Steaming – healthy and gentle

Steaming – healthy and gentle

Steaming is an ancient, unadulterated, very simple and, above all, healthy cooking method. It dates back to prehistoric times when people prepared food in the steam from hot springs. Over the centuries, cooks around the world have developed a wide range of tools to make the best use of steam in cooking. For example, they invented multi-tier steamer baskets and tagines or wrapped food in baking parchment and allowed it to cook in its own juices. In an enclosed steam container, the ingredients are completely surrounded by steam and cook evenly and gently in the moist heat. The result is wonderfully tender, perfectly cooked fish, poultry and vegetables. Important vitamins and minerals, natural aromas and colours are preserved. Miele launched its first steam oven in 1998 and has been constantly developing it ever since.

Recommendation from à la carte:

Matcha mascarpone cream

INGREDIENTS: (serves 6–8)

250 ml milk, 80 g sugar, 3 egg yolks, 1 egg (medium), 4 tsp matcha (Japanese green tea powder), 250 g mascarpone; to garnish: fresh berries, icing sugar

PREPARATION:

1. Bring the milk to the boil, put it on one side and leave to cool.
2. Place the sugar, egg yolks, egg and matcha in a bowl and beat using a handheld mixer with whisk attachments until the sugar has dissolved. Then stir in the mascarpone and gradually add the milk through a sieve, stirring as you do so.
3. Pour the cream into 6–8 dishes, cover each one with foil and place them in the large steam container. To thicken the cream, put it in the steam oven on the “cook universal” setting at 90°C for 18–22 minutes. Leave to stand for a further 5 minutes in the oven.
4. Once the cream has cooled, put it in the fridge and chill for around 12 hours.
5. Garnish before serving, by putting fresh berries, for example, on each dish and dusting with a mix of matcha and icing sugar. To make a matcha crème brûlée, sprinkle a teaspoon of brown sugar over each dish and then caramelise it using a crème brûlée torch (from a specialist cookware shop).

Text: Regine Smith Thyme