Ostrvo

Večera počinje namirnicom koja se ne kuva, samo se otvori. Kamenica stiže na sto dok gosti tek sedaju, bez menija i bez objašnjenja. Uz nju ide jedna rečenica: Pre svega, more. Gost dolazi sa broda, sa plaže, iz razgovora, sa aperitiva. Kamenica ga vrati u trenutak: hladno, slano, oštar ukus Jadrana.

Jedna kamenica na poluljusci, tek otvorena, na malo drobljenog leda. Pored nje tanak rez fokače s maslinama, kratko na grilu: topao, krhak spolja, mekan iznutra. I kašika mignonette-a od komorača, limete i šalota: kiselo, sveže, oštro. More, zemlja, kiselina. Gost popije kamenicu, zagrize fokaču, a mignonette spoji jedno s drugim ili ostane netaknut. Terra ne pokazuje tehniku, nego namirnicu kakva jeste.

Kamenica: jadranska, otvorena u momentu servisa, nikad ranije. Čisti se pod tekućom hladnom vodom, mišić se odvoji nožem za kamenice, tečnost se zadrži u ljusci. Servira se na drobljenom morskom ledu. Fokača s maslinama: testo od brašna tip 0, maslinovog ulja, vode, kvasca, morske soli i crnih maslina (taggiasca ili domaće). Mesi se dan ranije, fermentira 12–18 sati u frižideru. Peče se ujutro na 220°C, 18–20 minuta. Seče se na tanke rezove (3mm) i tostira na grilu ili u rerni na 180°C 2–3 minuta pred servis. Mignonette od komorača: sitno seckan svež komorač iz lokalnog uzgoja (ubran dan ranije), sok i korica limete, sitno seckan šalot, malo belog vinskog sirćeta, prstohvat morske soli. Meša se 1–2 sata pre servisa, drži u frižideru.

The dinner begins with an ingredient that is not cooked, only opened. The oyster arrives as guests are sitting down, with no menu and no explanation. One sentence comes with it: Before anything else, the sea. Guests come from the boat, the beach, a conversation, an aperitivo. The oyster brings them into the moment: cold, salty, the sharp taste of the Adriatic.

One oyster on the half shell, just opened, on a little crushed ice. Beside it a thin slice of olive focaccia, briefly grilled: warm, crisp outside, soft inside. And a spoonful of mignonette made from fennel, lime and shallot: sour, fresh, sharp. Sea, earth, acid. The guest drinks the oyster, bites the focaccia, and the mignonette ties them together or stays untouched. Terra does not show technique, only the ingredient as it is.

Oyster: Adriatic, opened at the moment of service, never before. Cleaned under cold running water, muscle detached with an oyster knife, liquor retained in the shell. Served on crushed sea ice. Olive focaccia: dough of tipo 0 flour, olive oil, water, yeast, sea salt and black olives (taggiasca or local). Mixed the day before, cold-fermented 12–18 hours. Baked in the morning at 220°C for 18–20 minutes. Sliced thin (3mm) and toasted on a grill or in the oven at 180°C for 2–3 minutes before service. Fennel mignonette: finely chopped fresh fennel from a local farm (picked the day before), lime juice and zest, finely diced shallot, a touch of white wine vinegar, pinch of sea salt. Mixed 1–2 hours before service, kept refrigerated.

Varijacije: jedna namirnica, tri reakcije. Srdela je skromna riba, ali ima masnoću koju je teško zameniti. Citrus gravlax je otvori, dim je zaokruži, a koža postane čips. Gost proba istu ribu tri puta i svaki put je oseti malo drugačije.

Citrus gravlax: filet srdele 24 sata u mešavini soli, šećera i kore limuna i narandže. So i šećer izvuku vodu, meso se zategne, a ostane nežno. Dimljena krema od srdele: hladno dimljenje 45 minuta, zatim emulzija s maslinovim uljem, kaparima i limunom, nešto između paštete i musa. Čips od kože: koža pržena dok ne postane hrskava, tanka kao pergament. Gost proba sve tri i sam zaključi.

Variations: one ingredient, three reactions. The sardine is a humble fish, but its fat is hard to replace. Citrus gravlax opens it up, smoke rounds it off, and the skin becomes a chip. The guest tastes the same fish three times and finds it a little different each time.

