On June 24, 2008, version 2.1 of the hydrocolloid recipe collection edited by Martin Lersch was released. This excellent collection is a useful (and free!) resource for those of us interested in molecular gastronomy. See below for download links for the PDF of the current version as well as the previous two versions. A PDF reader is required to view or print this document. (Please see the note below about printing.)

Lersch describes this new version, excerpted from his blog post:

This new version includes corrections of typos, minor additions to the property tables, plus an important update in the gelatin section and a recipe for agar filtration.

Thanks to feedback from a reader there is also recipe now for agar filtration (based on a Spanish forum post). This works just like gelatin filtration, but is much faster. Apparently you get more or less the same results with regard to clarity, flavor and color.

If printing the collection, make sure the hydrocolloid properties table is rotated so it prints correctly. This table is presented in landscape format. The right most column of the first page is gelatin - if you don’t see it, try printing these pages again. The pages are optimized for printing on A4. If printing on Letter sized paper, make sure you check the “resize” or “fit to paper” option in your pdf reader.

Lersch, from the Forward of the new edition:

A hydrocolloid can simply be defined as a substance that forms a gel in contact with water. Such substances include both polysaccharides and proteins which are capable of one or more of the following: thickening and gelling aqueous solutions, stabilizing foams, emulsions and dispersions and preventing crystallization of saturated water or sugar solutions.

In the recent years there has been a tremendous interest in molecular gastronomy. Part of this interest has been directed towards the “new” hydrocolloids. The term “new” includes hydrocolloids such as gellan and xanthan which are a result of relatively recent research, but also hydrocolloids such as agar which has been unknown in western cooking, but used in Asia for decades. One fortunate consequence of the increased interest in molecular gastronomy and hydrocolloids is that hydrocolloids that were previously only available to the food industry have become available in small quantities at a reasonable price. A less fortunate consequence however is that many have come to regard molecular gastronomy as synonymous with the use of hydrocolloids to prepare foams and spheres. I should therefore emphasize that molecular gastronomy is not limited to the use of hydrocolloids and that it is not the intention of this collection of recipes to define molecular gastronomy.

Along with the increased interest in hydrocolloids for texture modification there is a growing scepticism to using “chemicals” in the kitchen. Many have come to view hydrocolloids as unnatural and even unhealthy ingredients. It should therefore be stressed that the hydrocolloids described in this collection are all of biological origin. All have been purified, some have been processed, but nevertheless the raw material used is of either marine, plant, animal or microbial origin. Furthermore hydrocolloids can contribute significantly to the public health as they allow the reduction of fat and/or sugar content without loosing the desired mouth feel. The hydrocolloids themselves have a low calorific value and are generally used at very low concentrations.

One major challenge (at least for an amateur cook) is to find recipes and directions to utilize the “new” hydrocolloids. When purchasing hydrocolloids, typically only a few recipes are included. Personally I like to browse several recipes to get an idea of the different possibilities when cooking. Therefore I have collected a number of recipes which utilize hydrocolloids ranging from agar to xanthan. In addition to these some recipes with lecithin (not technically a hydrocolloid) have been included. Recipes for foams that do not call for addition of hydrocolloids have also been included for completeness. Some cornstarch recipes have been included to illustrate it’s properties at different consentrations. Recipes where flour is the only hydrocolloid do not fall within the scope of this collection as these are sufficiently covered by other cook books.

All recipes have been changed to SI units which are the ones preferred by the scientific community (and hopefully soon by the cooks as well). In doing so there is always uncertainty related to the conversion of volume to weight, especially powders. As far as possible, brand names have been replaced by generic names. Almost all recipes have been edited and some have been shortened significantly. To allow easy comparison of recipes the amount of hydrocolloid used is also shown as mass percentages and the recipes are ranked in an ascending order. In some recipes, obvious mistakes have been corrected. But unfortunately, the recipes have not been tested, so there is no guarantee that they actually work as intended and that the directions are complete, accurate and correct. It appears as if some of the recipes are not optimized with regard to proper dispersion and hydration of the hydrocolloids which again will influence the amount of hydrocolloid used. It is therefore advisable to always consult other similar recipes or the table with the hydrocolloid properties. The recipes have been collected from various printed and electronic sources and every attempt has been made to give the source of the recipes.

