Cold Oil Spherification
It probably goes without saying that the gnollish people I once belonged to weren't interested in molecular gastronomy. But that doesn't mean it's not a useful tool for a variety of nonhumans. Not only does it give a futuristic vibe that may be comforting to machinekin and those who once lived in more technologically complicated worlds, it's also a good way to recreate soft, jelly-like egg textures for roe and similar dishes.
In my opinion, cold oil spherification is the easiest method, and you will likely be able to find the ingredients at specialty health food stores (or online). It doesn't produce the popping effect of alginate spherification, but the bubbles are still fun to crush with your tongue. They're satisfying to stir around and look at, too!
Fun liquids to spherify include juice or flat soda for a tasty treat, or double strength seaweed broth for a tasty caviar or roe substitute. The liquid must be water based and noncarbonated - oil will not spherify in this method.
A time is not given for this recipe, as it depends on how quickly your eyedropper or syringe drops liquid in. It took me about 40 minutes for a full recipe.
Ingredients
A bottle of canola oil, refrigerated for at least 12 hours. Do not substitute olive oil -- it may not remain thin enough when cold.
120 grams (appx. ½ cup) of liquid to spherify
1.5-2 grams agar agar powder
Equipment
A tall, thin, and ideally clear glass
A kitchen scale, to measure the agar agar powder and liquid
A small saucepan
A fine mesh strainer
A foodsafe syringe or eyedropper
Thermometer (optional)
Instructions
Measure and add liquid and agar to your saucepan. Transfer oil to the freezer.
Bring liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for a minute. Remove from heat.
If you're using a thermometer, wait for the liquid to reach 120 degrees. This is slightly cooler than the maximum water temperature on most American taps and will take about 10 minutes; if your temperature is too high, the liquid won't spherify correctly, but it will be obvious, and you can always wait longer and try again, so don't worry too much.
Remove the oil from the freezer and pour into the tall glass. Using the syringe or eyedropper, slowly drop little drops of liquid into the oil - do not stream the liquid in. The cold will cause the agar to set, solidifying the spheres and making them sink almost instantly. If they're not sinking, especially after a very gentle shake, return the oil to the freezer and let the liquid cool a bit further.
Drain spheres from the oil and rinse in the mesh strainer.
