Cortney Burns Is the Godmother of Fermentation
This story is part of the Healthyish 22, the people changing the way we think about wellness. Meet them all here.
Cortney Burns had everything a cook could ask for: the cult-favorite restaurant (Bar Tartine), the book (also Bar Tartine), and a fanatic following of Bay Area diners. Then, two years ago, Burns disappeared. And for those of us who had come to crave her Japanese- and Hungarian-influenced cooking and admire her relentless drive to make everything—kimchi, yogurt, onion powder (onion powder!)—with her own hands, this was something to worry about.
Because nobody else cooks like Burns. Who else would tear sumac off neighborhood trees and submerge it in Everclear to create a tincture? Burns’ famous larder is a reflection of the place and time she is living in, and her dishes are piled with layers—literal layers of sauces and herbs and nuts and seeds, and ethereal layers of stories and ideas.
When Burns quietly left San Francisco, we feared those ideas were gone forever. But Burns turned up on the other side of the country, in the Berkshires, where she’s applying everything she knows to a new landscape of farmers, ingredients, and traditions. Here’s what we learned from spending a few days in her new world.
Photo by Alex Lau1/9You Don't Need Oil to Roast a Vegetable
The parsnips that get whirred into this smooth, tangy skordalia—a Greek spread that’ll make you forget about hummus—are roasted in a pan with no oil, no salt, no nothing. “We’ve become habituated as cooks to always add oil when roasting vegetables,” Burns says. “But if you’re simply trying to tenderize the vegetable, there’s really no reason to have oil in the equation.”
Photo by Alex Lau2/9Good Vibes Mean Good Food
Burns keeps a collection of talismans— her altar, if you will—close to the kitchen. Here's what's in it.
Sage: “So I can smudge the place when negative energy comes in. We smudge all the breakfast pastries before they head out to the hotel.”
Rose Quartz: “Clears space for the grounding of new energy."
Turkey Feather: “Represents freedom and expansiveness.”
Bird's Nest: “A symbol of home, safety, nourishment.”
Turkey Foot: "It reminds me to stay rooted.”
3/9If You Have Seeds, You Have Bread
After years of listening to what her body was trying to tell her, Burns stopped eating gluten; much of her food is now quietly gluten-free. Going GF put Burns on a quest for a bread she could eat that would be packed with nutrition to boot. The result is this seedy loaf, dense with sesame in three forms: white and black seeds and tahini. Ground flaxseed and egg bind the batter, and whole seeds provide a tiny crunch.
Photo by Alex Lau4/9Pickle Everything
Burns was way ahead of the modern pickling craze: Bar Tartine showed how almost every dish is better when fermented vegetables are involved. So what’s stopping you from making your own? First, choose your jar. Then add your veggies, halving or quartering them as needed to fit. Add enough water to cover the contents, then pour that water out into a large measuring cup. Stir in one tablespoon of kosher salt for every cup of water, then pour the brine back over the veg. Store in a cool, dark place, opening and closing the jar every other day to release gases, for a few weeks. Then...pickles!
Photo by Alex Lau5/9Make Every Ingredient Count
Here are three ways Burns makes healthy food even more nutritious.
Have a soak: Whenever possible, Burns sprouts her grains, seeds, and beans by soaking them. “It increases digestibility,” she says.
Stay cool: “The less we heat oil, the better it is for the body,” Burns says. So instead of, say, sautéing greens in olive oil, Burns steams the greens, then adds oil for flavor and lusciousness.
Pair up: Certain nutritional benefits are only available when two ingredients are combined. So Burns makes purposeful pairings, such as sardines with yogurt (omega-3s!).
Photo by Alex Lau6/9Eat the Pickles, Keep the Juice
Unsurprisingly, Burns always keeps leftover pickle brines in her kitchen. Inspired by narezushi, a Japanese method of pickling rice and fish at the same time, she had the brilliant idea to use pickle juice to dress grains. The brine gives a distinctive tang to this tabbouleh, turning the rice from a mere base into something that offsets the vegetables and keeps the whole dish awake and alive. For her, using the pickle brine is a double win. “It’s utilizing what would otherwise be a waste product,” she says. “Plus, it’s free acid. Who doesn’t like free acid?”
Photo by Alex Lau7/9When It Comes to Eggs, the Slower the Better
This frittata could be made in 15 minutes, but Burns intentionally takes much longer. She cooks the eggs over a low flame, folding the curds over themselves again and again in the skillet to create soft layers like those found in Japanese-style omelets. The low oven Burns finishes the eggs in ensures that those layers remain custardy and light.
Photo by Alex Lau8/9A Good Bread Knife Is Hard to Find
In the early days, the Bar Tartine crew had trouble finding a knife that could make quick work of that famously crusty Tartine Bakery bread. So master bladesmith Bob Kramer created a new knife. The serrated version he custom-made for Bar Tartine is so adept at sliding through hard, sturdy crusts that now Zwilling produces it for everybody. Buy it: $399 at Bed Bath and Beyond
9/9Bottle Local Flavor
Burns didn’t know much about the local flavors of the Berkshires before she packed up and moved there. But all she had to do to get a taste of the place was take a walk. She picked and plucked as she explored, grabbing herbs and edible flowers to take back to her laboratory and preserve in booze. Follow her lead and you’ll quickly build a local bar of your own. Meticulously clean a large jar or other container with a lid. Pack your well-washed herbs or flowers into the jar (you can pack them pretty tight), then pour in vodka until the herbs are fully submerged. Secure the lid on the jar, store in a cool place out of direct sunlight, and taste every week or so until you have the flavor you want (usually about three to four weeks; flavor will get stronger the longer the infusion sits).
