Fantasy French Cuisine Full Course 73: Wheat Odyssey III - A Journey Through Wheat with Fire and Water (L’Odyssée du Blé III – Métamorphoses du blé par la chaleur et l’eau)

L’Odyssée du Blé III Fire and Water – Metamorphoses of wheat through heat and water
Wheat Odyssey III: A Journey Through Wheat with Fire and Water

Flour awakens with water and changes its form with fire. Steaming, boiling, baking, frying, smoking, drying. Even with the same wheat, the way steam, bubbles, oil, and smoke are applied gives it a different aroma and texture.
The third journey of wheat, tracing the handiwork of fire and water.

Course Concept

The steam of a steamer, clear tomato water, quiet vapor, high-temperature oil, soft smoke, dry sponge, and warm fruit juice. We follow the flow of adding water to the same wheat, hardening it with fire, and moisturizing it once more, one dish at a time.
Following the world and texture, and fermentation and time, this chapter reinterprets wheat through technique, heat, and moisture.

Chapitre 0: Steam, Awakening
Amuse-bouche
1. Gougère, Vapor and Brûlée, Pointillism of Seaweed Butter

A small gougère is puffed up with steam, and only the surface is quickly seared.
A bite with seaweed butter hidden inside, transferring the aroma of steam and salt to the wheat dough.

Origin
French gougère and Breton seaweed butter
Technique
Choux pastry is lifted at high temperature, then steam is introduced, and the surface is brûléed for a short time.
Seaweed butter is hidden inside, and its aroma is brought out by the residual heat.

Tasting Point
When bitten, the airy dough collapses softly, and a thin, crispy layer pops afterward.
The salty aroma of seaweed and the richness of butter boost the sweetness of the wheat, gently waking up the palate.

2. Mini Bao, Steamed Wheat Bun, Drops of Ginger Flavored Oil

Primary fermented wheat dough is rolled into small balls and steamed fluffy in a bamboo steamer.
A steamed bun with a small amount of scallion and ginger paste inside, finished with a single drop of heated flavored oil.

Origin
Chinese mantou and baozi steamed bun culture
Technique
Wheat dough is lightly fermented, shaped, and steamed moistly in a bamboo steamer.
Aromatic vegetable paste is wrapped inside, and ginger flavored oil is added just before serving.

Tasting Point
When chewed, the moist elasticity of the steamed bun and the warmth of the steam spread.
The aroma of ginger and scallion rises shortly after, briefly revealing the Asian face of wheat.


Chapitre I: Water, Clarity
Entrée froide
Tomato Water Consommé, Semolina Snow, Herb Salad

The clear juice oozing from salted tomatoes is given depth with shio-koji and malt vinegar.
Layered with dried and crushed semolina snow and fine herbs, this cold appetizer catches the umami of water with wheat.

Origin
Italian semolina culture and French consommé clarifié
Technique
Tomatoes are cold-pressed to extract clear juice, seasoned with shio-koji and malt vinegar.
Heated and dried semolina is crushed into a powder-snow state and placed on the cold soup.

Tasting Point
First, the clear umami of the tomato and the soft acidity wash the tongue.
Then, the semolina snow melts smoothly, and the sweetness of the wheat and the slight bitterness of the herbs overlap quietly.

Chapitre II: Steaming, Softness
Entrée chaude
Pain Royal, Wheat Flan and Light Forest Mushroom Jus

A flan is prepared with wheat milk (boiled wheat in milk) and breadcrumbs, steamed smooth at a low temperature.
A jus emulsified with mushroom stock and a small amount of butter is poured around it, wrapping the wheat in the scent of the forest.

Origin
French royal reconstructed with breadcrumbs and wheat milk
Technique
Wheat is boiled in milk and strained to make wheat milk, then combined with breadcrumbs and eggs to make the flan batter.
It is solidified like silk in a low-temperature steamer, and the mushroom jus is lightly emulsified and poured over.

Tasting Point
When scooped, the flan clings to the tongue, and the gentle sweetness of the bread and wheat milk spreads.
The mushroom stock and butter overlap quietly, making it a dish that tastes the softness of steam as it is.


Chapitre III: Baking, Memory of Charring
Poisson
Vapeur of Cod, Thin Filo Wings, Yuzu Champagne Nage

Winter cod fillets are cooked plumply with low-temperature steam, and topped with crispy baked thin filo wings. A fish dish that gathers water and fire in one plate with a light champagne foam sauce accented with yuzu.

Origin
French vapeur, Mediterranean filo, and Japanese winter cod
Technique
Cod is steamed moistly with low-temperature vapeur. Thinly stretched filo is baked until fragrant and layered on top of the fish. A yuzu-scented champagne nage is lightly foamed and served on the side.

