Blini With Asparagus Caviar, When Three Year Olds Do Molecular Gastronomy

Asparagus Caviar

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So, I'm working more on dishes for my first Herbivoracious dinner party. I want the amuse bouche to be traditional buckwheat blini with creme fraiche and asparagus caviar. The caviar is made using the spherification technique pioneered by Ferran Adria. You need sodium alginate (derived from seaweed), and calcium chloride. (A good source for this stuff is WillPowder if you want to play). You can also make big balls, "raviolis", worms and so on.

The technique isn't really hard, in fact a three year old can do it!

When Kids Do Molecular Gastronomy in Their Jammies

... ok, well, maybe a 3 year old can't make perfect little caviar pearls, but believe me she can have good fun trying! Yes, I'm a proud Dad, but I was also thinking that my daughter is probably the only 3 year old in the world who at this exact moment is doing molecular gastronomy.

I wasn't totally happy with the asparagus balls because I really wanted them to be clear, but these came out opaque. If I filter the liquid to make it clear, there isn't much taste left. Oh well, more screwing around to come.

The basic schtick is:

• Puree whatever you want to spherify, and strain as needed. It can't be anything too acidic, for that you need a different magic powder.
• Add about 0.3% alginate by weight to the liquid and blend the heck out of it. Ideally let it sit for awhile so the bubbles come out.
• Make a solution of about 0.7% calcium chloride by weight of water. You don't need much, a small bowl is good. A bowl where you can fit a strainer (see pic above) works well so you can just lift it out and catch all your caviar at once.
• Have another bowl of clear water handy too.
• To make caviar, fill a syringe (with no needle) or a small squeeze bottle with the alginate mixture. Start dripping little drops into the calcium chloride solution. Experiment with how hard you squeeze, how high above the water you drip and so on to get nice little spheres.
• Drain and dip in the clear water to rinse off excess calcium chloride.
• Pop in your mouth and experience a sense of wonder.
• If it isn't working well, up the percentages as high as 0.5% alginate and 1.0% calcium chloride.

To do worms, put the syringe under water and squeeze. To do ravioli, fill a spoon with the alginate solution and kind of lower/tip it in. Play!

I tested the blini and creme fraiche separately, and just to have the asparagus taste in the mix I roasted one little tip. Tasted pretty good I think. I'll let y'all know how the final version comes out.

Blin With Creme Fraiche and Roasted Asparagus

Recipe: Raw White Asparagus Salad with Watercress and Romano - Vegetarian

White Asparagus Salad with Watercress and Romano

I'm starting to test recipes for my first Herbivoracious dinner party. My first event is going to be an asparagus tasting menu, a celebration of Spring coming to the Northwest. It isn't for a few weeks, and neither is local asparagus! I'm having to test with California spears for now.

(By the way, the first dinner is full, but if you are interested in attending a future event in Seattle, drop me a line at herbivoracious [at] gmail [dot] com, with "dinner" in the subject, and I'll keep you posted).

This salad has been marinating in mind for a bit. No pun intended. I wanted to do something with thinly sliced raw white asparagus, which has a nice vegetable sweetness and crunch to it. In this version I paired it with watercress, cipollini onions, aged pecorino romano, and a grapefruit vinaigrette. Everything worked really well, but the vinaigrette needs some work to bring out more of the citrus flavor. Grapefruit is a lot less acidic than lemon, so that makes sense to me. I think next time I will try using more of the zest and a little bit of a neutrally flavored  vinegar.

Here's an approximate recipe:

White Asparagus Salad with Watercress and Romano
Vegetarian
Vegan if you omit the cheese
Serves 1 - multiply as needed

• vinaigrette: 2 parts good olive oil, 1 part fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, 1/2 t. grapefruit zest, salt to taste
• 2 spears of thick white asparagus
• a few paper thin slices of cipollini onion or shallot
• handful of watercress, arugula, or mache
• 4-5 paper thin slices of pecorino romano, or parmigiano reggiano
• salt and pepper

1. Drizzle and whisk the olive oil into the lemon juice vinaigrette to emulsify, then add the zest and salt to taste.
2. Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus, peel, and slice very thinly on a diagonal bias.
3. Cut the cheese with a vegetable peeler.
4. Just before serving, toss the asparagus, onion, and greens with the dressing, arrange on plate and top with the cheese and a bit of finishing salt and black pepper.

