Are you an experimental cook? What I mean by that is, do you instinctively gravitate toward unusual recipes, perhaps ones that push you out of your comfort zone? Using ingredients and techniques that are new to you and perhaps don’t always work out the first, second or even third time you try it? You may have guessed that I am, to a fault. Like a dog with a bone. I won’t stop until I get it right and even then, I may likely never make that recipe ever again! You will wonder why and to that I say, why not? I simple check it off my list and move on. This might be such a recipe.
I cannot recall where or when was the first time I saw Balsamic Pearls or caviar but I do recall being instantly smitten, my only problem was that I was not able to find the jelling ingredient Agar Agar, until recently! And I found it in the most unlikely place, my local health food store! It was an arm and leg to purchase, but fortunately it’s a big enough bag that I can make several batches.
What reminded me of these little gems was one of my shopping trips for Food Styling Assisting at a very fancy (read expensive) organic food store in north Toronto called Harvest Wagon; they temptingly have the most gorgeous display of vinegars and oils directly beside the cash desk…no time to even give it a second thought, unless you look at the prices! I suspect people who shop there really don’t look at the prices anyway! It is there that I spotted the balsamic pearls and it was there and then I decided that I HAD to make them!
My dear friend and Inspiration of All Asian foods, Sissy from With a Glass has used Agar Agar for many desserts she allures us with over the years. It is a seaweed based jelling agent that does not liquify when heated up (unless it’s boiled); unlike gelatine which melts (like in my French Onion Soup Pillows).
Pre-directions for all flavours:
- At least 30 minutes (but not overnight) before you wish to start making your pearls, fill a tall, thin glass with vegetable oil and put into the freezer to cool. It’s best to have a tall glass so that when you drop the pearls into it, the pearls have a long way to fall through the super cooled oil before they hit the bottom. This is very important because if the pearls don’t have sufficient time to cool down, they will fall to a puddle at the bottom of the glass. Trust me. You can strain the oil and reuse it, so don’t worry about tossing it.
Balsamic Pearls
Makes a generous table spoon or more of tangy balsamic pearls.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar (not glaze)
- 1 tsp agar agar
- 1-2 cups of vegetable oil in a tall glass
Directions for balsamic pearls:
- In a small saucepan mix the water with the balsamic vinegar then add the agar agar and place on medium to medium low heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil.
- Cook this mixture on a very gentle boil for 4 minutes, stirring often.
- When the 4 minutes are up, remove the pan from heat and allow the liquid to cool to about 50° C (122° F), but try not to let it fall below 41° C (105°F), if it does, you can reheat, stirring constantly until it melts again.
- Remove the chilling oil from the freezer and place in a comfortable working area. Using the culinary syringe, draw up the balsamic liquid (try to get most of it), and drop by single droplets into the chilled oil. They will sit slightly suspended on the surface and then fall gently through the chilled oil to the bottom. If the pearls are cooled enough, they will have set and be beautiful little pearly jewels, if they did not set you will have a puddle at the bottom of the glass; strain the puddle out, put the oil back in the freezer and re-melt the puddle in the saucepan.
- When you have used up the liquid, strain the pearls out of the oil into a fine sieve and rinse with cold water. It’s best to store the pearls in the liquid that they were originally made from, so top off the storage jar with balsamic vinegar.
Wasabi Pearls
Makes a generous table spoon or more of wasabi pearls.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp agar agar
- 1 tsp wasabi paste (the powder does not work well in this case)
- 1-2 cups of vegetable oil in a tall glass
Directions for wasabi pearls:
- In a small saucepan mix the water with the agar agar and place on medium to medium low heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil.
- Add the wasabi paste and mix well (try not to breath too close, it’s a very strong and stinging smell).
- Cook this mixture on a very gentle boil for 4 minutes, stirring often.
- When the 4 minutes are up, remove the pan from heat and allow the liquid to cool to about 50° C (122° F), but try not to let it fall below 41° C (105°F), if it does, you can reheat, stirring constantly until it melts again.
- Remove the chilling oil from the freezer and place in a comfortable working area. Using the culinary syringe, draw up the wasabi liquid (try to get most of it), and drop by single droplets into the chilled oil. They will sit slightly suspended on the surface and then fall gently through the chilled oil to the bottom. If the pearls are cooled enough, they will have set and be beautiful little pearly jewels, if they did not set, you will have a puddle at the bottom of the glass; strain the puddle out, put the oil back in the freezer and re-melt the puddle in the saucepan.
- When you have used up the liquid, strain the pearls out of the oil into a fine sieve and rinse with cold water. It’s best to store the pearls in the liquid that they were originally made so mix a scant teaspoon of the wasabi paste with water and store the pearls in it.
