Innholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2015 i SAVEUR

Cook the cover... #1 BRINE, RUB, STEAM-ROAST, AND SEAR THE WORLD’S GREATEST SHORT RIBS “I was going for a mix of pastrami and churrasco styles,” Justin Smillie says. And you nod, but, honestly, you’re pretty distracted by the peppercorn-encrusted, ludicrously juicy short ribs in question and don’t immediately appreciate quite how bold that Jewish deli/Latin grill mash-up really is. The chef at swank new restaurant Upland in Manhattan and author of the forthcoming Slow Fires (Clarkson Potter, November 2015), Smillie is rightly famous for his way with this sinewy and complex cut. “They’re the ultimate expression of beefi ness,” he says, as you’re taking another bite and fi nding no reason to disagree. Here he off sets that dark intensity with the acidity of lemon and the peppery radiance of…

We were somewhere in the woods of the Nagano Prefecture, following a mushroom prophet and totally enveloped in fog, when it finally hit me: We’re really doing this. We are going to open a restaurant in Japan. It was the middle of October. We’d gone through nearly two years of planning for this adventure. But there was something about this moment, about digging into the dirt and not having any idea where the hell I was, that made it all suddenly, abundantly clear. I’d dreamt of something like this for years, since I was a young cook without the money to travel, much less a restaurant of my own. As my career progressed and I managed to get my first taste of those mythical islands, the desire only deepened. I…

My mother and I were talking a few years back. This was at Woodfire Grill, a white-tablecloth restaurant in Atlanta where I was the chef and coowner. I was always excited when my parents came in to eat there because, well, they hardly ever did. And that day Mom told me the reason why. While she and my father were proud of my success, they worried that I’d graduated to some different, higher echelon of society—one to which they felt they didn’t belong. My parents thought that if they came to my restaurant, they would embarrass me. It nearly brought me to tears when she told me that. A little background: When I decided I wanted to cook for a living, I worried, truly, about telling my family. My folks…

Microwave Pluck dry leaves from parsley, oregano, or thyme stems, and lay them in single layers between sheets of paper towel. Keeping an eye out for wisps of smoke, microwave them in 15-second bursts for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they’re crisp. Oven Heat oven to 200° or its lowest temperature (on convection, if you have it). Place cherry tomatoes or grapes on a baking sheet fi tted with a rack; dry until they’re wrinkly and sweet, about 4 hours. FRUIT LEATHER A great snack, fruit leather also adds tartness to puddings and cakes. A dehydrator speeds the drying process to 4–6 hours. Forget its association with backpacking prep and raw food diets; the boxy dehydrator is a plaything for exploring taste and texture. Removing water from ingredients concentrates…

Good cooking, like good living, involves a little risk. Sure, we must learn how to control the heat, and cut with some sort of precision. But once that’s down, it’s time to start bending the rules, selectively. The best cooks I know let out their own reins and cook intuitively. They flirt with the dark, the crusty, the nearly-too-far-gone. Most of my favorite dishes teeter on the brink of burnt. I love, for example, when the mahogany edges of a pan-fried steak leave an imprint on the pan, or the seared scallop wears an espresso-colored crown, or when that bit of chopped garlic shrinks in the sizzling oil like a gold star about to burn out, its flavor fully exhaled into the oil. This point of doneness is better known…

DEGLAZE WITH TEA It’s an old Quebecois kitchen habit to use strong black tea, which has tannins similar to red wine, to deglaze a pan. After meat is browned, transfer it to a plate. Add 1⁄2 cup strong black tea and an acid (for poultry, 1–2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, and for red meat, 1–2 tbsp. red wine vinegar); cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet, until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in 2 tbsp. cold butter, salt, and pepper. Makes 1⁄3 cup. CRÈME DE SOJA Th is sauce, which McMillan learned from legendary Montreal chef Nicolas Jongleux, involves soy sauce, but tastes completely French. It’s a deceptively easy accompaniment to royale of rabbit liver, boudin, and meaty fi shes. To make it, whip 1⁄2 cup heavy cream…