Event: Seattle Restaurant Review 360

Late breaking news: here's the roundup!

Tofu Hunter and I were chatting about the idea of both reviewing the same restaurant.  It occurred to me that we could take it a step further and invite all of the food bloggers in our fair city (and visitors too) to participate. Everyone would bring their own perspective, and we'd get to see if we all agreed or saw things very differently. If we get a good response, we could make this a regular event.

For our first restaurant, I'm choosing Txori, the tapas-style Belltown spot of Chef Joseba Jimenez de Jimenez, who is best known for Harvest Vine. I figure it would work out well because it is centrally located, and a meal doesn't have to be a big commitment. You can stop in, have a couple tapas and a drink and be out in 30 minutes if you want.

Interested? I hope you'll join me. Here's the logistics:

1. Add a comment below with your name, and your blog URL so I know you plan to participate.
2. Visit the restaurant in the next two weeks, and write a post about it. Schedule the post to go live on Wednesday, 4/9. Have your post link back to this post. If you don't have a blog, feel free to add your review in comments here.
3. Feel free to make the review as short or long as you want, no pressure!
4. On Thursday, 4/10 I'll write a roundup article linking back to everyone's reviews along with the best quotes.
5. Have some fun with it! Add any twist that makes you happy.

Recipe: Vegetarian Urad Dal Patties (Vada) with Black Pepper

Urad Dal Patties (Vada) with Black Pepper

Vada (also spelled Bada) are a species of Indian fritter or cake made with various types of lentils (dals). This particular dish is made with urad dal, which is readily available at any Indian market. While you are there, stock up on chana dal, toor dal, moong dal and all the other delicious pulses that aren't used enough in Western cuisine. If you can't find them locally, you can also order them from Amazon.

The basic technique for making vada is to soak the dal for a few hours, blend it into a coarse paste with spices, and then shallow fry. They can be made in various shapes, but here I just made simple patties.

The recipe I followed comes from the wonderful (and freshly reprinted) Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Yamuna Devi, which is a wonderfully written, 800 page tome of the food favored by the Hare Krishna (ISKCON) community. Devi (born Joan Campanella) spent 8 years as the personal cook for Srila Prabhupada. The book includes traditional foods from all over India, but they are generally on the mild side. The version below has the spices amped up to suit my pathetically overstimulated palate.

I served these vada with red quinoa which you can barely see peeking out from under the roasted cauliflower and caramelized onions, a bit of creme fraiche (but yogurt would be good too), and a quick grilled half of a Meyer lemon. On balance, yeah, this plate has a lot of brown to golden-brown hues! But it was just a quickie dinner, whaddaya want, Picasso?

Urad Dal Patties (Vada) with Black Pepper
Makes about 12 patties; 2 or 3 make a nice serving
Vegetarian, vegan (if you don't garnish with dairy), and gluten-free

• 3/4 c. urad dal (without skins), available at any Indian grocery
• 2 tsp. coarse freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. asafetida powder or 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• oil for frying (or ghee)
• garnish: Maldon or other finishing salt, creme fraiche or yogurt (optional)

