Modernist Cooking Made Easy (31 page)

Mojo sauce is a traditional cuban sauce often used for marinating pork but it works well as a sauce too. It often uses sour orange juice but we substitute ½ normal orange juice and ½ lime juice because sour orange juice can be hard to find.

This sauce was made for pork but it is also fantastic on a grilled steak. We also use the mojo as a mop when we grill pork chops to add flavor to them.

We find that adding a touch of xanthan gum helps the sauce to cling to the meat better both during cooking and when serving.

Tools Needed

Xanthan gum

Standing or immersion blender

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

40 grams olive oil, about 3 tablespoons

8 cloves garlic, minced

78 grams orange juice, about ⅓ cup

78 grams lime juice, about ⅓ cup

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

0.2 grams xanthan gum, 0.1%

To prepare the mojo sauce heat the olive oil and garlic in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook until the garlic begins to soften, about 1 minute, then add the orange juice, lime juice and cumin. Bring to a simmer and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Pour into a blender or a container that works well with your immersion blender.

Sprinkle in the xanthan gum and blend well. Stir in the oregano. The sauce is now ready to be used.

R
OASTED
T
OMATO
S
ALSA

There is something about roasted tomatoes that I really love. I combine them with some thyme and garlic for base flavor and vinegar, brown sugar, and chipotles for high notes.

I like to serve this over grilled chicken or steak but it is also a good topping for roasted asparagus or steamed green beans.

Roasted tomato salsa can be pretty watery, depending on the type of tomatoes used. I like to add a little bit of xanthan gum to thicken it up when that happens. I give the measurements for 0.2% and 0.6% but use your judgment to tailor the salsa to your own preferences.

Tools Needed

Xanthan gum

Standing or immersion blender

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

½ yellow onion, diced

800 grams tomatoes, roughly diced, about 5 large tomatoes

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

5 garlic cloves, diced

30 grams cider vinegar, about 2 tablespoons

26 grams brown sugar, about 2 tablespoons

¼-1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder, or chile powder of your choice

1.6-4.8 grams xanthan gum, 0.2-0.6%

Preheat the oven to 204ºC / 400ºF.

Add the onion and tomatoes to a sheet pan with raised sides then sprinkle with the thyme and garlic. Bake in the oven until they soften and begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and pour ¾ of it into a blender or a container that works well with your immersion blender. Stir in the cider vinegar, brown sugar, and chipotle powder. Let cool slightly.

Blend the tomato mixture to a smooth puree. Sprinkle in some of the xanthan gum and blend well to combine. Taste it for thickness and mouthfeel. If you need it thicker, continue adding xanthan gum and blending well until it has the thickness and mouthfeel you prefer.

Stir in the remaining tomato and onion mixture.

A
SIAN
C
ITRUS
S
AUCE

This is a very easy sauce to put together and it has a lot of nuanced flavor. Instead of the chile powder you can use a chipotle in adobo sauce or a drop or two of hot sauce.

I love this sauce on short ribs or a steak that has been coated with Chinese 5-spice powder before being grilled. I often use some orange zest and scallions as a garnish.

Tools Needed

Xanthan gum

Standing or immersion blender

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

30 grams rice wine vinegar, about 2 tablespoons

60 grams orange juice, about 4 tablespoons

28 grams peanut oil or olive oil, about 2 tablespoons

60 grams oyster sauce, about 4 tablespoons

26 grams brown sugar, about 2 tablespoons

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder, or chile powder of your choice

Salt and pepper

0.8 grams xanthan gum, 0.4%

Place all of the ingredients except the xanthan gum into a blender or a container that works well with your immersion blender. Blend and taste for seasonings and make sure the balance of the flavors is good, adding more sugar, vinegar, or salt as needed.

Sprinkle in the xanthan gum and blend well to combine. Taste it for thickness and mouthfeel. If you need it thicker, continue adding xanthan gum and blending well until it has the thickness and mouthfeel you prefer.

P
EACH
P
UREE

One of my favorite things to eat, especially during spring and summer, is fresh fruit. Whether it’s whole or made into a sauce or puree, it’s hard to beat the fresh flavors you get.

My only complaint with making many types of fruit purees is that they get too watery. Luckily, using a touch of xanthan gum solves this problem by slightly thickening it up and giving it a great mouthfeel. The puree is great to eat as is, or over top of french toast, a pound cake, or angel food cake.

The Amaretto adds a little background flavor but it is completely optional. You could also add some honey, champaign, or anything else tasty you have on hand.

Feel free to puree more or less of the peaches, depending on how chunky you like your puree. Be sure to adjust the xanthan gum respectively since it only needs to go into the pureed peaches. You don’t even have to weigh the xanthan gum, just be careful putting it in, it’s strong!

