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Michelin-starred chef Suvir Saran takes inspiration from Mexico, India and Asia for his dishes at Tapestry in New York City. One of his signature plates, Rabbit Mole Tostada, includes pepper chutney, salsa verde, cacao, mizuna and a drizzle of yuzu-cilantro-yogurt crema. “In India, every meal is eaten with yogurt for its probiotic properties. In Mexican cooking, they often use a crema,” says Saran. “I use yogurt in place of it and thin it out a little before adding spices to drizzle on top of the tostadas.”
At AMK in Chicago, chef Angela Bastidas serves braised short rib with lentils, charred sweet potato and harissa yogurt. “This dish is inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine,” says Bastidas. “It’s braised for four hours in bold flavors that are perfectly complimented with the tart, smoky-spicy balance of the harissa yogurt. It completes the dish and has a cooling effect and slight smoky finish from the harissa paste.”
Executive chef Sunil Kumar uses yogurt as a marinade for his popular Tandoori Chicken Tikka at Marigold Maison in Lincolnshire, Ill., and Phoenix, Ariz. “I marinate free-range chicken in yogurt, ginger, garlic and tandoori spices,” says Kumar. “The yogurt makes the meat very tender and juicy for the guest. They’re usually surprised to hear that yogurt is an ingredient in the dish because the yogurt isn’t visible when it gets to the table, but is very much a key component to the flavors of the dish.”
At Ema in Chicago, chef CJ Jacobson brings the heat to his English peas with house yogurt and jalapeño-blackberry-sumac granita. “"This dish was inspired by working with California cuisine, while also utilizing Eastern Mediterranean ingredients,” says Jacobson. “The peas are lightly tossed with Fresno chilis, blueberries and lemon vinaigrette, and then topped with a jalapeño-blackberry sumac and granita, which has some spice to it. The spice is then evened out with the house Greek-yogurt spread on the bottom.”
Taking advantage of a local bounty in New England, Brian Mercury, executive pastry chef of Oak + Rowan in Boston, has created a Cranberry Swirl Fro-Yo dessert with sheep’s milk, pear, white balsamic, and honey. “Cranberries are abundant in New England; any good local market will have cranberries from the area,” says Mercury. “We use a combination of sheep’s milk and local heavy cream for the base of the Fro-Yo. The cranberries are lightly sweetened to maintain their fresh, tart flavor.”
A love of carrots resulted in the Roasted Baby Carrots dish with cashew-sesame dukkah, Aleppo yogurt and carrot-top pesto at Herb & Wood in San Diego. Co-chef and partner Shane McIntyre says, “Carrots have always been my favorite vegetable, whether they be raw, roasted, or caramelized. When opening Herb and Wood we thought, ‘What was healthy?’ Yogurt is such a staple in so many cultures, why not start showing how well it pairs with so many things? We figured the carrots needed spice, so we added Aleppo chile to the yogurt; once we wood-roasted the carrots, they needed a bit of extra crunch, so we added dukkah for crunch and nuttiness. We decided to garnish with lemon zest, sea salt, and toasted black pepper to create layers of flavor throughout the dish.”
At North Miami Beach’s Mignonette Uptown, chef de cuisine Anthony Ciancio has been experimenting with yogurt in his Crudo of the Day. His Fluke Crudo with yogurt, pata negra, basil and tomato is lovingly referred to as the “Pizza Crudo.” Ciancio says, “A few years ago, I was working at a restaurant with a pizza oven where every day we came up with a new pie. I wanted to use yogurt one day, because I love yogurt, but the chef said it was ‘too California.’ Once I became chef de cuisine, I wanted to break all the rules and execute any and every idea, even if it might not be commonplace. A ‘pizza crudo’ is definitely one of them; putting yogurt with raw fish is another.”
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