Stuffed zucchini rolls, vegetables, green caviar and sprouts with source and foam in warm colors on plate on white background. Modern molecular gastronomy

Faux Caviar Adds an Elegant Touch to Any Recipe 

Though the picture dish above represents all that is delicious in modern gastronomy recipes. This recipe is introduces you to the art of sperification which are those colorful green tinted spheres sitting on top of the zucchini rolls in the middle of the photograph. These are not difficult to do, and once mastered will add excitement and "wows" to you future dishes

• The spherification technique creates globes with liquid inside within a very thin membrane that is almost undetectable in your mouth
• Depending upon the  liquid it captures, it is all about a  flavor experience exploding on the palate  

• Our technique consists of submerging a liquid mixed with sodium alginate in a bath of calcium.

Though there are two types of spherifiction, basic and reverse, these instructions are for the basis method. The Reverse method will follow.

Step 1: assemble your ingredients

The ingredients for basic spherification are simple - a low acid liquid, as a liquid with a high acid content will not work unless further modified. So we will use cantaloupe juice for this recipe. Sugar. Vegetable dye. Sodium alginate powder and calcium chloride. Both the sodium alginate and calcium chloride are available from Cape Crystal .Brands (below)

You will also need a clean mixing container for the mixing of the alginate and melon filler, a clear glass bowl for the calcium bath, a wire kitchen whisk or a hand held immersion blender.

IMPORTANT, it’s always best to blend alginate into a very cold liquid or to first dry blend it with an ingredient like sugar. So, before adding the alginate powder to your liquid filler, refrigerate the liquid for at least a half hour. This will prevent premature gelation. Then after thirty minutes, remove from the refrigerator and add the alginate powder. Mix well using a wire kitchen whisk or immersion blender. You will notice that then liquid will begin to slightly thicken. This is the time to return the liquid fill in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours to overnight. This will allow the air bubbles created during mixing to rise to the surface and disappear. If there are air bubbles, the spheres will not stay underwater in the calcium bath long enough to spherify. The mixing process creates  air bubbles in the  liquid. Air bubbles are also a problem because they will create weak points in the sphere membrane that will break or leak easily.

Step 2: prepare the calcium bath

Step 3: the basic technique

Step 5: double dipping

Step 5: serving the finished product

The final results are beautiful and flavorful spheres filled with liquid bursting with flavor. This spheres can be further enhance by adding mint or peppermint flavoring. No what  the flavor they are bound to be the star of any dish you serve. But please remember, that those delicate spheres made need to be served immediately or they will eventually convert into a compact gel ball. That is because even though rinsed in pure water, the spherification process will continue