Savory frosting?

[nathanm]

I am interested in making a faux-frosting which is savory - i.e. not sweet at all.

Ideally, I would like a texture similar to a butter cream frosting. However I would also accept other things which mimic a typical pastry frosting you might see on a cake. So, that would include ganache or even rolled marizpan.

Sugar is, of course, a key ingredient in most traditional frostings. Low fat, low calorie and low carb frostings use other ingredients to achieve texture, and those are good places to look. However, I am not asking about a sweet tasting frosting, but rather an entirely savory frosting. Fat content is not a problem, so butter works.

The natural thing to consider is some sort of gelling agent. Agar, gelatin and other gelling agents are used in frostings, but usually not as the main ingredient providing texture - usually they are there to act as a stabilizer.

[Ling]

Well, what are you using the frosting for? A meat cake? Someone in the Vancouver forum posted a picture of a "birthday cake" made of something like five different types of meat, and "frosted" with parsley mashed potatoes.

[nathanm]

Actually, yes, a meat cake was the plan. But once you have savory frosting there are a lot of things you could do with it.

[andiesenji]

Back in the late 50s and into the 60s we used to prepare a ham "frosted" with a mixture of cream cheese, sour cream with horseradish and mustard, decorated with thin strips of red bell pepper then sprinkled with chopped chives. Pretty.

I will see if I can find a photo.

[Sethro]

Well, the sugar in frosting (and I'm thinking buttercream) is dissolved and not really prevelant in the texture to begin with.

I guess you could just fold softened butter with whip cream till you get a spreadable consistancy. You could infuse or blend the cream with herbs or whatever it was you had in mind.

Otherwise, you could make a parfait of cream cheese and mascarpone (or sour cream, whatever), but that carries alot of flavor as is and I'm not sure if you are looking for something relatively nuetral or not.

Basically you will want to lighten the butter or cheese mixture with whipped cream either way, till its spreadable as you want.

Edited November 21, 2005 by Sethro (log)

[jgm]

How about cream cheese?

Edit: a local restaurant makes a cake-like creation out of layered crepes, vegetables, and meats. It's frosted with a savory-type frosting. I think they call it "crepes primavera." You might try Googling that, or if you'd like, I can ask them what's in it.

Edited November 21, 2005 by jgm (log)

[andiesenji]

The ninth recipe down on this page is for snow frosted ham.

It's not exactly the recipe I used, but close enough for you to get the idea.

I used to make a little scene on the top of a large ham - sprigs of rosemary for "trees"

french fried onions for a patch of ground under each "tree" with bits of pimento for ornaments, etc. Lots of things you can do to make it interesting.

If you add a tablespoon of unsalted softened butter for each cup of cream cheese/sour cream mixture, it will not develop a "skin" on the surface.

Beat the mixture until it is fluffy and will form a peak.

Edited November 21, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[natasha1270]

Not sure if this will fulfill your textural needs but perhaps a savory mousse? Tomato Mousse? Goat Cheese Mousse? Rocquefort? Avocado?

N.

[nathanm]

Well, the sugar in frosting (and I'm thinking buttercream) is dissolved and not really prevelant in the texture to begin with.

I guess you could just fold softened butter with whip cream till you get a spreadable consistancy. You could infuse or blend the cream with herbs or whatever it was you had in mind.

Otherwise, you could make a parfait of cream cheese and mascarpone (or sour cream, whatever), but that carries alot of flavor as is and I'm not sure if you are looking for something relatively nuetral or not.

Basically you will want to lighten the butter or cheese mixture with whipped cream either way, till its spreadable as you want.

←

Sugar is vital to butter cream frostings - whether made with Italian meringue or Swiss meringue, the sugar is what binds the egg whites in a stable configuration. It is vital for the texture, consistency and mouth feel. Sugar is the largest component by weight or volume in a buttecream frosting. Yes, it is dissolved (otherwise the buttercream would be grainy), but its contribution is vital.

A soft, all dairy mix of butter, whipped cream, mascarpone etc will be spreadable, but won't have the buttercream like texture. The same is true for mashed potatoes - they can be spread in the mannerl of a frosting, and might look like a frosting, but won't really have the texture or feeof a frosting.

Similarly, a thick mayonaise, or savory mousse could be spreadable, but it too has the problem that it won't really have a similar mouthfeel to frosting. These suggestions are all good, and I thank those that made them, but I am trying to get even closer to simulating traditional frosting.

The best starting point is probably a zero-sugar or low-carb buttercream frosting recipe that is really trying to mimic the mouth feel of a traditional frosting. Presumably this means it would have some gelling or emulsifying agent that would stabilize whipped egg whites in a similar manner to sugar syrup in an Italian meringue. Yet at the same time wouldn't set too hard, so the texture is still soft.

[Sugarella]

Well, because you said you want this for a meat-only cake, a potato-based mock frosting was the first thing that came to mind. Rice-based quickly came second. Mashed potatoes or pureed rice would be a good starch to bind the other ingredients together. I did once make a shepherd's pie the wrong way and my potatoes spread like buttercream, but it was awfully good. And they even browned in the oven like meringue.

Try cooking some whites with cream of tartar like you would for buttercream, minus the sugar, then whip your butter into them. Seperately, mash your potatoes or rice with heavy cream or buttermilk for a smooth consistency, then cream the two together. The possibilities for herbs and flavoured oils are endless.

Is that what you were looking for? Boy, I'm hungry now.

[pastrymama]

I make a frosting for diabetics that I call "Mock Cream Icing" I flavor it with Splenda or Sweet and Low or Equal after the icing is finished. Maybe you could flavor it with herbs or other flavors. Here is the recipe in case you would like to try it.

1 cup milk

6T flour

cook the milk and flour to a thick paste, place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, set aside to cool.

when the paste is cool, place it in a mixing bowl and beat with a paddle until it gets a little creamy, then add 1/2 cup butter that is cut in small chunks and 1/2 cup shortening, beat until it is fluffy and no lumps. this is when I add the sweetener so you could try herbs or dry spices maybe a small amount of demi glace or chicken or beef base.

In case you want to use it like a regular frosting you would add 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. or the sugar replacments to taste.

[natasha1270]

Many of the low-carb and sugar-free recipes I've seen use xanthan gum for stabilizing/emulsifying.

I can see the link from a hollandaise or chantilly sauce to buttercream. Good luck, sounds interesting...

N.