Get Off of My Cloud.

Tell me about the farm and how it guides decisions in the kitchen and behind the stove. How do you bring the idea of a regenerative ecosystem into the kitchen?

As restaurant people, we have to look at it from a guest point of view. Our intention is to capture moments in time, then be stewards to bring those moment to the guest. We try to bridge a gap between what's happening in nature, the holistic world of plants, vegetables, and animals, and the guest experience.

Can you talk about how the restaurant, larder, and bake shop function as one arm, in harmony?

They work together centered through me.

It makes it a lot easier to have one vision, one outlook. As a new restaurant, it takes years of vision, executing on the vision, and training to adapt these philosophical core values to the entire team, until they start to build, grow, advance, and adopt the same ethos and visions.

We don't like to throw any labels on what we do, other than the fact that we've created a process, a system that allows us to cook more in the moment with these products. To gather and hold them for service so guests can get some of these ingredients in their varying seasonalities. That comes with multi-use techniques, our larder, the lab we have on the farm, and how we use the ingredients in the kitchen.

Explain your vision.

The vision is connecting those really precious moments in nature to our guests. We have to lead first with being grounded and connected to the moment. To hyperfocus on seasonal and micro-seasonal ingredients. The larder gives us the opportunity to capture that.

Do you mind describing the larder and its importance to the menu?

The larder connects to our core values: at a high level like this we want to be able to cook more in the moment. We want to get the ingredient, try the ingredient, and see where it's at since we also grow it. The larder gives us the opportunity to capture different elements. If we grow a very specific tomato and the tomato didn't have a very good vintage, we can still juice it, make a vinegar from it, and make a balsamic for years down the road that will go with other tomatoes. The larder really allows us to think three or four dimensionally.

Do you have a playbook when you build a dish? I'm curious about your must-do practices, elements, techniques, or checklists.

Our process is very organic. No, we don't have a checklist, but we do go through a question asking process. Where do our ideas come from? What are we inspired by? Are we inspired by the biology? Are we inspired by something nostalgic? Are we inspired by a taste or an element that we made the previous season? Process is a way of understanding where initial ideas come from and how to focus on next steps. This includes identifying biology-growing seasons and micro-seasons captured around it, and different elements that a plant, product, or animal can bring. How has the work we've done in the past influenced new experimentations for the future? The next part is more of an ideology. What's our intention? Why are we doing this? What are we working toward? This allows us to execute. Our goal is always the same: life extension of a finite moment in time, captured fresh, captured fermented, or captured for storage. We give it meaning and a story to be more connected with the product

Can you explain the menu categories and what they mean? For instance, on the menu, the chrysanthemum custard falls under the word "friendship."

Friendship comes from our very first year of farming. We had a lot of different struggles here. A new area, a new approach--one that is holistic, to understand how we connect to the land. Regenerative farming is a life-long process. How do we go back in time and get biology back into the ground? How do we get it so that the ground is happy and we're happy, too? We talk about creating a Garden of Eden here. We have to make the earth happy because we've been very backwards. In our very first year, a lot of things didn't grow very well. But one thing did--chrysanthemums. I never really knew how to use chrysanthemums until I started doing a deep dive into Chinese and holistic medicines. I read about how chrysanthemums symbolize friendship. When things for us were falling apart, here's this thing, chrysanthemums, that kept us on track and made our work worthwhile. They felt like a peace offering. We decided to start the menu off with a custard named friendship, with the blossoms of the chrysanthemum flower infused into the custard. The garnish can change micro-seasonally with the different bean blossoms, flowers, and shoots. On top, we add amazake, made in house, infused with maple blossoms, and clarified it so it's sweet and savory with beautiful textures.

Do servers explain this level of detail?

To some, yes.

I'm curious about the origin of another menu category word, "transformation," which precedes the grass-fed beef with rainbow chanterelle and cabbage. Can you talk through that one?

