My Account View Cart

Calvin Crasto

Forum Replies Created

Viewing 13 posts - 61 through 73 (of 73 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • in reply to: Cuisine Noire #8513

    Brett Goldman
    Participant

    this is grey I know but …black sesame cheesecake…..it looks like stone which is nice

    in reply to: Cuisine Noire #8511

    Brett Goldman
    Participant

    you guys are amazing !!….
    ok I found out about something called black sesame which can be used for icecreams and dessert things like cheesecakes and tuiles
    I found a brilliant picture on this very sight of squid ink foam …
    I also started researching wontons how to make my own cause then i could experiment with making them black …I have seen ravioli which look great Im not a big fan of ravioli I find the texture off putting it is sort of uniformly squishy if you know what I mean where as a wonton can be fried an made crispy on the outside with a bright filling like Javier suggested

    I also thought …because I think some scientific techniques and presentations is what could elevate a monochromatic menu to a thing of beauty and not just a never ending series of black mush…e…the one thing in my head is maybe like a very clear broth saffron or something with a delicate colour …with clear gelatin olive oil ravioli ( can these be made crispy ? ) filled with say two kinds of caviar like a black olive jus caviar and balsamic vin caviare ??

    these are squid ink bread sticks wrapped in smoked salmon

    in reply to: Cuisine Noire #8509

    Javier Rodriguez
    Participant

    Hi Brett and QC:
    A black menu sounds interesting. What about a black cocktail together with the appetizer?
    For presentation I agree with QC, it would be interesting to add a brigth colour to contrast with the black. Doesn´t have to be visible prima facie, the colour could be hidden under something black to be discovered with the first bite.
    It comes to my mind a black ravioli with a brigth orange pumkin filling; or a very green pistachio pudding hidden under a black bittersweet cocoa Soil for dessert.

    Attachments:
    in reply to: Cuisine Noire #8489

    Quantum Chef
    Keymaster

    Hi Brett, glad you like the site! You got me thinking here…

    You can make some good stuff with squid ink, but you can’t use it for everything or your guests are going to hate it for the rest of their lives!

    There are plenty of other ingredients you could use that are black such as black garlic, black quinoa, black lentils, black mushrooms, black wild rice, blackberries, black beans, licorice root, dark chocolate, vegetable ash, morcilla, black figs, nori, caviar, black truffles.

    You can also use food grade edible charcoal powder to give the color to other foods. You can cover some foods with a black kappa carrageenan gel, such as the licorice poached salmon from Heston Blumenthal.

    Adding some edible flowers that contrast with the black could help with the presentation.

    I hope you get a kitchen soon!

    Bests,
    QC

    in reply to: Trying to Make Fudge #8120

    Molecularnewbie
    Participant

    Thanks for the tips! Will let you know how it turns out.

    in reply to: Trying to Make Fudge #8119
    Kevin Liu
    Kevin Liu
    Moderator

    @molecularnewbie,

    The reason most fudge recipes tell you to take sugar up to 235F or above has to do with the desired moisture content of the finished product. In the end, however, it’s not the 235F that’s important, it’s 110F, when the desired crystals within sugar is formed.

    So the question becomes: how do you decrease moisture level without raising the temperature to 235F?

    I have two ideas for how to approach this, but I’m not sure if either will work:

    1. Heat the jaggery up to its maximum non-burning temperature and hold for a long time (like, 30 minutes to an hour.) Perhaps enough moisture will slowly be driven off. You can even use a blow-dryer to increase air circulation and encourage evaporation.
    2. Bind up some of the moisture content with a hydrocolloid. Maybe if you dose the butter or condensed milk with a TINY bit of xanthan, or perhaps tapioca maltodextrin it will bind up the moisture content and give your fudge just enough structure. Now that I think about it, tapioca maltodextrin would probably be preferable of the two.

    I’m pretty confident you can achieve what you’re going after, but it will definitely take some experimentation.

