Heston Blumenthal: In Search of Perfection - Season 2

Heston Blumenthal: In Search of Perfection - Season 2

Season 2

Network
Episodes8
DatesOct 16, 2007 - Dec 18, 2007
Previous Season

Episodes

Chicken Tikka Masala
Season 2Episode 130 min

Chicken Tikka Masala

In the first episode, Heston turned his attention to Chicken tikka masala. The search started at his local curry house in Cookham, Berkshire, but soon took him to Delhi where he tried to unravel the complicated roots of this dish. On returning to his restaurant in Bray, Heston tried to build his own tandoor but soon realised that most people aren't able to dig a five-foot-deep hole in the ground and line it with fire bricks. So, he came up with a more accessible solution - a barbecue, but with a few bespoke alterations. In Cambridge, Heston put a chicken breast through a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to see how a marinade affects the meat as he tried to create the perfect sauce.
Oct 16, 2007
Cheese Burger
Season 2Episode 230 min

Cheese Burger

Heston tackled an American icon that has taken over the world, the hamburger. He started his research at Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, where hamburgers have been served since 1898. In New York City Heston does something he hasn't done for over a decade - he eats a Big Mac - before sitting down to chat with top American chef Thomas Keller at his café, Bouchon Bakery. There he enjoyed an inspirational burger made from wagyu beef encased in a buttery brioche. Back home he got to grips with blending three cuts of beef and comes up with a unique method for grinding that really will make your burger melt in the mouth.
Oct 23, 2007
Peking Duck
Season 2Episode 330 min

Peking Duck

Heston's quest to recreate some of Britain's best-loved dishes took him to Beijing, the home of Peking duck to visit two of its most famous duck restaurants - the traditional Quanjude and the cutting-edge Dadong. Back home Heston decided to present his Peking duck in three courses with eight separate dishes. He visited a duck producer in Ireland who supplies 98 per cent of all ducks to Chinese restaurants in Britain and found out why the characteristics of their breed make them ideal for cooking Peking duck. Heston then tackled the complex problem of achieving the perfect crispy duck skin without drying out the meat in his lab in Bray.
Oct 30, 2007
Fish Pie
Season 2Episode 430 min

Fish Pie

Heston was determined to encapsulate all he loves about the seaside into his perfect fish pie. He started out in Scotland where he went aboard a Glasgow University research vessel to find out how one of the UK's biggest seafood catches, langoustines, can be affected by stress. Then it was time to deal with the other fish - salmon and haddock, both of which he cured in a seaweed and salt mix before heading to the DIY store to buy a squirrel cage (which he needed to smoke his haddock!). Then it was time to draw on Heston's affection for the seaside. Heston created 'sand and sea water' that turned the top of this fish pie into an edible beach. Finally, at Oxford University, we found out why it is that what we hear has such an impact on what we taste: test out the theory yourself by listening to the sound of the sea while eating fish pie. Also, find out more about sensory perception.
Nov 20, 2007
Baked Alaska
Season 2Episode 530 min

Baked Alaska

Heston took on a 1970s dessert trolley classic, baked Alaska. His research started at Delmonico's restaurant in New York City, said to be where this dessert was invented. Next his obsession with combining hot and cold in the same dish led him to the work of food scientist Nicolas Kurti, who inspired Peter Barham at Bristol University. Heston and Peter tried to create a hot jam centre - a kind of reversed baked Alaska - to interesting effect. The next challenge was the meringue. The key to perfecting this was finding the type of egg that will give the ultimate insulation for the ice cream inside, so it was back to the lab for some more experiments
Nov 27, 2007
Chilli Con Carne
Season 2Episode 630 min

Chilli Con Carne

Heston Blumenthal went in search of the perfect chilli con carne in last week's programme. He joined the crowds at a chilli cook-off in downtown Washington DC before heading back to Bray to test several types of dried chillies, including Somalian hot and devil's penis chillies, before creating his own spice blend. Heston took one of his chefs for an MRI scan to discover the effect that feeding him chilli oil nine times stronger than any natural chilli has! The ingredients that went into Heston's final dish were whiskey, beef short-ribs and a curious blend of spices, all accompanied by a sour cream sorbet and a sweetcorn muffin.
Dec 4, 2007
Risotto
Season 2Episode 730 min

Risotto

Heston took on an Italian favourite - risotto. He visited Gualtieri Marchesi in Lombardy, Italy, whose saffron risotto with gold leaf has earned him three Michelin stars. Then, having paid respects to the old guard, he visited a new-wave Italian chef, Carlo Cracco, who flavours his risottos with some extraordinary ingredients, including instant coffee and anchovies. Heston visited two of Italy's top rice producers, before returning home to decide on what he was going to do with this most simple of dishes - it turns out to be one of his biggest challenges.
Dec 11, 2007
Trifle
Season 2Episode 830 min

Trifle

In the final episode of the series Heston took on the trifle. His journey started with a Bird's trifle. Less than impressed with it, Heston went back to the roots of this dish and visited food historian Ivan Day. Together they made a version of syllabub (the basis of English trifle) by milking a cow straight into a bowl of cider! Ivan explained the evolution of trifle from its 16th century roots through to a dish that we might recognise as trifle.
Dec 18, 2007

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Frontline
Running

Frontline

Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast by serving as a catalyst for change.

.

GenreDrama
Countdown
Running

Countdown

Countdown begins with a suspicious murder in broad daylight, leading Los Angeles Police Department officer Mark Meachum to be recruited to a secret task force of undercover agents from all branches of law enforcement that will investigate the death. But as the truth of a more sinister plot comes into focus, the team must overcome their conflicting personal agendas to unite and save a city of millions.

Dexter: Resurrection
Upcoming

Dexter: Resurrection

Dexter: Resurrection, a continuation of Dexter: New Blood, takes place weeks after Dexter Morgan takes a bullet to the chest from his own son, as he awakens from a coma to find Harrison gone without a trace. Realizing the weight of what he put his son through, Dexter sets out for New York City, determined to find him and make things right. But closure won't come easy. When Miami Metro's Angel Batista arrives with questions, Dexter realizes his past is catching up to him fast. As father and son navigate their own darkness in the city that never sleeps, they soon find themselves deeper than they ever imagined - and that the only way out is together.

The Crow Girl
Running

The Crow Girl

The Crow Girl begins with the gruesome discovery of a teenage boy's body discarded in plain sight. Determined to find who is responsible, DCI Jeanette Kilburn joins forces with psychotherapist Sophia Craven to hunt the killer despite opposition from her superiors including confidant DI Lou Stanley.

The investigation takes them into a dangerous world of historic abuse and murder. Together they uncover a chain of shocking events involving the disappearance of children that have gone overlooked for decades, as well as evidence of police corruption.  As the body count rises and the two women are dragged into the depths of the murders, an intimacy starts to form between them, and so begins a complex, twisted love story. All the while, the killer is inching ever closer to home.

Snapped
Running

Snapped

Who are these women and what drives them to kill? Oxygen's hit true crime series, Snapped, profiles fascinating cases of women accused of murder. Did they really do it? And if they did, why? Whether the motivation is revenge against a cheating husband, the promise of a hefty insurance payoff, or putting an end to years of abuse, the reasons are as varied as the women themselves. From socialites to secretaries, female killers share one thing in common: at some point, they all snapped. Each episode of Snapped chronicles the life of a woman who has been charged with murder. These shocking but true stories turn common assumptions about crime and criminals upside down, and prove that even the most unlikely suspects can be capable of murder.

GenreCrime