Pressed Sea Urchin Sandwiches With Soy Ginger Butter Food

STEAK WITH SOY-GINGER BUTTER

Steps:

• Mash the butter with the spring onions ginger and soy, gradually working in the soy. You can leave it at room temperature or put it in the fridge to chill. Some people like to chill it a little, then shape it into a log and wrap it in baking parchment. You can then cut the butter into rounds.
• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 2 and put an empty roasting tin or a metal baking sheet large enough to hold all the steaks into it.
• Heat a large frying pan (or 2 smaller ones) - use a cast iron one if you can - for 7-10 mins before you want to start cooking. Add a tiny bit of flavourless oil. When the pan smokes, it's ready for the steaks.
• Add the steaks to the pan. Quickly hold the fat on each of them against the base of the pan to render a little fat and colour it, then lay the steaks flat and press down with your tongs. Season with salt and flip the steaks over frequently, moving them round the pan and making sure you can hear them sizzle. If the pan gets too hot, and the surface is getting too dark, turn the heat down (you want a good dark colour, but you don't want to burn it). Once the surface is well coloured - this should take about 4 mins - transfer the steaks to the hot sheet or tin in the oven. Finish cooking the steaks in the oven - 2 mins for rare steak, 5 minutes for medium-rare. Serve with a knob of the soy butter melting over the top, some Asian greens and chips.

PRESSED SEA URCHIN SANDWICHES WITH SOY-GINGER BUTTER

Steps:

• In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over low heat. Add ginger and shallot and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes; do not brown. Let cool. Place remaining butter in a small bowl. Add ginger-shallot mixture and soy sauce and mix until very smooth.
• Cut bread into 4 pieces, then slice each piece in half horizontally. Thickly spread top and bottom surfaces of each sandwich with about 1 tablespoon soy-ginger butter. Divide uni among 4 sandwich bottoms; with a butter knife gently spread it over bread.
• Heat a griddle, sandwich press or heavy skillet until medium-hot. Close sandwiches and lightly brush top and bottom crusts with olive oil. Cook sandwich 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. If using a griddle or sauté pan, press or weigh sandwich down as it cooks. Cut each sandwich in half on the diagonal. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

SEA URCHIN MOUSSE WITH GINGER VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Make mousse:
• Sprinkle gelatin over broth in a small saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften, then cook over moderate heat, stirring, until dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Force uni through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, scraping bottom of sieve occasionally.
• Whisk in yolk, salt, lemon juice, and cayenne, then add broth mixture, whisking. Return to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until it registers 170°F on thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes. (Do not let simmer or egg will curdle.) Transfer mixture to a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture is cold and the consistency of raw egg whites, about 10 minutes.
• Beat cream with an electric mixer until it just holds soft peaks, then fold cream into uni mixture gently but thoroughly. Chill, covered, until set, about 1 hour.
• Make vinaigrette while mousse chills:
• Press hard on ginger in a small fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl to extract 1 teaspoon juice (discard solids), then whisk in lemon juice and salt. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.
• To serve:
• Spoon 1/4 cup mousse onto each of 6 plates, then drizzle with some vinaigrette.