# Help needed making invisible soup!



## Magicfeast (Dec 12, 2018)

Hello,

Me and my friends take it in turn hosting a 'Come done with me' style dinner (minus the ratings!), it's my turn next and I want to use magic as the theme of my evening as it's in gloomy January.

I've had a few ideas (magic mushroom and truffle ravioli, an edible candle housing the dessert) and have had an idea for the starter that I'd really love your help with - invisible soup!

I had an incredible tomato consomme at a restaurant called Locavore in Bali and it looked clear but tasted amazing. I'd love a recipe if anyone has one and tips for keeping it as colourless as possible. I was also thinking of adding another 'invisble' element, perhaps a clear jelly (or jello) flavoured with basil that would sit in the consomme? Or I'm open to other ideas?

I'd also welcome ideas for the other courses.

Many thanks in advance,
Bryony


----------



## blissful (Dec 12, 2018)

https://delishably.com/food-industry/blinddinnerathome


People tend to eat with their eyes first, then smell, then taste and texture. It would be difficult to convince any of us in my family to eat all clear foods, unless it was a water diet, which isn't that appealing.


----------



## Janet H (Dec 12, 2018)

Instead of invisible how about hidden?

Soup disguised as something else.

You could hide it under a dome of toasted phyllo dough
Use some fancy food chemistry to turn it into caviar, etc: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/...-could-lead-to-even-more-fanciful-dishes.html


----------



## roadfix (Dec 12, 2018)

You can hire a magician for the night.


----------



## JustJoel (Dec 12, 2018)

I certainly wouldn’t call it “invisible soup” but it’s not something you see everyday; Chinese soup in dumplings, rather than having the dumplings in soup. I googled it, and my search came up with quite a few hits. It’s not really difficult to make, but forming the dumplings takes a bit of practice, and it’s a bit time consuming. 

If the flavor profile for your dinner doesn’t accommodate Chinese, I’m sure the basic recipe could be adapted to something less Asian. And opening a dumpling to have  lovely hot soup pour out of it is rather enchanting, if not actually magical!


----------



## Janet H (Dec 12, 2018)

How about soup dumplings... the soup is on the inside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMYRjp4h0y0


----------



## medtran49 (Dec 12, 2018)

Soup dumplings are a *huge* amount of work.  I've made them before and documented it on here somewhere.  You have to find  the pigs feet and bones, then make the stock and pray it gels.  I made the dough for the dumplings the first time, and that takes a lot of time, plus the folding time.  I've made quite a few shapes of pot stickers, but those soup dumplings were a MAJOR challenge to fold correctly.  With the filling that was left after I spent an hour and a-half folding dumplings for the 2 of us, I used premade wrappers for the rest, which aren't big enough to fold the traditional way, and folded them in crescents.  It is _definitely_ not as easy as it looks if you go traditional.


----------



## JustJoel (Dec 12, 2018)

medtran49 said:


> Soup dumplings are a *huge* amount of work.  I've made them before and documented it on here somewhere.  You have to find  the pigs feet and bones, then make the stock and pray it gels.  I made the dough for the dumplings the first time, and that takes a lot of time, plus the folding time.  I've made quite a few shapes of pot stickers, but those soup dumplings were a MAJOR challenge to fold correctly.  With the filling that was left after I spent an hour and a-half folding dumplings for the 2 of us, I used premade wrappers for the rest, which aren't big enough to fold the traditional way, and folded them in crescents.  It is _definitely_ not as easy as it looks if you go traditional.


The recipe I made used gelatin, so the actual soup part wasn’t difficult at all. My success rate with forming the actual dumplings was, I admit, less than 100%. Okay, less than 75%...


----------



## medtran49 (Dec 12, 2018)

JustJoel said:


> The recipe I made used gelatin, so the actual soup part wasn’t difficult at all. My success rate with forming the actual dumplings was, I admit, less than 100%. Okay, less than 75%...



Well, I made the broth the tradional way with.natural gelatin from the pig feet.  It worked perfectly, but I  sure was glad to get up tge next morning and  see a sheet pan full of golden porky goodness gelled perfectly.


