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Moshik Roth…A Very Precise Cook
| 2009-02-16 By Myra Prinsen Although he shies away from the term ‘molecular cooking’, Moshik Roth, who recently won a second Michelin star, undoubtedly uses some very unusual cooking techniques. After all, it’s not every chef who has a distillation column in their kitchen.  © Brouwerskolkje Moshik Roth argues that cooking a steak could be regarded as ‘molecular cooking’ and views the term as too general for his own approach in the kitchen, preferring instead to label his methods as ‘precise’. Roth’s menu focuses on aroma, taste and texture. That’s what it’s all about in his eyes. Like all great chefs he insists on the best ingredients. Seasonal produce and as fresh as possible. Slightly less orthodox is the chef’s approach to cooking as an exact science, compartmentalised into separate chapters such as analysis, separation and assembly. His processes draw on a number of almost alchemic techniques that are quite unique for the Dutch restaurant scene. With almost scientific precision, Roth immerses himself in the chemical properties of food in order to identify the optimum cooking temperatures for each ingredient and the impact of various techniques on texture and flavour. Ingredients are viewed in terms of acidity, bitterness, fat, sugar and salt. These are the basic components to be assembled in precise proportions and circumstances during the development of what he terms as his "stairway to heaven". The chef illustrates this point with a simple example: "The juice of an oyster tastes only of salt. The oyster itself brings bitterness: salt with fat. To this we can add a little lemon for freshness and, in this simple way, we are able to develop a gradually develop the taste."  © Myra Prinsen Separation, infusion and concentration One of Roth’s most favoured techniques is distillation. Ingredients are heated in a distillation column to enable the separation of each element. Each component boils at a different temperature and is collected and removed accordingly. The column’s results go far beyond the reach of a traditional kitchen with a good example being his method for achieving a pure, concentrated celery flavour: "It’s difficult to achieve celery extract from traditional methods as the flavour gains an increased bitterness. With distillation equipment, you can maintain a temperature of 37 degrees to achieve an ideal celery extract without any molecular modification." Extracting each component of the flavour through distillation takes around five hours and Roth uses the concentrated celery juice in mixing New Zealand flat oysters, yuzu [a Japanese citrus fruit] and Granny Smith apples. The gastrovac is another remarkable device in Roth’s kitchen. The exact opposite of a pressure cooker, ingredients are introduced to a low temperature vacuum and subtly infused with specific flavours. For example, eucalyptus oil is incorporated into a kohlrabi at regular intervals ensuring the same level is distributed evenly throughout. The kohlrabi is then served with couscous refined skate wing. Another favoured Roth technique is freeze drying. This process involves extracting an ingredient’s moisture at low temperatures to leave a strong, highly-concentrated flavour. The method is applied to various cheeses. For example, freeze dried Parmesan is used as a main ingredient for one of his sea bass dishes.  © Brouwerskolkje From rock and roll to adulthood So, have several years of unbridled distillation and vacuum freeze drying tamed Roth? "The beginning was all quite rock and roll. I wanted to explore techniques and surprise my guests by continually discovering something new. It was like puberty. Now I’ve reached adulthood. I still use the techniques but I try to give my guests a little more respite. I want them to assess the flavours rather than the techniques. Taste is fixed in memory and eating is a matter of memory. Tastes should match those memories. People don’t necessarily want to eat a tomato that is outside the signposts of their expectations.This connects to my kitchen. I address their expectations and, more than that, I give them the best tomato they've ever tasted. With these techniques I can optimize a tomato’s taste. And because I manage the process I get a consistent quality. In my restaurant a lobster is as delicious next week as it is today." No trainingbut two Michelin stars So, despite his obvious issues with the term, is Roth the most molecular chef in the Netherlands? Whatever the answer, his achievements are made even more remarkable given the absence of any culinary training in his background. Roth’s knowledge and understanding has all been gained on the job. Following several years working in the Israeli tourism sector, Roth left his native country 14 years ago to follow Els, the great love of his life. Upon arriving in the Netherlands, he landed a job in a pizzeria before his talents were noticed by a chef with a restaurant in Zwolle who arranged kitchen placements at local restaurants and the Sheraton hotel. In 2002, Roth and his wife opened their 25-cover Brouwerskolkje restaurant in a quaint wooden building in the Overveen woods near the coast. In late 2008, Roth’s precise culinary style was rewarded with two Michelin stars, a remarkable feat for someone who had only opened his first restaurant six years earlier and who had never set foot in catering college. Roth attributes his devotion to cooking to his father and grandmother but there is little else to suggest he draws any inspiration from his homeland: "I find my inspiration here in these surroundings, on the seafront, in the dunes and the woods. And, of course, from my wife who has invested so much, alongside me, in the field of gastronomy.” Restaurant BrouwerskolkjeBrouwerskolkweg 5 2051 ED Overveen Tel. 023-5240861 www.brouwerskolkje.nl |
