THE COURSES GLEAMED: torch-charred salmon with black rice and a sunchoke salad; duck confit with glazed turnips in a bourbon reduction; Wagyu beef short ribs with a chorizo demi-glace and duck-fat-whipped root vegetables. In Santa Fe—also known as the City Different—this special dinner in March showed the startling range of New Mexico’s ambitious chefs. And me? I was just one of 200 hungry foodies gathered at the iconic Coyote Cafe, where the James Beard Foundation chose to hold one of its Taste America events.

The March dinner was one of the foundation’s nationwide stops celebrating the tenacity of local chefs throughout the pandemic and served as a prelude to the June announcements of the James Beard Award winners. The night’s stars were Coyote’s own executive chef, Dakota Weiss, and Martín Rios of Santa Fe’s Restaurant Martín and a nominee for one of this year’s awards.

“We were given complete creative freedom,” Rios says of the event. “I love dinners like this because you have the opportunity to learn from another chef, and it is so rare that we get to work together like this.”

Martín Rios paired his duck breast/leg confit with koji turnips, Anjou pears, and toasted grains.

The pair alternated courses, with Rios polishing off the evening by presenting an over-the-top chocolate-caramel crémeux with bourbon-citrus custard, an almond-honey financier, and a clementine-verbena granita. Each course was paired with wine or whiskey. But there was one ingredient they simply could not leave off the menu. “How could I not incorporate chiles into the dishes?” says Weiss, a Santa Fe High School graduate. “Not to mention I am fully addicted to both red and green.”

Weiss began her career at Coyote Cafe before helming the chef-driven Sweetfin Poke restaurants in Los Angeles and competing on the Bravo network’s Top Chef. She returned to Santa Fe this past fall, eager to take the reins at Coyote.

“I am more than humbled to be here again after all these years and bring some new life and ideas to both the restaurant and Santa Fe cuisine,” says Weiss, who appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with Rios. “He is a true culinary god! He has an affinity for Asian ingredients, so I knew we could really make a beautiful menu.”

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, but raised in Santa Fe, Rios worked his way up the local food chain before opening Restaurant Martín in 2009. During the pandemic, he pivoted to offering build-a-bowl takeout meals that turned into a craze—and neatly fit into the James Beard Foundation’s Open for Good campaign to help independent restaurants survive the health crisis, rebuild better, and thrive in the long term.

Dakota Weiss sketched out the vision for her first course on a plate.

In addition to Rios, New Mexico’s James Beard Awards semifinalists for Best Chef in the Southwest include Sazón’s Fernando Olea and Jambo Café’s Ahmed Obo, both in Santa Fe; as well as Bocadillos’s Marie Yniguez and La Guelaguetza’s Salazar brothers, both in Albuquerque. Nobutoshi “Nobu” Mizushima and Yuko Kawashiwo of Albuquerque’s Ihatov Bread and Coffee were nominated for Outstanding Baker. And Zacatlán Restaurant, in Santa Fe, earned a spot in the Best New Restaurant category.

The awards acknowledge excellence in an industry that is both competitive and supportive, a calling out of chefs and restaurants that raise the bar to new culinary heights. The foundation was conceived in 1986 and named for the prolific food writer, teacher, and cookbook author who’d become the father of American cooking (he passed in 1985). New Mexico soon began appearing on the list of nominees and winners, cementing our state as a culinary destination, with cuisine that ranges from the classic moles at La Guelaguetza to the black truffle gnocchi at Restaurant Martín.

“Our industry has been through so much over the past couple of years,” Rios says. “It is a wonder so many restaurants have survived. The foundation’s Open for Good campaign has offered Zoom meetings and presentations for industry professionals, ranging from Covid protocols to mental health workshops to just camaraderie. They were helpful to network and educate us through this period.”

For those of you who couldn’t be there, the chefs generously shared two of their recipes. You can also peruse their menu and the wine pairings at left. ¡Buen provecho!

From left: The diners at Coyote Cafe and Chef Martín Rios at work.

Dakota Weiss was born in Los Angeles but spent her high school years in Santa Fe and went on to study international business at New Mexico State University, so she understands the nuances of green chile. She has cooked throughout the country and in China, which gives her a special appreciation for Asian ingredients, as demonstrated in this delicious appetizer featuring aburi, a flame-torched sushi.

HATCH GREEN CHILE PONZU

1 cup soy sauce

½ cup rice vinegar

½ cup mirin

½ cup sugar

½ cup yuzu juice, or Meyer lemon juice

½ cup autumn roast Hatch chiles, peeled, seeded, and chopped

SUNCHOKE SALAD

½ cup black rice, raw

8 ounces sunchokes, scrubbed

1 teaspoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

Rice vinegar, to taste

SALMON ABURI

1 pound Skuna Bay salmon, or your favorite variety, preferably wild

4 teaspoons mayonnaise, divided

Salt

Pepper

GARNISHES

Fresh herbs and edible flowers

Serrano chile, very thinly sliced

Lime zest

Fresh, grated ginger

Lemon extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Serves 4

INSTRUCTIONS

Hatch Green Chile Ponzu

  1. Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, sugar, and yuzu juice in a medium bowl.
  2. Add the chiles and use a hand blender or blender to puree. Set aside.

