Washington Post: Break the Mold (more agar)

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Break the Mold

 

They dice it, they slice it, they serve it hot and cold. An Asian

gelatin is giving local chefs a lot of wiggle room.

By Walter Nicholls

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 11, 2003; Page F01

 

 

What is jiggly, slippery and too often rubbery? Think primary colors

and fruity flavors. Most kids like it. Of course, it's gelatin.

To those of a certain age, a quivering, molded crown of fruit-

flavored gelatin, commingled with canned fruit cocktail, was standard

Sunday dinner fare. A tangy tomato aspic set with gelatin brought

muted, yet glorious color to a holiday buffet table.

 

Got the picture? Now put it completely out of your mind.

Those sometimes glorious gelatin creations were made with what

Americans call gelatin, the small envelopes of powder available

widely in the supermarket. That type of gelatin is made from meat

byproducts -- skin, most likely, or bones.

 

But a very different gel product has been widely used in Asia for

more than 1,000 years. Rather than from the barnyard, this gelatin

comes from the sea. In the Malaysian language, the product used to

make the gelatin is called " agar-agar, " also known as " agar-2 " -- a

natural, stabilizing and thickening agent processed from seaweed. Its

advantage over other gelatins is that it sets and melts at a higher

temperature. Flavors are sealed in quickly. And it's this substance

that has become a favored ingredient with a growing number of

Washington chefs.

 

Agar is a rising star in the capable hands of Fabio Trabocchi,

executive chef of Maestro restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton Tysons

Corner. With agar he brings an unexpected texture to a cold crab

appetizer -- a lump of crab meat is suspended in an herb-infused,

clear gelatin cube. For a warm dish, a fan of sliced tiger shrimp and

herbs is held in place within a set, yet soft, gazpacho consomme gel.

It can be served in a bowl right from a warm oven or turned onto a

plate in a molded mound.

 

The texture of agar is markedly different from that of animal-based

gelatin. Rather than elastic, Trabocchi's gels fall soft on the

tongue and crumble.

 

" It breaks easily in the mouth. That's important to me, " says

Trabocchi, a native of Osimo, Italy, who has been using agar only for

the past few months.

 

On a recent afternoon, atop a polished granite counter in Maestro's

open kitchen, he took a thin sheet of honey-flavored gel and wrapped

raspberries for an elaborate dessert presentation.

" Regular gelatin would melt on my fingers. The agar allows me to play

with shapes. It looks so neat on the plate. "

 

For a citrus vinaigrette a little agar acts as a stabilizer.

" Without agar, I had to whisk the dressing at the last minute and

still it would break by the time it got to the table. "

For Trabocchi, agar gelatin is all about technique.

 

" The look may say Jell-O. But this is the next level, " he says.

How does a gel come from seaweed? It's a complicated procedure

involving many steps. In countries throughout Asia, principally in

China and Korea as well as in Japan, where agar is called kanten, red

gelidium and gracilari, seaweeds are collected and transported to

modern factories. Agar technicians rinse, boil, press, mold and

freeze-dry the sea vegetables, reducing them to airy, pearl-colored

bars and strands.

 

 

In a final process, the bars are cut into sticks, shaved into flakes

or reduced to a powder. Strands of agar are a component ingredient in

the seaweed salad available at sushi bars and at some supermarkets.

In the Washington area, agar products can be found at Asian markets

and health food stores. A one-ounce packet costs about $5.

A basic agar gel is simple to prepare.

 

" It's as easy as cooking instant noodles, " says Penny Phoon, chef and

co-owner of the restaurant Malaysia Kopitiam in downtown Washington.

Novices should try working with the agar flakes first.

 

" Flakes are the way to go, " says Jill Gusman, who teaches

demonstration and practical classes on sea vegetables at the Natural

Gourmet Cooking School in New York. Her book, " Vegetables From the

Sea " (HarperCollins, 2003), contains several dessert recipes made

with agar.

 

" The bars and strands and powders are difficult to work with. But the

flakes are consistent, easy to measure out and easy to dissolve, " she

says.

