Brioza Stuart - State Bird Provisions: a cookbook

acknowledgments

Thank you to Danielle Svetcov, for planting the seed, even before we were ready, and periodically watering it until what grew was too exciting to ignore. We could not have asked for a better advocate or a better voice when we needed one that was not our own.

To the entire Ten Speed team: Jenny Wapner, for your belief that the matrix would come together and for allowing us to meander down our own paths while still firmly leading the way toward somewhere wonderful. To Betsy Stromberg, for designing a beautiful book that somehow feels like our restaurant. To Aaron Wehner, for seeing a book long before we even knew we would have the bandwidth to write one. And to Serena Sigona and Doug Ogan, for helping to bring all the pieces of this book together.

To JJ Goode, you amaze us every day with your ability to distill years worth of knowledge into engaging stories and recipes. You embody our philosophy of we take what we do very seriously but we dont take ourselves seriously.

To Ed Anderson, this book is not only full of recipes but of images of people, food, art, and landscapes. You captured so astutely what we strive to embody and convey every dinner service. And an extra thank-you for keeping your designers eye on the whole and not just the parts.

To Kevyn Allard, for patiently and repeatedly fermenting, braising, roasting, baking, and frying in your home kitchen and sharing your thoughtful notes. And to Kat Craddock, for nerding out on sourdough starter and breads.

To our partners: Elizabeth DePalmer, for keeping all the important details organized so we never had to worry about where to find them. From the very first cookbook meeting to the planning of the release, you helped make this journey less bumpy for all of us. To Jason Alexander, for supporting The Progress team while we were deep in the cookbook.

To Rumpasri Chicharoen, after you spent nearly four years in the kitchen at State Bird, starting as our first a.m. saucier to the women commanding all stations and eventually becoming sous chef, it was obvious that when the cookbook needed an organizer you were the one for the task. The list of accomplishments is long, but to name a few: your legendary spreadsheets, the early-morning recipe testing, and your photo-filled progress reports that impressed even the publisher. All of these made you indispensable, and the book shines with your work.

To Mikiko Yui, we are so lucky you came back from Japan to open a restaurant with us, first as a pastry assistant (and occasional pancake line cook) and then as an unbelievably talented pastry chef and collaborator. We worked in hallways, spread hundreds of macarons, and scraped endless amounts of granita together, always heading toward a goal that kept evolving. We miss you.

To Gaby Maeda, who rose through the ranks to chef de cuisine and whose infectious enthusiasm and continuous creativity embody the spirit of SBP.

To Caitlin Donahue, our general manager. Every day you impress us with your leadership and your boundless sense of hospitality to our guests and staff.

To Glenn Kang, one of our first employees for the restaurant and someone who probably had a better idea than anyone, including (sometimes) us, of what this restaurant was meant to be! You became a catalyst for its success with your voice and spirit.

To Kevin Law, who brought focus and an incredible work ethic for the kitchen when it needed it most.

To all the kitchen and dining room staff, who bring fun and excitement to the restaurant every day, who so often step out of your comfort zones, who offer hospitality with true personality.

To our artists: Leah Rosenberg, for bringing color into our pegboard palace. Terri Chastain, for the moody, brilliant, always inspiring etchings. Jimmy Chen, for the humor only you can tease out of a broccoli floret. Caitlin Freeman, one-time map maker and tireless supporter. Wylie Price, the designer we engaged a few months after we opened to help add a few lights and a seated bar and who has continued to push the workshop restaurant idea with us for five years running.

To our families, who were there to support us without question and who, when there werent enough hours in the day to be at the restaurant and with our son, Jasper, gave us and him the gift of their time and love.

And finally, to all of our guests: Without you, we wouldnt have a restaurant, let alone a cookbook. Thank you for filling SBP every night with your spirit and eagerness to try new things, like fried quail and peanut milk.

This section of our larder includes a collection of recipes that we consider to be fundamental to the food at State Bird, and that, with only occasional exceptions, contribute to its distinctive flavor without necessarily announcing their presence.

clarified butter

At State Bird, we brownand even intentionally burnbutter as often as we clarify it. Yet for cooking our pancakes, theres no substitute for clarified butter, a staple of the traditional French kitchen. Thats why we keep vats of this pure butterfatregular butter slowly cooked and skimmed of its milk solidson hand. Its higher smoke point is perfect for high-heat cooking, which helps create the crispy brown patches that make the pancakes such a pleasure to eat.

Makes about 1 cups

2 cups unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

Line a fine-mesh sieve with cheesecloth and set it over a heatproof container.

Put the butter in a small pot, set over medium-low heat, and let it melt and bubble. When you see white foam develop on the surface of the butter, use a small ladle to skim it off and discard. Continue to cook, skimming every 5 minutes or so and lowering the heat if the butter threatens to brown at the edges, until the butter is completely transparent, about 20 minutes. Strain through the prepared sieve, discarding the solids.

Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 6 months.

sweet garlic puree

This is our answer to roasted garlic. Sure, the puree requires a bit of fussboil, drain, repeatbut its well worth it to taste garlic stripped of any trace of its acrid flavor. What remains is strikingly clean and sweet, which is essential to our Garlic Bread with Burrata () and welcome as a more delicate alternative anywhere you typically use roasted cloves.

Makes about 1 cups

2 cups peeled garlic cloves

1 Tbsp olive oil, or as needed

Put the garlic in a small pot, cover with water by 2 inches or so, then bring to a boil over high heat. Drain and then rinse the garlic under cold running water. Repeat the processboiling, draining, and rinsinganother three times. Cover with water, bring to a boil, and drain one final time.

Transfer the warm garlic to a blender and add the olive oil. Blend on high speed to a very smooth puree, gradually adding more oil if necessary to combine.

Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. (Consider freezing in ice-cube trays until solid then transferring to an airtight bag.)

state bird dashi