Serves 6
I love the sweetness of corn. When you freeze-dry it, the natural flavor intensifies. In this dish, I wanted to highlight that flavor while playing on how sugar adds texture, color, aroma, and visual appeal—not just sweetness. To do that, I pair freeze-dried corn with cumin whipped cream and wrap it in caramel, like a crème brûlée.
83 grams isomalt (see Sources, here)
42 grams glucose (see Sources, here)
42 grams decorator’s white fondant
100 grams heavy cream
5 grams sugar
4 grams ground cumin seeds, toasted
30 grams freeze-dried corn kernels (see Sources, here)
Butane Torch
Line a sheet pan with a silicone mat. Put the isomalt, glucose, and fondant in a small saucepot set over medium heat and bring to 320°F. Immediately pour the hot caramel onto the prepared sheet pan. Tilt the tray back and forth—be careful, as it will be very hot—to spread the caramel in a thin, even layer across the bottom. Let it cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Break the caramel into little pieces and use a spice grinder to pulverize it into a powder. Line a clean sheet pan with a silicone mat. Place a 2-inch round cookie cutter on the mat. Use a small strainer to sprinkle 10 grams of caramel powder in an even layer inside the mold. Lift the cookie cutter and move it a couple of inches away from the circle and repeat this process. Continue to make caramel circles until you have a total of 6 circles on the sheet pan. Bake for 7 minutes, until the caramel melts into a uniform disc. Remove from the oven, let cool, and use a small offset spatula to remove the caramel circles from the sheet pan. Store the cooled Caramel Glass in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Whip the cream and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until it reaches soft peaks. Add the cumin seeds and use a rubber spatula to fold them into the whipped cream so that they are evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Transfer the Cumin Whipped Cream to a piping bag fitted with a large plain tip, close the top, and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 4 hours.
Line a sheet pan with a silicone mat. Pipe 10 grams of Cumin Whipped Cream into a small mound with a pointed top on the silicone mat. Pipe a total of 6 whipped cream peaks, leaving 3 inches of space between each. Sprinkle 5 grams of freeze-dried corn kernels on top of each mound of cream. Place a Caramel Glass circle on top of each. Hold a butane torch 3 inches above the caramel and carefully use it to melt the caramel around the corn. Let it cool for 2 minutes and then use an offset spatula to transfer to individual serving dishes.