Espumas (yeah, foam)

Maybe you've heard of Ferran Adria, the Spanish chef who pioneered the use of a foaming sauces to achieve a certain texture and pairing to the accompanying food. Well, I was at an event recently at the Culinary Vegetable Institute in Huron, Ohio (http://www.culinaryvegetableinstitute.com) where I saw this in action.

This was listed on the menu as an "Espuma of carrot juice". Accompanying it is (from what I remember) arctic char, spinach, and lobster stuffed inside a squash blossom, shrimp, and a cucumber blossom. There's obviously another sauce but I don't remember what it was. I was disappointed by the espuma; it was just carrot juice foam and I really didn't get what all of the hubbub was about. I didn't think the texture added anything to the sauce or the accompaniments; maybe the chef was just testing this recipe, or just getting used to a new toy. But I fear that the foams are coming, and my advice is to run.

Note: I wasn't sure where to post this, as it doesn't neatly fit into one of the categories. I put it in Beyond Chicagoland since I tried it outside of the area, but it's not as if you could go to the CVI and order an espuma. It was a one-of-a-kind event.

FWIW, I'd say the foams were here already and left.

Trotter and Tramonto were on the foam bandwagon pretty early, like the mid-90's. By the time Achatz started making waves at Trio, the older guys were scoffing a little about all of the foams, emulsions, vapors and ethers, suggesting they were passe.

Foams can be nice, when a powerful taste is either carried by the light medium (eg, Trio's tomato foam, found in Achatz' mozzarella balloon) or contrasted with it (eg, Tramonto's dense shellfish bisque or truffle soup, lurking at the bottom of a foam-filled cup, like a savory cappucino). But foam for foam's sake is a little silly.

Tramonto seems to be signed up as a spokesman for one of the foam spritzer manufacturers, and so is still squirting foam in his presentations, especially when he has a chance to talk about the recipe to the dining audience.

I was at this Cheesemaker Dinner at Tru earlier this year, at which there was foam in the dish that Tramonto prepared.