“I wanted to use bold flavors with [the tonburi],” Cruz says, and “lamb fat goes very well with it.” He seared lamb shoulder as well, serving it with the risotto and dehydrated tonburi, plus two more preparations: tonburi rice crackers and tonburi chimichurri sauce. For the first he cooked the seeds with rice and water, spread the mixture onto a silicone mat, and dehydrated it, then deep-fried the crackers so they’d puff up like chicharrones. The chimichurri sauce, in addition to tonburi, involves vinegar, salt, pickled ramps, parsley, and cilantro. “That added a lot of depth and flavor; the tonburi itself pops,” Cruz says. The last element of the dish was a sea urchin espuma (aka foam), which added salinity and a contrasting texture. Tasting it, Cruz noted, ” This is actually really good. I’m pretty surprised with myself.”
