the processor all produce different proportions
of intact and broken cells. The more
thoroughly the cells are broken, the more their
contents are exposed to each other and to the
air, and the more their flavor evolves. A
coarse pesto will have a flavor most like the
flavor of fresh basil leaves.
Cooked Purees: Vegetables, Applesauce
Most vegetable purees are made by first
cooking the vegetable to soften its tissues,
break apart the cells, and free their thickening
molecules. Some that develop an especially
suave smoothness have cell walls rich in
soluble pectin, which escapes from the
softened wall fragments during pureeing.
These vegetables include carrots, cauliflower,
and capsicum peppers; more than 75% of the
cell-wall solids in capsicum puree is pectin.
Many root and tuber vegetables (though not
carrots) contain starch granules, which when
cooked absorb much of the water in the