John in Chicago has sent along another interesting link to a NY Times article that discusses the latest in sauce trends and technology:
For some time now, Achatz has been experimenting with jellies to create “solid sauces” — thin, flavorful liquids given mass and viscosity through a variety of techniques. The sauces evolved, he explained, from a recent period using vegetable purées to accompany meats and fish. “I thought it would be interesting to turn a sauce into a purée,” he said. “To make a purée, you just stick a solid in the blender. The challenge was turning a liquid into a purée. To purée a liquid, I realized I had to turn it into a solid and then purée the solid.”To create his solids, he works with different gelling agents, from gelatin to seaweed extracts like agar and carrageen. Achatz’s first solid sauce was a yuzu fluid gel, which he made by heating the fragrant citrus juice with agar, cooling it to set, then puréeing the resulting jelly into a puddinglike sauce, which he served with sugar snap peas, yogurt and ham.
I've mentioned Grant's restaurant, Alinea before, but still haven't eaten there while in Chicago. Oh well, one of these days...
What's your take on this stuff? The idea of melting a sheet of sauce over a dish instead of just spooning it on seems a bit over the top to me, especially if the customer doesn't get the visual gratification of seeing the process, but I guess it would create a very even glaze.
