How to Make Fruit Pearls

Fruit pearls are tiny, caviar-sized balls made from fruit juice. They can be flash-frozen for a firmer texture, or made through molecular gastronomy: drops of juice are mixed with edible chemicals and dropped into a calcium chloride solution to form chewy pearls with juicy centres.

Method

1. Weigh 200 g of juice using a kitchen scale and pour into a small bowl.
2. Measure 2 g of sodium alginate and add it to the juice.
3. Mix the alginate and juice with a handheld immersion blender for one minute.
4. Fill a plastic syringe with the mixture and set aside.
5. Measure 100 g of water and 1 g of calcium chloride; stir them together in a large stainless-steel bowl.
6. Use the syringe to drip small drops of the juice mixture into the calcium chloride solution. Let the pearls sit for two minutes, then remove with a ladle or spoon.

Tips

• Make a larger test pearl first to check the consistency; add more sodium alginate for tougher pearls, or more juice for softer ones.
• Combine different fruit juices for new flavours.
• Freeze finished pearls for 5–20 minutes for a frozen treat, or use them to decorate cakes, pies, sundaes, and cupcakes.
• Cranberry-juice pearls make a fun twist on cranberry sauce with chicken or turkey; vegetable-juice pearls work well in health shakes or salads.

Warning: always follow the package directions when working with these food-grade chemicals.