Recipe: Mango liquid raviolis

Liquid raviolis have become very popular in the upscale modern restaurants, and rightfully so.  They look good, taste good (as long as your base mixture tastes good), and the "burst" effect when you eat one is always fun - it makes you feel like a kid.  They can withstand heat, so they can be an interesting way to "sauce" an item - perch a ravioli on top and have your guest pop it themselves.  They do require some special ingredients and some minor equipment makes it easier, but other than that, they are quite easy to make and like the sour cream pearl recipe, the base proportions will work with just about any base liquid you can create.  The main difference will be the amount of xanthan gum (used to thicken) you add - if you are using a juice, you will want it, but if you have a sufficiently thick product, you won't need it.  The "chemicals" (they are natural) can be found online or through some specialty shops and suppliers.

silicone mold for ease and consistency

For the base you will need:

500 ml        mango juice
1.5 g           xanthan gum
15 g            glucosamine sulphate

For the bath you will need:

1l                water
5g               sodium alginate

Equipment:

a gram scale that will measure tenths of a gram
blender - bar or good quality immersion style
a semi-spherical silicone mold - this helps the shape and consistency of size
a perforated wonton spoon

wonton spoon

Method:

 - put the mango juice in the blender and start it
 - while blending, sprinkle in the glucosamine sulphate, then the xanthan gum
 - set the mixture in a tall container and let rest in the fridge so the bubbles can settle and rise to the top (overnight is good)
 - rinse the blender and start spinning your water
 - sprinkle in the sodium alginate
 - store in the fridge
 - when the base mixture is well settled, scoop off the leftover bubbles and divide it among the recesses of the silicone mold - set in the freezer
 - when ready to "cook" the raviolis, warm up the sodium alginate bath and ready two separate rinse baths
 - take the ravioli from the freezer mold and drop in the bath - a membrane will start to set as it thaws in the warm bath - they want to stick to things, so make sure they don't stick to the sides or bottom of the container, or to each other if you are cooking a few at once
 - using the wonton spoon, turn the ravioli over to make sure the membrane is complete

the ravioli

 - after a minute or so, use the spoon to transfer the ravioli to the first rinse bath, then the second - this stops the "cooking" reaction and rinses away the less pleasant flavour of the bath
 - transfer the finished raviolis to a complimentary liquid for storage - in this case some extra mango juice - they will no longer want to stick to each other, so you can pack them generously
 - the wonton spoon is handy again when serving from the storage liquid, just dab it on a towel to catch the extra drips
 - use as a dessert garnish, amuse-bouche, even in a cocktail - be creative and have fun!