Who's Hungry? Magazine | Spring 2013 | No 7

s p r i n g 2 0 1 3 N O 0 07

a n n i v e r s a r y i s s u e

2

FEATURES

2 C O N T E N T S

38

48

High Spirits: Color Bars

Pâte À Choux

50

58

40

An Interview withGail Simmons

Food Porn

Julia &The New Kid

20

14

06

22

The Art of the Splash

In Season:The Extraordinary Egg

Portrait of a Chef:Art Smith

Ask a Chef:Favorite Kitchen Tools

24 Garden Story:A Two Part Feature

3

4 Contributors

5 Letter from Steve

6 Top 5: Spring-iest Salads

12 Portrait of a Chef

14 The Extraordinary Egg

20 The Art of the Splash

22 Ask a Chef: Favorite Kitchen Tools

24 Garden Story

38 High Spirits: Color Bars

40 Julia & The New Kid

48 Pâte À Choux

50 An Interview with Gail Simmons

58 Food Porn

72 Hidden Gems: Backwoods

74 The King of Salmon

80 How We Did It

82 Recipe Index

CONTENTS

CONTACTS

3C O N T E N T S

media inquiriesJudith Mara | [email protected]

Deirdre O’Shea | [email protected]

sponsorship opportunitiesDeirdre O’Shea | [email protected]

representationSchumann & Company | www.schumannco.com

[email protected] | 312.432.1702

stephen hamilton 1520 W. Fulton | Chicago, IL 60607

www.stephenhamilton.com

72 Hidden Gems:

Backwoods

80 How We Did It

N O 0 07

74 Weather Permitting:The King of Salmon

4

deborah madison | Chef, Writer and Cooking Teacher

Deborah Madison is America’s leading authority

on vegetarian cooking and author of the

groundbreaking Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Her latest cookbook, Vegetable Literacy, illuminates

the connections among vegetables from the same botanical families and

offers suggestions on how they might work together in the kitchen. For Who’s

Hungry?™ magazine, Deborah sheds light on another intriguing theme from

her book: using the whole plant.

heather sperling | Chicago Editor of Tasting Table and Co-founder of Fête

Heather is the Chicago editor of Tasting Table, a

free daily email publication about the country’s

best food, drink, chefs and more. A co-founder of

Fête (a pop-up night market and cultural festival

celebrating the finest in Chicago’s food and design) and food editor of The

Chicagoan, her work has appeared in Plate Magazine, TheAtlantic.com, and

Planet Green. For Who’s Hungry? magazine, Heather explores some of the

best—and most colorful—drinks of the season.

sarah levy | Pastry Chef, Cookbook Author and Food Consultant

Pastry chef and food consultant Sarah Levy

delighted millions as the owner and proprietor of

Sarah’s Pastries & Candies, one of Chicago’s most

popular confectioneries since its opening in 2004.

She is the author of Sweetness: Delicious Baked Treats for Every Occasion, and has

been featured in USA Today, Better Homes and Gardens, BRIDES magazine

and many more. For Who’s Hungry?™ magazine, Sarah reveals her favorite

recipe for pâte à choux, the “sexy black dress of pastry.”

4 C O N T R I B U T O R S

judith mara | Editor and Writer

Judith has worked with Stephen for almost

seven years and helps to lead the editorial concept

and execution of Who’s Hungry?™ magazine. An

award-winning former creative director for major

ad agencies such as Leo Burnett and J. Walter

Thompson, Judith sweats the details, pens Weather Permitting and

literally hand writes How We Did It.

ian law | Design

Ian designed every aspect of Who’s Hungry?™

magazine with meticulous attention to detail and

typography, and helped turn static images into an

interactive experience. His award-winning design

work has been featured in the pages of Print,

Creativity, How, PDN and Graphic Design USA.

dannielle kyrillos | Writer and Television Commentator

A series judge on Bravo’s Top Chef Just Desserts,

Dannielle is an expert on stylish entertaining, food,

fashion, and travel. She appears regularly on NBC’s

Today and The Nate Berkus Show, as well as on E!

News, BetterTV, CNBC, CNN, and local morning programming in New York

and Philadelphia. For Who’s Hungry?™ magazine, Dannielle scouts out the

season’s Spring-iest salads.

ian knauer | Writer, Author, Soon-to-be Television Personality

A former editor at Gourmet Magazine, Ian

develops recipes for Food Network and contributes

regularly to Bon Appétit. His own PBS show, The

Farm, will air this summer and bring to life the

stories and recipes from his celebrated cookbook by the same name. For

Who’s Hungry? magazine, Ian takes us on a journey through his garden and

unearths some valuable insight along the way.

sara moulton | Chef, Cookbook Author, Television Personality

One of the hardest-working women in the food

biz, Sara has hosted multiple Food Network shows,

served as Gourmet magazine’s executive chef for 23

years, and balanced it all with family life. She has

written three cookbooks, and hosts her own PBS show, Sara’s Weeknight Meals.

For Who’s Hungry?™ magazine, Sara reflects on her long relationship with

Julia Child.

c o n t r i b u t o r s N O 0 0 7

bryan olsen | Writer and Performer

Bryan Olsen is a writer and performer for Barely

Political’s “The Key of Awesome.” Additionally, he

wrote for Comedy Central’s Roast of David Hasselhoff,

and sold a screenplay to Paramount Pictures and

Ivan Reitman. As an actor, Mr. Olsen has appeared

on several episodes of Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show. For Who’s Hungry?™

magazine, Bryan gets dirty with some tantalizing food porn.

todd womack | Comedian and Writer

Todd Womack is a Brooklyn-based comedian who

has been a writer/performer on the gigantic YouTube

series The Key of Awesome, since 2010. The series has

over 1 billion views to date, and can be found on the

YouTube channel “Barely Political.” His credits include

Good Morning America, 20/20, Chappelle’s Show; and appearances on Bravo, VH-1,

TNT, and in Esquire magazine. For Who’s Hungry?™ magazine, Todd gets dirty

with some tantalizing food porn.

55L E T T E R F R O M S T E V E | P O R T R A I T S B Y A N D R E W B U R K L E

a special thanks to: Fabio Viviani, Art Smith, Sari Zernich Worshom, Geoff Bins-Calvey, Josephine Orba, Gail Simmons,

Jennifer Evans Gardner, Dale Levitski, Sara Cruz, Vanessa Dubiel, CeCe Campise, Walter Moeller, Breana Moeller, Raymond Barrera,

Andrew Burkle, Paula Walters, Ruth Siegel, Malika Ameen, Tom Hamilton, Juan Palomino, David Raine, Kaitlyn McQuaid,

Lauren Holschbach, Justin Paris

LETTER FROM STEVE

As we embrace the growth we see outside, we also look to how

we’ve grown inside—as a magazine, and as a team. When we

launched Who’s Hungry?™ one year ago, we had a few exceptional

staff members and a simple goal of bridging the worlds of food

and photography. Since then, the magazine has evolved in ways

we never could have predicted. Not only is it a deeply satisfying

creative project, but it’s also been an opportunity to connect with

and learn from some of the most interesting and knowledgeable

professionals throughout the culinary world.

Each story in this magazine has taken us on a new adventure.

We’ve discovered innovative uses for maple syrup at Burton’s

Maplewood Farms; enjoyed holiday cookies from some of the

nation’s top bakers; sat down with our favorite chefs; explored

the secrets behind great food styling; ventured out on a Virginia

fox hunt; and been pulled into the personal stories of great

writers. I want to thank everyone involved, past and present,

who have helped make the magazine what it is today.

With one incredible year behind us, we look forward to embracing

the next and all the growth that is yet to come. I hope you’ll grow

right along with us and continue to ask “Who’s Hungry?”™

STEPHEN HAMILTON

Spring is the season of renewal. It’s that time of year

when the sun shines longer each day, the grass grows

just a little bit greener, and the earth begins to soften

in the rain, shooting up new life.

deirdre o’shea | Production Director

If you have worked with Stephen Hamilton,

you’ve worked with Deirdre. Drawing on 15 years

of experience in managing photography studios,

Deirdre has a hand in nearly every aspect of

Stephen’s business. She’s been instrumental in

organizing the magazine’s shoots, sourcing ingredients, and always keeping

production on schedule.

kathryn o’malley | Editor and Writer

Kathryn’s love of food is matched only by her

passion for writing about it; as part of the Who’s

Hungry?™ editorial team, she indulges in a bit of

both. Her popular food blog, dramaticpancake.com,

garners more than 40,000 unique viewers per month

and highlights the people and stories behind great recipes.

