Bay Scallops on Soy Ginger Espuma with Mushrooms and Spinach

Sous Vide Details: Cook scallops at 125F for 30 minutes

Ingredients, Serves 2:

• 3/4 lb Large Bay Scallops
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 T Grape seed oil
• Mushroom and Spinach Side:
• 7 Oz of your favorite Mushrooms (Chantrelle, Oyster, Shimeji)
• 1 Large bunch of Spinach leaves
• 2 T EVO
• 4 T Soy sauce
• 1 1/2 t Balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 t Sugar
• 1 t Lime juice
• 1 t Wasabi paste (Japanese horseradish)
• 1/2 t Sesame seed oil
• 1/4 C Peanut oil
• Soy Ginger Espuma Sauce:
• 1/4 C Mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
• 1/2 C Dry white wine
• 1 T Chopped ginger
• 1 T Minced Shallots
• 2 T Heavy cream
• 1 Stick unsalted butter (1/2 C)
• 2 1/2 t Soy sauce
• Special Kitchen Tool: Cream Whipper

I love scallops and sous vide fits scallops perfectly.  The texture is out of this world!  Simply salt and pepper the scallops to taste and place in bag.  Cluster next to each other to provide support and if you have the ability to adjust the vacuum pressure, dial it down, otherwise you might squish the scallops.  Preheat the bath water to 125F and drop them in for 30 minutes.

To make the mushroom and spinach vinaigrette, whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, line juice, wasabi paste and sesame seed oil into a bowl to blend.  Slowly whisk in the peanut oil until fully integrated.  Set aside.

To make the Soy Ginger espuma sauce, simmer the mirin, white wine, ginger and minced shallots in a saucepan over medium heat until liquid is almost reduced (4-5 minutes).  Add cream and simmer for 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter one tablespoon at a time.  Finally, whisk in soy sauce.  Sauce should be medium thick and smooth.  Strain into a bowl and then pour into whipper and charge.  Shake and set aside.

Heat EVO in large skillet on medium heat and add mushrooms.  Saute until soft and tender, about 5 minutes.  In another large pan, heat 1/4 C of the vinaigrette to just starting to boil.  Add the spinach and blanch only for about 30 seconds then remove from heat.

When the scallops are done, heat a cast iron skillet with grape seed oil on high.  Take out the scallops and pat them dry with a paper towel.  Sear them in the hot skillet on one side for about 45 sec or until golden brown and on the other side for only 30 sec (that side will be the bottom).

Now you are ready for plating.  Spoon some  spinach onto the plate near one side.  Spoon some mushrooms on top of the spinach and top with some vinaigrette sauce.  Take the whipper and turn it upside down and discharge some soy ginger espuma onto the plate.  Take the back of your spoon and create a tail.  Place three scallops on top of the espuma sauce.  Your ready to serve!

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Chicken and Portabello Mushroom Roulade with Mushroom Espuma Sauce

Sous Vide Details: Cook chicken at 145F for 1 to 2 hours

Ingredients, Serves 2:

• 1 Chicken breast with skin on (boneless)
• 1/2 Large cap Portabello mushroom (stem removed)
• 1 T unsalted butter
• 1/2 T Tarragon, chopped
• 2 T EVO
• 1 T Grape seed oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Mushroom Espuma Sauce:
• 5 oz mushrooms (you can use shitaki, portobello or any other kind you like)
• 1/3 C White wine
• 1/3 C Chicken stock
• 1/4 C Water
• 2 T EVO
• 1 t Cheyenne pepper
• 1 T Tarragon
• 3 threads saffron
• 1 Egg yoke
• 1 Stick of melted unsalted butter (4 oz or 8 T)
• 1/3 C heavy cream
• Special kitchen tools: Cream whipper (used for the espuma sauce)

Sous vide is a perfect method for making a chicken roulade presentation (roll).  It plates really well.  Start by taking a chicken breast with the skin on and putting into a heavy duty 1 gallon zip lock bag.  Using a cooking mallet, pound the chicken flat.  

Thinly slice the portabello mushroom.  Heat the butter in a sauce pan on medium heat.  Put the mushroom slices in and cook on medium low for 1 min per side until they are soft and slightly brown.  Sprinkle with tarragon spice.  Set them aside.

