Chef Yoshinaga Jinbo's Take on Murasaki Fioretto
Complementing his theme of colorful vegetable abundance and delicately layered flavor, watch as Chef Yoshinaga Jinbo of Tokyo restaurant Jinbo Minami Aoyama uses marinated Murasaki Fioretto in a dish paired with Sawara Mackerel.
He demonstrates how this purple cauliflower holds its color in cooking, and brightens to fuchsia with the addition of an acid. This results in a chemical reaction: the lemon juice (the acid) lowers the pH, causing the anthocyanins (purple pigment) in the florets to turn bright pink.
For even more detail:
Anthocyanins are organic chemicals. They are flexible and can change shape depending on their interactions. Their different shapes can make them better or worse at absorbing certain wavelengths (i.e., colors) of light.
Adding more hydrogen ions (when pH is lowered) changes their shape in a way that makes anthocyanins less able to absorb red wavelengths—meaning we see more red.
This creates a gorgeous contrast in both the color and flavor of the dish. Thank you Chef Jinbo for using this variety so beautifully. Watch below:
