For several days over the past year, I apprenticed at one of America’s greatest restaurants, Bar Tartine. (In the next few months, it will be renamed Crescent.) Here are a few of the recipes I learned to make when I was there.
The chefs of Bar Tartine—Nick Balla and Cortney Burns—cook like no one else, blending techniques of preservation from all over the world with California ingredients. Their imagination seems limitless.
When you try the two recipes that follow (all the links are live), keep in mind that they take a while. Don’t be put off by this. They’re each fascinating and full of lessons that will make you a better cook.
Brussels Sprouts with Tonnato Sauce
Because of my Bar Tartine soup “lessons,” I now always slip a piece of kombu (dried kelp) into my soups to boost their umami. And I routinely sprout lentils and beans. It’s so easy, and in three days you get fresh, crunchy sprouts for sprinkling into soups and salads.