6 T O P 5 : S P R I N G - I E S T S A L A D S

b y D A N N I E L L E K Y R I L L O S

Spring-iest SaladsTOP 5

7P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S T E P H E N H A M I LT O N

A wise woman once said that the best part of

anything with cheese in it is the cheese. While

many would argue this is never more apt than in

the salad kingdom, smart and kindly Chef Jason

Wilson gives the exceptional burrata he lovingly

handcrafts such an elegant gang of vegetable

accomplices that somehow even this enticingly

quivering globe of creamy goodness doesn’t

overshadow its plate-mates. Sweet peas with

parts of their coats and wacky tendrils, toasty

hazelnuts, crisp carrot wisps, and a careful mix

of leafiness surround the perfectly warmed, olive-

oil-enrobed burrata, waiting to be swept up in

the inevitable creamy ooze. Like the whole Crush

experience, the dish so comfortably marries the

hallmarks of spring, exuberance and restraint,

and it’s such a lively, tasty salad you almost

forget that cheese is at its heart. Almost.

Burrata SaladCRUSH

2319 E. MADISON STREET

SEATTLE, WA 98112

206.302.7874

1 Spring-iest Salads

Dannielle Kyrillos, a series judge

on Bravo’s Top Chef Just Desserts

and expert on all things food

and entertaining, shares her five

favorite Spring-iest salads from

around the country.

Portrait by Peter Hurley

If only the Simpsons had been to Cochon.

The cartoon family taunted their most health-

conscious member with the infuriatingly catchy,

“You don’t win friends with salad!” but if they’d

tried this really green but really rich concoction,

they’d be singing a totally different tune.

Broccoli is roasted to the edge of caramelization,

intoxicatingly earthly and just barely sweet.

Roasted Broccoli & Green Bean Salad COCHON

930 TCHOUPITOULAS STREET

NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130

504.588.2123


Green beans lend a fresh crunch, and pickled

onions provide trails of pucker. Barbecued pecans

come excitingly close to serving as proof that

candy in salad might not be as horrible as we’d

thought. And the mildly kicky poblano ranch

coating the whole beautiful mess makes this the

only salad that is both veggie-laden and decadent

enough to make absolutely anyone happy.


Salade du Café CAFÉ CHRISTINE

6 COMPANY STREET

CHRISTIANSTED, ST. CROIX (USVI) 00820

340.713.1500

Certain lunch scenarios scream for a burger. Others,

like any you’ll encounter at Café Christine, whisper

conspiratorially for a proper, classic salad. Or more

precisely, une salade. Thin, rare ribbons of London broil

are draped over dainty lettuces, Gorgonzola and pine

nuts, with just a soupcon of tart dressing. It is utterly

French and exactly right for its setting, an elegant

tropical courtyard of crumbling ruins and meandering

roosters. The Christine in question, Madame Grassiot,

prepares each sublime dish single-handedly in a kitchen

marked “Private” and opens just for weekday lunch. When

this salad appears on the daily hand-chalked menu, it is a

must, as it allows room to finish the meal comme il faut,

with a slice of what very well might be the world’s best

pear-chocolate pie.

KaleA(MUSE)

44 BALTIMORE AVENUE

REHOBOTH BEACH, DE 19971

302.227.7107


4

Hari Cameron is the kind of chef you want to be

best friends with before you even meet him. His

not-quite-year-old a(Muse) is a room at once cool

and welcoming, his menu is witty and smart,

and his dishes are precise but not precious. And

when the Beard-Award-nominated thirty-year-old

emerges from his bustling kitchen to say hello,

you realize the soft-spoken artist is a problem-

solver, too. He has removed any doubt that truly

fine dining can flourish in this sleepy beach town,

and he has saved the kale salad from being the

next Caesar. His version is so inventive it’s like a

rebirth. The top leaf is actually dehydrated and

crisp, hiding a rainbow of fresh leaves, plucky

Meyer lemon and lardo. Underneath it all is

humble quinoa, scattered playfully, the texture

suggesting roe or mustard grains. Phew, kale has

been rescued!

The very best salads are those so fresh, so throbbing

with immediacy that the simple tossing together of a

few just-harvested items is enough to capture the very

flavor of a place. This is exactly what happens with

any salad at Ed Kenney’s Town, but when the version

involving avocado, papaya, cucumbers, leafy red oak and

pecans is on the menu, you will meet and then consume

Mother Nature herself. She’ll be wearing a lusty coat

of Green Goddess dressing flecked with herbs, and one

bite will evoke sunshine and fresh air and everything

good. Most all the ingredients will be from nearby MA’O

Organic Farms, on the board of which Kenney sits and

whose mission is to nurture not just gorgeous produce,

but also the region’s young people.

Avocado and Papaya Salad TOWN

3435 WAIALAE AVENUE

HONOLULU, HI

808.735.5900


12

what’s the first full dish you ever cooked, and the first one you cooked as a professional chef?The first full dish I ever cooked was Julia Child’s Coq Au

Vin. Julia’s books were my cooking school. “Chef” is a title

in a professional kitchen, and I have always considered

myself a “cook.” I have been cooking ever since I could hold

a knife, but fried chicken and biscuits are two things I’ve

always felt comfortable preparing, whether I’m cooking for

family, celebrities or politicians. I am known for saying “Fried

Chicken Takes No Sides!” Words to live by, I think.

what’s the biggest satisfaction you’ve ever had thanks to your career?Not having to ever make reservations!

who’s your biggest celebrity crush and biggest chef influences you’ve had in your life?When I was in the closet it would have been Julie Andrews in

The Sound of Music! LOL. Out of the closet, I’d say Mathew

McConaughey—he’s hot. I saved his puppy and when he

gave me a little love tap on the shoulder, I melted!

I also love and adore Chef Jamie Oliver and his mission of

taking kids off the street to teach them how to cook, and

helping children across the world eat better. He’s a selfless

man and with all that love he has created a mega-empire.

What you give out is what you get back!

tell me five favorite kitchen tools, ingredients or flavors.My cast iron skillet—I have over 400 pots but I always

use my skillet

My new Williams knives

Geechie Boy stone ground grits and rice grits

Lucini extra virgin olive oil

20-year-old balsamic vinegar

any foods you hate?Processed food. Food not cooked with love.

any fun story about a weird customer?Heck we all are weird, but that’s what I love about meeting

new people all the time in my restaurants. We may not

have a stitch in common, but we connect over food. I call

it the fine “Art of Kissing Babies.” I can walk into a snake

pit and turn it into a love pit (especially with a piece of

Hummingbird cake in tow)!

XOXO ART

P O R T R A I T O F A C H E F : A R T S M I T H

Art Smith is a two-time James Beard

Award winner, author of four cookbooks,

and executive chef and co-owner of five

restaurants including Table fifty-two, Art

and Soul, Southern Art, LYFE Kitchen, and

Joanne’s. Smith’s vast appeal lies not only

in his fresh approach to classic Southern

cuisine, but also in his dedication to uniting

people through good food and shared meals.

We invited Fabio Viviani, our previously

featured chef, to ask Smith anything he

wanted. And Smith—in his usual fashion—

responded with warmth, honesty, and a

healthy dose of humor.

Comfort food has never been so flavorful—or nutritious—as it is in

Art Smith’s Healthy Comfort, the chef’s latest cookbook.

13

P O R T R A I T O F A

CHEFb y K AT H RY N O ’ M A L L E Y

A R T S M I T H ’ S


b y

K AT H RY N O ’ M A L L E Y

I N S E A S O N : T H E E X T R A O R D I N A R Y E G G

the

14

What is there to say about the egg

that hasn’t already been said? Laden

with allusions to life and rebirth, we’ve

long been intrigued by its elegant oval

shape and all that it holds. From art and

architecture to literature and religion, eggs

are everywhere—including, of course, our

very own kitchens. We whip them into

soufflés, stir them into aioli, and sop up

runny yolks with crisp buttered toast.

