By JULIETTE ROSSANT
Imagine Gunfight at the OK Corral -- but set in a restaurant kitchen. The showdown isn't with revolvers. No! Our chefs are slinging iSi Whips, in the quart (iSi Gourmet Whip) or pint (iSi Mini Whip) size. They draw -- and each chef creates light-as-air foams that transform and intensify the taste of sauces, custards, or drinks. Why else do you think Rick Tramonto sits so calmly between his stock of iSi Gourmet Whips? He may be resting -- but that's only after having whipped off 100 savory dishes in a nanosecond. Look out, pardner!
OK, you've got an iSi Whip and pulled it out of your holster. You are ready to show the big boys and girls what you can do in the kitchen. Christmas dinner needs a finale to wow gourmands and gourmets at your table? Sure -- but what is this thing for, besides whipping cream (the only set of instructions that come with the iSi Mini Whip)? No worry: this is the weapon of choice for chefs like Rick and Ferran Adria for good reason: whips aren't just for desserts any more. Pretty much anything that needs foam or mousse at the last minute can use whipping.
"What is important is opening up a window to thinking and creativity. You can ask yourself, what are my options?" says Steve Klc, Pastry Chef for Jose Andres's Washington restaurants. The same flavor can be made with cream, gelatin, egg whites or starch all in the iSi Whip, although the texture and mouth feel will be different. Steve points out that the iSi Whip is like an ice cream maker. You can put all sorts of liquids in an ice cream maker, but that doesn't mean you'll make good ice cream or that you'll get ice cream at all. You still have to think about what makes a good foam and why you want to serve it.
Superchefblog asked Steve and Gale Gand for recipes that use the iSi Whip and they are both great to end a holiday meal.
Many of Steve desserts have a foam component. But he warns, "Don't do a foam for the sake of doing a foam. Do it because it helps you cook and create more personally." In his "Turkish Coffee" Chocolate recipe (below) instead of putting cardamom flavor in the coffee he makes a Creme Anglaise and from it a cardamom espuma (foam). "If you didn't use the iSi it would be a sauce or an ice cream, but what makes the dessert special is doing it as a foam." Why? With a foam he is able to add it to a plate, bowl or glass when he wants to without portioning it out ahead of time. That is great if you aren't sure how many people will eat your dessert. Foam looks bigger but actually is lighter and less filling than ice cream; terrific if it follows a goose for Christmas dinner. (All the components of Steve's and Gale's desserts can be made ahead of time and assembled at the last minute.)
“Turkish Coffee” Chocolate
Steve Klc
Zaytinya (Washington)
Liquid Center Chocolate cake:
110 g 61% E. Guittard chocolate
110 g 72% E. Guittard chocolate
220 g butter, unsalted
150 g sugar
120 g all purpose flour
4 eggs
Preheat oven to 450F.
Boil water in a large saucepan.Melt chocolate and butter in a large metal bowl over water. Turn heat down and be careful not to burn or overheat mixture. Grease molds by spraying them once lightly and prepare a piping bag.
Place flour and sugar in another metal bowl, whisk lightly to combine. When chocolate and butter are almost melted, remove from heat. Add eggs to flour/sugar mixture and stir with a whisk to combine. Add warm chocolate to egg mixture and stir gently to combine. Batter should be shiny and smooth. Fill piping bag and pipe into molds until 3/4 full. Set molds in walk-in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Bake at 450F for 5 minutes or until a crust forms. (Time will vary based on mold size. Do not over bake.) Remove from heat, place immediately in the fridge to chill molds more quickly. When cool, pop cakes out of the molds: use or freeze.
Cardamom creme anglaise “espuma”:
3 C cream
1 C milk
2 oz sugar
20 cardamom pods, ground finely
10 yolks
Prepare ice bath.
Grind cardamom in spice grinder. Bring cream, sugar and cardamom to a boil. Remove from heat, pour over yolks while whisking. Return to saucepan and whisk 10 times over high heat to thicken or until at least 180 F. Remove, pour into container, set in ice bath. Refrigerate overnight.
(Chef’s notes: It is better to let the cream infuse overnight before straining. If you cook the creme anglaise too far, too hot, and some of the eggs “cook” into scrambled eggs, set in the ice bath and whiz with an immersion blender.)
Espresso syrup:
100 g espresso
30 g sugar
2 g pectin
1 g cardamom
1/2 t Ouzo (or 1/8 t anise oil)
Simmer espresso--the beverage not espresso powder or espresso beans-- with the sugar, pectin and cardamom, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in Ouzo and set aside to infuse and thicken slightly.
Chocolate Flan:
1 L cream
500 ml milk
200 g sugar
18 yolks
450 g Guittard 72% chocolate
Get a whisk, rubber spatula and the immersion blender out.
Bring cream, milk and sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Place yolks in a stainless steel bowl. Pour hot mixture over yolks, whisking constantly.
Return to heat and cook until 175F-180F. Remove from heat and pour onto chocolate.
Whiz with an immersion blender. Pour into a plastic container and press plastic down on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate.
To serve:
Place chocolate flan in cup, drop warm chocolate cake, foam with cardamom, drizzle with espresso syrup, sprinkle with mixture of sea salt, orange rind powder, toasted sesame seed, etc.
Arroz con Leche:
Gale Gand
TRU Restaurant (Chicago)
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk
1 cup Arborio rice
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 lemon, zested
1 pinch salt
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup sugar
Foamed milk or whipped cream
Cinnamon for sprinkling
In a saucepan, place the heavy cream, milk, rice, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, zest and salt then bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until the rice is cooked, about 30 minutes. Add the half-and-half as needed if the rice becomes thick (the mixture should be strainable). Add the sugar off the heat and stir to combine.
Strain the milk from the rice, reserve it and discard the cinnamon sticks. Let the milk cool. Puree the rice.
Place the cooled, reserved milk in the cream whipper to make a foam. Spoon the rice puree onto a shallow soup plate leaving a spot in the center empty and garnish with a blob the rice milk foam or whipped cream in the center. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ease of preparation: moderate
You can read more about how to whip with iSI on eGullet Forums.
Previous articles:
Christmas Breakfast: Bacon and Sausage
The Sex in Chrismukkah
Jose Andres: Zaytinya with Ladies in Lavender
Easter Special: Super Pastry Chefs
Gale Gand on Mr. "Easy-Bake Oven"
Gale Gand's short+sweet
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