5 espuma base recipes

I’m going to teach you 5 base espuma recipes that you can easily adjust for your dishes!

We’re going to make a potato espuma, a crema Catalana espuma, a yoghurt & cherry espuma, a polenta espuma and a dark chocolate espuma.

The potato espuma

2	onions
3 g	salt
3 big	floury potatoes
700 g	vegetable broth
500 g	cream 35%
2	bay leaves

Start by cutting the onions in half and clean them. Then slice them in thin slices. In total you need 200 grams. Now add a drizzle of oil to a pan and glaze the sliced onions with the salt. Glaze the onions on a low heat to prevent any color from forming. Meanwhile peel the big floury potatoes and cut all three in big even chunks. In total you need 400 grams. Once the onions have softened add the potato and also add the vegetable broth, the cream and the bay leaves. Then let it reduce till the total weight is 1100 grams and the potatoes are fully cooked. After that remove the bay leaves and transfer it into a blender. Now blend it till smooth. Give it a taste for seasoning and when necessary add some salt. To make this espuma your own you could add some toasted garlic before blending or a chili paste would go great as well! Then transfer it into a syphon and charge it with 1 charge. You can keep it in your fridge for three days. To heat it up just reheat the syphon in a heat draw or in a pan that filled with warm water. Super easy and no fuss! Once warm or hot it’s ready to be served! This would go great with some delicious braised beef cheeks!

The crema Catalana espuma

80 g	sugar
30 g	water
200 g	cream 35%
200 g	milk
1	cinnamon stick
80 g	egg yolk
160 g	mascarpone
60 g	orange juice
1/2	orange
1/2	lemon

Start by mixing the sugar with the water and caramelize this on a medium high heat. Stir it as little as possible to prevent it from crystalizing. When you’re happy with the color while stirring add the cream. Also add the milk and the cinnamon stick. Then transfer the egg yolk into a bowl and while stirring slowly add the hot caramel liquid. Now pour it back into the pan and while stirring heat it up till the temperature is 85 degrees Celsius. Then pour it into a bowl, cover it and let it infuse in your fridge. I left my base overnight. The next day you can remove the cinnamon stick and add the mascarpone, the orange juice, the zest from half an orange and the zest from half a lemon. Now use a hand blender to blend it till smooth. If you want you can also use other or more spices and citruses, but this combo is a Catalana classic. Yuzu and vanilla would be great as well! Then pass it through a fine sieve. After that transfer it into a siphon and charge it with one charge. You can keep it in your fridge for three days and use the espuma straight from the fridge. This would be delicious with an almond crumble, citrus segments and a white chocolate pastry cream.

The yoghurt and cherry espuma

800 g	yoghurt
300 g	frozen cherries
30 g	sugar
2 leaves or 3.3 g	gelatin
40 g	ginger syrup

First place a clean tea towel or a kitchen paper on a sieve and pour the yoghurt on top. Let it drain in your fridge for a couple of hours. I always leave it overnight. Meanwhile mix the frozen cherries with the sugar. Cover the pan with a lid and bring it to a simmer on a low heat. This will release the rich juices from the cherries. After that pour the cherries on a fine sieve and let it drain for a couple of hours. I also leave these overnight. The next day first soak the gelatin. Then weigh 130 grams of the cherry broth into a pan and also add the ginger syrup. Bring this to a simmer. Now turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin. Set it aside for later. Now this is all the liquid that drained out of the yoghurt and you definitely don’t need to throw it. Click on the link for a great recipe to use it. The drained cherry are also great to use for other recipes. Now weigh 200 grams of the drained yoghurt into a bowl and while stirring slowly add the warm cherry broth. Give it a good mix to insure there are no lumps. Now this recipe also work great with other fruit broths and syrups. Raspberry & honey is a winner! Then pour it into a syphon and charge it with 1 charge. You can keep it in your fridge for three days and before using the espuma let it come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

The polenta and parmesan cheese espuma

40 g	parmesan cheese
200 g	vegetable broth (1)
40 g	butter
2 g	salt
40 g	polenta
200 g	vegetable broth (2)

Start by grating the parmesan cheese. Keep it in your fridge for later. Then mix the vegetable broth (1) with the butter, the salt and the polenta. Mix it well and while stirring bring it to a boil. Let it boil for 2 minutes. After that add the grated parmesan cheese and mix it once more. Then pour it on a tray and let it set in your fridge. Now portion it into more manageable pieces and transfer it into a blender together with the vegetable broth (2). Blend it till smooth. Insure it a 100% smooth, otherwise pass it through a fine sauce sieve. Then fill your syphon and charge it with 1 charge. You can keep it in your fridge for three days. To heat it up just reheat the syphon in a heat draw or in a pan that filled with warm water. Super easy and no fuss! Once warm or hot it’s ready to be served! If you want a thicker espuma add another charge and shake it well.

The dark chocolate espuma

300 g	milk
100 g	cream 35%
30 g	sugar
3 g	pectin jaune
150 g	dark chocolate

First mix the milk with the cream and bring this to a boil. Meanwhile mix the sugar with the pectin jaune. Mix it well to prevent lumps from forming. Once the liquid is boiling while stirring add the pectin sugar and let it boil for 2 minutes. Keep on stirring to prevent it from burning. Then add the dark chocolate and mix it well. When it’s completely emulsified you can pour it into a siphon and charge it with 1 charge. Now let it cool down in your fridge. You can keep it in your fridge for three days and use the espuma straight from the fridge. This is already a delicious base and you can easily infuse the liquid with other flavors.