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