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Chef Barry's Balsamic Fluid Gel

A twist on tradition with a picture-perfect pastry.
By Barry Tonkinson — VP of ¹ú²ú¸£Àû Operations
Feuillette with mission fig jam and balsamic fluid gel

Chef Barry Tonkinson bakes a classic combination of flavors — fig and goat cheese — inside a feuillete case with a balsamic fluid gel for pops of acidity.

This hydrocolloid has the correct viscosity when it forms a teardrop shape that’s bulbous at the bottom. Pipe the fluid gel atop a rich puff pastry for more of an impact than the typical drizzle of balsamic.

Watch Chef Barry demonstrate the technique and get his complete recipe below.

Recipe
Balsamic Fluid Gel
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Feuillette with mission fig jam and balsamic fluid gel

Ingredients

  • 300 grams Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
  • 3 grams agar agar

Directions

  1. Setup sauce pan with probe attachment on Polyscience control freak
  2. Add balsamic, sprinkle with agar agar. Set probe to 92 C/198 F. Once temperature is reached, hold for 3 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat. Place into a container. Chill until set like a jelly.
  4. Once set, place jelly in Vita-Prep. Blend. Once a vortex has been created, sprinkle in xantham gum to create a thick and smooth fluid gel.
  5. Funnel into a squeeze bottle for use.
Feuillette Case

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet puff pastry
  • 2 egg yolk

Directions

  1. Cut two 4-inch circles using a fluted pastry cutter.
  2. Cut another 3-inch circle in the center of one.
  3. Discard the center piece of pastry.
  4. Dock the complete circle and brush the edge with egg wash.
  5. Place the remaining ring of puff pastry on top.
  6. Place onto a piece of parchment and brush well with egg yolk.
  7. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F until risen, brown and crisp.
Mission Fig Jam

Ingredients

  • 260 grams mission figs, diced
  • 50 grams sugar
  • 50 grams water
  • 60 grams lemon juice
  • 1 piece dried orange peel

Directions

  1. Place diced mission figs, water, orange peel, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan.
  2. Place on medium heat, stirring frequently.
  3. Cook down to a thick, glossy jam.
  4. Remove orange peel. Leave to cool.
To Assemble

Ingredients

  • 3 mission figs, diced
  • 60 grams crumbled Crottin de Chavignol cheese
  • Picked lemon thyme
  • Sorrel leaves
  • Fig jam
  • Balsamic fluid gel
  • Feuillette case

Directions

  1. In the base of the feuillette case, spoon in a half-inch-thick layer of fig jam.
  2. Add diced mission figs and cheese.
  3. Sprinkle with lemon thyme.
  4. Bake at 135 C/275 F for 5 minutes until warm.
  5. Top with piped fluid gel and sorrel leaves.

Study with Chef Barry in ICE's ¹ú²ú¸£Àû Arts program.

Barry Tonkinson — VP of ¹ú²ú¸£Àû Operations

Chef Barry Tonkinson is ICE's vice president of culinary operations. Hailing from the United Kingdom, Chef Barry matriculated in English literature, media studies and sociology at Backwell Sixth Form College in Bristol, followed by culinary arts at Westminster Kingsway College in London. After graduation, he worked at multiple Michelin-starred restaurants in England before relocating to the U.S. and developing a catering company in Connecticut. At ICE, he implemented the school's first fermentation lab and embraces a modernist approach to savory cooking in the culinary technology lab.

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