Herbs & Spices

At the Market we sell platters of these as appetizers, but they’re also a great way to make a little bit of chicken stretch into a light entrée. They’re always a crowd-pleaser, so make more than you think you’ll need. The skewers are wonderful paired with grilled or steamed veggies and a mound of coconut-infused rice. Leftovers are great on a sandwich, too. For this recipe, you’ll need thirty 6-inch or 8-inch wooden skewers (a few extras never hurt) that have been soaked in water for 2 hours.

Chimichurri sauce hails from Argentina and is sort of like a vinegary pesto. The sauce’s bright herby notes bring an unexpected freshness to the plate and balance out the rich beefy steak. Bavette is an underappreciated and fairly inexpensive cut that’s common in French bistros, and very similar to (and from the same muscle group as) flank steak. It’s flavorful but also tender, especially if you don’t cook it beyond medium-rare. If you can’t find bavette, flank or skirt steak would be the closest substitute, but any steak cut would work just as well. If you have leftovers, pile the beef on a baguette or crusty roll, top with onions, and slather on the sauce for a fantastic sandwich.

Although it might sound exotic, savory chutney has a time-honored place on nearly every American’s Thanksgiving table in the form of cranberry sauce. Chutneys are flexible, versatile condiments that add a nice sweet-sour note to roasted meats, sandwiches, and cheese platters. Although sour cherries add a lovely tangy punch to this chutney, you could also use golden raisins, dried cranberries, diced dried apricots, or nearly any other dried fruit. Instead of the pears, you can use apples—as long as it’s a variety that will hold its shape after cooking. This is best made a day or two in advance so all the flavors have a chance to come together.

Portland, Oregon, is one of my favorite places to visit—mainly to visit our dearest friends, but also for the fantastic foods and possibly the best farmers’ market in the country. This drink was inspired by a magical afternoon there, spent distillery hopping on a bicycle. The bell pepper is a surprising ingredient; it adds a slight sweetness to this unique, very quaffable beverage.

This is one of our deli’s best-selling items in the summer. Two cups may seem like a lot of oil, but the soup really doesn’t have the same rich flavor with any less (we’ve tried). You can, of course, reduce the amount if you like. You can also use any combination of Roma and heirloom tomatoes.

This is one of my favorite ways to showcase the fresh and delicate flavors of spring: sweet peas, tender green garlic, and mint. Serve with crostini or fresh spring veggies as a dip (pictured), or spread it on sandwiches. You can also use fava beans in place of the peas, or use a combination. Truffle pecorino would also work well in this recipe.

Don’t limit yourself to basil in pesto. You can use just about any tender green herb—even baby arugula or spinach, or a combination of herbs. It’s a great way to use up whatever lingers in the bottom of your fridge. This flavorful sauce is perfect for a simple pasta dish. The nuts are optional, but they add a nice viscosity and flavor. Without them, you get a cleaner flavor and more of the true essence of the herbs. On the other hand, a nut-free version is looser and the oils don’t incorporate quite as well. Pesto definitely tastes best as soon as it’s made, but it also freezes incredibly well. Freeze in an ice cube tray and then transfer to a zip-top bag. The cubes are the perfect size for a single portion of pasta, veggies, or a sandwich.

Every time I make this gratin I get the same response: “This is so good!” Honestly, though, when you combine potatoes and squash with cream, sage, and cheese, how could it not be amazing? This gratin is especially well suited for dinner parties or any other time you need a hearty, make-ahead side dish. It scales up easily (just increase the ingredients and baking dishes accordingly), and it reheats wonderfully.

Delfina is one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco, and it happens to be just two doors down from the Market! Although much of their menu changes daily, this spaghetti is always on offer, and I think it’s one of the best things they make. It’s a great example of how a few high-quality ingredients (most of them pantry items) can come together for a simple but nourishing meal. Chef-owner Craig Stoll was generous enough to share his recipe. Craig employs the classical Italian technique of par-cooking the pasta and then finishing the cooking with the sauce. This not only thickens the sauce but also lets the sauce cook into the pasta. He says, “The result should be juicy and shiny and full of flavor, but with no residual sauce. All of the sauce should be contained within the body of the spaghetti. The last bite of pasta should bring the last bit of sauce with it.”

This silky, sophisticated soup is proof that beans can be so much more than humble peasant food. Serve it as a warming first course or main dish. You can use cannellini beans or white navy beans in this soup, but given the choice, I prefer the cannellinis. They’re larger and have comparatively less skin, so they produce a creamier soup.

Like most of the chefs we take to visit Forni-Brown Gardens (see page 164) in Calistoga, Rocco di Spirito was overwhelmed by the bounty. This farm grows impeccable lettuces, tomatoes, herbs, and other produce for some of the most discriminating restaurants in Napa Valley. For his astonishing first course at the 2000 Workshop, Rocco used Forni-Brown beets, baby carrots, tiny tomatoes, and three kinds of basil. This aromatic stovetop braise is an adaptation of the more elaborate dish he made.

