In a Pickle: CO2 vs. N2O for Fry Batters – Fried Pickle Recipes
Crispy. Sweet. Sour and a little salty. And…warm?! Yes friends, a good fried pickle is certainly something to love. At Flip Burger Boutique found in Atlanta, GA and Birmingham, AL, fried pickles are one of the most popular items on the menu. The secret to their success? Chef Andrew Nix of Flip tells all in the Birmingham News blog post, utilizing an iSi Creative Whip to create his vodka-tempura batter. The result is a lighter and crisper fried pickle – no soggy or greasy gherkin found here! While Chef Nix prefers to create his batter with an iSi cream charger, other chefs go for the soda charger. Naturally, we had to test it both ways:
Fairly simple in execution, there are the basic rules to remember: Don’t overmix your tempura batter and keep in mind basic frying 101 rules (keep the heat consistent)!
The results? Yes, there are some differences in the batter, but the differences were subtle. The batch made with the soda charger produced an especially light and airy tempura batter that tasted almost grease-free. However the batch made with the cream charger seemed a bit heavier, producing a grainier, more bread-like texture.
Which do you prefer? Either way, these babies will put a smile on your face. After all, who doesn’t love a good fried pickle?
FLIP BURGER’S FRIED PICKLES RECIPE
Ingredients for tempura batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rice flour
1 cup light beer
¾ cup vodka
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon honey
Combine all-purpose flour and rice flour together in mixing bowl and slowly add in liquid ingredients. Pour into a 1-pint iSi Creative Whip and screw on an iSi soda or iSi cream charger. Shake and let stand 10 minutes.
Ingredients for fried pickles:
1 cup bread and butter pickles, sliced thinly (about ¼ inch)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup tempura batter (see recipe above)
1 teaspoon dill, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
Place pickles into mixing bowl, straining first. Toss pickles into all-purpose flour, shake off excess flour and place in clean, mixing bowl. Spray tempura batter lightly on pickles and toss until thoroughly covered. Shake off excess tempura batter and drop into fryer set at 325F. Fry until golden brown and crisp.
To serve:
Once pickles are done, place pickles into clean mixing bowl (you can line it with a paper towel to help absorb excess grease) and season with salt and pepper. Add dill while pickles are still hot.
Post by Bao Ong
Photos courtesy of Tom Henning
Sneak Tasting: International Home + Housewares Show 2011
Will we see you at the International Home + Housewares Show 2011? We’ll be there and we’re so excited! The industry-only event runs March 6 through 8 in Chicago. We’ll be serving sweet and savory bites, including mini Easy-iSi-Cheese Burgers. Our recipe is made with real, aged cheddar cheese and was inspired by our friend, Top Chef All-Star finalist, Richard Blais and his Cheese Wizard recipe. Richard stopped by our booth last year!
This year we’ll be on the lookout for even more celebrity chefs in the house, including Emeril; Iron Chefs Masaharu Morimoto, Cat Cora, Michael Symon, and Marc Forgione; Food Network stars Paula Deen and Guy Fieri; Top Chef Master Rick Bayless; beloved PBS chefs Sara Moulton and Ming Tsai; Australian chef (and one of People’s Sexiest Men Alive!) Curtis Stone – and many more.
We’ve been working on the menu throughout the year, perfecting recipes at work and home, with family and friends, for holidays and every day.
Our Home + Housewares Show 2011 menu includes:
Belgian Waffle Bites with Coffee Whipped Cream
Easy Cheese Sliders
Donut Holes with Mocha Mousse
Coconut Milk Pancakes with Banana Cream
Andouille Sausage & Mash
Angelic Devil’s Food Cake with Cinnamon Cream
Raisin French Toast Sticks with Maple Whip
Tiny Tot Shrimp Po’ Boys with Creole Dressed Slaw
Every item will feature live demos of the Creative Whip, using cream and soda chargers, as well as our Easy Whip, Gourmet Whip, and Fill It injector tips – to stuff those cream puffs.
We hope to see you at the show, but even if you can’t make it let’s meet back here where we’ll share our insider peek during the event and wrap up with more recipes you can make at home!
