IDEAS IN FOOD

Rum Raisin Balls

Alex and I had a long weekend off to get married. We were working on Martha's Vineyard at the time and our wedding date in early June had been set well before we took the positions out on the island. Fortunately June is early season on the Vineyard and we were able to sneak off for three days to get hitched. We flew back in time for the rehearsal dinner, were married the next day, and had one day on our own before returning to work. For dinner that evening we went to Gramercy Tavern and had a tasting menu with wine pairings. It would have been a delightful evening no matter where we ate.  We were doubly blessed because the much vaunted food and service lived up to our expectations that evening. At the suggestion of Paul Grieco, then the sommelier at Gramercy, I finished the meal off with a snifter of dark rum instead of cognac or Grand Marnier.

The drink was a revelation. To me rum had always been daquiris, pina coladas and later, rum punches. Although rum punches and a good pina colada will play up the character of dark rum, in all of these drinks it is paired with sweet fruit flavors and used as a partner and as an accent rather than as the main attraction. The dark rum that I was served that evening was an entirely different animal. It was smooth and rich, dappled with fruity and spicy notes, and ending with a lingering burn of burnt sugar essence. It started me on a never-ending journey to discover the best dark rums, which is on a brief hiatus at the moment, exploring the dark elixirs from various countries around the world. Fortunately as my interest has grown, so has rum's popularity, making it easier and easier to find new and interesting products.

When we decided to do an end of summer class at Astor Center, choosing two liquors to highlight was a no brainer. We went with dark rum and mezcal, two of our favorites, and two of the most flavorful drinking spirits out there. Their slightly heavier flavors would balance well with the gradually cooling evening temperatures and the rum was a natural for ice cream. (That way I could partake of a taste relatively guilt free.) We created an eggy custard base with milk and half and half and a generous helping of dark rum, in this case is was a an eight year old Rhum Barbancourt Réserve Spéciale. We let it rest for several hours to allow the flavors to meld and the rum to bloom and then we froze it in spheres in liquid nitrogen and rolled the balls in raisin dust. At home you can freeze this ice cream in any ice cream maker and simply fold in raisins at the end.

As for the mezcal, well that's another story entirely. You'll just have to wait for that one. In the meantime here is the ice cream recipe to keep you occupied and well fed while you wait.

Rum Raisin Ice Cream Spheres
500 grams milk
500 grams half and half
8 egg yolks
175 grams sugar
2grams fine sea salt
90 grams aged, dark rum

Combine milk and half and half in a large, heavy saucepan over medium high heat. In a blender, combine egg yolks, sugar, salt and rum. Turn the blender on low and then increase speed to medium. Once the dairy is simmering, turn the blender speed back to its lowest setting and pour the hot liquid carefully into the running blender. Pour the custard base back into the saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook to 165°F. Remove from heat, cover, and let rest for five minutes. Strain the custard base and chill it for at least four hours.

Pour the base into sphere molds and submerge in liquid nitrogen until frozen. Place frozen spheres in the freezer until ready to use. When ready to finish the rum raisin balls, loosen spheres from the mold and return them to the freezer while you prepare the raisins.

300 grams raisins
2 quarts liquid nitrogen

Pour liquid nitrogen over the raisins in a large bowl. Stir gently until the raisins are completely frozen solid. Strain out the excess liquid nitrogen. Place the raisins in a strong blender or Vitamix and process until powdered.

Pour the powdered raisins into a chilled bowl. Roll rum ice cream spheres in the powdered raisins. If the raisins start to melt, add a bit of liquid nitrogen to the bowl to keep them smooth and powdery.  Coat the ice cream balls thoroughly with the raisin powder. Serve immediately.

Learning,

it does not stop.

If it does, remember it does not stop.

Tonight we were introduced to a whole new world of food, wine and approaches to cooking.

Yes, we were teaching a class, though the conversations and questions during and after the class along with the idea sparks generated by being exposed to different approaches has filled our minds with, ideas. 

Just when we thought we were getting a grip on learning new seeds have been and sewn. 

With questions comes the opportunity to explore, uncover, develop and learn.

Spiced Honey Popcorn

Just because we have popcorn on the brain, we thought we'd share one of our favorite popcorn recipes. It's sweet, salty, spicy, crunchy...and in imperial units. Sorry about that, but it's from the archives and not yet in metric measurements.

