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Sous Vide Smoked Pumpkin Puree {Video}

How To Make Sous Vide Smoked Pumpkin Puree with fresh pumpkin to add maximum flavour to sweet and savoury dishes.

How To Make Sous Vide Smoked Pumpkin Puree with fresh pumpkin to add maximum flavour to sweet and savoury dishes.

Today's Sous Vide Smoked Pumpkin Puree is an easy, fun way to add another layer of flavour to your pumpkin-based sweet and savoury dishes.

Do you make your own pumpkin puree?

I don't remember ever seeing canned pumpkin in our home growing up, only the fresh stuff. Home-grown with the most brilliant orange flesh, we enjoyed them in a number of ways; my favourite being my grandmother's pumpkin pancakes/fritters.

She still makes them to this day and they are as fabulous to my adult palate, as they were to my younger taste buds.

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How To Make Sous Vide Smoked Pumpkin Puree with fresh pumpkin to add maximum flavour to sweet and savoury dishes.Can The Colour

I am not here to knock store-bought, canned pumpkin puree - I've used my fair share  in a pinch. It pales a little in the taste and texture departments in comparison to homemade, IMHO. However, it typically imparts a more vibrant orange, when baked into desserts.

I shared the 'recipe' for sous vide pumpkin puree back in this post for Sous Vide Chai Pumpkin Creme Brulee. It works well in a number of other pumpkin-based recipes. This time around, I thought I'd smoke the pumpkin for more flavour depth and interest.

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How To Make Sous Vide Smoked Pumpkin Puree with fresh pumpkin to add maximum flavour to sweet and savoury dishes.

Sous Vide Smoked Pumpkin Puree

Two Christmases ago, I was gifted The Smoking Gun. I immediately made it my life's mission to smoke ALL THE THINGS, from desserts to popcorn to cocktails. It's a great way to infuse flavour with a touch of the outdoors.

I've tried smoking the pumpkin before I cook it, but my preference has been to infuse with smoke, while it is still hot out of the sous vide. Unlike raw meat, which seems to do better with pre-cook smoking, the flavour was more pronounced in the pumpkin when smoked post-cook.

The smoker came with two sample wood chips - hickory and applewood - but you can also purchase the full size four-pack, which includes cherrywood and mesquite. With the recent legalization of recreational cannabis, you can get very creative with your smoker. 😉

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How To Make Sous Vide Smoked Pumpkin Puree with fresh pumpkin to add maximum flavour to sweet and savoury dishes.Tips for Homemade Pumpkin Puree Success:

I recently ran a poll on my Instagram stories, to which 73% of ya'll who who responded expressed a preference for homemade pumpkin puree!!

For those who have not had great luck with homemade puree, here are some tips that have worked for me:

  • Sous vide (or roast the pumpkin) for a consistency that is closer to its canned counterpart. Cooking sous vide also helps retain a lot of the colour, flavour  nutrients and structure.
  • If not using for soups and the like, drain the liquids that are created in the bag during cooking - again, this helps in achieving a texture that is similar to its canned counterpart. Save the liquid and use it to thin the puree, if it becomes too thick
  • If you still find the consistency too runny, drain the cooked pumpkin using cheese cloth and a strainer, or a nut milk bag.
  • If smoking the pumpkin, I find the cooked pumpkin better takes on the flavour, but don't be afraid to experiment to find your sweet spot.
  • The sous vide pumpkin can be used in a number of ways straight out of the water bath - roasted, mashed, pureed, soup add-in, ice cream etc.

Print Recipe

Sous Vide Smoked Pumpkin Puree

How To Make Sous Vide Smoked Pumpkin Puree with fresh pumpkin to add maximum flavour to sweet and savoury dishes.
Prep Time13 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Smoke3 minutes
Total Time1 hour 13 minutes
Course: Side
Cuisine: Sous Vide
Keyword: pumpkin, sous vide
Author: i sugar coat it!

Ingredients

Equipment:

  • sous vide immersion cooker
  • heat-proof bin or tall pot
  • vacuum sealer or zip seal bags
  • smoking gun or other smoker

For the puree:

  • fresh pumpkin I used Guyanese pumpkin

For the smoker (if using):

  • smoking chips your preferred flavour

Instructions

Cook the pumpkin:

  • Set the sous vide cooker to heat the water bath to 85ºC/185ºF.
    Wash, peel and cut pumpkin into small cubes. Place in a food-safe vacuum bag and seal. Submerge and cook in heated bath for 50-60 minutes.
  • Standard puree:
    Remove pumpkin from water bath, snip a corner of the bag and drain liquids into a cup. Use a blender, food processor or immersion blender to puree.
  • Smoked Version:
    Remove pumpkin from water bath, snip a corner of the bag and drain liquids into a cup. Add the smoking chips to the smoker and fit the tip of the tube into the snipped corner of the bag. Secure with a bulldog clip and smoke for 1-3 minutes. Seal the bag and allow to infuse, then blend until smooth.
  • Save for later version:
    When ready, remove cooked pumpkin from water bath. Leave the pumpkin in the bag and shock in an ice bath for about 15-20 minutes. Then refrigerate for up to 2 two days, or freeze up to two months.
How To Make Sous Vide Smoked Pumpkin Puree with fresh #pumpkin, a mini #smoker and #sousvide.

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Matcha Sponge Cake with Maple Poached Blueberries {Video}

Matcha Sponge Cake with Maple Poached Blueberries is a light and airy green tea sponge cake, topped with sous vide maple poached blueberries.

Matcha Sponge Cake with Maple Poached Blueberries is a light and airy green tea sponge cake, topped with sous vide maple poached blueberries.Nope, no orange here today, folks! Just the striking green and blue of Matcha Sponge Cake with Maple Poached Blueberries. I've got some pumpkin goodies lined up, but not before catching up on some long overdue draft posts.