A Refreshing Valentine’s Day Mocktail
Cranberry Rosemary Mocktail Brings out the Valentine’s Day Romance
There’s the glass of Champagne before the nice dinner and then there’s some chocolate to savor. A toast on Valentine’s Day is in order when you’re spending it with a loved one.
But if you’re pregnant or someone who simply doesn’t (or can’t) drink, worry not! Mocktails are all the craze these days.
The iSi Creative Whip can help you come up with some tasty, fizzy options. Below is a recipe for a refreshing cranberry and rosemary mocktail. But the options are endless. You no longer have to stick to plain water or unhealthy, sugar-laced sodas.
Even better, the new wave of mocktails are just as creative as any cocktail. They can be sweet and herbal or bitter and fruity all at the same time. Cheers!
FIZZY CRANBERRY-ROSEMARY MOCKTAIL
Ingredients for 1 pint Creative Whip
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 cup cranberry juice
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
In a saucepan, bring water to a light simmer before adding the sugar. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lime juice and a rosemary sprig to infuse the sugar water. Let simmer for one minute and take off heat to cool. Refrigerate until needed. When cool, combine with cranberry juice to taste and pour into a 1 pint Creative Whip. Screw on an iSi soda charger and shake vigorously.
To serve:
Dispense the drink into a glass with ice and garnish with a rosemary sprig. Serve immediately.
Recipe and post by Bao Ong.
Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie Without the Pie
Leave the Crust in the Dust with this Pumpkin Pie Mousse Recipe
Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without pumpkin pie. But that doesn’t mean you have to be boring — not at all. With the iSi Creative Whip, you can put a new spin on a classic to keep things interesting and fun during this year’s feast.
So how about considering a creamy pumpkin pie mousse with pecan-gingersnap crumble?
Once you mix together a base of five easy ingredients, you’re practically done! And for some added texture, a pecan-gingersnap crumble adds just the right amount of crunch so you’re not missing the crust.
There’s no worrying about if your pie crust is cooked through or if it’ll be done on time. You can even take this “pie” on the road without worry.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie Mousse
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 cups chilled heavy cream
In a bowl, combine and mix together pumpkin puree, cream cheese, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Add heavy cream and mix until smooth. Pour into a 1 pint Creative Whip. Screw on one iSi cream charger and shake vigorously. Chill for at least one hour before serving.
Ingredients for Pecan-Gingersnap Crumble:
1 cup gingersnap cookies, broken into chunks
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
Preheat oven to 350F. In a food processor, blend together gingersnap cookies and pecans until finely chopped. Transfer mixture to a bowl and mix in sugar. Add melted butter and mix until combined. Spread mixture out evenly onto a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool before breaking into a rough crumble.
To serve:
Dispense pumpkin pie mousse into individual bowls or cups and garnish with pecan-gingersnap crumble. Alternatively, layer pecan-gingersnap crumble between layers of pumpkin mousse for a layered effect. Serve immediately.
Recipe and post by Bao Ong.
They really like us. They really, really like us!
Hooray! The iSi Creative Whip Gets Positive Reviews
Thank you to all those in the blog world who have taken the time to review and share your thoughts on iSi’s Creative Whip! We really, really appreciate it.
Truly Obscure – http://www.trulyobscure.com/article/644/whip-up-some-delish-with-the-isi-half-pint-creative-whip
Lisa is Cooking – http://lisaiscooking.blogspot.com/2010/08/mocha-sherbet-freeze.html
Life Articles – http://www.lifearticles.net/cool-appliances-that-can-make-your-cooking-convenient/
Examiner – http://www.examiner.com/healthy-foods-in-national/linda-brewer
Simply The Sweet Life – http://www.simplythesweetlife.com/
Delish Your Dish – http://delishyourdish.com
Sarah’s Blog of Fun – http://www.sarahsblogoffun.com/
Gonzo Gastronomy- http://www.gonzogastronomy.com
Habeas Brulee – http://habeasbrulee.com/
Chocolate Stout Cake with Baileys Whipped Cream
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th with the help of your iSi Creative Whip and make desserts and treats that are an ode to Irish beer and spirits. Mix a wee bit of Baileys Irish Cream into your basic whipped cream for a simple way to add a dash of cheer.
