Chef Paul Pairet’s restaurant Ultraviolet offers an experience that is almost impossible to illustrate. Serving a set menu to only 10 patrons at a time around a single table, the restaurant is designed to enhance any specific dish on the menu through its atmosphere – tailored through the technology of sound, scent, light, and 360° projections. Here we have chef Paul’s recipe for “Tomato Mozza and Again” – composed of two identical looking dishes made up of entirely different flavors.
Located in Shanghai, Ultraviolet was a new entry to the World’s 50 Best Restaurant, already placing at No.24. Once guests arrive at Pairet’s Mr. and Mrs. Bund, they are driven by a minibus to a secret location where their adventure awaits. Pairet and his team then cater to the exclusive group of ten to “influence, entertain, challenge, interact, celebrate, boost, immerse, [and] simply support the perception of taste through a tailored atmosphere.”
Chef Paul’s “Tomato Mozza and Again” dish plays on the concept of visual deception and “the treachery of appearance.” Through the juxtaposition of two seemingly identical dishes, chef Paul challenges whomever the patron may be to distinguish the dishes and its components through taste, alone.
And now for the recipe:
The Savory Plate
Tomato Infusion |
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|---|---|
| Ingredients 1000g cherry tomato 35g garlic 100g sherry vinegar 15g salt 15g Pernod Ricard 15g basil leaves |
Instructions Juice cherry tomatoes. Add crushed garlic, bruised basil, and remaining ingredients. Infuse overnight. Sieve through fine mesh chinois. |
Tomato Base |
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| Ingredients 500g tomato infusion 50g balsamic reduction 25g beetroot reduction |
Instructions Combine, hand blend, and sieve. |
Tomato Coulis/Granite |
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| Ingredients 500g tomato base 50g olive oil 10g balsamic reduction 5g beetroot reduction 2.5g xantana texturas |
Instructions Hand blend liquid in a narrow container. Adjust color with beetroot and balsamic reduction if necessary in order to match the color of the red fruit coulis. Add xanthana and hand blend at low speed, until mix reaches coulis thickness. Sieve through fine mesh chinois, and divide the mix into two parts. Part 1: Transfer to Pacojet and freeze for granite. Part 2: Store in a small tip squeeze bottle and refrigerate. |
Tomato Gel |
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| Ingredients 200g tomato base 1g agar 1pc gel |
Instructions Combine tomato base with agar. Boil, sieve, and add gel. Pour flat into 12×12 cm square molds. Set in fridge. Cut portions into 1.5 cm squares, 1 cm thick. |
Mozzarella Base |
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| Ingredients 200g mozzarella 200g mozzarella water 100g cream 10g olive oil 4pc gelatine |
Instructions Combine all ingredients except cream and gelatine. Vita-prep full speed until warm. Add gelatine. Fold in the cream with spatula. Sieve through chinois. |
Savory Mozzarella |
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| Ingredients 150g mozzarella base, warm 25g goat cheese 20g olive oil |
Instructions Combine all ingredients and hand blend. Store in fridge. |
Cheese Wafer |
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| Ingredients Gruyère 250g light soy sauce 250g water |
Instructions Slice Gruyère 1mm thick with cheese slicer. Combine light soy sauce and water, marinade with Gruyère slices overnight. Melt slowly in a non-stick pan, on low heat. Remove Gruyère when crispy. Portion when warm into 4×4 cm squares. |
Lemon Salt |
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| Ingredients 30g Maldon salt 2g lemon zest |
Instructions Mix all ingredients. |
Savory Tomato Pulp |
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| Ingredients 1 unit red tomato pulp 1 pinch lemon salt 3 drops olive oil 2 drops tomato reduction |
Instructions Mix all ingredients. |
The Sweet Plate
Raspberry Water |
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|---|---|
| Ingredients 1.5kg raspberries 1.5kg water 50g sugar |
Instructions Mix all ingredients in air-tight container. Steam at 100°C for 2 hours. Strain through chinois and coffee filter. |
Strawberry Water |
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| Ingredients 1000g strawberry 100g sugar |
Instructions Combine all ingredients in air-tight container. Steam at 100ºC for 60 minutes. Decant in refrigerator for 12 hours. Strain through chinois and coffee filter. |
Red Fruit Mix |
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| Ingredients 250g raspberry water 125g strawberry water |
Instructions Combine. |
Red Fruit Coulis/Granite |
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| Ingredients 500g red fruit mix 7g balsamic reduction 15g beetroot reduction 30g vanilla oil 2g xantana texturas |
Instructions Hand blend liquid in a narrow container. Adjust color with beetroot and balsamic reduction if necessary in order to match the color of the red fruit coulis. Add xanthana, and hand blend at low speed, until mix reaches coulis thickness. Sieve through fine mesh chinois, and divide the mix into two parts: Part 1: Transfer to Pacojet and freeze for granite. Part 2: Store in a small tip squeeze bottle and refrigerate. |
Red Fruit Gel |
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| Ingredients 200g red fruit mix 1g agar 1pc gelatine |
Instructions Combine base with agar. Boil, sieve, and add gelatine. Pour flat into 12×12 cm square molds, and set in fridge. Cut portions into 1.5 cm squares, 1 cm thick. |
Mozzarella Base |
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| Ingredients 200g mozzarella 200g mozzarella water 100g cream 10g olive oil 4pc gelatine |
Instructions Combine all ingredients except cream and gelatine. Vita-prep full speed until warm. Add gelatine. Fold in the cream with spatula. Sieve through chinois. |
Sweet Mozzarella |
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| Ingredients 250g mozzarella base, warm 25g sugar 25g crème fraiche |
Instructions Combine all ingredients and hand blend. Store in fridge. |
Caramel Wafer |
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| Ingredients 250g sable crumb 300g simple syrup 10g orange reduction |
Instructions Mix all ingredients. Purée using Robot Coupe. Bake at 180ºC for 8 minutes, at low fan speed. Cool to room temperature. Portion on warm surface. Store in air-tight container with silicon. |
Lemon Sugar |
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| Ingredients 30g sugar 2g lemon zest |
Instructions Mix all ingredients. |
Sweet Tomato Pulp |
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| Ingredients 1 unit red tomato pulp 1 pinch lemon sugar 3 drops vanilla oil 2 drops strawberry reduction |
Instructions Mix all ingredients. |
Plating:
Prepare two plates that look identical in design, but will be different in taste. One version will be savory, and one version will be sweet. Follow the list and photo below for reference.
The Savory Plate
Savory tomato pulp
Tomato coulis
Olive oil
Balsamic reduction
Brined black olive
Savory mozzarella
2 Basil leaves
2 Arugula
2 Tarragon
1 Oregano
Tomato gel
Cheese wafer
Tomato granite
The Sweet Plate
Sweet tomato pulp
Red fruit coulis
Vanilla oil
Balsamic reduction
Candied black olive
Sweet mozzarella
2 Basil leaves
2 Arugula
2 Tarragon
1 Mint
Red fruit gel
Caramel wafer
Raspberry granite
Tomato Mozza and Again by chef Paul Pairet. © Ultraviolet
Tomato Mozza and Again by chef Paul Pairet. © Scott Wright/Limelight Studio