Serves 6
The garden biosphere was inspired by a project I did for the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts. We were working on a food replicator, the kind you see in sci-fi films, where you push a button and boom: food magically appears. I started thinking about other ways to approach the challenge. What if we replicated food the natural way? What if we grew the replicated foods we were serving, rather than replicating them using a machine? The first step was to create a sustainable environment for growing produce in a restaurant in the city. Thus, our indoor farm was born.
This edible terrarium is a nod to our efforts to eliminate food miles by growing produce on site. We start with a mushroom puree and dehydrated mushroom “dirt.” Crunchy spears of asparagus shoot out of the dirt. Sautéed oyster mushrooms appear to grow out of the soil, and crystal lettuce leaves adorn the plate. We serve the course in a glass “biosphere” complete with a tiny rake and shovel. This compact garden is an homage to hyper-local gastronomy as well as a glimpse into what the future of food might hold.
15 grams canola oil
500 grams cremini mushroom tops, quartered
3 grams salt
150 grams shallots, sliced
50 grams unsalted butter
15 grams garlic, sliced
140 grams water
5 grams solera sherry vinegar
300 grams cremini mushrooms, quartered
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 shallot, sliced
20 grams canola oil
5 thyme sprigs
1.5 grams salt, plus more for seasoning after processing
3785 grams (1 gallon) water
50 grams salt
25 grams sugar
18 spears asparagus
100 grams oyster mushrooms, roots trimmed
0.5 gram salt
15 grams canola oil
1 thyme sprig
2 garlic cloves, minced
25 grams shallot, minced
25 grams unsalted butter
12 crystal lettuce sprigs
Dehydrator
6 glass biospheres
Put the oil in a medium saucepot set over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the mushrooms to the pot and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are nicely caramelized. Season with the salt. Add the shallots, butter, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the water, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to remove any caramelized bits, and remove from the heat. Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree on high for 1 minute. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, season with the sherry vinegar, and keep warm in a small pot until ready to plate.
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Put the mushrooms, garlic, shallot, oil, thyme, and 1.5 grams of salt in a mixing bowl and mix well to blend. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the mixture out on the pan. Roast for 30 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and transfer the mushrooms to a dehydrator tray. Dehydrate for 1 hour at 140°F or in your oven at the lowest setting until completely dry. Transfer the mushrooms to a food processor and pulse them until they resemble dirt. Season with additional salt to taste. Reserve in an airtight container until ready to plate.
Put the water, salt, and sugar in a large stockpot set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Prepare an ice bath. Blanch the asparagus in the seasoned water for 30 seconds and immediately transfer it to the ice bath. Drain the asparagus, pat dry, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to plate.
Put the mushrooms in a small bowl and season with the salt. Put the oil in a medium sauté pan set over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the thyme and let it infuse in the oil for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender and golden brown.
Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and add the butter to the pan. When the butter stops foaming, add the shallot and garlic, stirring to coat them in butter. Turn off the heat and return the mushrooms to the pan. Toss well and keep warm until ready to plate.
Use 6 large glass biospheres as the plate. Put 20 grams of Mushroom Puree on a small, clean garden shovel and set it inside 1 of the biospheres. Cover with 10 grams of Mushroom Dirt. Place 15 grams of Oyster Mushrooms on top. Put 3 spears of asparagus on top of the shovel. Place 2 sprigs of crystal lettuce on top to garnish. Repeat with the 5 remaining biospheres and serve immediately.