coconut lime mayonnaise
Michael Ruhlman's post on mayo came at a coincidental moment when we were deciding on which way to go with a certain element. Reading the classic technique, and alternative ways brought me back to gel emulsions. I mean basically using a fluid gel as a base to emulsify oil and other flavors. The gel above is made from a coconut milk gellan gel blended and incorporated with lime juice, sea salt, and a very fruity olive oil. Ingenious old techniques remind us that food is always about looking at things in different ways and being open to the possibilities. That's where this big picture is going. Getting from point A to point 27-z (or wherever else you want to go or may end up). The smoothness of the pure creamy base with the acid and the oil... they're not that far from the classic, but with an endless choice of new flavor profiles. Here's the dish, a play on some typical Floribbean flavors...
stone crab, carambola pickles, kaffir leaf oil, coconut lime mayonnaise
Too bad I don't have Donna to take my photos. This is the clearest shot I have.