Burch & Purchese Recipes 5 - Chocolate & Hazelnut Spread On Toast

We thought we would share some of the recipes that we are going to demonstrate at our Masterclass next month, this is so the persons who missed out on the event can access the information as well.

Happy Birthday Tigger!!

One of the fun things about being a pastry chef (and there are lots!!), is being able to create special cakes for our friends and family. Our friend Tigger is over from the UK and its his birthday which gave us the perfect opportunity for us to help him celebrate by creating this unique, chocolate and cherry layered surprise. Chocovic provided the chocolate for this delicious creation which has a beautiful soaked sponge base, lemon curd and cherry jelly filling. It has been hand sprayed in our trademark style and we cant wait to tuck into it tonight at his birthday celebration. Happy Birthday Tig.

Tig's website is http://www2.hud.ac.uk/mhm/history/research/cricket/ in case you are into cricket research on an intellectual level!

Burch & Purchese Dishes - 21 Flavours Of Tzatziki

One of our favourite Greek dips is the wonderfully refreshing Tzatziki. We thought we would try to develop a dish as fresh using the flavours of this condiment is a modern way. There are of course many ways to make Tzatziki depending on where you come from but we used a recipe from Masterchef Australia presenter George Calombaris as the inspiration for ours. We decided to also introduce some of our own complimentary flavours such as a lift of lemon and a nutty bite of toasted sesame. The Tzatziki 'slice' above is in fact a toasted sesame shortbread base topped with lemon curd. This is then topped with a layer of set Greek yoghurt cream and finished with a delightfully fresh layer of yoghurt whey jelly. The idea of using the whey from hung yoghurt came from our friend Adam Melonas at http://www.madridlab.net/melonas/ A cooling sorbet of cucumber adds a surprisingly refreshing element.
We have a contrasting 'pickled' cucumber garnish as well as candied dill and dried powder of Kalamata olive oil. Dill oil and flowers as well as toasted sesame and freshly microplaned lemon complete this light and delicious dish which really appeals to both male and female diners. Again we are going to work on the development of these flavours in the hope of refining and improving our work.

Easter Production Started

This time of year is always busy for a pastry chef! Just when you think the Christmas rush is over you are followed quickly with Valentine's Day and then Easter, not to mention demonstrations in March! So we have already started production of our hugely popular Easter range, our choccy chooks and piggies are some of our most popular creations. This means we have to start early and work methodically. Eggs next and we will keep you posted on the progress

Burch & Purchese Dishes - 20 Roast Pumpkin, Chocolate, Bacon & Maple Jelly

This is something we were working on last year and kind of forgot all about. We thought we would publish last years effort before overhauling some pretty crazy dessert combinations. Silky chocolate mouse is paired with a roasted pumpkin ice cream. These are offset with salty caramelised cured bacon pieces and maple syrup jelly. These ingredients work so well together and we will post the newer style of plating as soon as we have it. For now though, enjoy!

Latest News - Adriano Zumbo To Moderate Burch & Purchese Masterclass

Here at Burch & Purchese we are delighted to announce that top Sydney pastry chef Adriano Zumbo will attend and moderate our Masterclass at this years Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. Adriano has had a masssive twelve months since we worked with him on last years event (pictured above with Ramon Morato), his pastry shop has never been busier since his appearances on Masterchef Australia. He will be taking the weekend off from the croque en bouche madness to help and ask questions during our session at the Langham.

Melbourne Food & Wine Festival website click: http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/index.php

For Zumbo website click:
http://adrianozumbo.com/patisserie.html

A Guide To Liquid Nitrogen

Liquid nitrogen allows us (chefs) to instantly freeze ingredients and products in a way that was previously impossible. This method has opened up new possibilities in the kitchen. Here at Burch & Purchese we are always on the lookout for new and improved techniques and methods, so we use large quantities of liquid nitrogen and we have done for some time now. If you are new to this method of rapid freezing, here is some useful information. We recommend though that you research thoroughly before attempting to use a potentially dangerous product.

 

WHAT IS LIQUID NITROGEN?

