It’s a little rare to see Nathan Myhrvold rendered speechless. After all, the former Microsoft chief technology officer seems like a guy who can talk intelligently about anything, from cooking to photography to archaeology.

But Myhrvold, who has been on the media circuit promoting his new six-volume, 40-pound cookbook The Modernist Cuisine, got a little tongue-tied Wednesday night on The Colbert Report.

So, what tripped up Seattle’s best known Renaissance man?

In a word, orgasms.

With his razor-sharp wit, Colbert noted how long it took to cook some of Myhrvold’s recipes, including one for sauerkraut which took one week. 

“Really, does everything take so long with you? Are you working on an orgasm that’s not going to happen until 2013?” Colbert asked.

Myhrvold laughed uncomfortably before Colbert changed the subject by taste-testing some of the chef’s pistachio ice cream and pastrami.

“Oh my God, oh my God. I don’t need teeth. This is fantastic,” said Colbert as he tried a pastrami that had been aged 72-hours. Later the comedian asked Myhrvold whether he owned a George Foreman Grill.

John Cook is co-founder of GeekWire. Follow on Twitter: @geekwirenews.