When we talk about transformation, that means a lot of different things. Right now we have a similar dish called "diverse biology." We work with a rancher who considers biology, soil health and adaptive stewardship as best practice inputs. He's a regenerative farmer. The farm has different grasses, mushrooms, and different types of vegetables. His cows eat this diverse biology. In doing so, he collects a lot of carbon credits. This type of farming is very transformative.

Do you apply the idea of regenerative agriculture and land management to all things at the hotel, from wine, to soap in the rooms, etcetera?

We look at everything from a few different standpoints. On the wine side, we focus on family-run and operated vineyards because many use sustainable and regenerative practices. We live in a time where keywords describe or sell things. We try to focus our efforts on sustainability and regenerative farming, understanding that they have long-term implications. We're trying to bring more philosophical awareness and transparency, to do more of a deep dive. Our wine cellar dives into the stories of people. That helps to build community.

The product arrangements presented nightly in the dining room is pretty special. How do you educate front of the house to introduce it as you would like?

That is a team effort. Our AM production team cleans and gathers some of the products that we put on ice. We talk about the biology. These are our seasonal or micro-seasonal ingredients that we grow. These are the ingredients brought in or foraged. The raw ingredients start the dining experience off by bringing in a touch of the farm and the outside world.

Can you talk about the carrot pie, geoduck, and sherbet?

We try to plant certain varieties higher in anthocyanin to attract bee population. Right now, we have Kyoto carrots--beautiful plant intelligence. Underneath all that soil pops a beautiful dark, dark red color. I love sea urchin and we use it on this dish. The tart shell is made from caramelized grains pressed with a waffle iron.

The geoduck has tropical notes. We experiment with a few different varieties of dry farm plants and more exotic plants. And these are gagon melons, a kind of giant cucumber. These have been poached in magnolia, liquid shio koji, and magnolia vinegar, then served with freshly sliced geoduck and a milk made from rice and fig leaves.

While most of my dishes are not based on nostalgia, the aerated sherbet is. We had a bumper harvest of melons this year as opposed to last year when it was just too cold and also really hot. Not a great season. Growing up, melons were a highlight, especially the last 2-3 weeks of summer. I remember eating fresh melon and rice pudding with my grandpa in Missouri. Probably a long, lost tradition.

How has your appreciation for Oregon changed and evolved since you lived here previously?

It's a dream to come back to Oregon and try to open a world destination-type restaurant. There are so many good products, and this area has a really unique ecosystem that feels very protected. When I first lived here, I remember every season as being so abundant. On the return, I've definitely seen first-hand how climate disruption has started to affect abundance. Summers are longer and hotter. Winters are colder and wetter.

What kinds of opportunities are you creating for cooks to grow as a team--considering you are a bit of an island in a desert oasis.

I think that's it. When I first moved here, I was 18. There was no restaurant like this for a cook to apply to. One had to go to New York or California. At that time, even in California it was literally just The French Laundry. Hopefully we are bringing new opportunities closer to individuals who want to live and work around great products. Granted, this whole area has really good food at many different levels.

We would like to be a place where cooks can come and learn, be inspired by these ideas and grow our region and our food culture. It's hard to grow food culture in America because it's very centered around money.

What's the platform for learning, creativity, or satisfaction?

The connectedness between different ingredients, farming aspects, cooking techniques, and attention to detail. We're definitely a unique learning environment. We offer information and guidance and care and structure. It's always up to the individual to decide how they're going to absorb the information.

Can you talk about your passion for family-style restaurants? I read a quote where you said something to the effect of 'everyone's happy in these settings.' That family-style restaurants are experiences that bring people to a place of pure enjoyment.' Do you feel you do that now? Provide pure enjoyment for guests?

If I'm not feeling that way, then I'm in trouble.

We all have to look at our path and our origin stories. I was raised at a turning point when a lot of Americans were moving away from farming and bigger corporate monocultures succeeded. Either you got on board or you got rid of your land. There was also a big government land grab at the time, retaking areas from farmers because farmers weren't making money. Internal family lifestyles shifted, and traditional ways of how we cooked at home and procured things almost disappeared.

