Dish name Atlantic turbot, black garlic & wild strawberry, koji sabayon, fennel pollen

Concept Early summer at the shore. The fish stands for the sea. Wild strawberries mark the first fruit of the woods behind the dunes. Black garlic shows time and patience. Koji ties land and sea with deep umami. The dish tastes sweet, sour, salty, and softly bitter, all in one clean bite.

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Components (serves 4 tasting portions)

#	Item	Key techniques
1	Turbot medallions	low-temperature butter poach
2	Black garlic–strawberry lacquer	vacuum infusion, reduction
3	Fermented strawberry beurre blanc	lacto-ferment, classic sauce finish
4	Koji sabayon foam	rapid iSi espuma
5	Fennel bulb “accordion”	compressed pickling, torching
6	Strawberry leather shards	dehydration
7	Black garlic soil	freeze-dry, blitz
8	Fennel-top chlorophyll oil	blanch-blend-clarify

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1. Turbot

1. Skin a 400 g center loin.
2. Pin-bone, portion into four 40 g cylinders.
3. Warm 200 g beurre monté to 54 °C, add 1 g fennel pollen.
4. Poach fish 8 min; hold in butter until plating.

Note: Use day-boat turbot; call your fishmonger two days ahead.

2. Black garlic–strawberry lacquer

1. Blend 60 g peeled black garlic + 80 g ripe wild strawberry.
2. Vacuum-seal with 20 g sake; infuse 1 h at 50 °C in water bath.
3. Reduce mixture in small pan to a light syrup.
4. Brush onto fish just before service.

3. Fermented strawberry beurre blanc

1. Pack 300 g halved strawberries with 1.5 % salt in jar; vent daily; 3 days at 22 °C.
2. Strain 100 ml ferment liquid.
3. Sweat 20 g shallot in 5 g butter; add liquid; reduce by half.
4. Mount with 80 g cold diced butter.
5. Season with a drop of rice vinegar; keep warm (55 °C).

4. Koji sabayon foam

1. Blend 60 g koji rice with 120 ml light fish stock; steep 20 min, strain.
2. Whisk 3 egg yolks + 50 ml koji stock over 72 °C bain-marie to light ribbons.
3. Fold in 40 ml cream.
4. Pass, charge in 0.5 L iSi with 1 N₂O. Hold at 60 °C.

5. Fennel bulb “accordion”

1. Trim baby fennel; slice 1 mm even sheets.
2. Pickle brine: 3 % salt, 3 % sugar, equal rice vinegar/water.
3. Vacuum-compress sheets in brine 30 min.
4. Drain, roll into tight coils, skewer.
5. Torch until edges char.

6. Strawberry leather shards

1. Blend 150 g strawberry purée + 8 g glucose.
2. Spread 1 mm thick on silicone mat.
3. Dry 6 h at 60 °C.
4. Snap into random shards.

7. Black garlic soil

1. Freeze-dry 40 g black garlic overnight.
2. Pulse with 5 g toasted panko to crumbs.

8. Fennel-top chlorophyll oil

1. Blanch 30 g fennel fronds 10 s, chill.
2. Blend with 100 ml grapeseed oil 2 min.
3. Hang in coffee filter 1 h; keep green oil.

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Plating (top-down view)

1. Center: turbot medallion, lacquer side up.
2. Left rim: 15 ml beurre blanc pool.
3. Right side: upright fennel accordion.
4. Across fish: two quick passes of chlorophyll oil.
5. On fish: one press of warm koji foam (coin-size).
6. Scatter: three strawberry leather shards at varying heights.
7. Dust: pinch of black garlic soil along beurre blanc edge.
8. Finish with single wild strawberry half and a fennel pollen flake.

Serve immediately, 48 °C core temp.

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Sourcing notes

• Wild strawberries: In season late spring. If foraging, choose pesticide-free areas; else order “fraises des bois” from specialty produce suppliers.
• Black garlic: Buy aged bulbs from Korean or Japanese markets; quality matters—look for intact cloves, slight sheen.
• Koji rice: Refrigerated packs from Japanese grocery or online ingredient houses. Keep frozen until use.
• Fennel pollen: Small tins from spice merchants; a little goes far.
• iSi charger, chamber vacuum, freeze-dryer: Standard in high-end kitchens; rent if needed.

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Narrative to tell guests

“Today’s plate joins the coast and the forest on the first warm day of summer. Turbot carries clean ocean notes. A glaze of long-aged garlic and the season’s first wild berries bridges sweet and umami. Koji adds quiet depth, like low tide. Charred fennel recalls beach bonfires, while bright green oil shows new growth. Every element is simple on its own; together they paint one concise thought—time, place, and patience on a single fork.”

"Tidal Reverie"

Miso-Caramelized Scallops with White Chocolate Dashi, Yuzu Pearls, and Crysta

llized Nori

Conceptual Narrative

This dish explores the liminal space where ocean meets shore, where umami depths encounter unexpected sweetn ess. The pairing of pristine diver scallops with white chocolate challenges conv entional boundaries, while traditional Japanese elements ground the composition in centuries of culinary wisdom. Each bite represents the ebb and flow of tides

• moments of intensity followed by gentle recession.