I was leafing through my binder from the Professional Chocolatier Certificate I completed a few years back. It's a thick beast that holds all the recipes and endless notes from all six sections of the program:

  • Baking Arts (12 weeks)
  • Introduction to Chocolate (10 weeks)
  • Chocolate Theory (6 weeks)
  • Chocolate Desserts (12 weeks)
  • Chocolate Confections (12 weeks)
  • Chocolate Showpieces (10 weeks)

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Matcha Sponge Cake with Maple Poached Blueberries is a light and airy green tea sponge cake, topped with sous vide maple poached blueberries.I landed on an entremet we created in Chocolate Desserts that I've been planning to recreate for some time. Too busy, or too lazy, to tackle all the components, I settled on just one - a matcha sponge cake. I think you already know about my longstanding love for the green stuff!

Not in the mood for layers (a rare occurrence), I decided to dumb it down to two components - cake and fruit. What better than the regal blueberry. Shhh... raspberry was my first choice, but we snacked on too may and came up short for coverage.

Matcha Sponge Cake with Maple Poached Blueberries is a light and airy green tea sponge cake, topped with sous vide maple poached blueberries.I am generally not a fan of cooked fruit, but the fresh blueberries just weren't wowing me, aesthetically. So, I poached the berries in a maple syrup mixture via sous vide. We did something similar with a variety of black fruit in a Valrhona workshop I attended a little while back and I quite enjoyed the results.

They kept some of the firmness and freshness of uncooked berries, along with the desired shine and stickiness (critical for keeping them piled in place).

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Matcha Sponge Cake with Maple Poached Blueberries is a light and airy green tea sponge cake, topped with sous vide maple poached blueberries.Sponge cakes are fairly simple, as far as ingredients and effort go. In place of baking powder, this sponge cake depends on mechanical leavening via whipping the hell out of the eggs. The entrapped air is what causes the batter to expand and rise, creating a tender crumb. So, there is no skipping or skirting the full twenty minutes indicated in the recipe.

Unless you are sporting Michelle Obama guns (so jealous), you'll definitely want to use a stand mixer for this one. That's twenty minutes freed up for, urmmm... perfecting that new dance move, or gramming!

Matcha Sponge Cake with Maple Poached Blueberries is a light and airy green tea sponge cake, topped with sous vide maple poached blueberries.

Tips for a perfect sponge cake:
  • Precisely! Invest in a digital scale and scale your ingredients for precision.
  • Fresh & Warm. Eggs play a pretty important role in sponge cakes; ensure they are fresh and at room temperature.
  • No Plastic, Please! Use a metal or glass bowl, eggs don't like plastic.
  • Mise en place! To work quickly and not have the batter sit too long, have all ingredients scaled and ready for addition.
  • Batter Up! I used a silicone mold that does not require greasing. If using tin pans, grease and parchment are your best friends. I like to place the pan with the batter on a baking tray in the event of spillage.
  • Deflate Gate. Fold in the dry ingredients for best results, so that you don't deflate all that air you have created by whipping.
  • Drop It Like It's Hot! My grandmother swears by dropping the pan on the counter from about chest height when you first take it out of the oven. I've never had a sponge collapse, so imma keep doing this!
  • TURNT OUT. Don't let it sit in the pan to cool. You will want to turn the cake out shortly after you remove it from the oven. I normally do that around the five-minute mark.
  • Chill & Serrate. Oh, and chill the cake before cutting with a serrated knife, so that it doesn't look as ragged as mine. (I was in a hurry)

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Print Recipe

Matcha Sponge Cake with Maple Poached Blueberries

Matcha Sponge Cake with Maple Poached Blueberries is a light and airy green tea sponge cake, topped with sous vide maple poached blueberries.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Cake
Keyword: cake, matcha
Servings: 10
Author: i sugar coat it!

Ingredients

For the sponge:

  • 180 grams pastry flour
  • 180 grams granulated sugar
  • 6 large eggs
  • 15 grams coconut milk
  • 31 grams coconut yogurt or sour cream
  • 22 grams matcha green tea powder
  • 1 Rodelle vanilla bean scraped

For the berries:

  • 2 punnets fresh blueberries
  • 1 cup pure maple syrup
  • ½ cup water to thin the syrup

For the whipped topping:

  • 250 millilitres 35% whipping cream
  • granulated sugar as needed
  • Rodelle almond extract to taste

Instructions

Make the sponge:

  • Preheat oven to 340ºF. Prepare the baking mold or pan and set on a baking tray.
  • Sift the flour and matcha together in a small bowl and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, vanilla and continue whipping 10 minutes, until the mixture has doubled in volume.
  • Use a silicone spatula to fold the flour and matcha mixture into the whipped eggs.
  • Fold in the coconut cream until evenly combined.
  • Pour the cake mixture into the mold and bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven and pan size.
  • Use a toothpick to check for doneness and remove the cake from oven.
  • Top with berries or whipped cream and enjoy!

Make the berries:

  • Heat water bath to 85ºC. Add all ingredients to a freezer bag, seal using the water displacement method and cook for 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before topping cake. (You can prepare this stovetop if you don't own an immersion cooker)

Make the whipped cream:

  • Add the whipping cream, sugar and extract to a chilled bowl and whisk to soft, stable peaks with a chilled whisk.
Matcha Sponge Cake with Maple Poached Blueberries is a light and airy green tea sponge cake, topped with sous vide maple poached blueberries.

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Seafood Paella Noir with Arctic Surf Clams {Video}

Seafood Paella Noir with Arctic Surf Clams, baby octopus, shrimps, Thai purple rice and a colourful array of vegetables and spices.

Seafood Paella Noir with Arctic Surf Clams, baby octopus, shrimps, Thai purple rice and a colourful array of vegetables and spices.This post for Seafood Paella Noir with Arctic Surf Clams was created in partnership with Clearwater Seafoods LP.

