Food chemistry at home

Ever wanted to make caviar from peas? I have, ever since I first ate them at Minibar in Cafe Atlantico. Well, now we all can indulge in a little bit of food chemistry--or molecular gastronomy, as the fancier name goes--in our own kitchens, courtesy of the Texturas Spherification Minikit from Dean & DeLuca.

It won't be easy. Your odds of success the first time are low, because this is tricky stuff. You have to spend a lot to get started: this kit runs $200 before taxes and shipping. Once you get over those two obstacles, however, you can play with this chemistry set for foodies and try to recreate some of the recipes that come with it--or roll your own. The product is the creation of El Bullitaller, which is the workshop where Ferran Adria, the famous chef of El Bulli, and his brother, Albert, devise new recipes.

El Bulli, by the way, is one of the few restaurants in the world that might cause me to fly across an ocean for dinner.

If you're into food and have the dough, check out the spherification kit before Dean & Deluca runs out of stock.