Truffle chawanmushi
- Starter
- Challenging
- 4-8, depending on the size of your serving bowls (or eggshells!)
- 2 hours
PT2H
Chawanmushi – a savoury steamed egg custard – is a popular dish in Japan, often served with various toppings and prepared with dashi for an umami-rich finish. Here, it's given a hefty dose of luxury thanks to an aerated potato mousse flavoured with miso and truffle. The result is a beautifully minimalist dish which shows how important a part presentation can play.
Ingredients
Dashi
- 500ml of water
- 10g of bonito flakes
- 5g of kombu
Egg
- 100g of egg
- 10g of mirin
- 3g of light soy sauce
- salt , to taste
- black truffle , finely sliced
Miso truffle foam
- 250g of Maris Piper potatoes
- 100ml of double cream
- 100ml of whole milk
- 1 tsp saikyo miso
- truffle oil, to taste
- salt , to taste
Equipment
- Espuma gun
- Large steamer
Method
1
Begin by making the dashi. Place the kombu in the water and leave overnight in the fridge to infuse
- 5g of kombu
- 500ml of water
2
The next day, gently heat the kombu-infused water (with the kombu still in it) to 60°C, then keep the water at this temperature for 1 hour
3
While the dashi infuses, make the foam. Peel the potatoes and dice them, ensuring each piece is the same size. Boil the potatoes in unsalted water until soft – around 10-15 minutes – then drain and allow to steam-dry in a colander
- 250g of Maris Piper potatoes
4
After 1 hour, remove the kombu from the water, increase the temperature to 90°C, then add the bonito and remove from the heat. Leave to infuse for 2 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve and set aside to cool
- 10g of bonito flakes
5
Run the potatoes through a potato ricer twice to ensure they are very well mashed, then pass through a fine sieve
6
Place the cream, milk and miso into a small saucepan and gently warm through until well combined. Gradually add this mixture to the potatoes until you have a smooth, thick sauce-like consistency (you may not need all the cream mixture). Season to taste with salt and truffle oil, then transfer to an espuma gun and charge with 2 nitrous gas canisters. Keep the espuma gun in a pan of warm water (ideally around 50°C) until ready to serve
- 100ml of double cream
- 100ml of whole milk
- 1 tsp saikyo miso
- truffle oil, to taste
- salt , to taste
7
Once the dashi has cooled, weigh out 300g of it and combine with the egg, mirin and light soy, stirring well. Season with a pinch of salt, then pass the mixture through a fine sieve into your chosen bowls (or cleaned eggshells, if you have them!)
- 100g of egg
- 10g of mirin
- 3g of light soy sauce
- salt , to taste
8
Briefly run a blowtorch over the top of the egg mixture to remove any bubbles or air pockets, then cover with cling film and steam for 5-10 minutes, or until the mixture has just set
9
To serve, unwrap the set egg mixture and top with a few slices of truffle. Cover with the potato and truffle foam, then finish with another slice of truffle, stamped out with a small ring cutter
- black truffle , finely sliced
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Truffle chawanmushi