Ok, ya'll had lots to say about these clams since I shared them on my Instagram story and feed. A couple of you even thought I was adding shark fin gummies to the pan. 🙂 And I totally get it, the colour isn't what you would normally associate with clams.

Prior to receiving these Arctic Surf Clams (a.k.a Hokkigai) from Clearwater, I'm a little ashamed to admit that I hadn't seen, heard of or eaten them. These clams are just one in Clearwater's lineup of premium quality, wild seafood that are sustainably harvested from the Canadian North Atlantic. They are then individually frozen within an hour of harvesting to lock in that ocean freshness.

Seafood Paella Noir with Arctic Surf Clams, baby octopus, shrimps, Thai purple rice and a colourful array of vegetables and spices.If all that does not capture your interest, the vibrant, eye-catching pops of red they add to a dish - from sushi to salads to soups - most certainly will. With a uniquely tender, silky texture and slightly sweet taste, these tongues aren't just about looks, they are versatile, and quick and easy to prepare (about ten minutes, once thawed)!

For best results, I thawed the Arctic Surf Clams overnight in the refrigerator and gave them a quick rinse under cold, running water before cleaning. To clean, lay flat, trim the end, slice in half horizontally and scrape away any dark stuff. I wanted to keep them intact, so instead of slicing in half, I trimmed a little off the end, made a partial slit and cleaned the inside.

For other applications, like salads, they are perfect halved or julienne.

Seafood Paella Noir with Arctic Surf Clams, baby octopus, shrimps, Thai purple rice and a colourful array of vegetables and spices.

This dish is a take on Caribbean Paella, or what we sometimes refer to as cookup - basically a one-pot dish with rice, veggies and meat/seafood. Cookup was, and still is, one of my uncle's specialty. Like a number of other flavourful meals, it was prepared outdoors using a coalpot/claypot - a conical shaped planter-like bowl, made of clay, with an opening at the base.

Everything cooked this way was just so much more memorable. My grandmother used it to make conkie (oh how I love me some conkie - without raisin, of course), oh and peanut - the best  roasted peanuts EVAH!

Seafood Paella Noir with Arctic Surf Clams, baby octopus, shrimps, Thai purple rice and a colourful array of vegetables and spices.

For my version of Seafood Paella, I used Thai purple rice, instead of Spanish red rice, to create a dramatic black backdrop. I'd forgotten how dark everything became once cooked, so I had to chop up a few extra vegetables to add colour to the finished dish.

These were added with the Arctic Surf Clams in the last two minutes of the cook. This ensured the clams were not overcooked and the veggies remained crisp and vibrant. You'll notice that I don't include amounts for some items, as I generally cook free-form, adding as much or little as my tastebuds demand.

If you are looking for a quick, colourful delicious meal for a weekday meal, or to feed a crowd for a weekend gathering, this Seafood Paella Noir with Arctic Surf Clams is a sure bet!

Print Recipe

Seafood Paella Noir with Arctic Surf Clams

Seafood Paella Noir with Arctic Surf Clams, baby octopus, shrimps, Thai purple rice and a colourful array of vegetables and spices.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Caribbean
Keyword: paella, savoury
Servings: 4
Author: i sugar coat it!

Ingredients

  • oil for pan
  • 1 red onion, finely diced reserve a little for the end
  • garlic cloves, crused I used 4, but you can adjust to your liking
  • 1 each red, yellow and green sweet peppers, sliced reserve some for the end
  • 4 tomatoes diced or quartered
  • whole baby octopus
  • raw shrimp cleaned
  • 1 cup of Thai purple rice
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 2 cups fish or vegetable stock
  • parsley
  • pinch of dried chilis flakes
  • 1 box of arctic surf clams
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat a thin layer of oil in a paella pan or saucepan over medium heat. The red oil you see in the video is homemade achiote oil - adds a nice flavour.
  • Add the onions and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and tomatoes and sautee for an additional two minutes. 
  • Add the octopus, shrimps, wine, fish or vegetable stock and rice. Cover and allow the rice to cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. 
  • Add chopped, fresh parsley, chili flakes and salt and pepper to taste. In the last couple minutes, add the remaining chopped peppers, onion and the clams.
  • Remove from heat, dig in and  enjoy!!
Seafood Paella Noir with Arctic Surf Clams, baby octopus, shrimps, Thai purple rice and a colourful array of vegetables and spices.

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Mango Chili Sea Scallops Stir Fry {Video}

Fancy up your mid-week menu and dig into a bowl of Mango Chili Sea Scallops Stir Fry with a side of vegetables and rice noodles.

Fancy up your mid-week menu and dig into a bowl of #Mango #Chili Sea #Scallops Stir Fry with a side of vegetables and rice noodles.This post for Mango Chili Sea Scallops Stir Fry was created in partnership with Clearwater Seafoods LP.

It's just the Dude and me so for a long time our kitchen time was limited to the weekends. Coming home to cook after a long day at work, just wasn't in our collective DNA. That all changed about five years ago. Now we make time and take turns cooking during the week.

To save time, we do some of our prepping on Sunday, mostly by sous vide. For instance, we cook a few chicken and steaks and cool and chill them straight out of the water bath. Then we use them in stir fry, salads, sandwiches etc., throughout the week. Or, if we fancy a succulent roast or ribs on Tuesday, we start the sous vide cook on Sunday.

Fancy up your mid-week menu and dig into a bowl of #Mango #Chili Sea #Scallops Stir Fry with a side of vegetables and rice noodles.Then there are times when Sunday rolls around and the last thing either of us wants to do is plan ahead. Meals like this Mango Chili Sea Scallops Stir Fry are the perfect answer. It's fairly quick, fuss-free and requires only a quick stop at the market for a couple fresh vegetables. Or perhaps you have some frozen veggies just waiting to be thawed.

