Modernist Cooking Made Easy (21 page)

To make an agar gel you combine the agar with the liquid you would like to gel. Bring the mixture to a boil, then pour the agar into molds. It will begin to set very quickly once the temperature drops below 45ºC / 113ºF and the gelling should be completed in a matter of hours for most mold sizes, and within minutes for smaller molds.

Once it has set, the gel can be turned out, shaped, and plated. The gel will maintain its form as long as it stays below 80ºC / 176ºF. Please be careful serving gels that are at such a high temperature since they can cause severe burns because many people expect them to be cool.

The gel will also last for a day or two, though it starts to lose some of its texture and moisture as it dries out over time through syneresis, the leaking of liquid from a gel. You can usually rehydrate the gels by placing them in water.

Gelling Raw Ingredients

Sometimes you do not want to bring the liquid you are gelling to a boil. In order to hydrate the agar you have two options.

You can disperse and hydrate the agar in a small amount of the liquid and blend the rest of the liquid into it after hydration. You can also disperse and hydrate the agar in water and blend the liquid into that. Either way, the temperature will drop quickly and the gel will start to set as soon as it gets below 45ºC / 113ºF so warming up the liquid as much as you can is advised for better dispersion once the agar has hydrated.

Hysteresis

One of the more interesting features of agar gels is the difference between their setting and melting points, referred to as hysteresis.

Most substances have specific points where they change phase. For example, water is ice below 0ºC / 32ºF, steam above 100ºC / 212ºF, and liquid in between
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On the other hand, agar mixtures are a gel below 45ºC / 113ºF and a liquid above 80ºC / 176ºF. But between those temperatures agar can be a liquid or a gel, and it will stay in whichever phase it is currently in. So once you cool the gel and it sets, you can reheat it above the setting point without it melting.

Synergies

Agar works well when used with many other ingredients.

Locust bean gum has several uses with agar. It helps prevent syneresis when added in small amounts, about 0.2%.

It also works with agar to create a more elastic gel if you add it as 5% to 15% of the weight of the agar. Ideas in Food suggest using a 9:1 ratio for best results
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The strength of agar gels can be increased by the addition of xanthan gum, methylcellulose, and guar gum, among others. Agar and gelatin also combine well to create a range of gels. Some of these synergies are covered in recipes in this book.

P
APAYA
C
UBES

These agar gel cubes are a great way to add a unique visual style to a dish, as well as create little bursts of papaya. You could use a similar agar recipe to gel many different liquids, depending on the dish you are creating and what flavors you want to complement it. Fresh juices are always ideal but if you are in a pinch Goya sells many different canned juices.

Tools Needed

Agar

Whisk or immersion blender

A scale with small gram measurements

Small flat bottom mold or container

Chinois, optional

Ingredients

200 grams papaya juice

3 grams agar, 1.5%

First prepare your mold by lining a flat-bottomed mold or container with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. The container should be a depth that is equal to how tall you want the cubes to be.

Bring the papaya juices to a simmer in a pan. Add the agar and mix well, preferably with an immersion blender. Let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.

If using non-strained juice then you can strain the mixture through a chinois for a clearer gel.

Pour the liquid into the parchment paper lined mold. Place the liquid in the refrigerator for quick setting. You can also leave it on the counter for slightly slower setting as long as it is below 35ºC / 95°F.

Once the gel has cooled and become firm turn it out onto a cutting board. Cut the papaya agar gel into the shapes you desire using a knife or other cutting device.

Hold covered in the refrigerator or at room temperature until ready to serve. The cubes will remain a gel as long as they stay below 80°C / 176°F.

B
LOODY
M
ARYS ON A
L
OG

My wife’s relatives in Florida love their Bloody Marys and this is her modernist take on them, focusing on the celery garnish and turning it into the serving vessel a la the traditional “ants on a log” children’s snack.

I made a custom Bloody Mary mix using fresh tomatoes from the garden blended with some string beans, cayenne chile powder, ancho chile powder, and lemon juice. This mix also works great as a quick chilled tomato soup. You can also use your favorite store-bought Bloody Mary mix if you don’t want to make your own version.

