An Electronic Restaurant

Paper Chef #14 Ingredients: cashews, yoghurt, quinoa and BABY FOODS!

When Noodle Cook's computer and camera battery developed problems, it seemed Paper Chef #14 was not to be... until the quick arrival of a new baby "Mac Mini" computer. Left with a baby with teething problems, there was no other interpretation of the fourth ingredient other than baby food. A quick trip to the pharmacy just in time before closing, turned up a can of baby food thickener which comprised maltodextrin, pregelatinised maize starch, and carob bean gum. According to database check, this thickener contained no egg, gluten, lactose (Low), milk, peanut, or wheat. Best of all it did not need cooking!

After much confusion over the pronunciation of quinoa, it was concluded that only health food stores supply the grain. There was no chance of finding quinoa after 6 pm as all the stores were closed! The ensuing frantic search in the fridge and pantry for possible grains for a quinoa replacement, resulted in some porridge oats.

What could Noodle make in so little time with the baby food thickener, soy yoghurt, cashews and oats?

Paper Chef #14 Ice Cream

It was a toss up between whisking everything together into a smoothie in 30 seconds flat and getting the Paper Chef entry in on time, or churning everything into an ice-cream. In the end, the idea of an ice-cream free from algae-based thickeners, cholesterol, gluten and lactose seemed too good to pass up. The following recipes document several attempts to perfect a smooth nut cream and yoghurt based ice-cream.

Cranberry Cashew Yoghurt Ice-Cream
30 g roasted unsalted cashew, finely milled
1 cup water
175 g plain soy yoghurt
4 tablespoon cranberry sauce (or quandong jam)
1 teaspoon olive oil (light)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Simmer the nuts in the water for 5-10 minutes until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Press through a sieve and cool. Stir in the remaining ingredients and freeze. Stir at hourly interval until frozen or use an ice-cream churn. Sprinkle with nuts and quinoa muesli. Serve with pureed apple (baby food).

Taste: Very icy texture, in need of a stabliser or emulsifier. Otherwise a lovely fruity flavour which balances sweetness with sourness.

Wattleseed Cashew Yoghurt Ice-Cream
30 g roasted unsalted cashew, finely milled
1 cup water
175 g plain soy yoghurt
3 tablespoon raw sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 teaspoon walnut oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablepoon baby food thickener
1 tablespoon ground roasted wattleseed (or substitute with cocoa or coffee)

Simmer the nuts in the water for 5-10 minutes until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Press through a sieve and cool. Stir in the remaining ingredients and freeze. Stir at hourly interval until frozen or use an ice-cream churn. Serve with wattleseed poached baby figs and quinoa muesli.

Taste: Less icy than the cranberry version, but perhaps use more thickener to soften the texture. The exquisite flavour of walnut and hazelnut with hints of coffee overrides the sourness and soy taste of the yoghurt.

Banana Macadamia Yoghurt Ice-Cream
30 g roasted unsalted cashew, finely milled
30 g roasted salted macadamia, finely milled
1 cup water
175 g plain soy yoghurt
3 tablespoon raw sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon macadamia oil
2 tablespoon baby food thickener
1 banana, mashed

Simmer the nuts in the water for 5-10 minutes until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Press through a sieve and cool. Stir in the remaining ingredients and freeze. Stir at hourly interval until frozen or use an ice-cream churn. Serve with macadamia nuts and quinoa muesli.

Taste: Very smooth texture. Mildly sweet. Lovely banana and macadamia flavours. Unfortunately, the banana turned dark.

Caramel Cashew Ice-Cream with White Truffle Oil
4 tablespoon raw sugar
1 cup water
60 g roasted unsalted cashew, finely milled
2 teaspoon maize cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon macadamia oil
1 teaspoon white truffle oil
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 teaspoon salt

Carefully melt the raw sugar and caramelise. Gently add the water and simmer to dissolve the caramel. Add the cashew and simmer for about 5-10 minutes until very thick. Add the cornstarch solution and mix well. Remove from the stove and add the remaining ingredients. Cool to room temperature and freeze. Beat at hourly interval until frozen or use an ice-cream churn. Serve with wattleseed poached baby figs, quinoa muesli and soy yoghurt.

Note: Use 30 g of cashew and 2 tablespoon of baby food thickener as a lower fat alternative. 175 g of soy yoghurt may be added. The flavours were derived from a version made with a creme anglaise base, a recipe yet to be written up...

Taste: Very smooth texture. A touch too sweet. Beautiful nutty flavours heightened by white truffle oil. Truly a dinner party sensation.

Salted Macadamia Ice-Cream
60 g roasted salted macadamia, finely milled
1 cup water
2 tablespoon macadamia or walnut oil
2 1/2 tablespoon raw sugar
2 tablespoon baby food thickener
1/2 teaspoon salt

Simmer the nuts in the water for 5-10 minutes until the mixture turns milky. Press through a sieve. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cool. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Beat with a mixer at high speed until light and gelatinous. Freeze, beating at hourly interval until frozen or use an ice-cream churn. Serve on its own with wattleseed poached baby figs, quinoa muesli and soy yoghurt, or with the caramel ice-cream above.

Note: This is a very rich nut cream concoction. The additional step of beating with a mixer lightens the texture and adds extra smoothness. Perhaps the fat could be lessen. 175 g of soy yoghurt may be added.

Taste: Very smooth texture. Delicately salty, with a lovely macadamia flavour. Goes well with the very sweet caramel ice-cream

Quinoa Muesli
1 cup quinoa flakes or oats
1 tablespoon raw sugar, milled
1 tablespoon walnut oil
nuts from straining the ice-creams

Mix everything together. Carefully toast in an oven at 180 degrees celsius or in a heavy pan on the stove until golden brown.

Taste: Crisp and lovely nutty flavour. A great ice-cream accompaniment.

As the ice-cream making effort progressed, it became apparent that the ice-cream mixture needed beating with a mixer before and during freezing to improve the texture. It was noticed that a gelatinous texture developed only after beating: the baby food thickener not only thickened, but seemed capable of emulsifying the fat and aerating the mixture at the same time. Future versions could use less nuts (less fat) and oil to achieve a smooth texture.

Paper Chef #14 Oils