2009/05/28
These so-called "soil" elements (or crumbles, or whatever you want to call them) are all variations on a similar formula. You're basically baking a crispy cookie, then crumbling it up somehow. I've previously posted a coffee-cocoa soil that was for use in desserts. In this case, I wanted one for a savory application.
Carrots were already one element of the dish, and I'd seen them done with other root vegetables (notably, beets), so I figured it ought to work. I played with some other recipes I had on hand, and came up with the following:
- 100g carrot, peeled and cut
- 70g unsalted butter
- 50g AP flour
- 40g dark brown sugar
- 30g egg white (the white of one large egg)
- 2g salt
- 5g black garlic powder, just to boost the savoriness.
I processed all those ingredients in a food processor until it was a relatively smooth batter, then I spread it out on a silpat and baked it at 400F. I decided to let it caramelize and get hard and crispy, since those deep, almost-burned flavors would be a good counterpoint to the sweetness of the other elements in the dish. The picture to the right shows the point at which I took it out (and yes, I intentionally cooked it to that point). Then I let it cool, and finally ground it up a bit in the mini-chopper bowl of a food processor, letting it stay crumbly, as opposed to powdered.
For purposes of modifying this recipe, I should note that the starch content of the carrots is high, otherwise I would have used more flour. However, if I were to make this again, I would definitely use less better. I would probably cut the butter in half. Even so, it turned out savory and delicious, and functioned very well in the dish. I ended up using it in another dish (leftovers) as well.
Posted by Barzelay on 2009/05/28 @ 2:15 | Comments (0) | Baking, Veggies, Fruit, Grain, Cheese