Hank Shaw is more than just a modern day Euell Gibbons.

This former line cook-turned-journalist says he hasn’t bought meat or fish for his home since 2005, yet he is most decidedly an omnivore, feasting on grouse, rabbit and boar as well as wild morels, berries and mint.

He hunts, fishes, gardens and forages.

Shaw’s blog, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook has been nominated twice for a James Beard award. It won best blog from the International Association of Culinary professionals in 2010, and was nominated again this year. His articles have appeared in Food & Wine and Field & Stream.

Now he has a brand new cookbook,  Hunt Gather Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast and he’s hitting the road, bringing his back-to-basics methods of gathering and hunting for food to share with the rest of us.

On Wednesday, June 8, Shaw will be at Rancho Pinot in Paradise Valley, AZ, cooking with a kindred soul, Chef Chrysa Robertson.

Robertson, founder of the Phoenix chapter of Slow Food USA, was recently inducted into the Scottsdale Culinary Hall of Fame. She has cooked at the James Beard House and has been featured in Gourmet and Food & Wine, and yet she prefers to raise hens, forage the desert and keep a low profile at her cowboy chic restaurant, letting the simplicity and freshness of her food speak for itself.

Shaw and Robertson walk the same talk when it comes to food, so when Shaw decided to make a stop in the Valley, Robertson’s Rancho Pinot was a natural fit.

The two will prepare a feast of wild harvested foods from the area: prickly pears, mulberries and cholla buds, to name a few.

The menu is a work-in-progress, as Robertson is still gathering local foodstuffs, but it might look something like this, paired with three Arizona wines:

APERITIF
Mulberry ’elixir’

APPETIZER ‘BITS’
Crisp guarijio squash blossoms
Sweet n sour iitoi onions
Sauteed spanish peppers
Acorn meal piadini
Venison sausage

TROUT
New Mexican cornmeal-crusted, on a salad of tepary beans, grilled nopales, corn, iitoi onion & bacon with Mexican oregano vinaigrette

QUAIL
Elderberry glazed, mesquite grilled, with a mole of cholla buds & local squash

MESQUITE FLOUR CREPES
Local peach ice cream with chiltepin chile & prickly pear-desert honey sauce

Photo © Holly A Heyser from Hunt, Gather, Cook by Hank Shaw

Details:
Wednesday, June 8, 6:30 p.m.
Rancho Pinot
6300 North Scottsdale Road, Paradise Valley, AZ
480-367-8030
$75 per person, including 3 Arizona wine pairings (excluding tax and gratuity)
Copies of Shaw’s book will be available for purchase

Tags: Chrysa Robertson, Hank Shaw, Hunt Gather Cook Cookbook, Rancho Pinot
Posted in Restaurant Journal | 5 Comments »

Editor’s note: Linda Avery waxes on Jonathan Waxman’s new Italian, My Way cookbook, and includes his purist version of the classic Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Read on to see what she thought of the book.

Italian, My Way
by Jonathan Waxman
photos by Christopher Hirsheimer

Facts: Simon & Schuster, 304 pages, $32.00 (or Amazon at $18.84)
Photos: 37 black and white; some finished dishes but mostly ingredient photos
Recipes: Over 150
Give to: Italian food lovers

Not long ago, when reviewing David Tanis’ book Heart of the Artichoke, I mentioned Chez Panisse and now, following the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon concept, here is another successful chef who worked in Alice Waters’ kitchen, Jonathan Waxman, with a book I could cook from every day,  Italian, My Way.

His “keep it simple” philosophy dovetails perfectly with my everyday kitchen. Most of his recipes fit on one page – and double spaced at that! How many can create relatively short recipes with satisfying flavor?

Waxman is an interesting (Renaissance?) man who evolved from a professional trombonist to a Top Chef master (forgive me, but as a nod to his successes I just thought I’d mention how well he must be able to toot his own horn).

And, he has wide appeal. I mean I’ve come to expect chefs to endorse other chef’s books, but when I saw a quote from Charlie Rose – whoa – I had to investigate. Evidently Rose is a fan.  On April 15^th Charlie had Waxman on his show (see video) with Gabrielle Hamilton (Blood, Bones & Butter) and world renown icon Ferran Adria (El Bulli).

