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Emulsify |
To emulsify means to combine
two liquids that normally do not combine easily, such as oil and vinegar. |
Fat and liquid by nature are unmixable, and the goal when
mixing a recipe is to form a water-in-fat emulsion.
A well emulsified cake batter, for example,
should not be curdled or weeping liquid. This is because the butter and liquids
are in a stable emersion. If not stable, the batter will loose air cells. This
results in a baked cake that is grainy or flat in texture, dry and flavorless,
look uneven and may even sink.
Emulsifying is done by slowly adding one
ingredient to another while whisking rapidly. The whisking disperses and
suspends one liquid throughout the other. A third ingredient, called a liaison
or emulsifier, is added because the two ingredients will separate. The
emulsifier stabilizes the mixture. Mayonnaise is a classic example of
emulsification; it is mixture of oil and vinegar or lemon juice that is
emulsified by the addition of egg yolk, which contains the emulsifier lecithin.
Emulsifiers are also found in egg white, gelatin, skim milk and mustard.
 If
an emulsion breaks, which looks like the mixture has curdled, fix it by
slowly beating in 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. |
| HOW TO ADD
MULTIPLE EGGS TO A RECIPE:
Add multiple eggs to a recipe, one
at a time. An easy way to do this is to precrack them and place mine
individually into a paper muffin liner. Then, I add them one at a time to
the recipe. After using, I simply throw the liners away.
Another way is to pre-crack all of them
into a pitcher and pour one out at a time when adding to a recipe. But, it's
hard to portion them out accurately when doing it this way. |
In some baking recipes,
such as with cakes,
the emulsion begins with the butter, sugar and
eggs and continues while you add the dry ingredients and/or the cream, milk or
buttermilk. The emulsion will happen successfully when the
ingredients are at room or the same temperature. Otherwise, the ingredients will
not combine into a smooth batter or a previously created emulsion will break or
curdle.
For example, after creaming
the room temperature fat and sugar
together, the first step in making a
Buttercake or Pound cake, is
to beat in the
room temperature eggs, ONE AT A TIME with
the mixer on low. Each one should be fully incorporated before adding more. Room
temperature eggs, worked in slowly, not only helps to incorporate more air in
the batter and but also adds emulsifiers slowly from the egg yolks and will not
break the fat (from the butter and egg yolks) and water emulsion (from water
contained in the butter or fat and eggs). It results in a creamy batter that
holds in the air bubbles in, previously created through
creaming and beating.
 QUESTION:
Why does my Tiramisu curdle? The mascarpone cheese looks creamy
after I beat it, however, when I add it to the beaten heavy whipping cream,
it looks like a smother cottage cheese consistency. What am I doing wrong?
ANSWER: Does your
recipe have you - "Smash the mascarpone in a bowl with a rubber spatula
until it is smooth. Fold in the egg mixture. In a separate bowl, whip the
cream until soft peaks form and fold into mixture?" This is the case in the
Classic
Tiramisu Recipe posted here.
The key to any successful baking, it to
create an emulsion between the water and fat ingredients so, in your case,
you get a smooth mascarpone mixture.
An emulsion will form more successfully if
the ingredients (both fat, water and flour, etc) at approximately the same
temperature, usually 68 to 70 degrees F (room temperature) so they combine
into a smooth mixture.
When you add the mascarpone cheese, if not at
the same room temperature as the eggs, the two will not combine smoothly
(emulsify) and will curdle. Then, when folding in the whipped cream, if one
mixture is significantly cooler than the other which is the case with
whipped cream, the previously emulsified batter will clump (curdles) when
the two are folded together.
Emulsions have a much better chance of
forming if the elements are brought together slowly. If you don't add them
slowly, they'll separate and you won't have a homogeneous mixture. To
prevent this, the whipped cream must be folded
in with a couple of passes. This gives the smooth batter time to get to the
same temperature as the whipped cream to prevent curdling.
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