----------



## medtran49 (Dec 13, 2018)

If the OP wants to go the dumpling way, and also to JJ, here is a link to the dumpling challenge from a a couple of years ago.


----------



## medtran49 (Dec 13, 2018)

Aha!  Clear tomato consomme  uses very ripe tomatoes.  I bet if you could use heirloom yellow or green tomatoes when ripe it would have even less color.  I vaguely remember one of the Top Chef contestants doing this.  

You could make basil spheres by using some of the consomme, heating it, then use an immersion blender or regular blender to chop up a good bit of basil, then strain and make spheres.  I've dabbled a couple of times in molecular gastronomy.  Haven't made tiny spheres, AKA caviar, yet, though do have the chemicals and hardware to do it.  Neither of the things I've dabbled with were hard to do and actually worked.  You can buy kits off Amazon, even just for the "caviar."


----------



## salt and pepper (Dec 13, 2018)

Google;Tomato Consomme Recipe


----------



## buckytom (Dec 13, 2018)

My first thought was Japanese clear soup. No tomatoes, though.

Make a dashi, and then you can hide enoki mushrooms and gently sweated thin rings of onion at the bottom. Or serve grilled king oyster mushrooms on the side.

Btw, Magic Mushrooms? Really?

I'll be right over.


----------



## Silversage (Dec 13, 2018)

I've done this, but took it one step further.  I don't remember where the recipe came from, but the process was quite simple.


Puree the whole tomatoes in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Then strain it through a cheese cloth or paper towel lined strainer.  The clear liquid will slowly drip through, leaving the red solids behind.  There is actually much more flavor in the clear liquid than in the solids.  This is best served chilled, but I think you could warm it gently if you preferred.



Here's where I took it one step further.  I thickened the clear with gelatin and let it firm up in a shallow sheet pan.  When it's set, pull the tines of a fork through it to make tomato gelatin 'crystals'.  Spoon it into pretty dessert dishes, top with a spoon of the red 'sauce' that was left behind.  Garnish with basil leaves, mozzarella cubes, parmesan crisps, coarse salt crystals, etc.  Looks like a pretty dessert - tastes like a caprese salad.


----------



## JustJoel (Dec 13, 2018)

Silversage said:


> I've done this, but took it one step further.  I don't remember where the recipe came from, but the process was quite simple.
> 
> 
> Puree the whole tomatoes in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Then strain it through a cheese cloth or paper towel lined strainer.  The clear liquid will slowly drip through, leaving the red solids behind.  There is actually much more flavor in the clear liquid than in the solids.  This is best served chilled, but I think you could warm it gently if you preferred.
> ...


This sounds like a surprising and elegant first course, or a palate cleanser for a formal dinner. Genius! I’m going to have to try it.

Did you use canned or fresh tomatoes?


----------



## Silversage (Dec 13, 2018)

I used fresh.


----------



## medtran49 (Dec 13, 2018)

Silversage said:


> I've done this, but took it one step further.  I don't remember where the recipe came from, but the process was quite simple.
> 
> 
> Here's where I took it one step further.  I thickened the clear with gelatin and let it firm up in a shallow sheet pan.  When it's set, pull the tines of a fork through it to make tomato gelatin 'crystals'.  Spoon it into pretty dessert dishes, top with a spoon of the red 'sauce' that was left behind.  Garnish with basil leaves, mozzarella cubes, parmesan crisps, coarse salt crystals, etc.  Looks like a pretty dessert - tastes like a caprese salad.






Lovely idea and very elegant looking!


----------



## jennyema (Dec 13, 2018)

Actually soup dumplings are pretty easy.  Just add gelatine to your soup


----------



## Magicfeast (Dec 20, 2018)

Thanks for all your suggestions, some great ideas. I’m going to go with the clear tomato consommé with basil caviar. It sounds delicious and will fit the theme well with the green spheres in a clear soup.

I’ve been wanting to make soup dumplings for years since eating them for the first time at a Din Tai Fung, I still remember the taste. We didn’t have any branches in the Uk though until one opened up last month in London but I’d absolutely love to try the recipe so thank you. We also had black sesame bun which was delicious so will have to try and make that too.


----------

