Food & Wine January 2019

2015 JOEL GOTT PALISADES RED ($15) The depths of winter require a ready supply of both firewood and a hearty, unputdownable red that’s easy to afford and equally easy to drink. This new Cabernet blend from California’s Joel Gott, with its surprisingly soft tannins and luscious currant fruit, is an excellent choice—especially with any kind of stew. 2015 DOMAINE CHANSON MARSANNAY ($35) Finding impressive Burgundy for anything approaching a reasonable price seems harder every day, but this Marsannay impressed me back when I first tried it in November—and keeps on doing so—with bright raspberry notes, a scent of tea leaves and dry herbs, and an excellent balance of intensity and elegance. LA LOUISIANE COCKTAIL I am a Manhattan fanatic, but even fanatics need variety. This old-school New Orleans cocktail is a bit sweeter and quirkier:…

THE FEASTING SEASON IS ALMOST OVER, the tree is destined for the curb, and my liver is waving a white flag of surrender. Soon the weeks-long reverie of gravy making and ham carving, oyster cracking and coupe clinking, gift giving and party going will blessedly give way to … quiet. It’s a fine time to get back to basics. I’m not talking about resolutions, but simple, intentional acts that deliver gratifying wins—the culinary equivalent of a basketball layup. For me, that means sharpening the knives that have taken a beating during the holiday cooking, like my 14-year-old stainless steel Capco Chinese cleaver. Every time I pick it up I think of a cook named Fredo whom I worked alongside many years ago. Every day, he stood over his cutting board, a…

1 KNIFE WORK I sharpen my knives with Japanese whetstones—first with a King 1000-grit stone for grinding a thin edge and then a finer King 6000-grit stone to sharpen and refine. A sharpening steel is handy for honing on a daily basis. Find all three at korin.com, and look for Korin’s sharpening videos on YouTube. 2 EVERYTHING SPICE 2018 was the year of Chili Crisp, the spicy, salty, umami-rich Chinese condiment. Now I’m obsessed with Mexican salsa macha, aka salsa de semillas, which delivers similar firepower with an earthy flavor. The chile, nut, and seed combo adds crunch and heat to everything from fried eggs to rice. Salacious Dry Salsa, $5; salacioustable.com 3 MORNING BLEND Make this quick green juice for a vibrant morning pick-me-up: Combine 1 chopped apple, 1 celery stalk, 1 peeled medium…

HERE'S A TREND THAT'S EASY to warm up to: Tisanes, naturally caffeine-free blends of herbs, flowers, roots, bark, berries, and seeds, are popping up on menus all over the nation. Just don’t call them tea: “A tisane doesn’t use the tea plant,” says Kei Terauchi, assistant general manager of Quince in San Francisco, where they steep fresh herbs from Fresh Run Farm and serve their tisanes alongside a bouquet of what’s in the pot. Tisanes’ flavors are diverse and exciting. The offerings at The NoMad in Los Angeles range from exquisite single-ingredient tisanes, such as Croatian chamomile, to vivid blends, like a spicy steep of ginger, Indian black peppercorns, turmeric, and lemongrass. In New York City, Eleven Madison Park serves a tomato tisane with a bundle of summer herbs when they’re…

WHEN SHE WAS 17, Karen Akunowicz fibbed about how much experience she had, didn’t mention her age, and landed a job waitressing at a New Jersey diner. This same moxie has been the string in Akunowicz’s career that has taken her from that diner to Boston, where she was the sous chef at Ana Sortun’s Oleana, to executive chef and partner at Myers + Chang and a contender on Bravo’s Top Chef. In 2017, she co-authored her first cookbook, Myers + Chang at Home: Recipes from the Beloved Boston Eatery, with Joanne Chang, and last year she won the 2018 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northeast. She is currently working on opening her own restaurant, Fox & the Knife. We spoke just as she was securing her lease. JT: How…

A DISH “Holidays are full of abundance, and khichri takes me back to the basics, to get back in balance after indulging.”—CHEF-OWNER ANITA JAISINGHANI, PONDICHERI, NYC AND HOUSTON GET STARTED Jaisinghani’s khichri couldn’t be simpler. Simmer 6 cups water, 1 cup rice, ½ cup lentils, and 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger to a thick, soup-like consistency. Add a pinch of black pepper, salt, and ground cloves or cinnamon. Finish with a little ghee. A TOOL “I indulge in treats made with real ingredients; I use my juicer to make fruit fillings and glazes for my doughnuts.”—CO-OWNER AND PASTRY CHEF ANNA GATTI, DOUGH-NUT DOLLIES, ATLANTA GET STARTED Gatti uses an Omega Low Speed Masticating Juicer (omegajuicers.com). Its auger-style mechanism is the best for retaining the nutritional quality of fruits and vegetables. A CLEANSE “I usually take a…