News & Observer | newsobserver.com | Science on your plate

Published: May 14, 2008 12:00 AM
Modified: May 14, 2008 01:39 AM

Science on your plate

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If you want the most molecular gastronomy-influenced meal available in the Triangle, you have to head to The Mint.

Here is what to order, what the menu says and what the menu doesn't say:

Butter Poached Lobster

The lobster is dumped in a court-bouillon to separate the protein from the shell. The lobster meat is placed in an airtight plastic bag with butter and thyme and cooked sous vide about 140 degrees for 7 minutes. Buttered popcorn is puréed with heavy cream and sometimes Ultra-Tex, a maize-based starch used in salad dressings, to thicken the sauce. The caramel is made with sugar, butter and heavy cream and mounted at the end with Miso paste, a soybean paste common in Japanese cooking, to add a butterscotch flavor. The wafer-thin peanut butter disk is made from peanut butter; fondant; Isomalt, a sugar substitute made from beets; and glucose to add some texture.

Seared Organic Chicken

The Poulet Rouge chicken breast with butter and thyme is poached sous vide about 140 degrees for an hour and then pan roasted to make the skin crispy. The chicken is served atop fingerling potatoes, roasted peppers and Vidalia onion confit. The thinly sliced onions are cooked in an onion-infused oil, sugar and thyme to taste caramelized but still be a bit crisp. Those are served next to an egg cooked in its shell for an hour at 147 degrees. The yolk and the white are the same consistency. A chorizo froth sits on top of the dish and is made with heavy cream, vegetable stock and puréed chorizo.

Strawberry Shortcake

A honey gelee is made with gelatin. It is topped with pound cake crumbs; strawberries macerated with St. Germain, an elderflower liqueur; and a one-spoon quenelle of mascarpone ice cream. Also on the plate are freeze-dried strawberries and dots of vanilla syrup, made with Tahitian vanilla beans, syrup and Ultra-Tex. Finally, liquid nitrogen is spooned over the plate to create a fog.

Note: The Mint's Chef Jeremy Clayman also offers a degustation menu, a series of small plates, for interested diners. It is not listed on the menu and has to be arranged ahead of time.

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