See All 30 Courses of a Nathan Myhrvold “Modernist Cuisine” Dinner

Ex-Microsoft billionaire Nathan Myhrvold—an inventor, accomplished cook, and general renaissance geek—is the backer and brains behind the Beard-award-winning $625, 5-volume cookbook set Modernist Cuisine, a wondrously photographed science-of-the-kitchen encyclopedia that doubles as a cookbook for the liquid-nitrogen school of chefs. Recently (in advance of announcing this October’s Modernist Cuisine at Home volume for $115), he’s been hosting marathon dinners at his company’s combination kitchen, metalworking shop and scientific research facility (among other things, they’re working on tools to combat malaria, and keep a roomful of mosquitos fed on raisins). I was lucky enough to attend one dinner late last week, at which Myhrvold was very much acting the chef role with co-author Maxime Bilet. All shots by iPhone—some are a bit grainy. —Scott Mowbray

These non-dairy “butters” are the product of spinning fresh peas or corn in a centrifuge: no cooking, just spinning, which separates the constituents of the food. Pea butter was sweet and a bit pasty, corn was a gorgeously corn-y spread. 

Elote means corn, but this was freeze-dried corn nested in buttery powder with cilantro blossoms. Went “poof” in the mouth.

Chef Maxime Bilet, co-author of Modernist Cuisine, pours pea broth—a byproduct of centrifuging the aforementioned pea butter, sweet and clear—over sheep’s milk ricotta and pickled Meyer lemon. Lovely.

Based on a 15th century recipe (called a posset) using a weak citric acid solution (or lemon juice) to set a cream, which was infused with tea, overnight: a gentle pudding.