365 WEST 400 SOUTH
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84101
(801) 328-4155
JERRY LIEDTKE, CHEF/OWNER
Tears come to Jerry’s eyes as he speaks of his father’s care for those marginalized in the city and of his unique space in the Salt Lake dining scene. Jerry Liedtke, owner of Tin Angel, simply can’t help but be warm and welcoming given his family line. His father owned a bar named The Tin Angel on 400 South in the 1960s, which, after a series of events, opened its doors to the drag queen population of Salt Lake City. Today Jerry opens the doors to those looking for an approachable style to fine dining, what he termed “punk rock fine dining,” and gives his high-end clientele a view of the city that cannot be ignored given that the restaurant stands right beside a well-known hangout for the homeless population of Salt Lake.
Jerry, along with his wife, Kestrel, and friend Robin, opened Tin Angel. After spending many years in the kitchens of the best independently owned restaurants in Salt Lake, he decided this wasn’t just a job; cooking would be his career. He and his wife first set out to open a little cafe out of their trailer, but ended up settling back in Salt Lake when Kestrel found out she was pregnant. Salt Lake would be the destination of their business and family, a welcomed final destination, as Jerry mentions, “I always like coming home to Salt Lake after traveling.”
Jerry hires an eclectic staff, giving the restaurant even more unique expression. He even gives his dishwashers a chance to create their own version of the house bread pudding, a recipe that changes seasonally and whimsically. Recipes come from thrift store books or international cooking ideas and are twisted and tried until they are perfectly their own, even naming them on the menu with more widely known terms. Jerry says, “The best cookbooks are those with recipes that read like stories . . . a dash of this or a smear of that.” And he encourages his cooks to be expressive in their cooking. The menu bleeds this spirit, with dishes like gypsy pork empanada, quinoa timbal, smokey gnocchi, espresso crusted beef tenderloin, and whimsical flavors of panna cotta that change based on the season.
The house favorite soup is a mixture of spinach and fontina cheese. Jerry generously offers that the soup’s secret lies within the type of cheese: “Use Swedish fontina instead of Danish, so the cheese is not as pungent and doesn’t overtake the flavor of the spinach.” And for the coveted bread pudding: “Make sure the bread pudding is moist before you put it in the oven, not too much liquid but just enough.”
Tin Angel still breathes Jerry Sr.’s care for the city and for individuality, and those who eat here enjoy this distinction in every thoughtful bite.
(SERVES 6–8)
3 large eggs
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of ½ lemon or orange
2 cups heavy cream
4–6 cups torn bread (½ of it croissants)
½ cup chocolate pieces or chips
¼ cup cranberries or cherries or figs or rhubarb, strawberries, apples—whatever you find that is lovely at the farmers’ market
Grease a 7 × 11-inch pan with oil or butter.
In a large bowl mix eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and cream. Add the bread, chocolate, and cranberries.
Pour mixture into the greased pan and cover with foil. Preheat oven to 350°F. Let bread mixture rest and absorb while the oven preheats. Bake covered for 35 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Serve warm with caramel sauce or vanilla ice cream.
Special tips: At Tin Angel we take whole chocolate and chop it down for a variety of sizes. We also reconstitute dried fruits in the winter by soaking them in liquor for added flavor. Brandy or a sweet sherry work great, but we have also been known to use whiskey.
(SERVES 6)
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
½ cup flour
½ cup chopped sweet onion
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups white wine
2 cups vegetable stock
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup cubed fontina cheese
2 cups lightly packed chopped fresh spinach
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Begin by making a roux with the butter and flour by first melting the butter in a skillet and then adding the flour slowly. Stir together for about 3 minutes, until the mixture becomes a thick paste. Set aside.
In a 6- to 8-quart saucepan, sauté the sweet onion in canola oil until it becomes translucent (do not caramelize or brown). Season the onion with salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with white wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape any brown pieces from the pan. Add vegetable stock and cream. Bring to a simmer and then stir in the roux. Cook on low until soup starts to thicken, about 10 minutes. Add fontina cheese and keep stirring to prevent scorching. Stir until the cheese has melted, then remove from heat and let cool completely.
In a food processor blend spinach with lemon juice. After the soup has cooled completely, combine with the spinach and blend again until smooth. You can do this in the soup pot if you have an immersion blender, or pour the cool soup into the food processor with the spinach. Be sure the soup has cooled completely before adding the spinach; otherwise the spinach will brown. Mix them together when they are cool and then reheat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. At the Tin Angel we garnish with tomato oil and place a crostini on top just before serving.
