“LAU LAU” DUO OF BRAISED SHORT RIBS AND MISOYAKI BUTTERFISH

Serves 2

2 pounds boneless beef short ribs 1 quart beef stock ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 4 ounces carrots, diced 4 ounces celery, diced 8 ounces yellow onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, whole 1 bay leaf, small 1 sprig thyme 2 tablespoons vegetable oil ½ cup red wine

Season short ribs and sear over medium heat until golden brown on all sides. Remove from heat, add vegetables and lightly caramelize. Add garlic, thyme and bay leaf.

Deglaze with red wine, add beef stock and short ribs. Cook in oven at 300 degrees for 4 hours. Remove ribs from the liquid once fully cooked and cool on sheetpans. Remove from cooler after ribs are cooled to 40 degrees, trim excess fat and portion into 8-ounce servings.

7 ounces butterfish 4 ounces miso marinade 1 ounce vegetable oil

Coat butterfish in miso marinade (additional miso marinade will be needed to cure butterfish). Place in pan and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 24 hours. Brush off excess watery miso marinade. Re-marinate with fresh 2 ounces of marinade for 24 hours. Remove from marinade on the third day and place on sheetpans. Recoat with fresh miso marinade and stack like sizes together in a pan. Sear butterfish on a flat top and finish under broiler.

Misoyaki marinade

1 cup dry sake 1 cup mirin (sweet sake) 1 pound shiro miso paste ¾ pound sugar, granulated

Combine all ingredients into a large rondeau and whisk to combine. Bring to a low simmer and cook until it acquires a dark caramelized, loose tar-like consistency. Let cool for marinating.

3 ounces cooked white rice 1 teaspoon lomi-lomi tomatoes 1 ounce sizzling shoyu vinaigrette 1 ounce demi-glace 2 each ti (tee) leaves

Lay ti leaves in a crossing pattern to cover a 6-inch by 6-inch square on a cutting board and place 4 ounces of short ribs on the bottom. Top with 3.5 ounces of butterfish and then cover with ti leaves and wrap tightly to secure, steam for 6 minutes until done and let rest for a minute. Partially unwrap and place into bowl off center. Place a musabi of rice at the top of the bowl, sauce with the sizzling shoyu vinaigrette, garnish with lomi-lomi on top of butterfish and serve.

Lomi-lomi tomatoes

Combine 4 ounces minced roma tomatoes, 2 ounces minced Maui onion, half-ounce minced chives, half-teaspoon hot sesame oil and half-teaspoon Hawaiian sea salt.

Sizzling shoyu vinaigrette

5 ounces onion, blender pulverized 5 ounces daikon, blender pulverized 2 ounces red bell pepper, finely minced 2 ounces yellow bell pepper, finely minced ½ ounce garlic, finely minced 1 ounce ginger, finely minced ¾ ounces cilantro, finely minced 1 ounce scallion, finely minced ¼ cup Mitsukan rice wine vinegar ¼ cup yuzu ½ cup gluten-free soy sauce ½ cup vegetable stock ½ cup soybean oil ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Place bell peppers, daikon, onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro and scallions into a pan. Heat soybean oil in a sauté pan until smoking hot (oil should be close to its ash point). Pour sizzling soybean oil carefully over the bell pepper, daikon, onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro and scallions. Be sure to cook (sizzle) all the ingredients to draw out the entire flavor from the aromatics.

Add hot vegetable stock, soy sauce, yuzu and rice wine vinegar. Adjust flavor with kosher salt and black pepper. Chill and hold for service.