1. Pick over the dal to remove any foreign material, and rinse thorougly. Cover with plenty of water and leave to soak for 4-6 hours.
2. Drain the dal. In a blender, grind half of the dal with 6 tbsp. of water until thoroughly smooth and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Remove from blender.
3. Put the other half of the dal in the blender with 5 tbsp. of water and grind briefly, until it is a coarse paste but retains some texture. Add to the first batch of dal in a bowl.
4. Mix in the pepper, asafetida, cayenne and kosher salt. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Heat a frying pan with enough oil or ghee to fill about 1/2" deep to a temperature of about 340 F.
6. Carefully drop in portions of the dal mixture and lightly press with a spatula to form patties. About 1/4 c. will do fine.  Put as many as you can in your pan without crowding them to close. Fry until golden brown on one side (maybe 4 minutes), then flip and brown the other side. Remove from the pan, drain on a paper towel, and hit it with some finishing salt. Hold hot while you fry the rest and serve them forth. Like anything fried, they are at their best minutes after leaving the oil and deteriorate rapidly, so be ready to chow!

Recipe: Risotto Cakes With Sherry Gastrique - Vegetarian

Risotto Cakes With Sherry Gastrique

Any time I cook risotto, I try to make enough extra that I can fry up a few risotto cakes the next day. I'm kind of a sucker for any sort of savory pancake, and these have that creamy risotto goodness that is easy to love.

You don't need a precise recipe; all I do is add a beaten egg or two until they seem bound enough to hold together, along with any additional flavors I might want. Then I pan fry them and maybe make a quick sauce, or just serve with a bit of good yogurt or creme fraiche.

This time I made a sherry gastrique. A gastrique is just a reduction of a vinegar or wine with some type of sugar, and often a fruit. I omitted the fruit this time, I and just used a good sherry vinegar and white sugar. You cook it over a moderate flame so that the sugar caramelizes. The result should have an intensity of sweetness and acid so that it only takes a small amount to add an intense counterpoint to a dish.

Here's a basic recipe for the whole dish to get you started, but be sure and improvise!

Risotto Cakes With Sherry Gastrique
Makes 4 cakes (a light lunch for two, or the basis of a larger meal)
Vegetarian, not vegan

• 1 c. sherry vinegar
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1.5 c. creamy leftover risotto, cool
• 1 or 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1/2 t. cayenne pepper (or more to taste - make it fairly spicy to offset the sweetness of the gastrique)
• small amount of oil for frying cakes
• 4 small sage leaves
• Maldon salt or other finishing salt
• black pepper

1. Combine the vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt in your smallest pot and bring to a simmer over a low heat. Reduce until it will coat a spoon and turn off heat.
2. Meanwhile combine the leftover risotto, eggs, teaspoon of salt, and cayenne.
3. Heat up a griddle or skillet like you would pancakes, and lightly grease.
4. Put about 1/3 c. of batter on the griddle and quickly shape into a patty about 1/2" thick. Repeat with the remaining batter. If you want, you could press some panko or sesame seeds into the uper side before flipping.
5. Fry until quite brown on the first side, cautiously flip, and cook until finished. They taste better the darker you can get them without burning.
6. Throw the sage leaves in a bit of the oil off at the edge of the pan and crisp them up.
7. Serve 2 cakes with a couple sage leaves, finishing salt, fresh ground pepper, and a tablespoon or so of the gastrique.

Recipe: Beet Greens with Pumpkin Seed Oil and Cherry Vinegar

Recipe: Beet Recipe: Greens with Pumpkin Seed Oil and Cherry Vinegar

Devra Gartenstein over at the Quirky Gourmet got me thinking about how many good odds and ends of produce I waste with this article about how she uses chard stems. I was boiling beets for a salad tonight, and resolved for once not to toss the greens. Now I adore beet greens (and every other kind of leafy green), but usually I just have a handful and they don't seem to fit into what I'm making, so they end up in the trash or compost.

But today I was feeling a little snacky anyhow, so while I was boiling the beets, I quickly stripped the greens, rinsed 'em, and tossed them in the boiling water too. Five minutes later I pulled them out, gave 'em a quick chop, and dressed them with:

(this recipe is vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free)

• pumpkinseed oil
• cherry vinegar
• Maldon salt
• quick-toasted fennel seeds
• a few strips of lemon zest

Man that was good! It would make a perfect side dish anywhere you might conventionally think to serve spinach or kale. This is one of those dishes that mainly comes together by using those nice ingredients, more than any real skill of the chef. Speaking of which, over at ChefShop.com they have a listing of my "Herbivoracious pantry". The Maldon salt is in there, and the oil and vinegar will be there soon. (This isn't an affiliate deal for me, I just like what they have to offer.)

