Grilled Maitake

Uni Butterscotch, Uni Bottarga, and Furikake

Chef Brian Baxter of The Catbird Seat | Nashville

Adapted by StarChefs | April 2022

INGREDIENTS:

Marinated Maitake:
Yield: 40 servings
245 milliliters matsutake mushroom shoyu or white shoyu
3 grams thinly sliced garlic
120 milliliters mirin
120 milliliters sesame oil
105 grams sesame seeds, toasted
5 grams salt
Maitake mushrooms

Uni Butterscotch:
Yield: 1 pint
225 milliliters heavy cream
225 grams Bafun uni
400 grams sugar
120 grams glucose
100 milliliters sake
100 milliliters mirin
30 milliliters aged Scotch
85 grams butter
2 grams salt
5 grams uni garum, fish sauce, or dark soy sauce

To Assemble and Serve:
Yield: 1 serving
½ teaspoon furikake
¼ teaspoon grated uni bottarga or regular bottarga
Maldon sea salt

METHOD:

For the Marinated Maitake:
Add shoyu, garlic, mirin, sesame oil and 75 grams of sesame seeds to a Vitamix blender. Blend until smooth. Stir in salt and remaining sesame seeds. Transfer to a nonreactive container and add mushrooms. Let marinate 15 minutes.

For the Uni Butterscotch:
In a pot, bring cream and Bafun uni to a boil. Transfer to a Vitamix blender then purée until smooth. Pass through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside. In a separate pot, add sugar, glucose, sake, and mirin. Cook until the mixture reaches 320°F. Remove from heat and whisk in the uni cream. Return to heat and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 340°F. Remove from heat and then add Scotch. Whisk in butter in batches, whisking constantly to emulsify. Stir in salt and uni garum. Let cool. Transfer to a squeeze bottle. 

To Assemble and Serve:
Slowly grill 1 ounce Marinated Maitake until caramelized and beginning to char. Glaze with 1 ounce Uni Butterscotch. Add grilled Marinated Maitake to a serving plate. Crust the top with furikake and bottarga. Finish with sea salt.

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