MAKE DESSERTS EXTRA SPECIAL BY DECKING THEM OUT WITH GLASS-PHASE SUGAR FOAM, AMORPHOUS CANDY, AND DISORDERED BUTTERFAT. In other words, with some candy science, you can top cakes with spectacular meringue mushrooms, cover a cupcake with fondant, craft custom homemade marshmallows, and dip photo-worthy chocolate domes and bowls on balloons.
Creating smooth, cold, perfect frozen treats is a balancing act, and the secret is in the ice. Every scrumptious scoop of ice cream, frozen custard, gelato, or sorbet contains a mouthful of science, since three phases of matter coexist in every bite. Under a microscope, frozen treats appear as bubbles and ice crystals suspended in a liquid sugar-syrup goo.
Milk, cream, and any fruit added to the mixture all contribute water to make frozen crystals in ice cream. Sugar, salt, and gelatin act as antifreeze agents, physically getting in the way of ice crystal formation to keep crystals small so that you don’t end up with one big chunk of ice.
Ideally, a frozen dessert feels cold and smooth in your mouth, its ice crystals are very small, and there are just enough bubbles to keep it scoopable but not too frothy.
“Ice cream is popular because of its mouthfeel, conveying a sensation of decadence on the tongue.”
Elke Scholten and Miriam Peters, from The Kitchen as Laboratory: Reflections on the Science of Food and Cooking by Cesar Vega, Job Ubbink, and Erik van der Linden
FABULOUS FONDANT |
FONDANT IS ESSENTIALLY EDIBLE PLAY DOUGH THAT CAN BE ROLLED INTO SMOOTH SHEETS TO COVER A CAKE, CUT INTO SHAPES, OR SCULPTED INTO AMAZING FIGURES. BETTER YET, YOU CAN MAKE IT IN THE MICROWAVE USING MARSHMALLOWS AND MIX YOUR FAVORITE COLORS.
Adapted from the Better Homes & Gardens Blog.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 ounce good white baking chocolate containing cocoa butter
3 cups (150 g) small marshmallows
1 tablespoon (14 g) butter, cut up
1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 ml) milk
1 teaspoon (5 ml) clear vanilla extract (or other clear flavoring, depending on use)
1 1/2 cups (180 g) powdered (confectioners’) sugar, plus more for kneading
Food coloring (gel works best, but liquid is fine)
EQUIPMENT
Cutting board
Knife
Medium-sized microwavable bowl
Microwave oven
Mixing spoon
Rolling pin
SAFETY TIPS AND HINTS
Adult supervision reccomended for microwaving chocolate and marshmallows.
RECIPE
1. Chop the white chocolate into small pieces.
2. Combine the chopped chocolate, marshmallows, butter, and milk in the microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute and stir until smooth. If needed, microwave for 30 more seconds until everything is melted. (Fig. 1)
3. Stir in the vanilla and mix well.
4. Add the powdered sugar and stir to combine.
5. Sprinkle a smooth, flat work surface with 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar and scrape the marshmallow mixture onto the sugar-coated surface. (Fig. 2)
6. Dust the marshmallow mix with powdered sugar and knead it, incorporating more powdered sugar until it is no longer sticky. It will probably take 5–10 minutes of kneading. (Fig. 3)
7. Use food coloring to tint the fondant by kneading the color in. You can make it all one color or divide it into multiple batches and make lots of colors. (Fig. 4)
8. Use the fondant immediately by rolling it out to about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick to cut and sculpt immediately or store it in plastic wrap. It dries out quickly, so it’s best to roll it and wrap it in plastic until you’re ready to cut or sculpt it. (Fig. 5, 6)
9. Fondant can be stored for 1–2 weeks at room temperature, tightly wrapped.
Use fondant to decorate chocolate cupcakes (Lab 34) or be bold and use it to cover a layer cake (Lab 33). Remember to prefrost cakes with buttercream (Lab 40) to keep rolled fondant looking smooth.
CHOCOLATE DOMES AND BOWLS |
GRAB SOME SMALL BALLOONS AND CLEAR A SPACE IN YOUR FREEZER TO MAKE BEAUTIFUL, VERSATILE CHOCOLATE DOMES. EDIBLE BOWLS CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO EYE CANDY WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE DRIZZLES OR A FEW SPRINKLES.