When our family went out to eat, we embraced moments of gathering together. The places where we could go, have fun, and enjoy ourselves gave our family a reprieve. As a young kid, I remember getting drawn into a pub where people laughed and smiled and food was served, and I thought 'this is the best.' At a very young age, I was really interested in the social part of restaurants, the experience part. As I got older, I learned to express myself cooking with my hands. Restaurants give me the opportunity to work with my hands and make people happy.

Photos by Charity Burggraaf

Farmer Sarah Wyties brings new life to old soil

Give us a "tour" of the farm.

I'll paint a very loose visual. When you pull up to the farm, you are in wine country on rolling vineyards. It's a great location. This year, we grew in four major plots. Three plots are very small at less than a quarter acre. Then we have a i-acre larger plot that we grew in. The fields close to the lab have more floral, edible flowers and herbs, and frequently-picked crops like peas. We plant these close to the laboratory--the mothership--because in a permaculture mindset, land is broken into zones. It's not unlike how you might organize a shelf in your household: the things you reach for most are kept the closest at ergonomic heights. Some of our longer-growing stuff, our melons, beans, and all of our summer crops, are further afield. This season, we expanded our growing area, working with the soil we have. Every year we build on its fertility and health.

Tell me about the soil. Where you started with it. Where you are now.

The soil is not the most primo vegetable-growing soil in the world; we're not on a river bottom. We are on this beautiful ridge, perfect in its own way, with acidic and some clay composition--perfect for grape growing.

okta's owners, Shaun Kajiwara and Katie Jackson are passionate grape growers and wanted to share the land with other crop families to create diversity. The farm was a black walnut orchard historically, but because of the chemical in black walnut trees that prevents the growth of some plants, the land was lying fallow. We're bringing back the land to usefulness.

When we started, the land was extremely compacted. We did a lot of work this year to increase drainage, opening it up deeply to allow water to flow naturally through the ground. Boosting available nutrients, we added compost and fungi inoculant. That was a big spring project.

We imported that fertility. We plan to continue that fertility project in the future through cover cropping and concentrated crop rotations. Think of the soil right now as a dense brownie. We're trying to whip some air into it so it's a fluffy cake. We do that with microbes, giving them space and food to thrive. It will happen. Mother Nature is forgiving. You have to know how to pay attention and watch for the signs. The roadmap will present itself.

Tell us about yourself.

I am a first-generation farmer from Missouri, from just outside of Kansas City. I moved to Oregon in 2013 after cross-country travels and farming. I even lived in Hawaii for a bit, where I did some permaculture farming. When I came to Oregon, I realized I can grow food year 'round. I joke that I took the Oregon Trail, which started in Missouri, and went to the Willamette Valley. Maybe Oregon is my ancestral home.

Can you talk about who dictates what is grown? Are some items, such as Kyoto carrots, special-requested by Matt?

Collectively, Matt and I have "what we want to do for years to come" lists. The varieties that we showcase are a collaboration. I have grown some of these things before, and some of them I have not grown before. I've grown tons of different varieties of carrots, but I have not grown Kyoto carrots. I'm always excited to try something new. The Kyoto carrot request came from the kitchen team. It's a really sweet, deep reddish-orange carrot. They grow large and pretty long--sometimes a foot long, which helps break up the compaction of the soil.

I assume you have dined at okta. As the person responsible for growing the ingredients at hand, I'm very curious about your impressions. How you digest, so to speak, the experience from the farmer's POV.

I'm guilty of not turning my farmer brain off sometimes. When I eat, I ask questions of myself: 'How can I pick this a little bit differently next time? Maybe I pick a little bit faster?' It's really cool to be behind the scenes, working and collaborating directly, getting to see my beans become miso, getting to see my melons become sherbet, seeing what goes into the lactoferments. I feel privileged to be able to sit and consume all the vegetables that I grew that were sculpted and worked on by the kitchen team.

And then to see how the dining room showcases the raw product used that night ...

