Category — Subscriber Only
Cheesecake
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Believe it or not, this is cheesecake. The flavors are all represented here in differing textures and (arguably) bizarre forms. The meat of the dish is a very light inflated cream cheese mousse. Set with agar and inflated using a cream whipper, the mousse, shown in the close up below, is very fluffy and porous, a very different texture than the traditional dense cream cheese custard.
One frustration I have with cheesecake is the graham cracker crust: It becomes dense and soggy after baking. Here the crust is appears in a powder and in large chunks to preserve its original flakey and crunchy texture. We also have some hand-made berries made from cherry and raspberry puree. You can eat the liquid-center orbs all at once and pop them in your mouth or puncture them to sauce the plate in a sweet and tangy fruit puree. Finally, for extra texture, flavor, and dramatic flare, crispy cherry leather is stuck into the cream cheese mousse.
For a complete recipe please subscribe to my newsletter. Simply click the link below and enter your email address. I’ll include the recipe, including the cherry-raspberry spheres, in my next mailing (12/1/09). You’ll receive a monthly update of the latest from Garrett’s Table as well as plenty of subscriber-only content. E-mail addresses are confidential and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.
Photos by Justin Kern.
November 23, 2009 No Comments
Cherry-Raspberry Orbs and Spherification
A very popular technique in modern fine dining is spherification. This technique allows us to encapsulate a liquid, such as cherry and raspberry puree, inside of itself. The key players are calcium and sodium alginate, which is a seaweed-derived gelling agent. When sodium alginate comes into contact with calcium it quickly forms a delicate but resilient skin that cannot be de-natured by freezing or excessive heating. However, when you apply light pressure to the orb with a fork or your teeth, the membrane breaks, releasing the liquid interior. This is illustrated in the photo below.
I made these orbs by first making a cherry and raspberry puree. I then thickened and seasoned the puree. I added calcium lactate to the puree and froze the mixture into spheres. Meanwhile I combined water, sugar, and sodium alginate to make a slightly sweet mixture. I boiled the mixture to expel the air bubbles and kept it warm. I dropped the frozen spheres into the warm alginate bath. The heat melted a thin layer of water on the outside which was immediately gelled. After a 2 minute soak, I carefully removed the orbs and rinsed them in a water bath. I then transfered them to a holding bath of cherry juice. Although the skin is resilient to heat and cold, it breathes and is permeable by the process of osmosis. Keeping the orbs in a flavored liquid adds to the overall flavor and prevents liquid migration from the orbs.
Top left to lower right: Frozen puree, spheres in hot alginate bath, spheres in water rinsing bath, spheres in cherry holding bath.
For a complete recipe with helpful information on where to buy and how to use sodium alginate and calcium lactate, please subscribe to my bi-weekly mailing list. Simply click the link below, enter your email address, and I will include the recipe in my next mailing (12/1/09). You can unsubscribe at any time and I will not flood your inbox. With each mailing you’ll receive a friendly update of what’s going on at Garrett’s Table with exclusive, subscriber-only recipes and content.
Stay tuned in the coming days to see how I use these cherry-raspberry orbs with the flavors of a classic New York pastry
Photos by Justin Kern.
November 18, 2009 4 Comments
Yogurt and Poppy Seed Sorbet with Cantaloupe Soup and Mint Pesto
The semi-sweet and refreshing flavors of yogurt, cantaloupe, and mint combine to form this chilled summertime dessert. In the bowl is a cube of yogurt and poppyseed sorbet with just a hint of lemon zest. Below the sorbet is a mint and almond pesto. From a very ripe cantaloupe I made a chilled melon soup that is poured over the sorbet and mint pesto table side. The pesto made vibrant streaks across the melon soup which I think looks pretty cool. Take one spoonful and the creamy melon soup gives way to bright mint and the tart chill of yogurt sorbet.
The good news is that this healthy and refreshing dessert is very easy to make. The even better news is that the recipe is for Garrett’s Table newsletter subscribers only! Subscribing is simple: Click the link below and enter your email address to sign up for my bi-weekly mailing. I’ll include the recipe for this cantaloupe soup in my next mailing (7/29). With each mailing you’ll receive plenty of subscriber-only content and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Photos by Justin Kern.
July 21, 2009 1 Comment
Candied Orange Zest
The orange is actually two fruits for the price of one. The sweet juice and the bitter zest both have unique tastes and a myriad of applications. All too often, however, we use oranges and discard the zest. Here both the zest and the juice are used to their full potential to make a bitter-sweet candied orange zest. Flavored with cloves and vanilla, this candied orange zest is great as a garnish for dessert, a topping for ice cream, or a spread on your morning toast. Held in the refrigerator, it will keep indefinitely. The best part is how simple it is to make. This is a subscriber only recipe. Subscribing is easy though! Simply click the link below to sign up for the Garrett’s Table newsletter and I’ll include the recipe for candied orange zest in my next mailing (July 1). I mail twice monthly and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Photo by Justin Kern.
June 27, 2009 2 Comments
Orange Vanilla Tart
The orange dreamsicle is the inspiration for this mousse tart. Orange and vanilla create a frozen popsicle treat that’s as satisfying as it is classic. Those flavors have been upped a few notes here. In this dessert, a tender orange tart shell is filled with a cold orange and vanilla mousse. The mousse is made with fresh orange zest and juice, vanilla extract, and a whole vanilla bean. A spiced rhubarb sauce adds some extra moisture. Finally, candied orange peel and an oatmeal praline cookie are the two flavorful garnishes.
Want the recipe? It’s for subscribers only. Subscribing couldn’t be easier though! Simply click the link below and enter your email address. I’ll include the recipe in my next mailing (July 1). I email twice monthly and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Photo by Justin Kern.
June 24, 2009 4 Comments
