Sunday, July 15, 2007

The Beast

I got this new stove last week to speed up my candy making, as neither the hot plate nor the simple four burner stove I had available were of any use. It´s a locally made stove, cost me $100 from a store on the main drag that specializes in metalwork, specifically kitchen equipment. Imported models were over $400. I figured heat is heat.

This thing I call the beast will blast a flame a yard high if you´re not careful when you open her up, it´s really made for cooking 10 gallon pots of stock or soup. I put on my 10 qt. stock pot and can boil 4 quarts of water in under five minutes, or caramelize 2 pounds of sugar in under 5 minutes. It has really speeded up preparation of sugar based fillings and is the closest thing I could find to a candy stove.

Ecuadorian Ice Creams

The best ice creams are made with fresh ingredients, and that goes for sorbets too. Fresh fruit is abundant in Ecuador, and it is put to good use. Some of the best ice creams, though they are really sorbets as they lack any cream or milk products, are made from blackberries and guanabana. Blackberries are so abundant here, you can find frozen blackberry pulp in the market for juice, and can buy a pound or so of blackberries in the market for $1. Same goes for strawberries.

Guanabana is another commonly found tropical fruit, which makes great juice and ice cream. It´s white in color, and has a refreshing, apple-pear flavor without any tartness. A great choice for an ice cream is to pair it with blackberry, as they tartness of the blackberries is smoothed out by the guanabana.