Matters of Taste

A Perfect "10" at Nine-Ten Restaurant

The night before I left for my recent week at Rancho La Puerta Fitness Resort & Spa, I met a friend for dinner in the bar at Nine-Ten in La Jolla. Normally, I like to sit in the dining room and order from chef Jason Knibb’s tantalizing menu that includes things like a summer peach, prosciutto and burrata cheese salad; Alaskan halibut with zucchini pesto and artichokes; and Maine scallops with crispy Yukon potato confit.

But on that night, I figured the bar menu’s big burger with a mountain of truffled French fries was a good idea, given that I’d be on a strict vegetarian diet for the following week. (In the 70 years since it opened in Tecate, Mexico, the Ranch has evolved from totally vegetarian to offering a fish option for dinner some nights. However, since the vegetable dishes are so inventive and full of flavor, I stick with them.) 

Served on pastry chef Jack Fisher’s freshly baked bun, with Dijon-spiked homemade aioli, and just-about-to-soften chunks of Point Reyes blue cheese, this was the Bo Derek of burgers. The meat itself was extraordinary – a mass of coarsely ground, natural, prime-grade chuck steak, gently formed into a plump patty. Ordered medium-rare, it arrived with a lovely charred outside, and a pink, juicy interior that was so loosely formed I could discern the varying textures with each bite. A lettuce ruffle, sliced tomato and homemade pickles completed the pretty picture.

So delicious was this burger that eight nights later, I was back for more. Why not conclude my spa experience the same way I started it, I asked myself as we drove home from Tecate. 

Again, the burger shone. And those two glasses of  Pinot Noir tasted mighty fine too after a week in the Ranch's alcohol-free zone.

Now, I’m not suggesting that either Nine-Ten’s burger-and-fries or Rancho La Puerta’s Garden Zucchini Casserole with Melted Cheese, Crispy Leeks and Chipotle Sauce is preferable to the other. I’m just saying I loved the bookend approach: Two blow-it-all-out burger feasts bracketing seven days of the kind of wonderful food we need to be eating if we want to enjoy a long and healthy life.

 You can create Rancho La Puerta menus at home with remarkable little effort with the cookbook, “Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta” by Deborah Szekely and Deborah Schneider. It’s $23.10 at Amazon.com.

 

In Praise of Pumpkin Bread Pudding

What a year for desserts. The “ink” is barely dry on my flowery homage to the crackly caramel apple millefeuille tart at Les Moutardiers in Avignon, France, when, BAM, I fall totally in love with a bread pudding to beat all bread puddings.

That would be pastry chef Jojo Rossi’s Pumpkin Bread Pudding at Whisknladle in La Jolla. Named to Conde Nast Traveller’s “Hot List Tables” for 2008, Whisknladle is a captivating place, known for its inventive cuisine and stylish open-air dining room.

One evening last week, my husband, son and I had trouble choosing just one of the menu’s desserts to share. The competition was stiff: Jojo’s Cookie Plate, an assortment of three housebaked cookies; Gianduja Pots de Crème with whipped cream and “brutti ma buoni” cookies; Country Apple Tart; and the winner, Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

We were the winners, actually. The pudding was a marvel of cream and egg yolks and fresh pumpkin puree, spiced with the traditional holiday mix. But what sets this pudding apart is the addition of meringue -- beaten egg whites with sugar -- which gives it a voluminous texture and voluptuous mouthfeel. Crunchy pecan streusel and an orb of deliriously creamy butter rum ice cream completes the pretty picture.

Chef Rossi agreed to share her recipe, which is ideal for the Thanksgiving Day table.

WHISKNLADLE'S PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING

1 loaf sandwich bread (Chef Rossi uses Bread & Cie’s Pullman Loaf)

Butter & Sugar for Pan
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top of bread pudding
For Custard:
2 cups Milk
2 cups Cream
1 cup Butter melted & cooled to room temp
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
8 Egg Yolks
2 cups Fresh Pumpkin Puree
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Nutmeg freshly grated
½ tsp Ginger ground
¼ tsp Clove ground
¼ tsp Allspice ground
¼ tsp Cardamom ground
For Meringue:
4 Egg Whites
2 Tbs sugar
½ tsp Salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325
Butter and sugar 8 Ramekins or 1 9x13 square baking pan
Cut bottom and side crusts off of bread and cut bread in to 1 inch pieces.  Toast on a sheet pan until golden brown.
Prepare custard:
Whisk together milk, cream, melted butter, brown sugar, yolks, pumpkin and spices.
Remove bread from oven and transfer to a mixing bowl while still hot. Pour custard over hot bread and allow mixture to soak for 15 minutes
Prepare Meringue:
Whip egg whites and salt until foamy.  Add 1 teaspoon of sugar.  When whites begin to climb up the sides of the bowl gradually add remaining sugar until medium peaks form.
Gently fold meringue into pumpkin and bread mixture making sure not to fully incorporate.
Bake in a water bath covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with raw sugar.  Continue baking until bread puddings are cooked though and tops are toasted about 12 minutes more.