Citrus gravlax: sardine fillet cured for 24 hours in salt, sugar and lemon and orange zest. Salt and sugar draw out water, so the flesh firms up but stays tender. Smoked sardine cream: cold-smoked for 45 minutes, then emulsified with olive oil, capers and lemon, somewhere between pâté and mousse. Skin chip: the skin fried until crisp, thin as parchment. The guest tastes all three and decides for themselves.

Topli konsomé od dagnje je predah: topla, mineralna tečnost posle dva hladna hoda. U prvoj verziji jelovnika posle kamenice i srdele odmah je dolazio zubatac, tri sirova ili soljena morska jela zaredom. Probao sam to na sebi i kod trećeg sam već tražio pauzu. Zato je na treće mesto došao topli konsomé, more u šolji, pa tek onda sidro večeri.

Konsomé se bistri klasično, belim raftom od dagnji, jer riblji raft daje čistiji ukus od mesnog. Kocke agar gela nose isti ukus u drugom obliku: topla tečnost u šolji i hladan gel na kašičici koji se topi u ustima. Isti ukus, dve temperature. Espuma na površini je treći, najnežniji sloj.

The warm mussel consommé is a breather: a warm, mineral liquid after two cold courses. In the first version of the menu, dentex came straight after the oyster and the sardine, three raw or cured sea courses in a row. I tried it on myself, and by the third I wanted a pause. So a warm consommé took third place, the sea in a cup, and only then comes the anchor of the evening.

The consommé is clarified the classic way, with a white raft made from mussels, because a fish raft gives a cleaner taste than a meat one. Agar gel cubes carry the same taste in another form: warm liquid in the cup, cold gel on the spoon that melts in the mouth. Same taste, two temperatures. Espuma on top is the third and lightest layer.

Zubatac mi je drag jer je pouzdan: meso je čvrsto, belo i sočno, i podnosi težinu koju sidro večeri mora da nosi. Dolazi četvrti, posle toplog konsomea. Konfit u maslinovom ulju je bogat hod i bez tog predaha mogao bi da bude pretežak. Ovako dolazi u pravom trenutku.

Tartar se seče nožem, brunoise 3–4 mm, nikad blenderom: tekstura treba da se vidi, da ne bude pasta. Začini se maslinovim uljem, korom limuna, prstohvatom morske soli i kapljicom ponzua. Odozgo ide disk agar gela od ribljeg temeljca iz Esence, gladak kao ogledalo. Konfit u maslinovom ulju na 52°C: proteini se menjaju, a kolagen ostaje nežan, negde između sirovog i kuvanog. Naduvana koža: koža zubaca sušena 24 sata, pa pržena u ulju na 190°C dok ne nabubri kao jastučić. Jako hrskava.

I like dentex because it is reliable: the flesh is firm, white and juicy, and it can carry the weight the anchor of the evening has to carry. It comes fourth, after the warm consommé. Confit in olive oil is a rich course, and without that breather it could be too heavy. This way it arrives at the right moment.

The tartare is cut by hand, brunoise 3–4 mm, never in a blender: the texture should be visible, not a paste. Seasoned with olive oil, lemon zest, a pinch of sea salt and a drop of ponzu. On top goes a disc of agar gel made from the fish broth of the Esenca course, smooth as a mirror. Confit in olive oil at 52°C: the proteins change while the collagen stays tender, somewhere between raw and cooked. Puffed skin: dentex skin dried for 24 hours, then fried in oil at 190°C until it puffs up like a little pillow. Very crisp.

Žara je hod vatre. Za hobotnicu biram binchotan: ugalj gori na 700°C i daje toplotu bez dima i mirisa. Tu se ugledam na Asador Etxebarri: dobroj namirnici i dobroj vatri ne treba mnogo više. Prva 4 sata hobotnica se kuva na tihoj vatri, dok kolagen ne postane želatin koji drži teksturu. Onda ide na binchotan: spolja crna, unutra mekana.