Tools Needed

Xanthan gum

Immersion or standing blender

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

2 large peaches, de-pitted and coarsely chopped, about 400 grams

15 grams Amaretto or triple sec, about 1 tablespoon

A sprinkle of xanthan gum, about 0.4 grams, 0.1%, up to 1.2 grams, 0.3%

1 large peach, diced, about 200 grams

Place the coarsely chopped peaches and the Amaretto into the blending container and puree until smooth.

Starting with a small amount, sprinkle in some of the xanthan gum and blend until distributed. Test for thickness. If you want it to be thicker, sprinkle in a little more xanthan gum and blend again. Repeat until the desired thickness is reached, usually it should cling to a spoon but still flow very easily.

If the puree becomes too thick you can puree another peach in it or add some water or another liquid.

Once the puree is the thickness you want, stir in the diced peach and serve.

X
ANTHAN
G
UM
F
OAMS

Since xanthan gum thickens liquids they can more easily trap air bubbles and stabilize foams.

Xanthan Gum Foaming Process

The first step to make a xanthan gum foam from a liquid is to mix in the xanthan gum using an immersion or standing blender. Once it’s evenly dispersed you need to introduce air into the liquid. This can be done through whipping, blending, or with a whipping siphon. Typically a whipping siphon is the most efficient way to create a foam.

Another interesting way to create a xanthan gum foam is through the use of an aquarium bubbler. It will create large, unevenly sized bubbles, resembling soap bubbles, that can add a whimsical quality to many dishes. For this preparation it is typically combined with

Xanthan Gum Foaming Ratios

A ratio between 0.2% and 0.8% is typically used. The more xanthan gum you use the larger the bubbles that can occur, and the denser the foam will be.

For bubbles, resembling soap bubbles, a typical ratio is 0.1% to 0.4% xanthan gum and 0.2% to 2.0% Versawhip or egg white powder.

R
ASPBERRY
M
INT
F
OAM

During summer our raspberry bushes overwhelm us with fresh raspberries so I’m always looking for ways to use them up. This raspberry foam is dense, wet, and packs a big flavor punch. It is great on desserts like ice cream or chocolate cake, as a fancy salad dressing, or even to dress fish or chicken.

Since the sweetness of raspberries can vary so much you may need to add more or less honey to balance the flavors. You can also add some vinegar, I prefer champagne or balsamic, if it is too sweet.

You can foam the raspberry puree with an immersion blender but for best results you should use a whipping siphon.

Tools Needed

Xanthan gum

Standing or immersion blender

Whipping siphon (optional)

Strainer

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

200 grams raspberries

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped mint leaves

40 grams honey, about 2 tablespoons

150 grams water

1.5 grams xanthan gum, 0.4%

Combine the raspberries, mint, honey, and water in a blender. Puree until smooth.

If you want a more refined foam, or if you will be using a whipping siphon, strain the puree to remove the raspberry seeds. Return the liquid to the blender.

While blending sprinkle in the xanthan gum and mix until evenly dispersed.

Foam the liquid using a blender, immersion blender, or whipping siphon. For a detailed look at the foaming techniques please see the chapter on Foams.

C
UBAN
M
OJO
S
AUCE
F
OAM

This recipes shows how easy it is to take sauces and turn them into light foams. It uses the same recipe from above but increases the xanthan gum to 0.6% from 0.1%.

Tools Needed

Xanthan gum

Standing or immersion blender

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

40 grams olive oil, about 3 tablespoons

8 cloves garlic, minced

78 grams orange juice, about ⅓ cup

78 grams lime juice, about ⅓ cup

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper

1.2 grams xanthan gum, 0.6%

To prepare the mojo sauce heat the olive oil and garlic in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook until the garlic begins to soften, about 1 minute, then add the orange juice, lime juice and cumin. Bring to a simmer and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Pour into a blender or a container that works well with your immersion blender.

Sprinkle in the xanthan gum and blend well. Foam the liquid using a blender, immersion blender, or whipping siphon. For a detailed look at the foaming techniques please see the chapter on Foams.

X
ANTHAN
G
UM
E
MULSIONS

Because xanthan gum thickens liquids it also helps create more stable emulsions. This can be used to hold traditional vinaigrettes together, create new vinaigrettes using purees, or to use much less oil than you usually would.

Emulsion Process

Strengthening an emulsion with xanthan gum is very easy. First create the emulsion like you usually would. Then blend in a pinch of xanthan gum. It will thicken the liquid slightly and help the emulsion hold for a much longer time.

For an even stronger emulsion you can add some soy lecithin at a ratio of 0.3 to 0.5%.

Emulsion Ratios

The more xanthan gum you add, the stronger the emulsion will be. However, it will also thicken the emulsion, which may or may not be desirable. To start binding an emulsion a ratio of around 0.1% can be used. If you want to also thicken the emulsion you can add as much xanthan gum as you want, up to around 0.8%.