Most of the time when you pick up a cookbook, you have no way of knowing how much you’re gonna get out of it. Gorgeous photos, sure, but as you look through, how many of these recipes will you really make? So when you have an opportunity to have a pro put together a dinner with recipes from a cookbook, you gotta do it. That was the deal with the Around the Fire dinner last week at The Carlile Room in Seattle.
Ox Restaurant chefs and Around the Fire authors Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quinónez were in town to host and sign books and The Carlile Room’s Dezi Bonow and his team took on the cooking. The Carlile Room flips the traditional approach upside down, focusing on plants. Meat is putting in a supporting role. It’s far from vegetarian, but honors what’s being farmed locally and at TDR’s Prosser Farm in eastern Washington. Chef Dezi and team chose 10 dishes (yes, 10!!) and two cocktails, a sampling that gave a good taste of what’s in the book.
Among those 10 courses, I’ve already got two or three I’ll be cooking at home. Top of the list is the stewed hominy with favas, served with sunny side up duck eggs over the top. There was actually so much food at the dinner that I brought home leftovers of the 30-day aged ribeye. I mean, you can’t let that go to waste! It was fantastic, even a couple of days later in a steak salad with peaches and an apricot-ginger vinaigrette.
GET THE BOOK: Around the Fire: Recipes for Inspired Grilling and Seasonal Feasting from Ox Restaurant
The menu
The calimocho is a mulled malbec that tastes like Christmas.
Beef tartare and an amazing corn gruyere empanada – what a way to start!
Stewed hominy with favas, okra and duck eggs — this was my absolute favorite of the night.
Whey of the Gun – rum, bourbon, whey, lime and demerara sugar.
Grilled chorizo with sweet onions, padrons and fennel blossoms.
Grilled lamb shoulder chops with rosemary.
Maple glazed carrots with chevre and truffle salted pistachios.