Rossi suggests topping the pudding with a basic flour-sugar-oats-butter streusel. She bakes the streusel first, then crumbles it atop the pudding just before serving. Serve with whipped cream flavored with cinnamon and rum, or specialty ice cream such as Haagen Dazs, McConnell's or Marble Slab.

 

 

The Lady Gaga of Vegetables

“What is this mystery vegetable they are serving with the beets at Tavolata. Light green, spiky, tastes like cauliflower. Not broccoflower.”

 

The text message popped up on my phone, from our son Nicholas who was dining at one of his (and my) favorite Seattle bistros, Tavolata.

Moms (or at least this mom) hate to say “I dunno,” so I hazarded a guess.

“Oops  just got this   at noisy cocktail party    i think it might be Romanesco cauliflower xo xo xo,”

“Yeah, that’s definitely what it is,” he texted back, apparently after asking a cook or server.

A few minutes later, another text.

“Impressive.”

He says he was referring to my ability to make the “diagnosis,” not the flavor of the vegetable (which he did love).

Made my day.

 

 

So…..a little more about this Mont St. Michel of spiraling, lime-green cauliflowery castles.

Romanesco cauliflower, also known in other countries as coral broccoli, Romanesco broccoli and Romanesco cabbage, is an edible flower that was popular in Italy as far back as the 16^th century. Somewhere between then and now it fell out of favor. But lately it’s been gaining rapidly in popularity in the U.S., particularly in organic markets. The striking chartreuse globe is part of the “forgotten vegetables” trend that I wrote about during my recent bike trip through France. (Young chef Laurent Wellecam at Hotel Crillon-Le-Brave champions the “legumes oublies” that our great-grandparents used to cook, things like wild nettle, potimarron squash, and romanesco cauliflower). 

Romanesco has a lot going for it. Its taste is milder and somewhat sweeter than that of white cauliflower. Its color doesn’t fade during cooking. It’s a showstopper on a crudité platter. And it’s rich in vitamin C, fiber and carotenoids. It’s also easy to prepare, simply break aparts into florettes and steam. Or roast in the oven with a bit of olive oil and salt; hen it’s tender, remove pan from oven and immediately throw a tablespoon of minced garlic and a tablespoon of drained capers into the pan. The heat will cook the garlic and warm the capers.

For Thanksgiving, I’m going to prepare it like my mother-in-law used to prepare a whole head of cauliflower. Remove the outer leaves, leaving the head of rosettes intact. Boil or steam the head in a large pan of salted water. Remove to a serving platter, drizzle generously with melted butter, sprinkle with minced chives, and shower with crunchy homemade bread crumbs that have been sauteed with butter.

Taking Turkey Day Outdoors

Just a few weeks 'til Turkey Day. And the November issue of Coastal Living magazine wants to help you put a memorable feast on the table.

Out now on newsstands, the magazine’s feature entitled “Let’s Take Thanksgiving Outside” includes the recipes for our family’s traditional dinner, as well as a “how-to” for cooking the big bird on a backyard grill and strategies for enjoying the leftovers.

My editor at Coastal Living asked me to cast the menu as an outdoorsy feast. With that in mind, I did the rotisserie turkey, punched up with orange zest and minced garlic, and a totally irresistible Grilled Smoked Salmon Pizza. For the photo shoot, guests gathered around the grill with aperitifs while we tossed an irregular oblong slab of Trader Joe’s fresh pizza dough on the grill. Two minutes later it was a picture-perfect charred, bubbled platform for the toppings:  mascarpone cheese, thinly sliced smoked salmon, capers and snipped fresh chives.

San Diego’s mild weather makes it easy to work the backyard grill into the act. But a rotisserie turkey is also do-able in less clement climes. My husband cooks our Christmas turkey on the outdoor grill at our Colorado vacation home every year. He wears a ski jacket to do the basting, positions the grill under the garage overhang so it doesn’t get snowed on, and hopes mightily that all the local bears have gone to sleep for the winter.

