Chorizo Foam? Yes, we have Chorizo Foam!

[ironchef]

Here's a special I did from this past weekend. Another one of those that was really "outside the box" in terms of flavors and flavor combinations

Pan Seared Atlantic Diver Scallops
Fresh Watermelon, Mango-Lime Puree, Chorizo "Confetti", Micro Shiso, Chorizo and Umeboshi Emulsion

The watermelon was tossed with salt, yuzu, EVOO, pasilla chile powder, and micro shiso. The confetti was just finely minced chorizo which was rendered until crisp. The mango puree was fresh mango that was pureed and then forced through a chinois, then heated with fresh lime juice, butter, and salt to order. The emulsion was a combination of rendered chorizo plus its fat, chicken stock, white wine, butter, yuzu, salt, and umeboshi paste. It was then blended together in the Vita-mix, hit with a dash of lecithin, and then foamed to order. Bon appetit!

[buckytom]

your sig line is quite fitting i.c.

just awesome.

how do you make micro shiso? is it dried?

just for kicks: the description is quite long. no need to mention ingredients more than once, even though it may be important in the prep.

[ironchef]

No, micro shiso is just a seedling of regular (in this case, purple) shiso.

About the description:
(j/k BT)

This was the sample plate for the waitstaff to try. The presentation was a little tighter for service. I had to get a sample plate out for their pre-service meeting so I kinda rushed this one. The puree and the confetti were neater on the plates that went out for service. Also, I only realized after I took the pictures that the micro greens I grabbed to top the dish were slightly wilted.

[TATTRAT]

I like it. Conceptually, sounds very intriguing.

[ironchef]

Originally Posted by TATTRAT

I like it. Conceptually, sounds very intriguing.

It was a lot of different flavors, but it all came out when eaten together. The saltiness in the chorizo and the umeboshi were balanced by the sweetness in the mango and the watermelon. The acid from the lime and yuzu helped to round off the flavors and the micro shiso brought out another interesting flavor. The crispy chorizo confetti added not only some flavor, but also texture. Scallops, being a very neutral platform, was a good vehicle for all of the flavors to meld with.

[Fisher's Mom]

IC, please excuse this is it's been answered before but is foaming the same process as some chefs call "air"?

[ironchef]

Originally Posted by Fisher's Mom

IC, please excuse this is it's been answered before but is foaming the same process as some chefs call "air"?

Yeah, it's one method that is employed. Here is Ferran Adria's recipe for Lime Air.

Different chefs call it different names. I've seen it refered to as an air, a cloud, an essence, and just simply a foam. I like to call them emulsions because that's basically what it is. It's an emulsion that is being aerated with an immersion blender.

[Fisher's Mom]

Thanks IC. Does it require a commercial or ultra powerful immersion blender? From what I've read, it requires a lot of skill to place the blender just at the top of the emulsion to achieve foam but not fling it all over but I wondered if a special blender is required..

[ironchef]

Originally Posted by Fisher's Mom

Thanks IC. Does it require a commercial or ultra powerful immersion blender? From what I've read, it requires a lot of skill to place the blender just at the top of the emulsion to achieve foam but not fling it all over but I wondered if a special blender is required..

Nah, I use a Braun immersion blender for my foams at work. We have industrial strength ones but I prefer those for making soups and huge batches of sauces and aiolis. Although I can use it to make the foams, they're a little too violent because of their strength. The Braun is less powerful and it aerates the liquid better. The other one just abuses the liquid and splatters it.

It takes some practice to get it right, but you don't have to neccessarily keep the blender's blades at the top of the liquid. I like to place the base of the blender flat against the bottom of the saucepan, tilt the saucepan at an angle, and "bounce" the liquid off the sides creating a sort of current or swell (similar to wavepool) which helps to create the foam. It also minimizes the splatters.

[college_cook]

The "Lecite" in Adria's recipe is just his commercial name for Lecithin, right?