INGREDIENTS
12 ounces, or 4 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate
4 ounces (115 g) white chocolate
Sprinkles (optional)
EQUIPMENT
10–12 round (5-inch [13 cm]) balloons
Baking sheet
Bowl slightly larger in diameter than inflated balloons
Freezer with space cleared for balloons
Microwave oven or stove
Microwave-safe bowl, double boiler, or one larger and one smaller pan
Pastry bag or plastic zipper bag with one corner cut off
Small glasses or ramekins
Spoon
SAFETY TIPS AND HINTS
Don’t get the chocolate too hot or it will melt the balloons.
Don’t serve to anyone with a latex allergy.
RECIPE
1. Blow up the balloons. Set glasses or ramekins on the baking sheet.
2. Chop the semisweet chocolate into small pieces.
3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring for 30 seconds between each heating until just melted and smooth. Alternately, melt the chocolate in a pan over a larger pan of simmering water. The chocolate should not be too hot.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 with the white chocolate.
5. Put the semisweet chocolate in the bowl slightly larger than the balloons and dip the untied end of a balloon in, coating the lower third of the balloon with chocolate. (Fig. 1)
6. Flip the balloon over onto a ramekin or small glass to cool.
7. Spoon some melted white chocolate into the plastic zipper bag and pipe it over the chocolate on the balloon (optional).
8. Add sprinkles if you wish. Dip the rest of the balloons, reheating the chocolate if necessary. (Fig. 2)
9. Put the balloons in the freezer until they’re solid and you’re ready to eat them. (Fig. 3)
10. Remove chocolate domes from the freezer. Pop the balloons and slowly pull them out of the domes. (Fig. 4)
11. Use the domes as bowls, filled with ice cream, or flip them over and hide a treat underneath. (Fig. 5)
Fill a dome or bowl with chocolate mousse (Lab 45) or homemade ice cream (Lab 50).
Like drama? Make chocolate ganache (Lab 41) with a little extra cream. Be sure it’s hot and pour it over the dome to melt it, revealing a treat you’ve hidden underneath.
MERINGUE MUSHROOMS |
THESE PRETTY LITTLE MERINGUES TASTE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK. PIPE THEM OUT WITH STREAKS OF FOOD COLORING AND DUST THEM WITH SOME SHIMMERING SUGAR TO CREATE PURE CULINARY MAGIC.
INGREDIENTS
3 egg whites (room temperature)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) vanilla extract
Food coloring (gel works best)
Dusting sugar (optional)
EQUIPMENT
1/2 -inch (1 cm) round piping tip for pastry bag or plastic bag
2 baking sheets
Oven
Parchment paper
Pastry bag or large plastic zipper bag with one corner cut off
Stand mixer or hand mixer and stainless steel bowl
Toothpicks
Metal mixing bowl
RECIPE
1. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C).
2. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Beat 3 egg whites on medium until they foam.
4. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat, increasing the speed to high. (Fig. 1)
5. When soft peaks form, add the sugar 1 tablespoon (13 g) or so at a time as you beat the eggs. Add the vanilla.
6. Continue beating the mixture until stiff, glossy peaks with rounded tips form. Don’t overbeat.
7. Add a 1/2 -inch tip to the pastry or plastic bag. Fill the bag with the meringue you’ve made.
8. Make some colorful streaks on the meringue by using a toothpick to smear food coloring on the inside of the pastry tip or bag before piping.
9. Pipe half of the meringue into blobs that look like mushroom caps on one of the baking sheets. (Fig. 2)
10. With the other half of the meringue, make pointed stems, each around 1 inch tall. They don’t have to be perfect! (Fig. 3)
11. Leave the mushrooms caps alone or dust them with tinted sugar. (Fig. 4)
12. Save any meringue left in the bowl and pastry bag to use as glue when you assemble the meringues.
13. Bake the meringues for 1–2 hours, until they feel dry, then remove them from the oven and let them cool.
14. Poke a small hole in the bottom of each mushroom cap, smear some meringue on the broken spots, and insert the pointy side of one of the stems. Put them back in the oven at 200°F (93°C) for 15 minutes to set the meringue. (Fig. 5)
15. Eat your confectionary creations or use them to decorate a cake. (Fig. 6)
Use your mushrooms to decorate a Tie-Dye Roll Cake (Lab 36), some crazy-good chocolate cupcakes (Lab 34), or pair them up with some berries on an angel food cake (Lab 35) to create a botanical theme.
