Jeanne Geraci

Thanks to everyone who had suggestions. Time limitations didn't allow me to send for any special ingredients, but now I have a plan for further experimentation. If anyone's interested, what I did for the balls for the party was whip 1/2 c. heavy cream to soft peaks. Then I added 1/2 c. grated parmesan. To that I added 1/2 c. dissolved unflavored gelatin powder. Then I freaked because it all turned to liquid - no more peaks. I put it in a plastic container as per one of the egullet pastry demos on whipped cream that AmritaBala pointed me to and presto chango, pretty soon it was firm, but the balls were sticky to work with. Will Goldfarb suggested popping it in the freezer, as did another participant here. I did and it was much easier to scoop, but it got a little crystallized. The key, I think, is just a quick freeze. I used a melon baller and kept them in the fridge on waxed paper until serving time. They tasted great and the whole presentation was pretty cool. The soup is really great if anyone wants the recipe. Another suggestion I am anxious to try was given by Alex Talcot and Aki Kamozawa:make a parmesan marshmellow, using glucose and isomalt. So, once I get some vegetables planted, I'm back to the kitchen.

Thank you - I found that textura website yesterday - also Will Goldfarb's willpowder, though they haven't called me back. Good idea about asking for samples. L'epicerie sells gelatin sheets; I'm not sure about the other items. Are there any classes out there in the NYC area for molecular gastronomy?

Not sure the alginate method would work as the parmisan being a cheese already has a decent level of calcium so you'd find the alginate would set solid. To get a liquid centre you'd probably need to do reverse spheriphication using a sodium alginate bath. Also as the calcium chloride now in the parmisan may change the taste and you may be better of using calcium gluconate. Finally if you use a parmisan stock (stir grated parmisan at 80 degrees C for 1/2 hour then strain) you'd need to thicking it with Xanthian gum to get a nice shaped ball - or freeze into balls before droping into the alginate bath. ← Many thanks for the tips - I need to find these ingredients and experiment.

I['ll serve the soup room temp to slightly warmed. I want the ball to float on top and kind of dissolve or pop into the mouth, but I want it as a separate piece, not just cream on top. I was at Perry St. on Fri. and the chef there in NYC said to use gelatin or agar agar for a solid ball and sodium alginate with a calcium chloride bath for a liquid center, so I am off tomorrow to GNC to try and find those items. My local health food store didn't have them. I'll let you know......

I can try freezing it I guess but am worried it might weep when I scoop it, or take on an ice taste. But it's worth a try - thanks for the suggestion.

Hi - Thanks for that. I have used lecithin for foams, but I would like the parmesan whipped cream to sit like a little marble or ice cream on top of the soup shot. Ichecked out the pastry video demonstration about whipped cream, but I don't know if parmesan instead of sugar will whip to that thick a consistency. And I'd have to use powdered geletin cause I can't get the sheets in time. Any other ideas would be welcome.

Thanks so much - I will have a look. Am I to use regular old unflavored gelatin in those boxes that you get in the supermarket?

I am making asparagus soup shots. It's a fabulous recipe, and, normally I just whip heavy cream and add parmesan and dollop some on top. I'd love to make it look better by actually having a ball of parmesan cream to serve on top. Any recipes out there? Am also looking for foam recipes using lecithin. I made almond financier cakes with an apple/ginger foam, but something was missing. It needed to be a little sweeter and I'd love anyone's help. Thanks!! Jeanne G.

Thank you, John, for that update.

After you've sauteed your broccoli rabe with garlic and good olive oil, put it on some crusty baguette or italian bread, slice some fresh mozzarella and stick under the broiler, open faced for a few seconds til the cheese melts and it's all warm and gooey. Take it out, drizzle just a little bit more oil, sprinkle some sea salt and eat - yum yum! It's also really amazing to serve over a bed of mashed fava beans; really superb.

Blend/mix in a blender, liquidise, etc. (correct English?) Makes that sense in the context of the recipe? ← Again, many thanks. Yes, makes perfect sense. I now have two or three recipes to try - some with and some without heavy cream. I don't see how it can solidify in the whipping canister without the cream. One recipe calls for a cup of oil. We'll be eating lots of peas 'til I get it right!

Jeanne, I believe there are some topics dealing with foams. Dunno if this topic holds it. Maybe check there (for instance, foam Sauce, Step in preparing foam sauce). My answer would be: what is the texture u have and what is the texture u want? If I were to make a solid (whipped cream like) cold pea texture, I'd go for pea-flavored whipping cream. If I need warm whipped cream like pea structure, then the latter won't work as the whipping cream isn't stable. I'd try an pea-flavored anglaise or even use some powders from the Texturas range. If I would want a very light (like soap foam) foam, I'd make a very thin water-based pea soup (no fat) and use lecithine to make it foam. Just use a simple whip to make the foam (no ISI). ← ← Thanks Charlie O and Tomtom 11 for your help. My computer crashed or I would have thanked you sooner. One question - what does it mean to "blitz" in a recipe. The UK link re pea foam used that word many times.

Hi - I'm trying to find the right proportions to do a pea foam using the whipping canister. The ingred. are peas, chicken broth, onion which are cooked and then put through a sieve. Then heavy cream, salt and pepper are added. I can't get the consistency right. Any help starting with a 16 oz bag of peas? I'm trying to do a great amuse bouche with this for Valentine's day. Oh, and you top it with mini croutons. THANKS IF YOU CAN HELP.

Well, for heaven's sakes, she gave him a gun as a gift. Why on earth would she do that, knowing and living with his highs and lows????

A friend and I had lunch in the bar room at the Modern last Thursday. It was my first time there since the re-opening of Moma. The art was stupendous and the reward of a lovely bottle of champagne (which disappeared mysteriously fast!) and quite succulent appetizers made for a lovely day of hookey. You can mix and match at will - so it is very easy to put together a meal that will suit a variety of appetites. My friend had the tuna carpaccio which was very fresh and artistically plated. Her second appetizer was also a raw fish - I just can't remember now, but she raved about it. I also chose two appetizers that I would completely recommend: smoked eel rillettes and then a poached egg with serrano and cockles in a garlic sauce. That was exceptional. The portions were generous and we were quite full. The service was efficient and friendly. My only negative comment was the reservationist who called for the confirmation and said if we didn't call back in five minutes we would lose the table. We were also told that we'd better be there on time. Once there, however, everyone was nice. Oh, and the unisex bathrooms should go. All in all - everyone should give it a try (the restaurant, not the bathroom). We are going for dinner to the main dining room on Nov. 12 - we are very excited about it - it's a tough reservation to get.