The quick sauce I made for these, taste best when made at least a day prior, but can be used immediately. If you can find a store-bought comparable product, well heck, you just shaved off about 15 minutes prep time!

Sous Vide Wasabi Crusted Scallops cooked to perfection in a homemade fresh wasabi butter and finished in a crunchy coating with a kick.What we love most about this meal is the ability to switch things up to match our ever-changing tastebuds. We like it with seafood, chicken, beef and back when the Dude was a vegetarian, tofu, which he would marinate overnight to add flavour; each with slight sauce variations.

This version features some of the scallops from Clearwater Seafoods that I used in this post. The scallops were marinated for an hour in the homemade mango chili sauce. If you have the equipment, this can be done sous vide for 20 minutes. You can then toss them in with the veggies and stir fry for a couple minutes.

Fancy up your mid-week menu and dig into a bowl of #Mango #Chili Sea #Scallops Stir Fry with a side of vegetables and rice noodles.The noodles are dry vermicelli rice noodles, cooked by pouring boiling water onto them before dipping in cold water. These are tossed in at the end with the scallops, to prevent over-cooking both. Top with the leftover sauce, fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Print Recipe

Mango Chili Sea Scallops Stir-Fry

Fancy up your mid-week menu and dig into a bowl of Mango Chili Sea Scallops Stir Fry with a side of vegetables and rice noodles.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Marinate1 hour
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Seafood
Keyword: scallops
Servings: 4
Author: i sugar coat it!

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • .5 cup mango puree
  • .5 cup chili sauce
  • 1 clove garlic crushed
  • 1 shallot chopped
  • honey or maple syrup to taste
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the scallops:

  • 3-4 scallops per person
  • ¼ cup sauce from above
  • sprig thyme

For the stir-fry:

  • 1 small onion evenly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • sprig thyme
  • 1 small head of broccoli roughly chopped
  • 1 large carrot thinly sliced, length-wise
  • handful angel hair rice noodles
  • as needed sauce

Instructions

Make the sauce (at least one day ahead for maximum flavour):

  • Blend all the ingredients in a food processor, or with an immersion blender. Adjust seasoning and sweetener to taste. You can process until smooth or leave a little chunky. I prefer the latter.

Prepare the scallops:

  • Add scallops to a freezer bag or air-tight container. Toss with sauce and thyme and refrigerate for an hour. Or, you can cook sous vide for 20 minutes at 52C.

Bring it all together:

  • Heat a wok or skillet and some oil. Add onion, garlic and thyme and sauté. Add broccoli and carrot and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender, but crisp. Toss in the scallops and a couple tablespoons of sauce and cook for a couple minutes. Toss in the noodles, previously soaked in boiling water. Serve and enjoy!!
Fancy up your mid-week menu and dig into a bowl of #Mango #Chili Sea #Scallops Stir Fry with a side of vegetables and rice noodles.

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Sous Vide Caramelized White Chocolate {Video}

How to make Sous Vide Caramelized White Chocolate that is simple, fuss-free, foolproof and mostly hands-off!
How to make Sous Vide Caramelized White Chocolate that is simple, fuss-free, foolproof and mostly hands-off!Why Sous Vide?

Sous vide isn't all about meat and fish, let me turn you on to its sweeter, seductive side, by showing you how to make Sous Vide Caramelized White Chocolate. It's simple, fuss-free, fail-safe and mostly hands-off!

Our first few years of cooking sous vide were centered mostly around all things savoury. In the last few years, however, I've really taken to sous vide for sweet applications. I especially like preparing custard-based recipes like ice cream, creme brûlée puddings etc. in this manner. Custards are cooked perfectly, without curdling and this is done, mostly hands-off.

How to make Sous Vide Caramelized White Chocolate that is simple, fuss-free, foolproof and mostly hands-off!But Will It Caramelize?

If you have made caramelized chocolate before, you know that it requires hawk eyes and stirrings at ten-minute intervals. None of that for Sous Vide Caramelized White Chocolate!

Given my understanding of what it takes for caramelization to occur, I was skeptical about this technique when I saw it on a Reddit feed, then I came across this article. Perhaps more of what takes place in the bag submerged in what is relatively low temperature has to do with Milliard reaction.

Which ever you decide, I think it may be the latter, it certainly produced rich, dark, nutty, caramelized results comparable to the traditional oven method. Only thing missing was that heavenly aroma that filled my home when it's done in the oven.

How to make Sous Vide Caramelized White Chocolate that is simple, fuss-free, foolproof and mostly hands-off!My first batch, back in January, went into this and another into this and a few other goodies yet to be blogged. I've also done it with milk chocolate, which I then tempered and shelled for bonbons. Glorious!

It's super simple:

  • heat the water bath
  • bag a quantity of white or milk chocolate
  • vacuum seal
  • submerge
  • relax
  • stir, stir, stir
  • enjoy a number of ways

How to make Sous Vide Caramelized White Chocolate that is simple, fuss-free, foolproof and mostly hands-off!Straight out of the bag, it will be thick and appear grainy. Not to worry. A little elbow grease will get it to deep, golden, shiny, viscous deliciousness. From there, you can use it in a number of applications from bars to bonbons to ice creams, cookies and cakes.

How to make Sous Vide Caramelized White Chocolate that is simple, fuss-free, foolproof and mostly hands-off!A Few Tips for Best Results:
  • Use chocolate, not the compound stuff passing as chocolate. I used Valrhona Waina 35% in this batch and Ivoire 35% in others.
  • You may choose to agitate the chocolate halfway through the cook, but it isn't necessary.
  • Adjust your cook time according to your taste - my preference has been 8-10 hours, but 6 hours will do the trick too.
  • These guidelines work for milk chocolate, as well.

Print Recipe

Sous Vide Caramelized White Chocolate

How to make Sous Vide Caramelized White Chocolate that is simple, fuss-free, foolproof and mostly hands-off!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Chocolate
Keyword: chocolate, sous vide
Servings: 1 cup
Author: i sugar coat it!

