if you’re a food-lover, you have probably heard a lot of the “r” word lately. no, not rissole. i’m talking about all things “rustic.” these days it’s impossible to flick through a cookbook or read a restaurant review without seeing some mention of rustic cookery. sensing that this trend could have more staying power than the sundried tomato craze of the 90’s, i decided to investigate.

a quick look around the food mag section at my local newsagent reveals an array of rustic images. from wooden boards and meals served in pots, to frayed or creased table linen, mismatched plates, sauces served in measuring cups and crumbled biscuits; it sure is a rustic month out there in magazine world.

yet rustic style extends far beyond publishing. restaurants are replacing stiff, leather-bound menus with brown paper, chalkboards and printed placemats. peasant-style dishes, second-class cuts of meat and nose-to-tail cookery are suddenly chic, while shared plates and communal dining are overtaking stuffy a la carte options.

take sydney chef warren turnbull, for example. he developed his new restaurant district dining as a casual counterpoint to his two-hatted assiette. district ticks several rustic boxes. bare tables? check. wooden boards? check. blackboard menu? chalk… i mean check.

turnbull’s not alone. rusticity has made its way into some of the world’s most renowned restaurants. copenhagen’s noma serves a dish called “radishes in soil.” presented in a terra cotta pot, the dish features three radishes sitting in “soil” made of crushed malt, hazelnuts and beer. it’s a remarkably rustic dish for a restaurant twice voted “best in the world” by restaurant magazine.

other michelin-starred chefs getting rustic include heston blumenthal, whose new london restaurant “dinner” features a dress code described as “comfortable,” and ireland’s dylan mcgrath, who swapped molecular gastronomy for stone cooking, opening dublin restaurant “rustic stone” in 2010.

but is rustic just another word for lazy? after all, it wasn’t long ago that we were arranging chive sprigs, layering ingredients into ring moulds, carving radish roses and discarding any plate that wasn’t white. call it the jamie oliver effect, but I think it’s more about finding great ingredients, and treating them as simply as possible.

so, fancy getting in on the rustic scene? just remember to relax and leave intricate plating to trembling masterchef contestants. keep in mind rustic’s true meaning: “simple and charming in a way seen as typical of the countryside.” 

why not dish up on mismatched plates, place antipasto on a beautiful wooden board, or pour drinks into jam jars? you could serve slow-cooked meats right out of the pot, or gnocchi in a shallow pan.  or, swap linen and glass vases for bare tables and unusual flower vessels, like old watering cans or ceramic water jugs. another handy tip is to write your food blog in lowercase text.

and if all else fails, just throw some radishes in a garden pot. if it works for the best restaurant in the world, your family will surely love it for dinner too.

(image: rustic fritto misto de verdura at cotogna, san francisco)

cooking in a kitchen you’ve never been to before is always a challenge. if you’ve ever been a caterer, personal chef, or just a really generous stranger, you’ll know what i’m talking about. in amongst the usual stress that comes from planning and executing a menu, are a number of troublesome questions. questions such as: “can i assume they have olive oil?” and “what will i do if there isn’t an oven/microwave/fire pit/tea light candle?” well, i found myself asking these very questions in the third week of my u.s. trip.

you see, we’d been invited to the home of a sister of a friend who lives in san francisco. despite having never met her before, she generously allowed me the use of her kitchen, as i was by that point having saucepan withdrawals. so, all that was left to do was to plan a menu, go to wholefoods and debate whether or not she would have pepper. 

after arriving at her absolutely beautiful home and checking out the ridiculous view, i quickly realised i needn’t have been so worried. our lovely host had a near professional kitchen with every oil/condiment/spice under the san fran sun. it was every cook’s dream. well, apart from finding a companion whose favourite hobby is washing up.

after some hurried prep, i dished up the first course: beef carpaccio. there was no denying it was a risky move. during a lengthy discussion with the butcher three hours earlier, i had frightened visions of being arrested at my hotel the next day after murdering these kind strangers with inappropriately prepared raw meat. despite this, i found a beautiful flank steak and went for it. paired with capers, parmesan, micro greens, lemon and a classic mustard vinaigrette, the result was rather delicious. as an added bonus, everyone survived.

