Suzanne Goin is a California chef through and through. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Goin interned at the legendary Ma Maison while in high school and spent time in the kitchen of Alice Waters' Chez Panisse after graduating college. Her work as executive chef at Campanile put her on the culinary map in Los Angeles and laid the groundwork for Lucques, the restaurant she co-founded in 1998. Food & Wine named Goin a Best New Chef in 1999, and in 2006 she received the James Beard Award for Best Chef: California.
Goin's food defines an inimitable Southern California style, reflecting her passion for seasonal cooking, ever-changing menus, and artfully presented dishes bursting with colors and flavors that embrace the beauty and decadence of California farms. These fantastic recipes illustrate just that — including her famous open-face prosciutto, egg, and cheese sandwich; salads built on farmers market finds; and vibrant, fruit-forward desserts. Whether you've had the pleasure of dining at Lucques and A.O.C. or not, you'll definitely want to cook your way through this collection of go-to Suzanne Goin recipes.
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Persimmons, Pomegranate, and Purslane with Pepitas
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Goin refers to this salad as "The 4 Ps" and thinks of it as a persimmon salad with an arugula garnish, rather than the other way around.
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Green Garlic Soubise
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This green garlic soubise is the perfect complement to wine-braised beef. Think of it as a risotto in reverse — loads of melted, tender onions and green garlic are suspended in a rice-thickened cream sauce. It adds a contrasting richness to any braise.
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Grilled King Salmon with Meyer Lemon Relish
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Floral and lightly acidic salsa brings out the buttery, rich flavors of grilled king salmon. Salmon is meaty enough to stay intact on a grill and gets meltingly tender as it cooks. Serve leftover salsa with grilled lamb, chicken, or pork.
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Brioche with Prosciutto, Gruyère, and Egg
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"I love a good frisée salad," says Suzanne Goin. "And of course I love toasted, buttery bread, with big slabs of melted cheese and prosciutto and an egg on top." Her sumptuous open-face sandwich, a staple at her A.O.C. wine bar since the place opened in Los Angeles in 2003, combines all her favorite things.
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Winter Citrus with Frozen Yogurt and Pistachios
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Goin marked 20 years of business at Lucques in 2018 with a dinner that celebrated her now-classic blend of French cuisine and California produce. This light winter dessert celebrates citrus and dresses it up with browned butter, frozen yogurt, and sbrisolona.
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Mustard-Crusted Lamb
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Suzanne Goin accents leg of lamb by slathering it in a mixture of Dijon mustard, shallots, vermouth, and herbs, then coating it in breadcrumbs combined with brown butter and even more fresh herbs.
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Chestnut Stuffing with Fennel
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When Suzanne Goin was a child, making stuffing for the holidays was one of her first forays into cooking. "My mom always used store-bought crumbs, and it became my job to doctor them up," says Goin. "I'd just raid the spice cabinet and the first batches were a little [wild]. But I figured out what I liked best." This chestnut-laced stuffing with pancetta and fennel is adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. The crispy olive oil-soaked bread cubes on top are especially delectable.
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Italian Almond Tart
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This rustic dessert is from the Lombardy region of northern Italy, where it's called sbrisolona. It's crumbly, buttery, and nutty; Suzanne Goin thinks of it as a cross between biscotti and shortbread. She recommends dipping chunks of it into the Champagne-spiked sabayon, an airy dessert sauce made with whipped egg yolks.
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Roasted Veal Loin with Pickled Golden Raisins
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Suzanne Goin covers this veal roast with herbs and butter before cooking to get extra-rich pan juices. They're delicious spooned over the exceptionally tender meat and served with the sweet roasted garlic cloves.
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Tangelo Creamsicles
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Suzanne Goin's refreshing take on a creamsicle is as easy as one-two-eat. It's kind of like a root beer float but with citrus juice as the liquid. All you need is a cup, a spoon, vanilla ice cream, and tangelo juice — but orange juice works just as well.
