The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Champagne physicist reveals the secrets of bubbly Posted: 18 Sep 2012 07:03 PM PDT  Liger-Belair works on a glass of Champagne in his laboratory, on September 13, 2012 in Reims, located in the Champagne region in eastern France. — AFP pic Bubbles are his passion. And they have given the 41-year-old French scientist arguably the best job in all of physics. In a lab supplied with top-notch champagne, Liger-Belair delves into the secrets of fizz: What gives this legendary wine its sparkle to the eye, its tingle to the tongue? A bottle of bubbly without the bubbles — all 10 million of them — would be a sad thing indeed, admits Liger-Belair. "It wouldn't be a very good wine," the scientist said in his lab at the University of Reims. "The heart of champagne lies in the bubble." Champagne is made under a two-stage, tightly-regulated process. First, it is made into a wine from grapes exclusive to the Champagne region east of Paris. Then a tiny quantity of yeast, plus sugar to feed it, is added. The bottle is stored upside down and rotated daily so that the fermentation deposit slides to the neck, which is then frozen, forming a plug of sediment that is then withdrawn. The bottle is secured by a cork and wire cage, and allowed to mature. When you pour a glass of it, you are also releasing a fluid with two million bubbles, which is where the fun science begins. "We have made discoveries that are really exclusive to champagne, things that have not been observed before," says Liger-Belair. How bubbles form, rise and cluster in the glass will determine the champagne's visual allure. As you bring the glass closer to your mouth, the bursting of bubbles at the surface will release tiny droplets to your face and aromatic molecules to your nose, adding a discreet, sensual feel. And when you take a sip, those bubbles will sculpt the "feel" of the wine — too many are unpleasant, too few are disappointing — and activate carbon-dioxide receptors on the tongue to send tiny signals of excitement to the brain. "Here's a sequence of high-speed pictures of a bubble that is about to pop on the surface of the wine," says Liger-Belair, pointing to phenomenon called a Worthington jet captured by a 5,000-frames-per-second camera. "It explodes, making a tiny crater on the surface. The crater closes up and then ejects a thread of liquid, which then breaks up in droplets that can fly up to 10-centimetres." Using an ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometer in Germany to analyse the chemical structure of samples, Liger-Belair's team found that this effervescence is laden with "tensio-active" molecules, hundreds of them aromatic. Liger-Belair also figured out why strings of bubbles rise from certain points in glass. It happens when microscopic fibres — left by a kitchen towel or often just an airborne particle — stick to the side, allowing molecules of dissolved carbon dioxide to coalesce and form bubbles. The finding is important for champagne fans and the catering industry. Glasses that are retrieved from a dishwasher, where they have been washed and blown-dry upside down, could be so ultra-clean that — horribly — few bubbles form. Top-market glassmakers now use lasers to etch a tiny crown of spots at the bottom of the glass, creating flaws to make bubbles form and rise in a pretty ring. Champagne fans can make a few small scratches of their own — "no more, otherwise you have a huge degassing," says Liger-Belair — with a spiked tool. An ancient row resolved This year, Liger-Belair and colleagues issued a devastating verdict on a debate that had raged for hundreds of years. Should you drink champagne from a tall, long-stemmed glass, a "flute" in French? Or should it be a "coupe," the shallow cup that according to legend is moulded on the breast shape of Marie-Antoinette? Gas chromatography showed a "coupe" loses CO2 at least a third faster than a "flute". So unless you drink very quickly, you lose the precious effervescence. In similar vein, drinking champagne from a plastic cup can be a drab experience because the sides are hydrophobic, or liquid repelling. The bubbles adhere to the sides through capillary action and inflate into the size of tiny balls. Liger-Belair's work has been published in peer-reviewed journals aimed at fluid physicists and beverage specialists who deal with other sparkling wines, beers and sodas. In the Champagne region, it has been instrumental in helping winegrowers finetune the second stage of fermentation. The tradition was to add in 24g of sugar per litre of champagne, but the trend now is 18g, the lowest permissible under regulations, he explains. "People prefer smaller bubbles, possibly because this quality is associated with vintage champagne," the scientist says. "The easiest way to produce finer bubbles is to reduce the quantity of CO2 which is dissolved in the champagne, and this is linked to the amount of sugar." Liger-Belair says he has occasionally sparred with traditionalists who say too much physics will kill the myth of champagne. Champagne portrays itself as a small-scale, artisanal product, a wine of ancient knowledge and "terroir", a French word redolent of the soil. But Philippe Jamesse, head wine waiter at a five-star Reims chateau, Les Crayeres, says science and wine can go hand in hand. "When you see Gerard's work, you understand why the 'coupe' is completely out-dated," he says. "We don't have any here." So what does the scientist do with all the booze? Once the experiment is over, does he drink it? "Unfortunately, no," says Liger-Belair. "By that time, it's warm and undrinkable. I think I must have thrown more champagne down the sink than anyone else on this planet." — AFP-Relaxnews |
| Chef Korn shares his recipes with the world Posted: 18 Sep 2012 04:39 PM PDT  Chef Korn believes the most ingredient in every recipe is love.
