Eric Werner and Mya Henry opened their restaurant Hartwood on the edge of the jungle in Tulum, located on the Yucatan peninsula. The open-air restaurant (the jungle canopy serves as the dining room’s ceiling) has little electricity, which means the fresh Mexican fare is often prepared over open flame. It’s an idyllic setting that Werner and Henry encapsulate in their beautiful new cookbook, Hartwood. Nearly every recipe is accompanied by a large, beautifully plated photo, which is a useful guide for the more complex recipes.
For example, the recipe grouper with white bean salad and cilantro crema took about four hours to complete its many components. The bean salad requires soaking and boiling dried beans. Poblano peppers must be roasted, skinned and seeded. The dressing requires roasted garlic poached for 45 minutes in a liter of oil. But all this effort is what makes the end result so special. Everything is balanced, and each component works together for a truly spectacular dish.
Yes, it takes time to prepare, but there’s nothing worse than spending time and effort on a recipe, only to produce a lackluster meal. I will happily give my time to Hartwood again and again when the results are this good.
Skill Level: Intermediate. While directions are clear, they require multiple steps and there are often recipes within recipes. You must budget your time, but the results are worth it.
This book is for: Anyone who likes complex Mexican flavors and subtle heat
Other recipes to try: Pulpo asado with roasted potatoes and coriander dressing or the toasted coconut cake
The verdict: This dish set the bar high. Check back next week when Hartwood takes on the next Mexican cookbook.
Grouper with White Bean Salad and Cilantro Crema
4 servings
White Bean Salad 1½ cups dried navy beans or other creamy white beans, soaked overnight in water to cover
1 onion, cut in half
1 carrot, peeled and cut in half
4 oregano stems
2 Tbsp. kosher salt, or to taste
5 poblano peppers
Olive oil
4 cups arugula
½ cup cilantro leaves
½ cup Lime and Honey Vinaigrette (Recipe follows.)
4 grouper fillets (6 to 8 oz. each), skin on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red onion, thinly sliced
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
Cilantro Crema 1 cup sour cream
¼ cup olive oil
1½ tsp. mashed roasted garlic (Recipe follows.)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cilantro leaves (some tender stems are fine)
1 jalapeno, very thinly sliced
2 limes, halved
? Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
? Prepare the beans and poblanos for the salad: Drain the beans and put in a large saucepan, along with the onion, carrot and oregano. Add water to cover by 2 inches, then add the salt and boil gently over medium heat for 30 to 45 minutes, until the beans are soft. Drain the beans, discarding the onion, carrot and oregano. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
? While the beans beans are cooking, coat the poblanos with olive oil, put on a small baking sheet, and roast for 20 minutes. Flip the peppers and roast for 20 minutes longer, or until charred all over. Let the peppers cool, then remove the seeds and skin. Cut into ½ inch-wide strips and fold into the white beans. Set aside.
? Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
? Coat the grouper fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Oil the grill grate and grill the fish skin side down for about 1 minute to get nice grill makes. Turn 45 degrees and cook for 1 minute longer. Flip and repeat.
? Put the red onion and butter in a large cast-iron skillet. Transfer the fish, skin side up, to the skillet and drizzle olive oil over the skin. Roast in the oven until just cooked through, about 10 minutes.
? Meanwhile, add the arugula and cilantro to the white beans and stir gently to combine, being careful not to mash the beans. Add the vinaigrette and stir to incorporate.
? Make the crema: Combine the sour cream, olive oil, roasted garlic, salt and pepper in a blender and puree until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the cilantro in two or three batches, pulsing for about 10 seconds after each addition. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
? Spoon the salad on to individual plates and drizzle with the cilantro crema. Top with the grouper and red onions. There will be some brown butter left in the skillet — pour it over everything. Garnish with the jalapeno slices (about 2 per fillet) and limes.
Lime and Honey Vinaigrette ¼ cup fresh lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes), or to taste
¾ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. honey, or to taste
1 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste
? Whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl until emulsified, then taste — everything should be in balance: the acid of the lime, the sweetness of the honey, the salinity of the salt. If anything is too faint, add more of whatever is missing. The vinaigrette will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, whisk again before serving to re-emulsify it.
Roasted Garlic Oil and Roasted Garlic 6 whole heads garlic
3 thyme sprigs
3 oregano sprigs
1 1-liter bottle olive oil
? Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
? Slice off the top ½ inch of each garlic head so that most of the cloves are exposed. Put the garlic in a deep sturdy 10-inch pan with the herbs and add enough olive oil so that the heads are just above the surface. Cover with the parchment paper, then tightly cover the pan with foil. Roast for 45 minutes, or until the garlic is soft — check by piercing a head with a paring knife. Remove the parchment and foil and roast for 5 more minutes to brown the garlic a bit, let cool.
? Strain the oil into a 1 liter measuring cup; set the garlic aside. Return the oil to its original bottle (simply pour through a funnel set into the neck of the bottle). Cover the oil and keep in a cool, dark place (the oil will last longer if you refrigerate it; just be sure to take it out about an hour before cooking to liquefy).
Reprinted with permission from Artisan Publishing
This article appears in December 2015.