Ingredients

  • a measure of white or milk chocolate 300 to 500 grams is a good place to start

Instructions

  • Heat the water bath to 90ºC/194ºF.
  • Add the chocolate to a vacuum bag, seal, submerge in the heated water and cook for 6-8 hours.
  • Remove bag and dry with a clean towel to prevent water form coming into contact with the chocolate. Cut open the bag and squeeze the chocolate into a clean bowl.
  • Use a silicone spatula to stir the chocolate until it is smooth, homogenous and shiny.
  • Chocolate can be stored in an airtight container in cool, dry place.
How to make Sous Vide Caramelized White Chocolate that is simple, fuss-free, foolproof and mostly hands-off!

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How To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter {Video}

In this second chocolate how-to instalment, we're tackling How To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter using fat-soluble powder colours and two types of cocoa butter.

In this second chocolate how-to instalment, we're tackling How To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter using fat-soluble powder colours and two types of cocoa butter.
How To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter

In the last how-to post we talked about some of the more commonly used molds for making chocolate and how to prepare them for best results. Now that you have chosen your molds and buffed them to a shine, you're probably itching to add some colour! This is generally done with food-grade cocoa butter.

Cocoa butter is available for purchase in an array of colours and finishes (matte, pearl, shimmer, natural) from brands like Roxy & Rich (I have a soft spot for this brand, as it is made locally in Quebec), PCB Creation, Chef Rubber and IBC, to name a few. I've used all four of these brands and would recommend either. If you are selling your products, however, it's important to ensure the brand you use meets applicable food regulations in your location.

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In this second chocolate how-to instalment, we're tackling How To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter using fat-soluble powder colours and two types of cocoa butter.What You'll Need To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter

You may not always find pre-made cocoa butter colours that match your needs; mixing two or more pre-made colours will produce custom colours of your choosing, with a little practice.

Perhaps pre-made colours aren't readily available where you are, in which case you can make your own colours with a few ingredients, namely cocoa butter, fat-soluble/oil-based powdered colours and titanium dioxide. All food-grade, of course.

In this second chocolate how-to instalment, we're tackling How To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter using fat-soluble powder colours and two types of cocoa butter.Cocoa Butter: Deodorized or Natural?

When cocoa butter undergoes a process to neutralize its flavour, aroma and colour, it is then referred to as deodorized. This is done so that the natural cocoa butter flavour and aroma don't detract from the chocolate/bean. Although, deodorized cocoa butter sometimes develops a sharp smell, as a result of processing. If using deodorized cocoa butter, choose a reputable brand for best quality.

If you don't have access to deodorized cocoa butter, or prefer the resulting flavour complexity and naturally occurring antioxidants present in natural cocoa butter, then natural/unrefined may just be the way to go. Again, choose a reputable brand for consistency and quality.

Taste and aroma become more of a concern when I use the natural cocoa butter directly in recipes. Less so, for the purposes of making colours, which I usually applied in a very thin layer. Here, I used deodorized cocoa butter in both freeze-dried and buttons.

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In this second chocolate how-to instalment, we're tackling How To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter using fat-soluble powder colours and two types of cocoa butter.Oil-Based/Fat-Soluble Colourants

Fat-soluble colours will provide the best results for your finished chocolates, aesthetically, but more importantly, shelf-life. These powders come in your standard colours and are concentrated, odour-free, tasteless and dissolve easily in fat. You can use them to add colour to cocoa butter, as I've done here, or to colour the chocolate itself. You can also get good results with natural colours like freeze-dried fruit and vegetable powders. Generally, lighter colours will work best with white chocolate, while black can be added to dark and milk chocolate.

If you find that your homemade coloured cocoa butter produces a translucent colour, adding food-grade titanium dioxide (where legally allowed), will help improve the opacity. If you don't have access (or not legally allowed) to titanium dioxide, another way to  improve opacity, is to back spray your mold with white cocoa butter or brush on white tempered chocolate. We will explore using Power Flowers in a future post, but you can see how I use the product in my IG stories.

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In this second chocolate how-to instalment, we're tackling How To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter using fat-soluble powder colours and two types of cocoa butter.Equipment You'll Need To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter

You'll need a few pieces of mostly standard equipment to make coloured cocoa butter at home. These include the following, for best results:

  • Digital scale - If you do any baking or chocolate making, you really should own one. I really like this for its zero or tare function, which allows you to scale multiple ingredients in one dish. It also has a pull-out base to accommodate larger bowls/pots.
  • Pocket scale - I added this to my kitchen arsenal a couple years ago, when I was having trouble getting an accurate read for lighter ingredients. It's perfect for scaling the coloured powder.
  • Immersion Blender - To ensure the mixture is optimally emulsified, I highly recommended an immersion blender. I own three immersion blenders, one for savoury preparation and the other two for chocolate/ganache and pastries, because I am a little anal about cross-contamination and overall kitchen hygiene.
  • Tall Containers - Whether this item, a drinking glass or measuring cup, you'll need something that can easily accommodate the blender for mixing.
  • Fine Mesh Sieve/Strainer - to sift the powder colours.

With these items in hand, press play to see How To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter to add a little interest to your chocolate!

(Please note that the list above includes affiliate links. Purchasing items via these links provide a small commission that supports the running of my blog, I Sugar Coat It. I only recommend items I own and use.)

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In this second chocolate how-to instalment, we're tackling How To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter using fat-soluble powder colours and two types of cocoa butter.
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How To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter

In this second chocolate how-to instalment, we're tackling How To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter using oil-soluble powder colours and two types of cocoa butter.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time3 minutes
Resting Time12 hours
Total Time8 minutes
Course: How-To
Cuisine: Chocolate
Keyword: chocolate, how-to, tutorial
Author: i sugar coat it!