P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S T E P H E N H A M I LT O N

At their best, these delicate little

orbs are nature’s perfect food,

a deliciously compact source of

protein, vitamins and minerals all

tied into one. But with so many

carton labels that are often more

confusing than they are clarifying,

how can you be sure you’re

choosing the best option—and what

do all those terms mean, anyway?

Here’s your guide to cracking the

codes of the carton.

15

16 I N S E A S O N : T H E E X T R A O R D I N A R Y E G G

Unscrambling the Egg Carton

17

egg grades: Given by the United States

Department of Agriculture, egg grades depend

mainly on the firmness of the whites, the

shape of the yolks, and the condition of

the shells. AA eggs are the handsomest of

the bunch and work well in dishes where

appearance is important, though Grade A

aren’t bad, either (the only difference being

whites that are slightly less firm). Grade B

eggs, used for processed, frozen or dried egg

products, are rarely found in stores.

natural: There are no regulations for the

term “natural,” and any producer can use this

label. It says nothing about how the hens were

raised or what they were fed.

vegetarian-fed: This means that

the hens were fed an all-vegetarian diet, free

of animal by-products, but it doesn’t tell us

anything about living conditions. If it’s the

only label on the carton, keep looking.


omega-3 enhanced or fortified: The hens’ diets were fortified

with good sources of omega-3’s, such as

flaxseed, algae or fish oil. These eggs will

contain more omega-3’s than your “plain label”

supermarket brand.

cage-free: The hens were not kept in

cages and had continuous access to food and

water, but did not necessarily have access to

the outdoors. Many cage-free birds are confined

to crowded barns or warehouses.

certified humane: This label, like

“cage-free,” means the hens were uncaged but

did not necessarily have access to the outdoors.

It’s still an improvement, though, since it

makes requirements for things like stocking

density, number of perches and laying boxes.

free range: In addition to being raised

cage-free, the hens were given access to the

outdoors. Just keep in mind that there is no

regulation dictating how long the hens must

be outside or how much room they’re given.

pasture-raised: This means that

the hens got at least part of their food from

foraging on greens and bugs, which produces

healthier and more delicious eggs.

organic: A USDA-certified organic label

means that the hens were raised cage-

free with outdoor access, on an organic

diet, and with no hormones or antibiotics.

These eggs are a healthy bet, but it’s still

worth investigating your brand of choice as

“outdoor access” can mean many different

things—from a large grassy field to a tiny

concrete porch.

18

shell color: The color of an egg

has nothing to do with health or taste;

different breeds of chickens simply

produce different colored eggs. So why are

the brown ones so expensive? Because the

chickens that lay them tend to be bigger

and more costly to feed.

yolk color: The best-tasting eggs

will have richly colored yolks. Hens with

more varied diets offer yolks that are dark

yellow or orange, indicating higher levels of

healthy omega-3’s and carotenoids.

shades of white: Believe it or not,

cloudier egg whites mean fresher eggs. If

the whites are pink, green or iridescent,

you’ll know the egg is rotten (and the smell

will make that pretty clear).

blood spots: Sometimes little blood

spots, also called meat spots, appear on the

egg yolk. This happens occasionally when

a blood vessel is ruptured while the yolk is

being formed—not exactly appetizing, but

also nothing to worry about.

those twisted strands: You know those rope-like strands of

egg white you sometimes see? Chalazae

are essentially thin strings that anchor

the yolk to the inside of the eggshell,

suspending it in the center of the white.

The fresher the egg, the more prominent

the chalazae.

I N S E A S O N : T H E E X T R A O R D I N A R Y E G G


Some More Eggsplanations

2020 T H E A R T O F T H E S P L A S H

THE ART of the

b y



Splashes, by their very nature, are

messy, unpredictable, and irregular.

But they can also be beautiful,

lending an otherwise still photo

a compelling sense of movement

and drama. So how do you go about

capturing a graceful, yet natural

looking, burst of liquid? With proper

timing, strategic angles, and a hefty

dose of patience and practice. Slip on

your rain jacket and let’s dive into

the details…

DROPPING THE OBJECT

hand dropUsing your hands is the most cost-

effective method for dropping an item

into liquid to create a splash. This

strategy can produce a lovely natural

look, but results will be inconsistent;

using an armrest or a visual marker

can help.

custom rigInvite Geoff Binns-Calvey, special

effects pro, to create a custom rig.

This clever contraption will drop

whatever object you’re working with

at a precise and consistent location

and angle—each and every time.

CAPTURING THE SPLASH

eyeing itIt’s hard to get the timing right, but with enough

trial and error you can train your eye to estimate

when your dropped object (in this case, berries)

will hit your liquid (in this case, yogurt), so you

can snap the shot accordingly.

laser triggerA more accurate and reliable option than your

eyes, a laser can be set to trigger the shutter

whenever a dropped object passes it. Of course,

it takes some fiddling to achieve the right timing,

but once you have it down, the results are

extremely consistent.

custom modelYou can always cut out timing issues completely

(and eliminate messes!) with the use of an

artificial splash made from resin or acrylic. The

one major downside? A single model can cost up

to twelve thousand dollars, and once it’s made

there is no way of adjusting it.

22

Chef Dale Levitski (Frog N

Snail, Sprout) had to think

long and hard when we

asked him what his favorite

kitchen tools are. “I have

never been a cook who

enjoys gadgets or specialty

items” was his initial answer.

And we can guess why he answered that way.

If you study his work, you’ll see ingenious

ingredients cut with masterful knife skills,

an egg that’s simply poached, or a perfect

oviform quenelle. Certainly a pure approach

to cooking that doesn’t require gadgets to get

the job done.

So what kitchen tools does Dale rely on that

could help us non-chefs perform better

in our kitchens? All we can say is, the last

thing you’ll be buying is a Manual Rotato

Potato Peeler As Seen on TV based on his

recommendations.

FAVORITE KITCHEN TOOLS

Chef Dale Levitski’s answers:

chinois (strainer) where to buy »For sauce work, a chinois is an absolute

requirement for getting the right texture

and for getting the impurities out. It refines

reductions and clears stocks as well.

boos wood cutting boards where to buy »It’s the texture of a BOOS cutting board when

you are working with your knife—the feel

is much more sexy than cutting on plastic.

They are so sturdy and your knife doesn’t

skip as much as on plastic. BOOS boards are

an amazing investment and a home kitchen

must-have. Besides, it looks pretty left out on

a countertop.

I N T R O b y J U D I T H M A R A

A N S W E R S b y C H E F D A L E L E V I T S K I

vintage spoons where to buy »Chefs fawn over spoons. My spoons are my

grandmother’s silver-plate serving spoons that

she used on special occasions. For me they are

food memories with a romantic connection.

They are perfect plating spoons for quenelles

and swooshes, and I use the slotted spoon for

lifting poached eggs out of the water. A lot of

chefs have a spoon that they so are attached

to that they’ll search an entire kitchen for

hours to find it if they lose track of it. And

they all have their own spoon story—usually

it’s about where they stole it.

ASK A CHEF

{ }

A S K A C H E F : FAV O R I T E K I T C H E N T O O L S

23

chinois (strainer)

boos wood cutting boards

vintage spoons


GARDEN STORYA TWO-PART FEATURE

by

I A N K N A U E R

&

D E B O R A H M A D I S O N

24 G A R D E N S T O R Y: A T W O - PA R T F E AT U R E B Y I A N K N A U E R & D E B O R A H M A D I S I O N

2

1

Spring Romanceby

I A N K N A U E R

The Whole Plantby


A former editor at Gourmet, Ian Knauer restored and revitalized

his family’s centuries-old Pennsylvania farm and wrote about

the experience—and the recipes it bore—in a beautifully unique

cookbook, The Farm. His PBS series by the same name begins

airing this summer.

Deborah Madison is America’s leading authority on vegetarian

cooking and author of the groundbreaking Vegetarian Cooking

for Everyone. An avid gardener and seasoned chef, Madison has

inspired generations of home cooks to think about produce in

new and exciting ways. Her latest cookbook, Vegetable Literacy,

is bound to become a classic, illuminating the connections

among vegetables from the same botanical families and offering

suggestions on how they might work together in the kitchen. Here,

Madison sheds light on another, equally intriguing theme from her

book: using the whole plant.


