A Broth of Heirloom Tomatoes with Strawberries and koji

A refreshing and vibrant chilled broth made from tomatoes, strawberries, and koji. Theres a number of components to this dish, but these could mostly be made in advanced.

Clarified Strawberry Juice

Blend the strawberries on high speed for 20-30 seconds. Transfer the mixture into containers and place them in the freezer. Once frozen, remove the strawberries from their containers and allow them to hang in a perforated gastro using a clean, moist kitchen towel or muslin cloth over a deeper nonreactive gastro in the fridge until they are completely thawed. Once thawed, keep them vacuum-sealed and frozen until needed.

Clarified Tomato Water

Blend the tomatoes and vines. Transfer the mixture to containers or a gastro and place it in the freezer. Once frozen, remove the tomatoes from their container and allow them to hang in a perforated gastro, using a clean, moist kitchen towel or muslin cloth, over a deeper nonreactive gastro in the fridge until they are completely thawed. Once thawed, keep them vacuum-sealed and frozen until needed.

Lacto Koji Water

Take the koji and blend it in 500 g batches in the Thermomix, along with 2 parts water to 1 part koji (by weight), on high speed for 1 minute. Combine all the batches of blended koji water to ensure a uniform final product, and record the total weight. Add 2% salt by weight to this mixture (30 g), and whisk briefly to incorporate.

Transfer the completed mixture to large vacuum bags and seal them securely. Move the sealed bags of salted koji water to a room maintained at a constant temperature of 28°C for 4–5 days, or until the pH drops to 3.7 or lower. The resulting mixture should have a sweet, sour, and fruity flavor. If it tastes vinegary or alcoholic, it has fermented excessively.

Remove the lactic-fermented koji water from the bags. Once again, mix the contents of each bag together to ensure consistency in the batch. Freeze the mixture in containers, leaving space for expansion within the freezer.

After freezing, take the solid blocks of lactic koji water out of their containers and place them in cheesecloth on a shallow, perforated gastro tray. Position the tray over a deeper gastro tray to catch any drippings. Cover the setup and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days, until the blocks are completely thawed and devoid of any easily extractable liquid. Do not wring out the thawed mass, as this could allow cloudy impurities to pass through.

The clear, yellowish-orange liquid collected in the lower tray is the finished, clarified lactic koji water. Store it in a vacuum-sealed container and keep it frozen until needed, to prevent further fermentation.

Strawberry & Koji Sauce  

Mix all the ingredients together and store them in a refrigerated, airtight container or vacuum bag until ready for service.

Olive & Chilli Oil 

Place the chilies in a thermomix with the oil and blend at 80°C on high speed for 8 minutes. Transfer the blended oil from the thermomix to a container and allow it to infuse overnight in the fridge. The following morning transfer the oil to a fine mesh strainer and let it hang over a container, covered in the fridge for 24 hours. Reserve the oil vacuum sealed, in the freezer until needed to prevent oxidation.

Peeled Tomatoes

Bring a pot of unsalted water to the boil. Lightly score an ‘x’ into the base of the tomatoes. Quickly blanch and shock the tomatoes. Remove them from the ice water and peel them of their skin. Dry them off and store them in a container with olive oil.

Assembly

Place the tomatoes and strawberries in a bowl, mixing up sizes and colours to create a random arrangement; place the coriander seeds on top of the fruit and garnish with the herbs and flowers. Add drops of the chilli oil to the sauce and sauce tableside.