“Holodeck to Hot Plate: AI’s Foray into Original Recipes in Washington”

Recently, a colleague and I were chatting about AI and all the weird and wonderful things it can do. He’d just written a story exploring the kinds of answers AI might give to life’s big questions—and some of the smaller, stranger ones too (I’ll drop a link to his piece at the end of this one). 

It got me thinking: if AI can generate music in the style of Nirvana or Duke Ellington, or answer the age-old query, “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?”—and no, not just “One… two… three… crunch”—but a full breakdown that includes estimates between 250 and 500, factoring in variables like tongue pressure and saliva composition... 

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Or if, for you Star Trek: TNG fans, it can recreate the moment when Geordi La Forge tells the ship’s computer to create a Sherlock Holmes-style adversary capable of defeating Data, not just Holmes. That small detail prompts the holodeck to generate a self-aware Professor Moriarty—who, naturally, becomes a sentient digital menace to the entire Enterprise. 

Anyway, where am I going with this? 

Well, I’m not a professional chef—but I am a devoted cookbook hoarder (the legit ones, not just Food Network’s flavor-of-the-month fluff). And I genuinely love experimenting in the kitchen. So I thought: why not challenge AI to invent a recipe that, as far as we know, no one’s ever made before? 

Here’s what it came up with...  

Alright, let’s invent something wildly original—a dish that straddles dessert and snack, savory and sweet, rustic and futuristic. I give you: 

Smoky Cactus Caramel Croquettes with Popcorn Crust 

Concept: 

Southwest desert meets carnival fairground, with a touch of avant-garde kitchen sorcery. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 small prickly pear cactus pad (de-thorned and diced) 

• ½ cup smoked caramel (make by infusing caramel with smoked salt and lapsang souchong tea) 

• 1 small Yukon gold potato (boiled and mashed) 

• 2 tbsp goat cheese 

• ¼ tsp chili powder 

• 1 tsp lime zest 

• 1 cup crushed popcorn (air-popped, unsalted) 

• 1 egg (beaten) 

• Neutral oil for frying 

Instructions: 

1. Make the filling:
   In a bowl, combine mashed potato, diced cactus, smoked caramel (save a little for drizzle), goat cheese, chili powder, and lime zest. Mix into a thick paste. 

1. Form croquettes:
   Roll the mixture into small oblong shapes. Freeze for 15 minutes to firm them up. 

1. Coat:
   Roll chilled croquettes in egg wash, then coat in crushed popcorn. 

1. Fry:
   Shallow fry until golden and crisp, about 2–3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. 

1. Serve:
   Drizzle with remaining smoked caramel. Optional garnish: edible marigold petals and a tiny dash of tajín. 

Flavor Vibe: 

Crunchy, smoky-sweet exterior meets tangy, vegetal-silky filling. The popcorn crust brings whimsy. It tastes like campfire dessert made by a cactus-wrangling pastry chef. 

Want to name it something cool? Maybe: Desert Meteor Bites. 

And yes, the photo of the Smoky Cactus Caramel Croquettes with Popcorn Crust was created using AI.

https://kpq.com/questions-ask-google-ai-mode/