Dish: Equilibrium of Ash and Nectar

Conceptual Narrative:
This dish explores the philosophical tension between decay and rebirth, represented through the unexpected harmony of white chocolate and black garlic. White chocolate (nectar) symbolizes purity, sweetness, and potential; black garlic (ash) embodies transformation, depth, and umami-rich decay. Each component is a study in contrasts—texture, temperature, flavor—yet unified through meticulous technique. The plating evokes a minimalist Japanese garden after rain, where dark earth meets delicate blossoms.

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Components & Techniques

1. Black Garlic & White Chocolate Ganache Sphere

Unusual pairing as the heart of the dish.
Ingredients:

• 100g high-cocoa-butter white chocolate (Valrhona Opalys 33%)
• 50g black garlic paste (sourced from fermented Korean black garlic)
• 60g heavy cream
• 2g agar-agar
• 10g unsalted butter
• Maldon salt

Technique: Spherification via reverse spherification (to withstand heat of the cream).

1. Blend black garlic with cream until silky; strain through chinois.
2. Heat cream mixture to 85°C, whisk in agar-agar, simmer 2 minutes.
3. Pour over finely chopped white chocolate, emulsify with immersion blender.
4. Add butter, blend until glossy. Pour into hemisphere silicone molds (1.5cm diameter), freeze solid.
5. Once frozen, seal two hemispheres with a touch of melted white chocolate to form spheres.
6. Roll spheres in edible charcoal powder mixed with matcha for a “charred” appearance.
   Serving: Keep at -5°C until plating (center should be cool but not frozen).

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2. Sake-Lees Cured Kampachi

Ingredients:

• 150g fresh kampachi (sashimi-grade)
• 200g sake kasu (sake lees)
• 30g miso paste (white)
• 15g grated ginger
• Yuzu kosho (for seasoning)

Technique: Low-temperature enzymatic curing.

1. Mix sake kasu, miso, and ginger into a paste.
2. Coat kampachi fillet entirely, vacuum-seal.
3. Cure at 4°C for 12 hours.
4. Rinse gently, pat dry, slice into 2mm thick petals.
5. Finish with microbrush of yuzu kosho on one side.

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3. Chrysanthemum Tea Gelée & Seaweed Soil

Ingredients:

• 300g clear chrysanthemum tea (steeped 10g dried chrysanthemum flowers in 90°C water)
• 4g kappa carrageenan
• 5g toasted nori, pulverized
• 10g black sesame seeds, ground
• 5g dried shiitake powder
• 10g panko, toasted with tamari

Technique: Fluid gel and savory crumble.

1. Heat tea to 80°C, whisk in carrageenan, simmer 3 minutes.
2. Pour into a shallow tray, chill until set, then blend into a fluid gel.
3. For soil: combine nori, sesame, shiitake powder, and tamari panko. Bake at 120°C for 15 minutes until crisp.

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4. Roasted Bone Marrow Emulsion

Ingredients:

• 2 beef femur bones, split lengthwise
• 200g grapeseed oil
• 50g leek whites, finely chopped
• 2g xanthan gum
• 10g lemon juice

Technique: Centrifuge emulsion.

1. Roast marrow bones at 180°C for 25 minutes, scoop out marrow.
2. Blend marrow with grapeseed oil at 65°C, add leeks, blend again.
3. Strain through coffee filter, chill to separate fat.
4. Use fat layer, blend with xanthan gum and lemon juice until airy emulsion. Charge in iSi whipper with one N2O cartridge.

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5. Pickled Cherry Blossoms & Foraged Herbs

Ingredients:

• 20 salt-pickled cherry blossoms (available spring season, or preserved)
• Micro shiso, kinome leaves, wood sorrel
• Edible gold leaf (optional)

Preparation:
Rinse cherry blossoms lightly to reduce saltiness. Arrange herbs on damp paper towel.

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Plating Presentation

Canvas: A large, handmade ceramic plate in the shape of a fractured river stone (matte black).

1. Soil Base: Sprinkle seaweed soil in a curved line across the plate, resembling a garden path.
2. Gelée: Quenelle chrysanthemum fluid gel beside the soil.
3. Kampachi: Arrange 3 kampachi petals overlapping on the gelée.
4. Sphere: Place black garlic-white chocolate sphere off-center on the soil.
5. Emulsion: Pipe bone marrow emulsion in tiny dots around the sphere, using a squeeze bottle.
6. Herbs: Place cherry blossoms and micro herbs as if growing from the soil.
7. Temperature Contrast: At the table, pour hot smoked dashi broth (65°C) from a teapot over the sphere, partially melting it to reveal the interior.
8. Final Touch: Grate frozen foie gras over the dish using a Microplane for a “snow of umami.”

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Sourcing Notes

• Black Garlic: Source from fermented Korean black garlic (available from specialty purveyors like Earthy Delights).
• Kampachi: Use day-boat, sushi-grade kampachi (likely from Japan or Hawaii).
• Sake Kasu: Available at Japanese markets or online (Cold Mountain brand).
• Chrysanthemum Flowers: Dried food-grade chrysanthemum from Chinese herbal stores.
• Kinome Leaves: Japanese prickly ash shoots, available at high-end Japanese grocers in spring.

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Concept Closure

The first bite merges cool kampachi, earthy soil, and the surprising ganache that melts with warm broth—a journey from savory to sweet, umami to floral. The dish challenges the palate’s boundaries, celebrating how opposites can achieve harmony through technique and intention. It’s a meditation on transformation: garlic becomes sweet, marrow becomes light, chocolate becomes savory.

“A dish not merely eaten, but contemplated.”