Pomegranate Pearls
Makes a generous table spoon or more of pomegranate pearls.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup pure pomegranate juice (don’t use syrup here)
- 1 tsp agar agar
- 1-2 cups of vegetable oil in a tall glass
Directions for pomegranate pearls:
- In a small saucepan mix the pomegranate juice with the agar agar and place on medium to medium low heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil.
- Cook this mixture on a very gentle boil for 4 minutes, stirring often.
- When the 4 minutes are up, remove the pan from heat and allow the liquid to cool to about 50° C (122° F), but try not to let it fall below 41° C (105°F), if it does, you can reheat, stirring constantly until it melts again.
- Remove the chilling oil from the freezer and place in a comfortable working area. Using the culinary syringe, draw up the pomegranate liquid (try to get most of it), and drop by single droplets into the chilled oil. They will sit slightly suspended on the surface and then fall gently through the chilled oil to the bottom. If the pearls are cooled enough, they will have set and be beautiful little pearly jewels, if they did not set you will have a puddle at the bottom of the glass; strain the puddle out, put the oil back in the freezer and re-melt the puddle in the saucepan.
- When you have used up the liquid, strain the pearls out of the oil into a fine sieve and rinse with cold water. It’s best to store the pearls in the liquid that they were originally made from, so use pomegranate juice.
Smoked Paprika Pearls
Makes 2 table spoons or more of smoked paprika pearls.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp red pepper paste (I used sweet)
- 3/4 tsp liquid mesquite smoke
- 1 tsp agar agar
- 1-2 cups of vegetable oil in a tall glass
Directions for smoked paprika pearls:
- In a small saucepan mix the water with red pepper paste and smoke, then add the agar agar and place on medium to medium low heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil.
- Cook this mixture on a very gentle boil for 4 minutes, stirring often.
- When the 4 minutes are up, remove the pan from heat and allow the liquid to cool to about 50° C (122° F), but try not to let it fall below 41° C (105°F), if it does, you can reheat, stirring constantly until it melts again.
- Remove the chilling oil from the freezer and place in a comfortable working area. Using the culinary syringe, draw up the red pepper liquid (try to get most of it), and drop by single droplets into the chilled oil. They will sit slightly suspended on the surface and then fall gently through the chilled oil to the bottom. If the pearls are cooled enough, they will have set and be beautiful little pearly jewels, if they did not set you will have a puddle at the bottom of the glass; strain the puddle out, put the oil back in the freezer and re-melt the puddle in the saucepan.
- When you have used up the liquid, strain the pearls out of the oil into a fine sieve and rinse with cold water. It’s best to store the pearls in the liquid that they were originally made from, so mix a small amount of water and smoke (2 tbsp water and splash of liquid smoke).
Tips:
- I used Mitoku, Kanten Flakes (Agar); the package instructions indicate that 1 tablespoon will set 1 cup of liquid. As fyi, I also tried 2 tsp of Agar Agar into 1/4 cup liquid and found the pearls way too stiff, reducing the Agar Agar to 1 tsp worked out perfectly.
- The Agar Agar binds with your liquid only when it is added to a boiling liquid and for the pearls to cool sufficiently you must wait until the temperature falls to 50° C (122° F) and then you must act quickly because it starts to set at 41° C (105°F) so there isn’t much time to drop the little droplets (it sets at room temperature, refrigeration is not required). Work in small batches so that your liquid doesn’t set before you have time to use it up to make the pearls.
- I used a culinary syringe, but an icing bag fitted with a very small end could work too, although I did not try it.
- Not every liquid can be turned into pearls because there are other things to consider which are far beyond my chemical knowledge so if you are interested in turning something not listed here into pearls, I would do some research.
- It’s important to follow the directions closely otherwise your experiment will fail, I tested each one to make sure it works. This was my third attempt with Balsamic, second attempt with wasabi and on from there with the other flavours.
- Don’t drop too large pearls because they won’t have time to set in the oil. My best pearls were about 2 mm (1/8 inch) in diametre, ones that ended up being about 5 mm (1/4 inch) became deformed because they didn’t have time to set as a pearl.
- My glass was was 12 cm (4.5 inches) high with about 10 cm (4 inches) of oil, so if you have a taller glass with more oil, your pearls can be larger.
My friend and fellow bunny lover Genie from over at Bunny, Eats, Design suggested I post this in Our Growing Edge, a monthly blogging event to encourage us to try new food related things. Kindra from California Cavegirl Kindra is the host for this month’s event. If you have a blog and you are eating or cooking something new this month, click here to join.
Omg…. I can’t wait to make these. Not sure what I going to use them all for yet🤪
I was just looking for some fruit flavored ones and stumbled on this, and wow!!!!