Eduardo Pria, a 2002 Workshop participant and Mexico City native, is probably the most passionate chef we have ever had at the Workshop. He was overjoyed to be at the winery and expressed it with frequent hugs for all, usually coupled with an enthusiastic “I love you, man!” The Argentinian chimichurri sauce that Eduardo made for Don Watson’s lamb was as exhilarating as he is. Brian has used the sauce frequently over the years, adapting it along the way. Prepared quickly in a blender, it is a vivid emerald green and like pesto in texture, with a fresh, zingy taste. It complements almost any grilled red meat—from leg of lamb to hanger steaks, flatiron steaks, or pork chops. Add roasted fingerling potatoes and Blistered Cherry Tomatoes (page 157) for an ideal summer meal. We also like chimichurri with grilled summer vegetables, such as zucchini, eggplant, and peppers. You can make the sauce a few hours ahead, but plan to use it the same day. It loses zip with time. Note that the lamb needs to marinate for at least two hours.

Chef Danielle Custer, who attended the 1997 Workshop, devised this modified potpie to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey. She wanted to make a version of the freezer-case classic but without the traditional bottom crust or the peas. Brian has added a California touch: asparagus from the winery garden, transforming the modest all-American potpie into a dish suitable for guests. Tender drop biscuits scented with chives take the place of a pastry crust.

Chef Nancy Oakes used fresh duck livers from Sonoma County Poultry when she made these elegant crostini during the 1997 Workshop, but chicken livers work, too. She hand-chopped the warm sautéed livers with butter and a lot of sweet sautéed onion, plus just enough earthy truffle oil to make them worthy of a black-tie occasion.

Inspired by the simplicity and purity of Japanese sashimi, American chefs are exploring the world of seafood crudo (Italian for raw). Typically, crudo is accompanied by Mediterranean garnishes like capers and olive oil rather than the soy-based dipping sauce that is served with sashimi. At the 2005 Workshop, Florida chef James Reaux made a beautiful halibut crudo with chive oil, using the abundant chives in the winery garden. For raw preparations such as this one, the seafood must be impeccably fresh.

Chef Walter Pisano, a 1999 Workshop alumnus, makes an aromatic pesto that includes neither basil nor garlic. He makes it with fresh spring herbs—parsley, chives, and mint—in place of the basil that doesn’t mature until summer. It’s lively and light, just the right complement to his feather-light gnocchi, but you could use this pesto on fresh pasta or fish as well. Chef Pisano’s gnocchi melt on the tongue when made with high-quality ricotta. At the winery, we use Bellwether Farms ricotta (see page 77), but Calabro also makes an excellent product. You may need to visit a specialty cheese shop to find fresh ricotta. Supermarket ricotta containing gums or stabilizers will not produce the most delicate gnocchi.

This cinnamon-glazed cookie is French toast in cookie form—a breadlike texture with cinnamon-sweet flavor. You can add chopped candied pecans by sprinkling them onto the cookie after it’s iced but while the icing is still wet. This recipe directs you to spoon the icing over the tops of the cookies, but if you like the playfulness of the rounded bottoms from the Mini Black and White Cookies (page 77), you can flip them over and ice the bottoms using the same technique.

This is another great example of turning the flavors you like from a raditional dessert into a more modern form. Imagine the elements of tiramisù—ladyfingers, ricotta pastry cream, cinnamon, and coffee liqueur—and figure out the components of a cupcake that will best match up with those flavors. Then, voilà!, you have a new kind of cupcake. We assemble this cupcake without alcohol, but feel free to substitute Kahlúa or another coffee liqueur for the espresso (or in addition to the espresso) to give this dessert an extra punch.

This is a traditional yellow cake. Pair it with Vanilla Icing (page 136), and that’s about as basic as you can get, but you’ll be surprised at what a buttery vanilla flavor it packs. For that reason, the Vanilla Cake/Icing combo is a favorite among both kids and adults. This cake is also a classic match for the Chocolate Icing (page 148), as well as for bolder variations, such as in the following recipes in this chapter.

Twenty years ago this icing was more commonly made with vegetable shortening than with butter. Even now, some grocery stores and lower-end bakeries still use shortening to save money. When the frosting is made with shortening, the sugar is really the only flavor you taste. To enhance the flavors, and because of an overall avoidance of trans fats (which are common in shortening), today at high-end bakeries and at home, butter is more commonly used for the base of this icing. The secret to this simple-to-make butter icing is beating it in a mixer for a good 5 to 8 minutes total, so that it is light and fluffy. Our recipe differs from others out there because it uses far less sugar, but this is still inherently a very sweet icing. In addition, using less sugar results in a naturally more yellow color, so if you want to get a bright white or if you’re planning to tint it a different color, beat the icing in a standing mixer until it is colorless—the more air you incorporate, the whiter it will be. To make our “Sassy” Cinnamon Icing, which pairs well with all of the cakes in the Banana Cake chapter (page 125), just add one tablespoon of ground cinnamon and mix until combined.