Australian Southern Rocklobster with Shiso and Burdock

For the spheres

500g Water
35g Shiso
5g Jalapeno, thinly sliced
30g Lemon Juice
0.09g Sodium Hexamateaphosphate, add this directly to the lemon juice before adding the lemon juice to the rest of the mixture
5g reduced beet juice
Salt and sugar to taste
Sodium alginate, as needed

Prepare the infusion by mixing together all of the above, adding salt and pepper at the end to taste. Strain the infusion after about one hour. Weigh the result; multiply the weight of the mixture by 06%. This is the amount of sodium alginate you will need to add to the infusion. Add the alginate with the help of a bar blender.

For the calcium bath

20 g food grade calcium chloride
1kg water

To make the spheres

Dip a tablespoon measure into the calcium bath, collect enough of the liquid to fill the spoon by 1/3 pour about 25g of the infusion into the spoon and then carefully deposit the sphere into the calcium bath. Allow the spheres to sit in the calcium bath for 2 minutes and then remove them with a slotted spoon. Rinse them in cold tap water before service. The spheres can sit in plain water for up to 2 hours before service, after which time they will no longer have a liquid center.

For the burdock

1kg fresh burdock root (peeled ends trimmed)
2kg tap water
200g fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Salt, pepper, sugar to taste

Peel the burdock and hold it in acidulated water. Trim the ends of the burdock and prepare a cooking medium consisting the water, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar and the lemon juice. Cook the burdock in the acidulated water over a low flame. It will take at least one hour as burdock is a tough vegetable. Keep the mixture just below a boil and replenish the water as it evaporates away. When the burdock is tender, cool it in the water that it was cooked in. When the burdock is cool, cut it into 1.5" lengths and then cut it into julienne, store the julienne in the broth and hold both for service.

For the Southern Rocklobster

1 X 1kg Southern Rocklobster
1 large sheet konbu to cure the tail meat
Large pot of court bouillon

Remove the tail from the rocklobster. Remove the tail meat from the shell. Cook the head of the lobster in the court bouillon for six to eight minutes, ice the head. Remove the meat from the legs, antennas and the head itself. Soften the konbu in cold water. Dry the konbu with clean napkins. Wrap the tail meat in the konbu and refrigerate it for four hours before serving.

To serve

Make one sphere per plate and hold them in cold water. Drain the burdock julienne, reserve the juice. Place the julienne in a mixing bowl and season with a pinch of salt, pepper, a few drops of lemon juice and virgin olive oil. Chiffonade the shiso leaves and add them to the burdock. Place the burdock-shiso salad in the center of the soup bowls. Place a bouillon spoon in the center of the salad and rest the handle of the spoon on the rim of the bowl, place a sphere in each bouillon spoon. Remove the rocklobster tail meat from the konbu. Cut it into bite sized pieces. Place the raw meat in a mixing bowl season with salt pepper, a touch of lemon juice and virgin olive oil and in a separate bowl, season the cooked meat in the same manner. Place two pieces of raw meat and one piece of cooked meat in each bowl. Check the seasoning of the reserved burdock broth, adjust the seasoning if needed and place the broth in a sauce boat. Serve the dish to your guests and pour the broth into the bowls at the table.