# Smoked Duck with the notorious Truffle Foam



## ironchef (Jul 30, 2007)

The truffle foam is now the notorious truffle foam. My co-workers kept needling me about since I actually did it. They kept giving me different objects (like an empty egg carton) and would be like, "Hey, try foaming this!" 

LOL but it was all in good fun. My boss said the same thing he told me yesterday and added, "I still can't believe you made a truffle foam. You better save every last drop of that."

So the duck froze nicely and I set the meat slicer on #8 to get paper thin slices like carpaccio. The accoutrements that I prepped on Saturday remained the same. I don't know how I think of these flavor combinations. I get an idea and once the ball gets rolling all these other ideas start popping out of nowhere. But I'm glad. It makes what I do fun and like the saying goes, "If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life."

I agree.

*Carpaccio of Smoked Sonoma Valley Moulard Duck Breast*
_Pickled White Asparagus, Lavender-infused Ruby Red Grapefruit Confit, Micro Shiso, Fleur de Sel, Truffle Emulsion_


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## buckytom (Jul 30, 2007)

there is absolutely nothingh funny i can make out of this, or say in some way.

this is culinary art.






with foam.


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## ironchef (Jul 30, 2007)

BT, have you been to any restaurants in NJ or NYC that use foams in their presentations?


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## GrillingFool (Jul 30, 2007)

That looks amazing! I would gladly let my wife sample it for me.
But to me... foam looks like the chef or waiter spit on my food.
Can't stomach it!

Iron Chef, I think I am beginng to envy you. You get to play with
the bestest toyz!


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## ironchef (Jul 30, 2007)

GrillingFool said:
			
		

> That looks amazing! I would gladly let my wife sample it for me.
> But to me... foam looks like the chef or waiter spit on my food.
> Can't stomach it!
> 
> ...


 
You'll just have to close your eyes and take a bite then.


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## mudbug (Jul 30, 2007)

how on earth do you "save" foam?!


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## elaine l (Jul 30, 2007)

I may have missed something along the way but Ironchef, are you a chef?  If so I wonder if you work in a fine establishment near me.  I have no idea where the spam eating capital is.


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## ironchef (Jul 30, 2007)

mudbug said:
			
		

> how on earth do you "save" foam?!


 
The foam is actually just a liquid (black truffle "juice" + heavy cream + black truffle oil + salt + lecithin). I foam the liquid to order using an immersion blender.


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## ironchef (Jul 30, 2007)

elaine l said:
			
		

> I may have missed something along the way but Ironchef, are you a chef? If so I wonder if you work in a fine establishment near me. I have no idea where the spam eating capital is.


 
From this article:



> In the United States, the residents of the state of Hawaiʻi......consume the most Spam per capita.


 
I am currently a line cook. I took a demotion and pay cut to work in a new restaurant that opened up this year; a restaurant that lets me experiment with molecular gastronomy and put out cool stuff like this one.


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## kadesma (Jul 30, 2007)

IC,
it's wonderful having you posting pictures again. Just looking at them and then reading what you've written speaks volumes of your passion for food.It always makes me try to not only serve something that tastes great, but looks beautiful as well.Thanks for sharing all this with us.
kadesma


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## Rom (Jul 30, 2007)

I want to see your pics but can't, 1)- firefox doesn't even display them and 2) IE shows red X's but can't click on them cos work has blocked them arghhhh

but it all sounds good!!!!


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## corazon (Jul 31, 2007)

Looks and sounds amazing, as usual, IC.  I love seeing what you create.  Thanks for posting the photo!

Foaming made me think you went and used to espresso machine.


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## Rom (Jul 31, 2007)

woohoo am home and can see the pics, that looks reallly good!!!


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## ironchef (Jul 31, 2007)

I love making food an entire experience for the guest. Although bottom line, the food needs to taste good, I really like to touch on all dimensions for the guest. In this case, you have the visual aspect, but also the aromas. When the servers dropped the carpaccio on the guest's tables, the other thing that would immediately hit the guests would be the aroma from the truffle foam. It was pretty pungent but if you like the smell of truffles, then it would be a definite pleasant experience.


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## college_cook (Jul 31, 2007)

Ironchef, you haven't had a chance to ever get out to El Bulli or Alinea have you?  If you have I'd like to hear what you thought, since you're in the same realm of food as those guys.  I had no idea you were into molecular gastronomy.  Personally I think it's a super cool food-movement, and I'd love to play around with some stuff, but it gets pricey real quick.


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## ironchef (Jul 31, 2007)

college_cook said:
			
		

> Ironchef, you haven't had a chance to ever get out to El Bulli or Alinea have you? If you have I'd like to hear what you thought, since you're in the same realm of food as those guys. I had no idea you were into molecular gastronomy. Personally I think it's a super cool food-movement, and I'd love to play around with some stuff, but it gets pricey real quick.


 
No, I haven't been to either of those places although I would love to. The Fat Duck, Moto, and WD~50 would also be on my list of places to go. My exposure to molecular gastronomy has been what I've been able to taste at restaurants in Cali and Vegas, co-workers, and whatever I can scrounge off the net. I absolutely love this website. Guys like Grant Achatz, Ferran Adria, Homaro Cantu, and Wylie Dufresne are on a whole nother level. I like to dabble in molecular gastronomy but I don't know if I'd want to do it on the level that they do. Maybe if I spent some time in their kitchens I would change my mind.

The below pic is another example of molecular gastronomy from a dish on our regular menu. We make a beet "caviar" using a beet juice reduction and the sodium alginate/calcium chloride combination in this dish. I took this pic from a write-up that we had in a local magazine:


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## BBQ Mikey (Jul 31, 2007)

youre a bad mama jama.


