Earlier this summer, we introduced you to Chef Watson, the cool new "cognitive cooking" technology that IBM is developing in partnership with Bon Appétit. Using the system's capabilities—built partly on our database of 9,000 recipes and partly on Watson's understanding of flavor combinations—the BA test kitchen created a surprising July 4th–themed menu: fennel-spiced short ribs, a grilled corn salad, and an herbaceous berry cobbler. (For an in-depth look at how this all actually goes down, see here.) And that's when the challenges began.
First, we asked you, our readers, to invent a potato salad using Watson's ingredient ideas (here's the winning recipe), and then, once IBM opened up Chef Watson to beta-testing by a select (and ever-widening) group of users, we dared them to develop a dish starring the king of summer produce—the tomato, obvs—in whatever form they liked. With one exception: It couldn't be a salad.
Now, after a week or two of testing (and refining, and retesting) by our senior food editor, Dawn Perry, we have some winners to announce: a light gazpacho, a savory tart, and an ambitious seared scallop dish with a flavorful tomato water. And perhaps more so than in previous Chef Watson experiments, we learned what the system is capable of, where human hands (and brains) remain absolutely essential, and how Watson can continue to evolve in the future. In a minute, the winners—but first, the lessons:
Tomatoes and avocado are a brilliant combination—creamy, sweet, acidic, and fresh. Add in a little spice from a chopped jalapeño, and you'll knocked it out of the park. But throw it all into a blender and you get a murky-looking soup. Perry tested a Watson-bred gazpacho recipe that called for puréeing all of the above, plus some fresh dill. "It was muddy," she explains. The flavors were spot-on, but with so much focus on creating awesome flavor combinations, the app wasn't really equipped to think visually. As a cook, Perry knows that blending avocado with tomato will result in an unappetizing color. She might instead choose to dice a ripe avocado and add it to the finished gazpacho for a similar flavor profile with much more aesthetically appealing results.
Chef Watson puts together flavor combinations based on two variables: a "pleasantness" and a "surprise" factor. The pleasantness of a dish is determined by similar and complementary flavor compounds, and the surprise element is all about putting together ingredients that, although we don't often pair them, go well together—scientifically speaking, at least. While Watson's suggestions are usually totally on-point, users should consider how the finished dish will taste. Case-in-point: Perry tested a Watson-generated recipe that called for red curry paste, coconut milk, basil, and…mozzarella cheese. "Coconut milk and mozzarella are not happy together," Perry said, adding that she tried the recipe first, just to confirm her suspicions. Remove the mozz and voilà—it's a masterpiece. Lesson learned: a little common sense goes a long way.
The flavors in each recipe had Perry excited to test things out, but some of the ingredient proportions definitely needed editing, a challenge that some of the beta testers skillfully navigated. A delicate tomato tart, for example, called for three-quarters of a teaspoon of smoked paprika, which was just enough enough to overwhelm the other flavors. Another kink that provided a little good-natured humor was the app's at-time vague language—which is definitely improving with time. One recipe submitted called for trimming the "white bulbs" from cherry tomatoes before cooking. Uh, white bulbs? "Exactly!" says Perry, laughing. She snipped off their green tops and called it good. In time, we all expect, Watson will learn better how to handle each ingredient, whether by explicit programming ("note to Watson: no white bulbs on cherry tomatoes") or by a more advanced, and so maybe more complicated, approach to machine learning (i.e., Watson figures it out on its own).
So what does this all mean? For Perry, it was a reminder that although Watson's recipes are created by a computer, they're implemented by humans. Perry admits that she prefers simply to look at the suggested ingredient combinations, determine the proportions and methodology herself. "But then, I don't like being told what to do," she says, acknowledging that for someone who doesn't spend every day in the kitchen, the suggested steps definitely prove helpful. And, not for nothing, Chef Watson had a few great takeaway tricks that Perry will definitely be using in the future. In lieu of a fussy dough, the tomato tart recipe called for a frozen puff pastry sheet, which is way faster than making a dough.