Nitrogen makes up nearly 80% of the earth's atmosphere by volume and the element was discovered in 1772. Liquid nitrogen is a cryogenic liquid that is created by fractional distillation, (separating chemical compounds by their boiling points), of liquid air. Nitrogen has a low boiling point, lower than oxygen, so it can be distilled easily. Liquid nitrogen has a boiling point of around -196 degrees C and freezes at -210 degrees C. It also boils upon contact with warmer temperatures, this is called the Leidenfrost effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leidenfrost_effect, as it boils it evaporates into nitrogen gas. Inhalation of too much nitrogen can cause dizziness, nausea, loss of consciousness and death, so it is VERY important to work with liquid nitrogen in well-ventilated areas.

STORAGE OF LIQUID NITROGEN

Liquid nitrogen is stored in specially designed containers called dewars. Dewars are insulated, pressurized containers equipped with safety releases and rupture discs that help prevent pressure build up and explosions. As highlighted above, the canisters should be stored in a well ventilated area.

SAFETY

As well as adhering to correct storage methods, there are other important safety issues to remember. The extremely cold contents of the canister means that any uninsulated metal piping will be at LOW temperatures, so do not touch with bare flesh to prevent freezing and possible tissue damage. When using liquid nitrogen, protective gloves, goggles and face shields are recommended.

ICE CREAM

Heston Blumenthal brought liquid nitrogen to the attention of most people with his scrambled egg ice cream, although he certainly was not the first to use it in the kitchen. We associate liquid nitrogen with ice cream making and this is probably the most common use of it but really the possibilities are endless. For a quick 'nitro' ice cream, take a bowl with some ice cream base of choice and stir with a spoon/spatula whilst pouring in (slowly) liquid nitrogen. Once the correct consistency is achieved you can serve the ice cream immediately. Be careful not to add the nitrogen too quickly and ensure the ice cream is not consumed at too low a temperature to prevent frozen burn to the tongue or other areas of the mouth.

 '
Egg & Bacon' at The Fat Duck including 'nitro scrambled egg ice cream'

Advantages of making ice cream with this method is the lack of traditional preservatives and anti freezing ingredients that normally ensure a smooth and consistent product. Sugar, of course is added to ice cream, not just for its sweet flavour profile but to prevent ice crystals forming and ensuring a 'scoopable' product. Sugar derivatives and alcohols do the same thing but are now not needed as liquid nitrogen ensures a smooth and consistent product every time. 

OTHER APPLICATIONS

Obviously, being able to rapid chill a product has huge benefits to the safety conscious. Being able to chill a stew or custard in seconds significantly reduces the chances of bacteria development in foods.

Powders and fine preparations can also easily be achieved, in particular tricky high fat products such as nuts. When grinding nuts or other high fat products, less than satisfactory results are often achieved due to friction increasing temperature and leaching out oils. Now, almonds say, can be frozen in liquid nitrogen and blitzed to produce a superior result.

Vegetables and fruits can also be frozen to tenderize them. Ice crystals are formed which prick tiny holes in the membranes of cells inside these ingredients. Once thawed, the fruits & vegetables are tenderized but still retain some of their original texture and flavour. Fruits and vegetables once frozen to a low enough temperature can also be broken or shattered to produce a different presentation to finishing a dish or for other applications. 

Liquid centres! This is an area we are looking closely at, as the possibilities are seemingly endless. Imagine freezing something that normally can't be frozen? e.g. vodka in a normal freezer won't work, but in nitrogen it freezes hard. Now take this frozen 'ball' and encase in chocolate or ice cream and allow to defrost. What would happen? Well, we wil be working on this in the next couple of weeks and will post our results here.

CONCLUSION 

As long as the medium is respected and all of the important regulations and safety measures are in place then liquid nitrogen is an extremely exciting and useful tool for the modern chef. 

RESOURCES

http://www.restaurantecalima.com/ - Chef Garcia's restaurant is at the forefront of low temperature cooking.

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_nitrogen/ - Useful wiki page

http://cookingissues.wordpress.com/?s=liquid+nitrogen - Nitrogen articles on Cooking Issues

Happy experimenting!!