SAFETY TIPS AND HINTS
Don’t skip the cream of tartar. It helps stabilize the egg whites in the meringue.
The general recipe for meringues is around 1/4 cup (56 g) sugar per egg white, with a pinch of cream of tartar.
MARVELOUS MARSHMALLOWS |
CREATE DELICIOUS HANDMADE MARSHMALLOWS USING SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, AND UNFLAVORED GELATIN.
Adapted from epicurious.com.
INGREDIENTS
Oil or clear cooking spray
3 1/4 ounce (7.5 g) envelopes of unflavored gelatin
1 cup (235 ml) water
1 cup (235 ml) light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
Powdered (confectioners’) sugar (for dusting the baking pan)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) peppermint extract or 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
EQUIPMENT
10-inch (25 cm) square baking pan
Butter knife
Candy thermometer
Cutting board
Heavy saucepan
Mixing spoon
Oven
Sieve or sifter
Spatula (optional)
Stand mixer or hand mixer and bowl
SAFETY TIPS AND HINTS
Sugar syrup can cause dangerous burns, so an adult should supervise at all times and handle hot syrup.
Gelatin can have an unpleasant smell. Adding flavor such as peppermint or vanilla to the marshmallows will make them taste and smell good.
Yellow cooking spray or oil will work, but it discolors the marshmallows.
RECIPE
1. Oil the baking pan and coat it with powdered sugar using the sieve or sifter.
2. Add the gelatin packets to 1/2 cup (120 ml) water in your mixing bowl. Stir it well and let it sit in order to hydrate (add water to) the gelatin.
3. In the saucepan, combine the corn syrup, sugar, remaining water, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring.
4. Carefully, put a candy thermometer into the hot syrup and continue boiling without stirring until it reaches the soft-ball stage (240°F/116°C), as indicated by the candy thermometer. Alternately, add a drop of the hot syrup to a glass of cold water. When it just holds its shape, it is at the soft-ball stage. (Fig. 1)
5. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
6. Turn the mixer on low. Slowly and very carefully, pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin and water.
7. Once all of the syrup has been added, increase the mixer speed to high and beat for 5 minutes, or until the marshmallow is thick enough to form ribbons. (Fig. 2)
8. Add vanilla or peppermint extract to the marshmallow and beat it briefly.
9. Pour the marshmallow into the baking pan that you coated with powdered sugar. Use a wet spatula to flatten and smooth the surface of the marshmallow. Let it cool.
10. To remove the marshmallows from the pan, use a butter knife to loosen the sides. Invert (flip) the pan onto a cutting board coated with powdered sugar.
11. Oil the knife and coat it with sugar to cut the marshmallow into smaller pieces. (Fig. 3)
12. Decorate the marshmallows using granulated sugar, colorful dusting sugars, or sprinkles. (Fig. 4)
13. Taste your marvelous marshmallows. (Fig. 5)
Color the marshmallows or make them thinner by pouring them into a larger pan so you can use cookie cutters dipped in powdered sugar to cut out fun shapes.
Make hot chocolate to go with your marshmallows.
EASY ICE CREAM |
YOU DON’T NEED AN ICE CREAM MAKER TO CREATE DELICIOUS HOMEMADE ICE CREAM. WITH A FREEZER AND SOME PATIENCE, IT’S EASY TO MAKE THIS DELICIOUS CUSTARD-BASED FROZEN TREAT.
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups (500 ml) heavy whipping cream
5 large egg yolks
EQUIPMENT
Large bowl filled with ice
Large, flat dish, such as a casserole dish or cake pan
Mixing spoon
Small or medium saucepan with a heavy bottom
Strainer and bowl that fits under strainer
Spatula (optional)
Whisk
SAFETY TIPS AND HINTS
Don’t forget to add the pure vanilla extract. There’s a minuscule amount of alcohol in it, which helps keep crystals small.
RECIPE
1. Pour the milk, sugar, and salt into the saucepan. Heat to 120°F (49°C) while stirring, and remove the pan from the heat.