26

I’ve been growing my own

vegetable garden for five years

now, and I’ve learned a thing or

two about myself. Namely, that I

am a terrible farmer.

I lack any and all patience, have no love of

neat and even rows, and am absent-minded

to the point where lettuce wilts from lack of

water and weeds reach my chest, choking out

all things cultivated. Before I started growing

my own food I’d have described myself as

organized, self-reliant, patient, and focused. I

now know I am none of those things.

So what am I, then? I am a romantic. I am

eternally hopeful and naive—truly, a child

at the core. I’m also a little jaded. By last

September, I was defeated.

Last spring brought plenty of rain, soaking the

earth and plumping the seeds that had rolled

off my fingers and into the ground. They burst

to life and stretched up and out, reaching

for the sun. This is what I remember. What I

forget, or at least try to forget, is the scorching

drought that followed. The tilled earth

coughed up dust in puffs and swirls every

time the wind blew. I watered and watered,

when I remembered to, but it was pointless.

The drought lasted for months and what it

didn’t kill it shrank and gnarled. Any surviving

tomato plants looked like hundred-year-old

grapevines. The eggplants had skins as thick

as leather.

And then, it started to rain, and it wouldn’t

stop. The tomatoes, those that were left,

swelled and burst, then rotted. The eggplants

were actually washed away. The weeds

rejoiced. I planted a second crop of greens,

which were immediately eaten by either an

army of rabbits or a wiley gang of groundhogs.

G A R D E N S T O R Y: A T W O - PA R T F E AT U R E B Y I A N K N A U E R & D E B O R A H M A D I S I O N

Spring Romanceby

I A N K N A U E R

27

1


Spring Romanceby

I A N K N A U E R



Of the last five seasons there has

been just one, the first one, that

was a dream.

It took me years to eat through the jars and

jars of canned veggies from that bounty. It

was a dream because nature just worked in

my favor, not because I did anything special or

different. Maybe it’s that first year that keeps

me coming back for the fantasy. Or maybe it’s

just the man I am—innocent with hope and

blind with faith in things I don’t understand

like rain and sun and vegetable seeds.

30

Hold a radish seed in your hand and

feel it. Try to find the life it holds

inside. It is smaller than a lentil and

less perfect.

Its shape is not quite round, more rugby-ball

shaped at one end, more plum-bottomed at the

other. But there are wrinkles, prune-like, too. And

no two radish seeds are quite the same shape. If I

hadn’t labeled them as such I’d be sure they were

small pebbles, lifeless rocks. They are cold. They

are dull and brown. And they are made of magic.

Radishes are the first tiny green leaves to climb

from the spring soil, and those first leaves are

shaped like hearts, the symbol of life and love.

Imagine. Heart-shaped leaves from lifeless pebbles.

It’s the stuff of fantasy. How middle-earth.

Those who are good at farming tend to be rational

and, well, not romantic at all. They are organized

and in control of the land and the rain and the

sun. And I wonder if they also think that radish

seeds are made of wizardry. I feel sorry for them

if they don’t.


View recipe on page 82 »

spring garden hodgepodge

32

2

The Whole Plantby


The stem of cauliflower is utterly

mild and delicious—there’s no

reason to throw it out, or the tender

leaves that protect the curds. And

the same is true of a broccoli stem.

G A R D E N S T O R Y: A T W O - PA R T F E AT U R E B Y I A N K N A U E R & D E B O R A H M A D I S I O N

33

One of the subjects that has long interested

me (and frustrated me as well) is that that

we seldom see the whole vegetable since so

much is lopped off in the field long before it

gets to a store. Much like the butcher counter

with its parts and pieces of the animal, the

produce counter gives us the broccoli crowns

but not always the stems, and never the

leaves. It presents us with uniform-sized

chard leaves, collard greens, and kale when

in the garden bed leaves vary greatly in size.

Leeks are without their yards of greens; beets

and carrots don’t always have their greens

nor does chard always have its stems, and so

it goes.

If you ever see broccoli growing in a garden,

you might be amazed at how enormous a

mature plant is—three feet across—and

most of that consists of outer leaves. You

can actually eat some of those leaves—not

the oldest ones, but certainly some of the

newer ones closer to the head. The stem of

cauliflower is utterly mild and delicious—

there’s no reason to throw it out, or the

tender leaves that protect the curds. And the

same is true of a broccoli stem. As long as

it’s well peeled, you have a luminous green

vegetable to use. Artichoke stems are also

quite edible when you find them attached to

the bud. We’re just starting to find them in

supermarkets, featured as an extra—and at

extra cost. But they’ve always been there, just

not in the store.

When you grow something, or see it

blossoming in a garden, you start to wonder

what you can eat, really. What about those

luxurious radish tops that come with each

radish? It turns out they make a very good

soup, or you can braise them with their roots.

And how about those meaty-looking chard

stems? There’s a reason why they’re eaten

in France—favored in fact, over the greens.

Your arugula has gone to flower, and yes, you

can use those lovely blooms in a salad, as a

garnish. Your cilantro has bolted and made

little green balls that will turn, when dried,

into coriander. But in their green state, they’re

a boon to the cook—mysterious, pungent,

somewhere in between cilantro and coriander.

There are those who love turnip greens, but

those who never eat them. Yet they are quite

edible, and not only that, they’re the most

nutritious part of the plant, much more so

than the root.




But even beyond the garden, we can appreciate

the whole plant. I’m convinced that people are

eating many more Brussels sprouts these days

since stores have started selling the entire stalk,

festooned with its sprouts. It’s just so irresistible! I

watch people cradling their stalks with big smiles

on their faces. Suddenly a hated vegetable has

become a darling. And if its silly crown of leaves

is still attached, so much the better. (And yes, you

can eat those, too.) “Eating the Whole Plant” is a

theme in my new book, Vegetable Literacy, which

points to the possibilities for food that we usually

ignore and often don’t even see—and the many

ways we can dig just a little bit deeper.

36

ON EATING THE WHOLE PLANT

radish leaves, where the vitamins

and minerals are, are quite edible. Use them

in salads or in a radish top soup. Discard any

that are old or yellowed.

radish pods can be pickled and

can also be stir-fried as long as they’re

still tender.

carrot tops, especially the smaller,

more tender greens, have a pure carroty

flavor —perfect to garnish and season a

carrot soup or salad.

chard that has bolted (started to go to

seed) has fewer leaves and smaller ones, but

they are quite edible, even if they don’t look

like the ones you get at the store. Of course,

chard stems are very good to eat, too.

cilantro which has gone to seed makes

little green spheres that later dry and are

called coriander. In their green form, they

are quite delicious, somewhere between

cilantro and coriander. Use them in a salad

or in a sauce, over fish.

the cores of cauliflower, which so many people tell you to discard,

are just as mild and crunchy as the florets.

Nibble on them raw, or cook them with the

cauliflower florets.

broccoli stems, when thickly peeled,

are pale green, moist and crunchy. Like

cauliflower, they’re good either raw or lightly

cooked, and are a very pretty green.

some cultures eat the greens of

certain summer squashes (Cocozelle types)

and sweet potatoes, and you can too, in stir-

fries and other dishes.

collard stems will cook to

tenderness, unlike kale, and when the plants

sprout and make flowers, those parts are

tender and delicious to eat, too.



spinach crowns with sesame-miso sauce

In winter, my cocktails of choice are golden brown:

a Martinez, a Manhattan. These are the faithful

companions of cold-weather cocktail hour.

Come spring, the brighter, the fresher, the better.

The finest drinks I’ve encountered of late are as

lively in hue as they are on the palate.

On a recent balmy night in New Orleans,

after too many fried boudin balls at

Cochon, I found myself at the bar at Cure.

My request for a drinkable digestion aid

was met with a tall, fiercely crimson

Gunshop Fizz, a Cure original that’s not on

the menu but is available by request.

Peychaud’s bitters—made in New Orleans

since the 1830’s—anchor the drink, with

a full two ounces in the mixing glass.

A vigorous muddling with lemon juice,

simple syrup, strawberries, cucumber and

citrus peel follows, then a hard shake and a

topping of Sanbitter, San Pellegrino’s bitter,

rosy-hued soda. The result is a grown-

up fruit punch, juicy and bright with a

backbone of sophisticated bitterness.