Spit roasting ensures the bird will be golden brown and crispy-skinned all over.  For extra succulence, gently slip pea-size pieces of frozen butter under the skin of the turkey before placing it on the spit. Take care not to break the skin. 

The Grilled Smoked Salmon Pizza, which I developed for the article, will now be a permanent part of our Turkey Day menu. I like it best with peppered smoked salmon slices, which I buy at Costco. The recipe is below.

The November issue will be on newsstands for another couple weeks. You can also find most of the recipes at CoastalLiving.com.

Photos are by the talented photographer, David Tsay. Check out his Web site.

GRILLED SMOKED SALMON PIZZA

From “Coastal Living magazine”

1  pound  prepared pizza dough, at room temperature

All-purpose flour

 Extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups  mascarpone cheese, stirred until smooth

3/4 pound  thinly sliced smoked salmon, preferably “peppered”

3  tablespoons capers, drained

1/4 cup fresh chives

Lemon wedges

Cut dough into 2 pieces, and dust lightly with flour. Roll out one piece on a well-floured surface, forming a circle about 6 or 7 inches in diameter. (Leave crust a bit thicker around the edges to form a rim.) Place on a piece of lightly oiled parchment paper for easy transfer to the grill. Repeat with second round of dough.

Brush one side of each dough round with olive oil, and place, oil sides down, on well-oiled grill grate. Close lid, and grill 1 to 2 minutes or until bottom sides are browned and crisp. (Check dough after 1 minute.) Lightly brush tops of dough with oil, and turn. Close lid, and grill about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, checking after about 45 seconds. Remove dough to a cookie sheet or large flat serving platter.

Spread grilled dough pieces evenly with mascarpone cheese. Top with smoked salmon, and sprinkle with capers and fresh chives. (Pizzas can be served immediately or placed on turned-off grill for 30 to 45 seconds, with lid closed, to warm toppings.) Cut into thin wedges or bite-sized pieces and serve with lemon wedges.

 

Yes, Virginia, there IS life without Internet access

Last week I wrote several pieces from the Rancho La Puerta fitness resort and spa in Tecate, Mexico.  However, because of the spotty (OK, make that "virtually non-existent") Internet access at the Ranch, I was not able to post my Ranch adventures until I returned this weekend to the U.S. of A.

Please see below for my tales of delicious vegetarian fare, fascinating people, appealing activities, and entertaining cooking classes.

Cooking in "The Kitchen That Sings"

Who would have thought that Grilled Shrimp with a Charred Pineapple and Mango Salsa would be so popular?

Apparently, the hands-on cooking class I was scheduled to teach this week at Rancho La Puerta sold out soon after guests arrived on Saturday for their week-long visits. So I get to teach the class twice! (Rancho La Puerta, in Tecate, Mexico, was recently named the “World’s Best Destination Spa” by Travel & Leisure magazine.)

 

The seven dishes we’re preparing in the classes, which are held at the Ranch’s stunning La Cocina Que Canta cooking school, are among the best recipes I discovered during my 25-plus years as food editor and columnist at the San Diego Union-Tribune. Some came from cookbooks I reviewed, some from interviews I did with prominent chefs, others came from restaurants or cooking classes I attended. Some were winners of the “Reader-Write-In” contests we occasionally held at the UT.

I made subtle adjustments to the recipes to fit the Ranch’s menu criteria: a seasonal, vegetable-based diet that’s low in fat, sodium, refined flour and sugar, while high in fiber and complex carbohydrates. (Some seafood is allowed.)

Here at La Cocina Que Canta, each class begins with a walk through the sprawling 6-acre garden that supplies  much of the food served at the Ranch.  Since the watercress and endive that my recipe -- Salad of Belgian Endive, Watercress, Walnuts and pears with Gorgonzola Cheese and Walnut Vinagrette -- called for were not available in Tecate, the  “students” got to harvest several different types of beautiful lettuce for the salad, as well as a half-dozen types of fragrant herbs.

Salvatore, the affable genius behind the garden, introduced us all to many fruits, vetetables and flowers, including the mysterious shungiku, a leafy, slightly peppery green that’s popular in Asia. Also called edible crysanthemum, this wispy plant is prized for the flavor and textural interest it adds to a salad. In our class we paired it with the white bean puree we lathered on olive-oil-brushed crostini. (The folks at Specialty Produce in San Diego, my go-to source for produce information, suggest tossing shungiku with steamed vegetables, or using it in stir-frys and to flavor homemade pickles.)