I love that experience, too, because I produce a lot, if not most, of the materials for that ice chest display. The kitchen team does wild and far-out stuff with food while showcasing its beauty and rawness. I enjoy having an individual explain the stories behind the ingredients to me. I can see how the stories give diners an opportunity to connect directly and bridge the gap from raw forms.

Can you run through the farm's philosophy?

My background is 100% organic agriculture. We're definitely 100%-and-beyond organic. I strive to work with the environment at all times, trying to close as many loops as possible. That means not purchasing outside of the farm to import fertility. There are two ways of farming: the pharmaceutical approach, feeding the plant directly. Think of drip tapes that constantly push fertility through them. The plants grow and look great, but become addicted to this IV situation. A longevity approach to feeding the soil, relies on the land itself. Over time, the soil becomes efficient and a lot more balanced with the ecosystem. I like to grab ideas from every corner. Biodynamic growing and regenerative agriculture are big buzzwords right now. For me, they mean pulling in all the information possible to grow with your ecosystem in the most sustainable way for the environment. Look at how to bring in and maintain fertility, how to get water, and how to move water. Shaun and Katie have really beautiful outlooks about their vineyards and land, and where they want to push their ethos. I'm excited to jump in with a team that really wants to continue regenerative practices, while also pushing the envelope by bringing in animals and doing things in a biodynamic way.

"Bring in animals"?

Animals are so useful to soil. They break down raw material and, in that moment, turn it into fertilizer that inoculates the soil for the future. Imagine if a mower could also produce its own fertilizer and drop it at the same time you mowed.

Sheep, for instance, are fantastic mowers when moved around appropriately. On the farm now, we have sheep grazing in the pasture. This winter, they will be harvested and the meat will go to Matt and the kitchen team. In the future, we will add birds and continue to close the loop on ecosystems, sometimes getting byproducts like eggs.

Just a note: I don't import chemical fertilizers, but a lot of organic farmer fertilizers are made of animal byproducts such as feather meal, a poultry byproduct. We are creating a roadmap to invite animals onto the property and are figuring out how best to use them on a small scale.

The farmer-chef connection is so special, braiding two different worlds as one. It's hard work--not a walk in the park. It takes dedication, effort, energy. But mostly it's an absolute privilege to be able to look at food in this way and be a part of the project.

Carrot Pie
FOR THE FAVA BEAN RICE MISO:
12 kilograms fava beans, shucked
12 kilograms fresh koji rice
1920 grams salt
FOR THE FAVA BEAN TAMARI:
5 kilograms fava bean rice miso, from above
21/2 kilograms water
FOR THE KOHLRABI PUREE:
15 grams sunflower oil
100 grams kohlrabi, large dice, 1-x1-inch cubes
20 grams liquid shio koji
FOR THE KYOTO CARROTS:
2 Kyoto carrots, unpeeled
10 grams oak shavings, soaked in water
FOR THE FARRO WAFFLE:
780 grams cooked farm
1% baking soda
200 grams liquid shio koji
FOR THE DISH:
4 or 5 fresh uni tongues
FOR THE FAVA BEAN RICE MISO: In a pot of salted, boiling water,
blanch fava beans 2 minutes. Double shuck. Run beans through a
grinder fitted with medium die. Separately, run fresh rice koji
through grinder fitted with medium die. Wearing gloves, fold ground
mixtures with salt until homogenous. Pack mixture tightly into a
fermentation vessel. Sprinkle a layer of salt on top, flattening
surface. Cover with plastic and place a weight on top. Cover with a
towel and secure tightly with a rubber band. Ferment at room
temperature, about 70 degrees, for 6 months, periodically checking
the status.
FOR THE FAVA BEAN TAMARI: Add fava bean rice miso to water and
blend well. Freeze until completely solid. Invert over a perforated
linen to thaw slowly into a bowl, refrigerated. Place strained
liquid in a dehydrator set to 140 degrees until it reaches 40 brix.
FOR THE KOHLRABI PUREE: In a large heavy-bottom pot, heat sunflower
oil to smoking. Add kohlrabi and caramelize, stirring occasionally,
allowing each cube to fully caramelize on outside, keeping insides
soft. In a colander, drain kohlrabi, then transfer to a blender.
Add liquid shio koji and blend until completely smooth and velvety.
Reserve in a squeeze bottle for service.
FOR THE KYOTO CARROTS: In a pot of simmering, seasoned water,
blanch carrots until tender. Drain, then remove skins. Place in
Josper oven, adding soaked oak shavings, and smoke for up to 1
minute to achieve desired flavor. Chill completely. Slice into very
thin rounds and reserve for service.
FOR THE FARRO WAFFLE: In a heavy-bottom pot, add cooked farro and
baking soda. Cook, stirring occasionally, until farro begins to
caramelize. Delgaze with liquid shio koji and continue to cook over
medium heat, stirring occasionally until grains turn dark amber,
plump, and liquid evaporates. Blend until completely smooth. Spread
onto a waffle iron and press for 45 seconds until cooked thoroughly
but still slightly malleable,. Cut waffle into quarters. Press
between two lipped trays to resemble a pie slice. Heat oven to 350
degrees. Bake to set the shape and fully crisp* waffle, 3 minutes.
FOR THE DISH: On farro waffle, pipe kohlrabi puree In a single
layer. Season uni tongues with fava bean tamari. One by one,
arrange uni in an inverted pyramid on top of kohlrabi puree.
Shingle carrot slices on top. Transfer to a plate and serve.