Ingredients

  • 120 grams cocoa butter
  • 12 grams fat-soluble powder colour

Instructions

  • Melt the cocoa butter in a small sauce pan over low heat. Remove from the heat when almost melted to avoid over-heating. Swirl the sauce pan to melt any remaining solids.
  • Add the powder colour to the melted cocoa butter by passing through a sieve. Stir to combine, then use an immersion blender to emulsify the mixture. Pass the mixture through a clean sieve to remove any residual solids.
  • Allow the mixture to cool and set, typically 12 hours. When ready to use, temper the cocoa butter and hold between 31°-33ºC for decorating. You can also simply heat the cocoa butter to 31ºC, but you will get better, more consistent results (shine) when you temper.
In this second chocolate how-to instalment, we're tackling How To Make Coloured Cocoa Butter using oil-soluble powder colours and two types of cocoa butter.

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Sous Vide Wasabi Crusted Scallops {Video}

Sous Vide Wasabi Crusted Scallops cooked to perfection in a homemade fresh wasabi butter and finished in a crunchy coating with a kick.

Sous Vide Wasabi Crusted Scallops cooked to perfection in a homemade fresh wasabi butter and finished in a crunchy coating with a kick.This post for Sous Vide Wasabi Crusted Scallops was created in partnership with Clearwater Seafoods LP.

East Coast Lobster Rolls and Ice Cream

The Dude and I took a trip to the East coast this summer in an effort to step back from international travel and explore this vast country, for a change. We flew to Halifax and spent ten days exploring Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island (sorry Newfoundland and Labrador, we'll catch you next time).

We walked the ocean floor at low tide, rode the tidal bore at high tide, erected miniature monuments at Peggy's Cove, conquered the Cabot Trail, swam all the white and red sand beaches, gorged on Cow's ice cream and the best lobster rolls to date.

Good times were had, but the Dude would tell you that I agreed to this location only because I could buy live lobsters at the airport. Can you blame me?

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Sous Vide Wasabi Crusted Scallops cooked to perfection in a homemade fresh wasabi butter and finished in a crunchy coating with a kick.Get Those *#$* Lobsters on the *#$*Plane!

As soon as the Clearwater Seafoods airport store opened, the clerk scooped up five live ones, a bag of scallops and boxed them up in what became the Dude's second carry-on. The box fit perfectly under the seat in front of me and our crustacean friends made the trip home alive and clawing.

Once I got over the trauma of stabbing heads and tearing limbs, some deliciousness (this, this and this to name a few) were made and thoroughly enjoyed. I shared most of our lobster adventures on my Instagram stories, which caught the attention of the folks at Clearwater, which brings us to this Sous Vide Wasabi Crusted Scallops dish! The first in a number of meals I'll be creating with their products.

In a recent post, I reminisced about fresh-off-the-boat seafood as a staple in my childhood diet. The scallops used in this dish, although not purchased off the boats at the bay, were wild-caught in the Canadian North Atlantic and frozen-at-sea.

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Sous Vide Wasabi Crusted Scallops cooked to perfection in a homemade fresh wasabi butter and finished in a crunchy coating with a kick.Sustainable and Sexy

Freezing pre-rigor allows the scallops to hold their own moisture, without taking on external/additional moisture. This translates to a product that offers greater freshness, longer shelf life and is 100% natural with no chemical or additive. A plump, juicy scallop is a sexy scallop, and because these are 'dry' processed scallops, they shrink less when cooked and sear beautifully. Also, Clearwater's seafood originate from sustainable, well-managed fishery as set by environmental standards.

Sea, Bay or Calico Scallops?

Calico scallops, found in warmer waters, are the smaller and cheapest variety. They need to be steamed to open their shells before using. They are a less sweet variety, best suited for use in stews and chowders.

Bay scallops are similar in size to calico and smaller than sea scallops. Some find them to be the sweeter of the varieties. They are not ideal for searing, due to their size, but work well in a pasta dish or stir-fry.

Sea scallops, which I've used here, are the largest of the three varieties and are available year-round. When packed 'dry', like these Clearwater scallops, they are perfect for dry-heat preparation like searing.

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Sous Vide Wasabi Crusted Scallops cooked to perfection in a homemade fresh wasabi butter and finished in a crunchy coating with a kick.
Dry Versus Soaked Scallops

Scallops are processed in two ways - soaked and dry. The soaking process is done with water and sodium tripolyphosphate, which causes the scallops to absorb water, leaving a subtle chemical taste. On the other hand dry scallops are not treated, leaving them with a fresh sea taste and smell. They are also perfect candidates for searing, as they don't produce as much liquids during the cooking process.

Why Sous Vide?

Scallops are a lean protein, which, when cooked incorrectly, can quickly go from succulent to tough and rubbery. Sous Vide's low, steady cooking temperature ensures evenly cooked scallops. It helps to firm them up and retain their moisture when seared, resulting in a most succulent scallop experience. It also allowed me to infuse the scallops with the wasabi butter flavour, while adding some fat to prevent them from drying out. The result was simply spectacular!

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Sous Vide Wasabi Crusted Scallops cooked to perfection in a homemade fresh wasabi butter and finished in a crunchy coating with a kick.
Pulling It Together

Of course, if you don't cook sous vide, you can simply marinate the scallops in the wasabi butter for a couple hours in the refrigerator. I used fresh wasabi that I purchased at the Japanese market and grated myself. If you don't have access to the fresh stuff, choose a good quality paste. You'll also need wasabi powder for the coating. The wasabi adds an earthy, deep flavour and a distinctive heat that is not overpowering.

The scallops can then be seared as-is, or as I've done here, with a light coating of wasabi-seasoned panko crumbs, served atop a bed of baby asparagus with a side of home-made wasabi mayonnaise. I was so very pleased with this meal I've created and loved watching my guests enjoy every bite. I hope that you will give it a try!

