Crisps!

For those of us in the US (and elsewhere) who may not know, in UK "Crisps" = Chips.

 

"Crisps" = Chips is depend on the english we use , it is quit varied . if the potato serve cold it is called potato chips. Actually all of then depend on the language or country .

 

Coulis-O, those sound like great ideas.  I've been dabbling in the wonderful world of garnish lately for my catering and I'm finding a remarkably varied assortment of ways to dress up our food.

When you make the parma ham & pancetta crisps is it parchement paper and baking trays you use to press, while in the oven?  or do you press, then bake?

I stumbled across a recipe (more of a method, really) for making pepperoni chips/crisps.  Basically you just slice 'em thin and nuke them into a sort of pepperoni jerky.  The fat in them crisps them up and then drains out, leaving a very flavourful snack that is not too greasy if you blott them enough.

I've also been 'practicing' making cheddar cheese crisps for upcoming St. Paddy's Day trays.  I really like fried cheese so I've been practicing a lot /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif

 

Making "crisps" is not a new concept, but hasn't really been explored that much. I know that many restaurants use parmesan crisps, as you said just grated parmesan broiled for about two minutes, but for example I've never thought of tomato crisps. I have the Thomas Keller French Laundry cook book, and he has a recipe for tomato powder. Maybe if you made the tomato powder, you could use it the same way as parmesan crisps and see how that works out. If you want I can give you the recipe for the tomato powder, it uses just tomatoes and nothing else, so if you're interested i can tell you, or you might find it online.

 

I would very much like the recipe for the tomato powder, please  /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif  

There are commercially prepared 'veggie chips' at the local grocery; pretty sure they are formed/pressed chips (crisps) made in a ripple style from tomato, spinach, and some manner of squash.  Colourful, tastey, crispy texture, highly addictive and allegedly 'healthy'.  I believe there is a potato base involved, but I'm not sure.  I'll be setting up an outdoor fryer this summer and I'd love to play with some crispy vegetable variations. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/bounce.gif

 

I don't know about any formal recipes. All I do is slice the tomatoes, run them through the dehydator until they're crispy, then grind them like any other spice.

I've always got a jar of the powder on hand. Never thought it was anything special to do so.

 

I'd never heard of tomato powder before. What do you use it for? 

 

I use it to help kick up soups, stews and similar dishes.

It's also not bad sprinkled on eggs and some potato dishes (sort of the way you'd use paprika).

 

Thanks - Interesting. When you say "kick up" does that mean "brighten up" just like you would by adding a bit of lemon juice (but obviously with a different flavor)?

 

What you get is the tartness as well as the flavor of tomato. Hadn't thought of it before, but they're both acids, so it's a similar taste. But tomato isn't as, what shall we call it, flowery as lemon juice.

 

Great - thanks for the info. Something new to try for me! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

 

Thanks, Coulis-O, the Basil glass idea is great too! Sure would help make fine presentations when receiving special guests!

 

Crispy kale! Of course! My sister showed me how to simply toss kale with a bit of olive oil and salt, then bake it until very dry and crispy. We then served it to the kids as "chips" and they loved it. It didn't even cross my mind that it could be used as a garnish though!

 

 Thomas keller cookbook, tomato powder

Take 1/2 a cup of tomato pulp(from seeded and peeled tomato) and put into two layers of cheesecloth( I made this yesterday and used towel) and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Put parchment paper on microwave tray and spread pulp on it. Put in microwave low power for 30-40 minutes. Take out, let cool to room temp, and put in spice grinder, mortar and pestle, food processor etc. Put through tamis or fine seive and store in airtight container.
      I dont like using a microwave, especially since mine is horrible, so i'm probably gonna make it again next week in my oven, but i don't really think it matters.