Eggplant Caviar
FOR THE KATSUOBUSHI DASHI:
1 liter filtered water
30 grams kombu
15 grams katsuobushi, shaved
FOR THE EGGPLANT:
1000 grams sunflower oil
2 pounds eggplant
1 liter katsuobushi dashi, from above
50 milliliters shoyu
FOR THE SAUCE:
80 grams dried cherries
1 ginger root, peeled, cut on bias
1 umeboshi, pit removed
450 milliliters shoyu
200 milliliters cherry blossom extract
100 milliliters filtered water
150 grams glucose
350 grams sugar
2 oxheart tomatoes, grated
100 grams lemon juice
FOR THE CITRUS WHEY:
2 liters whole milk
1 lemon, zested and juiced, strained
FOR THE DISH:
Caviar, portioned to 10-gram quenelles
50 grams cultured cream
FOR THE KATSUOBUSHI DASHI: In a pot, combine
water and kombu, bring to 140 degrees, and hold for
1 hour. Remove kombu and reserve any kombu dashi
needed for a vegetarian alternative. Bring remaining
kombu dashi to 190 degrees and add katsuobushi
shavings. Steep to desired flavor, 2-6 minutes. Strain
and chill immediately.
FOR the eggplant: In a pot, heat sunflower oil
to 425 degrees. Cut eggplant lengthwise into 2-inch
planks. Score cut sides. Fry in sunflower oil until
golden-brown and drain on a drop tray lined with
paper towels. Season katsuobushi dashi with shoyu
and place fried eggplant into liguid, marinating 1 hour.
Remove eggplant and reserve marinade for one more
use. Skewer eggplant and reserve.
FOR THE SAUCE: In a heavy-bottom pot over medium
heat, combine all ingredients and simmer for 2 hours.
Blend, and then pass through a fine-mesh sieve. Place
back Into pot and reduce until sauce coats back of
spoon. Brush onto skewered eggplant. Place over
embers to caramelize.
FOR THE CITRUS WHEY: In a pot, bring whole milk
with lemon zest to 180 degrees. Add lemon juice and
hold at that temperature until curds begin to separate
from whey. Leave mixture untouched so curd forms
a raft on top of pot and whey separates clearly and
evenly. Skim curds and strain remaining whey through
a fine-mesh sieve fitted with cheesecloth. Refrigerate.
FOR THE DISH: in bottom of bowl, spoon sauce.
Brush more sauce on grilled eggplant. Top with
quenelle of caviar. Add cultured cream to 200 grams
warmed citrus whey and aerate with a frother. Gather
foam at the top of mixture and spoon around eggplant-topped
caviar. Serve immediately.

