Taste Testing: Rancho La Puerta

Some people dream of visiting the Great Wall or climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro. I dream of a trip to Rancho La Puerta. Deborah and Edmond Szekely founded Rancho La Puerta in 1940 and vacations there are reputed to have healing properties for mind, body and spirit. 70 years of experience in making tasty, healthy food is nothing to sneeze at so I was thrilled to get my copy of Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta. I enlisted the help of some dear friends and longtime feasting partners to help me with this menu.

Great cooking using local and seasonal fare is at the heart of the food philosophy at Rancho La Puerta. The ingredients we needed for the Summer Nights Menu, Baja Fish Tacos with Salsa Bar and Avocado Gelato and Coconut Ice with Chocolate Drizzle and Peanuts were simple and above all FRESH. Once the ingredients were assembled, we began preparing the meal with the proper degree of reverence.

The Meal

The Watermelon and Roasted Beet Salad with Fennel and Feta was an incredible surprise. I never dreamed that watermelon and beets would get along so well together, but they do. Thinly sliced fennel added a special flavor, and the feta balanced it beautifully. Served on a sharp and nutty bed of baby arugula, this salad was divine. A Grilled White Corn Soup with Leeks and Roasted Peppers was refreshingly sweet, but the fact that the corn is pan roasted till it's almost smoky gives the soup surprising depth. We garnished the soup with fresh tomatoes and herbs from my friend's garden. The New-Potato Salad with Chevril and Shallots lent a pleasant earthiness to the meal. Plus, it was so quick and satisfying to make that I have adopted it as my own.

Poached salmon makes me think of rubbery cucumber finger sandwiches, pretentious high tea and bland small talk. But Rancho La Puerta's version of Poached Salmon with Avocado-Tarragon Aioli is packed full of flavor with very little fat. Herbs, fruit and spices are boiled for 3 hours to make a court boullion. The salmon fillets are then gently cooked in the liquid and allowed to cool. I truly cannot think of anything that could be done to improve the preparation, texture or flavor of this dish. I am now a convert to poaching. The aioli was the perfect garnish, while the tarragon vinegar gives it a punchy zip that serves as an exclamation point to an already complex dish!

The Baja Fish Tacos with Salsa Bar were another huge standout in the meal. We used fresh fillets of Kingfish and marinated them according to the directions. Kingfish has a higher fat content than the Mahi Mahi, Snapper or Halibut the recipe calls for but it was the freshest fish we could find so we asked ourselves, "What would Deborah do?" and went for it. The Mango Salsa, Chipotle Lime Sauce, and Pico de Gallo sauces were the perfect accompaniment.

We topped the meal off with a trio of desserts: A Summery Nectarine and Berry Tart, Avocado Gelato and Coconut Ice with Chocolate Drizzle and Peanuts. Thinking about the tart still makes me smile. It tasted like an oatmeal cookie peach pie explosion in my mouth. The key is finding perfectly ripe nectarines and adding a liberal drizzle of the most delicious dark chocolate you can get your hands on.

Making gelato usually requires the use of an ice cream maker but Deborah shares a shallow pan freezing method that works in a pinch. I'd heard about how wonderful and unique avocado gelato was and I am nothing if not adventurous though so I tried it and was pleasantly surprised! The addition of brown sugar, milk and spices made for an incredible savory experience. We wanted a sweet frozen dessert so the Coconut Ice was perfect. Add cocoa nibs to the drizzle for additional dazzle. The best part? We made a huge meal and there was barely any mess to show for it.

The merits of this cookbook are too numerous to mention. With an inexpensive ingredient list, easy to follow instructions and effortless cleanup this is a book that will more than make up for its initial investment.