Misstropolis

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Fashionable Foodies

by Clara Silverstein

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It’s hard to imagine how a green sweater could inspire the décor at a restaurant until you meet Tess Enright. As co-owner of the Tess & Carlos clothing boutique, Enright has a strong sense of design, which carried right through PAVA, the restaurant that she opened next to the store’s Newton Centre location.

“I really liked the color of a sweater that I was selling next door, so I brought it in and put it next to the swatches to find a color that matched it,” says Enright. Now that shade of green – somewhere between Kelly and grassy – accents the chairs, the place mats, and even the dessert spoon handles.

Susan Regis, chef since the restaurant opened eight months ago, says the color helps inspire her food, too – especially the spring menu. “Green is a theme – it’s fresh, it’s light, it’s cool,” she says. A pizza topping of spinach and sorrel matches well. So does the basil oil in a tiered white dish on the bread plate, surrounded by Regis’ own crispy flat bread, and golden raisin-fennel dinner rolls.

For Regis, previously a chef at two much larger restaurants – UpStairs on the Square and Lydia Shire’s legendary and now-closed Biba – the freedom to design her own menu has been liberating. “I’m very much in the moment. I cook well on my feet, and I can really do this now,” she says. With only 40 seats, PAVA lends itself to spur-of-the-moment specials, dishes made to order, and the occasional impromptu chef’s table. Enright chose what she calls the “modern Milan” Italian concept for the restaurant, but Regis needed no urging to realize it. “It’s rustic and sophisticated at the same time,” Regis says.

On a recent weeknight, Regis was experimenting with a version of coddled eggs, cooked slowly in their shells in water at 60 degrees Celsius. When opened, the eggs came out with almost translucent whites encasing warm but still runny yolks. Standing behind the stove, she deftly placed the egg on top of toasted bread crumbs, surrounded it with a paper-thin slice of bacon, then added roasted asparagus spears, sformato (see recipe below), and chive oil.

“After being in the dregs of winter, I’m going for an explosion of color,” she says of this dish and recent additions to her regular menu. She marinates salmon in beet juice to give it a “sunburst” color, then adds ravioli stuffed with pea-mint filling and bright pea tendrils to finish the plate. A sautéed lobster dish comes with cod cheeks poached in curry oil to add color as well as flavor. Also celebrating early spring are swordfish with baby artichokes and Meyer lemon zabaglione; and pici, hand-rolled whole wheat pasta with fava beans and slivered artichokes. Desserts include a light version of crème brulée made with milk instead of cream, and a brioche tart with crème fraiche.

An apron tied over her black jeans and gray sweater, Regis moves easily around the spacious kitchen, located one flight down from the dining room. Some of its equipment, especially a brick oven that makes quick work of pizzas, rivals that of a hotel. She and her small staff “wear many different hats,” she says. “I like doing things by hand – even cutting meat or forming dough – because I can really feel like I’m cooking for people.”

Enright, who with her husband, Carlos Pava, also owns Tess & Carlos stores in Boston and Cambridge, says that Regis is the right chef for PAVA. “We believe in high-end merchandise, and a high-end chef goes with that.” Regis won the prestigious James Beard award for the Best Chef in the Northeast region in 1998, and was twice named best chef in Boston by the Improper Bostonian.

PAVA, named after Carlos, is designed to complement the store. “We wanted to be able to offer another service to our customers. There’s a lot of back and forth between the store and the restaurant,” says Enright. Other customers make it a destination because they like Regis’ food and the European atmosphere.

Though the cement floor and bare, white walls seem minimal, Enright says the overall effect puts the emphasis on the right things. “I don’t want distractions like paintings on the wall. It’s all about the food, and who you’re dining with.”

Roasted Asparagus with Asparagus Sformato
Serves 8

The Italian word ‘sformato’ may be hard to pronounce, but it simply means baked in a mold. This recipe from the spring menu takes advantage of the early-season asparagus.

For the asparagus puree:
1 pound asparagus spears
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill another large bowl with cold water and add a few ice cubes.
2. Remove the tough part at the bottom of each asparagus spear. Blanch in boiling water until tender. Plunge the spears in the cold water to stop the cooking.
3. Puree the cooked asparagus in a blender. Place the puree in a pot on medium high, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid evaporates. Let cool.

For the sformato and roasted asparagus:
1 medium potato
4 cups half-and-half
1 cup asparagus puree (from recipe above)
4 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus additional for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
32 - 48 asparagus spears (4 - 6 per person)
1 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Spring herbs, such as picked chervil, torn parsley, or sorrel, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 8 molds (1/2 cup each) or one large (8 cup) casserole or baking pan.
2. Place the unpeeled potato in a small pot with enough water to cover it. Bring to a boil and cook until soft when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to let cool.
3. In a food processor, puree the potato with the half-and-half. Add the cooled asparagus puree, eggs, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Process until combined.
4. Strain into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer (this removes asparagus fibers). Season with salt and pepper.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared molds or casserole. Place in a roasting pan and pour hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the molds. Cover the entire roasting pan with foil and place in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes (longer if using the larger mold), until the outside is set and the center is firm to touch.
6. While the sformato is baking, prepare the roasted asparagus. Snap off the tough part at the bottom of each asparagus spear. Place in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast, turning over the spears once or twice, until just tender, about 15 minutes.
7. When the sformato is done, remove the molds or baking dish from the water bath and invert onto a plate. Place the roasted asparagus on the side. Generously grate parmesan cheese over all. Scatter some picked chervil, torn parsley, sorrel, or other spring herbs over the top and serve.

Susan Regis will be a participating chef at Wine, Women and Shoes (see ‘Spirit’ section) on Saturday, April 28. Tess & Carlos will contribute Runway Fashions to the event.