Chrysanthemum
Custard
FOR THE CUSTARD:
72 grams dried chrysanthemum buds
300 grams cream
200 grams whole milk
7 egg yolks
7 grams salt
FOR THE BROTH:
100 grams maple blossom amazake liquid
25 grams shoyu
25 grams liquid shio koji
15 grams rice wine vinegar
FOR THE PEAS:
Seasoned water, as needed
50 grams fresh English peas
10 grams fresh incense cedar tips
FOR THE DISH:
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste
Malabar shoots
Large chrysanthemum petals, picked
Hyssop flowers, picked
Pea flowers, picked
FOR THE CUSTARD: Steep chrysanthemum buds in cream and milk at 170
degrees for 10 minutes, then refrigerate, continuing to steep for
12 hours, or overnight. Strain base and warm again to 170 degrees.
In a bowl, whisk yolks and salt until homogenous. Whisk In half of
the base, incorporating fully before pouring in remaining base.
Strain through a finemesh sieve into a chilled vessel and cover
with plastic wrap until completely chilled. Pour into desired
vessel for service. Wrap top tightly with plastic and steam at 190
degrees, 100% steam, for 18 minutes. Lower temperature to 135
degrees, 100% steam, and hold for service.
FOR THE BROTH: In a bowl, combine all ingredients and reserve.
FOR THE PEAS: Bring a large pot of seasoned water to a boil. Add
peas and blanch for 30 seconds. Immediately shock in an ice bath.
Double shuck peas. On a small hot coal bed, place Incense cedar
tips. Place peas in a tamis, then place over smoking incense cedar
for 30 seconds. Immediately chill in an ice bath.
FOR THE DISH: Remove plastic wrap from custard. In a small pot,
warm peas gently. Season with salt and lemon juice. Spoon peas onto
top of custard. Drizzle broth over the top to evenly cover surface.
Garnish with flowers and shoots.

Geoduck
FOR THE GEODUCK:
1 geoduck
Seasoned water, as needed
FOR THE FIG LEAF KOJI MILK BASE:
2 liters purified water
4 large fig leaves
150 grams koshihikari rice
200 grams fresh koji
8 grams salt
FOR THE FIG LEAF KOJI MILK:
650 milliliters fig leaf koji milk base,
from above
2 limes, halved
1 shallot, peeled
1 serrano pepper
2 1/2 grams salt
FOR THE POACHED GAGON MELON:
20 grams gagon melon, diced medium
40 grams lambkin melon liquid shio koji
FOR THE DISH:
Gagon melon, charred over embers,
diced small
1 teaspoon lacto-fermented radishes,
brunoise
Cherries, dried, ground
Geoduck clam garum
Assorted fresh flowers
FOR THE GEODUCK: Purge live geoduck
in heavily-seasoned water for 30 minutes
to remove Impurities. In heavily seasoned
boiling water, blanch live geoduck for 90
seconds and place in an ice bath immediately,
chilling for 20 minutes. Peel skin and clean
clam. Portion geoduck Into 3 sections: neck,
abdomen, and belly. Slice abdomen and belly
lengthwise, keeping neck whole.
FOR THE FIG LEAF KOJI MILK BASE: Bring
purified water to a simmer and add fig leaves.
Remove from heat and steep 12-15 minutes.
Strain and refrigerate. In a blender, blend
chilled fig leaf tea with koshihikari rice, fresh
koji, and salt on high for 3 1/2 minutes. Pass
through a superbag. Reheat milk mixture
to 170 degrees, stirring constantly to keep
homogenous. Strain through a fine-mesh
sieve and refrigerate.
FOR THE FIG LEAF KOJI MILK: Steep fig
leaf koji milk with limes, shallot, and pepper.
Season with salt and reserve.
FOR THE POACHED GAGON MELON:
Poach gagon melon pieces in melon liquid
shio koji at 160 degrees until completely
translucent, about 12-15 minutes.
FOR THE DISH: In bottom of, a bowl, place
charred gagon melon cubes, lacto-fermented
radish, and dried ground cherries. Add 2
geoduck neck slices, abdomen slices, and
1 belly slice. Stack 5 pieces poached gagon
melon on top to create a pyramid. Fill bowl
with fig leaf koji milk. Add 3-4 drops geoduck
clam garum on top of melon cubes. Garnish
with flowers.