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## buckytom (Aug 8, 2007)

ironchef said:
			
		

> BT, have you been to any restaurants in NJ or NYC that use foams in their presentations?


 
i have, maybe once or twice, but i can't recall where. it must have been a special, and not something i'd drop big bucks for. i'm going to be tempted now, thanks to you.  

i usually order based on a few criteria: is it fresh (ya don't order seafood in a roadside diner in iowa), or is it what the place is famous for; could i make it at home as well; and finally, is the price reasonable/excusable for the experience and/or the event, the effects of wine not counted.


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## ironchef (Aug 8, 2007)

buckytom said:
			
		

> i have, maybe once or twice, but i can't recall where. it must have been a special, and not something i'd drop big bucks for. i'm going to be tempted now, thanks to you.
> 
> i usually order based on a few criteria: is it fresh (ya don't order seafood in a roadside diner in iowa), or is it what the place is famous for; could i make it at home as well; and finally, is the price reasonable/excusable for the experience and/or the event, the effects of wine not counted.


 
I look at similar criteria when I order as well, but for me the biggest thing is flavor combinations. Even though I love scallops, I won't order it if I don't think the dish is creative enough. I like to order the menu or special items that use more exotic ingredients, or interesting preparation methods. The only thing that I will order regardless of all that is foie gras. I don't care if it's prepared in the most cliched way (usually with a fruit compote and some type of balsamic/port/wine reduction), I'll usually order the foie gras just because I can never have enough foie gras.


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## BrazenAmateur (Aug 9, 2007)

WD50 is an incredible place.  

It's a ****ed shame that 71 Clinton closed, their tasting menu was a great bargain.

Apparently Adria, Blumenthal, and Keller have gotten together and decided that they no longer want whatever it is that they (at least Adria and Blumenthal) do to be called "molecular gastronomy", however they've decided that it should have some sort of name.  I read this on Ruhlman's blog, not sure if there was ever any consensus after that.


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## TATTRAT (Aug 10, 2007)

Willy does some amazing things at WD 50, had the chance to eat at MOTO and it was for sure, over the top. Very impressive.

Looking Great, as always, IC. I am really liking the grapefruit idea w/ the duck. I am sure it cuts the smokiness of the duck in a great way, and the lavender sounds good with the earthiness of the truffle(foam). I would for sure give it a shot.


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## BrazenAmateur (Aug 10, 2007)

I had drinks at "morimoto", or it might've just been "moto", I don't recall.  It's over in some dreadfully trendy part of Manhattan with lots of annoying young I-banker analysts sporting bridge-and-tunnel jailbait eye-candy.

I was there with my wife and her friends and aside from the good Indian place we ate at down the street from Morimoto's place (whatever it's called), the evening was by and large forgettable.  

I'm sure the food at Morimoto's place is awesome, we didn't know it was there until we walked by it after dinner though.


At any rate, ironchef, where do you live, so I can just follow you around and eat your assorted culinary experiments.  You make some truly epic stuff.


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## ironchef (Aug 10, 2007)

Moto is in Chicago. It's a restaurant owned by Homaru Cantu who is one of the top molecular gastronomists in the country along with Dufresne and Achatz. What differentiates Cantu from the other two is that he's more focuses on the science aspect using things like lasers, edible ink, polymer boxes, etc. Dufrese and Achatz aren't as harcore in that regard as Cantu, they're focused more on unique and interesting flavor combinations. I talked with someone who did some time in Moto's kitchen and he said that many of Cantu's recipes are very simple, but it's how they are presented which is the unique aspect. 

Tatt, I'm envious of the fact that you were able to eat at Moto. If I ever get to Chi-town I'm going to eat at Moto, as well as Alinea, Charlie Trotter's, and Tru. Of course that will cost a pretty penny, but it's something that I wouldn't be able to pass up. And I'd be getting the grand tasting menus at each one. 

In NYC, I would definitely need to eat at WD~50, Le Bernardin, Daniel, Per Se, Perilla, Aureole, Aquavit, Gotham Bar and Grill, Jean Georges, Annisa, and Alain Ducasse. That would be for starters. There's so many places in NYC that I'd want to try I don't even know where to start, not to mention I'd want to take a drive north of the city and eat at Peter Kelly's restaurant Xaviar's.


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## BBQ Mikey (Aug 10, 2007)

ironchef said:
			
		

> No, I haven't been to either of those places although I would love to. The Fat Duck, Moto, and WD~50 would also be on my list of places to go. My exposure to molecular gastronomy has been what I've been able to taste at restaurants in Cali and Vegas, co-workers, and whatever I can scrounge off the net. I absolutely love this website. Guys like Grant Achatz, Ferran Adria, Homaro Cantu, and Wylie Dufresne are on a whole nother level. I like to dabble in molecular gastronomy but I don't know if I'd want to do it on the level that they do. Maybe if I spent some time in their kitchens I would change my mind.
> 
> The below pic is another example of molecular gastronomy from a dish on our regular menu. We make a beet "caviar" using a beet juice reduction and the sodium alginate/calcium chloride combination in this dish. I took this pic from a write-up that we had in a local magazine:


 
That website is too cool.  Thanks brosef.


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## ironchef (Aug 11, 2007)

BBQ Mikey said:
			
		

> That website is too cool. Thanks brosef.


 
They do some insane things with food. If I were to compare myself to them, I would be like Dr. Seuss to their Renoir.


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