Umami redukcija uz ovaj hod pravi se od povrća i ljuštura, bez mesa i bez ribe. Beli pasulj karamelizovan na jakoj vatri 12–15 minuta. Paradajz ugljenisan direktno na plamenu, neoguljen: zagoreli trag je deo ukusa. Kupus karamelizovan do tamnosmeđe boje u suvoj tavi, bez ulja. Ljušture dagnji i kamenica tostirane u suvoj tavi daju mineralni ukus mora. Sve se redukuje na trećinu i emulguje maslinovim uljem. Dobije se tamna, sjajna emulzija koja u ustima podseća i na vatru i na more.

Žara is the course of fire. For octopus I choose binchotan: the charcoal burns at 700°C and gives heat without smoke or smell. Here I follow Asador Etxebarri: good produce and a good fire need little else. For the first 4 hours the octopus cooks over a low flame, until the collagen turns into gelatin that holds the texture. Then it goes onto the binchotan: black outside, tender inside.

The umami reduction for this course is made from vegetables and shells, with no meat and no fish. White beans caramelised over high heat for 12–15 minutes. Tomatoes charred directly over the flame, unpeeled: the burnt marks are part of the taste. Cabbage caramelised to dark brown in a dry pan, without oil. Mussel and oyster shells toasted in a dry pan give a mineral taste of the sea. Everything is reduced to a third and emulsified with olive oil. The result is a dark, glossy emulsion that tastes of both fire and sea.

Odmah posle vatre dolazi rez. Posle tamne, bogate hobotnice sa žara gost dobija nešto ledeno, kiselo i zeleno, s mirisom svežeg komorača iz lokalnog uzgoja. Nepce se osveži. Ovaj hod je tu samo zbog toga.

Porcija je manja od svih pre nje: ovaj hod ne treba da zasiti, nego da probudi. Agua fresca od svežeg komorača: sok isceđen rukom kroz muslin, s limunom i morskom soli, u visokoj uskoj čaši na 2–4°C. Lakto granita: komorač fermentisan 4–5 dana sa 2% soli, kao u Nomi, zamrznut i izgreban u granitu koja se topi brže nego što gost stigne da je pojede, i baš to je cilj. Krema od pepela komorača: listovi spaljeni do belog pepela, pomešani s maslinovim uljem i morskom soli. Od Redzepija: biljka se koristi do kraja, čak i kao pepeo.

Right after the fire comes the cut. After the dark, rich octopus from the coals, the guest gets something icy, sour and green, smelling of fresh fennel from a local farm. The palate wakes up. That is all this course is for.

The portion is smaller than any before it: this course is meant to wake you up, not fill you. Agua fresca of fresh fennel: juice pressed by hand through muslin, with lemon and sea salt, in a tall narrow glass at 2–4°C. Lacto granita: fennel fermented for 4–5 days with 2% salt, as at Noma, frozen and scraped into a granita that melts faster than the guest can eat it, which is the point. Ash cream from the fennel plant: leaves burned to white ash, mixed with olive oil and sea salt. From Redzepi: use the plant all the way, even as ash.

Jagnjetina sa ostrva nosi ukus ostrva: kamena, divlje žalfije uz puteve i soli koju vetar donosi s mora. Ali u ovom hodu glavni posao radi vreme: 48 sati sous-vide na 72°C, dok kolagen ne postane želatin. Ovde Ars nije vatra, nego vreme. Hod je težak, jer treba da zaokruži sve što je bilo pre njega. Namerno dolazi posle najduže pauze u večeri, 22–25 minuta, da gosti malo porazgovaraju i ponovo ogladne.

Na kraju ide na binchotan, koji mu da tamnu koru, a meso unutra ostane meko. Ispod presovane plećke ide ista umami redukcija kao uz hobotnicu, samo ovde radi drugi posao. Mast se razlije u tanak sloj od 1,5–2 mm, ohladi dok se ne stegne, iseče na pravougaonike i prži u ulju na 180°C, 45–60 sekundi, dok ne postane providna i hrskava. Od glave do repa, u jednom zalogaju. Gostima se pri rezervaciji kaže šta je to: jagnjeća mast, hrskava.