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Thank you for your comment Kelly. Good luck in making them, I found it a lot of fun.
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whaaaaaaaaaaat did i just stumble upon!!! i am your long lost twin! i am _kitchinspirations_ on IG and pride myself in being an experimental cook, a resourceful gourmet using up kitchen remnants. i have been dying to make faux caviar forever and went looking for a wasabi caviar recipe. q: you state the powder doesnt work well, but what if i make a paste from the powder? still not good?
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Hi Jules, thank you for your comment and question. I have not tried the paste made from the powder but would love to hear about your experiment.
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You’ve become quite a scientist, Eva! I love the whole methodical approach to using a syringe and dropping them into a cold liquid. It must have been exciting to see the pearls first form. Yes, some ingredients when cooking are expensive, but it’s so worth the thrill of creating, isn’t it:)
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It certainly is Barbara; it took a bit of experimentation to get the proportion of Agar Agar correct, but it sure was fun experimenting. Like Dr. Bunsen Honeydew!
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Hi Eva, I share your lack of enthusiasm about molecular gastronomy in general… funny things whipped up with ingredients that I’m completely unable to pronounce (like “salmon foam”… seems like it would blow away when I breathed on it…) but these particular things do look quite nice. The paprika ones have a gorgeous colour – I’d be very interested in seeing how you use them since I can’t really think of a use for them, aside from perhaps putting them in a salad?
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Hi Charles, thank you for your comment. The foam is something I cannot get into, mainly because it reminds me of the frog spit that I used to find when we went strawberry picking as a child, it just really grosses me out. Thank you for your suggestion for the pearls, I did indeed use them in a salad!
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Eva, I have to tell you how much I love your pearls!! I’ve come across balsamic pearls before (and was as enchanted as you) but I love how you have adapted this idea to so many other flavours — the smoked paprika is dynamite and isn’t the colour fantastic too? What a lovely touch. I know what you mean about getting an idea in your head and wanting to keep at it until the execution is just right (literally not being able to stop – lol!). It certainly looks like you succeeded in spades here my friend!
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Thank you Kelly for your lovely compliments. I have to admit that the smoked paprika ones were my favourites because they packed the biggest punch in terms of flavour. I wish I had create one with Sriracha too, now that would have been awesome!
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Wonderful, Eva! Those colors are so rich! You’ve been doing this for a while; I can tell. I experimented with “pearls” just before I started my blog, using balsamic, as well as red wine vinegars. I also made some with tomato and raspberry juices. I didn’t make enough of them, though, to perfect the process and never really went further than experimentation. I cannot wait to see what you’ll be doing with your pearls.
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Thank you for your lovely comment John, it was a fun experimentation but will I do it again? Likely not, but it’s nice to know that I can.
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I have no idea how this post has passed me by. You know this is right up my street. I’m pleased you found the agar agar. I think I’ll make some balsamic pearls up this afternoon. I don’t have a syringe though so they may not be the smallest or most uniform thing in the world.
The ceviche looks spot on too.
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Thank you kindly David, it’s a bit fussy but I’m sure you’ll manage. I definitely redo a syringe or a very narrow cake decorating tip. Alternatively if you have a sauce squeeze bottle with a narrow tip it would work too.
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These are so unusual but so pretty. I love the variety! I can imagine the balsamic pearls are very tasty. I’d love to know what you do with them! Oh, and with the antennas for the ladybirds – I couldn’t use licorice because I couldn’t get it to stand up! xx
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Hi Charlie,I should have guessed that you exhausted all avenues with the ladybirds (by the way, we call them lady bugs here in NA!)
I have two recipes coming up which use two of the four varieties, I’m still trying to figure out what to do with two others!
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Nice molecular gastronomy experiment and fantastic tips.
I’ve never played with agar agar before. To be honest, science frightens me a little. So much can go wrong!
This post would make a great submission to Our Growing Edge this month. http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=354765
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HI Genie, it did take me a while to get the proportions right but it was a fun experiment. Yes, it would make a nice addition to Our Growing Edge, I’ll upload it now.
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I love agar agar. I made blood orange “bubbles” with my brothers last time they were here =)
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Thank you for your comment SM.
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Eva this is so cool! I thought at first I was looking at caviar or maybe pickled balsamic pearl onions. I love all of your trials using agar agar and how were the pomegrante peals these sound lovely over a dessert. Fun Post! Have a super weekend. BAM
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Thanks so much BAM, hope you have a lovely weekend too, whatever is left of it.
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Impressive Eva, very impressive. But I am not an experimental cook. It is more of a compulsion for me. I have to get it just so. Then I will go back to it for years if I need to until it works.
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I know what you mean Zsuzsa, I need for things to work out too, it’s a challenge in the kitchen.