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Fregola with Grilled Red Onions and Pine Nuts
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Also known as Italian couscous, fregola is made from semolina flour; grains of the medium variety are about the size of small capers. You can find it at specialty food shops and Italian markets.
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Lima Bean Puree with Olives and Shaved Pecorino
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Frozen lima beans can be used in place of fresh ones to make this excellent dip.
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Goin's Grilled Steak with Tomato Bread Salad
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Suzanne Goin's tender steak needs to marinate overnight, so plan accordingly. You can cut the cherry tomatoes in half for extra juiciness.
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Summer Fruit Salad with Arugula and Almonds
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Suzanne Goin typically makes this savory and sweet salad with whatever fruit looks best at the market. Ripe green or black figs are some of her favorites and a couple of crushed ones can be used as the base for the vinaigrette, in place of the nectarine.
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Serrano Ham and Arugula Salad with Pomegranate Salsa
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This vibrant dish, layered with arugula, bright white slices of ricotta salata, and strips of salty serrano ham, is the sort of composed salad that Suzanne Goin uses to showcase seasonal ingredients. Another of her favorite winter salads is made with blood oranges, dates, and Parmesan cheese.
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Sweet Sausage, Onion, and Pepper Skewers
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These sausages are wonderful with the intense dark-red condiment harissa. Almost any sausages can be used in this recipe; spicy lamb merguez are especially tasty.
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Cheesy Baked Pasta with Sweet Potatoes and Radicchio
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This indulgent recipe, adapted from Suzanne Goin's 2013A.O.C. Cookbook, combines thick, tubular torchio pasta with a cheesy sauce, sweet potato chunks, radicchio slices, pecans, and even more cheese.
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Bratwurst with Mustardy Fried Potatoes and Braised Cabbage
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"I don't usually love potato salad," says Suzanne Goin. "But I adore the way the fried potatoes soak up the mustardy vinaigrette." It's great with bratwurst as well as almost any sausage.
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"Ode to Zuni" Roast Chicken with Fennel Panzanella
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When Suzanne Goin makes this homage to the legendary chicken at Zuni Café in San Francisco, she confits the whole chicken in duck fat. For this simplified version, she brushes the bird with the duck fat before roasting.
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Soft Polenta with Mixed Mushrooms and Gremolata
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Suzanne Goin adores the straightforward flavors in this vegetarian dish: sautéed mushrooms with greens and tangy mascarpone that melts into creamy polenta.
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Roasted Carrots with Beet Puree, Goat Cheese, and Hazelnuts
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These carrots, roasted and topped with a tangy beet puree, goat cheese, and toasted hazelnuts, are a celebration of produce and flavor. If Spanish Monte Enebro is not available, substitute French Ovalie Cendrée or fresh chèvre.
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Strip Steak Sandwiches
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For this sandwich, Suzanne Goin marinates meat in olive oil blended with lemon zest, rosemary, and crushed red pepper before she grills it to medium-rare perfection. Thinly sliced strips are layered onto toasted crusty rolls with juicy tomatoes and homemade olive relish.
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Grilled Pork with Coconut Rice and Lemongrass Sambal
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After eating sambal in Bali, chef Suzanne Goin created a version to serve with pork that's fragrant with lemongrass and makrut lime.
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The Farmer's Plate
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Suzanne Goin calls this "a vegetable antipasto through a Southern California lens." It features roasted vegetables, burrata, and the Middle Eastern walnut dipmuhammara.
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Beer-Steamed Shrimp with co*cktail Sauce
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Goin's husband, David Lentz, has been cooking beer-steamed shrimp for his family for years. It’s easily scaled up to serve even more people.
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Lemony Halibut Skewers with Charmoula
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These skewers are based on one of Suzanne Goin's favorite dishes at her wine bar A.O.C. — grilled yellowtail with Meyer lemon andcharmoula,a cilantro-based Moroccan marinade and condiment traditionally served with fish.
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