Winter is kimchi-making time. In the past, I've made batches with cabbage, bok choy, and thinly sliced cauliflower. This year, I'm back to the traditional Chinese cabbage variety.
Although kimchi is not in my culinary heritage, it holds an inextricable position in my family of deliciousness. Another esteemed member, brown butter–though seemingly disparate, has an affinity for kimchi. Linked by dimethyl sulfide, their symbiotic relationship feels like a toasty warm blanket on a cold winters night.
romanesco steak. buckwheat. lamb bacon. kimchi. brown butter.
serves 4
kimchi stock
If your kimchi has plenty of liquid, you can decrease the amount of vegetable stock. Adjust the finished stock with salt and additional spice and acid to make it vibrant.
500g (18 oz) kimchi
125g (4.5 oz) vegetable stock
Puree the kimchi with the stock in a blender. Strain through a chinoise. Reduce the stock by half.
romanesco steak
Cooking a thick cut of romanesco cauliflower in brown butter and kimchi infuses it with a nutty, meaty flavor with a kick of fiery spice.
2 1" thick crosscut slices of romanesco cauliflower, each cut in half
40g brown butter
100g kimchi stock
salt
Season the cauliflower with salt and place in sous vide bag with the brown butter and stock. Vacuum and seal bag. Sous vide at 85C for 20 minutes. keep warm.
lamb bacon
At the restaurant, we get saddles of lamb from Colorado. After they're broken down, we're left with sheets of creamy fat, striated with meat, from the backs. Because the sheets are thin, I glue 2-3 layers together and cure them to make bacon.
4 1/4" thick slices lamb bacon
Bake in a 300F oven until golden and crisp. Chop finely.
buckwheat groats
Buckwheat groats, also known as kasha, are a psuedocereal as they do not grow from a grass. The cooked seeds have a nutty, mild mushroom flavor.
1 1/2 cups buckwheat groats
3 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp salt
In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add buckwheat and salt. Stir well, cover, and turn heat down to low. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Reserve half of the cooked groats to make puffed buckwheat.
puffed buckwheat
reserved cooked buckwheat
2 cups canola oil
Drain buckwheat well and spread out in a single layer on dehydrator tray or on a baking sheet. Dehydrate or bake in a 150F oven until groats are hard, dry, and shriveled. Place the oil in a deep pan and heat to 375F. Drop dehydrated groats into hot oil in small batches. They will puff immediately. Scoop out with a fine mesh spoon and transfer to paper towels to dry. Repeat with remaining groats.
kimchi and brown butter emulsion
Glycerine flakes are a fatty acid ester that is soluble in fat. It has the ability to thicken oils and form 
emulsions from fat and water-based mediums.
emulsions from fat and water-based mediums.
70g (2.5 oz) brown butter
11g (.40 oz) glycerine flakes
60g (2.10 oz) kimchi stock
salt
Place brown butter and glycerine flakes in a saucepan and heat over medium heat just until flakes melt. Place the stock in a bowl and gently heat over simmering water until lukewarm. Very slowly drizzle the oil into the stock while whisking vigorously. When all of the oil is incorporated, the mixture may look as if it is separating. Set the bowl into a larger bowl of cold water and whisk vigorously until mixture is smooth and stable. Season with salt. The emulsion can now be gently warmed by whisking over warm water.
to finish
Blackened garlic is made by roasting whole, unpeeled garlic cloves in a 325F oven until they are hard, dry 
and black. Grated over a finished dish, they act as an earthy and mildly bitter seasoning. Store fragrant tubers such as ginger root, galangal, and tumeric in the freezer and microplane over a dish just before serving to brighten its aroma and flavor.
and black. Grated over a finished dish, they act as an earthy and mildly bitter seasoning. Store fragrant tubers such as ginger root, galangal, and tumeric in the freezer and microplane over a dish just before serving to brighten its aroma and flavor.
blackened garlic
frozen galangal
finely chopped kimchi
Arrange a half-slice of cauliflower on a plate. Next to the cauliflower, place a small mound of chopped kimchi. Cover the kimchi with the cooked buckwheat. Sprinkle with the puffed buckwheat. Make another mound of chopped lamb bacon next to the buckwheat. Place a dollop of warmed emulsion on the plate. Microplane the frozen galangal over the buckwheat. Microplane the blackened garlic over the cauliflower and emulsion.
Playing with Fire and Water 
Yum… I’d like to explore this taste pairing.
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