A Dinner Feast with Stephanie Izard
You may know Stephanie Izard from her stint on Top Chef where she was the first female chef to smoke the competition—we’re most impressed, though, by the fact that she opened her first restaurant when she was only 27. Toques off. Born and raised in Chicago, Izard’s Girl & the Goat is one of the city’s most-acclaimed restaurants (it won a James Beard award in 2011, among other honors), which isn’t surprising: It’s a nightly showcase of culinary fireworks and unexpected flavor combinations. Somehow we convinced Izard to throw a dinner party to celebrate our Chicago #gooppop at her other celebrated restaurant, Little Goat Kitchen & Terrace, and the food blew our collective minds. Below, the recipes.
Lobster & Green Papaya Salad
It’s worth trying to track down Thai basil: While genovese (which is most common) basil will work in a pinch, the heartier almost spicy Thai basil leaves add something special.
Kholrabi Salad
Who knew blueberries and ginger would go so well together?! All of the different flavor profiles here strike a delicious and totally unique balance.
Sautéed Green Beans
A welcome new twist on the classic green bean side dish, thanks to their patent-able Girl & the Goat sauté (stock up!); don’t skip the cashews—they add really nice richness and crunch, which makes the whole dish more complex.
Pan Seared Halibut
There are a lot of components to this halibut dish, but each one is fairly quick to make. Plan ahead and make the blueberry preserve, blueberry nuoc cham, and miso marcona almond butter in advance.
