Toasted rice is an ingredient probably best known as an ingredient in the northeaster Thai dish laab, for which uncooked rice is dry-roasted in a wok or other hot surface and then ground in a mortar and pestle to add a toastiness and pleasantly gritty texture to the dish. That same process is used at Charles + Dinorah in San Diego, which recently reopened for dinner and serves a baby kale salad dressed in toasted rice vinaigrette.
Hushpuppies are given a summery treatment at Pioneer in Cleveland, where executive chef Brian Whalen uses his wood-fired grill to roast corn on the cob and then add the kernels to the batter. Dressing it with cotija cheese, spiced mayonnaise ties the fried dough to the Mexican street corn elote, while Whalen adds his own personal touch with a spoonful of chimichurri.
At Ensenada, in Brooklyn, N.Y., executive chef Luis Herrera treats guests to his version of traditional aguachile dishes, while across the East River in Manhattan, Adam Montgomerie, bar manager of Hawksmoor NYC, makes a cocktail of coconut oil-washed whiskey mixed with miso.
And at Juniper Table in Palm Springs, Calif., executive chef Ysaac Ramirez spices up barramundi and accompanies it with braised fennel.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
