The Everything Guide to Cooking Sous Vide (30 page)

Dulce de Leche

This sauce, made from caramelized condensed milk, has never been easier to make than using a sous vide water bath.

Ingredients

Makes about 1 cup

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 185°F.
   
2. Pour the condensed milk in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag.
   
3. Place the bag in the water bath and cook sous vide for 12–14 hours. The condensed milk should become a deep caramel color.
   
4. Remove the bag from the water bath and let cool slightly. Drizzle on ice cream, apple crisp, or use to sweeten a coffee or latte.
   
5. Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2–3 weeks.
   

Spiced Pumpkin Purée

Nothing screams autumn more than pumpkin and cinnamon. Great on its own, this purée can also be used in a pie, muffins, or even baked with marshmallows on top.

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 sugar pumpkin (about 4–5 pounds)

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packed cup light brown sugar

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teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

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teaspoon ground nutmeg

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teaspoon ground cardamom

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teaspoon ground cloves

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teaspoon salt

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cup butter

Make Some Pumpkin Pie!

Mix 2
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cups pumpkin purée with 1
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cups heavy cream and 3 eggs until smooth. Pour into an unbaked pie shell. Bake in a 400°F oven for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until the sides have puffed up and the middle has very little wiggle when the pie is gently shaken back and forth.

1. Cut the pumpkin into quarters. Scoop out all the seeds from the inner part of the pumpkin and discard. Peel or cut off the outer skin and discard. Slice the pumpkin flesh into 1" wedges.
   
2. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 183°F.
   
3. Mix together the brown sugar and spices in a small bowl.
   
4. Place the pumpkin in a large food-safe bag. Sprinkle in the sugar and spice mixture. Cut the butter into
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   " cubes and place in the bag. Make sure that the pumpkin is in a single flat layer and not stacked. Vacuum seal the bag.
   
5. Place the bag in the water bath and cook sous vide for 3 hours.
   
6. Remove the bag from the water bath. Pour the pumpkin and the liquid from the bag into a medium bowl and purée it using a stand mixer, potato masher, or hand blender.
   
7. Serve as a side dish or use for pie filling.
   

Spiced Pumpkin Purée

Peaches with Brandy

The sous vide water bath gently poaches the peaches in a sweet syrup with brandy. They are delicate and an ideal choice for anyone desiring a light dessert.

Ingredients

Serves 4

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cup water

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cup granulated sugar

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cup brandy or cognac

4 large peaches, halved and pitted

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Crème Anglaise
(optional—see recipe in this chapter)

1. In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar over medium heat, stirring often. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and cool. Stir in the cognac or brandy and set the syrup aside.
   
2. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 183°F.
   
3. Place the peach halves and syrup in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag. Make sure the peaches are in a single flat layer and not stacked.
   
4. Place the peaches in the water bath and cook sous vide for 30–45 minutes.
   
5. Remove from the water bath and immediately place in an ice bath to stop the peaches from continuing to cook.
   
6. Peel off the skin of the peaches and slice just prior to serving.
   
7. Serve on its own or with Crème Anglaise or vanilla ice cream.
   

Peaches with Brandy

Strawberries and Grand Marnier

These early summer berries are wonderful infused in the Grand Marnier (orange liqueur).

Ingredients

Serves 4

3 cups sliced strawberries

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cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

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teaspoon orange zest

2 tablespoons torn fresh mint

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Crème Anglaise (optional—see recipe in this chapter)

1. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 183°F.
   
2. Place the strawberries, sugar, Grand Marnier, and orange zest in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag. Make sure the strawberries are in a single flat layer and not stacked.
   
3. Place the strawberries in the water bath and cook sous vide for 15 minutes.
   
4. Remove the bag from the water bath and immediately place in an ice bath to stop the strawberries from continuing to cook.
   
5. Spoon the strawberries and syrup into serving bowls and top with mint. Serve on its own or with Crème Anglaise or vanilla ice cream.
   

Crème Anglaise

This sweet custardy sauce is creamy, delicious, and wonderful drizzled on fruit, chocolate cake, and so much more.

Ingredients

Makes about 1 cup

4 large egg yolks

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cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

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cup granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, heavy cream, and sugar. Cut the vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the all the inner seeds. Put the seeds in the bowl and discard the pod. Whisk the seeds into the cream mixture.
   
2. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 175°F.
   
3. Pour the mixture into a food-safe zip-top bag. Slowly lower the bag into the water using the water displacement method; the air will escape from the bag. Continue to lower the bag until it is about 1" from being fully submerged. Once the bag has been lowered, zip it shut with your fingers.
   
4. Place the bag in the water bath and cook sous vide for 20–25 minutes.
   
5. Remove the bag from the water bath and let cool slightly.
   
6. Serve warm or cold. Store in the fridge in a covered container for up to 1 week.
   

Pears with Port

This sous vide water bath is the ideal way to make this classic dessert. The pears are soft and gently infused in the spiced port.

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 cups port

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cup granulated sugar

1 (1") cinnamon stick

1 whole star anise

2 whole cloves

4 pears (Anjou, Bartlett, or other), peeled, halved, and cored

Just Like Poaching

The sous vide cooking method simulates poaching when liquid is added to the bag along with the fruit, vegetables, or even meat. The nice thing about sous vide is that it requires much less liquid to cover the food than traditional poaching, as the bag coats the food in the liquid once the air is removed and it is vacuum sealed.

1. In a small saucepan, heat the port, sugar, cinnamon stick, star anise, and cloves. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, stirring often. Let the sauce simmer for 2–3 minutes. Take the saucepan off the heat and discard the cinnamon stick, star anise, and cloves. Let the sauce come to room temperature.
   
2. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 183°F.
   
3. Place the pear halves and sauce in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag. Make sure that the pears are in a single flat layer and not stacked.
   
4. Place the pears in the water bath and cook sous vide for 45 minutes.
   
5. Remove from the water bath and immediately place in an ice bath to stop the pears from continuing to cook.
   
6. Cut open the bag and pour the sauce into a saucepan. Simmer on medium heat to reduce and thicken the sauce.
   
7. To serve, place 2 pear halves on each plate and pour some of the reduced syrup over the pears.
   

Mango Pistachio Rice Pudding

Rice pudding is an excellent way to use leftover rice and the mango gives this dessert a wonderful fruity flavor.

Ingredients

Serves 4

1
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cups whole milk

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cup heavy cream

3 large eggs

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cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups cooked white rice (long grain or jasmine)

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cup diced dried mango

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cup roughly chopped pistachios

Zip-Top Bags

Some vacuum sealers are not very effective working with liquid in the bags. In these situations, use a large food-safe zipper bag and the water displacement method to remove the air from the bag. Simply fill the bag with the ingredients and slowly lower the bag into the water bath until just the seal is above the water. All the air should be drawn out of the bag. Now just seal the bag with your fingers.