No magic words or tricks for this one, just basic cooking skills and a little time. When using certain fruits and vegetables as ingredients for drinks sometimes the flavor is covered up or lost completely. Using a fruit or vegetable dust is a different way to add that flavor component by rimming, mixing with sugar/salt or even sprinkling on the top of the drink.
For example I love carrots; cooking and trying to make drinks using them. But sometimes I’m looking for much more concentration of flavor, so I’ll dig out the ol’ cookie sheet and make carrot dust.
Carrot Dust
3 cups (about 4 medium whole carrots), peeled clean and julienned (a cheese grater works great)
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Place parchment paper in a cookie sheet and spread around the julienned carrots evenly. Place in the oven for about 4 hours, checking periodically to make sure they don’t burn. Put dried carrots into a mortar and pastel or for even better results, a cleaned out coffee grinder and turn it into a fine dust. You may want to sift the resulting dust, I get about 3 tablespoons worth from the above recipe of creamy and distinctly carrot tasting powder.
Of course not everything is going to dehydrate well. Avocados have a high fat content and will only become pliable and weird. You can also grind up other herbs and spices with your fruit or vegetable dust for added complexity. With carrots try a little dried ginger, pink peppercorn and lemon zest, grind all of it together and rim a cocktail glass, Salud!
By: Mark Sexauer
Filed under: Articles, Techniques