2. Seperate yolks from whites. In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks together until smooth. Whisk 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the milk mixture into the egg yolks. (Fig. 1)
3. Scrape and mix the warmed egg yolks into the rest of the milk mixture in the pan and cook the mixture at low heat until it coats the spoon (around 180°F/82°C). This is your custard.
4. Complete the ice cream mixture by adding the heavy whipping cream to the bowl under the strainer. Strain the custard into the cream and mix well. (Fig. 2, 3)
5. Put the bowl of ice cream mix over an ice-filled bowl, stirring to chill.
6. Transfer the ice cream mixture to your large, flat dish. (Fig. 4)
7. Put the dish in the freezer and stir it every 15 minutes or so until it is completely frozen. Be sure to scrape down the sides and mix it well each time you stir.
8. Enjoy your homemade ice cream! (Fig. 5, 6)
Serve homemade ice cream with any of the Bossy Cakes (Course 7) or Daring Desserts (Course 8) in this book.
There’s nothing better than homemade ice cream with hot fudge sauce (ganache, Lab 41).
BREATHTAKING BAKED ALASKA |
A MOUND OF COLD ICE CREAM MAKES A TASTY BASE FOR A MOUNTAIN OF PERFECTLY BAKED MERINGUE. THIS SIMPLE VERSION OF A SHOW-STOPPING DESSERT DEMONSTRATES THAT WHIPPED EGG WHITES MAKE SPECTACULAR AND EFFECTIVE INSULATION.
Adapted from Ina Garten’s Baked Alaska recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 graham cracker or chocolate wafer crust
1 quart (570 g) ice cream
Topping for ice cream, such as fresh fruit or chocolate chips
5 egg whites (room temperature)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (100 g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
EQUIPMENT
Oven
Plastic wrap
Stand or hand mixer
Whisk
Metal mixing bowl
Freezer
RECIPE
1. Cut the ice cream into slabs to fill the pie crust.
2. Fill the pie crust with ice cream, pack it down, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until you’re ready to bake the meringue. (Fig. 1)
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
4. Whisk the egg whites until they start to foam. Add the cream of tartar and continue whipping until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon (13 g) at a time, as you continue beating.
5. Beat the meringue until you have glossy, stiff peaks with rounded tops. (Fig. 2)
6. Take out the ice cream pie and add a thin layer of fruit or chocolate chips. (Fig. 3, 4)
7. Pile the meringue on the pie, sealing around the edges. Make it look pretty and pop it in the oven for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately. (Fig. 5, 6)
This dessert stands on its own, but every dessert is better with some hot fudge (Lab 41) drizzled over the top.
SAFETY TIPS AND HINTS
Some of the egg whites in the center of the meringue may not cook completely. You can make the same recipe using pasteurized eggs, but the meringue may not whip up as high.
You’ll want to serve this dessert immediately after baking, so plan ahead! Ice cream can be frozen into the pie crust in advance and covered with plastic wrap.
SCRUMPTIOUS SORBET |
SWEET AND INTENSELY FLAVORED ICE CRYSTALS INTERMINGLE TO CREATE THIS DELIGHTFUL DAIRY-FREE DESSERT THAT YOU CAN BLEND IT UP IN NO TIME. POP IT IN THE FREEZER TO MIX UP COLD, CRYSTALLINE PERFECTION.
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound (455 g) fresh strawberries
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
EQUIPMENT
Knife
Juicer or citrus press
Large, flat dish for freezing sorbet
Medium saucepan
Stove
SAFETY TIPS AND HINTS
Sugar syrup can cause burns. Parental supervision is reccomended when boiling sugar and water together.
RECIPE
1. Cut the strawberries, removing all tops, and juice the lemons. (Fig. 1, 2)
2. Make a sugar syrup: mix the sugar, water, lemon juice, and a salt in the saucepan.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Remove the sugar syrup from the heat and allow it to cool.
5. Place the strawberries in a blender and blend them until smooth.
6. Pour the cooled sugar syrup into the blender and blend it with the strawberries. (Fig. 3)
7. Pour the mixture into the shallow dish and place it in the freezer, stirring every 30 minutes until smooth. Repeat until the sorbet is completely frozen. (Fig. 4, 5)