 39 C.E. -- thus writing around a century after the events he described) wrote in <span style="font-style: italic;">Pharsalia; Dramatic Episodes of the Civil Wars</span> about Caesar and Cleopatra. He included a long description of a banquet which she gave to overwhelm his senses. Among a plethora of details about the physical surroundings, the queen's garments, and "her luxuries, as yet unknown To Roman fashions" are a few hints about the food; in particular, Lucan makes clear that authentic superior Roman wine was preferred to the local vintage: "no juice of Mareot grape But noble vintage of Falernian growth Which in few years in Meroe's vats had foamed, (For such the clime) to ripeness." He also mentions<br /><blockquote>"On plates of gold They piled the banquet sought in earth and air And from the deepest seas and Nilus' waves, Through all the world; in craving for display, No hunger urging. Frequent birds and beasts, Egypt's high gods, they placed upon the board: In crystal goblets water of the Nile They handed."<br /></blockquote>Unfortunately, this really doesn't help much. They ate gods? Really. Well, the Egyptians did worship a lot of animals, including fish, mice, crocodiles, and bulls, and their gods often took animal form or had animal heads with human bodies. The Romans found this animal-worship odd -- Roman gods were always human in form. Cleopatra herself went around dressed as Isis, and statues in her likeness were worshiped in temples to Isis.<br /><br />Plutarch, also around a century after the fact, mentioned eight wild boars being roasted, among other extravagant preparations for only 12 guests at a banquet that Cleopatra was giving for Antony; Plutarch said his grandfather had heard the story from an eye-witness. The still-later classical author Athenaeus wrote quite a long passage about a banquet that Cleopatra gave for Antony, but he didn't name a single specific food -- just talked about the gold dishes and Ethiopian slave boys she handed out as door prizes.**<br /><br />Cleopatra's suicide is another very famous part of her legend. Her last meal, according to Plutarch, included a basket of figs from the country. And beneath the figs and fig leaves in the basket lay the asp, which she had asked for. Or maybe the asp came in a water jar. This account leaves many open questions, but in any case, that's the end of the story.<br /><br />So on to the generalizations -- what was available to the richest of rich Egyptians at that time? Scholars have found a few texts establishing elaborate meals, based on tombs where food was provided for a high-status afterlife. Perhaps they give a clue to what the Egyptian queen might eat. Here is one such list of food for a dead woman in ancient times: "a triangular loaf of bread of emmer wheat ...; an unidentified liquid containing some sort of fatty substance; cooked fish; pigeon stew; cooked quail, dressed with its head under one wing; two cooked kidneys; the ribs and legs of beef; a dish containing cut beef; stewed figs; fresh nabk berries; small round cakes sweetened with honey; three jars of some form of cheese; wine."<br /><br />In ancient Egypt, along with sacred grain priests ate beef and goose from sacrificial animals. Those who could afford more than grain porridge or bread also ate dairy products from sheep and cattle, fruits like pomegranates and figs, other meats, honey from dates, and wild lotus and fish from the Nile. They drank more beer than wine, but probably had both. A list of foods eaten in pre-Hellenistic Egypt adds: filberts, walnuts, pine kernels, olives, peaches, Indian medlars, quinces, pistachios, lentils, and radishes. Roasted papyrus was another delicacy. Cleopatra could have had the opportunity to enjoy such foods.<br /><br />During the Ptolemy era, new, improved, or expanded crops included sesame, poppy seed, cabbage, lettuce, garlic, chick peas, and cumin, as well as "figs, walnuts, peaches, apricots, plums and olives." The greatest change was in a new type of grain: instead of emmer wheat and barley, the Greeks expanded cultivation of a different type of wheat that they found more desirable for bread. Most of the changes affected cash crops, which enabled Egypt to become a highly profitable breadbasket for Rome; however, the foods that were available give a hint about what Cleopatra could have eaten in Egypt during most of her life. (Lists from Crawford, p. 138-140)<br /><br />During her long stay in Rome at Caesar's estate in Trastevere, Cleopatra would have lived at least as well as a wealthy Roman, and no doubt eaten the types of foods documented in the many sources about Roman dining and banquets -- especially the many books about the recipe collections of Apicius. This is a subject with a huge literature, so I'm not going to repeat it. Like everything about Cleopatra, what she did in Rome is only known through the speculation of scholars.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">* I acquired these citations from various online articles about Cleopatra and Lake Mareotis. The quotes from Flavius Josephus and Lucan come from the Project Gutenberg editions of their works. Other information comes from <span style="font-style: italic;">Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt</span> by Joyce Tyldesley; "Food: tradition and change in Hellenistic Egypt" by Dorothy J. Crawford; and <span style="font-style: italic;">Food and Society in Classical Antiquity</span> by Peter Garnsey</span>.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">** Athenaeus of Naucratis. Yonge, C.D., Editor. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >The deipnosophists, or, Banquet of the learned of Athenæus</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, volume I, p. 239.</span>

What did Cleopatra Eat?

Cleopatra, the most famous queen in history, was proficient in several languages and at least two cultures. She traveled throughout her Egyp...

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Empty Plates

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5173038201/" title="gala4557 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="gala4557" height="480" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/5173038201_e68cc7ac50_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Today we went to the Detroit Institute of Arts, not realizing that much of the museum was inaccessible -- many galleries were full of set tables for a gala fundraiser tonight. We were back home long before the no-doubt stunningly dressed crowd arrived to dine beneath the severe images of Diego Rivera's murals. I doubt if many of the diners were going to feel mocked by Rivera's message, though that interpretation wouldn't be wrong. I enjoyed the imagery of empty plates and efficient setting up.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5173038377/" title="gala4559 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="gala4559" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5173038377_848b11a656.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5173038661/" title="gala4560 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="gala4560" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4089/5173038661_0843677bea.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Beyond the Rivera courtyard, we observed many centers of activity that we did not photograph. I peeked into one kitchen where huge piles of lettuce were being made into salad beneath a mural of "Where the Wild Things Are." We saw long tables in the sunlit medieval courtyard. And above all, we enjoyed a normally unavailable view of the Rivera murals from a balcony above -- exceptionally opened to make up for the inconvenience.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5173642442/" title="gala4552 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="gala4552" height="480" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4151/5173642442_9583f6d85d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />I hope that the gala was a great financial success: the DIA needs all the help it can get these days. We rejoined at a higher level of commitment, but we'd never go to a dinner like that.

Empty Plates

Today we went to the Detroit Institute of Arts, not realizing that much of the museum was inaccessible -- many galleries were full of set ta...

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