Sunchoke Salad

  1. Cook the black rice using the directions on the packet. Set aside and allow to cool.
  2. Meanwhile, toss the sunchokes in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast at 350° until fork tender, about 40 minutes.
  3. Finely dice cooled sunchokes and add to prepared rice. Season with salt, pepper, and a splash of rice vinegar.

Salmon Aburi

  1. Season the salmon lightly with salt and pepper. Cut into 12 small fillets.
  2. Spread the mayonnaise in a thin layer on each filet of salmon.
  3. Using a crème brûlée torch, lightly char the surface of the fish until a light crust forms. (Passing it under a preheated broiler will work, too.) Set aside.

Assembly

  1. Form ½ cup rice into a 3-by-1-by-¼-inch rectangle. Make 4 rectangles and place one each on the left side of large dinner plates.
  2. Puddle 1 tablespoon of the sauce to the right of each rice portion (reserve remaining sauce for another use).
  3. Lay 3 pieces of the fish in the puddle on each plate and garnish with a scatter of the herbs, flowers, ginger, zest, and drizzle of olive oil. Serve at room temperature.

Chef Martín Rios is known for multi-element desserts that keep his bakers busy incorporating sweet and tart, creamy and crunchy, and, in this case, citrus and chocolate on the same plate. Rios uses the financier, a delicate almond butter cake, and custard as garnishes in this next-level dessert, but you can freeform the recipe. Instead of making the financier, for example, you could use a fancy store-bought cookie. Rios served his with a clementine-verbena granita, but you might substitute lemon sorbet. Other garnish substitutions follow the recipe.

CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL CRÉMEUX

2 egg yolks

¼ cup milk, divided

¼ teaspoon gelatin powder

¼ cup sugar

½ cup heavy cream

10 leaves basil

10 ounces milk chocolate, chopped

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

ALMOND-HONEY FINANCIER

2 sticks butter

10 tablespoons powdered sugar

11 tablespoons flour

6 tablespoons almond flour

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

¼ cup honey

6 egg whites

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

BOURBON-CITRUS CUSTARD

⅞ cup heavy cream

⅓ cup mascarpone cheese

¼ cup sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

2 teaspoons bourbon

GARNISHES

A swirl of fruit puree

Edible flowers

Fresh berries

Chocolate curls

Chocolate lace cookies

Citrus-flavored sorbet

Serves 6

INSTRUCTIONS

Chocolate-Caramel Crémeux

  1. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until light and fluffy.
  2. Dissolve gelatin in 2 tablespoons of cold milk.
  3. Place sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and allow to caramelize over medium heat. Once an amber syrup forms, add the cream, remaining milk, and basil leaves. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Allow to cool slightly. Remove basil leaves.
  4. Pour the warm cream over the egg yolks, whisk to combine, and return to the saucepan. Cook over a low heat until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat.
  5. Stir the chocolate and gelatin into the warm cream. Whisk well and pass through a fine sieve. Pour into a plastic-lined square pan with a 6-cup capacity, press a piece of plastic on the top, and chill.

Almond-Honey Financier

  1. Brown the butter by heating it in a small pan on low heat, occasionally swirling the pan over the stovetop for about 5 minutes. It will foam at first, but then it will begin to brown. Pour the butter (with milk solids) in a bowl to stop cooking. Let it stand and fully cool.
  2. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, both flours, and cocoa powder.
  3. Add honey, egg whites, and zest. Mix well. With the mixer set to low speed, slowly add the browned butter. Mix well.
  4. Butter an 8-by-8-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper. Pour mixture into the pan and bake at 350° for about 12 minutes, then turn the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool.

Bourbon-Citrus Custard

  1. Place all ingredients in a chilled medium mixing bowl and whip until firm peaks form.
  2. Chill before serving.

Assembly

Using a knife dipped in warm water, slice the crémeux into six even portions. Place one apiece on serving plates. Cut the financiers into 1-inch cubes and top each crémeux with a piece. (Hide the rest from your guests to enjoy later with tea.) Add a small dollop of the custard next to the financier. Add additional optional garnishes to the plate.

A MEMORABLE MEAL 
On behalf of the James Beard Foundation, chefs Dakota Weiss and Martín Rios dreamed up this menu.

Course 1: Dakota Weiss

  • Skuna Bay salmon aburi, Hatch green chile ponzu, forbidden rice, and sunchoke salad
  • Wine: Paul Anheuser blanc de noir pinot noir Qualitatswein, Nahe 2019

Course 2, Martín Rios

  • Pan-Seared Maple Leaf Farm duck breast/leg confit with koji turnips, Anjou pears, toasted grains, and Lapsang souchong infused with Rabbit Hole Heigold Kentucky Straight Bourbon reduction
  • Wine: Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Les Deux Terres Bourgogne 2016

Course 3: Dakota Weiss

  • Wagyu beef short ribs, duck-fat-whipped root vegetables, snow pea and wild mushroom escabeche, and Iberico chorizo demi
  • Wine: Biale Royal Punishers Petit Syrah, Napa Valley 2019

Course 4: Martín Rios

  • Chocolate-caramel crémeux, bourbon-citrus custard, almond-honey financier, bourbon syrup, clementine-verbena granita
  • Flight of Rabbit Hole whiskey