Beet
FOR THE BEETS:
5 Cylindra beets, skin on, cleaned
1 pound salt
FOR THE TRUFFLES:
1 Burgundy truffle
100 milliliters liquid shio koji
FOR THE DISH:
Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
Malabar spinach leaves
Malabar buds
New Zealand spinach leaves
Purple and green shiso leaves
Shoyu
FOR THE BEETS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread salt on a sheet tray and top with beets. Bake
for 12 minutes. Rotate beets on salt bed and bake for
another 12 minutes. Test beets for doneness, and, if
needed, bake in 5-minute increments until completely
tender. Rub skins off and reserve. Grill beets over the
hearth, lightly smoking.
FOR THE TRUFFLES: Using a mandoline set to 1/16inch,
slice truffle, skin on. Lay slices out in a single layer.
Thirty minutes before serving, dress with liquid shio koji.
FOR THE DISH: Slice beet in half lengthwise and brush
cut sides with extra virgin olive oil. Warm In Josper oven
for a la minute smoke. On center of plate, place beet
half and arrange liquid shio koji-dressed truffle slices on
top. Garnish with an array of fresh herbs and splnaches,
undressed. Drizzle with drops of shoyu.

Tomato
FOR THE SUNGOLD PUREE:
1 shallot, peeled, minced
2 garlic doves, peeled, minced
500 grams sungold tomatoes
1 oxheart tomato
250 milliliters tomato liquid shio koji
50 grams tomato vinegar
5 grams salt
FOR THE TOMATO TARTARE:
2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, sliced
Salt to taste
FOR THE TOMATO LEAF GEL:
2 1/2 sheets silver gelatin
100 grams tomato leaf
500 grams tomato liquid shlo koji
250 milliliters amazake liquid
50 milliliters shoyu
3 grams salt
FOR THE TOMATO ICE:
50% tomato water
50% tomato liquid shio koji
FOR THE DISH:
Leek oil
Shoyu
Ice plant buds
Nasturtium flowers
Jacobsen crunchy sea salt
FOR THE SUNGOLD PUREE: In a large, heavy-bottom
pan, saute shallots and garlic until fragrant
but not caramelized. Add tomatoes and cook over
medium-low heat for at least 1 hour until thick and
jam-like. Add tomato liquid shio koji and tomato
vinegar, cooking for 15-30 minutes until thick and
flavorful. Season with salt. Pass through a fine-mesh
sieve. Reserve In a piping bag.
FOR THE TOMATO TARTARE: Slice heirloom
tomatoes into 1-inch thick steaks and place in
dehydrator at 145 degrees for 8 hours, or overnight.
Transfer tomatoes to a large sheet tray with a rack
and place over the hearth where low heat and smoke
will concentrate flavor. Chop tomatoes, season with
salt, and portion 12 grams Into 1-inch ring molds.
FOR THE TOMATO LEAF GEL: Bloom gelatin sheet
in Ice water and soak until completely saturated. In a
pot, combine remaining ingredients and heat to 170
degrees, steeping for 15 minutes. Strain. Warm 380
grams of mixture to 190 degrees, then add gelatin.
Stir until completely homogeneous. Set gel In a large
Yakumi pan and refrigerate.
FOR THE TOMATO ICE: Combine Ingredients and
freeze. When ready to use, scrape surface in a crisscross
pattern to resemble fluffy snow.
FOR THE DISH: In bottom of a bowl, place a small
dollop of sungold puree. Using an offset spatula,
top with portioned tomato tartare. Add a spoonful of
tomato leaf gel. Season with a few drops of shoyu.
Cover with a heaping spoonful of fluffy tomato ice.
Garnish with an ice plant bud and nasturtium flower.
Lightly drizzle leek oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Melon
