If, like many Angelenos, you love Kismet, the Mediterranean restaurant in Los Feliz, you can thank "the Sara(h)s" aka chefs Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer. Following the original concept's success, the duo have opened several casual rotisserie spots around the city and published their first cookbook, Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes.
"Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes" brings the restaurant's favorite dishes to the tables of home cooks. Photo courtesy of Clarkson Potter.
Both women showed an interest in cooking but took non-traditional paths to the kitchen. Hymanson was an acrobat who befriended circus performers in her adolescence. Kramer had success on Broadway, starring in Mamma Mia! before touring nationally with the company.
Both Sarah Hymanson (left) and Sara Kramer worked in performing arts prior to their cooking careers. Photo by Chris Bernabeo.
Summer’s Finest Salad
Serves 4
Tomatoes and stone fruit: Name a more iconic duo. Particularly at the peak of summer, you can’t do much better than the marriage of two (or three) perfect fruits in this simple stunner of a salad. We’ve made more complex versions in the past with olives and pine nuts and different herbs, but we’ve found that less here is most certainly more.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons minced shallot (about 1 shallot)
- 1 tablespoon orange marmalade
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 medium tomatoes
- 3 stone fruits, such as nectarines or peaches, pitted
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, combine the shallots, orange marmalade, vinegar, olive oil, salt, turmeric, and black pepper. Whisk to combine and set aside.
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Cut the tomatoes and stone fruit into large bite-size pieces.
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Just before serving, add the tomatoes and fruit to the bowl with the vinaigrette and toss gently.
Their menu is approachable with surprising touches. Their goal in writing recipes for home cooks was to simplify steps and embrace flavor layering. Their standard feta protocol involves marinating the cheese in an infused olive oil with garlic, lemon zest, coriander, black pepper, and bay leaves, adding a toasty, floral essence to the briny, salty feta. "We're always looking for opportunities to add layers of flavor," Kramer says.
A chapter called "As Good Tomorrow As It Is Today" celebrates snacky dishes that offer different textures and require preparations like pickling, which both women love.