Baileys is a liqueur, 17% alcohol by volume, made from Irish whiskey, milk from Irish farms, cocoa nibs, vanilla, and sugar. Using the Creative Whip, top hot coffee with Baileys Whipped Cream for a festive version of an Irish coffee or cap a Guinness float (stout beer and vanilla ice cream) for a quick St. Patrick’s Day dessert that is far too much fun. But for a truly rich treat, try a chocolate stout cupcake frosted with this decadent whipped cream.
There are many delicious variations of chocolate stout cake but all involve adding a dark beer, such as Guinness, to the cake batter. The result is a dense rich cake just begging to be topped with a frothy light cream. With a touch of cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and Baileys, you have a frosting for a very grown up cupcake with a whole lot of Irish spirit.
Sláinte!
Recipe for Chocolate Stout Cake
iSi (say “easy”) Entertaining with Desserts on the Go!
iSi Portable Creative Whip Helps You Bring Your Kitchen with You
The Creative Whip has always been a perfect tool for entertaining at home. Whip up delicious dips to start off a party or have a festive carbonated cocktail ready to go as your guests arrive. And of course there is dessert! Nothing tops a homemade pie like fresh whipped cream or wows your guests like a classic Tiramisu. The ingredients are simple, the prep a snap, and clean-up is next to nothing. Let the Creative Whip do the work for you and just enjoy the party!
But the fun shouldn’t be limited to your own kitchen. While the pint-sized Creative Whip is easily portable (smaller than a wine bottle!), the half-pint size was made to go. With its compact dimensions, only 3-inches in diameter and 8-inches tall, it can easily be tucked into just about any purse or bag. So for that next dinner party or quick get-together, share your creativity and take the Creative Whip along with you.
Try the classic Chocolate Mousse Express and top with candied hazelnuts or fresh fruit, or mix up the Mango-Coconut Mousse and have shredded toasted coconut or crushed macadamia nuts on hand to finish the dessert. Each recipe is less than five ingredients so they come together in a nothing flat. Best of all, you can mix and pour into your Creative Whip ahead of time. Just keep it chilled until you’re ready to go and dessert will be ready to go when you are.
Note: Many of the recipes mentioned are scaled for the pint iSi Creative Whip. Halve the ingredients to use with the ½-pint iSi Creative Whip.
International Home + Housewares Show 2010
Which would you rather have? A cookie? Or a cookie with cream? I hope the latter: a slightly crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside chocolate chip cookie, embellished with a cool swirl of freshly whipped cream. It’s classic comfort food – cookies and milk – simply dressed up.
My name is Louisa Chu – I’m a chef and journalist – and I’ll be this year’s guest chef at the iSi booth at the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago. The show starts this Sunday but I’ve been working on recipes for months using the new Creative Whip.
At industry-only trade shows like the Housewares Show, buyers and journalists from around the world will walk miles upon miles through the cavernous McCormick Place convention center to see the newest products offered by thousands of exhibitors, some of which you’ll eventually buy for your own home.
Celebrity chefs – including Mario Batali, Ming Tsai, and Rick Bayless – will do cooking demonstrations and sign their books.
I’ve cooked at some of the best restaurants in the world, including El Bulli in Spain, where we used iSi whippers to make extremely inventive dishes, like airy “gnocchi” from potato foam – garnished with seaweed gelatin wrapped butter ravioli, finished with a roasted potato skin consomme. The dish was beautiful, surprising, and yes, delicious but not quite what friends and family want me to whip up at home.
During the show I’ll offer tastings using the Creative Whip of not only the cookies, but many of the recipes found right here on our blog, like the Cheese Wizard on mini grass-fed burgers with tiny challah buns. I’ll also introduce new recipes including Sparkling Arnold Palmers (sweet tea and lemonade) and Buffalo Style Fried Chicken. We’ll post the menu and recipes for everything we’ll serve at the show, because you can and will want to try these at home.
If you’re visiting the show, please stop by and say hi – and you can now follow us on Facebook!
Golden Belgium Waffles
The best waffle recipes tend to involve separating eggs, whipping the egg whites into soft peaks, then folding them carefully into the batter – but your iSi Creative Whip does all that for you.
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Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
Flat as a pancake? Thanks to your iSi Creative Whip, more like fluffy as a pancake. (more…)