B·Concept/Recipes

Chestnut creamy recipe – a comparative between classic and B·Concept vegan recipe

Some time ago, we explained our vision of creamy textures     in an extensive article: Beyond the lines of traditional pastry: redefining the concept of creaminess. There, we defended – and we continue doing so – that creaminess is not directly associated with traditional ingredients  such as butter, cream or eggs, but is obtained thanks to emulsification. We would advise you to read that detailed post before rushing to the chestnut creamy recipe that you will find below. It will help you understand the physicochemical principles and the role of the ingredients which take part in what we understand by sensation of creaminess. Now you are done with this, yeah, it is time for a practical example!

In order to demonstrate that creaminess is not dependent on the use of certain ingredients (like, for example, high-fat dairy products), but rather on the technical principles explained in our post about the redefinition of the creaminess concept, we have created two recipes of chestnut creamy. We called the first one "classic" as we are using cream, egg yolks and butter. The second one is a vegan recipe developed with the B·Concept method containing no dairy or egg products. The result are two recipes with comparable levels of creaminess albeit different fat content and caloric values. 

CLASSIC RECIPE

30 g Sugar 3 .00%
8 g Pectin NH 0.80%
550 g Chestnut puree 28% 55.00%
252 g Cream 35% 25.20%
60 g Pasteurized egg yolks 6.00%
100 g Butter 82% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00

Mix together the sugar and the pectin.
Heat the puree, cream and egg yolks to 45ºC and stir in the previous mixture.
Heat to 85ºC, stirring constantly, and cool to 35ºC.
Heat the butter to 40ºC and stir in the previous preparation, working vigorously with a hand blender.
Cool in the refrigerator and use.

B·CONCEPT VEGAN RECIPE

30 g Inulin 3 .00%
6 g Pectin Acid Free 0 .60%
700 g Chestnut puree 28% 70.00%
129 g Water 12.90%
15 g Emulsifier Natur Emul 1.50%
60 g Coconut oil 6 .00%
60 g Sunflower oil 6.00% 60 g Sunflower oil 6.00%

Mix together the inulin and pectin.
Heat the puree and water to 30ºC and stir in the inulin mixture.
Heat to 85 ºC, stirring constantly, and cool to 40ºC.
Heat the coconut fat to 35ºC and mix with the sunflower oil, add the emulsifier and gradually fold in the previous preparation, vigorously emulsifying with a hand blender.
Cool in the refrigerator and use.

CHESTNUT CREAMY COMPARATIVE

As a result, while the classic recipe relies on cream, egg yolks and butter for creaminess and on pectin for extra viscosity, the vegan recipe builds creaminess using only chestnut puree, water, coconut oil and an emulsifier. Coconut oil– with a melting point very close to that of butter (28-35ºC) – allows us to create a soft texture. Furthermore, the addition of sunflower oil increases the elasticity of the creamy (needed for the decoration of our Mont Fuji). Emulsion between the aqueous part of the recipe (chestnut puree and water) and the fats (coconut and sunflower oil) is formed with the help of Natur Emul, an emulsifier composed of citrus fiber. On the other hand, the viscosity is controlled by pectin.

In other words, both recipes give us a creamy mouthfeel, but the recipe without dairy and eggs has a purer, more pronounced chestnut flavour. It is also lighter in terms of fat and calorie content and has a slightly darker color. Substitutions that we made for the chestnut creamy can be applied for many other creamy recipes, proving that –  upon a good understanding of its principles – creaminess can be achieved with any set of ingredients.

To sum up, creating creamy textures relies on three basic principles: choosing a fat with an appropriate melting point, making an emulsion,and – if needed – changing the viscosity of the preparation. This list does not exhaust all the other sensory factors contributing to our perception of creaminess (such as color, aroma, etc.), although it is the technical base that helps us decode what makes a texture creamy. When we understand the foundations behind different food textures, we are no longer limited by traditional recipes or ingredients. We can design textures of all kinds, giving people a truly unique eating experience.

Any thoughts about all this? It is indeed surprising to discover how the fact of knowing raw materials, techniques, processes, phenomena and physical-chemical reactions that intervene in the creation of textures in depth, allows us to create a personalized and much freer patisserie. Would you like to learn more about gel, aery and creamy textures? Then, our  Extended Online B·Concept pastry course is the perfect fit you. Take control and start formulating your own recipes!

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