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Sous Vide Wasabi Crusted Scallops

Sous Vide Wasabi Crusted Scallops cooked to perfection in a homemade fresh wasabi butter and finished in a crunchy coating with a kick.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Ice Bath15 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Seafood
Keyword: scallops, sous vide
Servings: 6
Author: i sugar coat it!

Ingredients

For the wasabi butter:

  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated wasabi or purchased wasabi paste
  • ¼ cup butter

For the wasabi mayonnaise:

  • ¼ cup home-made mayonnaise or store-bought
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated wasabi or purchased wasabi paste

For the panko coating:

  • 1.5 cups panko breadcrumbs
  • 1-2 teaspoon(s) each of wasabi powder, sesame seeds, coarsely crushed pink and black peppercorn, sea salt less or more to taste
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

For the scallops:

  • 18 Clearwater Sea Scallops this provided 3 per person
  • wasabi butter from above

Sides:

  • 2 bunches baby asparagus
  • 1 shallot chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic crushed
  • microgreens, lemon wedges, wasabi powder

Instructions

Make the wasabi butter:

  • Bring the butter to room temperature so that it is soft enough to blend. Add the butter and wasabi paste to a blender cup or small measuring cup and process with with an immersion blender. Set aside.

Make the wasabi mayo:

  • Use a fork, or hand whisk to mix the mayonnaise and wasabi paste until uniformly combined. Store in the refrigerator.

Make the coating:

  • Whisk the breadcrumbs, wasabi powder, peppercorn and sea salt in a shallow dish. Place the egg white and cornstarch in separate bowls and set aside.

Make the scallops:

  • Heat the water bath to 52ºC/126ºF.
  • While the water is heating, coat the scallops with the wasabi butter and place 4-6 among 3-4 bags, so that they are not touching. Vacuum seal the bags on delicate setting (if you have it on your vacuum sealer), or stop your machine by pressing the seal button as soon as the bag deflates, without flattening the scallops. If you don't own a vacuum sealer, you can use food and heat safe BPA-free freezer bags and the water immersion method.
  • Submerge in the heated water and cook for 20 minutes. After cooking, immediately place bags in an ice bath for 15 minutes.
  • Remove scallops from bag with tongs and place on a sheet of paper towel to soak up excess liquids. Dip, the scallops in the cornstarch and dust off excess before dipping in egg white. Then toss in the panko breadcrumb mixture to coat lightly.
  • Add a neutral oil, like grape seed, to a skillet and heat to smoking. Place the scallops, flat side down and spaced, in the pan and sear for 1 minute. Flip and repeat. Remove immediately from the pan. 

Plate and enjoy:

  • Sautee a bunch of baby asparagus, shallots and crushed garlic in the same pan. Line the centre of the plates with the sauteed asparagus, top with scallops, microgreens and a light dusting of wasabi powder. Pipe a few dollops of wasabi mayo on the plate, add a lemon wedge and serve!

Sous Vide Wasabi Crusted Scallops cooked to perfection in a homemade fresh wasabi butter and finished in a crunchy coating with a kick.

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Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide

Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.
Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.

Summer and the grillin's good! And summer ain't summer, if the grill isn't working overtime. So, please, pleeeeazzz put away your pumpkin-flavoured fare for a few more weeks and get with this Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide.

Fresh Is Best

Fresh fish was a huge part of my young culinary life. I'm not talking about that unrecognizable cut we call filet, but the eyes in, scales on, tail flapping frantically, no mistaking what I am, type of fish. When I was with my grandparents, I would accompany them to the market and watch them choose seafood straight from the fishermen nets, as the boats pulled in.

Grouper, snapper, conch, sea bass, swordfish, cod, tuna, yellowtail, mackerel, shrimp, lobster to name a few. They were used to make the most delicious steamed, grilled, fried and baked dishes for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

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Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.Eyes and Bones

Salmon was not a part of my early years. I tried to remember the first time I had it, but couldn't. Which tells me, it was not a memorable meal. I do believe it was when I first moved to North America, but can't recall where or how exactly. I do remember staring at the pink rectangle on my plate, wondering when the fish would be served...

I can remember the first time I decided to make a whole fish on my own. Although I'd seen my grandfather expertly scale and gut the fish of my childhood, I wasn't about to. I remember my roommate asking if I planned to remove the eyes, to which I responded no and to which she fake hurled.

Long story short, everything went well until a bone got caught in my throat and I thought my nineteen years had come to an end. I didn't eat fish for a while after and when I did, yup, you guessed it... filets. LOL

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Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide

So, back to present time. Salmon tail, boned (I did a pretty decent job), stuffed, seasoned, cooked in a water bath, grilled, slathered in a Korean barbecue sauce and served with greens and blistered tomatoes. It was truly amazing!

I never eat the skin of meat - I even remove the skin from wings - but I love a nice, crisp fish skin. Adds a great texture contrast to the tender, flaky, succulent fish. Remember to oil the grates to ensure easy removal and keep the skin in tact, when grilling.

Gochujang is a staple in Korean cuisine. It's a slightly sweet, savoury, spicy (varying degrees) fermented chili paste , with ingredients like red hot chili peppers, fermented soy bean and glutinous rice, that impart an umami flavour. I first experienced it a few years back in bibimbap and tteok-bokki. I am generally not one for overly spicy food, but like good wasabi, this paste has a pleasant, lingering heat that isn't fire-in-the-hole spicy.

If you are not into sous vide, the recipe can be prepared using any of the conventional methods. Here's a quick video!

Below are some of the items I used in this and other posts - they are items that I own and feel comfortable recommending. You may shop this post by clicking on any of these items and I Sugar Coat It will make a small commission. All revenue goes back into keeping this blog running. Thanks in advance for your kind support!


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Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.
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Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide

Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Seafood
Keyword: salmon, sous vide
Servings: 2
Author: i sugar coat it!