Book Review: Best Food Writing 2007

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Holly Hughes started this "Best Food Writing" collection back in 2000 and has published a new edition every year since. And every year I grab the new one and  devour it in a day or two.

It has been fun to watch the evolution of the series. Back in 2000, food blogs, Food Network and celebrity chefs were not major players in the food world and didn't figure in her roundup. The writers were mainly well known authors for major newspapers and magazines, or wrote their own books and newsletters. Ruth Reichl, Michael Ruhlman, Jeffrey Steingarten, Eric Asimov, R.W. Apple, John Thorne and many more, all heavyweights in the field. By 2007 we see a much more diverse group, including several pieces that were originally published on blogs or other websites.

Hughes combs thousands of pieces every year to make her selections, and I think she does a fine job. There are always a few that I've read in the original, and usually they caught my eye too. For example a story about traditional Breton crepes by Nancy Coons had me drooling when I read it in Saveur, and here it is again... time to go buy some buckwheat and hard cider!

She also makes a good effort to organize the pieces around dominant themes. This year we have Food Fights (people arguing about the politics of food), Home Cooking, Someone's In The Kitchen, Dining Around, Fast Food, The World's Kitchen, The Meat of the Matter, Personal Tastes, and Why I Cook, each with four to eight articles.

By the way, if you are a fellow vegetarian, please don't let that stop you from enjoying this kind of food writing. I find that plenty of it is about foods that I do eat. And of course there are significant parts about meat, but I find I still take pleasure in reading about other people's ways of relating to and enjoying food, even if they don't work for me. You'll find plenty to challenge and/or reinforce your choices. (Though I have to say this piece by James Sturz over at leitesculinaria.com made me want to vomit. And I bite too.)

Inevitably when I read the collection, it points me to additional books that I just have to get. For example, the very first piece this year made me resolve to read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and Madhur Jaffrey's Climbing the Mango Trees.

If you are a fan of food writing, I'll bet you if you buy this year's, you'll be lined up when 2008 comes out! Hey, maybe I'll be in it :).

Recipe: Veggie Chili Beans with Cornbread Dumplings

Veggie Chili Beans with Cornbread Dumplings

Sarina likes what I cook at home, but sometimes she wishes I'd make more "comfort food". I'm admittedly an oddball; comfort food for me ranges from Waffle House hash browns (scattered, smothered, and covered please) to idli with sambar and everything in between. But I know what she means, and it seems only fair to try and hook her up sometimes.

I figured anything with a biscuit or dumpling top is a guaranteed winner, so I made some simple cornbread batter and dropped it on a casserole dish full of beans, onions and veggie sausage. It is pretty darn rare that I make anything that involves so much canned food, but this came out tasty. I served it with grated cheddar, Louisiana hot sauce, and a quick salad of diced cucumbers and radishes with dill, parsley and mint and a lime dressing.

The cornbread was based on this Emeril recipe, adjusted to what I had on hand. Heck, if I'm busting out the canned food, might as well make with the Food Network starts too, right?