Back in the kitchen, the enthusiastic and competent group of 16 made short work of charred pineapple salsa; marinated shrimp threaded on rosemary branches instead of bamboo skewers;  a versatile lentil dish with roasted peppers, feta cheese and fresh mint; butternut squash risotto; and a golden, bubbling pear gratin.

La Cocina Que Canta Cooking School and Culinary Center at Rancho La Puerta features classes with renowned guest chefs such as Deborah Madison, Rick Bayless, John Ash and Patricia Wells. Hands-on and demo classes are open to Ranch guests, most of whom enroll in a Saturday-to-Saturday program. However, day visitors may sign up for "Saturdays at the Ranch" cooking adventures, and the cooking school is available for private parties, group retreats and other special events.

Here’s the recipe for the Grilled Shrimp with Chile-Cumin Marinade and Charred Pineapple and Mango Salsa that my class made this week.  It's from chef Rick Moonen's cookbook, "Fish Without a Doubt." 

 
Grilled Shrimp with Chili-Cumin Marinade

(From “Fish Without a Doubt” by Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore)

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground

¼ cup minced onion

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 ½ pounds extra-large (16-20 count) shrimp, shelled

Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

Charred Pineapple and Mango Salsa, recipe follows

 

Combine the chili powder, cumin, onion, garlic, lime juice and oil in an 8-inch baking dish. Stir well. The marinade will look like a wet tapenade.

Divide the shrimp into 4 potions and double-skewer them on bamboo skewers. Season with salt and white pepper. Add the shrimp to the marinade turning them so they’re well coated. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hoiurs.

Prepare an outdoor grill or heat a cast-iron grill pan. If using a grill, when the coals are hot, set the grate on the lowest level (closest to the coats) and get it very hot, then brush the grate with vegetable oil.

Grill the shrimp for 1 ½ to 2 minutes per side; if you want to check, the thickest part of the shrimp should be slightly translucent in the center.

Serve with the salsa.

Serves 4.

 

Charred Pineapple and Mango Salsa

 3 slices fresh pineapple, each about ¼-inch thick

1 ripe mango

Grated zest and juice of 2 limes

1 small red onion, diced

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1 small green bell pepper, diced

2 scallions, chipped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Coarse salt

Chili powder

 

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill.

When the grill is hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the fire for just 5 seconds), place the pineapple slices on the grill. Cook until they appear charred – dark in color with nice grill marks, but not blackened – on the first side.  Turn them over and char the other side. Take them off the grill and let cool.

You can also heat a ridged cast-iron pan on the stovetop over high heat until very hot (about 3 minutes) and grill the pineapple as above.

Meanwhile, peel the mango and slice the flesh from the pit. Cut the slices into medium dice and drop into a medium bowl. Toss with the lime zest and juice.

When the pineapple has cooled to room temperature, cut it into medium dice and add to the bowl, along with the red onion, bell peppers, scallions, garlic and cilantro and stir well. Add the olive oil and season with salt and chili powder, to taste. Cover the plastic and refrigerate for a few hours until ready to serve. This is best the day it’s made.

Makes about 3 cups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Words of Wisdom from Deborah Szekely

“When you throw a pebble in a pond, the circles slowly radiate out, and then, slowly back in again,” said Deborah Szekely last night during her weekly fireside chat at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico.  And that’s the way things work in our bodies and our environment too, she went on to say.  Pollute the oceans and you’ll pay for it….contaminated seafood or no more seafood at all. Eat McDonald’s and Taco Bell every day and your body will let you down – with such problems as excess weight,  hypertension and lethargy.

Szekely (pronounced Say-Kay), the 88-year-old founder of the first spa on the North American continent (she opened Rancho la Puerta with her husband Edmond Szekely in 1940), went on to expound on what she calls “the new 3Rs….respect, responsibility and regeneration.”

Respect your body and it will, in fact, pay you back….with renewed energy, spirit and strength. Respect the world around you and the reward will be an environment that nourishes this generation and those to come. In addition to her words of wisdom about the Three Rs, Szekely shared her thoughts about waking up in the morning. Nothing earth-shattering, mind you. But, in my opinion, “right on.”

First, she says, "wiggle around a bit" as soon as you wake up. Move your body around in bed, be aware of how it feels, be grateful that you are, indeed, waking up to experience another day.

After she gets out of bed and shoos her two puppies out the door, Szekely says she sets the time on, and winds up, the antique clock that sits on a shelf in the room. The daily task reminds her that a new day and more time on this earth is something to be cherished and not taken for granted. “Treasure time,” she told me during an earlier conversaton. “It is our most valuable possession.”

