Porcini Mushroom Tea Inspired By What I Had At A...

Porcini Mushroom Tea

Inspired by what I had at a wonderful 2 Michelin starred restaurant, I tried this recipe out a couple of times, including a pop-up event for 80 guests earlier in the year. It’s a lot of work, but it’s something really fun to make. And drink :)

INGREDIENTS

The Dashi

• 130g mirin
• 1kg water
• 40g Kombu
• 40g Soy sauce
• 115g sake
• 40g katsuoboshi
• 10g Yuzu vinegar
• 5g yuzu zest
• 4g coriander leave stem
• 8g young ginger

The Porcini Butter

• 400g butter
• 80g dried porcini
• 5g sherry vinegar
• 10g yuzu vinegar
• 5g toasted sesame seed
• 5g sesame oil

The Mushroom broth

• 30g shallots, sliced thinly
• 40g garlic, sliced thinly
• 5g young ginger, sliced thinly
• 250g button mushrooms, diced finely
• 250g button mushrooms, diced finely
• 200g butter
• 1 tbsp Japanese light sesame oil
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 5g Angelica root
• ½ tsp fennel seed, toasted
• ½ tsp coriander seed, toasted
• 5-6 seeds of Tibetan Red Pepper, crushed
• 2 blades of mace
• 2 piece bay leaves
• 750ml water

The Mushroom cream

• 100g Porcini butter, cooled to around 8-10 deg C in fridge (see above)
• 3 egg whites (room temperature)
• 2 egg yolks (room temperature)
• 1 200ml whipping cream (as cold as possible)
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 tsp aged (minimum 10 years) Aceto Modena (cooled down in wine fridge, around 14 deg C)
• Chopped chives
• Nori
• Some fried garlic chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the dashi. Soak kombu in the water overnight in the fridge. Combine mirin and sake, and reduce by half, cooking off at high heat. Flambe it towards the end to give it a more concentrated flavor.
2. Bring kombu in water to just below boiling. Take off the heat, remove the kombu, strain. Add the reduced mirin/ sake solution, and the rest of the ingredients for the dashi (less the Katsuoboshi) Bring up to a low boil. Add Katsuoboshi. Once the Katsuoboshi sinks to the bottom of the liquid, turn off the heat. Let it soak for 10 minutes. Strain and set aside the dashi.
3. Make the Porcini butter. Melt butter over medium-low heat, add dried porcini, and rest of ingredients. Slowly cook porcini until crispy. Strain and set aside the porcini butter. Store in fridge. Watch carefully - bring down the temperature, but don’t solidify the butter. You’ll need it in liquid, cooled state later.
4. Make mushroom broth. Slowly sweat shallots, garlic in melted butter and sesame oil. Add mushrooms and the the spices and herbs, and saute the mushrooms till they darken in color. Add the water and the bay leave and let it slowly cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Strain and set aside.
5. Combine 200ml of the dashi with 600ml of the mushroom broth. Reduce by ½ to 400ml. Set aside on a warmer.
6. Make the mushroom cream. Combine the ingredients into a ISL INOX whipper. Charge with two bullets, shake the whipper well. Pour your mushroom-dashi broth into a small drinking glass or bowl, and slowly discharge some of the mushroom cream into each glass. Sprinkle some chopped chives and fried garlic bits, and garnish with nori. Serve!