Back to the guts of the book: I liked this book at first blush. When I saw numerous references to Giuliano Bugialli, whose Tuscan cooking school I attended,  it all came together: the simplicity of the recipes, using a mezzaluna, Waxman’s technique in making pasta… If he isn’t friends with Bugialli or hasn’t cooked with him on occasion, I’ll eat my bucatini.

His recipes are followed by a kitchen tools section where he tells all: his likes and dislikes, what’s silly, how he uses what he likes, etc. He speaks to everything from the aforementioned mezzalune to pepper mills, knives, stoves and welders’ gloves  (to prevent burns when baking and grilling).

What’s better than learning about tools? Shopping! There are 10 pages listing sources. Most, of course, are located in New York, but each has a website to peruse.

My only disappointment after seeing a lovely image of grissini (thank you Christopher Hirsheimer) — there was no recipe. But that’s okay, I’ll continue to use Bugialli’s. By the way, Hirsheimer did a fabulous job with black and white photography.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

I have made this classic dish the same way for years: with olive oil, guanciale (cured jowl of pork), egg yolks and Parmesan. The tried and true is perfection, please believe me. I had cooks add garlic and onions, peas and mushrooms. Blasphemy!

I have heard a couple different stories for the source of the name. Some people say it refers to miners (carbonari) because of the flecks of black pepper, but I like the story of Giuseppe Mazzini, the revolutionary from Genoa who was a member of a secret group called carbonari, who attempted for years to unify Italy. Regardless, this pasta dish is the world’s richest and most decadent. A wonderfully gifted actress frequents Barbuto and always orders a double carbonara; God bless her!

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/4 pound guanciale, diced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup Parmesan
4 egg yolks
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Method
1. Cook the guanciale in the olive oil slowly for 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Keep warm.

2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta for 8 minutes and drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

3. Add the pasta and water to the guanciale pan and bring to a boil. Add the cheese, turn off the heat. Add the yolks all at once and beat furiously for 1 minute. The eggs should not scramble but turn into a smooth sauce. Season with sea salt and black pepper and serve immediately.

Tags: Christopher Hirsheimer, cookbook review, Italian My Way cookbook, Jonathan Waxman, Linda Avery, spaghetti alla carbonara
Posted in Book & Product Reviews, Pasta, Recipes | 3 Comments »

When I head to Austin, I have two foodstuffs on my brain: Barbecue and tacos. The town is a mecca for smoky ‘cue and tortilla-wrapped eats.

So when our friends suggested we try Justine’s Brasserie, a French place located in an industrial part of town, I wasn’t convinced it was where we should spend one of our precious few dining opportunities.

Boy, was I wrong. Justine’s is utterly charming, and the food is quintessentially French comfort. I can’t imagine it being more lovely if it was tucked away on a side street in Paris.

Inside is dark and cozy — and very loud when it’s crowded. Even more captivating is dining al fresco on the expansive lawn.

By “lawn” I mean the gravel yard dotted with wrought-iron tables, lacy and painted white, and wobbly French garden wooden chairs.

The gravel is perfect for a game of pétanque alongside the house, metal balls waiting patiently for old men in berets to pick them up.

A long wooden bench sits near the front of the property, covered by a black and white striped canopy with matching curtains.

It was occupied by a group of artists, musicians and actors the evening of our visit, friends of the owner Pierre Pelegrin and his artist wife Justine.

They could have easily been a band of circus performers from another time, their clothes vintage and eclectic. I found myself glancing at them as the sun fell from the sky, casting a surreal glow over their smiling faces as they clinked glasses, laughed and shared bites of the charcuterie board passed around the table.

I wanted to join this merry troupe, maybe even run away with them.

But what was happening at my own table was theater, too.

What’s a country French meal without a French rosé? Justine’s offers two, by the glass or bottle, including a crisp, dry Le Poussin.

A crock of bubbling French onion soup took my breath away: Gruyère perfectly blistered, melded into a crouton of once-crusty French bread, harboring a thyme-scented beef broth rich with caramelized onions. Mon Dieu!

Chive-flecked quenelles of poached cod sat high on a silky blanket of tomato and leek sauce. Humble crawfish crowned the top, posing as if they were lobster. A casual dish that put on regal airs — and pulled it off.