Since recipes can neither be patented nor copyrighted, every reader should feel free to download, print, use, modify, and further develop the recipes contained in this compilation. The latest version will be available for download from this page and will also be announced on Khymos blog. I would like to thank readers for giving me feedback and suggestions on how to improve the collection. Feedback, comments, corrections and new recipes are always welcome to webmaster at  khymos dot org.

Download:

• Texture - A hydrocolloid recipe collection (version 2.1, June 2008) - 1.6 Mb
• Texture - A hydrocolloid recipe collection (version 2, May 2008) - 1.8 Mb
• Hydrocolloid recipe collection (version 1, August 2007) - 433 kB

So, there you have it… 53 recipes, one per week (we ended up with 53 because there is an extra Sunday this year).

These recipes were all selected by Drew and pulled from his BigOven recipe management software package. If you like the recipes, you’ll find BigOven to be very useful in collecting them!

I’m not sure what next year’s topic will be. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know!

-= Exported from BigOven =-

Vasilopita (new Year Bread)

Recipe By:
Serving Size: 1
Cuisine:
Main Ingredient:
Categories: Greek

-= Ingredients =-
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 package Active Dry Yeast
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon ; Ground
3/4 cup Milk ; Lukewarm
1/4 teaspoon Masticha ; Ground
3 Eggs ; Beaten
1/2 cup Butter ; Melted
1 1/2 teaspoon Orange Rind ; Grated
1 Egg ; For Glazing
3/4 cup Caster Sugar
Blanched Almonds ; Split
4 1/2 cup Plain Flour

-= Instructions =-
New Year Bread is traditionally cut at midnight on New Year’s Eve. After baking, a coin is inserted through a slit in the base. The person who finds the coin will have luck in the New Year. Long ago the coin used to be a gold one, then later a silver coin was used. These could be incorporated into the dough before baking. Nowadays because of the nickel content of coins it is undesirable to bake a coin in the cake.

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of the milk. Add remainder of milk, eggs, orange rind and sugar. Sift 3 cups flour, salt and spice into a warm bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in yeast mixture and stir to blend in flour, gradually adding warm melted butter. Mix dough with hands until it comes away from sides. Turn on to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding remaining flour as required. Knead for 10 minutes. Place ball of dough in a clean bowl brushed with melted butter. Turn dough over to coat top with butter and cover bowl with a cloth or plastic wrap. Leav to prove (rise) in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Punch down and turn on to lightly floured surface. Knead lightly and shape into a round loaf. Place on a large greased baking sheet or in a greased 25 cm (10 inch) deep cake tin. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled - about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Glaze with well-beaten egg and arrange blanched almonds in numbers to denote the New Year, pressing in lightly. Bake in a moderately hot oven for 45 minutes until golden brown and cooked when tested. If bread browns too quickly place a piece of greased brown paper on top. Cool on a wire rack.

From: “The Complete Middle East Cookbook” by Tess Mallos

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

-= Exported from BigOven =-

Baked Brie

Recipe By:
Serving Size: 8
Cuisine:
Main Ingredient:
Categories: Easy, Appetizers

-= Ingredients =-
1 Brie Round ; 5-6 Inch Diameter French Brie
1 Pastry Dough ; Pepperridge Farm Frozen is fine
1 Egg
2 tablespoons Milk

-= Instructions =-
Preheat oven to 400.

Completely enclose cheese in pastry.

Make egg wash of egg and milk. Put brie on baking sheet with seam side of dough down. Cut garnish of leaves, flowers, etc., from scraps of pastry and decorate top of Brie. Brush with egg wash.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the outside is golden, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and cook for 20 minutes longer.

Let baked brie sit for some time (1 hour) after cooking otherwise the cheese inside is molten.

Serve with crackers.

