Carbonated Anti-griddle ‘Seared’ Grapes - Purple Grape Glass - Fennel Sugar Strands

This dish is a celebration of grapes, with just a couple of simple complimentary flavours. Where it really gets exciting here is in highlighting the beautiful flavour of grapes by playing with textures and sensations in the mouth to showcase a fantastic ingredient in a new way,

The ‘Purple Grape Glass’ is brittle and delicate but delivers an intense, lingering flavour. The fizzy, carbonated fresh grapes are refreshing and palate cleansing, cutting the sweetness of the sugar strands. They also have a solid, then smooth and yielding, fast frozen edge. Finally the fragile, crisp, crunchy fennel sugar stands provide an extra hit of sweetness along with the distinctive and complementary flavour of anise.

This recipe uses fantastic bit of kit called an ‘Anti-griddle’. Its available on the www.Modernist-Chef.com shop. It’s an amazing piece of modern kitchen equipment made by PolyScience, with a ‘griddle’ surface which chills down to bellow -35C . The anti-griddle allows you to freeze items incredibly quickly (thus giving you a smoother texture as ice-crystals don’t have time to form) and to freeze objects upwards from the ‘griddle’ surface by increment, allowing you to achieve unique textures and temperature contrasts within elements of a dish.

In this recipe the cut edges of halved carbonated grapes are frozen on the anti griddle. The top three quarters each grape stays soft and unfrozen so you keep the taste and texture of fresh grapes (with an added fizz). But you also get a texture and temperature contrast within each grape, and a really bright clean flavour from the frozen edge.

Whippers and The AntiGriddle available from



Above - The Purple Grape Glass

Purple Grape Glass

165g Purple Grape Juice
40g Pure-cote B790
15g Caster Sugar
5g Icing Sugar
Tiny Pinch of Salt
0.5g Ground Cinnamon
15g Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice (roughly equal to the juice of half a small lime)

Slowly heat all ingredients except the lime juice to 90C in a small pan whilst whisking, and hold the mixture at 90C for two to three minutes, continually stirring.

Remove the pan from the heat and pour the liquid into a blender, now adding the fresh lime juice. Blend the hot mix for ten minutes on full power.

Now dab a small amount of olive oil on to a couple of sheets of acetate and wipe with paper towel to form a very light coating.

Pour the warm grape juice mix onto the acetate sheets and form as thin a layer of the juice mix as possible by moving the sheets around.

Place the acetate sheets into a dehydrator ser at 33C for 3 -4 hours until the juice mixture has become a malleable but dry film. (The coated acetate can be left at room temperature to dry overnight but I find this low temperature stage in the dehydrator works well and speeds up the process).

Peel the grape film away from the acetate and shape the film as desired. For this dish I tore small pieces of the film and simply crumpled them up a little, pinning then in that shape with transparent cocktail sticks.

Finally dehydrate the shaped grape film on baking paper at 57C for 10-12 hours until you are left with crisp and brittle, abstract shaped, pieces of purple grape glass on cocktail sticks.

(These can be stored in an airtight container - layering with baking paper along with a small wrap of silica crystals to prevent the fruit glass from absorbing moisture).

Fennel Sugar Strands

40g Isomalt
20g Glucose Syrup
20g White Fondant
0.75g Ground Toasted Fennel Seeds (about ¾ of a teaspoon)

Heat all the ingredients except the ground fennel to 165C in pan.

Once the sugar mixture hits 165C remove the pan from heat and let it rest for a few seconds, then quickly stir in the fennel powder. (The mixture should be clear and uncoloured except for the fine fennel powder suspended in it).

Pour the hot sugar mixture onto a silicon mat (such as a ‘Silpat’)

As soon as the sugar is cool enough to touch, but still flexible, pull and stretch thin pieces of the ‘caramel’ into long, fine abstract shapes, working quickly.

You want a variety of shapes – some small flatter pieces and some long thin strands of sugar. Allow the fennel sugar strands to cool and harden on baking paper.

(As with the fruit glass these can be stored in an airtight container – layered with baking paper along with a small wrap of silica crystals to prevent the sugar stands from absorbing moisture).

