Fun With Isomalt

I've been hearing for awhile about this product called isomalt, which is a modified sugar. It has the interesting property that it can melt and form into thin sheets like caramel without turning brown. It is only about half as sweet as table sugar too, so it is easier to use in savory applications.

Advanced molecular gastronomy wizards can make isomalt into paper thin vessels filled with liquids, and I had hoped to make a sort of creme brulee capsule at some point. But for my first foray, I thought I would make some simple croquants (think: peanut brittle) with various spice mixtures. The idea would be to garnish a dish with them, allowing the eater to snack on them directly or crumble over a dish.

You can see the results above and below. The top one has black mustard, fennel, and coriander seeds, suitable for use with an upscale Indian presentation. You don't need to toast the seeds in advance because they cook in the oven along with the isomalt. In the future I'd use less mustard because the flavor was a bit overwhelming.

In the pictures below I tried different flavors and forming three dimensional ribbons.  The one in the upper left is sesame and Maldon salt, and the one in the upper right has Japanese chili powder, black sesame, and pink Hawaiian salt.

The basic technique is:

• melt the isomalt in a saucepan to 260 degrees F. while stirring as little as possible
• pour out onto a silpat lined baking sheet and let cool - at this point you will have a thick, hard sheet of candy glass
• break into manageable chunks and grind to a powder. I used a coffee grinder.
• on a fresh silpat, create a stencil of the shape you want. I just laid down two chopsticks to form a rectangle
• sift the isomalt powder into the stencil. you can play with how thick or thin a layer to use.
• add the seeds, salts, or other flavorings
• melt in a 300 degree F. oven
• as soon as it turns clear, remove from oven
• (this is where it gets dicey) let it cool just a few seconds and then VERY CAREFULLY peel the shape off the mat, trying to neither burn yourself nor destroy the shape. Then, working quickly, apply any twists or shaping you want and set on a cool plate. If it cools before you can shape, try a very brief reheating.

There seem to be a whole host of more advanced techniques to try, including grinding in spices or other seasonings with the powder, adding some table sugar, doing a much more lacy, thin sprinkle, forming tubes or spheres, spinning, etc. I'll let you know if I have any success with them!

If you'd like to experiment yourself, you can purchase isomalt powder from ChefShop.com.

Recipe: Kaffir Lime Dipping Sauce

This simple sauce is similar to a vegetarian version of Vietnamese nuoc cham, suitable for serving with spring rolls or or pouring over a rice bowl. I've been wanting to find a good way to get a strong flavor of kaffir lime leaf, and this really worked out great.

I should mention that kaffir lime is considered an offensive term, although it is by far the most commonly used name for this plant. Makrut lime is more acceptable. But I've never actually heard it used. The leaf infuses a big, round citrus flavor without any acidity. The closest substitution would probably be normal lime rind but it is by no means the same. You should be able to find it at a good Asian specialty market, especially one that offers a Southeast Asian selection, or an Indian grocery.

The idea with this sauce is to get a nice balance of sweet, sour, spicy, salty, and the citrus. Once you mix it up, give it a good taste and adjust any of the components to get exactly what you want.

Kaffir Lime Dipping Sauce
Yields about 1 cup
Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free if you use a wheat-free soy sauce

• 3/4 c. water
• 1.5 T. sugar
• 6 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 t. salt
• 1.5 t. chili flakes
• 1/4 c. rice vinegar
• 1 t. tamari or soy sauce

1. Bring all of the ingredients except the rice vinegar and tamari to a boil in a small saucepan and remove from the heat.
2. Allow to steep for 15 minutes, then remove the lime leaves and allow to cool.
3. Stir in the vinegar and tamari.
4. Taste and adjust the seasonings. You should be able to clearly taste all of the components except the tamari.

Variations: you could add some or all of finely sliced scallions, ginger, garlic, or cilantro. The rice vinegar could be replaced with a coconut or citrus vinegar. The chili flakes could be replaced with a minced fresh chili of your choosing.

Supertaster Test

Maybe you have heard about how a certain percentage of the population are so called supertasters? Supposedly they have a lot more taste buds than the rest of us, and therefore can both appreciate some foods more but also may find other strong tastes unbearable. Anyhow, I remember reading that there was now an over-the-counter test for this trait, but I hadn't gotten around to tracking them down.

Keren to the rescue once again, she brought a bunch of samples from SupertasterTest.com to the blogger brunch. They are just little strips, kind of like pieces of litmus paper. You put 'em in your mouth, chew a little, and notice whether you (1) taste nothing (a non-taster), (2) taste a moderately bitter flavor (normal) or (3) find them unbearably bitter (a super-taster).

Most of us fell in camp (2). Kari Brunson of Anticiplate hit the nail on the head when she described it as tasting like an aspirin on your tongue - unpleasant but eminently bearable. Her husband might have scored a 2.5. He didn't say much but his mug was a picture of displeasure.

I knew that the main event was waiting for me at home though. We've long suspected that Sarina might be a supertaster, because she will sometimes have really intense revulsion at certain smells and foods that seem like no big deal to me at all. And she's pregnant (yep, I just dropped that in casual blog conversation), and as we all know, even normal non-supertaster pregnant women develop very strong senses of smell and taste, likes and dislikes.

I wasn't disappointed! Joel and Sara and Sarina all popped in their strips. Joel and Sara maintained their equanimity, while within seconds Sarina was grabbing the strip out of her mouth, dashing to the kitchen for a glass of water, and making sounds like a cat with hairball. "Why did you give me that horrible thing?!?".

Suspicion confirmed! We'll have to try it again when she's not pregnant, but I expect it will still be positive.

The tests are only $4.95 for 2 strips, so well worth picking up if you are interested. Or slightly cruel.