Szekely, who also created the famed and pricey Golden Door spa in Escondido, California in 1958,  is considered to be the guiding light of the body/mind/spirit fitness movement, and the godmother of spa cuisine. Attractive, trim and exuding a quiet sense of joie de vivre, the octogenarian credits her good health to daily exercise – she does Pilates four times a week and walks two miles every day -- and a dynamic involvement with the people and world around her. She’s also an ardent spokesperson for the importance of enjoying good food that’s also good for you. “Eat sensibly,” she advises. “Don’t be always measuring and counting. It’s like measuring love or kisses. If you start counting calories, you lose the fun of it all.”

 

 

Living Life to the Fullest...at Rancho La Puerta

I’m at Rancho La Puerta this week, reveling in daybreak mountain hikes, spinning classes, a new-found appreciation of yoga,  “exercise” sessions that fly by because they are so much fun (Cardio Hip-Hop, anyone?) and sensational vegetarian food.

Rancho la Puerta, the first spa on the North American continent, was founded in Tecate, Mexico in 1940 by Edmond and Deborah Szekely. Edmond, a Hungarian-born scholar-philosopher, died in 1979, but the 88-year-old Deborah continues to guide and grow the fitness resort which was recently named by Travel & Leisure magazine the “#1 Destination Spa in the World.”

Located about 40 miles from downtown San Diego, “the Ranch” is renowned for its vast, unspoiled landscape and a low-key, guilt-free ambiance that nurtures physical and spiritual health.

I was invited to the Ranch to teach cooking classes and to speak to guests about my strategies for surviving 30-plus years eating and drinking my way around the world without gaining weight or inches. (There’s a talk or musical presentation each night after dinner.) My cooking classes, held at the Ranch’s stunning La Cocina Que Canta cooking school, feature some of the best recipes I’ve discovered during my decades as food editor and columnist for The San Diego Union-Tribune.

About 120 guests gather at the Ranch each week (the usual stay is one-week, though three- and four-day packages are available, space permitting). A typical day’s “class schedule” includes Mountain Hike, Stretch and Relax, Pilates Matwork, Fitness Walking, Tennis Clinic, Sand Volleyball, Cardio Kickboxing, Latin Dance, and Trekking: Treadmill Workout.

Unlike many spas that serve weensy portions of bland, uninspired fare, the Ranch is well known for its creative, delicious and satisfying food. On my first evening here, the chef prepared a ratatouille dish that was as good or better than anything I ate during my recent week in ratatouille heaven --- Provence, France. That first dinner also included roasted cauliflower saffron soup (herbs and spices such as saffron are used as substitutes for salt); roasted pear and blue cheese salad with cranberries and sweet balsamic vinaigrette; and warm apple strudel with berry sauce. Fat- and calorie-counts here are minimal. Presentations are stunning, with plenty of edible blossoms, herbs, nuts, seeds, and crispy, shoestring-thin strips of baked vegetables such as leek and potato. (Below, one evening's carrot salad with spinach leaves, orange wedges and sesame ginger dressing. Photo by Pat Harrison.)

The Ranch’smenu, which changes frequently, is predominantly vegetable-based, though there’s a seafood entrée option two or three nights a week. It’s a multi-cultural celebration with Moroccan root vegetable stew and Thai shrimp skewers sharing the stage with guacamole made from fresh peas instead of fattier avocados, and a Mediterranean egg frittata. All grains are whole; most produce comes from  the organic gardens on the property. (Rancho La Puerta guests who opt for the two-mile morning hike to the gardens are served breakfast in the adjoining La Cocina Que Canta cooking school, which Deborah’s daughter Sarah Livia Brightwood created so that Ranch guests could learn techniques to “take the Ranch home with them.”

No alcohol is served at the Ranch, with the exception of one glass of wine from Mexico’s Guadalupe Valley for each guest on Friday nights. The policy exception was created when it became clear that some guests were pigging out on steak, margaritas and local beer in Tecate restaurants on the last night of their stays!

I’ll write more about my cooking classes (with recipes) later this week. For now, here’s a recipe for one of the Ranch's lip-smacking salad dressings that offer maximum flavor with minimal fat and calories. Other salad dressings are included in the book "Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta" by Deborah Szekely and Deborah M. Schneider

 

 

Creamy Basil Dressing
1 teaspoon chopped shallots
1 small clove garlic, chopped
2/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
3 tablespoons white (or golden) balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup whole fresh basil leaves, chopped
Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Blend everything but the salt and pepper in a processor or blender, pureeing until smooth. Season to taste. Makes one cup.