Veggie Chili with Cornbread Dumplings
Serves 4 as a main course
Vegetarian, not vegan or gluten-free but could be adjusted

• 1 white onion, medium diced
• 2 small cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes, preferably Muir Glen fire-roasted (nice smoky flavor)
• 2 links Field Roast Mexican Chipotle vegetarian sausage (kinda spicy), or 8 oz. other veggie meat of your choice, cut into bite size chunks
• 2 T. olive oil
• salt
• optional: tabasco, chili flakes, chili powder, ground ancho chilis, green chilis, whatever heat you like
• grated cheddar for serving

• 3/4 c. cornmeal (I used de la Estancia polenta, which has a wonderful fresh-corn flavor)
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 c. yogurt
• 1/4 c. whole milk
• 1 egg
• 2 T. vegetable oil

1. Preheat the onion to 400 degrees.
2. Put the onions, pinto beans, tomatoes, veggie sausage and olive oil in a casserole. Season with salt and add optional heat to your taste. Cover and put in oven to start heating while you make the dumplings.
3. Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in one bowl. Beat the yogurt, milk, egg, and vegetable oil in another. Quickly mix the wet and dry ingredients without overbeating.
4. Remove the casserole from the oven, remove the lid, and drop the dumpling dough on in chunks a bit smaller than a golf ball, leaving spaces between them. (See picture above)
5. Bake about 20 minutes or so (uncovered) until the beans are hot and the dumplings are golden brown and baked through. Check them with a toothpick if you aren't sure.
6. Serve it up with grated cheddar and hot sauce on the side.

Veggie Chili Beans with Cornbread Dumplings and Cucumber & Radish Salad

Book Review: The Nasty Bits, by Anthony Bourdain

The Nasty Bits is yet another book by Anthony Bourdain, whose overexposure is becoming somewhat legendary after Kitchen Confidential. This one is a collection of short pieces that he wrote for various magazines over the past few years.

As usual, Bourdain is at his best when digging in with gusto to a down-home local cuisine. He does have a knack for making friends with his love of food, and the obviously genuine zeal with which he can tuck into pretty frightening "delicacies" makes him entertaining. The opening couple of pages, where he shares a whole seal with an Inuit family is maybe hard to read for those of us that lead sheltered lives, but compelling. ("... frozen blackberries. She generously rolled a fistful of them around in the wet interior of the carcass, glazing them with blood and fat before offering them to me. They were delicious.")

And he's at his worst when he drags out the pathetic macho chef schtick, combined with the sentimental longing for when he could cook, shoot up, and screw with the best of them. Believe me, not all kitchens or chefs are like this. I don't doubt that he's painting a fairly accurate picture of a certain place and time, but please take this stuff with a grain of salt.

If you take the time to read the notes in the back of the book, he actually admits as much. Referring to an essay where he waxes nostalgic about how dangerous New York used to be, he says "Who was I kidding? The bullshit meter is flashing bright red." Actually I think this book would be stronger if they included these notes right with each piece.

One article I found really interesting was about his visit to Ferran Adria's El Bulli, which is probably the most revolutionary restaurant of this generation. He admittedly went with the assumption that he would hate all this molecular gastronomy stuff. And he was blown away  by the incredible sophistication and flavor of the food. They spent several days together and made quite a good DVD showing Adria & Co.'s process. I had seen this a couple of years ago, and it is well worth getting. It was interesting to hear Bourdain's perspective as everything he thought he knew about cooking was turned upside down.

The final, and longest, piece in the book is a piece of fiction called "A Chef's Christmas", in which a chef who has sold his soul for celebrity returns to his roots as a brilliant cook. The writing isn't spectacular, but if you have the cooking bug you'll be rooting for the characters.

Bottom line: if you liked Kitchen Confidential, you'll probably want to read The Nasty Bits. He's as hyperbolic as ever, and you might feel like you are listening to a three year old sometimes, but many of his criticisms of the elitist food world are spot-on, and his portraits of far-away adventures will fuel your wanderlust.

LA Trip Restaurant Roundup

We just got back from a fun trip to Los Angeles, which by definition means a lot of great eats. I don't have it in me to do individual reviews for each of these restaurants, but I thought I'd at least post a roundup. Obviously you could eat for a lifetime in LA and not go to every good restaurant, but we were really happy with our choices. D.M., who is a frequent commenter on the blog and one of Sarina's dear friends did a lot of research and pointed us in great directions, and my old pals Nic and Lorna showed us some of the best Middle Eastern food we've had outside of Israel.

