The Mash-Up

Today I'm introducing a new site design, bear with me while I work out any bugs.

All this html reconstruction has me thinking about culinary deconstruction: that fashion in professional cooking to break a dish into it's simple components, prepare them in a novel way, and recombine the familiar flavors in their altered form. The method focuses heavily on creating texture/flavor combinations that are surprising to the palate.

As an example, a modern Greek restaurant where I once worked served a deconstructed Greek salad: feta bavois, candied olives, baby cress, cucumber jelly, and tomato sorbet. It came in a martini glass and was, indeed, quite pretty. I'm not convinced, however that the whole exercise wasn't a case of pursuing concept at the expense of flavor.



That, in fact, is the very issue I have with many culinary deconstructions: how the dish tastes becomes a secondary concern. Yes, it's terribly clever that you managed to make a roast carrot foam, but to what end? What does it add to the flavor? I'm not against a fancy, even fanciful, presentation; I simply want each component of a dish to taste as good as possible and to work together with the other components.

This isn't much to ask.

That isn't to say I think the method is completely without merit. I was once served a beautiful deconstructed Irish stew: rare-roasted lamb cutlet, braised and pressed lamb shoulder, paris mash, roasted dutch carrots, and lamb jus. The dish was so successful because each of the components tasted amazing, and I never found myself wishing I was eating the original.



I can't see how any deconstruction which does not improve on the original can be called successful. I don't want to be entertained by the concept of my meal as much as I'd just like it to be tasty. Therefore, I approach this sort of cooking with more than a little trepidation.

It's not going to stop me altogether. In celebration of my new layout I'm going to take apart my favorite desert, tart tatin, and put it into the ice cream churn.



**File under Post Script: I just finished typing out the method for this and it's bloody 3 pages long. One more strike against the deconstructionists; I could tell you how to make the original tart tatin in less than half the space. However, the ice cream is nothing short of a triumph.**



Tart Tatin Ice Cream

Stick with me here, it's a long recipe, in four parts, but well worth the effort.

There are only a few basic flavors in tatin: caramel, butter, apples, and pastry. I don't want to mess with them too much; brown butter ice cream is about as far as I stray from the original. I think you'll find this to be a pretty straightforward interpretation.

I'd also like to add that this may not exactly be an ice cream for kids, what with the salted butter and dark caramel. It means more for us.

Caramel

I wanted a caramel swirl in the finished ice cream, so I knew I needed something that I could pour into the churn right at the end. I figured dulce de leche was my best option. This takes a while, so start this first.

1 small tin of sweetened condensed milk

Empty the tin into the top of a double boiler and simmer, stirring occasionally until it darkens to a rich caramel color. This will take a few hours. Cool, but do not refrigerate, as this will cause it to set quite hard.



Brown Butter Ice Cream Base

I use salted butter here because I like how well salt and caramel go together, and I don't want the end product to be cloying. Also, invest in a digital thermometer with a metal probe. I can't tell you how often I use this piece of equipment, and in this recipe it is very important to get the temperature of the anglaise correct.

250g salted butter, cubed
400ml milk
400ml cream
150g sugar
6 egg yolks

First, prepare an ice bath. Fill a very large bowl with ice. Pour in just enough cold water to form a slurry. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan on medium heat. As the butter melts, it will begin to foam. When this foaming subsides, watch the butter closely; it is nearly ready at this point. When the milk solids (the bits that sink to the bottom) begin to turn dark brown and the butter is a dark golden color, the butter is ready. Remove it from the heat immediately and strain it into bowl to arrest the cooking. Cool slightly.

In the meantime, heat the cream, milk, and half the sugar in a pot on low heat. Be sure never to let the milk simmer. Stir to dissolve the sugar and keep warm.

In a large bowl, whisk the yolks and the remaining sugar together vigorously until they are light and fluffy. This will take several minuets and your arm may fall off.

Still whisking vigorously, slowly pour the brown butter into the egg yolks, making sure it is incorporated as you go along. Be sure to include any brown milk solids at the bottom of the bowl as these fine particles will add a considerable amount of flavor to the ice cream.

Continue whisking and add a ladle or two of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture. Mix well and then pour the egg and butter mixture into the remaining cream and place on the lowest of heats. Cook, stirring with a rubber spatula until the temperature of the anglaise reaches 81ºC (a digital thermometer works best).

Working quickly, strain the anglaise through a fine sieve into a bowl that you have set atop your prepared ice bath. Continue stirring the anglaise, resting in the ice bath, until the temperature drops below 60ºC. Refrigerate until cold.

Pâte Sablée

This version of shortcrust pasty bakes up crisp and thin. Here we are going to crumble some through our ice cream and make a garnish with it as well.

160g flour
120g cold butter, cubed
1 Tbsp sugar
pinch salt
30ml cold water

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the processor running, add the water a bit at a time just until the pastry pulls together and forms a ball; you may not use all of the water. Stop the processor immediately to avoid over-mixing.

Remove the pastry dough from the processor and shape it into a ball. Flatten this into a disk about 2cm thick, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Roll the pastry out on a floured board until it is ¼ cm thick. Using a cutter, cut 10 rounds approximately 5cm wide. Transfer these to a baking sheet, cover with baking paper, and
press down lightly with another baking sheet; baking the pastry with a tray pressing it down prevents it from puffing up too much.

Transfer all of the rolled-out scraps to another tray; cover and press as above. We'll use the scrap bits in the ice cream, and the little rounds as garnishes. Refrigerate both trays for half an hour.

While the pastry rests, heat your oven to 200ºC. Transfer the trays of pastry, still topped with the second trays, from the fridge directly to the oven. Reduce the heat to 180º. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the top tray from both, and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Cool the crisp sablée cookies and scraps on wire racks.

Caramelized Apples

I like dark, smoky caramels, ones that are nearly, but not quite, burnt. The flavor is so much more complex than lightly browned sugar.

3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into approximately 1cm cubes
100g sugar
60ml water

Combine the water and sugar in a small, heavy-bottomed pot and place on medium-high heat. The sugar will dissolve, boil, and eventually begin to brown. During this time try not to stir the sugar much, as this encourages crystallization. When you judge the sugar to be mere seconds from incinerating, remove it from the heat and toss in the apples.

The apples will release some liquid, which will stop the sugar from cooking any further. Reduce the heat to medium and return the apples, in the caramel, to the stove. Simmer gently until the apples are soft but not mushy, 3-5 minutes (third photo from top). Cool, strain, and discard any excess liquid.

Bring It All Together

Churn the ice cream in your churn until it is ready to be transferred to the freezer. At this point stir in the apples and pastry, and then dollop in the dulce de leche a bit at a time. Be sure not to over-mix at this point, we want ribbons of caramel. Transfer to freezer until set.

Serve scoops of tatin ice cream garnished with the sablée cookies.


(And be sure to reward the help.)