(egg clinking)
(shell cracking) (oil sizzling) (upbeat music) - Hello, and welcome to Sorted Food. - Hello.
- Hi. - Today, we've got another
pretentious ingredients episode where we've got Barry, he's a normal, and Ben, he's a chef. They're gonna try some ingredients and determine whether or not they think they are pretentious ingredients. We're gonna offer so much
insight from the side, aren't we? - We are. (upbeat music) - [Mike] Feeling good?
- Yep. - [Mike] Feeling judgy?
- Yep. - Excellent, lift the cloche. (Mike gasps) - I lifted that cloche with some vigour. And with it came a lot of aroma. That is one chunky, fresh pod. - Of? - Vanilla, I presume. - Vanilla. - It looks like a very girthy vanilla pod. - [James] Yes, Barry. These
are Tahitian vanilla pods. Grown in the Raiatea
Island of French Polynesia. These vanilla pods are
cultivated using plant compost made from coconut palms and coconuts producing long and fleshy beans with delicious caramel and anise flavours. - Wow. Okay, so that is
no normal vanilla pod? - Do you know about vanilla species? - Not at all. - I didn't know there were that many. - One is the vanilla planifolia, which is the Madagascan variety. It originated in Mexico, but the French originally
cultivated it in Madagascar. Now it's cultivated all across the world, but hence why it's called
Madagascan vanilla. Vanilla Tahitensis is
the Tahitian variety, which is a hybrid evolving from the original vanilla planifolia
when it was grown Tahiti. Thus, tahitensis taste
completely different. - It smells incredible. And it is one of the
softest, fleshiest pods I've poked for a while. (Mike laughs) - Should we put something in
his mouth so he can't talk? - Yeah, let, great idea. - [Both] Oh. - Very nice. (Barry scratching throat) - Barry, we've made you a strawberry tart, and it's got creme diplomat in it. And we used an entire vanilla pod for the batch of creme diplomat. And we macerated the
strawberries in salt and sugar and another entire vanilla pod, so that you've got the
full vanilla flavour. - [Ben] Wow, no expense spared. I know how expensive vanilla is. May I? - We'll see about that. - We'll see. - [Mike] So there is a fair old bit of vanilla in that
because we really want you to taste any differences
that you can note. - So here's the thing
I have against vanilla, and that's it's poor reputation. Because it has been stigmatised as being "vanilla and boring" and yet, when it is celebrated
like that, it is sublime. - It does taste like there's
something else mixed into it. It's almost like there
is a fruitiness to it. - It tasted really of cherry to me. - Yeah, I got a lot of cherry. - Cherry? - I don't think I've ever
tasted vanilla like that. - From what I understand, the
vanilla plant is an orchid that basically needs to be hand pollinated one day in a whole year. And if you don't do it on that one day, you don't get a harvest. So it's tricky, hence
why it's so expensive. The premium range of a supermarket, two Madagascan vanilla pods, 6 pounds. So essentially 3 pounds per pod. - Yep. - How much do you think we paid per pod for the Tahitian vanilla? - 6 pound a pod seems like a lot, but I imagine it reaches that price because there's not enough
of them in the world, and the people who do want them
know why they're worth that and would pay it... 6 pound a pod. - I reckon there are
three pods worth in that, so straight away minimum
is gonna be 9 pounds. We're in a pretentious
video, it's a very rare item. So let's triple that again. That seems silly. (Mike laughs loudly) With that reaction, that now seems silly. 16 pounds. - Actually works out 7 pounds 30, per pod. - Okay, cool. It's a fundamental ingredient in baking. So I feel like you're paying then just for the quality of it. And if this is the highest in quality then I don't think that
makes it pretentious. - It's just in short supply, high demand, and it takes a lot to
get it to that stage. Not pretentious, (whispers)
just very expensive. (upbeat music) - Started off strong, boys. - Lift the cloche. - Ooh, and here we go. What is that? - [James] It's obvious to Barry as well. - [Mike] Yeah, 100%. And he's probably already
got it, that's why. - Should it be that colour? (Ben laughs) - All right, so we have crystals. Is it a rock salt? - It looks like some fictional gemstone that you could ward off dragons with. (Ben laughs) Mm, I shouldn't have put it in my mouth. It's just, it's salt. - [Mike] These are
Persian blue salt rocks, the rarest and most exclusive
salts on the planet. - [Barry] They are beautiful. - [Mike] Extracted from a
salt mine in Northern Iran, the colour comes from the formation of the crystal structure
under intense pressure. The crystals fracture the light, creating the optical illusion
of a shimmering blue jewel. The salt has a silky sweetness that works beautifully when grated with a grater over salads
and truffle dishes. Wait for it. This is where it gets even more "Barry". - [James] We thought you might carry that in your pocket or something. On your key ring. - Grab it. - [James] He has got one. - you've got one? Oh, shut up. - I was looking for one of these, for wasabi the other day. - Have it, 'cause Barry's already got one. No lie. (salt grating) - I would compare it to
what I would associate with a good sea salt. It's got a minerality to it
beyond just sodium chloride. But, not hugely different, no. - It's a bit of theatre to the table. I think that bit I get. - Would you like to taste a dish topped with some of this rare salt? - Yeah.
