NITROGEN COOKED CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Over 30 years ago at Oakhill College New South Wales, we made instant ice cream in our Science lab, using liquid nitrogen. On August 26, this year Chefs Alexander Talbot and Aki Kamozawa will teahing chefs and others about the use of liquid nitrogen in cooking. What took them so long?

The big problem of using liquid nitrogen in cookin in Indonesia is its availability exactly for this purpose. Try your hospital and a friendly pediatrician. Or welders. School science labs did not have it. At least those i have checked with.

The are also safety issues you must be aware of. Contact with liquid nitrogen is dangerous. Safety clothing, gloves and safety glasses should be worn.

Now the recipe. You need:

1 quart of heavy cream.
1 pint milk
3 tablespoons Vanilla
Half cup sugar
Chocolate chips or crush dark courverture Tulip chocolate.
And you need 5 litres of liquid nitrogen.

For cokking tools you need:
Large stainless stell mixing bowl
Wooden mixing spoons

The Method:
Mix the cream, milk,vanilla and sugar in the steel bowl, Stir until the sugar is
dissolved.Add the chocolate chips or/and crushed dark chocolate.

Now the liquid nitrogen

Place the steel bowl in the sink. Be warned it will overflow.
Pour an estimate of one litre of liquid nitrogen into the bowl.It is impossible to measure liquid nitrogen. So you must estimate.
There will be lots of cool fog. Do not stir.
Let the nitrogen do the job of freezing the mixture.
Stir cautiously. Some parts of the mixture will be frozen. Other parts will be liquid. Stir with the wooden spoon and mix till you have a consistant mixture. Then add more nitrogen. Let it freeze for a few seconds and then stir. The trick now is to stir and stir till you have a consistant mixture. Keep adding small amounts of liquid nitrogen as you stir. Finally you have a nice consistant mixture.

Why you end up with a wonderful creamy ice cream is due to the rapid freezing. The nitrogen makes the fat and water particles to stay ver small. This gives the ice cream extra smoothness. Scientists say that rapid freezing also preserves the nutrients in food.

Keep reading this newsletter for more information and recipes on MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY
using chocolate.

THREE SECRETS FOR A PERFECT CHOCOLATE COOKIE

We think anyone can bake a cookie. Kids do it in school. All over town are bakeries that sell cookies.After all to make a cookie all you need flour,butter,eggs,sugar, leavening agents,salt and of course chocolate. Simple right? Yet most of the cookies we munch into are quite insipid. There are three secrets you must know to bake the super cookie.

1)Mix and leave the dough in the frig for at least 36 hours. Why? Shirley O Corriher author of "Cook Wise" all about Science in the kitchen explains: it allows trhe dough to soak up the liquid especially the eggs which are gelatinous and neet a longer hydration time.

The butter coats the flour, preventing the liquid from going through. The extra time in the frig allows the liquids to get through to the dry ingredients.

2) Size is important. The best cookie size is 12cm. Big! This is when the three textures really come through. The first nibble cracks with a bite releasing the wonderful warm flavours of butter and caramel. In the center is a 4cm softer ring.
Between these two zones the flavors mix delightfully. Use lots of chocolate. Use Dark Tulip for best effect and couverture because it melts better.The ratio of chocolate to dough should be 40 to 60.

3)The last secret is Salt. Not just any ordinary salt but sea salt in the dough and sprinkled on top adds tremendous effect to you cookie.

More information on other interesting cookies are available from the writer.If you serve it warm from a warming oven it can be sheer bliss.

THE GREAT DONUT DIP

Of course you have enjoyed donuts covered with chocolate. But have you ever tried donuts dipped in CHOCOLATE COFFEE SAUCE. It is a great treat. And best of all it is very simple.

WHAT YOU NEED
300gm of unrefined sugar
One cup of water
40 coffee beans
180gm cocoa powder
60gm of TULIP bitter chocolate
Pinch of salt

WHAT TO DO
1)Melt the sugar in pan over medium heat
2)Dip a pastry brush in cup of water and keep brushing sides of pan till the sugar is caramelized.
3)Add rest of water from cup, coffee beans, cocoa powder, chocolate and pinch of salt.
4)Bring to boil
5)Sieve
6)Cool
7)Dip the donuts.

For variety you may crush peanut brittle and sprinkle over the cooled chocolate sauce.