The address and phone info for all of the restaurants is at the very end of the post.

Our first night in town we had an early reservation at Osteria Mozza, the upscale Italian restaurant from the powerhouse trio of Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich on Melrose Ave. We shared a starter of magnicifiently fresh burrata with leeks. My entree was a giant ravioli filled with ricotta and a sunny-side egg that spilled into the brown butter sauce when cut. It was quite spectacular but maybe a bit underseasoned. For dessert we had bombolini (little fried donuts) with vanilla gelato, and grappa. This is definitely a treat and a dining event, but well worth the splurge.

Bookending our trip, our last meal before leaving town was right next door at Pizzeria Mozza. The pizzeria is considerably less formal and expensive than the Osteria, but man oh man the pizza. It was really a revelation. The crust was cracker thin, but somehow crispy and chewy at the same time, with not the slightest hint of sogginess. The outer rim of the crust puffed up about an inch high, but was light as a feather, filled with enormous holes like you find in great artisan bread. Which is of course the explanation - Nancy SIlverton knows a thing or two about flour, water and yeast and she's used her decades of experience to design a pizza dough unlike any other. Gotta have it. You need reservations here even for lunch, but if you go 15 minutes before they open and wait in line you could get a first-come seat at the counter.

Brunch at Cafe Vida in Pacific Palisades was pleasing. The Cafe has a light, happy neighborhood feel and the food was fresh and tasty. If you go on the weekend you'll probably have to wait a bit and arm wrestle dogs and babies for a seat, but  it will be worth it.

If you find yourself in the San Fernando Valley and in need of lunch, check out Villa Piacere. The decor was somewhat dated, but all of us were really happy with our big entree salads. LA really gets big salads in general, much more than Seattle. Probably because of all the diet nuts down here, but for whatever reason it is nice to lay into a big bowl of lettuce and veggies that look alive and carefully arranged. That is all we ate, so I can't speak to the rest of the menu. The hostess was really sweet too, obviously very proud of her restaurant.

Ok, let's talk about Middle Eastern, specifically Lebanese food. Sunnin, over on Westwood just north of Santa Monica was outrageously good. We're talking paper plates and flourescent lights here, so not much ambiance but the waiters are nice (and gruff at the same time). But man alive the food. We liked it so much we went back a second time. Hummus, tabbouleh, foul muddamas, rekakat, yogurt salad, fried cauliflower, and fatayer (a pastry filled with bitter greens and pine nuts) were all deep soul food for me. I wasn't as crazy about the mujadarah (kinda goopy) and the fried potatoes. The falafel was really decent but not world class. That fried cauliflower in particular was really something special. It wasn't battered at all, just fried to a deep golden brown and served with tahini for dipping. I would be so damn happy if a place this good opened up in Seattle. How about a glass of Jallab (date syrup and rose water on ice, topped with pine nuts)?

Chaya Venice is a hopping spot on Main Street. Wall-to-wall busy with a lot of beautiful people, and a menu that spans the globe from sushi to pasta. I was frankly a little skeptical, but I have to admit that my gnocchi was really well prepared, rich and flavorful.

Later in the week, Sarina's Dad took me to M Cafe de Chaya on Melrose, the casual dine-in or takeout place with the same owners as Chaya Venice. M Cafe's concept is modern macrobiotic food and they are doing a great job. We had a bright red quinoa and beet salad, a sweet potato salad with wasabi, a chickpea salad, a few pieces of sushi, and a tasty dairy-free chocolate pudding. Everything had a lot of flavor, and the restaurant itself has a good, high energy vibe about it. Even though I was looking out on LA traffic, it felt like a spot on the beach.

Back in Venice, make your way over to Abbot Kinney and stop at Jin Patisserie for remarkable modern Japanese pastries, tea service, and beauteous chocolates. They have a pretty little courtyard to enjoy them in. Stop in at Tortoise Life next door for a killer collection of high-design housewares, stationary, idiosyncractic bits of clothing, and fabric that looks like wood veneer.

