The concept of an “Anti plancha” is not a new one, but just in case you are not sure what it is or how it works I will give you a brief explanation. It works on the exact opposite principles as a regular plancha (teppan) but instead of using heat you use extreme cold to achieve a “freezer burn” which gives a similar texture to cooked. So basically I made a very basic version here as I had a few ideas where I needed it.

First I found a marble slab thick enough to hold the cold for a long time and with a polished surface so nothing sticks. Next I took a very large and thick Styrofoam lid and carved out a space big enough to hold the marble slab with at least 1 inch extra on all sides and 1 inch deeper. To use; fill all the wells with Liquid Nitrogen until it covers the top, keep adding more as it evaporates. When the Nitrogen stops evaporating very fast and stays in the well it means that the slab is cold enough (-190 celsius) to use. For this sandwich I made a foam of Jamón and placed into the Siphon, Express a small amount onto the “Plancha” and smooth with a small spatula, turn after 2 minutes. Place a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese, tomato reduction, jamon powder, basil oil and olive oil. The effect and taste is much better when the service staff make in front of the guest as it will not melt before the guest eats it. The marble slab stays cold enough for about 30 minutes or more after the Nitrogen evaporates.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 13:21 and is filed under Variety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.