Compressing Fruit and Vegetables

Compression uses pressure to change the texture of fruit or vegetables, making them denser, more translucent and more intensely flavoured. Professionally this is done with a vacuum machine, but a simple version works at home by placing sliced fruit in a zip-lock bag with a small amount of juice, submerging it in water to force out air, sealing tightly and refrigerating for one to two hours. Compressed apple, as Mark used in his starter, becomes semi-translucent with a silky firm bite and a concentrated fresh flavour quite unlike raw apple. The technique also works well with cucumber, watermelon and stone fruits, and is particularly effective when the fruit is used as a textural counterpoint to something rich.