Fresh celery juice colors the Green Hornet

at Trenchermen in Chicago, where Tona

Palomino, a transplant from New York’s

WD~50, mans the bar. The verdant cocktail

is the dangerously drinkable lovechild of

a gin-and-tonic/gimlet/celery ménage.

Palomino shakes the gin and juice with

lime, simple syrup and celery bitters,

and tops it with Fever Tree tonic. It has

a G&T’s freshness, bolstered by celery

and lime, with its edges smoothed by a

touch of sweetness.

To stock a home bar with vibrant

color, look to a handful of new cocktail

syrups. Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. of

Charleston, South Carolina, recently

launched small-batch grenadine made

with California-grown pomegranates,

cane sugar and orange-flower water

(jackrudycocktailco.com). Last fall,

Brooklyn’s Royal Rose (royalrosesyrups.

com) added saffron to its rainbow of

simple syrups, and the latest from

Madison, Wisconsin’s Quince & Apple is

sunny-hued lemon-lime syrup scented

with lemongrass and lime leaves

(quinceandapple.com). In other words:

Your cocktail future is looking bright.

Color Bars ‘TIS THE SEASON FOR VIBRANT DRINKS

38 H I G H S P I R I T S : C O L O R B A R S

Color Bars ‘TIS THE SEASON FOR VIBRANT DRINKS

HIGH SPIRITS

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H E AT H E R S P E R L I N G


green hornet


40

JULIA &the new kid

S T O RY & R E C I P E S b y S A R A M O U LT O N

J U L I A & T H E N E W K I D | S T O R Y & R E C I P E S B Y S A R A M O U LT O N

photo by Bill Adler

41

Think you’ve read or seen everything there

is to know about Julia Child? Well, there’s

always something new. Sara Moulton looks

back on her long relationship with Julia

and how she will always be influenced

by Julia’s natural thirst for new ways,

ingredients and gadgets.


42


rhubarb potstickers


43

How did I dream up these

spring desserts, presenting

seasonal fruits in unusual

new recipes?

I’m inspired by many things and many people:

eating out, traveling, cookbooks, online

information, and my family and friends… not

to mention my own personal lifetime of taste

memories. But nothing and no one was more

important to me than Julia Child, the first

person who taught me how to develop a recipe.

As the chef/manager of a catering operation in

Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1979, I happened

to be in the right place at the right time. One

day I was peeling a lifetime’s supply of hard-

boiled eggs when I started chatting with Berit

Pratt, one of my teammates, about Julia’s method

of cooking hard-boiled eggs (which is not to boil

them). Berit mentioned that she was a volunteer

on Julia’s PBS TV show. I wondered if Julia might

ever need another volunteer (namely me), and

Berit said that they were just about to tape

another season and she’d ask Julia.

The next day Berit told me that she’d talked to

Julia, and that Julia wanted to hire me. I was

astonished that Julia Child would even consider

offering me a paid job without having met me.

So I trotted down to the corner pay phone and

dialed her right up. She picked up the phone

herself, said she’d heard all about me, and asked

if I “food-styled.” In truth, I didn’t really have

any professional experience in food styling, but

I figured, heck, as a chef, I certainly take care to

land my food attractively on a plate. So what did

I say? “Yes, Julia. I’m very good at food styling.”

And I got the job.


44

That was the beginning of the most important

relationship of my career. I worked with Julia

on that show, Julia Child and More Company,

and on the cookbook that was published

with it. Afterwards, I assisted her at various

industry events. In the mid-eighties, I became

Julia’s prep cook/food stylist whenever

she appeared on Good Morning America. We

remained friends until she died, and I was

lucky enough to host a special on her for the

Food Network in the last year of her life.

But back to JC and More Company, for which

I was supposedly the food stylist. I learned

a ton on the job, mostly from Julia, but also

from the executive chef, Marian Morash. I

thought we’d just sit at the feet of a master

and be told what to do, but that wasn’t the

way Julia worked. We were all in it together.

Recipe development was a group effort,

although Julia of course always had the

last word.

She was endlessly curious about everything

culinary, including all new gadgets. When

Carl Sontheimer was developing the original

Cuisinart in the late seventies, Julia made a

point of using it on air so that home cooks could

learn more about it. I don’t know who first put

a blow torch in Julia’s hands, but it became her

weapon of choice for crème brûlée. She was

reliably fascinated by new ingredients, too. The

first time any of us tasted a sugar snap pea

was when someone brought it to Julia on the

set of her show. The same was true of spaghetti

squash and string cheese.


45


ORANGE JELLIES


46

Julia was also on a mission to introduce her

viewers to all of the wonderful ingredients

to which she’d first been exposed in France,

including monkfish, rabbit, and celery root.

I’d never cooked with any of them before and

each one was a real eye-opener. Julia never

hesitated using hard-to-find ingredients as long

as they were worth it. She encouraged home

cooks to become activists in pursuit of better

eating. I can still see her looking dead into the

camera and saying, “Tell your produce man

you need leeks and shallots, and he must carry

them. Tell your fishmonger that monkfish is a

delicious alternative fish to the usual options.”

This isn’t to say that Julia was merely trendy.

She always tempered her curiosity with a

strict reliance on the scientific method. Here’s

how she boiled it all down in Julia Child and

More Company:

Don’t take things for granted.

Keep searching for better

techniques, new applications,

new ways of combining

flavors. Try things out.

One’s imagination can play

one false—the only real test

is to taste.

I took that advice to heart a generation ago and

it continues to guide me today. It happens to be

spring again, the season of renewal. Why not try

something new in the kitchen?



48

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S A R A H L E V Y

ONE TECHNIQUE, MULTIPLE WAYS:

PÂTE À CHOUX

O N E T E C H N I Q U E , M U LT I P L E WAY S : P Â T E À C H O U X

49

Pâte à choux is like the sexy black dress of

pastry (not to be confused with the little black

dress). Everyone should have a great go-to

pâte à choux recipe up his or her sleeve. Pâte à

choux’s versatility makes it easy to transform

from one dessert or savory dish to the next

with just a few easy variations. This light

pastry dough recipe is at the heart of eclairs,

profiteroles, croquembouches, beignets, Saint-

Honoré cake, churros, and gougères alike. I

have unveiled my favorite pâte à choux recipe

below, and enlisted the help of two acclaimed

Chicago pastry chefs, Malika Ameen and CeCe

Campise, to help you transform this recipe

into profiteroles with Chef Malika’s decadent

chocolate fudge sauce and eclairs with Chef

CeCe’s rich chocolate cremeux filling and

caramel glaze.


my favorite pâte à choux

Pâte à choux was first created by a man

named Pantarelli in 1540. Something that

has been around that long must be delicious,

right? The choux rise because of the steam

that the water and milk create, which makes

them nice and puffy. For those of you who

like churros, you can use this recipe too;

simply fry the dough instead of baking it to

create the perfect churros.


50 A N I N T E R V I E W W I T H G A I L S I M M O N S

51

Fresh out of college and struggling to find

a satisfying career, Gail Simmons took the

advice of a friend and made a list—not of

job ideas, but of things she liked to do. On

a loose-leaf sheet of paper, she scribbled

down just four words: “Eat. Write. Travel.

Cook.” Little did she know, those four

simple words would prove much more

powerful than they seemed.

An Interview with

GAIL SIMMONSb y


Originally from Toronto, Gail now lives in

New York City where she works as Director

of Special Projects for Food & Wine. She is

famous for her television roles as judge on

Top Chef and host on Top Chef Just Desserts,

but her journey to professional acclaim

remains unfamiliar to most. Hidden behind

the spotlight are many years of hard work

as a student in culinary school, a line cook

at the legendary Le Cirque restaurant,

an assistant to Vogue food critic Jeffery

Steingarten, and manager of high profile

events for chef Daniel Boulud.

Clearly, she’s knowledgeable. But in my recent

conversation with the culinary expert, Gail

also revealed herself as kind, authentic,

insightful and funny. Below, she dishes on

everything from her most memorable meals

and the soup that shocked her, to early signs

of her future in food and advice for those

wishing to follow in her footsteps.


photo by Melanie Dunea

52

You come from a family that loves food. What are some

of your earliest and most enduring food memories?