Ten years ago, I was a young fool in Paris in search of cliché. Between walks along the Seine with my lady-friend, I sought out what I considered the inevitable Parisian revelation: the moment when you try something for the first time—pot-au-feu, a croissant, a cake named after a train station—and experience immediate, life-defining enlightenment. Specifically I sought revelation at a much-admired cheese shop where I purchased some Alsatian Munster. This cheese promised epiphany, as I’d read somewhere that it was the World’s Greatest Cheese. As if setting the scene for fond recollection later in life, I brought my precious Munster to a park with a view of the Eiffel Tower. I slowly unwrapped the cheese, like Charlie Bucket with his Wonka Bar. My knife broke through the pale orange…

Tap, tap. I begin to dice an onion. I have a tic in the kitchen. Tap, tap. Someone brought it to my attention once: I tap my knife twice on the cutting board before I begin to chop. It happens spontaneously; I barely notice. From these brief introductory beats, I launch into the meditative state of work. Th e smell of white wine hitting butter and rice fl oats through the air of the kitchen and I snap out of my trance. Suddenly and uncontrollably, the memories come fl ooding back. Now I am reminded of the very fi rst time I made risotto, when the steam of the white wine hit my face. I love it—smell and memory, both. My mind wanders and I’m off thinking of a risotto,…

ROASTED CARROTS WITH CARROTTOP PESTO AND BURRATA SERVES 6 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. extravirgin olive oil 1 1⁄2 lb. small carrots with green tops (2 carrots peeled, remaining carrots scrubbed and trimmed, leaving 1” green tops, leaves and tender stems reserved) 2 1⁄2 tsp. flake sea salt, such as Maldon 3 tbsp. unsalted butter 4 cloves garlic (3 unpeeled and lightly crushed, 1 peeled) 1⁄2 cup packed basil leaves 1⁄2 cup walnuts 1⁄4 cup grated parmesan, plus more for garnish 8 oz. burrata or fresh mozzarella, drained 2 1⁄2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 Heat oven to 500°. Heat 1⁄4 cup oil in a 12” ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Add trimmed carrots and 1 tsp. salt; cook, turning carrots as needed, until browned, 6–8 minutes. Add butter and crushed…

#49 TREAT YOUR LEFTOVERS RIGHT Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen’s ceramic bowls with fi tted wood lids do double duty as serving vessels and storage containers. The sturdy matte pottery bases come in an assortment of muted colors and sizes, each topped with a lid of polished walnut or oak that can also be used as a platter. (VVD Pottery, $230–395; suiteny.com) #50 SERVE WITH STYLE Detroit jewelry metalsmiths Adam Whitney, Gabriel Craig, and Amy Weiks recently expanded to refi ned kitchenware at their store, Smith Shop ($200–398; smithshopdetroit.com). Their beautiful hand-forged and handriveted steel and copper pieces make a statement . #51 DRESS UP COCKTAIL HOUR Based on the surrealist parlor game cadavre exquis, Christian Lacroix’s “Love Who You Want” porcelain coasters ($95 for a set of four; myvistaalegre.com)…

#79 Spruce Salt Use this salt from Jonathon Sawyer, chef of The Greenhouse Tavern in Cleveland, on game meats, veggies, or wherever you want a fragrant, foresty, and slightly Nordic note. To make it, dehydrate 1⁄4 cup spruce buds (order from spruceontap.com; see page 72 for more on dehydration). Grind buds into a powder using a spice grinder; stir in 1 cup Maldon flake sea salt. Store at room temperature up to 1 month. Makes 1 cup. #80 Keg Dreg Vinegar Jonathon Sawyer turns party leftovers into vinegar: Place 8 cups malt or wheat beer in a sterilized 1-gallon glass jar; whisk to aerate. Cover mouth of jar with a triple layer of cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band; set in a warm, dark place for 6 hours. Uncover…

Francis Mallmann tossed fragrant logs on a pyre and lit the fi res before dawn. The chef was setting up a fi esta for a friend, and we were on the desolate, still-cold plain east of Uruguay’s Rio de la Plata. Offering a cup of Lapsang souchong for breakfast, he said, grinning: “I like to start the day with this tea because it’s smoky.” Gauchos raked coals around staked sheep, sides of beef, an entire pig covered with cut lemons. By late afternoon, buzzards circled on thermals above us, enticed, as we were, by the smell of popping fat and charring bones. I sought shade under a stand of eucalyptus. Every now and then, one of the asadores would whip out a wickedly long blade and slice off chunks of…