Sunchoke-Dashi Soup, Uni Powder, and Lemon Crème Fraîche

METHOD:

For the Lemon Crème Fraîche:
Mix the heavy cream and lemon juice in a stainless steel container, preferably a bain marie or deep one-sixth pan. Cover the top with cheese cloth and keep in a warm place, not to exceed 80ºF. Let stand for up to 48 hours or until it is thick enough to form stiff peaks when whipped.

For the Uni Powder:
Put uni in a dehydrator or oven with only the pilot on, until completely dry. This may take up to 48 hours. After the uni dries, grate with a micro plane to get the best texture; avoid using a spice grinder.

For the Sunchoke Purée:
Sweat garlic and green onion bulbs in butter. Add sunchokes and sweat. Cover with dashi and simmer until tender. Blanch green onion greens is boiling water and shock in a bowl of ice water. Pat dry and add to the pan with the half and half. Purée in a high speed blender while streaming in oil to achieve a smooth consistency. Chill as rapidly as possible to preserve green color. Season.

For the Lemon Salt: 
Mix zest with salt. Put on a small sheet tray and put in oven with only the pilot light on. Let stand until zest is completely dehydrated. Save lemon for finishing the plate.

For the Vegetables:
With a peeler, peel the length of the carrots and zucchini. It should look like a paper thin cross-section of the vegetable. Roll them around a wooden chopstick or pencil and shock in ice water. They should look like curls. Quarter the zucchini blossoms. Slice the radish paper thin with a mandolin and cut into strips. Once in strips, follow the same steps as the carrots and zucchini.

To Assemble and Serve:
Spoon 1 teaspoon Lemon Crème Fraîche on a round plate. With the back of the spoon, smear it about 2 inches. With a squeeze bottle put four dots of the Noble vinegar on the plate. Start building the plate with the Vegetables in a circular fashion, one curl at a time—four red carrot curls, four yellow curls, four orange carrot curls, and four zucchini curls.

Garnish with petit and micro arugulas in a lattice fashion around the plate. Finish with two pieces of zucchini flowers and plate three mounds of Uni Powder on the plate (approximately 1 tablespoon). Drizzle with olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and a heavy sprinkle of Lemon Salt. Put 4 ounces of the Sunchoke Purée in a chilled teapot and pour onto the plate tableside.