Saute chef Caleb Peyton (right) seen upstairs at Chez Panisse on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif. Chez Panisse not only enlightened legions of diners on the virtues of seasonality and sustainability, its canon of cookbooks, which includes “The Chez Panisse Menu Cook Book,” “Pasta, Pizza and Calzone,” […]
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Chez Panisse not only enlightened legions of diners on the virtues of seasonality and sustainability, its canon of cookbooks, which includes “The Chez Panisse Menu Cook Book,” “Pasta, Pizza and Calzone,” “Chez Panisse Desserts” and many others, brought that philosophy into the kitchens of countless home cooks.
From them, we learned that good food begins with good ingredients and that it is better to shop the market for the freshest produce before deciding what to cook — a radical notion!
Over the years, these ideas were embraced in the pages of The Chronicle’s Food section, whether it’s procuring sustainable fish, showcasing organic seasonal produce or supporting local farmers who are stewards of the land.
Here are some popular Chez Panisse recipes from The Chronicle's archives that highlight the restaurant's ethos.
While dried beans are wonderful, there is a moment in time when fresh shelling beans are superb. Chez Panisse uses this recipe for all sorts of varieties, including cranberry, cannellini, flageolet, lima and butter beans. Serve these with the pork roast.
- Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- A few sage leaves or a sprig of rosemary or thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 pounds fresh cranberry or cannellini beans in the pod ( 3 to 4 cups shelled beans)
Instructions: Shell the beans. Put them in a large heavy pot or an earthenware bean pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Add a splash of olive oil, a good pinch of salt, the bay leaf, and the sage leaves or sprig of rosemary or thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook gently for 30 to 45 minutes, until the beans are tender throughout. Taste one to ensure that they are cooked through.
Turn off the heat, and let the beans cool down in the broth. Reheat gently when ready to serve. Pour off most of the broth (save it for soup or some other use), season the beans with salt and black pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.
Note: You can add chard, collards, large rocket leaves and kale to the beans. If the greens are tough, boil them a little, then saute them with olive oil, garlic, maybe a little hot pepper (particularly good with broccoli rabe) salt, pepper, and a splash of red wine vinegar. Serve as a side or folded through the beans.
This recipe was adapted from “Mapie’s la Cuisine de France,” but became identified as the house dessert of Chez Panisse. This is very firm, almost candylike, so is best eaten with the fingers, which makes it a good picnic dessert.
Tart shell:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, not too cold
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Tart filling:
- 3/4 cup whipping cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier
- 2 or 3 drops of almond extract
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup (about 3 ounces) sliced unblanched almonds
For the pastry: Mix the flour, sugar, salt and lemon peel in a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch slices and work it into the flour mixture with your hands or a pastry blender until the butter is in mostly cornmeal-size pieces and the mixture is beginning to hold together.
Combine the water and vanilla and work it into the flour-butter mixture just until the pastry is blended and will hold together if you press it. Gather it into a ball and wrap it in plastic. Let it rest for 30 minutes so the flour will absorb the moisture more completely. At this point you can wrap the pastry in foil and freeze it for up to a month.
Pinch off a small piece of dough and set it aside for patching. Press the remainder of the pastry into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Do not use a black one; the shell might burn if you do. Make sure that you have a layer of even thickness over the bottom and the sides. If the thickness is uneven, some parts will bake too much before other parts are cooked. Wrap the shell in foil and freeze for 30 minutes or overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap the shell and place it in the oven (you don’t need to fill the shell with weights because it doesn’t shrink much) for about 25 minutes, or until light golden brown and baked all the way through.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack while preparing the filling. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
For the tart: Mix the cream, sugar, Grand Marnier, almond extract and salt in a saucepan large enough for the mixture to triple in volume, stirring well. Heat until it comes to a rolling boil and bubbles thickly, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, stir in the almonds, and let stand for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, patch the tart shell if necessary. Use an offset spatula to smooth a small piece of very soft reserved dough over any crack that looks as if it goes all the way through the shell. Be careful not to break through the crisp top of the baked crust if you can avoid it; if the filling leaks through, it will caramelize on the bottom of the shell. This is a necessary step, well worth the time.