next up was another potentially risky dish: fennel and white chocolate risotto. yes, in case you were wondering, i am a masochist. sure, it sounds crazy, but i had seen this flavour combination done before and thought it was high time to have a crack at it myself. and you’d be surprised how fantastic it works. simply add a few pieces of good quality white chocolate to the risotto just before serving, instead of cream or butter. make sure you season well, and i promise it will still taste savoury and not like rice pudding. top with scampi, prawns, crab, fennel fronds or scallops, as i did here. 

the risotto was paired with my favourite “o” salad. no, not oprah- orange, olive & onion. with a bit of “b” for good measure (basil). i’m sure you can figure out why i don’t list that initial in the title…

also, a very basic frisee & bacon salad. just fry up the bacon in a bit of olive oil. (not extra virgin) once crispy, chuck in a chopped garlic clove then remove from the heat. after it has cooled slightly, remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, then pour some balsamic vinegar directly into the pan. swirl around, and pour over frisee (also known as curly endive). add the bacon and you’re done. please note: this image was taken pre-salad tossing. i realise that looks like an enormous amount of bacon. actually, let’s be honest, it is an enormous amount of bacon. 

dessert was a spiced dark chocolate pot de creme with coffee, cayenne pepper and cinnamon. our fabulous host had some gorgeous oval brulee ramekins which worked well. baked for half an hour in a bain marie then topped with whipped cream. though incredibly rich, it was a satisfying end to an enjoyable night of cooking for some lovely company. particularly as they have all lived to tell the tale.

stay tuned for (yes) yet another edition of the grain of salt u.s. food tour..

we’re off to san francisco for the next edition of grain of salt’s u.s food adventures. this time it’s commonwealth; a progressive american restaurant in the eclectic mission district. “what is progressive american cuisine?”, you ask. what a fantastic question! you are very clever. though often confusing, like similar terms “modern australian” or “mcdonald’s restaurant,” progressive american has come to describe the innovative ways in which chefs are reappropriating traditional culinary practices through contemporary techniques and styles. 

commonwealth takes this definition one step further, using it to describe its unique charitable agenda. while executive chef jason fox reinvents american cuisine in the kitchen, the restaurant itself donates a portion of their profits to various charities. progressive indeed, and a concept i could sure get behind.

the donations come from commonwealth’s tasting menu: a six-course degustation for $65, $10 of which goes to a particular charity. on this night, the worthy recipient was direct relief international. though an exciting a la carte selection is also available, this philanthropic angle, in addition to the incredibly reasonable price (by sydney standards) sealed the deal for us. tasting menu it was!

but before that, we are presented with commonwealth’s signature complimentary opener: kombu dusted potato chips with malt vinegar espuma. while the white foam may appear dense here, it is in fact light and delicate, and the chips dangerously moorish. the combined effect is that of the best salt and vinegar chips imaginable. some quick stats: i ate 95% of these chips in approx. 2.5 minutes. my constant dining companion mr. joe king seems impressed/appalled. though we are immediately offered more by our attentive waiter, i feel it sensible to decline. 

the next dish to arrive is a spiced watermelon gazpacho. though i initially believe this to be the first of our tasting menu, i realise this is in fact another amuse bouche. excellent! the gazpacho delivers what it promises: smooth, sweet watermelon countered by a hit of chilli warmth. it is at once refreshing and intriguing. 

at last, the first of our tasting dishes arrives. at least i think it does. the menu tells me it is sockeye salmon tartare with chiogga beets, sorrel, and frozen horseradish. all i can see, however, is something that resembles a millennium dome/oversized golf ball/ aerial view of r2d2. where’s the tartare? i decide to use some neanderthal problem solving logic and hit the dome with my fork. 

one crack and the dish is revealed. the dome is the frozen horseradish, which instantly melts into the salmon. the fish itself is beautifully fresh and pairs well with the horseradish cream. unfortunately, i can’t get a sense of the aforementioned beets and there’s a nagging feeling that something is missing, texture-wise. an element of crunch would go a long way here. regardless, we are utterly impressed with this feat of culinary engineering. 

up next is a striking salad of radishes, goat’s milk butter, mache, and sunflower seeds. it is one of the most beautifully presented dishes i’ve seen, with the rough slate providing a bold contrast to the natural colours of the mache & radishes, which sit atop it. mr. joe king remarks how much he loves the salad, after having now recovered from witnessing me eat all those chips earlier. 