Tasting Point
When you bite into the moist cod, the thin, crispy filo on top pops.
The foam containing the acidity of yuzu and champagne connects the two textures, leaving a quiet lingering finish of the winter sea.


Intermède: Cold and Aroma, Reboot
Granité
Vermouth and Malt Granité, White Grape Dill Mist

A syrup made from malt-infused liquid and vermouth is turned into a fine granité, with a jelly of old-cask malt aroma spread underneath.
White grapes are lightly coated with the scent of dill, a small dish to cool the mouth with grains and herbs.

Origin
European culture of alcohol and sweets using malt and herbs
Technique
A syrup is made from malt infusion and vermouth, then turned into a fine-grained granité. Jelly with the aroma of old-cask malt is spread underneath, and the scent of dill is transferred to the white grapes.

Tasting Point
After the crunchy coldness and faint bitterness, the sweet aroma of malt follows.
The freshness of the white grapes and the greenness of the dill refresh the mouth, resetting the memory of the fire and fat up to this point.


Chapitre IV: Frying, Architecture of Coating
Viande
Pork Loin Tonkatsu, Standing Coating Style, British Worcester and Veal Jus

Thick-cut pork loin is coated with flour, egg, and coarse breadcrumbs, fried until fragrant, and stood up in a fan shape on a pedestal made of mashed potatoes and breadcrumbs. It is served with roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and a ring of butter-softened cabbage, finished with a drizzle of sauce combining British Worcester and veal jus.

Origin
Japanese tonkatsu culture, British Worcester sauce, French jus, and various mustards from around the world
Technique
Pork loin is salted and pre-cooked at a low temperature.
Coarse breadcrumbs are applied twice, and it is fried at a high temperature for a short time to make the coating stand up. Concentrated Worcester is combined with veal jus and lightly emulsified to make the sauce. There are 5 types of mustard: Dijon, English, American, Honey, and Japanese mustard.

Tasting Point
First, try the tonkatsu with just a little sauce to confirm the crunchy texture of the coating and the softness of the meat. Next, combine it with potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and warm cabbage to layer the differences in sweetness and fragrance, and enjoy the changes in spiciness and aroma with each bite while switching between the 5 types of mustard.

Chapitre V: Smoking, Curtain of Aroma
Fromage
Smoked Wheat Cracker and Washed Rind Cheese Assemblage

Lightly smoked wheat cracker dough is baked thin, creating fine bubbles on the surface.
Topped with Alpine washed-rind cheese and a drop of honey, bringing together fat, grains, and smoke.

Origin
Combination of Alpine washed-rind cheese and smoked wheat
Technique
Wheat cracker dough is lightly smoked before baking. Topped with washed-rind cheese and a drop of honey, allowed to meld with residual heat.

Tasting Point
First, the aroma of smoked wheat rises, followed by the thick aroma of the washed-rind cheese spreading slowly. The honey rounds off the edges, the fat is absorbed by the cracker for a light finish, and only the aroma lingers long.



Chapitre VI: Drying, Etude of Sweetness
Avant Dessert
Orange Cercle, Pain Perdu and Dry Wheat Sponge, Freshly Squeezed Juice

Thinly baked wheat sponge is dried at a low temperature and cut into a circular shape with a light texture.
Just before serving, it is soaked with plenty of warm, freshly squeezed orange juice, an appetizer sweet to enjoy the moment the dry dough is instantly moisturized.

Origin
French pain perdu reconstructed through drying and rehydration
Technique
Thin sponge is thoroughly dried to make a light dough. Just before service, it is soaked with warm orange juice and served immediately.

Tasting Point
The first bite has a light, crispy feel on the surface, and warm fruit juice immediately overflows from within. As the dry dough loosens, it releases its aroma, the sweetness does not linger long, and the slight bitterness of the fruit peel continues quietly.


Épilogue: Lingering Finish, Memory of Fire and Wheat
Grand Dessert
Paris-Brest Feu & Eau, Baked Choux and Cold Praliné Froid, Beer Caramel

A small, fragrantly baked ring choux is filled with cold hazelnut praliné cream. Lightly coated with a bitter caramel made by boiling down beer, a closing dish that combines fire, coldness, and the aroma of wheat.

Origin
French Paris-Brest reinterpreted with beer and temperature difference
Technique
Choux is baked at a high temperature, cooled, and filled with cold praliné cream. Beer is boiled down into a caramel-style syrup and thinly coated on the surface.

Tasting Point
When the choux is broken, a fragrant aroma rises, and the cold praliné melts smoothly on the tongue. Finally, the bitterness of the beer caramel closes the sweetness, leaving only the memory of wheat and malt quietly.