So are we ready to let a computer take over our kitchens, à la The Jetsons? No, but thankfully that's not the point. As Perry says, "It's all about inspiration."
Serves 6
Blending in the avocado, as Watson originally suggested, would have made a muddy brown gazpacho, so we took the avocado out of the blender and garnished with it instead.
- 1 thick slice country bread, torn into bite size pieces
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
- 3 leeks, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp. Sherry
- 1 beefsteak tomato, cored and chopped
- 12 oz. cherry tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
- 4 tsp. chopped fresh ginger
- 1 avocado, pitted and chopped
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
Preheat oven to 425°. Toss bread with 2 Tbsp. olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt. Bake, tossing halfway through, until golden, 6-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leeks, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5–7 minutes. Add Sherry and cook until almost completely reduced, about 1 minute. Add beefsteak tomato and cook, stirring until tomatoes just begin to release their juices, about 2 minutes; remove from heat.
Combine leek mixture, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, jalapeño, ginger, balsamic, and ½ cup water in a blender and puree until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and thin with water as necessary to reach desired consistency.
Serve gazpacho topped with croutons, avocado, dill, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Serves 8
Ultimately, we omitted the flour and cornmeal from the filling, as well as the smoked paprika, which was really overwhelming. But what a stunner!
- 1 14 oz. sheet puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
- 12 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 plum tomatoes, cored and quartered
- 4 sage leaves
- 3 sprigs oregano
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- 8 oz. mozzarella, torn into bite size pieces
Preheat oven to 425°. On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry out to a 12" circle. Carefully transfer pastry to a 10" tart pan, leaving a 1" overhang. Fold overhang in and press to seal. Prick bottom of pastry all over with a fork. Freeze 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, and herbs with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatoes collapse and begin to blister, 25—30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Place tart shell on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover pastry with parchment or foil leaving a 2" overhang and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are golden brown, 20—25 minutes. Remove pie weights and parchment and continue to bake until bottom is golden brown, 10—15 minutes.
Beat together eggs, milk, sour cream, and cayenne, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange tomatoes, herbs, and mozzarella inside tart shell and top with egg mixture.
Bake until cheese is melted and egg is set, 30—35 minutes. Let cool before serving.
Serves 4
By far the most ambitious Watson collaboration we've seen. While some quantities were off for 4 servings, this was a beautiful and balanced dish. Bravo!
Cilantro Oil
- 1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
- ½ cup olive oil
Green Tomato Consommé
- 2 tomatillos
- 1 habañero chile
- 1 jalapeño chile
- 1 poblano chile
- 4 green tomatoes, cored and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
- kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Scallops and Assembly
- 1 heirloom tomato, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh chives
- kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 12 large scallops
- flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
Cilantro Oil Cook cilantro in a small pot of boiling salted water until wilted, about 15 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool; drain, squeezing out as much water as possible between paper towels.
Combine cilantro and olive oil in a blender and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside to steep, 1 hour; strain through a fine mesh seive lined with cheese cloth.
Green Tomato Consommé
Heat a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatillos, habañero, jalapeño, and poblano and cook, turning often, until charred on all sides, 6—8 minutes; let cool, then seed and chop chilies. Place chilies in a blender with tomatillos, green tomatoes, celery, cucumber, rice vinegar, and white balsamic vinegar and puree until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Transfer tomato mixture to a 9x13" baking dish and freeze until solid, at least 2 hours. Scrape up mixture with a fork and transfer to a fine-mesh seive. Let melt over seive until you have about 1 cup liquid; discard solids.
Scallops and Assembly Combine tomato, shallot, vinegar, cilantro, and chives in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper and cook until deep golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Divide tomato relish among plates and top with scallops. Spoon consommé around scallops and drizzle with cilantro oil. Season with flaky salt.