Watch House Oysters, Macoun Apple and Fennel Dashi, Sliced Macoun Apple, Fennel Frond, Thai Basil & Chili Oil
Dashi, a stock made with kombu and katsuobushi, is the corner stone of many Japanese dishes including miso soup. Kombu is dried seaweed or kelp. Katsuobushi is fermented and smoked bonito tuna. The combination of these ingredients in a broth create one of the first foods to be recognized as containing the fifth flavor of "umami". Dashi is used throughout Japanese cooking much like beef or chicken stock in French cooking. It is one of the basic building blocks of many dishes. For my dish I made a dashi with the juice of fennel and apple to pair with oysters.
I juiced some of the apples and fennel bulbs, adding some ascorbic acid crystals to keep the juice from oxidizing. I placed the juice in a sauce pot over medium heat and brought it up to just under a simmer. I added some kombu and bushi and allowed everything to come together for about 10 minutes. I strained my dashi and chilled it thoroughly before plating.
I spooned some of the dashi into a bowl and arranged the oysters and garnish around it. Everything aside from the chili oil was left pretty much as is. I sliced the apples and pieces of fennel but didn't do anything to them. I placed some fennel fronds and the basil in the bowl. And I finished with drops of a spicy and very aromatic chili oil that I make and use in a variety of applications. It was a nice counterpoint to the salty sweet dashi and garnish.
I juiced some of the apples and fennel bulbs, adding some ascorbic acid crystals to keep the juice from oxidizing. I placed the juice in a sauce pot over medium heat and brought it up to just under a simmer. I added some kombu and bushi and allowed everything to come together for about 10 minutes. I strained my dashi and chilled it thoroughly before plating.
I spooned some of the dashi into a bowl and arranged the oysters and garnish around it. Everything aside from the chili oil was left pretty much as is. I sliced the apples and pieces of fennel but didn't do anything to them. I placed some fennel fronds and the basil in the bowl. And I finished with drops of a spicy and very aromatic chili oil that I make and use in a variety of applications. It was a nice counterpoint to the salty sweet dashi and garnish.