This was a fantastic dessert that I'm quite proud of. The flavor combination is unexpected but works perfectly, I perfected a new technique, and it's an especially great pairing with stouts and porters (which I love).

There are cylinders of sugar pumpkin pudding, frozen chocolate mousse "pumice," chicory ice cream, and powdered coffee-infused pumpkinseed oil

Sugar Pumpkin Pudding Cylinders
600g sugar pumpkin puree
2.4g low-acyl gellan "F" (.4%)
2.4g Iota carrageenan (.4%)

Gellan gels set very firmly, which allows you to set this pudding in a cylinder or other shape and have it retain the shape when it's unmolded. But you don't want a firm, brittle gel for texture--not very pudding-like. Iota carrageenan, on the other hand, doesn't set firmly at all. The iota keeps it pudding-like while still adding a bit of holding power to the gel. This particular combo and ratio works perfectly and gave me exactly the texture I was looking for. It's much, much softer than it looks. It stays together completely, but slices with a fork and no pressure, and turns almost liquid under the shear distortion of the mouth.

For the sugar pumpkin puree: roast a whole sugar pumpkin at 350F until its flesh yields to the touch. While still hot, peel the skin off with your fingers. It should come right off. Remove the seeds and center of the pumpkin, but you don't need to be too careful about it. Then pass the entire flesh of the pumpkin through a tamis.

Shear the additives into the puree with a blender or immersion blender, then heat the puree up to at least 95C (203F), stirring constantly toward the end. Immediately pour the puree directly into a disposable pastry bag (it must be a new one with the tip uncut, or else the hot and liquid puree will immediately start pouring out). Working VERY quickly, hold the pastry bag over cylinder molds (i.e. cannoli molds lined with acetate, oil having been wiped onto and then off of each piece of acetate), cut the tip of the pastry bag, and pipe quickly into all of the molds, not worrying about a bit of spillage. Let set for at least an hour or so before pulling the acetate and pumpkin out of the molds, unwrapping the acetate, trimming, and serving.

Frozen Chocolate Mousse "Pumice", adapted loosely from Rick Billings
30g sugar
20g cocoa
17.5g dry milk powder
1.5g salt
9g gelatin
200g cold cream
200g water
125g bittersweet chocolate (I used 62%)

Mix the sugar, cocoa, milk powder, and salt and then combine them with the cream and water in a pot. Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally and scraping the sides and bottom of the pot. Strain the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the mixture emulsifies. Let it cool to around 115°F, then pour it into a cream whipper and charge with three nitrous oxide charges. Line a quarter sheet pan with plastic wrap, then dispense the mixture from the whipper in an even layer and immediately put the pan in the freezer. Leave it without touching it overnight. Finally, take it out and break the mousse up quickly into roughly hewn chunks with a mallet and other random implements and return them to the freezer until you're ready to use. They look like pumice, or aerated chocolate, but they eat like ice cream.

Chicory Ice Cream, adapted from various Michael Laiskonis recipes
750g milk
45g nonfat dry milk powder
112.5g sugar
22.5g glucose
30g trimoline
20g chicory
37.5g sugar
6g stabilizer
150g yolks
112.5g cream

Whisk dry milk, first measurement of sugar, glucose, trimoline, and chicory into the milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and allow to infuse 30 minutes. Strain through a chinois. Meanwhile, combine sugar and stabilizer and whisk into egg yolks. Temper the hot milk into the yolk mixture, then return to heat, stirring until slightly thickened, 84ºC (183ºF). Once it reaches that temperature, remove from the heat and whisk in the heavy cream. Chill and allow the mixture to mature for at least 12 hours before freezing in an ice cream maker.

Posted by Barzelay on 2010/01/10 @ 21:29 | Comments (3) | Desserts, Lazy Bear, Veggies, Fruit, Grain, Cheese

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