If you enjoy spending time cooking in the kitchen, or you are a foodie who loves posting photographs of the food you’re about to eat on social media platforms, then you have probably come across sous vide cooking at some stage.
Although the popular cooking method has been around for a long time, more and more people are taking it on board. In the past, it seemed like the only ones using the method were seasoned chefs, but because sous vide kitchen tools have become readily available and affordable, home chefs across the globe are giving it a go.
What is it?
Sous vide cooking is a technique that involves cooking ingredients at low temperatures for a long time. Unlike cooking food in conventional cooking equipment at high temperatures, the food is placed into a pouch that is immersed in water and left cooking at low temperatures for a long period of time. The temperature of the water remains constant throughout the entire process to allow the food to cook evenly.
The chances of overcooking food using this method is almost impossible, which is why so many restaurants and home chefs rely on the technique. On top of this, you can easily cook finger-licking food without having to do much prep.
Just put the ingredients inside the pouch, leave it in the vessel, and take it out when it is fully cooked. If you are not ready to eat, you can leave it in the water for as long as you like, as long as the temperature of the water is regulated.
It’s great for cooking protein, like steaks and chicken breasts, but did you know you can make delicious desserts using sous vide cooking methods too? This might come to your surprise, especially if you have already embraced the technique.
What Equipment do you Need to Cook Sous Vide Desserts?
Before you start cooking a dessert like Sous Vide Pot de Crème, there are a few tools that you might need. Not all desserts require the following tools, but most will. So, before you begin, check to see if you have these tools in your kitchen.
- Circulator: if you don’t already own a sous vide circulator and you want to experiment with the cooking method, you might want to consider investing in one. These portable and affordable cooking devices will heat the water in the vessel, and help regulate the temperature of the water while the ingredients are being cooked. It will also keep the water moving throughout the cooking process so the food is cooked evenly. These are great devices for people starting out on their sous vide cooking journey.
- Container: Although you can use an old steel pot lying around your kitchen as a vessel for your ingredients and the water, some like to go the extra mile by investing in a polycarbonate container. These containers are ideal for creating a bath for your ingredients, but they are not essential. You will find large polycarbonate containers in restaurants that use the technique frequently.
- Pouches: For home use, you should look to invest in basic sous vide pouches. If you run a busy restaurant, you might want to purchase industrial sous vide pouches instead.
- Vacuum sealer to store your food.
- Baking mat: When making most desserts, a silicone baking mat will prove beneficial.
Water ovens are common in busy kitchens, but if you are planning on cooking for your family members, a sous vide circulator will do the trick. Water ovens don’t come cheap, and they can take up a lot of space on your kitchen counter, so it’s not surprising most home chefs invest in circulators instead.
How to make White Chocolate Coriander Brittle Desserts with Sous Vide Cooking
Now that you have all your cooking tools on hand, it’s time to start making tasty desserts.
- First, grab your beloved circulator and set it to 140°F. At the same time, you will want to preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Once the water temperature has been regulated and your oven is heating up, mix butter in with the white chocolate and put all of the ingredients into a sous vide pouch. Once the ingredients are inside the pouch, don’t forget to seal it properly. Now, you can place the pouch into the heated water for approximately 60 minutes to let it pasteurize.
- Put the coriander seeds into the preheated oven to toast them for around 15 mins.
- If you have a grinder, grind the toasted coriander. If not, you can chop them up on a cutting board.
- Grab a silicone baking mat and line the sheet pan with it. You can also use parchment paper if you don’t have a silicone baking mat. When you notice the white chocolate is ready, shake the sous vide pouch. While the ingredients are still hot, smear the chocolate all over the lined pan. Make sure that you spread the chocolate evenly, and pour the toasted coriander seeds on top of it.
- Once the chocolate mixture is ready, and you have sprinkled the seeds on the top, place it in the fridge for approximately 60 minutes to allow it to harden. Once it has hardened, you can break the mixture into tiny pieces.
It should take you around fifteen minutes to prepare the dessert, and about two hours to cook.
Honey Popsicle
Are you finding it difficult to motivate your children to eat healthy snacks? Don’t worry, you’re not the first parent, and you won’t be the last to try to encourage your kids to maintain a healthy diet. However, desserts don’t have to be unhealthy, and honey popsicles are tasty, and packed with vitamins too!
However, this dessert includes peanuts, so if your child is allergic, then you could still make the dessert, but without any peanuts. You’ll also need a few popsicle molds, a mixing bowl, a sharp knife, and a blender.
- To make the candied peanuts, you must first preheat your oven to 350°F. Then, you must spray nonstick cooking spray on the sheet so it doesn’t stick.
- You will then need to put the peanuts, butter, honey, and plenty of salt in a mixing bowl. Spread the delicious mixture over the baking sheet in an even layer if possible. Put the mixture in the preheated oven and let it brown for approximately 12 minutes.
- While the mixture is in the oven, get your lime leaves and start chopping them. Once the leaves are chopped into tiny pieces, put them into the peanuts.
- Leave the heated peanuts on a tray for a while, until they have cooled down.. After, you will want to start chopping the peanuts.
- To make the custard, put the sous vide circulator into a vessel of water and set the temperature at 180°F. Thoroughly blend the mixture in a blender until it is ready. Put the blended mixture into a pouch with a couple of tablespoons of candied peanuts. Leave it cooking in the heated water for around 60 minutes. After an hour, pour the contents of the pouch into popsicle molds, and if you like, put some more peanuts into the popsicle mold. Leave it in the freezer for a few hours, and once fully frozen, they should be ready to eat!
Have you tried Sous vide cooking? Let us know in the comments below.