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Components Overview

1. Miso-Caramelized Hokkaido Scallops
2. White Chocolate Dashi Foam
3. Yuzu Pearl Caviar
4. Crystallized Nori Tuile
5. Micro Shiso Oil
6. Edible Sand (Black Sesame & Cocoa)

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Detailed Components & Techniques

1. Miso-Caramelized Hokkaido Scallops

Ingredients:

• 3 large Hokkaido diver scallops (U-10 size)
• 30g white miso paste (preferably 3-month aged)
• 15g mirin
• 10g sake
• 5g maple syrup
• Clarified butter for searing

Sourcing: Hokkaido scallops from Tsukiji Outer Market or specialty Japanese seafood importers

Method:

1. Remove scallops from refrigeration 20 minutes before cooking
2. Whisk miso, mirin, sake, and maple syrup until smooth
3. Score scallops in crosshatch pattern, 2mm deep
4. Brush with miso glaze, refrigerate 1 hour
5. Sear in smoking hot clarified butter, 90 seconds per side
6. Torch lightly for caramelization
7. Rest 2 minutes before plating

2. White Chocolate Dashi Foam

Ingredients:

• 500ml kombu dashi (made with Rishiri kombu)
• 50g Valrhona Ivoire white chocolate
• 2g soy lecithin
• 1 sheet silver gelatin
• Sea salt to taste

Method:

1. Prepare kombu dashi, steep at 60°C for 45 minutes
2. Strain and reduce to 300ml
3. Bloom gelatin in cold water
4. Heat dashi to 70°C, whisk in bloomed gelatin
5. Add white chocolate, whisk until melted
6. Cool to 60°C, add soy lecithin
7. Blend with immersion blender to create stable foam
8. Keep warm in thermal circulator at 55°C

3. Yuzu Pearl Caviar (Reverse Spherification)

Ingredients:

• 200ml yuzu juice (fresh-pressed)
• 100ml mineral water
• 2g sodium alginate
• 1000ml calcium chloride bath (0.5%)

Method:

1. Combine yuzu juice with mineral water
2. Using immersion blender, incorporate sodium alginate
3. Strain through fine mesh, rest 24 hours to remove air bubbles
4. Prepare calcium bath
5. Using syringe, create 3mm pearls in calcium bath
6. Let set for 2 minutes
7. Rinse in clean water, store in yuzu juice

4. Crystallized Nori Tuile

Ingredients:

• 5 sheets premium nori (Ariake Sea)
• 100ml water
• 50g sugar
• 15ml rice wine vinegar
• Black sesame seeds

Method:

1. Blend nori with water until smooth paste
2. Strain through cheesecloth
3. Reduce liquid by half
4. Add sugar and vinegar, cook to 115°C
5. Spread thin on silicone mat
6. Dehydrate at 60°C for 8 hours
7. Break into artistic shards

5. Micro Shiso Oil

Ingredients:

• 50g micro purple shiso
• 200ml grapeseed oil
• Salt

Method:

1. Blanch shiso in salted water, 5 seconds
2. Shock in ice bath
3. Squeeze dry, blend with oil at high speed
4. Strain through coffee filter
5. Season with salt

6. Edible Sand

Ingredients:

• 30g black sesame seeds, toasted
• 20g cocoa nibs
• 10g dehydrated soy sauce
• 5g gold leaf

Method:

1. Grind each component separately to varying textures
2. Combine, creating textural variety
3. Fold in gold leaf fragments

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Plating & Presentation

Equipment Needed:

• Warm plates (28cm diameter, preferably handcrafted ceramic)
• Precision tweezers
• Foam dispenser
• Micro pipette

Assembly (per plate):

1. Create abstract brush stroke with shiso oil
2. Place three dots of edible sand asymmetrically
3. Position scallops in triangular formation
4. Pipe white chocolate dashi foam between scallops
5. Distribute 7-9 yuzu pearls strategically
6. Crown each scallop with nori tuile shard
7. Finish with micro shiso leaves and gold leaf

Service Notes:

• Serve immediately while scallops are warm
• Foam should be applied tableside for dramatic effect
• Provide mother-of-pearl spoons to preserve delicate flavors

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Wine Pairing

Recommend: 2018 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese or aged Junmai Daigi njo sake

Chef's Note

The unusual pairing of white chocolate with dashi creates a synergy that amplifi es both sweet and umami note s, while the yuzu pearls provide acidic punctuation. This dish requires precise timing and temperature control - the contrast between warm scallops and cool pea rls is essential to the experience.

"Forest Floor to Ocean Depth"

Wagyu Beef Cheek with Black Truffle, Sea Lettuce Glass, and Smoked Bone Marrow Caviar

Conceptual Narrative

This dish represents the journey from earth's deepest forest floor to the ocean's mysterious depths, celebra ting the umami connection between land and sea. The unusual pairing of terrestrial black truffle with marine sea lettuce creates an otherworldly flavor bridge, while the transformation of bone marrow into caviar-like spheres challenges traditional protein presentations. Each element represents different depths and textures found in nature's most prized environments.