For the Grapes

A mix of good quality Green and Red seedless grapes
Two Co2 chargers

Take about 20 mixed grapes and cut them in half.

Place the halved grapes into a cream whipper and charge it with two Co2 chargers. Then place the whipper in the fridge and chill for at least two hours.

Complete the following steps once you are ready to serve the dish (and have prepared the Fennel Sugar strands and Grape Glass)

Lightly oil the surface of the anti-griddle and turn it on around ten minutes before your ready to use it so it can fully chill down to temperature.


Above - The Anti-Griddle

Now, when you have everything prepared, fully vent the gas from the cream whipper, then carefully open it up and remove the grapes.

Place the grapes, cut side down on the lightly oiled anti-griddle. Allow the cut edge of the grapes to freeze and the freezing to continue up the grape by about a 2-3mm (this will happen very quickly)

When the grapes are frozen at the base remove them from anti-griddle surface with a silicon spatula. This should be done as close to serving as possible so that the edge of the grape remains frozen whilst the rest is fresh and fizzy from carbonation.

Putting it together

Alternately place the prepared grapes and some of the smaller pieces of fennel sugar in a small shot glass.

Arrange a couple of the longer thin strands of fennel sugar protruding from the shot glass.

Finally take one of the pieces of purple grape glass on its cocktail stick and gently press the tip of the cocktail stick into one of the grapes in the shot glass, so that the purple grape glass sits above the shot glass.

(Savory Beetroot Meringue using Methylcellulose)

Methylcellulose –

An Introduction and two recipes –
- Savory Meringue
- Super light and crispy Tempura

Available from


Methylcellulose is a popular hydrocolloid which can form a gel or act as a thickener when hydrated. Particular to methylcellulose is that it gels when its heated rather than once it cools. Because of this unique quality it’s often used to make mousses and gellees which are firm when they are hot but melt as they cool. Due to this many chefs have used methylcellulose in the pursuit of creating a ‘hot ice-cream’, the idea being to create something with the texture of ice-cream but served hot which then melts in the mouth as it cools (personally I haven’t come across a version of this yet which I think really works i.e. really gives an experience like eating ice-cream only hot –but I hope someone will crack it at some point).

Methylcellulose is used in various ways in modern cuisine. It can be used to great effect to create foams. Can be added to liquids which may then be dried to form films and baked into crisp brittle sheets. It can act a replacement for egg whites in some recipes as it can be whipped in a similar way to provide a similar structural element in a recipe (like with the beetroot meringue recipe bellow).

It’s also used in some deep fried foods, as when it comes into contact with the hot oil in a fryer it forms an oil impermeable film. Due to this using methylcellulose in deep fried products both reduces the amount of moisture which escapes from the coated ingredient and also reduces the about of oil absorbed into the coated item – this can help to achieve a crispier, lighter product with a great texture.

Methylcellulose is one of the very few modern ingredients I use which is not entirely ‘natural’ but synthesized from natural ingredients, namely cellulose - often from cotton. Its non-toxic and non-allergenic and a perfectly healthy and safe ingredient to use in food so don’t be scared off by the fact it’s synthesized. Bear in mind you most likely consume it fairly regularly already as it’s used in huge variety of products including foods and medicines (even vitamin tablets).

Typical use levels –

0.5% - 2% typical concentration for use in cooking

To replace egg whites use 2g Methylcellulose blended into 35g water to replace each egg white. Note – Methylcellulose prepared this way will whip to stiff peaks but you need to be persistent in your whipping to get it to nice stiff peaks.

You can buy Methylcellulose here.

I will return to this post soon to add recipes and techniques for foams, hot gellees and mousses which melt as they cool, films, and brittle sheets - all using methylcellulose.

Savory Beetroot Meringue (vegan)

‘Lentil Salad’ (Vegan)
Green Lentils - Apple Film - Savory Beetroot Meringue (egg-free) -. Horseradish Soymilk Emulsion - Celery - Walnut – Watercress - Citrus

For a while I’ve wanted to do a very modern vegan dish that plays on the stereotypes people often have about vegan food (ie -the use of lentils).

The recipe is based on flavours that work together brilliantly and often come together in simple salads. My idea was to work with these flavours but play with the textures and the presentation and hopefully give a modern refined twist to a simple salad.

