Modernist Cooking Made Easy (18 page)

One thing to keep in mind when working with direct spherification. Many bottled juices have potassium or calcium added to them and this will cause the flavored base to set before it is added to the setting bath. For these juices, and other liquids with calcium or potassium present, you will have to use a sequestrant or use use reverse spherification.

Direct Spherification Process

To make spheres with direct spherification you combine the gelling agent with the flavored base. You then prepare the setting bath by combining water with a calcium salt such as calcium chloride or calcium lactate.

To make the spheres you fill a spoon with the base and hold it just above the setting bath. Pour the base off the spoon and into the setting bath.

It should develop a membrane relatively quickly, about 1 to 3 minutes, and can then be removed. The sphere needs to be rinsed off in water to remove the setting bath from the outside.

At this point it is ready to be served. It can be held for a few minutes, about 10 to 15, depending on the size of the sphere, but it will continue to gel until it eventually becomes solid. Some people will heat the spheres near boiling to prevent further gelification from occurring.

Direct Spherification Ratios

There are several gelling agents you can use for direct spherification.

Sodium Alginate

For direct spherification a 0.5% to 1% sodium alginate base is used with a 0.5% to 1% calcium lactate setting bath.

Iota Carrageenan

For direct spherification a 1% to 3% iota carrageenan base is used with a 4% to 6% calcium lactate setting bath.

A
SIAN
S
AUCE
S
PHERES

I love this simple Asian inspired sauce on a variety of meats, vegetables, and stir fries. In order to elevate it for fancy dishes I turn it into spheres that can be plated alongside, or on top of smaller bites. It’s also wonderful when made as caviar instead of spheres.

Tools Needed

Sodium alginate

Calcium lactate

Immersion blender

Slotted spoon

Plastic syringe, squeeze bottle, or eye dropper

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

For the Spheres

120 grams hoisin sauce, about ½ cup

60 grams rice vinegar, about ¼ cup

60 grams soy sauce, about ¼ cup

13 grams sesame oil, about 1 tablespoon

15 grams lime juice, about 1 tablespoon

13 grams honey, about 1 tablespoon

2 teaspoons ginger powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

4 grams sodium alginate, 1.0%

For the Setting Bath

1000 grams water

10 grams calcium lactate, 1%

Add all of the ingredients for the spheres except the sodium alginate to a pot. Heat it to a simmer and remove from the heat. Add the sodium alginate and blend with an immersion blender. Let cool. For a more refined presentation you can refrigerate it for several hours or overnight so the bubbles disperse, but be sure to bring it to room temperature before making the spheres.

Make the setting bath by adding the calcium lactate to the water and blending with a clean immersion blender. Fill another bowl with water to use as the rinsing bath. Fill a third bowl with hot water to be used as the holding and bath.

Just before serving, prepare the spheres. Fill a spoon with the flavored base and hold it just above the setting bath. Pour the base off the spoon and into the setting bath. After 1 to 2 minutes take the sphere out with the slotted spoon, place it in the rinsing bath, and swirl it around gently. Remove it from the rinsing bath and place it into the holding bath. Repeat until you have used all the flavored base. You can also do several spheres at the same time.

Serve the spheres as quickly as possible because they will continue to solidify.

C
AVIAR

Caviar are just small spheres. Because the spheres stick together in reverse spherification if they touch, it isn’t very effective for making them. Because of this, direct spherification is usually used.

Caviar Process

The initial steps to making caviar are the same as for making larger spheres. You first make the flavored base and mix in the gelling agent. Next, you prepare the setting bath with a calcium salt.

To make the caviar, drip the base into the setting bath and let them set for 30 to 90 seconds. Remove them from the setting bath and rinse them off before serving them.

There are many ways to facilitate the dripping. You can use a plastic syringe, squeeze bottle, or eye dropper. Some people dip their finger tips in the liquid and lightly shake it off into the setting bath.

For larger quantities of caviar you can use a rapid caviar maker, which is a small box that has 50 to 100 holes that the base drips out of, greatly speeding up the process.

Caviar Ratios

The ratios for making caviar are the same for direct spherification.

Sodium Alginate

For caviar, a 0.5% to 1% sodium alginate base is used with a 0.5% to 1% calcium lactate setting bath.

