“I embrace food memories — traditional combinations that work together — and then distill those flavors into something that is very much different, and very much stands on its own.”
That encapsulates the culinary philosophy of Christopher Kostow, the Michelin-rated chef of Meadowood in Napa Valley.
Kostow’s cuisine blends contemporary French techniques with a strong farm-to-table ethic, but his path to culinary acclaim was unconventional. A native of Chicago, he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., before moving to San Diego. There he worked with Chef Trey Foshee, a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 1998, and spent three formative years under Foshee’s mentorship.
Seeking to broaden his experience, Kostow embarked on an intensive stint in France, working in diverse kitchens: a Paris bistro, the Michelin-starred Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier, and even a 14th-century monks’ abbey in Salon-de-Provence. On returning to the U.S., he worked in San Francisco as sous chef to Daniel Humm at Campton Place Restaurant and later earned significant recognition — including two Michelin stars — while at Chez TJ in Mountain View.
Since joining Meadowood in February 2008, Kostow has continued to gather accolades: three-and-a-half stars from the San Francisco Chronicle, sustained two Michelin stars, a James Beard Foundation nomination for Best Chef: Pacific, and inclusion in Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs of 2009.
“Meadowood gives me the freedom and resources to approach food in a creative way,” Kostow says. “It’s a large kitchen with many skilled cooks, so I can take time to craft the dishes and put a lot of thought into my food. I’m always learning new things. There’s a thin line between being creative and experimenting, and being disciplined and thoughtful about food. I’m walking that line, and I’m going to make my food taste as good as it can possibly taste.”
Cold-smoked toro with Osetra caviar, crème frâiche and daikon sprouts Serves 4
For the cured toro:
½ pound toro
1 cup sugar
1½ cups salt
Zest of 1 lemon, 1 lime and 1 orange
1 teaspoon ground white peppercorn
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
3 tablespoons vodka
1 piece parchment paper
2 pieces fig wood (or other fruit wood)
1 large bag of ice
Combine the sugar, salt, citrus zests, white pepper, coriander, fennel and vodka. Spread half the cure on parchment, place the toro on top, and cover with the remaining cure. Fold the parchment and lightly weight it. Cure for 1 hour. Rinse the toro in cold water and pat dry. Place the toro in a strainer.
Light the fig wood, put the smoking branches in a large metal bowl, then position four ring molds or ramekins in the bowl and set a wire rack atop them. Place a large bag of ice on the rack and the strainer with the toro on the ice. Quickly wrap the bowl in foil and cold-smoke for about 30 minutes. Chill the smoked toro in the freezer.
For the garnish:
1 tablespoon crème frâiche in a squirt bottle
1 spring onion — shave the bulb and julienne the tops
Lemon zest
Daikon sprouts
1 tablespoon Osetra caviar
Presentation: Using a deli slicer, shave the toro into 1/8-inch slices and lay them on plates promptly. Garnish each plate with small dollops of caviar, a few drops of crème frâiche, sliced onion, daikon sprouts and lemon zest. Serve with warm bread.
Squab with cherries and radishes Serves 4
For the squab:
4 whole squabs
2 ounces Darjeeling tea
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 cups salt
4 cloves garlic
4 bay leaves
1 liter duck fat
Heat the duck fat in a pan. Remove the breasts and legs from the squabs. Crush the garlic and bay leaves and mix with the salt. Pack the legs in the salt mixture and cure for 30 minutes, then rinse under cold water. Simmer the cured legs in hot duck fat until tender, then remove and cool.
Blend the butter and Darjeeling tea in a food processor. Place the breasts in a zipper-lock bag with the butter mixture and refrigerate until ready to cook.
For the cherries:
1/3 cup dried cherries
10 ounces ruby port
Bring the port to a boil in a small pot and reduce by half. Pour the reduced liquid over the dried cherries to rehydrate. Once the cherries have plumped, strain and further reduce the cooking liquid until it becomes syrupy to form a cherry sauce.
For the radishes:
1 bunch baby radishes
1 cup water
3½ tablespoons butter
Clean the radishes, reserving the tops for garnish. Heat the water and butter in a saucepan, add the radishes, and simmer until tender and well glazed.
Presentation: Gently poach the sealed bags with squab breasts in water held at about 135°F until medium-rare, then remove and finish as desired. Roast the cooked squab legs skin-side down in a pan until crispy. Plate the squab with the cherry sauce and glazed radishes, and garnish with reserved radish tops.
Meadowood Napa Valley
900 Meadowood Lane
St. Helena, CA 94574
tel 707 963 3646