iSi Whip

I also decided to make an amuse bouche using the corn foam. This was by far the best use of the foam. I hardly ever do these, but when you have a siphon charged and in the fridge, you sort of look for reasons to use it.

I layered corn kernels at the bottom of a shot glass, applied a thick layer of foam, then put a small part of a stripped corn plank on top with fresh ground pepper. I could have also added lime zest, paprika or a fine dusting of feta.

The wife loved it and suggested making it at the next party.

k.

 

It looks like you're having fun, so much so that I signed up for the whip class as well. I've got the little box of Modernist Pantry stuff, the 1/2 liter whip and enough cartriges to make a big mess. My reloading scale will be pressed into service for precise measurement.

The corn foam above looks like it would find a home on top of gf's rather unremarkable corn soufle, next to be seen on Labor Day. Has anyone anywhere ever foamed BBQ sauce? Sacrilege I know but I'm just perverse enough to try it and damn sure can't ask on the BBQ forums...

 

What if you used roasted corn, maybe more corn flavor to overcome the sweetness?

 

Awesome Dave, and I am having fun.

Btw, another idea I am starting to think about is working with chick peas. I love lamb and hummus, so I might as well play with that combo. Just bought some dried chick peas to pressure cook into something interesting.

k.

 

I usually roast my corn, and this did cross my mind. Probably will try that next time.

k.

 

Awesome Drinky! I definitely was most intrigued by your amuse.

DaveB! Im loving the idea of using that with BBQ sauce...Ive been looking for a way to "elevate" BBQ....this could be an element of it.

 

Seriously, I'm wasted right now. effen awesome.

k.

 

Hey knyfe, do you remember what went into your horseradish foam. I think I am going to try that tonight. And did you use fresh horseradish?

k.

 

IIRC, we basically take the prepared stuff you buy and drain the liquid from it. Set the actual Horseradish aside for something else. Balance out the flavor of the Horse water with some lemon juice, salt, pepper maybe a touch of vinegar based hot sauce or something sweet if it needs it. Buzz it up and stabilize with xani.

 

Ok, so I did the horseradish foam. It tasted amazing, and I -- more or less -- followed Kyfe's guidelines, except I (probably mistakenly) added cream. I usually do a horseradish-Greek yogurt sauce for my salmon, but my wife and I both thought the cream was just a bit too rich for the salmon, and the texture -- though light -- didn't really compliment the fish that well. It just sort of made it richer and slicker going down the pie hole.

With that said, it is all about learning how to use this magic canister, so it was fun to make.

Instead of horseradish from the jar, I used grated-fresh with water, then added salt, sugar, lemon juice, 4 long peppers and cooked. After that I added cream and adjusted the salt, some ground pepper, lemon juice, and added some tabasco. The base tasted really nice, so I chilled it. After chilling I added .3% xanthan gum per weight and blended with a stick blender. Then I put it in the siphon and chilled until I needed it.

I was shooting for something closer to a fluid gel consistency, but the cream bumped it up a bit I think. Below is a photo. The other thing I am doing now is checking the consistency after the first NO2 charge to see how things are 'airing' up.

At the end of the day, I was happy with the outcome, but I wish I had made this for a red meat instead of salmon. Oh well…

Tomorrow I think I am going to make a croque monsieur and substitute deli roast beef for ham and add the rest of the foam to the sandwich. That sounds good to me right now.

k.

 

So I carbonated some watermelon today. It was interesting. At first it was a bit odd, but then those little watermelon cubes became rather addicting. Carbonating the watermelon did seem to cut the sweetness of the watermelon though. But I'm not sure if there was some change to the melon or if my mouth was just tricked by the fizz.

There are several different 'recipes' if you will on the interwebs. Some say to add a liquid, like white grape juice if you are carbonating grapes. Others just add the fruit directly with no liquid. There are also a lot of different timing reqs to have the fruit chill/carbonate before opening. I just did mine for 2 hours. I also used three CO2 charges. One to vacate the air, and two to charge the siphon. It seems like a lot for one portion of fruit though. I think I might try other combos (no air vacating and using only 1 charge but letting it sit over night).

One video I watched said that blackberries were one of the best fruits to carbonate, so I may pick up some berries today and give it another try. Lucky for me, my small 1/2 pint whip came today, so I now have two siphons to experiment with.

k.

 

Did you try it with compressed watermelon yet?

 

No. Can you make it w/o a chamber vac? I have an old tilia foodsaver that is nozzle style, so it can handle liquids being sucked into it. I also think there is a freezing method that approximates compressed watermelon without the vacuum. The freezing essentially breaks down the cell walls, and you get that intense color and flavor. Next watermelon maybe.

k.

 

yeah, I'm not sure...I've only ever tried it with the VP-112...might have to try that one myself then...you are still piquing my interest

 

I also carbonated some blueberries tonight in my new 1/2 pint whip. This time I topped the fruit off with Sauv Blanc thinking a sort of carbonated wine infusion would happen. It did and you could feel the berries popping in your finger tips, but I must admit that this carbonating fruit -- while interesting -- seems a bit of a gimmick. I don't see a whole lot of real applications outside of cocktails, especially since the carbonation is best within minutes of decompressing the siphon. IMO it is a novelty that I will likely try with fruits every now and then, and I still plan on trying blackberries and grapes, but it won't go much further than that I think.

I'd rather concentrate on using the siphon for infusions and foams. And I can still use my CO2 chargers for making homemade soda.

Btw, I also got my injector tips today. I'll need to explore these a bit.

Lastly, I had my first siphon sort-of 'accident'. I shot a 20 foot arc of wine through the kitchen that just missed my computer.

k.

 

I don't want to sound like a nagging mother, but always make sure you expel all the gas before you open the canister. I can't tell you how many KIA culinary grads & interns have almost impaled themselves................I always tried to keep a good eye on them at the end of shift/breakdown.
" I know, I know! I do this all the time! I DO have an associates degree from Johnson & Wales!" -them
-running across the kitchen line screaming "NO NO NO STOP!!!!!!"-me when they're about to unscrew the top before expelling said gas.

 

I imagine the cover would be a b!tch to get off under all that pressure, but thanks for the warning. I am not stupid -- I KNOW THIS COULD HAPPEN TO ME.

I'll be making some fizzy fruit for a cocktail or infusing some vodka, drink a bit, tinker a bit, drink some more, and when all the ideas have been lubed sufficiently with alcohol -- off comes that lid without thinking.

k.

 

It sucks that you won't be home when I visit MSP in a couple of weeks. I really wanna try some of this carbonated fruit!

 

Yeah, that sucks. I think I miss you by a day. I get back on the 20th.

k.

 

Well, whatever I said about carbonating fruit, the blackberry experiment has proven me wrong. They were freaky awesome. The berries came out 2-3 x the size they went in and looked like some giant frankenberry. And they were just bursting with flavor and bubbles. There is a good chance I will eat blackberries like this from now on (provided I have a siphon and enough time).

I put the berries in with nothing else, charged with two CO2 charges and with the first charge I displaced the air out of the canister. I then chilled them in the fridge for about 5 hours.

k.