Flavor Changing Asian Cracker Jack
In this flavor-tripping course from modernist Chef Cantu you can taste the transformation of a spicy, acidic, savory dish to a caramel sweet all thanks to the miracle berry. Guests will be pleasantly surprised as the miracle berry coats the tongue and the dish changes flavors halfway through the course. This is a trademark of modernist Chef Homaro Cantu’s famous flavor-tripping Chicago restaurant iNG and now you can make it yourself for your own guests.
Miracle fruit contains a protein called miraculin that temporarily blocks your sour taste receptors on your tongue and alters many other flavors including spicy, salty and bitter. The effect lasts between half hour to an hour depending on the individual and if liquids are consumed. You can read more about flavor-tripping with miracle berry here.
Popcorn ice cream, candied peanuts, miracle togarashi popcorn and vanilla sauce. All made without sugar so the first experience of the dish is spicy and slightly sour but after the miracle berry it tastes like caramel popcorn. Thanks for sharing yet another wonderful miracle berry recipe with us Chef Cantu!
Recipe yields 8 servings though you’ll have extra vanilla sauce.
Ingredients List
With the exception of the miracle berry tablets, the ingredients for this dish are simple and readily available in any grocery store. We have the miracle berry tablets available in our store.
Ingredients for Popcorn Ice Cream:
- 473ml (16oz) half and half
- 236.58ml (8oz) cream
- 8 egg yolks
- 113.4g (4oz) cream cheese
- 113.4g (4oz) ground popcorn
- 2 pinches salt
Ingredients for Candied Peanuts:
- 2oz Peanuts
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 tsp. salt
Miracle Togarashi Popcorn
- 113.4g (4oz) popped popcorn
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 8 miracle berry tablets, finely ground
- 28.35g (1oz) Togarashi spice blend
Ingredients for the Vanilla Sauce:
- 473ml (16oz) half and half
- 236.58ml (8oz) cream
- 8 egg yolks
- 113.4g (4oz) cream cheese
- 3 tbsp. vanilla extract
Preparation
Popcorn Ice Cream
1- Heat cream, half and half, and popcorn in a sauce pot until the mixture reaches a simmer.
2- Let the popcorn steep in the cream mixture for 15 minutes then strain out.
3- Reheat cream and half and half until the mixture reaches a simmer.
4- Pour half of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks while whisking the eggs.
5- Pour egg and cream mixture back into the sauce pot with the rest of the hot cream mixture.
6- Whisk and cook for another 5 min or until the mixture has reached 82.22° C (180° F).
7- Put the cream cheese in a blender.
8- When the egg mixture is cooked, pour into blender with cream cheese and blend into one homogeneous mixture.
9- Cool in an ice bath.
10- Spin in ice cream maker.
Candied Peanuts
1- Mix all ingredients together.
2- Pour onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 177° (350° F) for 8 minutes.
Togarashi Popcorn
1- Heat oil in a deep stock pot until oil is hot.
2- Dump in all the popcorn kernels, making sure all kernels get coated in oil and popped.
3- Pour out popcorn and toss with Togarashi blend and miracle berry powder.
4- Take 1oz of the seasoned popcorn and grind in a blender keep this blended popcorn in a container.
Vanilla Sauce
1- Heat cream, half and half in a sauce pot until the mixture reaches a simmer.
2- Pour half of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks while whisking the eggs.
3- Pour egg and cream mixture back into the sauce pot with the rest of the hot cream mixture.
4- Whisk and cook for another 5 min or until the mixture has reached 82° C (180° F)
5- Put the cream cheese in a blender.
6- When the egg mixture is cooked pour into blender with cream cheese and vanilla, blend into one homogenous mixture.
7- Cool in an ice bath and store in refrigerator.
Assemble and Serve
1- Sauce plate with 59.15ml (2oz) vanilla sauce.
2- Spread out 10 to 12 pieces of Miracle Togarashi Popcorn.
3- Spread out 5 pieces of honey peanuts onto the plate.
4- Spoon ground popcorn mixture into a pile into one corner of the plate.
5- Scoop ice cream and place on ground popcorn mixture.
6- Garnish with fresh herbs (recommended popcorn shoots or lemon mint).