 

For Gusman's apple cider gel, agar flakes are soaked in cider and

spices for 10 minutes and then, slowly, brought to a boil. After the

gel cools and sets, she serves two-inch squares of agar in goblets

topped with whipped cream and a sprig of mint.

 

Since agar sets more quickly than animal-based gelatin, the gelling

process begins quickly once the mixture is removed from the heat,

even before refrigeration. An added benefit: Agar gel slides easily

from a mold. It can be served warm in a soup or atop a hot plate.

Once set, agar will stay firm to temperatures of around 175 degrees

Fahrenheit while animal-based gelatins tend to dissolve at about 95

degrees.

 

Karl Mueller, executive pastry chef at the Bethesda-based catering

company Ridgewells says agar is perfect for outdoor parties.

" If it's 85 or 90 degrees, after an hour you're going to have a

problem with regular gelatin, " says Mueller. Micro-cubes of raspberry

agar gelatin are part of the Ridgewells' miniature pastry collection,

which includes mini pralines, truffles and tarts. " But with agar [the

dessert] stays firm. It doesn't break down. You don't have to worry

about having liquid on the plate. "

'

Naturally, vegetarians choose agar, rich in iodine and trace

minerals, over animal-based gelatin products. Agar adds thickness to

vegetarian custards, puddings and mousses.

 

" From younger brides we get a lot more requests for vegetarian

dinners. And with agar we can do something like a fruit mousse or a

cherry pudding, " says Eric Michael, co-owner of Occasions Caterers on

Capitol Hill.

 

Agar effortlessly melts ethnic boundaries.

" Not only here -- it's very big right now in Spain, " says Jose

Andres, the chef who created Cafe Atlantico, Jaleo and Zaytinya.

Andres says he will soon introduce at Atlantico a " very cool "

shredded, tomato-flavored, warm agar gel soup called fake shark's

fin. Says Andres: " It tastes and feels unbelievably good in the

mouth. "

 

Local tomatoes are just weeks away. For a starter of fresh

mozzarella, mesclun and tomato wedges, chef Arthur Rivaldo of New

Heights restaurant in Woodley Park has come up with a balsamic

vinegar gel and a pesto gel that appear on the plate as a mound of

tiny cubes.

 

" Everybody is doing a balsamic reduction and some basil oil on the

plate. I wanted a new twist, " says Rivaldo.

For a summer menu at Michel Richard's Citronelle in Georgetown, chef

Richard has invented what he calls " a very refreshing modern version

of ratatouille. " Cubes of red and yellow bell pepper, onion/garlic,

eggplant and tomato gel share a serving dish with slices of crisp

apple.

 

" I took all the vegetables and made an essence gel of each with the

agar, " he says. " I can serve it hot, cold and not worry about it. "

" There is so much you can do with it, " says chef Robert Wiedmaier,

owner of Marcel's in the West End. " For me, it's like a glue, a

thickening agent. "

 

He purees cooked Yukon gold potatoes, then adds agar. With the aid of

plastic wrap, he rolls the mixture into a cylinder and cools it to

set. The potato log is then cut into thin rounds and pan-fried to a

golden brown. " Perfect. "

 

Agar-prolific sushi chef Jeff Ramsey at Signatures restaurant in the

Penn Quarter can assemble a five-course gel-tasting menu that starts

with a " deconstructed cubist " gazpacho and ends with colorful,

liqueur-flavored agar cubes piled in a martini glass.

 

Agar is forgiving. " It's such fun stuff, " says Ramsey. " The beauty

is, you can add a little agar. Let it set. If you want a firmer

consistency, you can reheat it and add some more. "

Both Ramsey and Trabocchi of the Ritz-Carlton agree it is important

to balance an agar gelatin with other textures on the plate. They say

there must be agar discipline.

 

" I always include a crunchy element, " says Ramsey. " Americans like

fried foods. That works well with a gel. "

" Use judgment. Don't overuse it, " says Trabocchi: " But introduce the

right amount of agar to a dish and your memory of Jell-O will

disappear with the first bite. "

 

© 2003 The Washington Post Company