Now, you will need a large counter space cleared and clean.  Lightly dampen your counter with a towel and then place a sheet of saran wrap on the counter with about 2 inches hanging over the edge.  It should be twice the width of the chicken breast's longest dimension.  Smooth it down on the counter so there are no bubbles.  It should stick to the counter top.  Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breast and then lay it on the saran wrap 2 inches from the counter edge with the longest side parallel to the edge of the counter.  Lay the mushroom slices in the center of the breast, again parallel to edge of the counter.  Now pick up the saran wrap that is overhanging the edge and wrap it over the chicken.  Using your fingers and cupping your hands, pinch the wrap back towards you, essentially rolling the chicken breast onto itself.  Slowly roll the saran wrap away from you squeezing the breast into a roll.  Make sure there is no air between the saran wrap and the chicken breast.  Pinch both ends together as you roll so that the chicken breast is "pressurized" into a tight roll (like a sausage roll).  When you've completed the wrap, twist both ends to create an air tight roll.  Put the roll in a bag and seal.

Put the chicken breast roulade into the water bath at 145F and cook for 1-2 hours.

Now fro the espuma sauce.  Espuma is Spanish for "foam".  Espuma sauces are incredibly light and airy as they are infused with N2O in a pressurized cream whipper canister.  I have a blog on this topic coming up.  First clean and rough chop the mushrooms to a size of your liking.  In a large sauce pan, heat up the EVO over medium heat and add minced garlic.  Cook until just starts to turn golden brown.  Reduce heat and add minced shallots.  Cook until soft but not brown.  Add mushrooms and cook until softened.  Add chicken stock, white wine, water, Tarragon, saffron, and cheyenne pepper.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

Empty sauce pan into a stick blender container and puree until smooth.  Strain mixture.  Slowly whisk the egg yoke into the mixture.  Return mixture to stick blender container and slowly blend in melted butter until the mixture is a smooth emulsion.  

Following your whipper's instructions, pour mixture into the whipper, tighten cap and charge whipper with N2O cartridge.  Shake whipper prior to plating.

When chicken is done, heat a cast iron skillet on high with the grade seed oil.  Take it out of the water bath and bag.  Using a paper towel, pat dry the chicken roulade.  Place roulade into the skillet and sear the outside on all sides.  When completed, slice the roulade with a sharp knife into 3/4" slices.  You can cut square or at a slight angle, whichever you want.

Now for plating, take the whipper and turn it upside down.  Pointing directly at the plate, press the release lever and create a medium sized espuma landing for the roulade.  It should be foamy and delicate.  Now place the chicken roulade in a row slightly overlapping one another.  Add whatever sides you wish and serve!

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Espuma Sauces Pair Well with Sous Vide!

In my continuing quest to improve my culinary skills, I have come across an interesting method for creating a unique texture for sauces... Espuma.  Espuma is Spanish for "foam".  Using a pressurized gas canister, you can infuse a sauce with a gas (in this case Nitrous Oxide - N2O) and turn it from a solid liquid into an airy foam.  I fund this texture goes well with sous vide since part of sous vide is all about unique and alternative textures to food.

Investigating the pressurized canisters, reveals that they have been used for years in the dessert side of the business.  You and I both know it well.... whipped cream topping!  Yes that is a form of espuma, cream espuma.  Thus, the canisters are pretty much known as "cream whippers", even though they whip much more than cream these days.

Which one is right for you?  Well, let's start with size.  There are small ones starting at 1/2 pint all the way up to 1 L or 2 pint sizes.  I think the 1 pint size whippers are perfect for home chef use.  Of course, the actual volume of the canister is larger (almost double) the stated size since there must be enough volume for the charged gas.  Next, you need to make sure the whipper you select can do BOTH cold and hot liquids.  Some of the whipped cream only models can only handle cold liquids.  Finally the ruggedness of the whipper should be considered.  The highest end models are all stainless steel and can be put in the dishwasher.  Of course, they are also the most expensive.  The lower end models have some plastic pieces and may or may not be dishwasher safe.  A lot depends on how often you plan on making espuma sauces.  The high end models are made for more commercial usage. 

Finally, in addition to the whipper, you will need disposable N2O charge cartridges.  Do NOT get the CO2 cartridges.  The cartridges are all pretty standard so get whichever one you like.

As for which one did I end up with, well, I wanted a pint sized canister to start with that could do both hot and cold liquids.  I didn't think I was going to use it as much as commercial use so I opted for a more low end model with some plastic pieces.  The body was spun aluminum instead of stainless steel too.  Again, aluminum will stand up to home use, no problem.  It came with a little cleaning brush so I could clean it easily.  The higher end iSi models cost upwards of $80-130, but I got my WhipRite model for only $30!  I've used it several times so far with great success.  You need to make sure you strain your liquid carefully since any food particles will clog the nozzle.


Here is a Soy Ginger Espuma Sauce with Scallops


Here is a Chicken and Mushroom Roulade with a Mushroom Espuma Sauce

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