Temperature Ups & Downs: Hot-to-Cold Restaurant Dishes
By cranking up the heat or chilling ingredients in the deep freezer, chefs are challenging diners' expectations—and the results are anything but tepid.
Courtesy of The Cooper Square Hotel
Hot Olives
At Faustina in New York City, Chilean Alfonso and Sicilian Castelvetrano olives arrive sizzling in a mini cast-iron pan. Hot oil, says chef Scott Conant, mellows the olives' saltiness and makes them seem juicier.
© Ethan and Ondina Rosch
Warm Egg Salad
San Francisco's Il Cane Rosso piles warm chopped eggs (from local farms, of course) on grilled bread with melted aged provolone and anchovy-garlic butter.
© Kelly Campbell
Melted Caprese Salad
Chef Nancy Silverton of Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles roasts cherry tomatoes to melt the mozzarella slightly, then drizzles pureed basil on top.
Courtesy of Coi / Maren Caruso
Icy Meringue
For the dish "Summer, Frozen in Time," chef Daniel Patterson of San Francisco's Coi freezes rose-infused meringue. Served with plum ice, it melts in the mouth to evoke the fleeting season.