our meal takes an exciting turn when we see our next course: asparagus custard, beech mushrooms, chorizo, and jalapeno. the star of the dish, however, is a sea urchin, which floats on the custard’s surface. neither joe or i have tried sea urchin before, and i am delighted at the prospect. joe is slightly more apprehensive. we are both pleased to find it is incredibly smooth and melts in the mouth. the custard itself is undoubtedly unusual yet delicious, and i particularly enjoy the crispy nuggets of chorizo which i find on the bottom. 

the “main meal” of our tasting menu is next: veal cheeks with artichokes, crispy ham, smoked marrow, and burnt orange. it is yet another triumph for the progressive american cuisine genre, taking familiar flavours of tender veal and “bacon” and twisting them with unexpected orange gels and smoky marrow. the meat is perfectly cooked, and the overall dish reminds me of an avant-garde home cooked meal. you know, if your grandma was into molecular gastronomy. 

as the savoury component of our meal comes to a close, our palates are cleansed with a refreshing apricot sorbet with honey lime soda, which is presented ever-so-beautifully in a classic champagne coupe. 

our relishable meal at commonwealth concludes in a rather special and humorous way for me, personally. you see, earlier in our trip, i discovered a guilty american food pleasure: movie popcorn mixed with goober’s (chocolate covered peanuts), eaten in large handfuls. ok, that sounds embarrassing, and prior to our dinner at commonwealth: it was. but, in a delightful twist of fate, our dessert validated my new food habit. there it was: a peanut butter semifreddo with chocolate ganache and frozen popcorn. it tastes so similar to my movie treat that i can’t help but laugh. according to our waiter, the chef himself has a similar guilty food pleasure and sought to translate it into a fine dining context. it is a perfect conclusion to our meal, and makes me wonder how feasible it would be to sell liquid nitrogen popcorn at the cinema. 

as you can see, commonwealth is a brilliant, interesting restaurant. chef fox and his team harness fresh, seasonal ingredients and apply a variety of innovative techniques to create beautiful, impressive food. most remarkable, for us, however, is commonwealth’s incredible value for money. though i get the impression that locals feel it is quite expensive (and sure, it’s not cheap), joe & i both know that food of this calibre would set you back a lot more than $65 in our beloved home town. and it certainly wouldn’t include a $10 charitable donation. or copious helpings of awesome chips. 

stay tuned for the next edition of grain of salt’s u.s food adventures to see another fantastic american restaurant, and perhaps even some more dome-shaped meals*

(external restaurant image: kevin bond, zagat.com)

* there’s no more dome-shaped meals, sorry if it seemed as though there was.

a few months ago, when i told my friends and family that i planned to set off on a culinary tour of the united states, i was startled to hear the same reaction each time: “why would you go to america for food!? yuck, the food there is terrible, you should be going to europe!” after a quick, sagacious “you don’t know me!” i felt dismayed at the apparent misconceptions about american gastronomy. after two brief visits to the land of the free which had included only brilliant dining experiences, i couldn’t understand the negativity. this, coupled with a once-in-a-generation strong aussie dollar, and my mind was made up- i wanted to go to there. 

(ferry building, san francisco)

and now, as i adjust back to life in now-freezing sydney, i can say with utter confidence that america is a brilliant destination for a culinary tour, should you wish to do one. in thirty days and five cities, i partook (what an odd word) in some of the most delicious food experiences of my life, visited arguably some of the most exciting restaurants in the world and ate approximately 500 pieces of pizza.*

(dean & de luca, nyc)

i know what you’re thinking, and let me reassure you, dear reader(s?)— all of the aforementioned foodstuffs were detailedly (another odd word) and often painfully documented. so stay tuned over the coming days as i relive my trip through the often blurry snaps of a food blogger abroad….

(farmer’s markets, san francisco)

… what you’ll (hopefully) see through the following posts, is exactly what i discovered: that as far as produce, service, innovation and value for money go, the us is the place to be. sure, it’s terrible at preventing gun violence, recovering from national debt and educating themselves about countries other than their own, but food: food they know.

enjoy!

*sadly, not as wildly exaggerated as it sounds. i ate, like, a lot of pizza.