Foams/Espumas - GREEN

[SteveCooks!]

I need help coming up with a v-e-r-y 'green' colored foam.

This is a planned topping for a Carrot/Corriander soup in a shooter glass.

Please offer suggestions, but no artificial coloring.

I have an ISI Gourmet Whip available to me.

Thanks everyone!

Edited October 7, 2010 by SteveCooks! (log)

[mkayahara]

Check out the basil foam in Rick Tramonto's Amuse-bouche.

[SteveCooks!]

Thanks for the speedy reply, Matthew!

I pulled out the book and see what you are referring to. This may work, BUT if I wanted an even 'greener' foam...do you think adding spinach would help?

I have a garden full of basil, but the cold temps have turned them yellow so I will probably have to purchase a fresher batch...unless the spinach or any other idea comes up...

[Tri2Cook]

I guess my question would be: do you want your desired shade of green at any cost or is the flavor the main consideration but you'll take the green if you can get it? Any time you aerate something, the color will not be as deep or vibrant (aerated unsweetened chocolate looks pretty close to un-aerated milk chocolate but take a bite and the difference is instantly evident) so it's going to take a really deep colored base to get an intense color in the foam. If you use enough of any dark green herb or vegetable you will probably eventually get a green close enough to what you want but if it's too strong or something that doesn't compliment the dish then it's really not worth it in my opinion.

[Chris Hennes]

An excellent point from Tri2Cook: fortunately, the same aeration that lightens the color lightens the flavor, so if you're happy with a spinach-flavored foam on a carrot soup (sounds like it would be good to me, but I love spinach), I'd say give that a try and see how it is. I'd be a bit leery of the basil flavor in that application, actually. I wonder if you won't have to concentrate the chlorophyl that you extract from the spinach though, to get it bright enough in a foam application.

[Doodad]

Peas perhaps? I am working on a basil foam as well, but peas would be greener I would think.

[SteveCooks!]

Wow - great responses - thanks!

The color is my main goal because I can adapt the flavor of the foam to suit my needs. Bearing in mind that I have a Carrot/Coriander soup (I used the coriander 'seed', not the colantro greens - too pale), I can flavor the green foam with a powdered coriander so the color won't change and the flavor boast of the coriander (roasted and ground)will be in line with the soup.

One thing Ric (Amuse Bouche) uses is heavy cream and half & half, so his foam will indeed be pale in color. If I use another fat, or lechicin or a little gelatin???, I might achieve the darkest green possible.

To put it in perspective, this is a starter that is a Carrot Coriander Soup that will be served in a shooter glass and the green foam top is the give the appearance of a 'carrot'. This is the start to my Thanksgiving dinner for 40 family and friends. Since it will be a buffet dinner as there are too many to table serve, I am trying to create a 'starter' that we can all share together before they 'hit the buffet'. a glass of Champagne would be wayyy easier, but what's the fun in that???

Thanks again, guys & gals.

Edited October 7, 2010 by SteveCooks! (log)

[mkayahara]

If I use another fat, or lechicin or a little gelatin???, I might achieve the darkest green possible.

I don't think lecithin or gelatin are the answer here. In my experience, lecithin airs and gelatin foams tend to be even less dense than fat-based foams, and consequently paler in colour.

To put it in perspective, this is a starter that is a Carrot Coriander Soup that will be served in a shooter glass and the green foam top is the give the appearance of a 'carrot'.

The first thing that occurs to me would be to check whether carrot tops are edible and/or tasty. Barring that, parsley might be a darker green than basil, and the technique should be about the same.

[Tri2Cook]

Good point from you as well Mr. Hennes. It does indeed lighten the flavor in addition to the color. I think I'd be more concerned that heavily concentrating too much leafy green veggie or herb might bring forward some unpleasant bitter notes. Many dark leafy greens are riding the edge of bitterness in their natural, unconcentrated state. That aside, as long as the flavor compliments the soup, go for it. I don't know what your soup recipe includes. A roasted mild green chile base with a back-note of the herbs used in the soup and some lime zest might be nice.

[Tri2Cook]

Carrot tops on their own are not the best tasting green things out there. I don't mind them in combination with other greens though. You can't really take the "make it green then worry about the flavor later" approach if you're going to use herbs or vegetables for the color. There will already be a flavor that tossing in some ground coriander won't overpower... at least not in any good way. If you're going to use veggies and herbs for the color, you have to take the flavor into account right from the start. If it won't taste good in the dish, you won't make it taste good in the dish by piling in a spice at the end. That idea might work with a relatively neutral base but I still don't feel it's the best approach. Then again, it's not my dish so take that for what it's worth.

