Recipe: Vegetable "paper" - carrot

Vegetable "paper" can be a striking garnish to a dish.  Though closer to a wafer, paper is the term that has stuck.  It can also be done with fruits, mustard, horseradish, just about anything you can puree smooth - green products will probably be too problematic due to extended exposure to heat.  It definitely has its appeal to modern chefs, but remains approachable to everyone since it basically requires no special equipment.  A silicone mat will go along way to making your final product more polished, and sous-vide capabilities can elevate your colours and flavours - but you aren't lost if you don't have them.  For this example, we'll use carrot.

The recipe up to the puree part isn't exact, since everyone's puree will have a slightly different water content - what's more important is the ratio of the egg white to the finished puree, then a gentle dehydration process.  140F/ 60C is a great dehydration temperature as it doesn't burn the food, but moves it along nicely.  If you have a dehydrator, great, but an oven with the door cracked will do.  Professional cooks will probably have the use of a food warmer you can set the temperature on and get a full silicone lined sheet pan on the racks.  The "flipping" step  is very important because if you let the puree dry too much, it will try to stick to your mat or paper and will be too brittle to remove cleanly - try to catch it at the "leather" stage - the point of dehydration when it holds together but is still pliable - if you flip it and peel off the mat or paper at this point, you can dry the underside completely and you will end up with a clean sheet you can later break the way you want to.

You will need:

carrots
aromatics - your choice, but thyme and tarragon are nice - cardamom gives a nice spicy effect
salt to taste
sugar to taste
egg whites
sheet pans
silicone mats or parchment paper

Method:

 - wash, peel, and chop the carrots
 - if sous-vide, bag them up with a pinch of salt and sugar and aromatics and cook soft - temperature isn't crucial
 - if cooking stove top, steaming is best, or simmering in a small amount of water so at the end you can puree the contents of the pot without sacrificing any colour or flavour - cook with the aromatics as well
 - once soft, remove the aromatics from the carrots and puree smooth  - season with salt and sugar - pass trough a seive if not completely smooth
 - weigh your puree
 - calculate 5% of the puree weight as your measure for the egg whites
 - return the puree to the blender and blend in the egg whites
 - lightly oil or pan spray your parchment paper or silicone sheet on your tray (sometimes silicone does need a little help)
 - spread the puree as thinly and evenly as possible
 - put in the oven, warmer, dehydrator - and set for 140F / 60C - crack the oven if it doesn't go that low
 - the process will take a few hours - watch for the shiny puree to give way to a duller finish and start to get dry to the touch - rotate occasionally to even it out
 - the middle will probably be the last part to dry - take a small palette knife and see if the edges are starting to come away from the pan cleanly
 - when the whole sheet seems dry, see if you can run a palette knife all around the edges cleanly, then take it out
 - cover the carrot paper with another silicone mat or parchment, place another sheet pan, cutting board or similar sized surface and carefully and quickly turn everything upside down and place on the counter
 - remove what was the bottom sheet pan
 - very carefully peel off the silicone mat or paper from the carrot paper
 - return to the oven and finish drying the paper - there will be no risk of sticking to the pan at this point
 - when completely dry, remove and let cool on the counter
 - to use, break abstract pieces off and arrange on the dish