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Component 1: 48-Hour Sous Vide Wagyu Beef Cheek

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 800g A5 Wagyu beef cheek, trimmed
• 30g black truffle, thinly shaved
• 15ml truffle oil
• 5g Maldon sea salt
• 2g white pepper
• 50ml aged soy sauce (minimum 5 years)
• 20ml mirin

Instructions:

1. Season beef cheek with salt and white pepper, rest 2 hours at room temperature
2. Vacuum seal with truffle shavings, truffle oil, soy sauce, and mirin at 98% vacuum
3. Cook sous vide at 56°C for 48 hours
4. Rest in ice bath for 30 minutes before final preparation
5. Before plating, sear exterior with blowtorch for 15 seconds per side

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Component 2: Sea Lettuce Glass Sheets

Advanced molecular gastronomy technique

Ingredients:

• 200g fresh sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca)
• 3g agar-agar
• 2g sodium alginate
• 500ml filtered water
• 1g xanthan gum
• Liquid nitrogen for flash-setting

Sourcing Note:

Source sea lettuce from specialty marine vegetable suppliers like Ocean Harvest (Ireland) or local sustainab le seaweed foragers.

Instructions:

1. Blanch sea lettuce in boiling water for 30 seconds, shock in ice water
2. Blend with 250ml water until completely smooth, strain through fine mesh
3. Heat remaining water to 85°C, dissolve agar-agar and sodium alginate
4. Combine mixtures, add xanthan gum, blend with immersion blender
5. Pour 2mm thick onto silicone mats, flash-freeze with liquid nitrogen
6. Thaw at room temperature for flexible, translucent sheets

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Component 3: Smoked Bone Marrow Caviar

Spherification technique

Ingredients:

• 200g beef bone marrow, extracted
• 2g sodium alginate
• 1000ml water
• 5g calcium chloride
• Applewood chips for smoking
• Black truffle salt for finishing

Instructions:

1. Cold-smoke marrow at 15°C for 2 hours using applewood
2. Warm marrow to liquid state (37°C), strain through fine mesh
3. Create sodium alginate bath (2g per 1000ml water)
4. Mix marrow with calcium chloride solution
5. Using precision syringe, create 4mm spheres in alginate bath
6. Rest spheres for 2 minutes, rinse in clean water
7. Store in truffle oil until plating

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Component 4: Mushroom Soil Powder

Ingredients:

• 100g dried porcini mushrooms
• 50g dehydrated black olives
• 20g maltodextrin
• 5g activated charcoal powder (food grade)
• 2g smoked salt

Instructions:

1. Grind porcini and olives to fine powder in spice grinder
2. Mix with maltodextrin and charcoal powder
3. Pass through fine sieve three times
4. Season with smoked salt

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Component 5: Ocean Foam

Lecithin foam technique

Ingredients:

• 300ml dashi (kombu and bonito)
• 2g soy lecithin
• 1ml white soy sauce
• Micro sea beans for garnish

Instructions:

1. Warm dashi to 60°C, add white soy sauce
2. Add lecithin, blend with immersion blender until stable foam forms
3. Maintain temperature and texture until plating

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Plating and Presentation

Equipment Needed:

• Black slate plates (30cm diameter)
• Fine mesh sieve for powder dusting
• Precision tweezers
• Small spoons for caviar placement
• Micro pipettes for sauce dots

Plating Instructions:

1. Base Layer: Dust one-third of plate with mushroom soil powder using stencil to create organic forest floor pattern

2. Protein Placement: Position sliced wagyu cheek (5mm thick, 3 pieces) in ascending height arrangement on clean portion of plate

3. Glass Elements: Drape sea lettuce glass sheets over protein, creating translucent waves that catch li ght

4. Caviar Accent: Place 7-9 bone marrow caviar spheres using precision spoon, scattered naturally around protein

5. Foam Application: Spoon ocean foam in organic pools between elements, ensuring height variation

6. Final Garnish:

   • Fresh truffle shavings over protein
   • Micro sea beans (5-7 pieces) on foam
   • Three dots of aged soy reduction using micro pipette

Temperature Service:

Serve immediately at 45°C for optimal marrow caviar texture and beef temperature.

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Specialized Sourcing Notes

• A5 Wagyu: Source from certified Japanese suppliers (Crowd Cow, Holy Grail Steak Co.)
• Sea Lettuce: Ocean Harvest Ireland, or Pacific Harvest New Zealand
• Aged Soy Sauce: Yamaroku or Kamebishi brands (5+ year aged)
• Molecular Ingredients: ModernistPantry or Terra Spice Company
• Black Truffle: Sabatino Tartufi or local truffle hunters (seasonal availability)

Wine Pairing Suggestion

2015 Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru - the minerality complements the ocean elements while the richness mat ches the wagyu intensity.

Estimated Preparation Time: 3 days (including 48-hour sous vide) Active Cooking Time: 4 hours Difficulty Level: Michelin 3-star professional