Island lamb tastes of the island: the stone, the wild sage along the roads, the salt the wind brings from the sea. But in this course time does the main work: 48 hours sous-vide at 72°C, until the collagen turns to gelatin. Here Ars is not fire but time. It is a heavy course, because it has to round off everything before it. It comes on purpose after the longest pause of the evening, 22–25 minutes, so guests can talk a little and get hungry again.

At the end the binchotan gives it a dark crust, while the meat stays tender inside. Under the pressed shoulder goes the same umami reduction as with the octopus, doing a different job here. The fat is spread into a thin layer of 1.5–2 mm, chilled until firm, cut into rectangles and fried in oil at 180°C for 45–60 seconds, until translucent and crisp. Nose to tail, in one bite. Guests are told at booking what it is: lamb fat, crisp.

Jezgra ne treba da zasiti. Pitanje je jednostavno: šta ostane kad se skloni sve suvišno? To je Modus. Divlja smokva raste po ostrvima i u avgustu prezrela pada uz puteve. Za ovakav desert bolju namirnicu ne bih ni tražio.

Sorbet s maslinovim uljem i soli: prezrele smokve izblendirane sa malo šećernog sirupa, tako da se oseća voće, a ne šećer. Na kašiku sorbeta idu maslinovo ulje prvog ceđenja i fleur de sel: masnoća ulja, so i kiselost smokve. To je od Botture. Smokva karamelizovana brenerom, sa sirom sa ostrva: Maillardova reakcija na voću, kao kod Roce. Čips od lista: listovi smokve osušeni i pečeni, pa gost jede i biljku oko ploda, ne samo plod. To je od Redzepija.

Jezgra is not meant to fill you. The question is simple: what is left when everything unnecessary is taken away? That is Modus. Wild figs grow on the islands and fall overripe along the roads in August. For a dessert like this I wouldn't look for a better ingredient.

Sorbet with olive oil and salt: overripe figs blended with a little sugar syrup, so you taste the fruit, not the sugar. On a spoonful of sorbet go first-press olive oil and fleur de sel: the fat of the oil, salt, the acidity of the fig. That one is from Bottura. Fig caramelised with a torch, with island cheese: the Maillard reaction on fruit, as Roca does it. Leaf chip: fig leaves dried and baked, so the guest eats the plant around the fruit, not only the fruit. That one is from Redzepi.

Poslednji hod dolazi bez najave. Osoblje ga tiho spusti na sto dok gosti još pričaju ili gledaju more, bez reči. Kartica iz Jezgre i dalje stoji na stolu. Maslinovo ulje je bilo u gotovo svakom hodu ove večeri: u fokači, u kremi od srdele, u tartaru i konfitu od zubaca, u umami redukciji uz Žaru i Patinu, u kremi od pepela, u sorbetu. Sada dolazi samo, u tri oblika. Ono što je bilo tu celo veče sada dobija ime.

Gelato od maslinovog ulja: ulje emulgovano u bazu od crème anglaise, obrađeno u Pacojetu. Zelenkast i kremast, a u prvom planu su travnat ukus, gorčina i ljutina ulja. Sferifikacija po Adrijinoj tehnici: tečno maslinovo ulje u tankoj opni od alginata, jede se u jednom zalogaju i odmah se istopi. Biskvit iz mikrotalasne: vazdušast, nestane u ustima i ostavi samo miris. Uz Talog dolazi kartica s rečenicom iz AsketCuisine beleški. Svake večeri je druga, pa gost koji dođe ponovo dobije novu.

The last course arrives without announcement. Staff quietly set it down while guests are still talking or looking at the sea, without a word. The card from Jezgra is still on the table. Olive oil has been in almost every course of the evening: in the focaccia, the sardine cream, the dentex tartare and confit, the umami reduction for Žara and Patina, the ash cream, the sorbet. Now it comes on its own, in three forms. What was there all evening now gets a name.

Olive oil gelato: the oil emulsified into a crème anglaise base and spun in the Pacojet. Greenish and creamy, with the grassiness, bitterness and pepperiness of the oil up front. Spherification by Adrià's technique: liquid olive oil inside a thin alginate skin, eaten in one bite, melting at once. Microwave sponge: airy, gone in a moment, leaving only a scent. With Talog comes a card bearing a sentence from the AsketCuisine notes. It is different every evening, so a guest who comes back gets a new one.