    Looking forward to your results!

    in reply to: Plates, equipment, ingredients, oh my! #8044

    Quantum Chef
    Keymaster

    Hi Jason, thanks for your kind words! Do you have any pictures to share? Happy new year!

    in reply to: The Grinch #8036

    Quantum Chef
    Keymaster

    The melon liquor brand you are using could be too acid for the basic spherification.

    2 options …

    1 – try another brand, Midori works well
    2 – fix the PH with sodium citrate http://store.molecularrecipes.com/sodium-citrate-4-oz/

    in reply to: Coffee in Savory Dishes #8007

    Quantum Chef
    Keymaster

    The FoodPairing coffee appetizer: Potato chip with Gruyère, Vanilla Oil and Coffee. Learn more at http://www.molecularrecipes.com/?p=7845

    in reply to: Coffee in Savory Dishes #8006

    Quantum Chef
    Keymaster

    Here are some of the ideas posted on our Facebook page

    Frank Centamore Jr: Melted anchovy in coffee for a sauce

    Ross Christensen: Ribs rub

    Gavin Swonnell: Coffee and confit garlic potato pure with roasted lamb rump and pickled beets works well

    Tommy A. Morstad: Buffalo hanger steak w coffee and cinnamon. Chestnuts. Salsify. Spiced cream

    Peter Byron Thornhill: Beef tenderloin

    Aaron Manter: risotto

    Chris Griffin: Jobs coffee cure Kobe ribeyes

    in reply to: Coffee in Savory Dishes #7990

    tshewman
    Participant

    In Red Meat Jus, Flexible for lamb, beef, veal etc. I combine star anise with sauteed onions, deglaze with a reduced red wine and meat stock (like a bordelaise) and add the coffee beans to infuse for a few minutes. It’s a wonderful way to complement the meaty flavors.

    in reply to: Stuffed Gnocchi with Egg Yolks #7628
    Kevin Liu
    Kevin Liu
    Moderator

    Philip,

    This was a tricky question! I dug around and this is the best summary of the research I found:

    Freezing Egg Products

    basically, as of the writing of the above chapter, scientists still were not sure about all the mechanisms that cause egg yolks to gel at freezer temperatures. However, various researchers had developed solutions to the problem.

    Here are the most applicable to the home chef:

    • -dope the egg with 2% salt (you’re already doing this, so you could try increasing the salt content)
    • -add some papain to the yolks. papain is a naturally-occurring enzyme found in Papaya that breaks down proteins. It’s commonly sold in ethnic markets in powdered form as meat tenderizer. Not sure how much to add, and you may run the risk of the yolks becoming too runny.
    • -try “overmixing” the yolks. the chapter mentions this and I’ve noticed the effect when testing scrambled egg recipes. If you toss the yolks in a blender and just beat the heck out of them, they actually lose some of their gelling ability. However, keep in mind that the yolks will be crazy aerated; you could vacuum them if you have a vacuum sealer to get the air out, or let them rest for a while.

    A couple of other ideas, off the top of my head:

    • -It’s pretty well known that more alkaline egg yolks are more runny. Not sure how this would affect gelation in freezing conditions, but it’s easy enough to try doping your yolks with a little baking soda.
    • -The chapter above mentions that cooking thawed, gelled egg yolks at 60°C/140°F causes the yolk to become runny again. You could maybe try pre-cooking the yolks at this temperature; I know that this sort of “tempering” works with chocolate and some vegetables, but I’m not sure if the gelling mechanism in yolks is the same.
    • -And of course you could always try creating a themoreversible fluid gel that happened to taste like egg yolk using various hydrocolloids… 🙂

    Hope that helps and be sure to let us know how your experiments go.

    • This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by Kevin Liu Kevin Liu.
    • This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by Kevin Liu Kevin Liu.
    in reply to: question on the order #7620

    Quantum Chef
    Keymaster

    Hi Mike, thanks for letting us know about the contact us form not working, it is fixed now. Those items would be available in about 2 weeks. Shipping depends on exact address, order weight and shipping type so the best way is to go through the checkout process to get the exact shipping costs. With express shipping it would take about 7 days and sorry, we can’t declare different values.