Well, my mother entertained a lot, and

she taught this cooking school out of our

home—so there was always something

bubbling on the stove and good food to be

had. I don’t really remember it, but there is

one food story that my family is constantly

telling me. My mother had served me split

pea soup—put it in front of me on my high

chair—and kept trying to feed it to me. I

didn’t want it and because I got so fed up,

I ended up grabbing the bowl of soup and

dumping it on my own head. So, I guess I

proved the point!

My first wine memory is also sort of funny.

My father is from South Africa and we would

often go there to visit family. When I was six

years old, we all went out to the wine country,

and my parents tried to teach us, sort of, how

to taste wine, and told me I could put a little

tasting glass up to the very tip of my tongue. Of

course, my brothers were a little older than me

and kept drinking more than they should have,

so I copied them; when my parents weren’t

looking, I would swig back the wine even though

I thought it tasted terrible. My family tells me

that I ran around screaming and making jokes

and repeating everything that everyone said, and

then promptly passed out in the backseat of the

car and slept for eight hours straight.

A N I N T E R V I E W W I T H G A I L S I M M O N S


54

You’ve done a lot of

traveling throughout

your life, and it’s a large

part of your work. Are

there any meals from

abroad that have really

stood out to you?

Oh, there have been so many. But one meal

that I remember very clearly was a meal

from my honeymoon. We spent some time

in Vietnam, and then on the way home we

stopped in Tokyo for a week. A friend of

ours had recommended this tiny little sushi

restaurant that we had to try. No one spoke

English, there was no way to communicate

at all. We didn’t even know half the things

we were eating, but it almost didn’t matter.

It was just bite after bite of beautifully

presented, extraordinary food, and we were

there long into the night. It certainly was

one of the most memorable meals I’ve ever

had, and it also made me realize how vast

and varied just sushi can really be.

When you’re not eating out, what do you

like to cook at home?

When I cook alone, or just for myself

and my husband, I tend to cook almost

exclusively vegetarian. Not because I’m

a vegetarian by any means, but because I

eat such rich food in my work that often

when I have the chance to cook for myself,

I like to eat simply—lots of vegetables

and whole grains. I went through a phase

this winter where every single Sunday, I’d

make these big vegetable soups and stews.

And in the summer obviously I like to do

simple dishes, where the ingredients speak

for themselves. Lots of salads and grilled

vegetables with spices and fresh herbs.


55

We’ve seen a lot of amazing dishes on

Top Chef and Top Chef Just Desserts.

Do you have any favorites?

With Top Chef, there’s one in particular that

I remember mostly because it surprised me.

In an episode from season nine, we asked

contestants to cook for their mentors, and

Paul Qui made a dish for his mentor Tyson

Cole. The dish had all these beautifully

shaped vegetables, orchestrated very carefully

on the plate in a shallow bowl, with a dashi

and vegetable soup poured over them. It was

striking to look at, but I couldn’t believe that

at that point in the competition, Paul would

be making something that seemed so simple.

And then I tasted it. The flavors were so

strong and it made me really understand how

talented Paul was as a chef, how thoughtful.

I realized just how powerful vegetables could

be. You don’t need a triple-smoked pork belly

to make an impression.

I think our most moving episode of Just

Desserts was this one episode celebrating the

40th anniversary of the movie Willy Wonka and

the Chocolate Factory. There was a lot of really

delicious food in that episode, for sure—edible

wallpaper, macaron flowers, honey dripping

off trees—but more importantly, it was such

an incredible piece of nostalgia. Desserts

don’t serve any practical purpose or have

any nutritional value—they’re just sugar and

butter and flour. But they’re magic, really. And

I think visually, too, there’s something really

compelling about desserts. They can be so

beautiful to look at.


56

You mention that desserts can

be very visually powerful. How

important is presentation to

the success of a dish?

Ultimately, you want food to be appealing, and you want

it to draw you in using all your senses. And to me at least,

there are multiple levels to presentation: the craft and the

art. The craft starts at the very beginning with proper knife

skills, whether the food is cut and cooked consistently and

to the proper doneness. And then there’s the art of how you

actually plate a dish to give it eye appeal. A very casual and

rustic feast can be just as appealing as a precious little jewel-

box of a piece of sushi, or an ultra-modern presentation of

dessert. In every case, I think the presentation needs to be

tailored to the dish.

You’ve found a career you’re

passionate about, but when

you first started out, you

didn’t necessarily know what

that looked like. What advice

would you give to those who

are still searching for their

place in the world?

Regardless of whether you’re in the food world or not, I think

the same sort of rules apply. Find something that you love to

do, that interests and inspires you. That doesn’t mean that

it’s always going be fun. I don’t believe there are any major

shortcuts; it’s not as if I snapped my fingers and became a

judge on a successful cooking show. There was a lot of hard

work along the way; you just never hear about the hard

work until later in someone’s career. There were many years

where I worked relentlessly for very little reward, and I think

most chefs do. But I genuinely loved what I was doing and

that made it tolerable.

I think you also need to seek out people who can mentor

you. I’ve been lucky and worked hard for a couple of really

key people who were willing to take a chance on me—people

like Jeffrey Steingarten and Daniel Boulud, and then Dana

Cowin and Chris Grodovic at Food & Wine. And look, everyone

can’t go to Thomas Keller and ask him to mentor them. But

studying a person’s work, reading their work, cooking their

food, learning as much as you can from them—that’s all

very valuable.

Great advice. Now here’s a

really serious and important

question: What did you

eat today?

Oh man, today was not a very good eating day because I was

traveling! This morning I was in Montreal visiting family for

Passover, so I woke up and had matzo with butter and salt

and coffee for breakfast, which is hardly that interesting.

And then I flew home. Last night I was in charge of cooking

dinner for my family for part of the Passover Seder. So I

roasted a turkey inspired by a friend’s recipe—which wasn’t

very kosher, but that’s ok! I also roasted cauliflower with

capers, olives and parsley, and then I braised endives in a

little white wine, lemon, water and butter. We had leftovers,

so I brought some home with me and had that for lunch,

then came into the office. So far, that’s all I’ve eaten today.

Actually, I’m getting kind of hungry!



58

Captions by Bryan Olsen and Todd Womack of the amazing web series The Key of Awesome. Find it at www.youtube.com/barelypolitical.

FOOD PORN

F O O D P O R N B Y T O D D W O M A C K & B R YA N O L S E N

59

RAW Chicken

Trent Reznor’s Thanksgiving turkey, pictured here, was also featured in the film Saw 3.


60

Oh, god. This place is a total sausage fest.

RING BOLOGNA



62 F O O D P O R N B Y T O D D W O M A C K & B R YA N O L S E N

63

Enough with the tantalizing pictures! Can someone develop a machine which teleports that shit to the empty plate I have sitting in front of me already?? I mean, mmm, wow, those looks good.

BUTTERED Rolls


64

CREAMED CORN


65

This is the hottest soft corn food porn we’ve ever seen.


66

Prosciutto Mozzarella

Sweet. This is a total FMS. (Folded Meat Sanctuary )



68

Sashimi

Sally sells sashimi by the seashore, so send seven sheckles to Sally C. Shore for a sample.



70

POMEGRANATE


71

Oh, pomegranate, so intensely flavorful. If it did not take an entire sweatshop’s worth of work to separate the seeds from the good stuff, I would you eat you every day. Unless of course on that day I am wearing my white pants.


72

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J U D I T H M A R A

Hidden Gem

BACKWOODS If you can find Backwoods on Google Maps,

you have excellent search skills. Since it

instantly didn’t pop up for us, it certainly

makes our case for the hidden portion of

our choice of Backwoods as our first

featured Hidden Gem.

If however, you search for the recently opened

small-plates hot spot, Wood (Chicago), in the

Lakeview neighborhood, you’ll find it right

away. To explain, Backwoods is a pass-through

window inside a small vestibule tucked

towards the “back” of Wood restaurant. And

you’ll never see it in daylight. The window is

only open for late-night feeding starting at

10:00 p.m. every night of the week.

Once you find Backwoods, your reward

is what they serve to hungry late-night

revelers desperate for something hot and

delicious around midnight. They only

serve one thing––Belgium fries––which are

authentically referred to as frites by Wood

chef Ashlee Aubin. “Frites are perfect for a

number of reasons. They are easy to cook

quickly, portable, and universally beloved. But

they are also a great example of simplicity.

