Who said you can’t have some fun playing around with food? When left to eat on their own, children absolutely create art and chaos with their food. On a more refined manner, chefs surely do so too with deconstructed food by separating the components of a dish and presenting them together. This business has started a food movement that has some loving and some disliking this culinary trend. Whether you are on either end of the spectrum or whether you have no experience with deconstructed food, let’s break down the history and definition that makes up deconstructed food before you try to deconstruct your food in the kitchen.
What is Deconstructed Food?
Ferran Adriá is widely known as the founder of deconstructed cuisine. Inspired to experiment with food, he reinterprets familiar dishes in an innovative new way while still preserving their true essence. He transforms the ingredients of the dish into something looking and feeling different by altering their form, temperature or texture. With these creative culinary techniques, he has launched a new era that motivates other chefs to experiment with how they present their food.
To deconstruct food, chefs interpret their own version of a dish, decipher what the core idea is, and dismantle the food down to its component parts. Though the food is served in an unconventional presentation, it usually doesn’t break down to the most basic ingredients. The pieces of the deconstructed dish are also delicious and edible on their own. All these tidbits sounds yummy and fun, so let’s get started on bringing deconstructed food to your kitchen with hardly any effort at all.
SAVORY FOOD
1. Deconstructed Omelette
Another way to make your eggs in the morning and an adventurous start to your day. Think about the ingredients that make up a basic omelet.
2. Deconstructed Egg Salad
Pulling apart the essential elements of a simple egg salad, you cannot go wrong with this deconstructed version that is more satisfying than its usual mixed presentation. Definitely a favorite quick snack or meal.
3. Deconstructed Sushi in a Mason Jar
Spare yourself the frustration of sushi rolling. This simple sushi recipe in a mason jar is delicious and portable. You can totally adjust the ingredients, say add a layer of imitation crab.
4. Low-Carb Deconstructed Pizza Casserole
Low-carb and gluten-free hopefully translate to a healthy comfort food. When you are really craving pizza and casserole, give this deconstructed combo a try and enjoy.
5. Deconstructed Taco in a Fritos Bag
Don’t know what to do with the Fritos left in your value pack of chips? Make this epic “Walking Taco,” which is great for a campfire meal, game night, potluck, or simply a meal to mix things up. This is absolutely kid approved.
6. Deconstructed Chicken Pot Pie
A different take on the overall taste of a traditional chicken pot pie. With rotisserie chicken meat as the filling and a puff pastry as the crust, you can have this dish in about 35 minutes. Yum.
7. Deconstructed Carbonara
A beloved Italian signature pasta dish. This deconstructed version is just right when you have a few small sheets of pasta and a little time.
8. Deconstructed Turkey Dinner
A simple approach to revolutionize the Thanksgiving bird. Deconstructing the turkey is absolutely ideal for your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers and for when you are just craving some turkey. This is a recipe keeper as it also cuts down the turkey cooking time to just an hour.
DESSERTS
9. Deconstructed Ice Cream Sandwich Milkshake
Instead of eating your classic ice cream sandwich, deconstruct it and drink your ice cream sandwich milkshake. Slowly sip and savor this truly chilly summer perfection.
10. Deconstructed Apple Pie
Pick up your fork for a flavorful bite of melting Greek yogurt, warm caramelized apples, crunchy maple roasted pecans, and cinnamon oats. What a sensational experience.
11. Simple Deconstructed Maple Cinnamon Apple Pie in a Jar
With three ingredients and a total time of seven minutes, this is the simplified version to have your sweet and cinnamon-y treat. It’s delicious when layered with vanilla ice cream, but you can enjoy even by itself or with oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, and more.
12. Deconstructed Blueberry Pie Parfaits
The components of a blueberry pie (blueberry sauce, buttery crust, and vanilla ice cream) are deconstructed to berries, granola, and vanilla yogurt in a parfait. Served hot or cold, this deconstructed pie parfait will definitely become a favorite of yours.
13. Deconstructed Chocolate Berry Pie
This is the creative and healthier spin on both deconstructed chocolate pudding pie and chocolate-covered strawberries. Avocado pudding replaces chocolate pudding while granola is a substitute for pie crust. Just be sure to make some extras for yourself and your friends.
Deconstructing food is applicable to virtually every recipe. Boil down a dish to a core idea and then rebuild it up from there. In the eyes of the chef, which is you when you deconstruct food, you will get food that reflects the idea of the dish. Have some creative fun in the kitchen and see what masterpieces you will make.