Koji-Glazed Maitake with Smoked...Koji-Glazed Maitake with Smoked Sunchoke Silk and Roasted Allium Jus

A refined celebration of forest umami featuring caramelized maitake glazed in shio koji, nestled over a velvety smoked sunchoke purée and finished with a crystalline roasted allium-kombu reduction.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the Roasted Allium Jus: Char onion halves cut-side down in a dry cast-iron skillet until deeply blackened. Transfer to a saucepan with 600ml water, kombu, dried shiitake, charred shallots, and black garlic. Simmer gently for 35 minutes, strain through a fine chinois, return to low heat, and reduce with tamari and mirin until glossy and syrupy.

2. 02

   Make the Smoked Sunchoke Silk: In a covered saucepan, sweat the sliced sunchokes in 1 tablespoon of smoked oil over low heat for 10 minutes without browning. Add cashew milk, cover, and gently simmer until completely fork-tender (approx. 15 minutes). Transfer hot mixture to a high-speed blender, add remaining smoked oil, and blend on high for 2 minutes until ultra-smooth. Season with fine salt and pass through a chinois; keep warm.

3. 03

   Marinate and Sear the Maitake: Brush the maitake clusters generously with shio koji and let rest for 15 minutes at room temperature. Heat a heavy carbon-steel pan over medium-high heat with a neutral high-heat oil. Sear the mushrooms with a parchment paper cartouche and a light weight on top to ensure maximum caramelization, about 3-4 minutes per side, basting with any pan drippings until deeply browned and tender.

4. 04

   Plating: Spoon a smooth circular pool of smoked sunchoke silk onto the center of warm shallow ceramic bowls. Perch the charred maitake cluster centrally atop the purée. Delicately drizzle the hot roasted allium jus around the perimeter, finish with drops of green chive oil, flaky sea salt on the mushroom caps, and fresh wood sorrel.