Food Hacking Lab, dyno-mite

So I occasionally post some food related things. I think this weekend has inspired me to do some more. I was honored through a string of coincidences have my house be a stop on the 2006 West Coast FoodHacking tour.I was introduced to Marc via a good friend. After discussing the possibility of Hack Lab this weekend, discovering Marc’s recent espresso deviriginization and newfound coffee lust it was on.

Marc mentioned he had just read one of David Schomer’s books and itchin to work on some coffee hacks among other things. Luckily I was able to round up some coffee geeks friends, including Chris the roaster from Zoka and Jacob from La Marzocco. Everything said and done I think we had ten participants over the course of the day. It was a kick ass time, everyone consumed waaaay too much espresso, I learned a ton although its just the tip of the iceberg concerning Molecular Gastronomy. Mucho props to everyone involved for sharing their food, gear, humor and knowledge.

I will go lite on the details here as I imagine the diligently kept notebook of Marc and Jules will be transcribed to the wiki shortly. Here are a few highlights from memory, although this does not nearly cover everything that was done:

• Omlete Hacks:
• Instruction on preperation of an omlete Frances style
• Making omlette’s with eggs that have been soaked or rubbed with ingredients including vodka and chocolate
• Poaching an egg yolk inside a cooked omlete. When the omlete is cracked open it oozes like an egg over easy… Yum
• Rosetta Hacks:
• Cream and Sassafras mixture for pouring Rosetta
• Preparation of a tomato cream to use in place of Milk for rosetta design
• Salmon Smoking:
• Salmon smoked w/Alder wood soaked in Arak Haddad, a liquor made from grape and anise
• Salmon smoked w/Alder wood and green (unroasted) ethiopian coffee
• Salmon smoked w/Alder wood and green Sumatra beans that were vacum infused with essential oils
• Cuban shots
• A portafilter of ground espresso roast coated with ground glucose and/or sucrose and pulled as a shot
• Coffee Roasting
• Roasting of columbian, sumatran, and ethiopian coffee beans in a columbian ball roaster over open fire
• Roasting of ethiopian coffee beans with essential oils
• Education of the cupping (tasting) method employed by coffee roasters/purchasers
• Cupping of all the different coffees roasted at the hacklab