At its most basic, this Grilled Corn Bavarois is a sweet corn custard developed by 2015 Chef to Watch Blake Abene, from Square Root in New Orleans. But you will quickly see that it is not basic at all. The silky custard is accompanied by a surprising a delightful array of flavors and textures, starting with a spicy Mole and Corn Nut Crumble Soil, and ending with little dollops of whipped avocado.
When making Blake’s Grilled Corn Bavarois, he recommends preparing the recipe in stages, depending on how long each keeps. On plating, he offers this advice: “For this dessert I wanted it to be a very set structure in the middle; the soil is confined as a circle, and then a little bit more randomness with the other stuff on the plate.”
Grilled Corn Bavarois
2015-07-30 05:26:09
Serves 12
Ingredients
- 4 ears corn, shucked
- 2 cups plus 2 teaspoons whole milk (500 grams)
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (500 grams)
- 2 vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped and reserved
- 6 tablespoons sugar (90 grams)
- 6 large egg yolks (100 grams)
- 1 1/3 cups plus 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks (400 grams)
- 6 sheets silver sheet gelatin, bloomed in ice water (12 grams)
- 2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled
- 1/8 teaspoon Ball Fruit Fresh Produce Protector
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Mole and Corn Nut Soil (recipe follows)
- Jalapeño Gelée (recipe follows)
- Cinnamon Chicharrón (recipe follows)
- Buttermilk Ice Cream (recipe follows)
- Masa Dumplings (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Spray a grill rack with nonflammable grilling spray. Preheat grill to medium-high heat (350° to 400°). Grill corn until lightly charred. When cool enough to handle, cut kernels from corn, reserving cobs.
- In a medium Dutch oven, combine milk, cream, corncobs, and corn kernels. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove corn cobs. With an immersion blender, process until smooth; strain through a fine-
- mesh sieve into a large bowl.
- In a Dutch oven or stock pot, combine 2 cups corn milk (520 grams) and vanilla beans and seeds. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar and egg yolks. Whisk ½ cup corn milk into egg mixture. Add egg mixture to corn milk, and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking, until a candy thermometer registers 179°. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean large bowl. Mixture should yield about 11/3 cups (332 grams).
- Add gelatin, and stir until dissolved; let stand until a candy thermometer registers 104°. In three additions, fold whipped cream into corn mixture.
- Lightly spray a 1/8 sheet pan with cooking spray. Pour corn mixture into prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or until mixture has a mousse texture. With 2-inch round cutters, cut mousse into circles.
- In the container of a blender, combine avocado, Ball Fruit Fresh Produce Protector,
- and salt; process until smooth, and transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch tip.
- Divide Mole and Corn Nut Crumble Soil among serving plates, molding in a circle, if desired. Add 3 corn mousse circles to each plate, and top with Jalapeño Gelée. To each plate, add Cinnamon Chicharrón, Buttermilk Ice Cream, and Masa Dumplings. Add 4 dots of Avocado Purée to each plate, or more, if desired.
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Mole and Corn Nut Crumble Soil
2015-07-30 23:20:41
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (105 grams)
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons black cocoa (65 grams)
- ½ cup sugar (100 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch (4 grams)
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted (85 grams)
- 1 (8-ounce) jar mole sauce
- 1 (4-ounce) bag corn nuts, ground fine
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, and cornstarch. Pour in melted butter, and combine. Spread mixture in an even layer on 1 prepared pan, and bake 5 minutes; rotate, and bake 2 1/2 minutes more. Let cool, then pulse in food processor until fine, but not long enough to liquefy. Transfer to a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, add mole sauce, and stir until smooth. On remaining prepared baking sheet, spread out mole in a thin layer using an offset spatula. Bake 5 minutes, until it begins to dry. Let cool completely. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a food processor, and process until finely ground.
- To cocoa mixture, add mole, corn nuts, and salt in small increments until you can taste each component individually in a bite and the mixture resembles soil.
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Jalapeño Gelée
2015-07-30 23:23:19
Serves 12
Ingredients
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided (265 grams)
- 1 1/4 cups sugar (250 grams)
- 4 ¾ sheets silver sheet gelatin, bloomed in ice water (9 ½ grams)
Instructions
- Spray a 1/4 sheet pan with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add jalapeño and 1 tablespoon water. Process until pureed. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined fine-mesh strainer.
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar and remaining 1 cup water; heat over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Let cool slightly. Add jalapeño juice to sugar mixture to taste. (Mixture should weigh about 477 grams). Whisk gelatin into jalapeño mixture, and pour onto sheet pan. Refrigerate 8 hours or until set. Cut into ¼-inch squares and refrigerate until serving.
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Cinnamon Chicharrón
2015-07-30 23:36:17
Serves 12
Ingredients
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 7 tablespoons water (10 grams)
- ¼ cup sugar (50 grams)
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons tapioca starch (100 grams)
- Soybean oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine cinnamon, 7 tablespoons water, and sugar; bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover, and let stand 3 hours. Syrup should taste intensely of cinnamon.
- In a large bowl, combine ¼ cup (65 grams) syrup and tapioca starch; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until a smooth dough forms. Dough consistency will be loose. Carefully pour out onto plastic wrap and roll into a tight cylinder, tying off ends.
- In a large pot with a steamer insert, add dough; cover, and steam 2 to 3 hours or until solid. Refrigerate 3 hours or until cold.
- Preheat oven to 200°. Line a baking sheet with a metal cooling rack.
- Remove plastic and slice dough very thinly (1/8-inch or less). Bake until dehydrated, about 2 ½ hours.
- In a large Dutch oven, pour oil to a depth of 4 inches, and heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 390°. Fry dough, in batches, until puffed and crisp, about 10 to 15 seconds. The slices are ready when they turn white and rise to the top of the oil. Let drain on paper towels.
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Buttermilk Ice Cream
2015-07-30 23:37:24
Serves 12
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream (430 grams)
- 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
- 1 ¼ cups plus 1 teaspoon sugar (256 grams)
- 16 large yolks (320 grams)
- 2 cups buttermilk (464 grams)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine cream and vanilla in a pot, and simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk sugar into yolks. Add ½ cup hot cream mixture, whisking until combined. Add yolk mixture to pan, whisking, and cook until a candy thermometer registers 179°.
- Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, and let cool completely. Combine cream mixture with buttermilk; whisk to combine. Pour mixture into the canister of an ice cream maker, and follow manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to a freezer-safe bowl, and freeze 3 hours or until desired firmness is reached.
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Masa Dumplings
2015-07-30 23:38:23
Serves 12
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon whole milk (125 grams)
- 3 tablespoons butter (43 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (2 grams)
- 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour (63 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup crumbled queso fresco
- 1/2 (15.5-ounce) can hominy, drained and puréed
- Soybean oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine milk, butter, and salt, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir in flour, stirring to remove lumps. Return to heat, and stir with a wooden spoon 2 to 3 minutes or until dough forms a ball and leaves a film on bottom of pot.
- Transfer to a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed 5 minutes to cool off a bit, then add eggs, making sure they are incorporated and scraping bowl as necessary. Add cheese, and let cool. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a food processor, and add hominy; process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a #2 round tip, and pipe rows onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Freeze for 1 1/2 hours.
- In a large Dutch oven, pour oil to a depth of 4 inches, and heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°. Cut dough into 1-inch pieces, and fry, in batches, about 1 minute on each side or until golden and crisp. Let drain on paper towels.
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