Modernist Cooking Made Easy (9 page)

An easy way to create flavorful light foams is to go through your teas and see what you have on hand. This uses the Celestial Seasonings’ Raspberry Zinger tea to create a light and tasty raspberry foam.

It is great on desserts or as a base for fish seasoned with a tropical flair.

The recipe calls to use a whipping siphon but if you don’t have one you can aerate it using almost any of the other foaming equipment. The foam will not be the exact same but it will still work well.

Tools Needed

Xanthan gum

Immersion blender

Whipping siphon

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

400 grams water

2-3 Raspberry Zinger tea packets

3.2 grams xanthan gum, 0.8%

Bring the water to a boil. Add the tea and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the xanthan gum and blend with the immersion blender until it is evenly distributed.

If you do not have a heat resistant whipping siphon then let the tea mixture cool to room temperature. Pour the tea mixture into a whipping siphon and charge as recommended.

It can be held like this until you are ready to use it, several hours or over night in the refrigerator.

If you are serving it cold, refrigerate it. If you are serving it hot, and you have a heat resistant whipping siphon, you can place it in a water bath to heat it.

To serve, simply turn the whipping siphon upside down and dispense the foam.

F
LUID
G
EL
F
OAMS

Fluid gel foams are denser and much finer than light foams and airs. They are usually very wet and thick, with a texture similar to shaving cream. Fluid gel foams are best made with a whipping siphon.

To make a fluid gel foam, you first create a fluid gel
^[4]
. Some good gelling agents are agar, carrageenan, gelatin, or methylcellulose. Once you have the fluid gel, place it in a whipping siphon and charge it. For some gels, like gelatin gels, you need to refrigerate it for a few hours so it can set. Once it’s set you can dispense the foam.

Fluid Gel Foam Ratios

In general, the thicker the fluid gel is, the thicker the resulting foam will be. For a detailed look at the various gelling agents you can see their chapter later in the book. Some general guidelines are:

Agar - 0.25% to 1.0%

Carrageenan: Iota - 0.2% to 1.0%

Gelatin - 0.4% to 1.7%

Methylcellulose - 1.0% to 3.0%

You can also add xanthan gum, typically at a 0.1 to 0.4% ratio, to change the texture of the foam. Other thickeners work as well.

Different stabilizers also can change the textures of the foams and are often combined with the gelling agent. This includes egg white, Versawhip, lecithin and many others.

B
LACKCURRANT
F
OAM

Blackcurrant is an usual berry in the United States but is much more common in Europe. This foam is on the thicker side and is full of flavor. It can be used on desserts to add some sweet and tart flavor or as a sauce with fish. You can also make a twist on Kir, a classic French cocktail, by topping some white wine with the foam.

Tools Needed

Gelatin

Whipping siphon

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

400 grams blackcurrant juice

Sugar or honey, optional

2 gelatin sheets or ½ packet, 0.9%

Taste the blackcurrant juice and add sugar or honey to sweeten it if needed.

Pour 75 to 100 grams of blackcurrant juice into a pot with the gelatin. Let the gelatin bloom for 5 to 10 minutes.

Once the gelatin has bloomed heat the pot over medium to medium-high heat while stirring until the gelatin has dissolved and is evenly dispersed. Stir in the remaining blackcurrant juice.

Pour the blackcurrant mixture into a whipping siphon and charge with nitrous oxide according to the manufacturer’s directions. Refrigerate the whipping siphon until the gelatin sets, typically 2 to 3 hours.

Dispense the foam when you are ready to serve your dishes.

C
HOCOLATE
F
OAM

This thick chocolate foam is a great way to top ice cream or a brownie. It can even be served by itself, dusted with some cinnamon and powdered sugar. It has to be served below room temperature but it is still a versatile sauce.

I just call for general hot chocolate in the recipe but the higher quality the hot chocolate you use the better. For this recipe I prefer a much darker hot chocolate than I would usually drink, that way the foam has a deeper chocolate flavor. I also like it on the sweeter side.

Tools Needed

Gelatin

Whipping siphon

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

500 grams hot chocolate, cold

4 gelatin sheets or 1 packet, 1.4%

Place the cold hot chocolate in a pot with the gelatin. Let the gelatin bloom for 5 to 10 minutes.

Once the gelatin has bloomed heat the pot over medium to medium-high heat while stirring until the gelatin has dissolved and is evenly dispersed.

Pour the hot chocolate mixture into a whipping siphon and charge with nitrous oxide according to the manufacturer’s directions. Refrigerate the whipping siphon until the gelatin sets, typically 2 to 3 hours.

Dispense the foam when you are ready to serve your dishes.

H
OT
C
OFFEE
F
OAM

A common pairing is coffee and steak. This coffee foam takes that pairing and elevates it, turning the coffee into a thick foam that is used as a sauce for the steak.

You can also use this foam on a variety of desserts, especially ice cream or gelato. For desserts, you will most likely want to add a good amount of cream and sugar. If you are using it on a cold dessert, you may want to skip the step at the end where you heat the siphon.

Tools Needed

Agar

Xanthan gum

Standing or immersion blender

Whipping siphon

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

500 grams coffee

5.0 grams agar, 1.0%

0.5 grams xanthan gum, 0.1%

Blend the coffee, agar, and xanthan gum together with the immersion blender or standing blender. Add to a pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes so the agar can hydrate. Pour into a container and let it completely set.

Once it is set, cube the gel and puree with a blender until smooth. Add some water if you need to thin it, or some more xanthan gum to thicken it. It should be just barely pourable.

Pour the fluid gel into your whipping siphon and charge. Heat the whipper in hot water until it is warm, I tend to use water between 55ºC / 131ºF to 60.5ºC / 141ºF because that is what my sous vide machine is running at but any water below 80ºC / 175ºF should be fine.

Once the foam has come up to temperature you can dispense it onto your dishes.

W
HIPPED
F
OAMS

Whipped foams are dense, wet foams such as whipped cream or meringues. Whipped foams are best made with a whipping siphon or a standing mixer with a whisk attachment. Some can be made with an electric hand mixer or a hand whisk but many of the thicker foams are just too dense for these tools.

Whipped foams are created by dispersing a stabilizer into a liquid and then whipping it until peaks are formed. The stabilizer will help the foam stay together. In whipped cream the stabilizer is traditionally the fat in the cream and for meringues it is the proteins in the egg white.

For modernist foams you can also use methylcellulose, Versawhip, or other stabilizers.

After you have created the whipped foam you have a few options on how to use it. You can serve it directly, like whipped cream on pie. You can also dehydrate the foam to create a meringue. Some foams can also be frozen. When serving it directly you can either spoon it out or use a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off.

Whipped Foam Ratios

The amount of stabilizer you use depends on how stiff you want the foams, as well as the specific stabilizer you are using.

In general you use Methocel F50 at a 1.0% to 2.0% with 0.1% to 0.3% xanthan gum. For Versawhip, a 0.5% to 2.0% ratio is ideal with 0.1% to 0.2% xanthan gum.

K
EY
L
IME
W
HIPPED
C
REAM