Technique, Distillation

We have barely begun to scratch the surface of possible uses for the rotary evaporator. This is our most recent technique for clarification, concentration and removal of specific flavors.

There was a question recently about ideas that didn't work. When we started testing the rotary evaporator we tried a number of liquids - milk, veal stock, dirt stock, creme fraiche - to get a sense of how the machine worked and where might be its strong and weak points. Some produced great results, others mediocre and a few unpleasant. The dirt stock worked well, the distillation tasted like dirt. The creme fraiche whipped and did not distill at all. The veal stock was highly undesirable. Sometimes the reduction of the liquid is the more desirable than the distillation. This was the case with the milk. The distillation was basically water, but the leftover milk resulted in a product like heavy cream. Using this device, it is possible to create two completely different products from one technique and a single ingredient.

The liquid to be distilled goes into a flask, under vacuum, which then rotates in a water bath at a controlled temperature. As the liquid boils, the steam condenses onto a refrigerated coil and drips back down to a receiving flask. The resulting liquid is visually indistinguishable from pure water - it is clear and colorless.

The results can be seen on two of our current dishes, Pork Belly, iceberg, cucumber, thai distillation and Roe, traditional garnishes.

Sometimes the distillation carries only the aromatic compounds, as is the case with the thai chilis. With the pork belly dish, we wanted a clean element to contrast the richness of the pork belly. We identified the bird chilis as one of 4 elemental ingredients in thai cuisine. We juice chilis along with lemongrass seperately in a juicer, and distill the liquids at 35 degrees celcius. Because the device operates under vacuum, we are able to boil liquid at a much lower temperature, preserving volatile aromatic compounds that would otherwise be destroyed by high heat. We are left with all the aroma of the chilis, but without the capsaicin - a really interesting result. Salt does not evaporate with water either, so we are able to distill fish sauce, and retain the flavor while removing the salt. This ultimately gives us more control over the end product. For this dish, we combine the distilled liquids in a specific ratio and serve it in a small shot glass on the plate.

For the roe, we wanted create a dish with traditional flavors but also to highlight the texture of the roe itself. Traditional garnishes can overpower the subtle and pleasant texture of the eggs, so we removed all of the other textures. We used the distiller with flavors of caper, lemon, dill, and onion. We juice the capers, lemon and dill. The onion is cooked and pureed. We then distill them at 35 degrees celcius. The separate distillations are combined to form the lightly-textured but intensely flavored gel, on which we serve the roe.

We are working with the flavor of leather as both an unconventional ingredient and distillation. Chef Achatz is working on a venison dish to be served with a hot distillation of possible flavors: leather, cocoa nib, oakwood, wild rice, mushroom, raisin and allspice.

On the topic of new equipment, Alinea will possibly acquire a large commercial freeze dryer...