Frites have only three ingredients and it’s

immediately clear if they are great or not.”

Chef Aubin’s take on Belgian-style frites,

which are fried twice, are magically

uniform in size and color, and are hand

cut from Kennebec or Idaho potatoes. As

frite connoisseurs know, the true tests are

the perfect amount of seasoning, if they

are served piping hot and what enticing

condiments are available for dipping.

Backwoods passes all these taste tests with

satisfying colors. And there are no less than

The best dishes that no one knows about…yet

HIDDENYou happen to pass by a little bakery

and stop in. Next thing you know,

you are devouring the best double-

chocolate donut. Ever. A friend tips

you off about a little Greek coffee

shop that has amazing onion rings.

Turns out that your friend is spot on.

The rings are huge, hand breaded and

fried to a shattering crunchiness.

Those are what we call hidden gems. Fabulous or

unique, unheard of places that are worth seeking out

because something they offer is just so darn good. We

are starting this new feature with a hidden gem in

Chicago. The city is full of them, but this one stands

out because it is truly hidden and their Belgium frites

(fries) are real gems.

We hope you have your own suggestions for future

hidden gems and we’d love you to share them

with us. It can be any dish from any type of food

establishment, from ice parlors to gas stations. Just

make sure we know where to find it.

seven sauces to choose from on any given

night. Most are made in the Belgian aoli style

(meaning garlicky and smooth). The staff’s

personal favorites are the curry aioli and

sriracha aioli, but the most popular is the

truffle oil aioli. Ketchup is available for the less

adventuresome.

So far, Backwoods has built most of their

business by word of mouth. Mostly by people

catching the scent of someone walking down

the street with a cone of frites and asking

where to find them. And the price is reasonable

too, setting you back a mere $5, less than the

cost of a nightcap in the same neighborhood.

Just how popular can late-night frites be? Chef

Aubin claims, “We have a handful of people

who come so often that the cooks have made

punch cards for “frequent friters” like the old

Subway cards––you get your 10th frite free.” We

think Backwoods might be the gem of the salty,

savory late-night scene.

< Gems >

H I D D E N G E M S : B A C K W O O D S

73

BACKWOODS Sun & Mon: 10 PM–midnight,

Tue-Sat: 10 PM–late night

773.935.9663

3335 North Halsted Street

Chicago, IL 60657

Enter on Buckingham


74 W E AT H E R P E R M I T T I N G : T H E K I N G O F S A L M O N

Hail to the King. Right now, thousands of silver-scaled

King salmon are fervently swimming through the

Pacific back towards the rivers of their birth. Whether

its home is the Yukon or Copper Rivers in Alaska or

the Columbia River in Washington, this regal member

of the salmon family is in season.

The King of

Salmonb y J U D I T H M A R A

W E AT H E R P E R M I T T I N G



Salmon with a river name attached, such as Copper River Salmon,

was caught while swimming in that particular river.

77

Much of the King salmon in stores right now

is fished by boats trawling the Pacific near

the mouths of the rivers. Wait a little longer

to buy some if you can; the more sumptuous

salmon is caught as they swim into the rivers

to spawn. As the salmon begin their journey

up the frigid rivers, they stop eating and are

fatty and luxurious in a wonderful way. The

lesson here is that wild-caught salmon is

typically fished by trawling. Salmon with a

river name attached, such as Copper River

Salmon, was caught while swimming in that

particular river.



79

King salmon, also commonly called Chinook

salmon, is named for a Native American tribe on

the northwest coast whose survival was linked

to the salmon returning to the Columbia River.

It is through this tribe and other tribes native

to the Northwest that explorers first tasted

salmon cooked over wood. Most fish was smoked

or air-dried until very hard and then stored for

the winter months. But the salmon they cooked

over a wood fire to be eaten straight away still

inspires cooks today.

The most familiar way of cooking salmon

over wood is cedar plank (planked) salmon.

Native Americans didn’t use cedar so to

speak, but they did tack salmon to wood

planks to enable the fish to be held close to

a fire pit. The same cooking principle still

applies today. But it is recommended to find

cedar or other wood planks (alder, mesquite)

that are sold commercially for this purpose.

There’s no point in risking toxicity from the

wrong type of wood.

Cooking salmon on a plank is easy to do, as

long as you plan ahead—the planks should

be soaked in water a few hours. Online

you can find hundreds of different ways

to season the salmon (or the planks), but

connoisseurs usually opt for a light brushing

of olive oil, kosher salt, pepper and maybe

some fresh lemon. Simplicity is key to

enjoying the King of the salmon world.

Check out these websites for more information on cooking with wood planks.

Plank Cooking · Sara Moulton: Cooking on Wood · Healthy Eats: Cooking With Wood Planks


808080 H O W W E D I D I T

818181

Deconstructing a shot

from Stephen Hamilton’s

The Restaurant Project

favorite dish

Smelts

Restaurant

Restaurant: The Bristol

Chicago, IL

food stylist

Josephine Orba

prop stylist

Paula Walters

HOW WE DID IT

b y J U D I T H M A R A


82 R E C I P E I N D E X

Depending is the operative word when there is a garden or

good farmers’ market. Leeks? Yes, but it could also be ramps or

walking onions green garlic, or green onions. (Even the humble

onion will do.) Radishes for me are likely to be the long Cinncinati

Market variety and a round variety, the roots small and the leaves

lush and tender. Peas? A half cup of shucked shelling peas or

slivered snow peas or early sugar snaps. Any and all of these

vegetables would be good. Groping around your garden, you’re

going to find some treasures that will become the stars of this

little ragout, which cooks in just about 10 minutes.

Here’s an example of what vegetables I used and in what

amounts, reflecting what I came across one late Spring day. A

few days later and it would have been a different mix. When

I’m a better gardener, the combination will change yet again—

hopefully to include more than three asparagus spears!

Prepare and wash all your vegetables. Trim the radishes and slice

lengthwise, making all the pieces more or less the same. Also

wash and dry the greens, ready the leeks, peas, and asparagus. (If

you wish, you can make a stock to use in this dish with the leek

trimmings, pea pods, asparagus peels, some tarragon, and salt.

You’ll only need 1 cup or so.)

When you are about ready to eat, melt a few teaspoons butter

in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and 1/2

cup of the water and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with a few

pinches of salt, add the radishes and asparagus, and simmer for

3 minutes. Next, add the peas and radish greens, making sure

there is liquid in the pan as you go and adding more if needed.

Continue cooking until the peas are bright green and the leaves

are tender, about 2 minutes longer. The radish leaves will wilt and

look a little funky, but they will taste mild and slightly nutty.

When the vegetables are done, remove from heat, add a heaping

spoonful of butter, season with salt, and stir in the tarragon and

lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings, then serve and enjoy

your garden in a bowl.

ingredients:

· handful of radish thinnings, plus their greens

· 3 thin leeks, white parts plus a little of the pale green,

sliced (about 1/2 cup)

· 10 ounces pod peas, shucked (about 3/4 cup)

· 3 thick asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed,

peeled, and sliced on the diagonal

· Spring butter, made from the milk of grass-fed cows,

or your favorite

· 1/2 to 1 cup water or chicken stock

· sea salt

· about 1 teaspoon finely chopped tarragon

· 1 teaspoon lemon juice

serves 2

spring garden hodgepodge of radishes, leeks and peas depending…

by Deborah Madison

83R E C I P E I N D E X

One bunch of spinach will yield eight or nine spinach crowns (the pink roots, plus

about two inches of the stems and the small leaves), enough for two or three people

to enjoy as a nibble before dinner. I toss them with the same kind of sauce tht is often

used for spinach in Japan, one based on sesame paste, white miso, a little soy, and

water to thin. It seems that there’s nothing this sauce isn’t good with.

Rinse the crowns thoroughly. Trim them, removing a bit of the root and any bedraggled

leaves, then soak them in a bowl of cold water, swishing them about to loosen any grit

or sand. If a lot of sand comes out, empty the bowl, refill it, and wash again.

To make the sauce, stir together the miso, tahini, soy, and 1 tablespoon water in a bowl

large enough to hold the spinach crowns.

