DOWN-TO-EARTHY FARE
“I think of my food as down on the ground,” said Robert Del Grande. “John Sedlar is up in the air.”
“Yes,” said Stephen Pyles. “And the rest of us are sort of ranged in between.”
It’s true. Del Grande, of Houston’s Cafe Annie, makes sensual, earthy food. Sedlar, of St. Estephe in Manhattan Beach, is a visionary chef whose food is edible art. Despite those differences, the two chefs are using similar ingredients, for both are forerunners in the contemporary Southwestern food movement.
Contemporary Southwestern is the hottest thing on the current food scene. It is cooked up not only in Texas and Tucson, but in New York and Denver and even California. It is an imaginative cuisine that uses traditional techniques and ingredients in new ways. More chefs are climbing onto the Southwestern bandwagon all the time, but, as the “Salute to the Southwest” presented by the American Institute of Wine and Food last Monday night proved, this is not copycat cuisine; each chef is cooking highly individual dishes.
Chefs flew in from all across the country to the event at Lawry’s California Center. It was too much to eat--but each dish was so delicious that rumors of food went flying through the candlelit garden, and, as you stood savoring Stephen Pyles’ smoked duck salad with jicama, mango and fried cayenne pasta, you’d hear delicious whispers about the wonderful grilled beef tenderloin with tomatillos made by Jimmy Schmidt (The Rattlesnake Club, Denver). Then you’d hear word of the incredible smoked-beef-and-vegetable tortillas with red-pepper catsup made by Dean Fearing (Mansion at Turtle Creek, Dallas) and off you’d go, stopping off for a taste of Texas wine (my favorite with the food was the Emerald Riesling from Fall Creek) or a bottle of Rattlesnake beer.
All the food was delicious, but I was particularly taken with Del Grande’s lamb served with a stuffing made of pumpkin seeds and “other leftovers” in a slow-cooked, very rounded red chili sauce and topped with a fresh green chili cream. Refreshingly different was the clear flavor of the beef tenderloin that was cured in cumin, garlic, coriander, cilantro and peppers then simply sliced and served with pickled vegetables by Brendan Walsh (Arizona 206, New York). Zarela Martinez (Cafe Marimba, New York) reinterprets Mexican food, combining the tastes of many regions into wonderful layers of flavor. Her grilled salmon with chipotle sauce served on a torta of corn and cheese, was a decided favorite. It was also the only fish served at what turned out to be a very meaty meal.
Meat was much on the mind of Alan Zeman (Tucson Country CLub), who seems to be creating a sort of sophisticated cowboy cuisine. His homemade beef jerky is the best I’ve ever eaten, and his smoked fresh chorizo was spicy and delightful. Anne Lindsey Greer, author of Cooking of the American Southwest, was also making meat, but hers was a far cry from cowboy fare. She made tender little slices of chicken-fried rabbit (I heard two people call them “Bunny McNuggets”) served with a delicate compote made of buttermilk, ricotta and jicama, which I can only describe as “feminine.”
The desserts, by John Sedlar, were the perfect finale. There were cookies in the shape of cacti, pumpkin pancakes, cactus truffles, empanaditas filled with sweet meats. But my favorite were crisp little corn tortillas, simply dipped in chocolate. You taste it, you know the flavors are familiar, and yet you can’t quite place it. Like the best of this contemporary Southwestern food, you know instantly that what you are eating is American--but it still tastes like nothing you’ve ever had before.