"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