Pleasant Pomes - Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda

I was excited for this project. Apples are one of my favorite fruits and I was eager to see what flavor combinations (beyond the obvious cinnamon, ginger, etc.) I might explore.

I had no problem coming up with ideas for potential 

(ideas - plus two more pages)

flavor pairings. Interesting combos included: apple + shitake mushroom, apple + wild rice + hazelnut, and apple + avocado + endive. However, I was stumped on what form the flavors would take!

After making a fennel, apple salad for my family, I determined I wanted to include fennel in my amuse bouche. By experimentation (lab) day I also had a clearer vision of the form - I knew I wanted to include a deep fried element. 

I brought many products to class and a several became deep fried goodies:

• fennel rings
• fennel straws 
• apples sliced two ways 
• smoked gouda (photo taken after it was devoured by hungry, curious classmates

What was discovered: 

• smoked gouda is seriously delicious deep fried
• deep fried fennel is slimy and not "anisey" enough
• battered apples are pretty darn good fried
• The combination of fennel, cheese and apple was satisfying 

Since the apple held up pretty well to frying, I decided to slice them to resemble thick cut fries. The batter on these bad boys was pretty thick. It resembled a pancake dough. I knew at this point I could execute the frying of the apples. But how to incorporate the fennel and cheese? 

Mike suggested I make a fennel ketchup

to accompany the apple fries. The plan was to juice the fennel, gel it and mix it with a bit of parsley juice (for color) with pickled fennel. I brunoised (a new-to-me cutting technique) a fennel bulb, then boiled vinegar, water, sugar and salt and placed everything in an airtight container in the fridge for a week.








I wasn't sure the batter was appropriate for the apples after all and decided to do a tempura batter for the final. Although, experienced with deep frying (my husband and I have mastered the beer battered cheese curd), I was upset that my apple fries turned out rather limp. However, I knew immediately (after the damage was done) what I could have done differently. In fact, in retrospect there are several things I would change if I had a second change. 

1. Keep tempura batter cold - add ice directly to batter if need be. 

2. Mix tempura batter ingredients lightly to prevent gluten development - it's okay if the tempura is lumpy. 

3. Salt tempura batter generously.  

4. Cut the apples into thinner slices. 

5. Dredge apple slices in flour prior to dipping in batter to help batter adhere to the surface of the apple. 

Below is the recipe adjusted based on the what I learned from the process. Although, I'm sure further tweaking and testing would be helpful. 

RECIPE - TEMPURA APPLES with FENNEL KETCHUP

Fennel Ketchup 
(Fennel Pickles + Fennel Juice Agar)

Juice enough parsley to result in 2 tsp liquid. Set aside.

Fennel Pickle

1 bulb fennel - brunoised

1 1/4 cup vinegar

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

Directions

Simmer vinegar, water, sugar and salt until sugar has dissolved. Cool slightly and place in an air tight container in the fridge overnight or up to one week. 

Fennel Juice Agar

1 cup fennel juice 

1 tsp agar

Directions

Bring fennel juice to a boil over medium heat. Slowly whisk in agar. Whisk until agar is dissolved, approximately 2-5 minutes. Set and chill in the refrigerator.

To make ketchup 

Using an immersion blender, mix gelled fennel juice with 1 tsp parsley juice, until a fluid gel consistency is reached. Stir in 1/2 cup fennel pickles and 2 tsp pickle liquid. 

Garnish with fennel fronds. 

Tempura Apple FriesIngredients
4-5 Granny Smith Apples  - 1/4"-1/2" julienned
2 cups ice
1 cup flour + 4 tbsp flour (separated)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cup extremely cold sparkling apple cider
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese

Directions

1. Spread 4 tbsp of flour on a plate.

2. Roll apple slices lightly in flour. Set aside.

3. Place ice in a large bowl. 

4. To make batter, combine 1 cup flour, cornstarch, cold sparkling apple cider and salt in a
    medium bowl. Mix lightly to incorporate. Place the mixture (still in bowl) into the large
    bowl of ice - batter needs to be kept cold, add additional ice to batter if necessary. 
5. Heat vegetable oil to 325F
6. Dip floured apples into batter. In batches of 4-5 slices, fry apples in oil until lightly browned. Remove apple slices from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle fried apple slices generously with pecorino. Serve with fennel ketchup.