Food Friday: Thanks Heston

On our flight to Boston we had the good fortune to experience Heston Blumenthal's "Height Cuisine" concept.  If you are unfamiliar with this (and the only reason we know about it is because we saw a BBC documentary about it last year), Michelin starred chef Heston Blumenthal, renowned for molecular gastronomy, while attempting to improve airline food discovered tht out taste buds actually don't function fully at altitude.  Combine that with the fact that an airline cabin is several times dryer than the Sahara desert and it's no wonder airline food is tasteless.

Our dear Heston discovered that there is a certain flavor, umami, the 5th taste after sweet, salty, bitter and sour, that works really well at 30,000 feet.  Umami is a savory taste in seaweed, tomato and Parmesan cheese. the wines and cocktails offered are also chosen because their favors work well at altitude.

My starter was a pheasant, duck and pistachio terrine with plumb and baby onion confit.  It was delicious, but admittedly I like that sort of thing.  It was served with a salad that had an intense peppery flavor thanks to the baby rocket and red pepper flakes.  It also had green and black olives, red peppers and something mild that I could not identify.  It was so flavorful that I didn't use any salad dressing although I didn't love the flavor.

For my entree I had a seared fillet of beef with a Parmesan crust with celeriac dauphinoise and cabbage and carrot.  I mistook the celeriac for potatoes au gratin but did genuinely enjoy them.  Maybe it was some parm migrating from the beef?  The beef had a nice flavor (although a little salty, even for me--Ms. salt Tooth).  It was also way overdone for me, but I reminded myself to get a grip.  This was, after all, airline food.  Cabbage was also worth a mention.  Chiffonade, and knowing what I do about umami, I suspect with a little seaweed in there.  I finished it all

All served with a 2007 red Boudreaux (my choice).  I don't know anything about wine (except that I don't like sweet wine) but the menu explained that fruity reds and crisp whites work well at high altitude. I normally don't like cheesecake, but it had a lovely crisp, buttery crust so I finished every bite.

Our little boy had chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes and a whole plate of fruit.  I suspect the kids meals aren't part of the "height cuisine" menu, but he ate a reasonable amount.  Plus, he ate while watching Madagascar so I was happy to have some peace to enjoy my nice meal.