Spiced Honey Popcorn
 4 cups popped popcorn
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup wildflower honey
1/4 t salt
1 T Matouks West Indian Hot Sauce

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bring all ingredients except the popcorn to a boil in a stainless steel saucepan. When all the ingredients have boiled and come together as one, pour over the popcorn in a metal bowl and toss to coat evenly. Once the popcorn is evenly coated, lay out the mixture on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt to taste and place in the oven for ten minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for several days.

Brown Butter Popcorn Gelato

When we were in Colorado we worked with a popcorn puree which we served with seafood.  That seems like ages ago.  Still, popcorn resonates in our cooking.  We have made smoked smoked popcorn and ground it fine to use as a crisp.  We have made popcorn stuffing for game birds and a caramelized popcorn crust for lobster.

Often times I am a slow learner.  When Dani Garcia made an emulsion of olive oil and tomato water and froze it in liquid nitrogen to create "popcorn," I was struck by the aesthetic.  Frozen popcorn, quite clever and with a different taste. 

At the movies, I always order a large cola and share popcorn.  My issue with popcorn, particularly at the movies, is the tough kernel skin which gets stuck in between my teeth and my gums at the back of my mouth.  I tend to mindlessly eat the popcorn until this happens.  Then I spend what seems like forever trying to free the lodged piece of nuisance from its crevice.  Thankfully I have the cold cola to act as a rinse and to help dislodge the popcorn.  With the piece free, I hand off the popcorn and resume watching the movie and sipping the cola.

These three reference points were the building blocks for our most recent evolution.  We have made a popcorn gelato base, thickened in the Sicilian style with the naturally occurring corn starch present in the popcorn itself, and enriched with caramelized white chocolate.  The base screams popcorn and the the caramelized white chocolate adds sweetness and big brown butter flavor.  Since this is a puree, we have eliminated the kernel fragments which distract me from the pure enjoyment of eating popcorn.  Finally, we use the inspired technique of freezing the popcorn puree in liquid nitrogen with the help of a whip cream canister to recreate the shape of the popcorn.  The quick freeze prevents large ice crystals from forming and the aeration from the canister lightens the gelato base, creating some overrun and allowing the gelato to melt smoothly and intensely across the palate. As an added bonus, those of you joining us at Astor Center on Tuesday evening will get to taste this latest inspiration.

Rose Hip Miso

Often times surroundings inspire.  I was hoping for an influx of creativity from time outside our kitchen and within arm's reach of the ocean.  What I did not realize is that the time away was meant to be a distraction.  As it turns out, the vacation was not meant to be an instant rejuvenation.  Rather, the distractions of vacation occupy the mind allowing ideas to develop in the background and develop unhindered.

As we were on our way home today, actually pulling out of the driveway one last time, the morning light shined brilliantly on the rosebushes, heavy with hips and blossoms, that lined the dirt road.  The morning dew was beading on the petals and the fruit.  The brilliant light cut through the worn, ocean breeze battered leaves and drew my focus, as though I had yet not really seen what was there.

We have blended sweet and salty before.  Our pantry has been stocked with seasonal fruit misos, from  cherry to peach.  Still, the bittersweet rose hip has eluded us in this approach.  Until today.  The sweet, delicate flavor of white miso blended with rose hip preserves will produce a harmonious condiment to be paired with lobster and perhaps sweetbreads and scallops.  In fact, the blend of rose hips and miso may weave its way into our sweet preparations as a steamed pudding or an ultra thin tart.

We are back in Queens, and the haze of vacation is lifting.  As it lifts, the ideas which were sprouted oceanside are begining to take root.  What I have learned is that vacation is not meant to produce instant results.  Instead, time away gives the brain some space to sow fertile grounds that will blossom upon our return home.

A Potato

Over at Playing with Fire and Water, Linda makes raclette with a twist.  The beauty is the simplicity.  I am truly struck by the custom made potato shaped mold.  The fact that the dish centers around raclette is all the better.

Sky Scape

A Donut Without a Hole is a Danish

There is a great photo spread and anecdotal story about Wylie, a bagel, Alex, his team and the challenges and excitement of creating and polishing a dish.  It is important to read the paragraphs below the pictures.  Ideas come from everywhere and may be shaped and molded by many minds and hands.  It is wonderful to be able to peek into the world of our friends and be privy to the development of a dish and the mindset of another creative process.