A post-holiday meal in early January at Cafe Juanita turned up many outstanding dishes. But I was most taken by one intriguing appetizer: Alaskan King Crab with Poco Carretto Green Apple Sorbetto and Crab Butter Powder. Cafe Juanita chef/owner and fellow Seattle Dame, Holly Smith, served the dish at the James Beard Foundation Gala Awards dinner last May, and it’s been a popular item on Cafe Juanita’s menu ever since.

(An aside. Poco Carretto Gelato is Smith’s latest brainchild. The authentic Italian dessert made its debut in June 2008 at the Fremont Farmers Market. Sorbets and gelatos that bear the Poco Carretto name, which translates as “little cart” in Italian, contain only the finest local, organic ingredients.)

Anyway, I’m afraid this romantic, venerable, dimly lit restaurant in Kirkland isn’t the best place to try to take plate shots. And since the picture above doesn’t begin to do justice to the ephemeral dish, I hope to make amends with my words.

Imagine, if you will, a cool scoop of sweet/tart apple sherbet draped with several salty/sweet fingers of king crab. Next comes a generous sprinkle of crab butter powder, the essence of crab. Dive–all-at-once, ice-cream-sundae-like–into the dish’s creamy/soft texture and buttery/briny taste to experience true Pacific Northwest cuisine!

These thoughts from chef Holly (as reprinted from jbfnotes, the James Beard Foundation member newsletter) , “This combination is tried and true. My twist is to make a green-apple sorbetto with as much acidity as I can leave in the apples, and then give it a drizzle of fruity Ligurian olive oil, Maldon salt, and top this with fresh chilled Alaskan king crab and crab butter powder.”

Brian Cartenuto, chef/owner of Cantinetta in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood, will take his “serious, soulful Italian food” on the road when he appears at the James Beard House on Wednesday, February 10, at 7 p.m.

The chef describes his style as “refined simplicity.” He’s wowed critics, including Providence Cicero, my colleague and the food critic at The Seattle Times. Provi describes his cooking as “assured,” saying it combines “a wonderful balance of flavors with an element of surprise.”

Among the dishes he’ll prepare in the JB House’s small kitchen, so small that it requires chefs to prep most of their dishes off site? Among the appetizers you’ll find Pancetta-Wrapped Dates with 50-Year-Old Balsamic, Arancini (Rice Balls) with Saffron and Ricotta Salata, and Bacalao (Salt Cod) with Tomato-Olive Sugo.

With Pork Cheeks with Turnips and Citrus Gremolata as a main course, a hearty Grilled Treviso salad for balance, and side dishes including Brussels Sprouts with Duck Confit for the table to share, this dinner promises to be a winner.

One of the highlights of the month of January was a tour of KOMO TV’s studios at Fisher Plaza near downtown Seattle. Many of you know the sleek, modern building as the home of Seattle Grace Hospital on the popular Grey’s Anatomy television show. And while we didn’t see McDreamy or any of the other cast members (who haven’t done any filming at KOMO during the past two years, according to our tour guide), we did get up close and personal with KOMO’s super-star anchor Mary Nam and its effervescent weatherman, Steve Pool, during a taping of KOMO 4 News@4PM.

Above is Mary and 425 magazine’s style editor, Alexandra Hedin, chatting before they do a segment on creative ideas for Superbowl parties. Alexandra was just one week away from having a baby, and her husband had begged her to bag the segment, but she went on like a trooper.

And here is Steve (resident gourmet and wine lover) sampling Pizza and Nacho Rolls, an easy Superbowl snack. Complete recipes and tips are on the 425 Web site.

To start the month of  February off right, I’d like to mention a subject near and dear to my heart. . .the upcoming Les Dames, Seattle, fundraiser on Thursday, February 25, 5:30 p.m., at the Women’s University Club in downtown Seattle.

La Dolce Vita: Celebrating the Essence of Italy will feature Cucina (an Italian-inspired antipasti feast and grappa tasting), Cultura (a humor-filled presentation by Italian culture lecturer Anne Robichaud), and Ceramica (a silent auction of more than 400 pieces of handmade Italian ceramics). With so many moving parts and bells and whistles, this promises to be one of the year’s best parties!

Tickets are $95, available online, or call (206) 276-5527 for more information. Profits from the evening benefit the Seattle Dames scholarship and community-outreach programs, which have disbursed more than $275,000 over the past 20 years.

Golden Beet Carpaccio

Varietal: Chardonnay

Serves 4

You either love ‘em or you hate ‘em. Of course, I’m talking about beets. But if you are an aficionado, you’ll especially appreciate this recipe that comes from my seventh book, Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining, thanks to chef Maria Hines, owner of Tilth restaurant. Totally organic Tilth is an unpretentious, buttery-yellow space located in a Craftsman-style house in the bustling Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle, a few miles north of downtown. Almost everything on the menu is preceded by the farmers’ or fishers’ names, so you can eat to your heart’s content with a clear conscience. The salad below demonstrates Chef Maria’s style of using simple ingredients to create bold flavors and beautiful plate presentations. The salad can take on a more rustic look if you simply cut the golden beets into one-inch cubes and toss them with the vinaigrette instead of slicing the beets and drizzling the vinaigrette.

Herb Vinaigrette

4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 sprigs fresh tarragon

4 sprigs fresh chervil

4 fresh chive stalks

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 medium golden or red beets, scrubbed and tops and root ends trimmed (See Cook’s Hints, below)

5 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup pine nuts, walnuts, or hazelnuts, toasted (See Cook’s Hints, below)

1/2 cup (2 ounces) fresh, soft goat’s-milk cheese (chèvre), crumbled

1. To make the Herb Vinaigrette, mince the parsley, tarragon, chervil, and chives. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and gently stir in the olive oil and vinegar. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a small roasting pan with aluminum foil.

3. Add the beets and thyme sprigs to the roasting pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Fill the pan with water until the beets are almost completely submerged, cover with aluminum foil, and bake the beets for 1 to 1  1/4 hours, or until they are very tender. To test, insert the tip of a small, sharp knife into the center of one of the beets. Remove the beets from the pan and let cool. When the beets are cool enough to handle, remove the skins.

4. To serve, slice the beets into very thin rounds. Arrange them on 4 small plates in a spiral pattern, overlapping them to form a circle. Drizzle the beets with the vinaigrette, then sprinkle the pine nuts and goat cheese evenly over the beets. If desired, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Cook’s Hints: (1) To toast nuts or seeds (sesame, mustard, coriander, pumpkin, or cumin), heat them in a small, dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they begin to turn light brown and/or give off their aroma (mustard seeds begin to pop), shaking the pan back and forth often so the ingredients do not burn. Remove from heat, cool, and add to your recipe, or grind as directed. (2) Chef Maria uses a clean, dry kitchen towel to remove the beet skins by simply wiping them off, a method that also saves your hands from getting stained by beet juice.

Recipe reprinted from Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining: The People, Places, Food, and Drink of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia (Wiley, $34.95) by Braiden Rex-Johnson.