We stayed at the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica. The Penthouse bar on the top floor of the hotel is a fancy-pants night club when the sun sets, but in the morning it is an incredibly pretty (and rather spendy) place to have breakfast. Windows run all the way around, giving you a clear view from the Valley, all along the beach, and over to the airport and downtown. The room is painted stark white, so when you ascend the elevator before your first cup of coffee and the sun is streaming in, you kind of feel like you entered heaven. It wouldn't be surprising if Morgan Freeman showed you to your table. And the food was surprisingly tasty, what with organic eggs and carefully cut fruit plates.

So you can see we had a terrific time! Whether you love LA or love to hate it, you can definitely eat well. Here are all the details:

Review: Good Karma in Park City, Utah

My brother and I were recently in Park City for a few days of skiing. Opting for "cheap" on President's Day Weekend, we stayed well off Main St. and the resorts, over in the Prospector Square area. The hotel was kind of a dump, but it turned out we had the good fortune to be only a short walk from a really good restaurant.

I saw Good Karma on the list of nearby chow at the hotel, and thought we should try it, based solely on the name and a hunch. I figured at worst we'd be in for some hippie vegetarian food, and maybe luck would turn up something better. Luck was on our side; in fact we liked it so much we had two breakfasts and a dinner there.

When I first walked in, I was immediately struck by the good vibe of the space. It is simple and light, with a few well-placed pieces of art from India, and a stencil of the word "imagine" on a brick wall. Things just look clean and in the right place, including a view into an immaculate kitchen. Even the bathroom is cool, with a wall covered in striking close-up photos of people from around the world.

My breakfast of Huevos Rancheros confirmed the initial assessment that we were somewhere that cared what they were doing. The homemade ranchero sauce was lively and just what I wanted before a day on the hill. My brother was equally happy with his quiche.

When we returned for dinner, we had the good fortune to be waited on by co-owner Howard Moffett, so we got to learn a bit more about the restaurant's history while eating a really enjoyable meal. Howard told us that my expectation of a hippie veg place wasn't wrong, it was just a year or so late: the previous incarnation of the restaurant was right downtown in two old quonset huts, with counter service, a very laid back vibe, and food run between buildings on dim sum carts! They have come a very long way with the new space.

My favorite dishes were an amuse-bouche of butternut squash soup with chai foam, a little spicy beet salad, and the Key lime sorbet. The curries were also very tasty. We didn't even get to delve into the Japanese or Persian portions of the menu.

If I had to pick one small nit with the food, I think the dal would be a bit better if it was pureed smoother and a little thinner, so that it had more of a contrast with the curries.

Good Karma is by no means a vegetarian restaurant, but there are extensive vegetarian and vegan items on the menu so that makes it especially good for mixed groups. If you are in Park City, you gotta check it out - I promise it will be a fun and tasty experience.

Recipe: Crostini with White Beans and Basil

Crostini with White Beans and Basil

This is the last of the three crostini toppings I did for the recent Kavana Men Cook event, and it is admittedly similar to the other white bean dip I posted awhile back with grilled onions. This version is pared down further, focusing simply on clear flavors from the Meyer lemon and basil. Garlic and/or chili flakes would be appropriate additions, and you could use fresh parsley, tarragon, or oregano instead of the basil.

Crostini with White Beans and Basil
Serves 6 as an appetizer
Vegetarian and vegan

1 baguette

1/4 c. peppery olive oil

one 15. oz cans cannelini, drained and rinsed (or cook your own)

juice of 1 Meyer lemon

1/3 c. basil, chiffonade

1 t. sea salt

1/2 t. fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Lightly mash the beans and mix in 2 T. of the olive oil, the lemon juice, basil, salt, and pepper. Adjust seasoning as needed.
3. Slice the baguette thinly, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. and brush with the remaining olive oil.
4. Toast until golden brown, and serve immediately.