Savory Beetroot Meringue – (I have now updated the technique for this, the one bellow works but I now make my juice based meringues the way you can see here

All the modern ingredients used in this dish can be found on


350g Beetroot Juice (this will be reduced to 300g)
35g Isomalt
20g Glucose syrup
20g Caster sugar
Pinch Salt
2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Pinch Chilli Powder
11g Methylcellulose
1.5g Xanthan Gum

Bring the beetroot juice to a simmer and reduce it to 300g. Now whilst stirring add in the Isomalt, Glucose, Caster Sugar, Lemon Juice, Chilli Powder and Salt to taste and stir until they are dissolved. Set the mixture to one side to cool.

Take 250g of the beetroot juice mix and blend in the xanthan gum with an immersion blender. Once the mixture has thickened add in the methylcellulose and blend again until fully combined.

Now either my hand or in a kitchen aid whip the beetroot mix to stiff peaks (this may take a while but you need to persist and get it to stiff peaks).
.
Once whipped to stiff peaks delicately spoon the whipped beetroot mix into a piping bag a carefully pipe small meringues onto s nonstick sheet.

Finally dehydrate the meringues at 57C for around 10 hours until dried, light and crispy (dehydrate for longer if necessary).

These can be stored in an airtight container

Apple sheet –
For the Apple Juice mix -
300g Apple Juice
3g Sodium Alginate
Pinch Salt
Grated Zest of one Lemon
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Calcium Lactate Solution -
100ml water
5g Calcium Lactate

Bend sodium alginate into the apple juice until it thickens. Now stir in the lemon zest, cinnamon, black pepper and a pinch of salt.
Now let the apple juice mix settle in the fridge for an hour.

Next prepare the calcium lactate solution by blending the powdered calcium Lactate into 100ml of cold water. Pour this solution into a spray bottle/atomizer.

Now spread a little of the apple juice mixture in a thin layer on a flat nonstick surface (a baking sheet or even just a flat plate will do). Now spray the apple mixture with the calcium solution, this will cause the apple mixture to begin setting. Leave it for five minutes then you should be able to gently lift and turn over the apple sheet so you can spray the other side. Leave the apple sheet for a further five minutes then cut it into strips (these will be used to roll up the lentil mixture in). Finally heat the cut apple sheets in the microwave for 20 seconds to dry them out a tiny bit. Now set to one side on greaseproof paper until ready to use.

Lentils-
125g Dried Green lentils dried (for 250g cooked)
2 bay leaves
40g Crushed Walnut
1 Carrot - Diced
1 Stick Celery – Diced
2 tabs fresh chopped parsley

Rinse the dried lentils then cook them in salted water (starting with cold water) with two bay leaves for approx 15 minutes until cooked but still retaining texture. Now drain them and rinse again with a little cold water.
Now place the cooked lentils in a bowl and mix in the diced celery, diced carrot, crushed walnut, chopped parsley and a splash of olive oil. Season to taste.

Horseradish Soymilk Emulsion

170ml Soymilk
600ml Light Olive Oil
One Teaspoon Mustard
Juice One Lemon and Zest.
2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
One Tablespoon Horseradish Puree
2 cloves Garlic

In a food processor blend the garlic, mustard, lemon juice and zest, and vinegar for one minute.

Now add the soymilk into the food processor and blend for another minute.
Now gently in a slow stream (as slow as possible) pout the olive oil into the soymilk mixture whilst blending.

As you drizzle in the olive oil while blending the mixture should gradually emulsify and thicken. Add seasoning to taste (bending it in to combine). Place some of the emulsion in a squeezy bottle and store the rest in the fridge.

Putting it together –

Take a small spoonful of the lentil mixture and place it at the bottom of one the strips of apple film and roll it up like a small cannelloni. Make up three of these for each plate, trimming them to neaten them up.

Place small dots of the emulsion on the plate swiping them with the tip of the squeezy bottle to make teardrop shapes.

Place three of the small apple wrapped lentil parcels on the plate and garnish them with a little orange zest.

Delicately place a little watercress around the plate and place a few of the beetroot meringue around the plate aswell.

Cheers

Eddie