Michelin Star Recipe Design

Dish Concept: "Neptune's Garden"

A multi-sensory exploration of land-sea synergy, featuring black garlic-infused Hokkaido uni (sea urchin) paired with fermented shiitake consommé pearls, atop a bed of cryo-shattered kohlrabi snow and charcoal-grilled asparagus. The dish is crowned with gold-leaf encapsulated osetra caviar and served with a liquid nitrogen-frozen yuzu sorbet "mist".

Conceptual Narrative:
"Neptune's Garden" reimagines oceanic bounty through the lens of alchemy and time. The black garlic (aged 60 days) transforms uni’s delicate sweetness into deep umami, mirroring the earth’s transformation of seaweed into soil. Fermented shiitake pearls evoke the ocean’s mineral depth, while kohlrabi snow symbolizes glacial melt. The dish is a meditation on contrasts: fire (charcoal) vs. ice (cryo), land (garlic) vs. sea (uni), and ephemeral (frozen mist) vs. eternal (gold leaf).

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Components & Techniques

1. Black Garlic-Infused Uni with Kohlrabi Snow

Technique: Vacuum Infusion + Cryogenic Processing
Ingredients:

• 200g fresh Hokkaido uni (sashimi-grade)
• 50g black garlic cloves (sourced from Garlic Synergy, aged 60 days)
• 100g kohlrabi, peeled
• Liquid nitrogen
• Microplaned black truffle (optional)

Instructions:

1. Infuse Uni: Blend black garlic with 30g uni until smooth. Pipe into silicone molds (1cm spheres). Vacuum-seal at 0.5 bar for 2 hours. Chill.
2. Kohlrabi Snow: Cut kohlrabi into 3mm cubes. Blanch, shock in ice water. Freeze in liquid nitrogen. Store at -80°C.

2. Fermented Shiitake Consommé Pearls

Technique: Spherification + Fermentation
Ingredients:

• 500g shiitake stems (wild, foraged)
• 5g koji kin (rice koji)
• 200ml water
• Sodium alginate (1g/L) and calcium chloride (5g/L)

Instructions:

1. Ferment Shiitake: Simmer stems and water for 30 mins. Strain. Mix liquid with koji kin. Ferment at 30°C for 72 hours. Filter through coffee paper.
2. Spherify: Blend fermented consommé with sodium alginate. Drop into calcium chloride bath using ISI spherification kit. Rinse and store in oil.

3. Charcoal-Grilled Asparagus with Uni Butter

Technique: Binchotan Grilling + Lecithin Emulsification
Ingredients:

• 12 asparagus spears (thin, purple variety)
• 50g uni (raw, diced)
• 30g clarified butter
• 1g soy lecithin

Instructions:

1. Grill Asparagus: Sear over binchotan charcoal (650°C) for 90 seconds. Brush with uni butter.
2. Uni Butter: Blend uni, clarified butter, and lecithin until emulsified. Strain through chinois.

4. Gold-Leaf Encapsulated Osetra Caviar

Technique: Edible Encapsulation
Ingredients:

• 20g premium osetra caviar (sourced from Petrossian)
• 5g gold leaf (24k, food-grade)
• 2g sodium alginate (for membrane)

Instructions:

1. Encapsulate: Mix caviar with sodium alginate. Drop into calcium bath to form 5mm spheres.
2. Gold Leaf: Gently press gold leaf onto spheres using tweezers. Freeze.

5. Yuzu Sorbet "Mist"

Technique: Flash Freezing + Liquid Nitrogen
Ingredients:

• 200g yuzu juice
• 50g honey
• 5g freeze-dried raspberry powder

Instructions:

1. Sorbet Base: Whisk juice, honey, and raspberry powder. Freeze in ISI canister.
2. Mist: Shave sorbet into liquid nitrogen. Collect frozen flakes.

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Plating Presentation

1. Base: Spread kohlrabi snow in a crescent shape.
2. Main: Place 3 black garlic-uni spheres atop snow. Arrange 4 shiitake pearls around.
3. Asparagus: Fan 3 charred spears diagonally. Drizzle uni butter.
4. Caviar: Nestle gold-leaf caviar between asparagus and uni.
5. Mist: Sprinkle yuzu sorbet mist around the plate.
6. Garnish: Micro herbs (shiso, borage), edible flowers (nasturtium), and gold dust.

Plate: Bone-white porcelain with a matte black rim to highlight vibrant colors.

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Sourcing Notes

• Hokkaido Uni: Flown from Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market (air-freighted within 24 hours).
• Black Garlic: Garlic Synergy (California) – aged for exactly 60 days for balanced sweetness.
• Wild Shiitake: Foraged in Oregon’s Willamette Forest (sustainably harvested).
• Osetra Caviar: Petrossian (Paris) – Grade A, Malossol.
• Binchotan Charcoal: Binchotan USA – odorless, ultra-high heat.

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Advanced Techniques Summary

Component	Primary Techniques	Function
Uni Spheres	Vacuum Infusion	Deepens umami without cooking
Kohlrabi Snow	Cryogenic Processing	Creates textural contrast
Shiitake Pearls	Spherification + Fermentation	Concentrates oceanic-mineral flavors
Uni Butter	Lecithin Emulsification	Velvety mouthfeel
Gold Caviar	Edible Encapsulation	Luxe textural surprise
Yuzu Mist	Liquid Nitrogen Flash Freezing	Temporal flavor burst

Pairing: Serve with a 2019 Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru (white Burgundy) – its nutty notes mirror the uni’s creaminess.

"Neptune’s Garden" is a testament to transformation: where fire meets ice, land embraces sea, and time yields treasures. Each element is a standalone masterpiece, yet harmonizes to create a transcendent experience – a true symphony of haute cuisine.