Mignardises: Small Sweets of Fire and Water, Reconstruction of Wheat Motifs
1. Guimauve au Malt, Malt Marshmallow

Malt is soaked in warmed milk to transfer the aroma, and that juice and sugar syrup are solidified with gelatin and whipped. After shaping, it is dried briefly, finished as a malt guimauve with a thin, firm outer layer and a soft interior.

Origin
French guimauve and brewery culture
Technique
Malt infusion and sugar syrup are combined and boiled, solidified with gelatin, and whipped.
Poured into a mold to cool and set, then the surface is lightly dried.

Tasting Point
When put in the mouth, the outside dissolves instantly, and the sweet aroma of malt spreads softly from within.
No stickiness remains, it disappears quietly with water, and only a gentle grain aroma lingers faintly.

2. Mini Palmier, Thin Coating of Beer Caramel

Extremely thinly folded dough is shaped into a small heart and baked until crispy in a high-temperature oven. Finished with a thin layer of boiled-down beer syrup, making it a light piece coated with bitter caramel aroma.

Origin
French palmier and beer culture
Technique
Puff pastry is shaped small and baked at a high temperature for a short time. Beer syrup is thinly applied, and heat is quickly applied to bring out the aroma.

Tasting Point
When bitten, the layers crumble lightly, and the bitterness of the beer and the aroma of caramel pass through the nose.
The sweetness is restrained, and only the fragrance like charred wheat remains briefly.


3. Mini Baked Manju, Style of Gunma

Small round bun dough is steamed until fluffy, pierced with a pick resembling a skewer, and coated with sweet miso sauce. Only the surface is grilled until fragrant with a strong fire, finished as a bite-sized baked manju where steaming and grilling overlap.

Origin
Gunma's baked manju
Technique
Wheat-based dough is shaped round and steamed. Sweet miso sauce is applied, and the surface is grilled until fragrant using a salamander or grill.

Tasting Point
The outside is fragrant with the lightly charred miso sauce, and the inside is fluffy and soft. The sweet and salty sauce and the aroma of wheat spread without remaining heavy, gently connecting to the next small sweet.


4. Pâte de Fruit, Shiso and Malt, Malt Sugar Coating

Shiso-infused liquid and malt juice are combined and cooked down, solidified into a soft jelly.
Cut into small cubes, the surface is thinly dusted with malt sugar to lock the green aroma and grain sweetness into one piece.

Origin
French pâte de fruit, malt culture, and Japanese shiso
Technique
Shiso infusion and malt juice are cooked with pectin and poured into a mold. After cooling, it is cut and coated with fine grains of malt sugar.

Tasting Point
When chewed, the green aroma of shiso pops first, and the round sweetness of malt follows immediately.
The crunchy coating of malt sugar adds a light texture, leaving only the lingering finish of grains quietly.


5. Mini Pretzel, Caramelized

Small pretzel dough is dipped in water with dissolved baking soda before baking, giving the skin luster and color at high temperature. Finished with a thin coating of sugar, a salty bite with a light caramelization.

Origin
German pretzel culture
Technique
Shaped dough is dipped in baking soda water and baked at a high temperature to produce a unique color and aroma. Finished with a thin coating of sugar and dried.

Tasting Point
The skin on the surface is crispy and fragrant, while the inside retains a slight elasticity.
The aroma derived from baking soda, faint sweetness, and grains of salt mix together, making one feel the work of water, fire, and alkali in a small way.

6. Mini Soan Papdi, Crumbly Sweet of Semolina and Ghee

Wheat semolina and chickpea flour are boiled with ghee and kneaded until thread-like layers are formed. While still warm, it is solidified into small cubes and sprinkled with chopped pistachios, a crumbly Indian bite-sized sweet.

Origin
North Indian soan papdi culture
Technique
Semolina and chickpea flour are boiled with ghee and sugar to bring out the aroma.
Stretched to create thread-like layers, shaped into small cubes, and topped with pistachios.

Tasting Point
When bitten, the thin layers unravel like fibers, and the aroma of ghee and roasted flour spreads softly.
The sweetness is light, the fragrance of pistachios remains briefly, and the thread-like crumbly texture remains in the memory.

[Notice]
You can view past Wheat Odysseys from the link below. Please enjoy the deliciousness of wheat throughout the series.

Imaginary French Full Course 9 Odyssey of WheatI A Journey Through Global Wheat Cultures and Textures L’Odyssée du Blé I — Cultures and textures of wheat

Imaginary French Full Course42 Odyssey of WheatII A Journey Where Wheat Wears Time and Transforms into Aroma and Umami L’Odyssée du Blé II — Le blé se pare du temps, arômes et saveurs