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REVERSE SPHERIFICATION
A reverse spherification will allow you to make a sphere with a liquid interior without changing the taste or texture of your ingredients. The process has 4 steps. First, prepare a sodium alginate bath. Then dilute a bit of calcium lactate in your preparation. Finally you drip the solution in the alginate bath and rinse with water.
To make the alginate bath, mix 2 gr of sodium alginate in 450 ml (2 cups) of water with a hand blender or an electric eggbeater.
For the next step, there are two options:
• The first is to simply set aside half an hour to let the air bubbles dissipate and hydrate the alginate.
• The second option is to bring the bath to a boil to save time; the solution becomes clear faster.
For the next step, dilute calcium lactate in a thick or creamy liquid (fruit puree, yogurt or English custard for example). If the ingredient is too acidic it will not work. In addition, if the ingredient is too liquid, you won’t be able to make a nice sphere. Very little calcium lactate is needed; 2.5 ml (½ tsp.) per 235 ml (1 cup) is generally enough.
It is very important to make sure your calcium is properly diluted. If your solution is too thick to allow a good dilution, you will have to dilute the calcium in a bit of water (or milk) before incorporating it in to your solution.
The third step is to drip your solution in the alginate bath using a spoon: a gel will form around your sphere. Normally, 3 minutes is enough to be able to manipulate the sphere without piercing it. You must gently turn your spheres during the bath so they can jellify equally.
The longer the sphere stays in the bath, the thicker the gel will be. Make sure the spheres do not touch each other in the bath as if they touch they will stick together.
When you take the sphere out of the alginate bath, it is very important to rinse it well if you want the surface to smooth. Contrary to basic spherification, the jellification in reverse spherification stops after you rinse the spheres.
The spheres can be preserved in their original liquid (for example you can keep apple juice ravioles in apple juice) and can be easily served warm if you heat them a few seconds in boiling water before serving.