Memorable Morsels....My Favorite Foods of 2009

All the world loves a list. And food lovers especially love lists of good things to eat and drink. Here, in no particular order, are my most delicious food discoveries of 2009.

 

I had never heard of BARLEY RISOTTO before I stumbled upon it at a tiny mountain inn in the Villnöss valley of northern Italy. We had been hiking for several hours in the shadows of the Dolomite mountains when the weather turned blustery. We stopped for lunch in the GeislerAlm, a chalet that looked like Heidi should be peeking out the window, where we were treated to this unforgettable “risotto” made with barley, onions, garlic, multi-colored confetti of bell peppers, gorgonzola cheese and ribbons of arugula. A beer and a slab of apple strudel with whipped cream further fortified us for the rest of the day’s hike.

 

I have a tendency to fuss the most over chef Sean O’Toole’s dessert of BRETON SHORTCAKE, Oregon huckleberries and fresh ginger ice cream. And, indeed, this dessert of  lemon-spritzed berries and slightly undercooked Sablee Breton (instead of making little cookies with the dough, O’Toole makes a loaf, then sautes each slice in butter) was amazing. But  the rest of our dinner at  the new Bardessono hotel in Napa was equally impressive and one of top favorites of the year: Alaskan halibut with whole Brussels sprouts sauteed with julienne of  young ginger and Meyer lemon skin, and moistened with Perigord truffle vinaigrette; and roasted pork loin with a warm bean salad, buttery, nutty La Ratte potatoes and a glossy mustard sauce.

At Sapphire Laguna in Laguna Beach, CREME BRULEE often comes as a tantalizing trio (pictured here). During a holiday lunch on the restaurant’s sunny, flower-festooned terrace, chef Azmin Ghahreman‘s threesome included delectable orange-chocolate, fresh strawberry, and, my favorite, Chai Tea crème brulee. Sweet and sassy, with a crackly sugar crust, it was an exciting modern riff on an old classic.

Elegant. Ethereal. That’s the GOAT CHEESE MOUSSE at Skopik & Lohn in Vienna, Austria. I’m guessing the trick is the whipped cream that’s folded in, though the fresh local goat cheese and gingered red bell pepper chutney certainly deserve credit too.  

TUNA TARTARE is like the little black cocktail dress. Dress it up, dress it down, it’s always in style. My favorite in 2009 was at Market, Del Mar where chef Carl Schroeder accessorized the silken cubes with minted farmers market apples, diced chilies, ginger-spiked aioli and curry vinaigrette.

 Three months after my first-ever CRUISE experience -- on the Seabourn Spirit -- I’m still in awe of chef Bjoern Wassmuth’s (left) performance. Crispy corn-crusted prawns with fennel slaw and romesco sauce;  red carrot and curry potage with shrimp dumpings; warm ricotta and potato ravioli in truffle butter; chilled  corn and lemongrass soup with lobster salad and spicy shrimp oil; swordfish Sicilian style with  chili, capers, olives and basil...and much more. Each dish was picture-perfect and served by an attractive and amiable staff.

The menu at Fig in Santa Monica’s Fairmont Miramar Hotel calls it SPINACH RISOTTO. I call it Spectacular.The first sensation was butter.  Sweet, creamy, luxurious, remarkably rich.
Next came the intoxicating aroma of anise…and the flavor, too, in wisps of fresh tarragon.
Then there was one perfect spring pea…a tiny carrot that tasted like it had just been pulled from the garden…a baby mushroom as smooth as, well, a baby’s cheek…two lithe asparagus spears, one green, one white. And, finally, rice.  Each grain of Carnaroli cooked a point and imbued with all the summer flavors playing together on the plate. 

The world's going bonkers over BOURBON these days.  And anyone who tastes the Kentucky Tuxedo concocted by bartender David Nelson at Spur Gastropub in Seattle will be happy to jump on the bandwagon. A marriage of Bulleit Bourbon, Sherry, homemade lavender syrup and homemade orange bitters, is smooth and elegant, with a come-hither aroma and layers of flavor.

