S'more (revisited)

So..... I love enjoying nostalgic flavors and refining them. I love sherbets, sour patch kids, chunky bars, push pops etc.  So what is more nostalgic than a s'more. So here I was able to develop this dish.  It is a chocolate brownie (extremely nostalgic) topped with a milk chocolate cremeux (pudding). The puree is liquified graham crackers and yes the torched quenelle is marshmallow ice cream. It is inspired by Malcolm's meringue ice cream that was being developed when I was at wd-50. It is made up of egg whites, milk, cream, and various sugars. To keep it from being too "sweet", it has about 10 percent dextrose, as well as glucose. The whites are cooked like a swiss meringue, cooked to 150 degrees F. It is kept emulsified and stabilized by the use of xanthan gum, which also gives ice creams an undesirable "gummy" texture. Thiis "gummy" texture ended up being perfect for this ice cream. The texture is airing yet gummy, exactly like a marshmallow. I tried to get that signature flavor using vanilla extract and salt, but now I just use an artificial marshmallow flavor which is also perfect for the nostalgic feel. It gets aerated by the churning of the ice cream machine. It is churned for about 30 minutes and until it is a very glossy white. And yes! I can torch it!!!

Arrows Garden

So I have been crazy busy raising a family and working so I have been slacking on blogging..... Here are some great pictures of the gardens I walk through every day at work.  Great inspiration.  Instead of buying local just go outside and grow some stuff!