[Kerry Beal]

Kale is a nice dark green.

[CoyoteChef]

Following our flavor palate, you already have coriander, how about cilantro for a coriander two ways flavor. Maybe a touch of lime to pique the flavor in your infusion. Just a suggestion.

[Karri]

Hello, in my experience if you want to make some really nice dark green foam, just use some kale or spinach, blanche it quickly, reresh it in an icebath, and blend it up. Makes a good base for green oil, as well as a foam.

[ermintrude]

You could try this chlorophyll paste recipe is from www.ukthermomix.com

The recipe is for a thermomix but you could probably adapt using a thermometer and stick blender.

]Chlorophyll Paste - Tom Cockerill, Entropy Restaurant[/b

There is an enzyme within green plant matter called chlorophyllase, which at moderate temperatures 66-77˚C, attacks the bright green chlorophyll pigment within the plant making chlorophyll water soluble. This is why green vegetables cooked in water that isn’t close enough to the boil lose their vibrancy, since the bright green pigmentation leeches out into the cooking water.

This recipe uses the thermomix’s controlled heating & puréeing functions to deliberately cause this effect in order to obtain the pigment for culinary use, and the ice used at the end minimises the cooking time to prevent the pigment itself from dulling.

Ingredients

750 gm water

250 gm washed baby spinach leaves

80 – 150 gm soft herbs (depending on desired strength of flavour)

500 gm ice cubes

Method

Weigh the ice into the bowl of the Thermomix. Crush by Turbo pulsing several times and then tip out the crushed ice into a large mixing bowl.

Weigh the water directly into the Thermomix bowl and bring up to precisely 70˚C (approx 5-6 minutes/ 70˚C/ Speed 1). Stop the Thermomix, remove the lid & weigh in the baby spinach & herbs.

Blitz on full power 6 minutes/ 70˚C/ Speed 10 and then immediately pour into the bowl of crushed ice.

Pour the contents of the bowl into a sieve lined with muslin. Ideally leave to drain over night.

The resulting paste left in the muslin is the chlorophyll. This may be kept refrigerated for up to two days.

Janie's Tip:

Chlorophyll Paste provides a natural colour & flavour base for a variety of uses: added to soups at the last minute it gives a bright verdant colour, it also works well with cream based sauces, risottos & mashed potato. Any type of soft herb can be used when following this recipe to impart a distinctive flavour to the finished dish.

Many thanks to Tom Cockerill, Chef/Proprietor, Entropy Restaurant, Leicester. "Which" Good Food Guide, Best Newcomer 2006.

[OliverB]

if green is all you want I'd also probably try a chlorophyl extraction. I think there's one in the French Laundry book, but I can't look it up right now. I guess you could foam that up if you need/want foam. Otherwise I could imagine a couple drops of very green olive oil could work great too, blending the oil with basil and straining it through a cheesecloth. The soup sounds great and personally I think a bit of colored oil would look great and add some nice taste too.

I have no idea if you can make foam from oil though.

If I recall correctly, the chlorophyl extraction does not stay super green for a long time, but it's been a while since I read that.

You say no food coloring, but I have to ask, why not? Aren't those extracted from plant material too? If it's just for color.

I'd love to see a picture of the finished dish!

[ChickenStu]

chorophyll is the way to go, try parsley or even cilantro. Although parsley and spinach usually yield the best results.

[Marya D.]

I recall reading, maybe in the French Laundry Cookbook, about the extraction of Chlorophyll from plant material, to create a very vivid green. I looked up "chlorophyll extraction" on teh googles, but found mostly chemistry class sort of applications. . . but I swear I know it's out there somewhere, start with Keller if you can.

Marya

[demo5]

I had a Chervil "tea" last year that was a very intense and bright green. That may be a nice flavor to work into your foam to compliment the soup.

[nicoeats]

Blanched carrot tops should work well with the flavors of the soup. If you need to beef them up, try adding some parsley or coriander leafs to the blanching mix.

I'm not entirely sure though why you need this to be so intensely green -- if the soup is orange, any shade of moderate green would stand in contrast. Can you tell us more about why this needs to be so intense?