Don’t panic.
John Arslanian may indeed have escaped from the chains binding so many of us to culinary tradition. But it’s more likely the chef at Lucerne’s Fresh & Bangin’ Eatery simply discovered the chains are actually quite loose and the cell much more spacious than convention would allow.
For example, his empanadas appear to follow traditional form. The crust is flaky and golden brown, crimped around the edges and fitted to the hand, casting the same warm spell that draws us back to simple street fare.
Where Arslanian begins to cut loose is in the filling.
This week the popular little restaurant lists charred pork and pear empanadas. The combination of slow roasted meat roughed up until bittersweet scars appear and fruit caramelized and then tossed back onto the heat for a little more hazing turns the pastry into a woozy dish swaying between sweet and savory.
Even when doused with Fresh & Bangin’s mild tempered carrot habanero sauce, the empanadas continue to waver — although with a little more herbal flair.
It’s an impressive caper, one that drives your senses one direction then temps them back in another. Elusive flavors dart about in the wonderful confusion, leaving traces of earthy spice and confounding hints of dried dark fruit, along with the rich, acrid repose of tender meat.
“Pork and pears — you can’t go wrong,” Arslanian said.
But it is highly unlikely the combination will appear again on the restaurant’s menu. He has prepared split pea and ham empanadas, a version with pork and goat cheese highlighted by garlic roasted and caramelized by drippings. For Thanksgiving he’s considering turkey and gravy. Before then he expects to serve empanadas stuffed with grilled brussels sprouts, bacon and cranberry.
“We won’t do the same one ever again,” the chef promised. “There are so many different flavor combinations.”
Arslanian and his partner Scott Price learned to prepare empanadas at the southern California restaurant El Coralense, where tradition ruled. The chef gained from this experience a deft touch with the pastry shell — important at Fresh & Bangin’, where they make the little pies to order.
The pastry preparation is classic. Otherwise, Arslanian is guided by creativity, flavor profiles and a notion that once a dish crosses cultural lines the old rules loose their grip. After all, by Galician tradition, empanadas involve chicken with onions and peppers, although seafood — eel, lamprey, sardines, that sort of thing — is also acceptable. Transferred to the Caribbean, South America or Mexico and other ingredients assume a role.
Minced meat, onions, spices and sometimes even raisins are common in some South American versions. But people in Chile and Argentina tend to debate the amount and quality of the meat involved. In some places, the pastry becomes a dessert involving fresh fruits.
In fact, meat pies predate the presumed Spanish origin of the empanada and exist in almost every culture, from the hearty Cornish pasty to India’s sweet gujia to the American microwaved hot pocket.
OK — that last probably shouldn’t be included in a conversation on edible delicacies.
By changing up constantly, Arslanian can explore the boundaries of fusion and expectation, yet in a familiar and popular vessel.
“We just wanted to add a twist, to do different things,” he explained.
So Arslanian and his empanadas are not on the lam from culinary tradition. They are just on an adventure, and willing to bring us along.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
