This creamy iota carrageenan custard is full of poblano flavor and great as an addition to many different dishes. You can serve it alongside steak, pork chops or pork belly, or even as a side with fish.
The iota carrageenan creates a soft, elastic gel that has a wonderful texture. If you prefer a more brittle gel you can replace some of the iota carrageenan with kappa carrageenan.
For additional flavor you can roast the poblano peppers and the garlic. Feel free to tweak the amount of peppers, garlic, and spices to meet your own tastes and how you plan to serve it. You can also use other peppers and spices to really tailor it to the dishes you are making.
You can also make similar iota carrageenan custard with milk flavored in just about any manner. You can do sweet desserts with chocolate or cinnamon infused milk or savory custards with curry flavored milk. The options are pretty limitless.
The iota carrageenan gel will begin to set around 40-70°C / 104-158°F, depending on the calcium and ion content of the liquid. It will maintain its form as long as it stays cooler than 5-10°C / 9-18°F above its setting temperature. Please be careful serving gels that are at such a high temperature. They can cause severe burns because many people expect them to be cool.
You can mold and serve the iota carrageenan custard gel in several ways. It is firm enough to unmold so you can mold it as a square that you cut strips or squares off of. You can also put it in hemispherical molds for a unique rounded presentation.
If you like this recipe you can get more than 80 other recipes from my book Modernist Cooking Made Easy: Getting Started. The book covers many of the popular modernist techniques such as gelling, spherification, and foams. It also explores modernist ingredients like agar, sodium alginate, tapioca maltodextrin, and xanthan gum. It is all presented in an easy to understand format and I think it's the best way to learn about modernist cooking.
Also, if you are just getting started experimenting with molecular gastronomy and modernist cuisine then I highly recommend one of these molecular gastronomy kits. They have everything you need to do many different dishes.
Poblano Iota Carrageenan Custard Ingredients
Because they use modernist ingredients, these amounts for this component are given in metric by weight. Learn more about how to measure modernist ingredients in this article.
1 teaspoon whole coriander
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
500 grams milk, about 2 cups
1-2 poblano peppers, roughly diced
4 garlic cloves, roughly diced
Salt and pepper
5 grams iota carrageenan, 1%
Poblano Iota Carrageenan Custard Instructions
Place a small pan over medium heat. Add the coriander, peppercorns, cumin, and cloves and toast until fragrant, just a few minutes.
Pour the milk into a pot and add the spices, peppers, and garlic. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, and bring to a boil. Once it boils, blend with an immersion blender until slightly pureed. Remove from the heat and let steep for 20 to 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Strain the milk, preferably through a chinois for the finest texture. Return the milk to the pot and add the iota carrageenan and blend well with an immersion blender. Bring to a boil and blend for 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from the heat and pour into molds.
Let cool at room temperature, or in an ice bath, then place in the refrigerator to finish setting.
Once fully set the gel can be turned out and cut into any shapes desired. The gel should last for several days covered in the refrigerator.
