Skip to main content
All Posts By

Billy Yang

Aug 30
Love0

Handle’s Buffalo Cauliflower Recipe

By Eat & Drink

Named one of “Utah’s 25 Best Restaurants” by Salt Lake magazine, Handle features American cuisine with a modern twist. The chef, Briar Handly, is known for his unique take on fried chicken, but has much more for diners to explore on his menu. Selections ranging from French beignets to locally-sourced trout dot the menu with bold, complex flavor. Having been featured in the New York Times, Yahoo! Travel, and the 2014 Forbes Travel Guide, Handle is one of Park City’s shining stars that you do not want to miss. And now, you can have a little taste of the magic at home.

Handle’s Cauliflower in buffalo hot wing fashion with blue cheese

For the cauliflower:

  • 1 head Cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 qt. buttermilk
  • 1 qt. Franks Red Hot Sauce

Mix the buttermilk and Franks Red Hot sauce in a bowl.

Cover the cauliflower with the buttermilk mixture.

For the dredge:

  • 2 qts AP flour
  • 1 cups Corn Starch
  • 1/4 cup kosher Salt
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup onion powder
  • 1 Tbsp dried thyme
  • 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper ground
  • 1/4 cup paprika

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together with a wire whisk. In a fryer or large heavy bottomed sauce pan heat 2 qts of vegetable or canola oil to 350 degrees. Remove the cauliflower from the buttermilk brine and drain well. Place the cauliflower in a large bowl and toss to coat with the seasoned dredge. Shake any excess off with a strainer. Carefully drop into the hot oil and fry until crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove the cauliflower from the oil with a small sieve and transfer to paper towels. Season to taste with kosher salt.

For the Carrot & Celery Salad:

  • 10 ea baby mixed color heirloom carrots, cut or peeled thin. Tops picked and reserved
  • 1 head celery, cut or peeled thin. Lighter colored leaves picked and reserved
  • small bunch chives, cut into 1/2 inch strips
  • 1 head fennel, sliced thin. Fennel fronds or tops picked and reserved
  • 1/2 Cup basil, cilantro and chervil leaves picked and torn or roughly chopped

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and cover with ice cold water. Drain and spin dry in a salad spinner. Toss with a simple vinaigrette made with 2 parts lemon juice, 1 part simple syrup and 4 parts olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Franks Red Hot Vinaigrette:

  • 1 cup franks
  • 2 cups grape seed oil
  • 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl add the franks, apple cider vinegar, dijon and honey. Mix with a whisk. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking until emulsified. Season and adjust if needed.

Franks Red Hot Powder:

Pour 2 cups Franks onto a parchment lined sheet tray and dehydrate in a oven set to lowest setting overnight. When dry break up and buzz in a coffee grinder. Pass through a sieve and re-grind any pieces that need it.

ENJOY!

Or go visit Handle at 136 Heber Ave. in Park City, Utah.

-Brieanna Olds

Oct 29
Love0

Laid Back Poke Shack brings Hawaii to Salt Lake

By Eat & Drink
The notion that we cannot get fresh seafood in Salt Lake City is antiquated.

“If this were 40, 50 years ago, sure. But the way logistics work and how we can get things shipped around, I don’t think it’s strange to have fresh fish in a desert,” says Jimmy Zouras, who along with his wife Deanna, owns and operates Laid Back Poke Shack in Holladay. “We get our fish directly from the Honolulu fish auction and it comes fresh three times a week.”

Zouras’ family opened Gourmandise the Bakery in the early 90s. But for his latest business venture, Zouras switched his focus from French pastries to fresh fish in the form of the Hawaiian delicacy, poke (pronounced poh-keh), and opened up Laid Back Poke Shack in February.

In the Hawaiian language, poke is a verb that means to cut or to slice. A basic poke consists of cubed, raw ahi (yellow fin tuna) marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, seaweed and chili pepper.

But don’t simply call it sushi.

“We’ve had people come in who try to compare it to sushi. Some people come in expecting a sushi-style experience but that’s not it,” Zouras says. “This is poke and poke is something different.”

Poke has appeared on menus of several sushi restaurants in Salt Lake City as an appetizer in recent years. In Hawaii, however, poke is so pervasive that many grocery stores (even chains like Costco) keep several different flavors of it in stock.

With Laid Back Poke Shack, the Zouras’ tried to recreate something they experienced and loved in The Aloha State. Their shop offers a variety of poke, including ahi, salmon and tako (or octopus).

“We put this together so we could come get poke. It started off very selfishly,” Zouras quips.

Their affinity for poke is spreading and Zouras says the reception for Laid Back Poke Shack has been great so far. But some people are still skeptical of seafood in Salt Lake.

“We’ve come across a few challenges as far as perceptions but the only thing we can do is to let them try it,” Zouras says.

Laid Back Poke Shack is in Holladay, at 6213 S Highland Dr. They are open from 11-8 Tuesday-Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday.