sugar-crusted

Most of us are familiar with the salt crust method of roasting foods encrusted in a paste of egg whites and salt. When executed properly, the baked crust is cracked open to reveal a tender, moist piece of fish or meat, perfectly roasted. One would think that in this insulated enviroment the food would steam as it does en papillote or in a cocotte, but because the crust is porous and absorbs moisture, it does indeed roast.

What if we were to replace the salt with sugar? Would the sugar caramelize and transfer its aroma into the food which it is cooking? These are questions posed by Pierre Gagnaire and Herve This in their collaboration Art et Science, and the answers are yes.

Immediately, I thought of bananas, which have frustrated me in my attempts to achieve a balance between color and texture when roasting. With this method, although the color is light, there is an aura of caramel. The drawing away of moisture as it cooks leave the bananas firm with a texture that reminds me of roasted chestnuts.

Considering the possibilities sends my mind reeling…pineapple, pears, apricots, root vegetables, squash, onions, scallops, shrimp…to name just a few. And to take it to another level, the sugar can be infused with spices or aromatics.