Organics have redefined fine dining

THERE WAS A time when "fine dining" was associated with one demographic and "organic food" with quite another. Fine dining belonged to the establishment, and "organic food" was a product of the counterculture.

Synonymous with something we used to call continental cuisine, fine dining was vaguely French and extremely predictable. Calvin Trillin once said it was the kind of food that one might expect to find on Continental Trailways. Instead, it was found in country clubs, hotel dining rooms and "better" restaurants all over. What made that style of cooking bad? It wasn't so much a lack of skill among chefs as a lack of vitality in the ingredients themselves. Foodstuffs were delivered via a military-industrial supply chain that prized consistency and efficiency above all else.

Instead of whole, natural foods, kitchens were stocked with boxes, cans and freezer bags.

Organic food was something else entirely. Long before the USDA established a legal definition for organic, some farmers had been eschewing conventional methods to produce food using more holistic techniques. Instead of growing a single crop and relying on chemicals, these farmers practiced traditional crop rotation, composted and used natural fertilizers to grow wholesome foods with old-fashioned flavors.

When I was coming of age as a cook, it seemed that my entire generation had rebelled against continental cuisine and all it stood for; we saw ourselves as iconoclasts breaking out of the box. Cooking professionally in Friday Harbor for more than a decade into the '90s, I bought organic food from local farmers because it was better than anything I could find coming off a truck from the mainland. It wasn't so much a question of ethics as it was one of aesthetics.

In this century, the culinary rebels of yesterday have become industry leaders, lending form to a New American Cuisine that pairs the finest ingredients — local, organic and otherwise sustainable — with cutting-edge technique to bring out their best qualities.

Last winter, when Chefs Collaborative, an organization dedicated to promoting sustainable practices, hosted its annual "Farmer Chef Connection," dozens of Seattle's best chefs were in attendance. Among them was Maria Hines, the first Seattle chef to open an entirely organic restaurant, Tilth; since then she won the James Beard Award for "Best Chef, Pacific Northwest, 2009."

The inspiration behind Tilth, she says, was simply need: "There are hardly any organic restaurants in the country, let alone right here in Seattle. I thought if I was going to open a restaurant and spend so much time there, I wanted the food to match my ethics. I eat organic at home, and I thought other people who eat that way might really appreciate a place where they could dine out on organic food."

And the thing that links organic to fine dining, she says, "is simply the quality of ingredients."

Greg Atkinson is a chef instructor at Seattle Culinary Academy. He can be reached at greg@westcoastcooking.com. John Lok is a Seattle Times staff photographer.

Fishing Vessel St. Jude Albacore

with Grapefruit and Avocado

Serves 4

The Seattle-based fishing vessel St. Jude is owned and operated by Joe and Joyce Malley, who market their catch on the Internet and at area farmers markets. Their product has become synonymous with sustainable fishing practices in the Pacific Northwest. At Tilth, it's paired with organic Israeli couscous, grapefruit and avocado. Most elements of the dish can be made ahead and held, chilled until just before serving. Sear the tuna at the last minute.

For the couscous

1 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup Israeli couscous

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

For the avocado coulis

1 medium-sized Haas avocado

2 teaspoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 to 4 tablespoons water

For the grapefruit gastrique

¼ cup water

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 cup fresh-squeezed red grapefruit juice

For the tuna and the garnish

1 12- to 16-ounce loin of wild albacore, trimmed and cut into 4 pieces

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter to warm the couscous

1 red grapefruit, segmented and cut into ½-inch bits

2 tablespoons fresh dill leaves, plucked from their stems

Salt and freshly squeezed lemon juice to finish each plate

1. To prepare the couscous, bring 1 cup of salted water to a boil. Whisk in couscous. Lower heat to medium. Stir occasionally until couscous is al dente, about 10 minutes. Spread on a parchment-lined sheet pan and coat with 1 tablespoon olive oil to cool.

2. To make the avocado coulis, cut the avocado in half and save the pit; scoop the flesh into a blender. With blender on high, add lemon juice, salt and enough water to make a smooth purée. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Hold in an airtight container with the seed to retain color and freshness.

3. To make the grapefruit gastrique, combine the water and sugar in a pot and cook over medium-high heat until amber in color. Add the cider vinegar, then the grapefruit juice. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Reduce to about ½ cup, or until thick syrup consistency.

4. To sear the tuna and finish the dish, preheat a dry skillet over medium-high heat then add 2 tablespoons of canola oil and sear the tuna for about 1 minute on each side. Slice each loin in half and rub cut side with extra virgin olive oil. Warm the couscous in butter and season it to taste with salt and lemon juice. Distribute the avocado coulis into 4-inch circles in the center of each serving plate. Drizzle the grapefruit gastrique around the coulis. Top with warm couscous then tuna, and garnish with diced grapefruit and fresh dill. Sprinkle a trace of salt and a few drops of freshly-squeezed lemon juice over each serving.

— Recipe adapted from Tilth Restaurant, Maria Hines