The TestKitchen is where ideas are tested through making. Not to prove that something works, but to understand how it behaves. When chef Mike Cornelissen came in with a request for a blood orange crisp for a pre-dessert at Restaurant Rijnzicht, the challenge was clear from the start.
A Realistic Citrus Mold was developed as the base. For Mike, this was only a framework. The real question was texture. He was looking for a translucent, glass-like orange layer that would read as citrus flesh, while staying thin and crisp. No hardness. No sticky finish. Just a clean break.
That led to a series of tests using icing sugar, glucose and potato starch. Small changes made a big difference. Thickness, colour and bite were adjusted step by step. When Mike brought his final version into the TestKitchen, the balance was right. It looked convincing, but more importantly, it ate well.
What is not obvious on video is how thin the crisp actually is. It does not feel heavy or sharp. It breaks easily and releases quickly. This comes from a long drying phase. The glass mixture is dried for around twelve hours at seventy degrees Celsius. It takes time, but it gives control.
This approach sits outside a standard tuille. Not as a replacement, but as another option. One that opens up a different way of working with realism, structure and restraint. It is the kind of process many of us recognise. Start with an idea, test it, strip it back, then refine.
Below is the glass recipe Mike used. For the tuille itself, he worked with a classic ratio-based batter, adding blood orange zest to the mix.
Glass recipe
- 250 g water
- 100 g centrifuged vegetable or fruit juice. Blood orange was used here
- 120 g caster sugar
- 20 g icing sugar
- 20 g glucose
- 25 g potato starch
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Heat gently while stirring continuously. The mixture thickens quickly and needs attention to avoid overheating. Once thickened, food colouring powder can be added if a stronger colour is needed. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then transfer to a piping bag or squeeze bottle.
Pipe the glass mixture into the tuille structure on a silicone baking mat for easy release. Dry the assembled tuille in a drying cabinet at seventy degrees Celsius for approximately twelve hours.
It is a slow process. But for chefs interested in control and clarity, that time is often where the result is decided.