Iota Carrageenan

For caviar, a 1% to 3% iota carrageenan base is used with a 4% to 6% calcium lactate setting bath.

P
APAYA
C
AVIAR

These small caviar provide a nice burst of flavor to a dish. The flavor of papaya is on the mild side which makes these very versatile caviar. They are a good garnish on a salad or tropical salsa. They also go well with white fish or on desserts such as ice cream.

Tools Needed

Sodium alginate

Calcium lactate

Immersion blender

Slotted spoon

Plastic syringe, squeeze bottle, or eye dropper

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

For the Caviar

300 grams papaya juice

Sugar or honey, optional

3 grams sodium alginate, 1.0%

For the Setting Bath

1000 grams water

5 grams calcium lactate, 0.5%

Put the papaya juice in a bowl. Taste for sweetness and add sugar or honey if you want it sweeter. Add the sodium alginate and blend with an immersion blender. Set aside.

Make the setting bath by adding the calcium lactate to the water and blending with a clean immersion blender. Fill another bowl with water to use as the rinsing bath.

Just before serving, prepare the caviar. Slowly drip the papaya juice into the setting bath using a syringe, squeeze bottle or eye dropper. After 30-45 seconds take out the caviar with a slotted spoon, place them in the rinsing bath, and swirl them around gently. Repeat until you have used all the papaya juice.

Serve the caviar as quickly as possible because they will continue to solidify.

T
HICKENING

There are a wide variety of ways to thicken liquids. In Western cooking flour or another starch has traditionally been used, especially to make gravies. Reducing the liquid over heat is another common technique. Many of the modernist ingredients allow you thicken liquids more efficiently and without changing the flavor.

W
HY
T
HICKEN?

There are several reasons for thickening a liquid.

Mouthfeel

One of the biggest reason to thicken a liquid is to improve its mouthfeel. The mouthfeel is how a liquid feels on the tongue. Thickening it can add body and make it feel more rich and creamy than it typically would.

Because of the extra mouthfeel added by many thickeners it is possible to reduce the amount of fats in the dish without a reduction in richness of taste.

Cling

By thickening a liquid, and raising its viscosity, we improve how well it clings to food. This helps when applying glazes, keeping sauces on one section of the plate, or evenly coating food.

Particle Suspension

Many sauces have solid particles in them, such as herbs, spices, or purees. Thickening the liquid helps hold these solids in suspension and prevents them from sinking or floating out of the liquid.

Stabilize Emulsions

When a liquid is thickened and used in an emulsion, like a vinaigrette, it helps stabilize it for a longer time. This makes thickeners a great way to add body to an emulsion while also stabilizing it.

T
HICKENING
P
ROCESS

Even though there are lots of different kinds of thickeners a similar process is used to thicken most liquids. For instructions for a specific ingredient you can see the chapter for it from the section on Ingredients.

Dispersion

The first step is to disperse the thickener in the liquid you want to thicken. Dispersion is simply the act of evenly distributing the ingredient throughout the liquid. This will ensure the liquid will be thickened uniformly instead of clumping.

Some ingredients require special dispersion methods, such as combining flour with cold water before adding it to hot water to eliminate lumps. Depending on the ingredient, you may have to use a hot, cold, acidic, or other liquid for proper dispersion. For some ingredients a whisk or spoon will work fine, others will need the stronger shearing forces of an immersion or standing blender.

Hydration

Once the thickener has been fully dispersed it needs to hydrate. Hydration is basically the process of absorbing water, or another liquid, and swelling. This absorption of liquid, in conjunction with other processes, causes the thickening of the mixture, creating a molecular mesh that traps water.

Depending on the thickener and the liquid being used, hydration will occur at different temperatures and over different time frames. Many ingredients will need to be heated for hydration to occur, like flour and carrageenan, and some will hydrate at any temperature, such as xanthan gum.

Setting

The final stage is when the liquid actually thickens. Many thickeners will only begin to work below a specific temperature, while others will work at any temperature. This process typically takes only a few minutes.

C
OMMON
T
HICKENERS

There are many different thickeners and we cover four of them in-depth in this book.

For an extended look at any of these ingredients please see their entry in the Ingredients section. We also touch on a few others in the Other Ingredients section.