- [James] He's gonna say yeah. - Fantastic, bring it. - Oh, yes. - Oh, (laughs) yummy. - [Mike] Barry, we have
made you a beef tartare straight out of our very
own cookbook, "How We Cook". It's a classic dish with
some brioche on the side. - [Mike] I'm having a really nice day. - [James] Are you? - Yeah, I'm enjoying this. (salt grating) (salt clinking) Rivsalt started by a Swede who was in a Teppanyaki
restaurant in Beijing. And he was inspired by
the big ginger grater and using the rock salt. So it sort of combines
that with Scandi design, and came up with the Rivsalt brand. - After over a decade of doing this, we still come across things... two today, that are new to us. And that we learn and
it's a talking point. That's its purpose, surely. - Actually, do you know, by
approaching it like that, you're not setting it up to
be anything that it's not. - That is an amazing dish. Every part of it should be celebrated, even that final flourish. So what better way to,
as a final flourish, than a little grating
of Rivsalt salt on top. I like it. - Should we talk about price? I'm gonna give you a frame of reference, and that is Maldon sea salt flakes. We use those a lot. For 250 grammes of Maldon, it's 2 pounds, 20. Or 8 pounds, 80 a kilo. - How much does that weigh? - You have 150 grammes there. - I wouldn't be surprised
if they're 2 pounds a rock. So let's say 6 pounds. - Either this is probably
10 times at 22 pounds for those three. - Oh, mate, you're in luck. It's 15 pounds, 95. - Oh.
- 106 pounds a kilo. - I mean, that's still a lot - [Mike And Ben] for salt. - An ornament, as much
as it is an ingredient. - Well, in that case,
Persian blue salt rocks, pretentious or not? - If this isn't pretentious,
then I don't know what is. - The idea and the story around this one feels a bit more pretentious. And I don't know how I can justify that based on the same logic with vanilla, which I thought was not. But I think this might be. (upbeat music) - [James] Lift the cloche. - (beep) (Barry laughs) - Oh. (Mike laughs) - [Ben] L'escargot. - Are they snails Are they snails? - [James] Yeah. Good job. - I do like snails when
they're covered in garlic and parsley and butter, and you can't taste the snail. (laughs) - They actually come in a presentation tin and empty shell gift set. And snails are considered
something of a French delicacy often referred to as escargots, and frequently cooked with butter, finely chopped shallots, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. - The environment in
which you eat a snail in, is usually quite pretentious. It's usually high end restaurants, is what I'd associate snails to be in. But actually as an ingredient, I mean you couldn't get any more basic. - I like the idea of snails
because of their tradition. And I've had them in France a few times before over the years. - Shall we give you an
opportunity to get over the fact that they're snails in a cooked dish? - Please. - I think you're gonna like it. - What is that? I love, I love the presentation. I must say this is beautiful. - You've seen what's in front of you? - Yeah. - [James] I kind of assume that you know what that is a version of? - I presume this is snail porridge. - It is. - He's a chef. - It's not "The" snail porridge, but it is our interpretation of snail porridge.
- Yeah, this one's got full Michelin stars. - Lovely. - A very famous dish by Heston. So it's the, it's like, stock
that the snails are cooked in, that braised for a very, very long time. And then it's mixed in with herbs and it's cooked as a porridge with oats. - I can't believe that you are feeling a bit squeamish about snails. And then we serve up a
delicious green snail porridge and it still isn't making you salivate. (upbeat house music) - Unreal. - So good, aint it? - Absolutely yummy, melts in the mouth. Which so often they can be
like bullets and a bit rubbery. - Those have been braised
for a very long time. Four to five hours. - Now this absolutely is
not a traditional look at how snails are used. They make up the parts
of ragout's in France, as well as being served with parsley, garlic, butter, et cetera. Paella's in Spain. All over Europe. So, you know, where are
you leaning at the moment? - This actually is giving
me goosebumps, a little bit. Sometimes when you have food
that takes you by surprise, they makes your hairs
in the back of your neck stand up a little bit. I, it genuinely excites
me, but they're delicious. And they are not pretentious,
no matter what the price. - Oh, no matter what the price? - There is this perception that tinned or canned food is generally cheaper. We disprove that when we
looked at things like the duck. The confit duck in a tin that was French and actually well sourced. And it's a great product in a tin. Eight quid?
- 300 grammes, these are priced at 9.99. - Mmh.
