Where Less Is More

Zuni Cafe in San Francisco is unlike any other restaurant I’ve been to. That’s because Judy Rodgers, the gifted chef, has no professional pretense; she cooks only things she loves to eat. Her food is full of flavors that fit into the home-cooked category, but there is more finesse in her style than is typically characteristic of home cooking. It’s home cooking at its very best.

Rodgers’ fascination with food began when she spent her high school junior year in France--living at the home of three-star chef Jean Troisgros. She returned to France during her junior year at Stanford and upon graduation worked at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. She went on to the Union Hotel in Benicia, Calif., where I first tasted her wonderful food--honest, spirited and regional in the sense that it was based on the freshest ingredients available in this country.

Since 1987, she has been the chef at Zuni, where you can get great food at any hour of the day, starting at 7:30 a.m. The restaurant, with a bustling open kitchen flanked by a brick wood-burning oven and grill with split logs stacked high nearby, has a simple, energized ambience much like a bistro. Once you sit down at your table, however, you feel the privilege that goes with home cooking rather than restaurant cuisine.

This is one restaurant that you have to experience to understand its magic. The following recipes are intended only as an introduction to Rodgers’ unique style and good taste. They’ll be especially useful during the holidays, serving you well at most any meal.

Zuni Cafe’s Caesar Salad is one of the best I’ve tasted, lightly dressed yet full of flavor. Zuni serves the salad as a brunch dish on Sundays. The Baked Eggs With Sorrel is a wonderfully aggressive combination of the acidic herb with plain eggs, perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. The Pomegranate Granita is vibrant both in tastes and looks, an ideal option when rich foods need to be concluded with a refreshing finish.

This version of Caesar salad features whole leaves of Romaine lettuce hearts, which give it a great look. It may be necessary to make some last-minute taste adjustments once the salad is tossed (easy enough to do) because the proportions of the ingredients vary tremendously, depending on the acidity of the lemon, the strength of the garlic and the saltiness of the anchovy.

ZUNI CAFE’S CAESAR SALAD Dressing 11 cups romaine lettuce heart leaves, washed, crisped and chilled 3 to 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese Oil-Toasted Seasoned Croutons Salt, pepper

Toss Dressing with romaine lettuce heart leaves. Add cheese and Oil-Toasted Seasoned Croutons and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange attractively on 4 chilled dinner plates. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

537 calories; 343 mg sodium; 64 mg cholesterol; 51 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 1.11 grams fiber.

Dressing 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic 1 anchovy fillet, rinsed and chopped Juice of 1/2 lemon 1 egg 3/4 cup mild olive oil Sea or kosher salt Freshly ground pepper

Combine vinegar, garlic, anchovy, lemon juice, egg and olive oil in 2-cup bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk together to make thin emulsion.

Note: Although many recipes call for uncooked eggs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has found them to be a potential carrier of food-borne illness and recommends that diners avoid eating raw eggs. Commercial egg substitutes may be used in place of raw eggs in certain circumstances. Check egg substitute package for applications.

Oil-Toasted Seasoned Croutons 1 1/4 cups rustic-quality bread cubes, cut into 2/3-inch squares 2 tablespoons mild olive oil Salt Freshly ground pepper

Place bread cubes in small bowl. Toss with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread single layer on baking pan. Bake on center rack of 425-degree oven until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Let cool completely. Can be made 1 day ahead and stored in airtight tin. Makes 1 1/4 cups.

The simplicity of this dish is its charm. Sorrel--an acidic-tasting herb with green leaves shaped much like young spinach--contrasts boldly with the bland eggs. Obviously, the freshest eggs are essential. The chiffonade of sorrel is showered over the eggs once they are baked, so the dish has a great vibrant appearance. If you are unable to find sorrel, don’t be tempted to use spinach , which doesn’t begin to offset the bland eggs. Better to garnish the baked eggs with a flourish of minced fresh herbs such as chives, chervil, tarragon and parsley. For an indulgent dish, top the eggs with an abundance of thinly sliced black truffles.

BAKED EGGS WITH SORREL 1 teaspoon unsalted butter 20 to 30 whole small sorrel leaves (about 2/3 cup) Salt Freshly ground pepper 2 eggs 2 to 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream Crisp bread crumbs or crisp, dry toast points or thinly sliced black truffles

Cover bottom of buttered small shallow dish with sorrel leaves, just enough to form layer. Set aside remaining leaves. Season leaves in dish to taste with salt and pepper. Crack eggs side by side onto sorrel. Gently tuck sorrel under eggs (exposed sorrel becomes brown during baking). Season eggs to taste with salt. Bake on center rack of 450-degree oven until well set and bubbling on edges, about 12 minutes.

Cut remaining sorrel into chiffonade (best to stack leaves to cut into narrow ribbons). Garnish baked eggs with sorrel chiffonade and sprinkle with crisp bread crumbs. Serve immediately. Makes 1 serving.

Each serving contains about: 296 calories; 466 mg sodium; 476 mg cholesterol; 25 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams protein; 0.37 gram fiber.

Bursting with fresh flavor, this ruby red granita--actually, an ice--is a perfect seasonal conclusion to a rich meal and an option for those who prefer lighter desserts. The pomegranates are cut in half and squeezed like an orange; squeeze gently at first to avoid a pomegranate shower.

POMEGRANATE GRANITA 1 quart pomegranate juice (3 to 4 very large pomegranates), strained 1/2 cup orange juice 1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar

Combine pomegranate and orange juices and 1/2 cup sugar. Adjust sugar to taste. Granita should taste slightly too sweet before it is frozen. Freeze hard in shallow stainless-steel pan.

Let stand 5 minutes at room temperature. Chop granita into small bits with fork or pastry scraper. Texture will be granular and rough, not smooth. Pack in plastic container and cover airtight. Refreeze several hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 126 calories; 3 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.17 gram fiber.