Texture is important. Particularly with high fat and decadent ingredients. We have explored the process of powdering: lardo, olives, foie gras. The use of liquid nitrogen helped the cause. In order to lighten ingredients like chocolate, avocados, and brie cheese we have taken another approach. Initially we used the combination of a whip cream canister and a vacuum sealer to draw a large vacuum on these ingredients in conjunction with a few hydrocolloids to stabilze the delicate structure of bubbles. Recently we have eliminated the vacuum sealer step. Now we are just putting our mixture, warm, into an insulated whip cream canister and extruding it into mason jars. We seal the jars while the mixture is warm and as it cools it draws a vacuum in the jar, increasing bubble variance and allowing the mixture to set and stabilize. Once the mixture is cooled, we open the jar and pull out the lighter decadent ingredients. Today we were working with brie and berries. A few mustard greens and stems and a bit of juniper aged balsamic balanced the dish.
