Thickening and layering elements in a fruit cup dessert

flyinglentris

flyinglentris

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I am considering doing a dessert that I have never attempted before and the trick of it is to create well defined layers of Fruit Pastes, Creams and Liquids and says diced Fruit and Shaved Ices in a goblet, topped by Whipped Cream and sprinkled with maybe Brown Sugar Cinnamon, etc.

Normally, Food Starch is used to thicken things like Puddings, but I don't like that idea and want to scrap it right off. I am considering instead Yogurt, Ricotta and Cream Cheese as thickening agents. Flavors in those are not overpowering and I believe they should suit the purpose. Bananas also can help. I perceive that thickening is required to keep the layers from distinct and not prone to merging with each other.

Ideas?
 
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Agar Agar is about $9.70 USD for 2 Oz. Ricotta, Cream Cheese and Yogurt are much cheaper alternatives that will likely do just as well and may benefit with subtle flavor.
 
I don't know what classic method means. And I don't know when Agar Agar started being used as a substitute for something that cooks had been getting by with before that intro. But that's exactly what I mean by people evaluating means of achieving the end goal and promoting some sort of progress or alternatives.
 
BTW: I am not out to produce Jellos or Gels. I desire to thicken Fruit Paste and Cream layers in a dessert cup. Clear Jello concoctions are definitely not under consideration.
 
flyinglentris said:
BTW: I am not out to produce Jellos or Gels. I desire to thicken Fruit Paste and Cream layers in a dessert cup. Clear Jello concoctions are definitely not under consideration.
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So do you mean a desert verrine
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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zjoPzwQLRo&ab_channel=PapaenCuisine
 
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Burt Blank said:
So do you mean a desert verrine
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That's one excellent reason I am a member of CookingBites, to not only share my cooking experiences with others, but to learn from those members who have had experience with things that I have not.

I looked up Verrine and found a Wiki which states that they were first done in 1994.

Verrine Wiki

Phillipe Conticini was after more than what I am for the Turmeric Recipe Challenge, although I had been concerned about the ordering of the layers for flavor and color aesthetics. His ideas were comprehensive in terms of a changing flavor experience from top to bottom. It is illuminating, but I'm not sure yet what my layers will even be, let alone how I might order them. And there is not time for me to make objective evaluations.

My first struggle is creating the layers so that they are more or less well defined. And using Turmeric is of course, a primary concern. I've already got that pegged and evaluated from my Stuffed Apple entry which allowed me to experiment with a Turmeric/Cinnamon Fruit Paste. That turned out well.

My other layers will be a Mango Cream Layer, a Baker's Cocoa Cream Layer, a Raspberry or other berry layer and finally Whipped Cream dusted with fine Brown Sugar Cinnamon and dotted with crushed White Chocolate.

That's what I have in mind. If that sounds like a Verrine, then yes. But according to Conticini, I would have to do more than just create the layers to create a Verrine. So for now, I'll just call it a layered Fruit Dessert Cup.

To evaluate ordering the layers for flavor experience, I could create the layer contents in separate dishes and do some ordered taste tests. Then base the ordering on the best experience.
 
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