The lovely aroma of the rice filled the restaurant as it was brought out in a gold bowl, joining the plate of steamed chicken already on the table. There were also chilli sauces and a soup of radish and fish balls plus fresh coriander and cucumber on the side. "It's a secret recipe," said Korn when I asked whether he was going to feature it in a future cookbook. "I'm the only one who has this roasted chilli paste with dark sauce," he said, as he taught me how to eat the rice. "Take the roasted chilli paste, mix with the rice in one corner and taste, then put the chicken on top and add the other chilli sauce (made of chillies, garlic, taucheo and ginger). "My father always says my chicken rice is the best." Indeed it was. It was a fitting and scrumptious preamble to our chat about Thai@home which was launched on the second day of Raya at Bookfest@Malaysia 2012 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. There, he had a cooking demo, and turned out Pineapple Burgers and Tuna Salad from recipes in the book. "We sold out the entire supply of 50 books in a short time!" Korn , who is from Bangkok, learnt how to cook from his mother at age seven. In Thai@home, he relates how his mother was the toughest teacher, always insisting on making everything perfect whether in taste or presentation. The chef has also mastered the art of royal Thai cuisine There are 50 recipes in the book which was originally meant to be launched next year. But then the people from Seashore Publishing (M) Sdn Bhd came to try the food at Erawan and asked if he could finish the book within a month.  Also in the book is the recipe for Mackerel with Garlic and Pepper. Four days were allocated for shooting the pictures. "But one day we made 41 dishes. We worked until the photographer said 'stop!' It had started in the morning and it was already 7pm. The next day we finished the rest." All the crockery and cutlery used for the photography are from the award-winning restaurant. "We did everything ourselves. The food stylist came with her bag of things, but she never needed to bring out anything from it! "Everything was original from the restaurant; the food was cooked and put on the plate." The concept for the book was simple and easy. "We started from the basics. Some of the recipes are for people who don't even have a stove or any electrical equipment. "For instance, I have recipes for a Tuna Salad and a Sardine Salad. You just take the tuna and the sardines out of the can. Other ingredients you can find easily in your kitchen. "And if you have eggs, you can make a soup, starter and a main course with them," said the chef.  Hardboiled Eggs with Black Sauce is a dish every Thai child grows up eating. "I wanted to give the very correct ingredients and recipes. Most cookbooks on Thai food are done by foreigners, and they get the ingredients wrong. Some use ginger instead of galangal for tomyam. They would use sweet basil, when Thai basil (holy basil) is called for." He wanted to include in the book original recipes that were easy to follow and take a short time to cook. "They are also healthy too. People think Thai food is so difficult to cook and that it's so spicy. But it's not. You can play around with the level of hotness. "If everything is spicy, how can Thai children eat the food? I started with non-spicy food as a child, and the level of spiciness was raised as I grew up. Some children would say they ate their father's curry and had to pour water over their heads! "I have the Khai Pha Lo – Hard-boiled Egg with Black Sauce – for the children. In Thailand they grow up eating this; it's a suitable dish for them." He also has recipes for green curry and tomyam. "It's the same recipes I use for Erawan. I only change the fish. Some of the dishes in the book are served here. Some people bring the book, point and order (which is not advised). Better go to the Erawan website to make your order." "I have always wanted my own cookbook but not this fast. Like overnight 'boom!' and it's here." But it has got him started on collecting his own recipes for future books. "There will be more coming, and the level of cooking will get more advanced."  You will find the recipe for Pineapple Burgers in the book. "Even if I die, I will be leaving something behind. It's my property." Now he is starting to think of very unique recipes for his next book. "I've always like to try something new. My kitchen is my lab. I have success, I have failure, I have fun! But I must never stop. That's why our food is different. "Now in the restaurant, everyone orders my Mangosteen Salad. Sometimes it runs out. I buy 10kg of mangosteens a day, choosing the ones with the very small seeds. The season will end soon." The chef has observed how diners come to the restaurant quiet at first, and then everyone is laughing and enjoying themselves. "I cook with love. If you do something with love, you do your best. If the food is lousy, people will be unhappy. There was a couple who did not talk to each other at first, but they did after eating my food. And they came back again, happy!" Korn's Thai@home is available at all Popular Bookstores. You can get the cookbook at Erawan too, and Korn will autograph it for you. Erawan is at No. 22-1, Jln PJU 5/16, Dataran Sunway Kota Damansara,Petaling Jaya. Tel: 03-6141 2393. |
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 — There was chicken rice, Thai style, waiting for me when I arrived at Erawan Classic Thai & Fusion Restaurant in Kota Damansara to talk to chef Korn Yodsuk about his new cookbook Thai@home.| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Food To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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