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

-= Exported from BigOven =-

Pork Braised With Celery Avgolemono

Recipe By:
Serving Size: 4
Cuisine:
Main Ingredient:
Categories: Greek

-= Ingredients =-
3 pound Lean Shoulder ; Or Leg Of Pork
4 tablespoon Butter ; Or Margarine
1 Onion ; Finely Chopped
Salt & Pepper ; Freshly Ground
3 cup Hot Water ; Approximately
1 Bunch Celery
2 tablespoon Flour
2 Egg Yolks
1 1/2 Lemons ; Juice Only
Parsley ; Or Celery Leaves

-= Instructions =-
Wipe the pork with damp paper towels, then cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes (the fat and skin may be left on during the cooking and removed later). Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy pan or Dutch oven. Add the onion and cook until soft and transparent, then add the pork and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the raw meat color disappears. Season with salt and pepper, add hot water to cover, then cover and simmer gently (or bake in a 325 F oven) for 30 to 35 minutes, or until almost tender. (The timing is important because the celery is to be added and cooked with the pork only until both are tender but not overcooked.)

Meanwhile, prepare the celery. Wash the stalks and scrape the heavy ones slightly. Cut each stalk once lengthwise (if large) and then across into 1-1/2 inch slices. (Use the leaves as well, if desired, but a few might be saved for a garnish or an accompanying salad.) Add the celery to pork and continue simmering 25 minutes until both are tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pork and celery and place in a serving dish, first removing and discarding the fat from the meat. Keep warm. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid, then add water or boil down rapidly to make to make 1-1/2 cups. Keep hot while you prepare the avgolemono.

To prepare the avgolemono, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a pan. Stir in the flour, and after cooking over low heat for 1 minute, gradually add 2 cups of the hot cooking liquid from the meat. Stir until the sauce comes to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the two remaining egg yolks and add the lemon juice, droplet by droplet, beating all the while. Beat a little of the thickened cooking liquid into the yolk mixture, then add the yolks to the pan of hot liquid. Mix well and cook over low heat until thickened. Pour the hot sauce over the pork and celery, garnish with parsley or celery leaves and serve warm.

NOTE: Celeriac may be substituted for the celery. Use 2-1/2 pounds of celeriac, and peel, quarter, and cut it into 1/2 inch slices before adding it to the pork. A little scraped, diced carrot may be added with the celery.

From: “The Food of Greece” by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles. Avenel Books, New York.

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

-= Exported from BigOven =-

Bill Knapp’s Chicken Marinade

This is a delightful marinade to dress up chicken.

Recipe By: http://www.cooknchat.com/recipecards/miscella
Serving Size: 0
Cuisine: American
Main Ingredient: Soy Sauce
Categories: Sauces

-= Ingredients =-
1/2 cup Honey
1/2 cup Apple Juice
2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
2/3 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Cider Vinegar
2/3 cup Vegetable Oil

-= Instructions =-
Mix all ingredients together in a blender.

Add chicken pieces and refrigerate, covered, overnight.

To grill, remove chicken from marinade, letting excess marinade drip back into dish. Cook over medium-high heat with a little oil.

To bake, remove chicken from marinade, set chicken in baking dish and bake in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until done.

Do not reuse marinade.

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. BigOven.com ID= 161269 **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

-= Exported from BigOven =-

Duck Confit

Once esteemed as a preservation method, cooking and keeping duck in its rendered fat results in meltingly tender, moist, and extremely flavorful meat which can be used in a variety of simple preparations. Sear the duck legs in a hot skillet or shred the meat and add it to salads, or, perhaps best of all, make duck rillettes. Just remember the duck must be salted a day before you plan to cook it.

Recipe By: Tom Colichhio, Gramercy Tavern, NY
Serving Size: 4
Cuisine: French
Main Ingredient: Duck
Categories: Salads, Main Dish

-= Ingredients =-
3 tablespoons Salt
4 cloves Garlic ; smashed
1 each Shallot ; peeled and sliced
6 sprigs Thyme
to taste Black pepper ; coarsely ground
4 each duck legs with thighs
4 each duck wings ; trimmed
4 cups Duck fat ; (approximate)

-= Instructions =-
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a dish or plastic container large enough to hold the duck pieces in a single layer. Evenly scatter half the garlic, shallots, and thyme in the container. Arrange the duck, skin-side up, over the salt mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining salt, garlic, shallots, and thyme and a little pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days.

After 1-2 days, preheat the oven to 225°F. Melt the duck fat in a small saucepan. Brush the salt and seasonings off the duck.

Arrange the duck pieces in a single snug layer in a high-sided baking dish or ovenproof saucepan. Pour the melted fat over the duck (the duck pieces should be covered by fat) and place the confit in the oven. Cook the confit slowly at a very slow simmer — just an occasional bubble — until the duck is tender and can be easily pulled from the bone, 2-3 hours. Remove the confit from the oven. Cool and store the duck in the fat. (The confit will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.)