FOR THE AMAZAKE RICE PUDDING:
600 grams cream
100 grams sugar
1 fresh vanilla bean, split, scraped
800 grams fresh koji
250 grams koshihikari rice, cooked
FOR THE MEYER LEMON SHERBET:
319 grams milk
180 grams cream
112 grams glucose
150 grams milk powder
150 grams dextrose
2 grams stabilizer
625 grams Meyer lemon juice
156 grams orange juice
262 grams cultured cream
FOR THE AERATED MELON SHERBET:
375 grams lambkin melon juice
181 grams heavy cream
75 grams sugar
75 grams yuzu juice
1 orange, zest only
1 lemon, zest only
2 limes, zest only
6 silver gelatin sheets, bloomed in ice water,
squeezed out
75 grams egg whites
FOR THE ELDERFLOWER AMAZAKE
LIQUID:
500 grams fresh koji
500 grams cooked Koshihikari rice
1000 grams filtered water
240 grams elderflower blossoms
FOR THE DISH:
Fresh lambkin melon, diced 1/2- * 1/2-inch
Fine olive oil
Jacobsen crunchy sea salt
FOR THE AMAZAKE RICE PUDDING: In a pot, bring cream to a simmer.
Add sugar, dissolving completely. Add vanilla with pod, then steep
on low until aroma becomes deeply aromatic. Strain into a
heavy-bottom pot. Add fresh koji and cooked koshihikari rice,
cooking on low to pudding consistency. Remove from heat, spread on
a pan in a single layer, and refrigerate.
FOR THE MEYER LEMON SHERBET: In a saucepot, combine milk, cream,
and glucose and bring to 104 degrees, whisking constantly. Add dry
ingredients and whisk vigorously to combine. Bring mixture to 185
degrees. Remove from heat and pass through a fine-mesh sieve into a
chilled bowl. Let cool. Add citrus juices and cultured cream,
whisking until fully incorporated.
FOR THE AERATED MELON SHERBET: In a pot, combine melon juice,
cream, sugar, yuzu juice, and zests and heat to 190 degrees. Steep
for 15 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large
stainless steel pot. Whisk in bloomed gelatin until completely
dissolved. Chill to room temperature and add egg whites, whisking
vigorously to incorporate. Cool mixture to about 98 degrees and
transfer to an iSi canister. Charge canister twice before chilling
in refrigerator. Dispense aerated melon sherbet from canister into
vessel and freeze completely. Portion for service and reserve in a
blast chiller.
FOR THE ELDERFLOWER amazake LIQUID: In a hotel pan, combine all
ingredients well. Wrap in plastic. Place in a combination oven at
140 degrees at 100% steam, or in a rice cooker on the warm setting.
Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove from hotel pan and blend. Transfer
to another container, wrap in plastic again and freeze overnight,
or until completely solid. On top of a perforated hotel pan set on
a deeper hotel pan, place linen. Add frozen block of blended
amazake and let thaw in refrigerator. Collect clarified liquid at
bottom of pan and reserve.
FOR THE DISH: Place a spoonful of amazake rice pudding in bottom of
bowl and garnish with fresh lambkin melon cubes. Dot with 4-5 drops
elderflower amazake liquid and 3-4 drops olive oil. Add Meyer lemon
sherbet quenelle. Place aerated melon sherbet on top. Season with
sea salt.

Caption: MATTHEW LIGHTNER OKTA MCMINNVILLE, OR

Article Details

Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Author:	Newman, Carol M.
Publication:	Art Culinaire
Article Type:	Cover story
Date:	Mar 22, 2024
Words:	5709
Previous Article:	The Son Also Rises.
Next Article:	BREAKING BANCHAN.
Topics:	Citrus Citrus fruits Ecosystems