I added the vodka at about a 1 to 4 ratio with the Bloody Mary mix but you can change the amount to suit your taste. Just be sure to weigh the liquid at the end and adjust the agar to be 1% of that weight.

The directions to make the Bloody Mary gel also work well to gel tomato soups or other tomato sauces.

Makes 40 to 60 bites

Tools Needed

Agar

Whisk or immersion blender

A scale with small gram measurements

Food processor

Ingredients

For the Bloody Mary Gel

250 grams Bloody Mary mix

60 grams vodka

3.25 grams agar, 1%

For the Crumbled Bacon

6-8 bacon strips

For the Garnish

Fennel fronds

15-30 green olives, sliced

5 to 10 celery stalks

For the Crumbled Bacon

Cook the bacon strips until all the fat is rendered and they are extra crispy. I tend to bake them in a 176ºC / 350ºF oven on a rack set over a sheet pan until crisp, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Pat off as much oil as possible with a paper towel and let cool. For extra-crumbly bacon you can put the cooked strips in a dehydrator for a few hours.

Place the strips into a food processor and process until it becomes a chunky, crumbly paste.

Set aside until ready to use. It will last at room temperature for an hour or two or in the refrigerator for a day or two.

Note: You can also reserve the rendered bacon fat to make bacon powder for other dishes.

Prepare the Celery

Place the celery stalks on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan or other flat tray. Make sure the celery stalks are sitting so they can hold the liquid, you may need to cut the bottom ⅛” off the stalk so they sit flat.

For the Bloody Mary Gel

Combine the Bloody Mary mix, vodka, and agar in a pot and whisk or blend together. Bring to a boil while whisking occasionally. Let simmer for 3 minutes to ensure the agar is fully hydrated.

At this stage the agar gel will set very quickly once it cools below 45°C / 113°F. I recommend keeping the pan on the burner, turned down, to keep the gel from setting as you work on filling the celery.

Spoon or pipe the hot Bloody Mary mix into the prepared celery stalks. Some will probably spill out on the sides or ends, which is fine and you can easily clean up the stalks once the agar sets.

Wait about 2 minutes, until the first mix has set, and then add another layer on top of it. Repeat until the celery is full of Bloody Mary mix.

Pour the remaining Bloody Mary mix into a flat bottomed container to a depth of about ½” to 1” / 12 to 24mm.

Let the celery and the block of gel sit until they have set and then cover with cling wrap and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to plate, up to 24 hours.

Plating the Dish

Clean the Bloody Mary gel off the sides of the celery so they look nice and clean. Cut the stalks into 1” / 24mm pieces.

Remove the block of Bloody Mary gel from the container and slice into ⅛” / 3mm strips. Cut the strips into the same length as the celery pieces.

Place a strip of the Bloody Mary gel onto a plate or serving container. Top with a piece of the celery, turned 90º from the gel. Place a slice of olive on top of the celery and fill with bacon crumbles. Add a fennel frond or two and serve.

A
GAR
F
LUID
G
ELS

Fluid gels
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are substances that behave like a gel when at rest and like a liquid when force is applied. Ketchup is probably the best know example of a fluid gel, as anyone that has struggled to get it out of the bottle, only to have it flood their hamburger, can attest.

Agar Fluid Gel Process

To create an agar fluid gel you first make a normal agar gel and let it set fully. Once it is set you blend or puree it until it is smooth.

One thing to keep in mind when creating fluid gels is that you need enough gel to easily blend. For instance, it is very hard to make 1 cup of fluid gel because the blender will just throw the gel on the walls of the blender and not puree it. It’s much easier to make 2 or 3 cups and reserve the rest for a later use. For smaller amounts using an immersion blender can be helpful.

Agar Fluid Gel Ratios

The strength of the gel will determine the final viscosity of the fluid gel which can range from very thick to relatively thin. The fluid gel can also be thickened with a small amount of xanthan gum or thinned out by blending in a liquid.

Typically a ratio of 0.5% to 2% will result in a fluid gel ranging from runny to pudding like.