Fill the shell with the still warm filling, which will be quite liquid. Make sure the almonds float evenly in the filling. If they are gathered on the top of the liquid mixture, the finished tart will have a cornflake-like texture instead of the glossy surface you want.
Place a sheet of aluminum foil, dull side up, on the oven rack because the tart may bubble over. Place the tart in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Check the tart — it should be bubbly all over. If not, use the side of a large rubber spatula and gently break up the surface crust to allow the mixture to bubble all over. Rotate the tart and continue baking another 5 minutes. Check again, and break up the surface again if necessary. Bake the tart for a total of 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is a nice shade of creamy-and-russet caramel, rotating the tart occasionally to ensure even baking. The tart will continue to brown a bit after it is out of the oven.
Cool the tart on a rack, loosening the sides of the pan slightly every minute or two for 5 to 10 minutes, or until set. Remove ring from the tart, and return the tart to the rack to finish cooling. If you remove the ring of the pan too soon the sides will fall off the tart.
If you want to remove the tart from the bottom of its pan, carefully slide a thin sharp knife between pastry and pan white the tart is still warm, about 15 to 20 minutes after it comes out of the oven. Slide the tart off the tart pan bottom onto the rack.
This dish has been on the menu of the upstairs cafe since it opened. Delicious as a first course, it can also be served as a meal, or as a combination salad-and-cheese course. The goat cheese and crumbs can be prepared ahead.
- 1/2 pound fresh goat cheese log (about 2 inches wide and 5 inches long)
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 small sprig rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 sour baguette, preferably a day old
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, walnut oil or a combination
- 1/2 pound garden lettuces, washed and trimmed
Instructions: Carefully slice the goat cheese into 8 disks. Pour the olive oil over the disks and sprinkle with the chopped thyme and rosemary. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or up to a week.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cut the baguette in half lengthwise and dry out in the oven for 20 minutes or so, until dry and lightly colored. Grate into fine crumbs on a box grater or in a food processor. If made ahead, store in a self-sealing plastic bag.
When ready to assemble the salad, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the breadcrumbs on a plate. Remove the cheese disks from the marinade and roll them in the bread crumbs, coating them thoroughly. Place the crumb-coated cheese on a small baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes, until the cheese is warm and the crust is browned.
Place the vinegars in a small bowl and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
Toss the lettuces lightly with the vinaigrette and arrange on 4 salad plates. With a spatula, carefully place two disks of the baked cheese on each plate, and serve.
At Chez Panisse the pork is spit-roasted over an open hearth, but this can be cooked on a grill or in the oven. When you buy the roast, ask the butcher to remove the chine bone and separate the thin layer of meat on the ribs, stopping about an inch from the end of the bones. This allows you to season the interior of the meat. Season the meat 1 to 2 days before cooking, if possible. Serve this with Fresh Shelling Beans (see recipe).
- 1 bone-in 4- or 5-rib pork loin (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds)
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
- 2 tablespoons chopped sage leaves
- Water or stock
- Fresh Shelling Beans (see recipe)
Instructions: Starting on the rib side, use a sharp knife to cut closely along the bones to separate most of the roast from the ribs; leave the last 1/2-inch or so attached to make retying easier. Rub the garlic on bones and into the loin meat. Sprinkle liberally with salt, ground pepper, and half the rosemary and sage. Rub the seasonings into the meat. Reassemble the roast and secure with several pieces of kitchen string. Liberally season then rub the exterior with salt, pepper and the remaining herbs. Lightly cover the meat and refrigerate.
Remove the roast from the refrigerator an hour or so before cooking it to let it come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the meat in a roasting pan, bone side down; the bones make a sort of natural roasting rack. Roast for about 30 minutes, then turn the meat over, and cook another 30 minutes or so, until the internal temperature registers 130 degrees and the exterior is browned.
Remove the roast from the pan and place on a cutting board, but leave the oven on. Let the roast rest for 15 or 20 minutes before carving.
Meanwhile, skim off and discard some of the fat from the roasting pan. Pour some water or stock into the pan, and set over two burners. Bring to a simmer, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour the juices into a small saucepan and keep warm.
When ready to serve, remove the strings from the roast, and cut the meat into thick, bone-in chops. You can also fully remove the rib bones from the meat. Slice between the bones to separate them, then return the bones to the oven for a few minutes to make them crustier while you slice the roast.
Add any juices released from the roast to the juices in the pan. Serve the roast with the warm juices, the rib bones and Fresh Shelling Beans (see recipe).
It’s worth taking the time to hunt down fig leaves, perfect for keeping salmon moist. Sauced with a little nasturtium butter, this fish dish is easy, beautiful and wonderfully aromatic. You can also cook the fillets, or a whole salmon, on a grill; the fig leaves will prevent the fish from sticking. Nasturtium blossoms are generally available in the produce section of upscale grocers or at farmers’ markets.
- 6 skinless salmon fillets (about 2 pounds total), pin bones removed
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 large young fig leaves, washed
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
- 1 medium shallot, finely diced
- 24 nasturtium blossoms (see note)
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat the salmon with olive oil, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Wrap each portion of fish individually in a fig leaf, folding the edges of the leaf over the fish. It is all right if the fish is not completely enclosed.
Prepare the nasturtium butter: Stir together the softened butter, lemon juice, lemon zest and shallot. Remove the stems from the nasturtiums, chop the blossoms, and stir into the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Let the butter sit for a few minutes, taste and adjust the seasoning. Leave the butter at room temperature while you bake the fish.
Place the salmon on a baking sheet and bake in the upper part of the oven until the fish is just cooked through, 6 to 9 minutes. Transfer the salmon packages to a serving platter or individual plates. Peel the fig leaves back to expose the salmon and spread some of the nasturtium butter on each portion.
Note: You can replace the nasturtiums with herb blossoms or a few chopped capers.
In the 1980s, Alice Waters took pizza to a new level. Her “California-style” pies were topped with seasonal ingredients such as radicchio, wild mushrooms, tapenade, pesto and fresh herbs. This pizza, featured recently on the restaurant’s takeout menu, is garnished with fried rosemary. You can find “OO” flour in the baking aisle of well-stocked grocery stores.
For the dough
- ¾ cup lukewarm water, divided
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup rye flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt + more as needed
- 1 cup bread flour
- ¾ cup “OO” flour
For the topping
- 3-4 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed
- Rice bran oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced sweet pepper
- Red wine vinegar
- 1 cup grated whole-milk mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onions
- Chile flakes
Instructions: Make the dough sponge by mixing together ¼ of the water, yeast and rye flour. Let it rise 20-30 minutes, then add another ½ cup of lukewarm water, the olive oil, salt and both flours. Mix the dough with a wooden spoon, then knead on a floured board. It will be soft and a little sticky. Use quick light motions with your hands so the dough won’t stick. Add more flour to the board as you knead but no more than is absolutely necessary. A soft moist dough makes a light and very crispy crust. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes to develop strength and elasticity in the dough.
Rub a bowl with olive oil; put the dough in the bowl and oil the surface of the dough to prevent a crust from forming. Cover the bowl with a towel and put it in a warm place, approximately 90 to 110 degrees. An oven heated just by its pilot light is a good spot. Let the dough rise to double its size, for about 2 hours, then punch it down. Let it rise about 40 minutes more, then shape the pizza.
Meanwhile, fry the rosemary leaves: In a shallow pan, heat a half inch of rice bran oil to medium high. Test a rosemary leaf or two. If the oil sizzles, add the remaining leaves. Fry for about 10-15 seconds, watching carefully so they don’t burn. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Season the sweet peppers with a pinch of salt and a few drops of red wine vinegar. Top the dough with the mozzarella, rinsed capers, red onions, a pinch of chile flakes, and sweet peppers. Bake the pizza until the crust is nicely browned. Remove and garnish the pizza with a sprinkle of the fried rosemary leaves.