Every June, German and Austrian restaurants become a raucous celebration of WHITE ASPARAGUS. At Glacis Beisl in Vienna, Austria the pale, slender stalks even end up in dessert – as three plump clouds of mousse (right) floating on a rich, condensed sauce of berry coulis accented with aged balsamic vinegar.  A shower of powdered sugar and a few ripe strawberries and raspberries completed the fascinating sweet-vegetal creation. 

Deftly sauteed SCALLOPS, at Seattle’s new Anchovies & Olives restaurant, were sublime on their own, nothing short of genius when garnished with roasted nubbins of eggplant, cauliflower, pine nuts and red bell pepper puree. And that was just one of the many dishes that knocked my socks off at the newest eatery from super-chef Ethan Stowell.

BURRATA -- This voluptuous mass of mozzarella and fresh cream, dreamed up a century ago by some dairy farmers in Puglia, Italy, took the foodie world by storm in 2009.

• At Bottega in Napa Valley, it was accompanied by butter-blessed cubes of roasted butternut squash mingled with chewy bits of mushroom and soft, golden shallot shards, and moistened with a subtle brown butter vinaigrette. Oh, yes, balsamic caviar – made by reducing the vinegar, “jell-ing” it, and dicing it into weensy baubles -- crowned the creation.

• The creamy-dreamy cheese gets yet another stamp in its passport when young Boston chef Will Gilson dusts it with Za’atar, drizzles it with lemon oil and teams it with a sassy spiced date puree. Za”atar is a popular spice in the Middle East where it usually consists of dried thyme, oregano, sumac and cumin, all crushed together with toasted sesame seeds and salt. Gilson is chef-owner of Garden in the Cellar near Harvard Square, Cambridge.

• Warm Burrata with Beets and Crushed Marcona Almonds won me over at Scampo in Boston where celeb chef Lydia Shire also pairs the cheese with pistachios and a hot leek tart, and makes a memorable BLT, too.

 

TRES LECHE CAKE, from the A. R. Valentien kitchen of Torrey Pines Lodge Executive Chef Jeff Jackson, is a sublime creation of sponge cake soaked in condensed milk, whole milk and heavy cream. A popular dish on the potluck and church-social circuit, this traditional Latin American dessert (translation: three milks) is often soggy, overly sweet and piled high with frosting. But this version, by pastry chef John Harmeyer, is an elegant, individual, dome-shaped package with a deliriously smooth, moist texture and a rich, caramelized creamy taste. Topped with cinnamon-scented whipped cream and tangy pomegranate seeds, it’s served with a fresh quince-apple puree and a weensy poached apple.

Not every great dish of 2009 was at a restaurant; some were in my own kitchen.  I loved the FETTUCCINE with Summer Corn, Bacon, and Shiitake Mushrooms  from New York City chef Andrew Carmellini’s new book “Urban Italian: Simple Recipes and True Stories from a Life in Food.” The recipe is an easy, elegant, supremely satisfying creation that screams “summer” while offering the high-level comfort-quotient of winter foods.

 

 LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT

• Broccoli rabe, sauted with EVOO and teamed with crisp polenta croutons at Scampo, Boston.

• Fresh baby corn, still in their husks, were roasted and spritzed with citrusy yuzu-butter. Roasted cauliflower rosettes had a sweet subtle, lightly caramelized flavor accentuated by a barely-there sauce of pureed jalapenos, garlic, Japanese vinegar and discreet grapeseed oil. I went to NOBU San Diego to feast on the restaurant’s signature miso-marinated black cod, but I found myself spellbound by the elegance and effortlessness of these two simple vegetable dishes from the brick oven.

• There are a lot of good reasons to visit Cambridge, Massachusetts. But only one of them involves oatmeal, crystallized ginger, plump sun-dried cherries, toasted walnuts and pecans. That would be the oatmeal cookie at Hi-Rise Bread Company.

• At Chez Papa Resto in San Francisco, chef David Bazirgan does all the big things right. But somehow it’s the little things -- pommes frites with spunky aïoli  and a decadent potato & fennel gratin Dauphinois – that bowled me.

• What can you say about a spiedini with crusty grilled hunks of rustic house-baked bread and fresh creamy mozzarella, all drenched with an in-your-face anchovy-herb olive oil?  More, please?  At Tin Table, Seattle.