Viewing 13 posts - 61 through 73 (of 73 total)
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...
Share

Forum Replies Created

Viewing 13 posts - 61 through 73 (of 73 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • in reply to: Cuisine Noire #8513

    Brett Goldman
    Participant

    this is grey I know but …black sesame cheesecake…..it looks like stone which is nice

    in reply to: Cuisine Noire #8511

    Brett Goldman
    Participant

    you guys are amazing !!….
    ok I found out about something called black sesame which can be used for icecreams and dessert things like cheesecakes and tuiles
    I found a brilliant picture on this very sight of squid ink foam …
    I also started researching wontons how to make my own cause then i could experiment with making them black …I have seen ravioli which look great Im not a big fan of ravioli I find the texture off putting it is sort of uniformly squishy if you know what I mean where as a wonton can be fried an made crispy on the outside with a bright filling like Javier suggested

    I also thought …because I think some scientific techniques and presentations is what could elevate a monochromatic menu to a thing of beauty and not just a never ending series of black mush…e…the one thing in my head is maybe like a very clear broth saffron or something with a delicate colour …with clear gelatin olive oil ravioli ( can these be made crispy ? ) filled with say two kinds of caviar like a black olive jus caviar and balsamic vin caviare ??

    these are squid ink bread sticks wrapped in smoked salmon

    in reply to: Cuisine Noire #8509

    Javier Rodriguez
    Participant

    Hi Brett and QC:
    A black menu sounds interesting. What about a black cocktail together with the appetizer?
    For presentation I agree with QC, it would be interesting to add a brigth colour to contrast with the black. Doesn´t have to be visible prima facie, the colour could be hidden under something black to be discovered with the first bite.
    It comes to my mind a black ravioli with a brigth orange pumkin filling; or a very green pistachio pudding hidden under a black bittersweet cocoa Soil for dessert.

    Attachments:
    in reply to: Cuisine Noire #8489

    Quantum Chef
    Keymaster

    Hi Brett, glad you like the site! You got me thinking here…

    You can make some good stuff with squid ink, but you can’t use it for everything or your guests are going to hate it for the rest of their lives!

    There are plenty of other ingredients you could use that are black such as black garlic, black quinoa, black lentils, black mushrooms, black wild rice, blackberries, black beans, licorice root, dark chocolate, vegetable ash, morcilla, black figs, nori, caviar, black truffles.

    You can also use food grade edible charcoal powder to give the color to other foods. You can cover some foods with a black kappa carrageenan gel, such as the licorice poached salmon from Heston Blumenthal.

    Adding some edible flowers that contrast with the black could help with the presentation.

    I hope you get a kitchen soon!

    Bests,
    QC

    in reply to: Trying to Make Fudge #8120

    Molecularnewbie
    Participant

    Thanks for the tips! Will let you know how it turns out.

    in reply to: Trying to Make Fudge #8119
    Kevin Liu
    Kevin Liu
    Moderator

    @molecularnewbie,

    The reason most fudge recipes tell you to take sugar up to 235F or above has to do with the desired moisture content of the finished product. In the end, however, it’s not the 235F that’s important, it’s 110F, when the desired crystals within sugar is formed.

    So the question becomes: how do you decrease moisture level without raising the temperature to 235F?

    I have two ideas for how to approach this, but I’m not sure if either will work:

    1. Heat the jaggery up to its maximum non-burning temperature and hold for a long time (like, 30 minutes to an hour.) Perhaps enough moisture will slowly be driven off. You can even use a blow-dryer to increase air circulation and encourage evaporation.
    2. Bind up some of the moisture content with a hydrocolloid. Maybe if you dose the butter or condensed milk with a TINY bit of xanthan, or perhaps tapioca maltodextrin it will bind up the moisture content and give your fudge just enough structure. Now that I think about it, tapioca maltodextrin would probably be preferable of the two.

    I’m pretty confident you can achieve what you’re going after, but it will definitely take some experimentation.