- It's good. Cause it's, for us, it's a novelty to spending 10 quid on some snails is a, I think that's a bargain. - They're fairly expensive for something you can
dig up in the garden. (Mike and James chuckle) - I wonder what the species is and whether you could just go and pick them from any garden. - You're not the first
person who said that today. - Oh. - Pretentious or not? - Not pretentious. - No, just not celebrated
enough in the UK. Not pretentious. - But you like them? - Yes. - Still on a 100%. (upbeat music) Last one, Bazz. Give the cloche a lift. - That is a lot of the mustard. - Sticking with a French theme. Moutarde. - [Barry] Is it just standard mustard? It looks it. I mean, that's whole grain mustard. (Barry scratches throat) Okay.
That's some fiery mustard. - [Mike] Tastes like mustard? (Mike laughs) - It's got a musty burn. - Oh, it gets stronger. (Barry laughs) That's
what I'm talking about. I love whole grain mustard to the point where I would
slather my ham sandwich with a good thick layer of it. Because, I can't get it hot enough. We've found it. It's got to have, it's either the really
high quality mustard seeds, or mega fresh to make it that powerful. Or it's just something else in it. - Some form of alcohol
which also gives it acidity. - It is alcohol. This is Pommery Royal mustard with cognac. - Cognac? - Pommery Royal mustard with cognac is a heavenly combination of
gourmet whole grain mustard and luxurious cognac. - I go through quite a
lot of mustard at home. I probably go through a jar a month. - [James] Do you think you
would go through this jar? - Oh, no, I wouldn't go through that jar. That's a big jar. - Who doesn't love a
wax seal on something? I dream the day, one
day I can get a letter through the post with a seal like that on top. - It's really nice that he remembered our wedding invitations. - Oh, that's where I saw it! Done on the right occasion, sometimes it can be a
little bit tacky (beep). (both laughing) - So the brand of this particular mustard, Moutarde de Meaux, are from Meaux, a cathedral town about 60
kilometres West of Paris which is a town famous
for producing mustard. - Not as famous as Dijon. - Well, okay, can you
taste the Cognac in it? - No. - No, you can't really. - I couldn't identify it. - Well, wanna try it with a dish? - Yes. - Ben, we've cooked you
something delicious. I say that. Me and Mike have done nothing. This is pan roasted pork fillet
with a mustard cream sauce. (upbeat jazz music) - Super, super delicious. - Oh, wow, it looks good. That sauce looks amazing. - It's not attacking me in
the same pleasurable way. - With a paddle? - But I'm still getting the
warmth just as pleasurable. - Ebbers, are we even teetering on the edge of pretentious here? (Ben inhaling) - I feel like it's such a
French thing like l'escargot, that just because it's not normal to us we think it must be pretentious because it's from the home of cuisine. But it's not. It's just traditional
and yummy and delicious. - Very, very special. - Okay, Barry, taking
everything into consideration. The taste, where it's from, the jar. - [Mike] The wax seal. (laughs) - Which is classy when
done for wedding invites. (Barry laughs) How much would you think that this jar of a 500 grammes of mustard cost? To give you a bit of a reference point, a premium mustard brand that
we bought from the supermarket in a 210 gramme jar, was
1 pound, 30, for the jar. So that's 62 p. per 100 grammes. - (laughs) That's about double the price, might as well guess. So let's just say this is around 6 quid. - If that was 18 quid, I'll take the rest of
the jar off your hands. - Wow.
- Holy guacamole. - It's nearly half that, it's 9.99. - That is a bargain! I just presume, I was just scaling up based on the size of it. - So yeah, two and a bit
times more expensive, but tasted, in my opinion, more than two and a bit times better. - I think I was hoping for 6
pounds if I'm honest. - I love it. - Barry Taylor, pretentious or not? The mustard we're talking about. (Barry laughs) But, comment below. - If it's great quality
ingredient, it's made well, and it does what it says on the tin, it's not pretentious. But because it's served at
500 grammes with a wax top, it is delicious, I do want the whole jar, and it is pretentious. - So by sticking to their
roots by wax sealing with the cork, he thinks... - Hundreds of years
worth of craftsmanship. - History. In fact, Barry Taylor is literally saying history is pretentious. - I don't think it is. I think it's, again, exquisite. - Damn. - Damn. But we've had a
100% Ebber's satisfaction? - I have been so happy today. - Well, over to you guys. Did you like any of those ingredients? Did you think they were pretentious? Comment below, let us know. - And let us know what ingredients we should review next in the comments. - As always, join in the
conversation over on Twitter with the #sortedpretentious. - We have a juggernaut
of a cookbook on the way. The ultimate cooking
battles normal's edition, features fantastic recipes
assembled from our battle videos, rewritten especially for
this illustrated cookbook. Sorted club members can pre-order a copy right now with a discount. And if you're not a member, don't worry. You can sign up now for free in a flash and get the amazing Meal Packs app, and get the discount on the book. Shazam, how marvellous is that? - I tried to look at you really hard the whole way through so that people like... shipped us.