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • 131 grams pure maple syrup
  • 108 grams tamari
  • 29 grams water
  • 15 grams rice wine vinegar
  • 1 small knob fresh ginger grated
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ Asian pear chopped
  • ½ onion peeled and chopped
  • 12 grams gochujang chili paste
  • 4 grams toasted sesame oil
  • black peppercorn ground

For the fish:

  • salmon tail
  • fresh lime or lemon sliced
  • green onions trimmed
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • oil for sous vide bag

Instructions

Make the sauce:

  • Add all the ingredients up to the onion to a tall container and blend with an immersion blender, or in a stand blender. Add the chili paste and pepper to taste. Blend to combine.

Prep and cook the fish:

  • Slice the tail open from one side, between the bone and flesh. Remove the bone. Stuff with seasoning and aromatics - lime or lemon slices, green onions. Season the exterior as well.
    Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.
  • Package the stuffed fish in a vacuum bag and add some oil. Vacuum seal, or use the water displacement method to seal the bag. Add to a 51ºC heated water bath and cook for 30 to 60 minutes). Remove from bag and pat dry with paper towel. 
  • You can serve the fish, as-is at this stage, or finish it off to add a little colour and crisp to the skin. Heat the grill or non-stick skillet and grill or sear each side of the fish for a few seconds. Brush generously with barbecue sauce.
  • Serve with your favourite sides and enjoy!!
Maple #Gochujang #Barbecue #Salmon Tail #SousVide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.

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How To Prepare Chocolate Molds

A simple tutorial on How To Prepare Chocolate Molds for shiny bonbons and bars.

A simple tutorial on How To Prepare Chocolate Molds for shiny bonbons and bars.I am always a little hesitant when it comes to how-to posts. The underlying message is that I am a subject matter expert and I really don't see myself in that way. Instead, a perpetual student...

I am not saying that I am totally clueless (ok, I have my days) in this area.  In addition to my non-food related education, I have a Professional Chocolatier accreditation from a reputable culinary school. In addition to countless hours practicing, I've also taken intensive workshops with the likes of Melissa Coppel, Ramon Morato and Valrhona. The thing is, outside of my kitchen, I've never worked in the culinary industry and that, in itself, often makes me feel like an imposter.

This imposter, however, likes to share what she has learned along the way, be it from real-deal professionals, my personal trials and errors, or my sometimes unconventional thought process. This is the first in a series of tips for working with chocolate, that is by no means exhaustive. I hope some small part of it will be of value to you.

Let's start with a quick intro or recap of some of the more commonly known and used molds.

A simple tutorial on How To Prepare Chocolate Molds for shiny bonbons and bars.The Right Mold

Choosing a mold design is a very personal thing. The market is filled with a plethora of shapes and sizes from makers such as Chocolate World, Pavoni, Martellato and a number of others. The more widely used molds are FDA-approved PVC (hobby and professional grades), silicone and polycarbonate. There are also chocolate molds made of stamped or cast metal, but I've not used them.

Hobby-Grade PVC

If you are an occasional dabbler and cost is your greatest concern, then I would suggest hobby-grade PVC molds - made with thin plastic for short run applications. The first shapes I bought were a champagne bottle, christmas trees and giant egg for showpiece class project. That was the only time they were used. They are:

  • inexpensive and come in an array of fun shapes
  • more susceptible to warping
  • can be very difficult to work with; especially for a beginner. In particular, when it's time to invert the mold to tap out the excess chocolate. I speak from painful experience...
  • less likely to impart a brilliant shine to the finished product
A simple tutorial on How To Prepare Chocolate Molds for shiny bonbons and bars.Silicone Molds and Stencils

I love and use silicone molds for hot and cold applications like mousse, cakes etc. However, I don't find them practical for making filled chocolate - they just aren't rigid enough to work with, in my opinion. However, they are a great option for solid chocolate and chocolate decorations, like chablons (used to make thin decorative chocolate pieces).

If the above two options are all you have access to, I've found that placing a wire cooling rack over the mold (similar to when you turn out a cake after cooling) before inverting to drain the chocolate helps some. Then just pull the mold across the rack, while still inverted to scrape away the excess chocolate drips. Not perfect, but a decent work-around.

Professional-Grade PVC Molds

Professional-grade PVC molds are generally more costly than their hobby-grade cousins. Considered second to polycarbonate molds in the quality of chocolate they produce, they tend to come in larger-scale, theme-specific shapes for special occasions and holidays. Great for show pieces.

A simple tutorial on How To Prepare Chocolate Molds for shiny bonbons and bars.Polycarbonate Molds

These are the molds I use almost exclusively, food-grade polycarbonate. The industry standard for professional chocolatiers and pastry chefs, they are made of a hard, durable plastic in many shapes and sizes. You can also find them in 3-D magnetic molds (some designed for use with chocolate transfer paper). Polycarbonate molds are:

  • somewhat pricey, but
  • reusable and durable (when treated with care)
  • available in a myriad of shapes (I would stick to simple shapes to begin, like a demi sphere)
  • add to the shine of your finished chocolate
  • simple to use and easy to clean (some designs more than others)
  • easy to unmold (when your chocolate and cocoa butter are properly tempered)

So, you just bought your first polycarbonate mold. You have given it an initial wash in lukewarm water and a mild detergent and allowed it to air dry. Now let's prepare it for molding!

How to Prepare Chocolate Molds

In school, we used cheesecloth to clean our molds. I now use cotton balls or pads and a high content alcohol (94%) - a tip I picked up in a Melissa Coppel class. I like the higher content alcohol, as it evaporates quickly. You only need to dampen the cotton slightly and go over the mold a couple of times. I wear gloves during cleaning, to avoid adding fingerprints.

It's easy-peasy, but I put it in this video, for the visual learners. Next in the series, how to make your own cocoa butter colours. Feel free to leave any additional tips, thoughts or questions below.