    Looking forward to your results!

    in reply to: Plates, equipment, ingredients, oh my! #8044

    Quantum Chef
    Keymaster

    Hi Jason, thanks for your kind words! Do you have any pictures to share? Happy new year!

    in reply to: The Grinch #8036

    Quantum Chef
    Keymaster

    The melon liquor brand you are using could be too acid for the basic spherification.

    2 options …

    1 – try another brand, Midori works well
    2 – fix the PH with sodium citrate http://store.molecularrecipes.com/sodium-citrate-4-oz/

    in reply to: Coffee in Savory Dishes #8007

    Quantum Chef
    Keymaster

    The FoodPairing coffee appetizer: Potato chip with Gruyère, Vanilla Oil and Coffee. Learn more at http://www.molecularrecipes.com/?p=7845

    in reply to: Coffee in Savory Dishes #8006

    Quantum Chef
    Keymaster

    Here are some of the ideas posted on our Facebook page

    Frank Centamore Jr: Melted anchovy in coffee for a sauce

    Ross Christensen: Ribs rub

    Gavin Swonnell: Coffee and confit garlic potato pure with roasted lamb rump and pickled beets works well

    Tommy A. Morstad: Buffalo hanger steak w coffee and cinnamon. Chestnuts. Salsify. Spiced cream

    Peter Byron Thornhill: Beef tenderloin

    Aaron Manter: risotto

    Chris Griffin: Jobs coffee cure Kobe ribeyes

    in reply to: Coffee in Savory Dishes #7990

    tshewman
    Participant

    In Red Meat Jus, Flexible for lamb, beef, veal etc. I combine star anise with sauteed onions, deglaze with a reduced red wine and meat stock (like a bordelaise) and add the coffee beans to infuse for a few minutes. It’s a wonderful way to complement the meaty flavors.

    in reply to: Stuffed Gnocchi with Egg Yolks #7628
    Kevin Liu
    Kevin Liu
    Moderator

    Philip,

    This was a tricky question! I dug around and this is the best summary of the research I found:

    Freezing Egg Products

    basically, as of the writing of the above chapter, scientists still were not sure about all the mechanisms that cause egg yolks to gel at freezer temperatures. However, various researchers had developed solutions to the problem.

    Here are the most applicable to the home chef:

    • -dope the egg with 2% salt (you’re already doing this, so you could try increasing the salt content)
    • -add some papain to the yolks. papain is a naturally-occurring enzyme found in Papaya that breaks down proteins. It’s commonly sold in ethnic markets in powdered form as meat tenderizer. Not sure how much to add, and you may run the risk of the yolks becoming too runny.
    • -try “overmixing” the yolks. the chapter mentions this and I’ve noticed the effect when testing scrambled egg recipes. If you toss the yolks in a blender and just beat the heck out of them, they actually lose some of their gelling ability. However, keep in mind that the yolks will be crazy aerated; you could vacuum them if you have a vacuum sealer to get the air out, or let them rest for a while.

    A couple of other ideas, off the top of my head:

    • -It’s pretty well known that more alkaline egg yolks are more runny. Not sure how this would affect gelation in freezing conditions, but it’s easy enough to try doping your yolks with a little baking soda.
    • -The chapter above mentions that cooking thawed, gelled egg yolks at 60°C/140°F causes the yolk to become runny again. You could maybe try pre-cooking the yolks at this temperature; I know that this sort of “tempering” works with chocolate and some vegetables, but I’m not sure if the gelling mechanism in yolks is the same.
    • -And of course you could always try creating a themoreversible fluid gel that happened to taste like egg yolk using various hydrocolloids… 🙂

    Hope that helps and be sure to let us know how your experiments go.

    • This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by Kevin Liu Kevin Liu.
    • This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by Kevin Liu Kevin Liu.
    in reply to: question on the order #7620

    Quantum Chef
    Keymaster

    Hi Mike, thanks for letting us know about the contact us form not working, it is fixed now. Those items would be available in about 2 weeks. Shipping depends on exact address, order weight and shipping type so the best way is to go through the checkout process to get the exact shipping costs. With express shipping it would take about 7 days and sorry, we can’t declare different values.

Viewing 13 posts - 61 through 73 (of 73 total)