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contents
foreword by Eric Ripert 1
introduction 3
how to use this book 7
chapter one How I met Cynthia Sandberg 9
chapter two An homage to an egg 49
chapter three An edible reflection 71
chapter four To renew 101
chapter five The Pacific as muse 129
chapter six Building a dish: 1, 2, 3 163
chapter seven Building a menu 191
chapter eight Creativity and technology 251
chapter nine Bar and cellar 289
epilogue by Charles Bowden 305
glossary of terms and techniques 310
the illustrated farm 312
sources 316
acknowledgments 318
index 320

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Delicate milk skins remind me of mozzarella. After we make them, we brush them with a little bit of cream for
hydration, so what you experience is a solid, soft, curdlike sheet of dairy goodness. You can even use them in
savory applications (see Abalone with Pigs Feet, Avocado, Milk Skin, page 158). If you have any syrup left
over from the confit, its delicious drizzled over vanilla ice cream.

fig and wild fennel confit, milk and hone y

serves 8 to 10

| Fig and Wild Fennel Confit |

| Milk Skins |

12 to 15 Candy Stripe figs

Approximately 500 grams (2 cups) whole milk

1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry white wine,

medium bodied, fruity, without oak

Approximately 30 grams (2 tablespoons) heavy cream

265 grams ( 3/4 cup) honey

Pour the milk into a saucepan

about 5 inches in diameterto a
depth of about 2 inches, and place,
undisturbed, for 15 to 20 minutes,
over very low heat. Meanwhile,
brush a plate with some of the
cream. When a thick skin forms on
top of the milk, carefully loosen the
edges from the side of the pot with
a spatula, leaving the skin undisturbed. With your fingers, pick up
the skin from opposite sides of the

3 to 4 tender wild fennel stalks, about

4 inches long
3 to 4 mature aromatic wild fennel
flower pods
2 grams (1 teaspoon) fennel seeds

Prick the bottom half of each fig with

a needle in three places. Stand the
figs upright, in a single layer, in a pan
with the wine, honey, fennel stalks
and flower pods, and fennel seeds.
Bring the wine to a light simmer and
cover the pan. Poach the figs until
they soften but still maintain their
shape, about 10 minutes. Transfer
the figs to a storage container.
Reduce the wine mixture by about
half, just until it begins to thicken.
Pour the warm liquid, with the fennel stalks and pods, over the figs.
Cool at room temperature, cover the
container, and refrigerate overnight.

112

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pan. Let the 2 halves of the skin

drape together, and place the folded
skin on the prepared plate. Brush a
little more cream on top of the skin
and cover with plastic wrap. Return
the pan to the heat and repeat until
you have made 8 to 10 skins. Brush
cream on top of the plastic wrap
before adding a skin to the stack.
Cover the finished stack of skins
loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until almost ready to use.

> To Serve
Fleur de sel
Freshly ground black pepper
Fennel fronds
Extra-virgin olive oil

Let the milk skins come up to room temperature for a few minutes, until they
are pliable. Cut the reserved figs in halves and place 3 halves on each plate.
Drape pieces of the milk skin over the figs, followed by a drizzle of the confit
syrup, and a piece of the confit fennel. Finish with a pinch of fleur de sel, a
turn of the pepper mill, a few small fennel fronds, and a drizzle of olive oil.

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I created this nod to my New Orleans upbringing as a way to keep up with the copious amounts of hearty greens
that arrive from Love Apple Farms. Now its one of the first seasonal bites at Manresa. We encourage diners to
poke around in the (kale) leaves to find the treasure. The centers are made with mustard greens, kale, and chard,
but almost any braising greens will do. The kale chips are tossed with nutritional yeast before baking for a haunting flavor, while the coating of malt vinegar powder and final grating of cheese are a riff on the confectioners
sugar thats used to finish traditional sweet beignets. Serve as passed hors doeuvres or as an appetizer course.

garden beigne ts and cr ispy le aves

makes 18 to 20 beignets

| Beignet Centers |

| Beignet Batter |

| Kale Chips |

200 grams (7 ounces) greens, including

mustard, kale, and chard, stems
removed (8 cups, tightly packed)

5 grams (2 teaspoons) active dry yeast

25 to 30 small (3- to 4-inch) kale leaves

(black Toscano or red Russian)

100 grams (1 cup) thinly sliced white

onion
15 grams (1 tablespoon) butter
15 grams (1 tablespoon) extra-virgin
olive oil
3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) kosher salt, plus
more as needed
55 grams (2 ounces) aged goats milk
Cheddar or Parmigiano-Reggiano,
finely grated

Sweat the greens and onion in the

butter and oil in a heavy covered
pan over low heat for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they
are very tender. Season with salt and
cool to room temperature. Finely
chop the vegetables and, using
your hands, mix in the cheese. Add
more salt if needed. Roll into 1-inchdiameter balls, approximately 10 to
12 grams each, cover with plastic
wrap, and reserve in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

185 grams (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)

all-purpose flour
40 grams (3 tablespoons) sugar

Approximately 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon)

kosher salt
Approximately 2 grams (1 teaspoon)
nutritional yeast

6 grams (1 teaspoon) kosher salt

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm

milk and set aside in a warm place
for about 10 minutes to activate.
Combine the dry ingredients. Add
the yeast mixture to the egg white.
Whisk in the dry ingredients and
mix until the batter is smooth.
Proof at room temperature for
about 1 hour. Extra batterenough
to coat a second batch of Beignet
Centerswill hold for a few days
in the refrigerator. Bring to room
temperature before using.

Preheat the oven to 325F (165C).

If you have a convection oven, set
the fan on low.
Gently toss the kale leaves with just
enough olive oil to coat them with
a light film. Season to taste with salt
and yeast. Place the leaves between
two silicone baking mats on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes.
Remove the top mat and bake for
another 5 minutes. Turn the leaves
over, rotate the pan, and bake again
for 5 minutes. Continue to turn and
bake until crispy, 2 to 3 rotations.
Store in a dry box (see page 310).

Heat the grapeseed oil for deep-frying to 350F (175C).

Grapeseed oil, for-deep frying

Using 2 spoons, thickly coat the chilled Beignet Centers in the Beignet Batter
and fry in the grapeseed in small batches for a few minutes, turning and
basting with oil, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, snip off any
tails of batter with scissors, then roll the hot beignets in a little of the malt
vinegar powder. Arrange the beignets on serving plates, grate cheese over
the beignets, garnish with Kale Chips, and serve immediately.

25 grams (1 ounce) aged goats milk

Cheddar or Parmigiano-Reggiano

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1 egg white, whisked to a light froth

Approximately 6 grams (11/2 teaspoons)

extra-virgin olive oil

> To Serve
10 grams (2 tablespoons) malt vinegar
powder

198

200 grams ( 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)

whole milk, warmed to less than
90F (30C)

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Copyright 2013 by David Kinch

Photographs copyright 2013 by Eric Wolfinger
Illustrations copyright 2013 by Reed Glaser
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press,
an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com
Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kinch, David, 1961
Manresa : an edible reflection / David Kinch with Christine Muhlke;
photography by Eric Wolfinger.
pages cm
Includes index.
1. Cooking, AmericanCalifornia style. 2. Manresa (Restaurant)
I. Muhlke, Christine. II. Title.
TX715.2.C34K56 2013
641.59794dc23
2013016098
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-60774-397-2
eBook ISBN: 978-1-60774-398-9
Printed in China
Design by Toni Tajima
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition

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MANRE
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