Introduction: Festival of Fruit

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Trial and error is one of the most exciting parts of cooking. With molecular gastronomy's limitless possibilities, one’s creativity can really shine. In this recipe, I wanted to see what different fruits, not normally seen together, can be combined and how different textures elevate the taste and experience. I call this recipe “Festival of Fruit.” It is a dish that highlights the fruits' freshness while bridging their unique qualities for a balanced taste.

There are three techniques at play in this recipe - emulsification, reverse spherification, and fruit spaghetti.

Here are the final components of the recipe:

  • Graham cracker lime crumble
  • Pineapple sorbet
  • Coconut milk spheres
  • Raspberry spaghetti

Step 1: Pineapple Sorbet

Ingredients:

  • 3/2 cups of chopped pineapple
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 2 grams of soy lecithin (to take advantage of its emulsion properties since I don't have an ice cream maker)

Instructions:

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender
  2. Blend for at least 3 minutes to add as much air to the mixture (a picture of how mine looked after blending is included above)
  3. Put the mixture in the freezer for 3 hours; if the sorbet has not reached the consistency you’d like it to be, put it back in the freezer and check every 30 minutes (based on my freezer, it took 4 hours to get it to the consistency I like)

Step 2: Coconut Milk Spheres (part 1)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon calcium lactate gluconate
  • Sugar for taste

Instructions:

  1. Combine ingredients in a cup/bowl
  2. Mix well
  3. Add sugar to taste (coconut milk is rich due to its high oil content; that fat comes through if you do not add sugar tailored to your taste. I used about 1 tablespoon of sugar)
  4. Pour mixture into molds
  5. Put in freezer until frozen solid (time: about 4 hours)

Step 3: Coconut Milk Spheres (part Two)

Once the spheres are done freezing, prepare the sodium alginate bath and water bath.

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups of water (2 for sodium alginate bath; 2 for water bath)
  • 2 grams of sodium alginate

Instructions

  1. Add two grams of sodium alginate to 2 cups of water in a bowl
  2. Mix or blend to ensure the sodium alginate gets properly incorporated
  3. Set aside sodium alginate mixture in fridge for 15 minutes
  4. Drop frozen coconut spheres into sodium alginate bath; swirl them around in the liquid and let them sit for 3 minutes
  5. Then transfer the coconut spheres into the separate water bath with a slotted spoon; swirl around in water and let them sit for 3 minutes

Step 4: Raspberry Spaghetti

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup rasberries
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 grams agar agar
  • Bowl of water with ice

Instructions:

  1. Combine ingredients in blender and blend
  2. Pour mixture through a sieve (for a smoother texture) and into a pot
  3. Place the pot on the stove and bring the mixture to a light boil
  4. Once at a boil, put the mixture into a large syringe
  5. Attach a tube to the end of the syringe
  6. Push the mixture through the tube
  7. Then put the tube with the mixture inside into a water bath with ice
  8. Allow the mixture in the tube to cool for 3 minutes
  9. Then use an empty syringe to push the mixture out (the mixture should hold its spaghetti form)

Step 5: Graham Cracker Lime Crumble

Ingredients:

  • Graham crackers
  • Lime

Instructions:

  1. Crumble two graham crackers either by hand or with a food processor
  2. Add lime zest from about half the lime

Step 6: Plating

Be creative :)

But here's how I plated:

  1. Place a small mound of graham cracker crumble
  2. Make a quenelle out of the sorbet and place on the graham cracker mound
  3. Next to the mound, place 3 coconut milk spheres
  4. Then make a spiral out of the raspberry spaghetti
  5. Place one coconut milk sphere on top of the raspberry spiral
  6. Then shave dark chocolate on top
  7. Enjoy the dish
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Science of Cooking