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Oh, my gosh, your pearls are perfect!! I tried and failed making balsamic pearls over a year ago. I have the agar, so I think it’s time I try again using your wonderful instructions instead 🙂
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Thanks so much Liz, I had a hard time finding the correct agar, and it took quite a few experiments to find the right proportion of agar to use to make the pearls. I’m not 100% sure but I suspect each brand might be a little different. Good luck, hope they work out.
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What beautiful pearls. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes.
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Thank you for your comment and welcome to my blog.
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I am very curious about what you plan make with all of these pearls. They sure are pretty! And the balsamic ones look especially tasty to me. And whateveris in those spoons looks very delish. BTW, in instruction number 4 on the balsamic version, it says red pepper instead of balsamic. Easy mistake to make. 😉
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Hi Betsy, thank you for letting me know, I fixed it earlier, would you mind refreshing your browser to check it’s correct now?
They are rather interesting and curious little beads, I’ll have a couple of recipes next week.
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Hi Eva, I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing. I’m referring to the instructions under the balsamic pearls’ ingredients. Item 4 says: “Using a culinary syringe, draw up the red pepper liquid…” Should be balsamic liquid, and at least on my browser, it still says red pepper. I’m probably the only one that noticed it though, LOL. 🙂
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Thanks Betsy, I appreciate it.
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You’re most welcome. 🙂
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never seen anything like this before. what will you use these for?
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Hi Cheri, welcome to my blog and thank you for your comment. I have a couple if recipes coming next week about uses but in general I would use them as an accent, a little burst of flavour in every bite.
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Look at all those pearls Eva! I think you got the process down. I love the presentation on the spoons too. Very classy. I know I would gravitate toward the balsamic pearls (as would Miss A). Mike would go wasabi and Mr. N smoked paprika. They look so fun!
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Thank you so much Kristy, it was a fun experiment and I can see why they are so expensive! They’ll keep for quite some time immersed in their own liquid in the refrigerator.
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I will let you have the pleasure of making all those pearls, Much as I like experimenting and will try and try again, I would lack the patience to make these pearls. Beautiful pearls, looking forward to seeing what you do with them.
P.S. you left out the balsamic vinegar in your list of ingredients.
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Thanks for the heads up, you can’t imagine how many times I’ve re read this post. WordPress has changed their app yet again and although some functionality is better some are just more cumbersome, I’m wondering if my error happened on my phone! Thank goodness I keep a journal as I develop recipes! I’ll correct it shortly. Thanks again.
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Thanks again for the note Norma, I have gone back through my notes and made the correction.
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Eva, you have outdone yourself! I am in awe seeing so many different experiments! (I remember the balsamic pearls you told me about and I was already impressed, but so many other versions!). Every single version looks and seems delicious. I can already imagine how wonderful they would look in different snacks, canapés etc..
I’m sure the pomegranate pearls would be fantastic in salads too.
Thank you so much for such a kind mention. I’m happy to learn you enjoy playing with agar. Organic food shop is the best place to look for it (at least here). Actually, as a regular organic shops client, I am sure people do look at the prices (as I do); it’s just the home food budget going up 😉 and other budgets sometimes go down… I don’t remember seeing rich-looking people in such shops (though I see them in standard supermarkets).
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Hi Sissi, the mention was my pleasure, thank you for all your posts about agar, they were my inspiration!
I was just in my local organic health food store and am constantly surprised at the number of people doing their normal shopping there; we have a saying here, “they have a license to print money” which means they make so much of it! And you’re right, they are generally not the richest in the neighbourhood either.
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Eva, as someone who has always tried to avoid antibiotics and pesticides in food and who is thrilled organic producers’ number grows every year, I am rather surprised so many people who are rather well off never buy organic food 🙂
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You clever thing!!! I love how you tested it on all sorts of ‘pearls’.
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Thank you kindly Maureen! You are so sweet.
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Brilliant job Eva! I love all of the flavours that you made them in too! 😀
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Thanks so much Lorraine, your kind words mean so much to me.
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Yes! Very curious to see how you’re going to use those pearls! They look amazing!
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Welcome to my blog and thank you for your lovely words Ali.
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MYO pearls? This is absolutely incredible. Molecular gastronomy is a crazy cool course!! 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Thanks CCU!
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Eva, oh my goodness… you are a legend! I love this… molecular gastronomy is sooooooo interesting! I’m pinning, bookmarking and sharing this post right now! Thank you.
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Thank you kindly for reposting this post, that was very generous of you. Norma noticed that I had made an error in the balsamic pearls which I have corrected.
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Molecular gastronomy is a fascinating field and all your pearls are beautiful. So many striking colours too.
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Thank you kindly Maria, I usually don’t get excited about this type of cooking but I had to try these jewels!
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