NOTES: The duck fat can be strained, cooled, and reused.

This recipe for confit is vastly superior to a few others I’ve tried, which invariably have involved way too much salt — making the duck too tough and salty to eat in anything besides stews and cassoulet! This one is perfect and allows for use in salads and other dishes where the confit isn’t being “recooked”.

Good recipe for a salad involving the confit: Mesclun (preferably on the bitter side — add some arugula), (cold) blanched green beans, (cold) cooked French lentils (cook in salted chicken stock, perhaps with some onion bay leaf, and thyme, until just tender then cool), dried cherries in a sherry-shallot vinaigrette topped with warm shredded duck confit (about 1/2 leg per salad).

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. BigOven.com ID= 162167 **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

-= Exported from BigOven =-

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Pecorino

No more wrinkled noses when people hear you’re serving Brussels Sprouts — they’ll be begging for more. Properly cooked Brussels Sprouts are sweet, nutty, and full of good flavor. In this preparation, from Franny’s restaurant in Brooklyn, they’re also anointed with olive oil and given a good roasting. The walnuts and pecorino are perfect counterpoints. Look for fresh Brussels Sprouts on their long stalks at the farmers’ market.

Recipe By: BEST AMERICAN RECIPES 2005-2006, page 183
Serving Size: 6
Cuisine: Uncategorized
Main Ingredient: Brussels Sprouts
Categories: Roast, Vegetables, Side Dish

-= Ingredients =-
1/2 cup Walnuts
18 each Brussels Sprouts ; cut in half
to taste Extra virgin olive oil
to taste Salt and pepper
squeeze Fresh lemon juice
to taste Pecorino Toscano ; optional, for topping

-= Instructions =-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Toast the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet for about 10 minutes, or until they smell toasty; set aside. Crumble them when they’re cool enough to handle.

Turn the oven up to 450 degrees.

Toss the Brussels Sprouts in a bowl with enough olive oil to coat each sprout, 2 to 3 tablespoons. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange the sprouts in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes or until fork-tender and some of the leaves have become crunchy.

Let the sprouts cool on the baking sheet, then toss in a large bowl with the walnuts. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, add a squeeze of lemon, and season with salt and pepper. Shave some of the pecorino on top and serve warm.

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. BigOven.com ID= 162285 **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

-= Exported from BigOven =-

Sausage & Cheese Strata

Recipe By: www.drewvogel.com
Serving Size: 16
Cuisine: Uncategorized
Main Ingredient: Eggs
Categories: Christmas, Advance, Easy, Breakfast

-= Ingredients =-
1/4 cup Butter ; Softened
6 slices Firm White Bread
2 pound Bulk Sausage
3/4 pound Cheddar Cheese ; Grated
6 each Large Eggs
1 1/4 cup Milk
1/2 cup White Wine
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
6 each Green Onions ; thinly sliced, green parts only

-= Instructions =-
1. Lightly butter a 9×12 glass baking pan.

2. Spread the bread with butter and cut into 1/4 inch cubes, leaving on the crusts.

3. Cook sausage and drain well.

4. Layer half the bread cubes in the pan, top with half the sausage, and 1 cup of cheese.

5. Repeat until all is used.

6. Beat eggs until light and lemon colored.

7. Beat in milk, wine, garlic powder, and mustard. Pour over pan.

8. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

9. Uncover and bake in preheated 325 oven for 1 hour or until lightly browned.

Top with remaining cheese and green onions, and serve.

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

-= Exported from BigOven =-

Banana Bread — Wendy’s Favorite

Recipe By:
Serving Size: 8
Cuisine:
Main Ingredient:
Categories: Easy, Desserts, Bread

-= Ingredients =-
3 ea Bananas
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 cup Wheat Germ
1/2 cup Butter ; Melted
2 ea Eggs
1 cup Apple Juice Concentrate

-= Instructions =-
1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mash the bananas. Set aside.

3. Mix together flour, salt, baking soda, and wheat germ. Set aside.

4. Mix together melted butter, 2 eggs, and apple juice concentrate. Fold in flour mix & bananas.

5. Bake in greased bread pan for 1 hour.

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **