Sea Island Life Magazine Fall/Winter 2013 | Page 36

for nice pickling,” Tracht says. The Far East
touches in another side dish: roasted baby
onions. “Those are roasted in their skins for
two hours, then we slice them in half and top
them with almond pesto.” And in what might
be considered a nod to cultural alchemy, Jar’s
mushrooms and turkey sausage.
holiday trend will continue. “It’s impossible

Balena’s smoked mackerel starter features soft-cooked egg, aioli and pangrattato.

On the Side
Carrier embraces that same unconventional
and inventive spirit when it comes to sides,
especially in a dish long overdue for a 21stcentury makeover: sweet potatoes with
marshmallows. “We’ll roast sweet potatoes,
put them in a high-powered blender like
a Vitamix and emulsify them into a silky
purée,” he explains. “After, we spice it with
cinnamon and vanilla, fold in mascarpone
cheese, then we’ll top it with our homemade
marshmallows.” With a bit of creativity, the
dish becomes a modern, satisfying riff on
suzanne Tracht, executive chef and owner
of Jar restaurant in Los Angeles, believes
holidays should retain an aura of familiarity.
“It’s the one time of year people want tradition,” she says. Like Carrier, she walks the
line between tradition and invention, and
regularly dazzles with her revised renditions
of retro dishes.
sweet potatoes at Jar come as a gratin that
incorporates Yukon gold potatoes, Gruyere
and Parmesan cheese, and leeks. For another
deviation, she offers kabocha squash mash
with sage brown butter, leeks and dates. And
for the truly adventurous, she draws upon
ethnic-inspired ingredients that have found
their way into the holiday vernacular.
Tracht points to her Brussels sprouts as a
get good color, we’ll toss in kimchee (a popular
Korean ‘banchan,’ or side dish, of fermented
cabbage and seasonal vegetables) at the end

ethnically diverse foods as the years pass and
our cultures continue to combine,” he says.
“America has always been a melting pot of
culture, and food is the easiest map to follow.” Pandel is also a proponent of creating
new traditions.
In the south, tradition often implies
“soul” cooking. Carrier notes that southern
tionally prepared and served in the south:
collard greens, ham, pecans, grits, fried
chicken and Parker House rolls or biscuits.
“Put those on the table and you’ve got yourself a southern holiday.”

Finishing Touches
in the south, or at a holiday table where
southern cuisine is the star, will, Carrier says
pie. “southerners love their layer cakes!” he
explains. “Caramel and coconut are by far the
two favorites.”
Pandel, too, is fond of treating Balena
diners to a taste of the south, especially at
dessert. He’s taken rich southern ingredients into decadent territory that could raise

“It’s impossible for the country
to not find itself cooking more
ethnically diverse foods as the
years pass and our cultures
continue to combine.”
–CHRIS PANDEL

Line. His holiday sweet potato gelato sundae spills over with spiced pecans, candied
yams, lightly torched malted marshmallows and is served with a sorghum drizzle.
Another indulgence, an apple pie gelato
sundae, is a bounty of spiced apple cider
gelato, spiced apple conserve, a touch of oat
crumble and arrives accented with a shard
of crispy pie crust.
diners