It was the evening’s special, and indeed lived up to its name.

The Gruyère smothered Royale burger was juicy, meaty and proud of it’s toasted brioche bun. The crisp exterior of the herb and sea salt dusted fries gave way to a soft, fluffy interior. I wanted to eat a bucket of them.

Long after we left Justine’s, I kept playing the scene over in my head, thinking about the simple flavors that still lingered on my tongue.

I thought about the guillotine that sits stoically on the edge of the lawn, illuminated by the last golden rays of the day’s sun.

Was it a reminder that French food need not be fussy or aristocratic to be thrilling?

Justine’s Brasserie

4710 E. Fifth

Austin, TX

512-385-2900

Side note: Justine’s website is mesmerizing …. flickering images of not G-rated cinema. It’s hard to navigate, but hover your mouse over the name in the upper left corner and a drop down menu appears.

Tags: Austin dining, French Bistro, French Brasserie Austin, Justine's, Justine's Brasserie
Posted in Travel Eats | No Comments »

The first question I asked Danielle Griffin is “did you know the position you were interviewing for was Tequila Goddess?”

She laughs, “Yes, yes I did.” Despite the playful title, being a Tequila Goddess is serious business.

Griffin acquired the title in January of 2010, when the fine dining Mexican restaurant, La Hacienda, reopened at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess after an 18-month hiatus.

With a fresh new look and a menu designed by acclaimed Mexican chef Richard Sandoval, La Hacienda needed a tequila expert on staff to oversee the 136 bottles of agave spirits.

So Sandoval created the Tequila Goddess position.

Griffin wasn’t destined to be a Tequila Goddess. Oh sure, she’s stunningly beautiful, with ivory skin, blue eyes and a dimpled chin, and she drank her fair share of cheap tequila during college, but she was by no means a tequila expert.

Her background is in music. She studied classical flute at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (she even played on a BBC program), and while she still practices her flute, she no longer plays professionally.

After returning home from Australia (Griffin is a 4th generation Arizonan), she was tending bar around town to make ends meet when she heard about the La Hacienda position.

“Within a week of having this job, I fell in love,” she says.

Not with a person — with tequila.

She jetted off to Mexico to learn more about the industry beyond the standard gold shot accompanied by lime and salt.

Her job, despite the image of Tequila Goddess, doesn’t consist of floating through the resort in a silky white gown, pouring shots of tequila down the throats of goo-goo-eyed, thirsty patrons.

Quite the contrary, her primary mission is education (and if that helps sell tequila, all the better).

Griffin has a counterpart in New York, Sandoval’s Tequila Librarian, who oversees his Tequila Library (despite the titles, these people are very serious about tequila).

Griffin plays the role with professionalism (of course, it doesn’t hurt that she’s gorgeous, but this former musician-turned-goddess knows her stuff). She’s on site six days a week (La Hacienda is closed Mondays) to help guide guests through the dizzying array of tequila choices. The 136-bottle inventory is about to expand to 240 bottles.

“The hot new trend is to develop a tequila brand,” she says, pointing out there are more than 1,200 brands, yet all are produced in only 165 distilleries in Mexico.

This past January, Griffin returned to Mexico to attend a two-day diploma course on tequila administered by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT), the organization that officially certifies all tequila in accordance to Mexican law.

Back at the resort, Griffin now offers classes to guests, modeled after the CRT diploma class. Part of the resort’s Passion Project, a slate of experiences design to showcase the resort’s assets (like a table-side Bloody Mary experience at LV Bistro, a Snake River Waygu beef tasting at Bourbon Steak and a local San Tan Brewery tasting at TPC Grill), Griffin’s tequila class is designed to educate guests on tequila from field to bottle.

What’s Griffin’s favorite tequila?

“It depends,” she says, “on my mood, the time of day, what I’m eating.”

Griffin loves to guide guests to new tequila experiences and share her passion for cooked agave. She personally prefers tequila from the lowland regions of Mexico’s five designated tequila-producing areas.

“The lowlands tend to produce a little more pepper and citrus notes,” she says, “and tequila from the highlands — like Don Julio and Clase Azul — tend to produce more floral and herbal notes.”

But, she says, it’s not about what she likes — it’s about what her guests like.

