In France, you do not call them stars or etoiles. You call them macaroons, probably because of their shape in the guide. 1, 2 or 3 macaroons - is as many as you can get.
I want to congratulate the entire staff of L2O on receiving 3 stars from the Michelin guide. Everyone has been instrumental in developing the restaurant from opening day to this point. I want to thank every one for their hard work and commitment that made this possible.
Iki Jime (活き締め?) or Ike jime (活け締め?) is a method of paralyzing and bleeding fish to maintain its quality.[1] The technique originated in Japan, but is now in widespread use. It involves the insertion of a spike quickly and directly into the hind brain thereby causing immediate brain death. A fish brain is usually located slightly behind and above the eye. When spiked correctly, the fish fins flare and the fish relaxes, immediately ceasing all motion. The blood contained in the fish flesh retracts to the gut cavity, which produces a better coloured and flavoured fillet. This method seems to minimize the pain.
With experience you can easily notice the difference between a fish prepared with the iki jime technique versus other methods. With iki jime, the flesh is clearer and tends to be softer. When the fish is eaten raw, it is really pristine and has kept all its inherent qualities as the blood has not infiltrated the meat. The suzuki pictured above will be served in two ways side by side, sashimi and seared.
We have matsutake mushrooms at the restaurant now. We are doing a simple preparation that really shows the best of the product. As soon as they are received, they are peeled and the bottom of the stem is trimmed. They are gently cleaned with a wet cloth. We usually split them, then braise them with butter and sake. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to cook them. To finish, they are cut into tiny slices and put back in the braising liquid to be glazed. Fresh lime zest is grated over them during the plating.
I just posted about Pho: The Dish, so now some detail on the dipping sauce. The dipping sauce can be served on the side or mixed directly into the bouillon. We combine four components: hot Sriracha chili sauce, Hoisin sauce, pickled red shishito pepper paste, and lime juice. This is a rare occasion where we use finished products rather than trying to make them ourselves from scratch.
The shishitos are split to remove the seeds, then pickled in a mixture of white rice vinegar, water, sugar and salt. After few day they are mixed with some of the pickling liquid into a paste. The Sriracha is composed of red chili, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. The Hoisin sauce is composed of potato starch, sugar, soy bean, vinegar and salt.
Pho, the classic Vietnamese dish, is from the southern part of Vietnam where French and Chinese influences have been the strongest. The bouillon is made out of beef (we use oxtail and chuck) and burned onions and ginger. It is cooked slowly for several hours, and during the last two hours we infuse the spices (star anise, black cardamom, coriander, white pepper, and Saigon cinnamon). The bouillon is strained and clarified to give it clearness and an amber color. The Wagyu is sliced finely and served with fresh herbs (cilantro, culantro, basil, and green onions) and few vegetables (carrot, radish, and jalapeno).
The mise en place.
The bouillon.
The dipping sauce is placed first in the plate.
The Wagyu slices cover the dipping sauce.
Herbs and vegetables are placed over the meat.
The hot bouillon is served table side so all the aromas are released and diffused in front of the guest.
The wagyu turns pink and start to cook in the hot bouillon in just a few seconds.
The macaroon shell is flavored with sweetened Meyer lemon zest, both dried and powdered versions, while the filling has an intense yuzu flavor. The yuzu, with it's powerful flavor and high level of acidity, balances the sugar content of the macaroon.
Lamb tends to have a light and gamy flavor. Even the Colorado lamb loin that we are using needs a hint of another flavor to make it magical. In my family we always cook lamb with a lot of garlic. In the restaurant we are using coffee and Irish whiskey, just for a little change after so many years. Coffee is my morning flavor, but Whiskey not my favorite at night time I love it as a match with chestnut.
We took the idea of the classic Irish coffee as the structure for the flavor profile of the plate. The coffee bean flavors the lamb during the cooking process, and then it is reinforced in the dish with a distilled coffee gel that is liquefied. The whiskey is mixed with milk and cream, stabilized with starch, then mixed into a fluffy texture. The outsider is the lettuce that bring a freshness to the dish.
Lettuce emulsion
Lamb loin
Distilled coffee
Fluffy Irish Whiskey, lava salt, lettuce leaf
Lamb jus
Sponge
500 grams water
500 grams AP flour
2 grams yeast
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and let set for 12 hours in a warm place.
Dough
450 grams AP flour
4 grams yeast
100 grams water
40 grams olive oil
100 grams milk
19 grams salt
3 grams malt powder
400 grams green olives quartered
600 grams sponge
Mix the flour, yeast, malt, water, milk and sponge together for 4 minutes. Add the salt and mix for another 3 minutes. Add the green olive and olive oil and mix for 1 more minute, until the dough feels elastic. Place the dough in a mixing bowl and cover. Let it rest for one hour. Punch down the dough, fold it and let it rest for one hour. Cut the dough and let it proof for 45 minutes. Bake in an over set at 250˚Celsius for 20 minutes.
Ceviche is one of the dishes I experienced for the first time 20 years ago in Iquitos, Peru. The fish was thinly sliced, then marinated raw in its own juices. Ceviche is usually fish or shellfish that is "cooked" by the acid in lime juice, with salt, herbs and condiments. It was delicious and I still remember it. I like the sharpness of these types of preparations that do not overpower the the fish.
At this time of the year, the tomatoes are really good, meaning sweet, red and very flavorful. The natural water of the tomato combined with toasted chili and burned tomato (split tomato burned like an onion on the flat top of the stove) gives a more intense flavor. It looks like a beef consomme with an amber color.
The lobster is steamed rare. This allows the flesh to easily be removed from the shell. The meat is finely sliced and marinated with salt and lime juice. In the plate the lobster is combined with Jalapeno, papaya, red onions, mint and shiso. The tomato water is poured over the top with few drop of mustard oil as a last touch.
We would not feel comfortable serving, a slice of foie gras in our sashimi section of the menu without the compliment of seafood. It turns out that rare cooked lobster, with its natural sweetness and chewiness, works very well with the richness of foie gras, so the dish has worked around this combination. The foie gras is seasoned with salt, black pepper and cocoa powder, then rolled in a torchon and slowly cooked to medium rare. Once it is completely chilled, it is simply sliced. The lobster cocktail is a sliced lobster, cooked only for few minutes, rolled in a cocktail sauce (mayonnaise, cooked tomato and a smoked passilla chili paste). As a we have pickled baked cherry tomato served warm and tomato noodles made out of tomato water.
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