Faking the Asparagus
July 2nd, 2009
A fake, even if it has an unreal value, has something intriguing and appealing about it in some sense. Kind of a real visual aspect, but made out of something else. The pastry world has applied this idea and done a lot with it, but savory has always been hesitant.
If you see an asparagus, you want to taste the real thing. White asparagus made me think of that because the water content is so high and the color is white, so we could easily fake an asparagus. I called Michael to discuss the idea. He works at the Chicago School of Mold Making and we have collaborated on some other ideas in the past. A week later he was at the restaurant picking up asparagus that we had just received from the farm. He sent us the first prototype of the mold and in four weeks time we were able to finalize a recipe that works well with the final mold. It is actually pretty simple.
The asparagus are peeled, finely sliced, and mixed until disintegrated. It is then passed through a fine cloth sieve to recover all the natural juices. We bring it to a simmer, set it with a combination of low and high acyl gellan gums and a touch of half&half to add some richness. Once it is set it can be reheated up to 120-degrees Fahrenheit without melting and combined with other components as a part of a dish. The texture is firm and soft, with a pleasant mouth feel.
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