“Everyone has a different palate,” she says. Her job is to listen to the guests and guide them to a tequila that suits their tastes. Along the way, she hopes to educate her guests about the national Mexican spirit and introduce them to the cultural experience of drinking tequila.

For some guests (with deep pockets) that might be a sip of of Dos Lunas Grand Reserve ($220 per shot), an extra añejo aged for 10 years in Spanish Sherry oak barrels.

For others, it might be the Snake Bite flight ($16), an agave spirits lesson disguised in a touristy gimmick.

Guests are presented a platter of three of Mexico’s five agave spirits garnished with a real — but thankfully dead — rattlesnake head and tail.

The three pours are tequila, smoky mezcal and sotol.

“It’s a fun way to experience the differences [in Mexico's agave spirits],” Griffin says.

And, if she sneaks in a little agave spirit wisdom in the process, so be it.

She is a goddess, after all.

Details:
La Hacienda at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort
7575 East Princess Drive, Scottsdale
(480) 585-4848 

Passion Project: Demystifying Tequila
Tuesday through Sunday, 5:30 p.m. to close
$30 – reservations recommended

(photos courtesy of the resort)

Tags: Danielle Griffin, Fairmont Scottsdale Princess resort, La Hacienda, Passion Project, Scottsdale Restaurant, tequila, Tequila Goddess
Posted in Restaurant Journal | 3 Comments »

What do you get when you cross a Fortunella margarita with a Citrus aurantifolia?

A limequat. If nothing else, it’s a ton of fun to say the word limequat.

I’ve played with kumquats (Fortunella margarita) before and I adore the small Mexican limes (Citrus aurantifolia), but I’d never even seen a limequat until my friend (and Edible Phoenix editor) handed me a bag of them a few weeks ago.

She grows them in her backyard, and apparently they’re prolific little suckers because she was handing them out like candy to goblins on Halloween.

Because the whole fruit is edible (but please save yourself the excruciating, mouth-twisting experience of eating one raw), limequats are perfectly suited to jams, chutneys and pies.

I’m not much of a jammer, and we have one of best kumquat marmalade makers at one of our local farmers’ markets (Carol’s Delectable’s from Snowflake, AZ), so I decided to preserve these gift orbs, like Moroccan-style preserved lemons.

I gave them a bath, sliced them in half and juiced them. I had about two pounds, and needed all of the juice to cover half the rinds.

Turns out, that while I don’t make jam, apparently I do make compote (I cooked the remaining rinds with some sugar and spices and voilà! a compote).

Now, if I had taken the time and trouble to put the compote into sterilized jars and sealed them in a water bath, I could honestly say that I am a jammer. But I did not — because I’m not a jammer. Certainly not like Mrs. Wheelbarrow.

I used the compote immediately as a garnish to grilled halibut, and thought to myself, this would be great with chicken, too, or even in a wild rice dish. Maybe even in a smoothie (yeah, I’m crazy that way.)

I divided the rest up into disposable containers and handed them out to my neighbors, like Halloween candy, with a note that said to use it up within a week or two.

Back to the preserved limequats. With half the rinds (yes, you have to pick out all the little seeds, what a pain in the…) and all of the juice from two pounds of limequats, I added a generous tablespoon of salt.

I could have added some spices had I been thinking clearly, like a bay leaf, maybe some peppercorns and/or cinnamon stick and whole cloves.

But I wasn’t, so I didn’t. C’est la vie.

I did add another half cup of Key lime juice so that the limequats were completely covered in juice, and sprinkled another tablespoon of salt on top.

I stuck the jar in the fridge and let it sit for a couple of weeks, shaking the container every now and then.

Every few days, I plucked a half limequat out of the salted juice broth and tasted it.

The texture really didn’t change much until the second week. It was already fairly soft, but after two weeks, it was noticeably softer than the first day.

So I have a jar of preserved limequats ready for anything.

Now what? Got any ideas?

Tags: Edible Phoenix, how to preserve limequats, limquats, preserved limequats
Posted in How To..., Tips & Tutorials | 4 Comments »

The Great Ranch Cookbook

Spirited Recipes & Rhetoric from America's Best Guest Ranches

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Culinary Expedition Through World Class Golf Resort Kitchens

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A Gourmet Guide to Winter Retreats