Steam the spinach crowns over simmering water, covered, until they have wilted a bit

but are still bright green, after a few minutes. Remove them, rinse under cold water,

dry well, then toss with the sauce. Pile them onto a serving dish or individual dishes,

scattering sesame seeds over all, and serve.

ingredients:

· 16 spinach crowns

· 1 tablespoon white miso

· 1 tablespoon tahini

· 1 tablespoon soy sauce

· white or black sesame seeds,

toasted in a dry skillet until golden

Serves 2-3

spinach crowns with sesame-miso sauce

by Deborah Madison

84

Toss the rhubarb with the sugar and the orange rind in a medium bowl and let stand for 30

minutes. Drain and save the liquid separately from the rhubarb.

Spread out the wonton wrappers on a work surface. Place a small mound of the rhubarb in

the center of each wrapper. Brush the edges of each wrapper with water; lift two opposite

corners of each wrapper and press together above the center of the mound of rhubarb; bring

the other two opposite sides up and press them together. You should have shaped the wonton

into a little pyramid with the mound of rhubarb inside. Pinch the wrappers together very

tightly at the seams to make sure they are well sealed.

Heat the oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until bubbly, then arrange

the pot stickers, seam sides up, in the skillet. Cook them 2 to 3 minutes or until the bottoms

are pale golden. Add 1/3 cup water, reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet with a lid, and

cook 5 to 6 minutes, adding more water if necessary to cook the wonton wrappers through.

Remove the lid and continue to cook until the bottoms of the pot stickers are crisp and golden.

Gently loosen the pot stickers, and lift them out onto a serving plate. Stir 1/4 cup water into

the reserved juice. Add the mixture to the skillet, bring it to a boil scraping up the brown bits

at the bottom of the pan, and drizzle the liquid over the pot stickers. Serve hot with a spoonful

of sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

ingredients:

· 1 cup sliced rhubarb

· 3 tablespoons sugar

· 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange rind

· 12 wonton wrappers (3 ½ by 3-inches)

· 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

· 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

· sweetened whipped cream or

vanilla ice cream (optional)

Serves 4

rhubarb potstickers

by Sara Moulton

R E C I P E I N D E X

85R E C I P E I N D E X

Cut the oranges in half crosswise and squeeze out the juice. Strain and measure. You

should have about 1 ¾ cups juice. Add more juice if you have less than this amount

and remove juice if you have more. Carefully scrap out and discard the pulp from the

navel oranges to form six half shells.

In a small saucepan combine 1/4 cup of the juice with the gelatin and set it aside

for 5 minutes to dissolve the gelatin. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring

occasionally, until the gelatin is dissolved and the mixture is clear, 3 to 4 minutes.

Whisk in the remaining juice and the vodka, if using. Transfer the liquid to a

measuring cup or small pitcher so it is easy to pour.

Arrange the orange shells, cut side up, in muffin tins or ramekins and pour the

mixture half way up the side of each shell. Put the muffin tin holding the shells in

the fridge and finish filling them, carefully pouring the remaining orange mixture all

the way up to the top of each shell. (Note: depending on how large the navel oranges

were, you will be able to fill 5 or 6 shells.) Cover the filled shells with plastic wrap and

chill until firm, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight. Cut each half in 3 wedges

before serving.

ingredients:

· 3 navel oranges

· 2 juice oranges

· 1 envelope unflavored gelatin

· 1 ½ ounces vodka (optional)

serves 6

orange jellies

by Sara Moulton

86

directions for my favorite pâte à choux:

In a saucepan, boil milk, water, butter, sugar and sea salt together.

Add the flour and cook until dry.

Transfer the cooked mixture to a mixing bowl with a paddle

attachment and add the eggs in stages since you may not need

them all. Adjust the mixture with warm milk or eggs to ribbon

consistency, if necessary. The dough will slowly fall when you stop

the mixer.

Pipe the choux paste into golf ball-sized balls. Bake at 375 degrees

Fahrenheit for 8 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees

Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes.

*For Gougères, omit the sugar, add 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, and

1 cup (120 grams) Gruyère cheese. Right before piping the choux paste,

fold in the cheese and pepper.

profiteroles with malika’s sticky fudge sauce

by Malika Ameen


ingredients for malika’s sticky fudge sauce:

· Unsweetened Chocolate | 57 grams | 1/3 cup

· Unsalted Butter | 17 grams | 2 Tablespoons

· Agave Syrup | 35 grams | 2 Tablespoons

· Heavy Cream | 190 grams | ¾ cup

· Sugar | 212 grams | 1 cup

· Malted Milk Powder | 11 grams | 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon

· Instant Espresso Powder | 3 grams | 1 Tablespoon

· Kosher Salt | 1 gram | ½ teaspoon

directions for malika’s sticky fudge sauce:

In a small heavy bottomed saucepan melt chocolate, butter and

agave syrup on low heat. Whisk until smooth. Slowly add cream,

sugar, malt powder and espresso powder and stir until dissolved.

Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 3-4

minutes. Constantly stir to avoid burning. Remove from heat and

whisk in salt.

Can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 week.

To make profiteroles, slice the pâte à choux in half horizontally and fill them with your favorite ice cream or gelato, and top with Malika’s

warm fudge sauce. Glossy, sticky, chocolaty and delicious!

makes 2 cups

pâte à choux

ingredients for my favorite pâte à choux:

· Whole Milk | 125 grams | ½ cup

· Water | 125 grams | ½ cup

· Butter | 110 grams | ¼ cup – 1 stick

· Sugar | 5 grams | 1 ½ teaspoons

· Sea Salt | 5 grams | 1 ½ teaspoons

· AP Flour | 140 grams | ½ cup + 1/3 cup (5/6 cup)

· Eggs (room temperature) | 197 grams | 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk

87

chocolate caramel eclairs

by CeCe Campise


ingredients for cece’s chocolate cremeux:

· Half and Half | 350 grams | 1 1/4 cup + 1/3 cup

· Heavy Cream | 350 grams | 1 1/4 cup + 1/3 cup

· Egg Yolks | 140 grams | 7 yolks

· Sugar | 80 grams | 1/3 cup + 1 teaspoon

· Vanilla Bean Paste | 5 grams | 1/2 teaspoon

· Salt | 2 grams | 1/2 teaspoon

· Bittersweet Chocolate* | 385 grams

ingredients for cece’s caramel glaze:

· Sugar | 100 grams | 1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons

· Heavy Cream Warm | 100 grams | 1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons

· Premium Butter | 25 grams | 1 ½ Tablespoons

· Salt | 4 grams | 1 teaspoon

· Vanilla Bean Paste | 4 grams | ½ teaspoon

· Bittersweet Chocolate* | 385 grams

directions for cece’s chocolate cremeux:

*I prefer Valrhona Guanaja 70% chocolate melted over a double boiler

Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla bean paste and salt together. In

the meantime, scald the liquids. Slowly whisk the hot liquid into

the egg yolks.

Pour the whole thing back into the pot and cook over low heat

stirring slowly, nonstop with a spatula, making sure to scrape the

bottom.

Once it is nape (when you run your finger along the spatula and

the custard holds a line) pour it over a fine strainer into the melted

chocolate, whisking until uniform. For an extra smooth chocolate

filling use an immersion blender to really combine all ingredients.

Cover with plastic wrap touching the top to prevent a skin from

forming, until cold and ready to pipe.

directions for cece’s caramel glaze:

Combine sugar and a tiny bit of water (so it looks like wet sand)

in a heavy pot.

Cook on high until the sugar turns a dark caramel. Carefully and

slowly add the warm cream, whisking constantly, but be careful to

avoid steam burns. When the cream is whisked in, add the butter

and vanilla and whisk until combined. Let cool.

*An easy alternative to this glaze is to combine 10 ounces of

chewy Werther’s caramels, melted in the microwave, with

2 ounces of hot cream.

To make eclairs, pipe the pâte à choux into thin strips (as opposed to round balls), then fill with

CeCe’s chocolate cremeux filling and top with CeCe’s caramel glaze.

88

In a shaker, combine everything except the tonic. Shake vigorously

and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Top with tonic and serve.

ingredients:

· 1 1/2 ounces gin

· 1 1/2 ounces fresh celery juice

· 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

· 3/4 ounce simple syrup

· A few dashes of Bitter Truth celery bitters

· Fever Tree tonic

· ice

serves 1

green hornet

by Tona Palomino of Trenchermen, Chicago


89

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