Background
This recipe involves juicing golden beets alongside apple, incorporating medium grain rice koji, and cooking the mixture down on the stovetop. We use maple syrup as the sweetener, along with the natural sugar from the beets concentrated during reduction - as a result.
Recipe
Ingredients
434g Golden Beets
285g Water (for beets)
144g Apple
119g Water (for apple)
45g Medium Grain Rice Koji
4g Salt
Maple Syrup
Equipment
Blender
Pot
Ice Cream Machine
Instructions
-
Beet Preparation
Blend the golden beets with 285g of water. -
Cooking
Boil the beet mixture along with the rice koji. The post-boil weight of the beet and koji mixture should be approximately 384g. -
Apple Preparation
Blend the apple separately with 119g of water. This is done separately to avoid heating the apple. The resulting juice should weigh approximately 252g. -
Combining
Combine the cooked beet mixture with the fresh apple juice. -
Seasoning
Add the salt and maple syrup to the mixture. -
Freezing
Process the mixture in an ice cream machine.
Notes and Observations
- The koji flavor did not come through strongly, but the color shifted to a greenish, matcha-like hue.
- The flavor is that of a pure, pleasant beet with a mild sweetness, less than a traditional sorbet. The acid from the apple rounds out the flavor of the beet, which might otherwise be too earthy.
- The maple syrup provides a subtle nutty aftertaste, though it is not immediately identifiable.
- The texture is soft like a sorbet, lacking the tackiness of a gelato. It required a re-spin to achieve the desired consistency.
- The byproduct of the beet pulp can be utilized for baking, crackers, or a “koji beet pulp.”
- Future iterations might involve adding kombu, using different koji substrates (such as oats), or experimenting with sweeteners like amazake, malt, or beet molasses.
- It may be interesting to use lacto-fermented beets for 25% of the mixture to add complexity.
- Emulsifying soy milk or oil into the mixture could improve the texture and add a fatty mouthfeel.