Kitchen Roundup: May

I'm in the kitchen every day (whether it's my own or someone else's), so my phone and camera are bursting with photos of my daily creations and food inspirations. I thought it would be fun to start posting a photo diary of my favorite food-related images at the end of each month, so I can share what else I'm getting up to in the kitchen in addition to blog recipes. From elaborate dinner party dishes to simple weeknight meals at home and everything in between, I hope these kitchen roundup posts provide some inspiration for you!

Spinach Tagliatelle in progress.

A sweet ending to a dinner party: Cherimoya Sorbet on Almond Tuille.

Local Halibut Ceviche with Mango & Pickled Daikon, served with Plantain Chips.

Raspberry Rhubarb Crostata with Whipped Lemon Creme Fraiche- a lovely Springtime treat!

Our tomatoes are getting bigger every day!

Taking brunch to another level: The Lobster Benedict with Tarragon Hollandaise at Jeannines.

I never let fruit stragglers go to waste- fruit salads are a staple in my house.

Pizza Party! These girls were pros!

Mini pizza creations.

Adding the finishing touches.

I love the presentation of these carrots with homemade buttermilk ranch, what an elegant starter for a children's party!

I created these gluten free, egg free strawberry cupcakes with whipped cream frosting for clients using chia seeds,
 they were a big hit!

Pizza and movie night at home...I have a stellar, fool-proof crust recipe that I'll share soon!

Dinner with friends: Experimented with a Martha Stewart recipe for shrimp stew with fennel, potato, white wine and cream.
It was NOM.

Happy clients :)

Vino and my view from the sink...the only way to tackle dishes.

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Tasty Travels: San Francisco Ferry Building + A Santa Cruz Secret Spot

As much as I love my idyllic, small beach town lifestyle and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, I must admit- I left my heart in San Francisco. Born and raised just a stone's throw away, I love that my family still resides there so that I can pop over for a weekend visit anytime. 

By far a must on my SF to-do list is the Ferry Building. A virtual mecca for food lovers, I always discover a new treasure each time I go, whether it's a basket of locally foraged wild mushrooms, a jar of blood orange-infused olive oil, the best cappuccino you'll ever have or a vegan gourmet doughnut. So clearly, no Bay Area trip is complete for me without a visit to the Ferry Building!

On our way to brunch al fresco (more on that in a bit), we made the requisite pit stop at Miette, a charming little bakery with a retro vibe and simply adorable confections. 

 

Every time, without fail, we hone in on the macarons- they're just too tempting to resist, and it's practically tradition for us at this point.

Rose Geranium and Chocolate Lavender macarons from Miette.

 Gorgeous, aren't they? We promptly ordered one of each flavor, plus a few more just to be safe. And then we happily devoured them on the way to our brunch destination, Boulettes Larder. In fact, we were still snacking on these cookies when our first course arrived (that's how good they are).

Boulette Larder's signature beignets (and macaron remnants)

Piping hot, light, airy, bite-sized and generously coated in a layer of cinnamon sugar that begs to be licked off your fingers...what could be better?

 But it did get better. Much better. Our waiter happened to be a very good friend and fellow food enthusiast, and let's just say that he did not steer us wrong with his menu recommendations. Not that he had to grasp at straws or anything. The daily changing menu at Boulettes Larder is a shining beacon of farm-fresh ingredients and complex, layered flavors. After the beignets arrived we were spoiled with a delicate fruit compote with orange blossom water as well as toasted Acme bread with organic apricot jam and sweet butter. And then came the entrees: 

A Spring salad if there ever was one.

Spiced beer-braised pork belly, so impressive I adapted this to one of my own menus shortly afterwards.

Squab. The season's first cherries. Dandelion greens. And that incredibly rich looking sauce is a squab emulsion. Mind: Blown.

Tim, my go-to foodie in the city :)

As if that wasn't enough, Tim kindly surprised us with a heavenly lemon meringue tart to celebrate my sister's upcoming birthday. And thank goodness it was small enough to allow only two bites each, because we were stuffed!

Time to walk it off and explore the rest of the market, naturally. My new favorite stand is Biscuit Bender, specializing in handmade biscuits and inventive jams and butters. With jam flavors like watermelon-sweet tea and bacon-bourbon, I was instantly enamored. And how cute is the decor?!?

My dad was stopped in his tracks by these cookies called Alfajores, South American butter cookies sandwiched with a layer of dulce de leche in the middle and usually coated in confectioner's sugar. He grew up eating them as a child, and so did my sister and I, but never dipped in chocolate, never with raspberry filling! Way to take a good thing and make it better. He bought two boxed assortments, and I am slightly ashamed to say that one of those boxes went the way of the dinosaur later that day, even after that ginormous brunch! 

And then we all swore off sugar for a week.

To balance out all the consumption of our Ferry Building trip, something active was in order, so we skipped on over to Santa Cruz in search of a certain river bank that my sister's fiancé had frequented in his youth.  

A nice little hike along the train tracks opened to reveal this serene spot, and although the weather was overcast, we braved the chilly water to wade in the river...

...except for my mom, who, upon finding a melting chocolate in her purse, quickly salvaged it by spreading it on a strawberry. 

I don't think I could have loved her any more in that moment. 

What are your favorite stands/shops/restaurants in the Ferry Building? Do you have any favorite little known nature spots? Let me know in the comments!

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Sweet Potato Plantain Cakes with Cucumber Pineapple Salsa

I created this recipe as an entry to Louisiana Cookin's 2013 Sweet Rewards Contest. The guidelines are to create a recipe using fresh, canned or frozen sweet potatoes in one of five different categories. I opted to use fresh for my recipe...it's always the way to go if you ask me!

I love making mashed potato cakes as a side dish for dinners, but I wanted to come up with a more unique version for the contest, so I created this bite-sized version using sweet potatoes for the appetizer category. I added plantains to the mixture for some exotic flair, and topped the cakes with a colorful cucumber pineapple salsa. Wouldn't these be perfect to serve at your next barbecue or summer cocktail party? 

 I hope you'll give these a try soon, and wish me luck on my very first recipe contest, eek! I think I might submit a recipe for the dessert category as well...if so I'll be sure to share it here too!

makes about 2 dozen
Ingredients
for the potato cakes:
1 medium to large sweet potato, peeled and sliced
1 ripe plantain, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup flour
salt and freshly ground pepper
1-2 tbsp coconut oil

for the salsa:
1/4 cup pineapple, diced
1/4 cup cucumber, diced
2 tbsp red onion, diced
1 tbsp jalapeño, diced
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions
1. Place the sweet potato and plantain in a stockpot with rapidly boiling water and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.
2. While potatoes are cooling make the salsa by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Mash cooled potatoes and plantains using a potato ricer (or potato masher). Add flour and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Form mixture into 1 inch patties using a small cookie scooper for uniformity. Transfer to a plate and chill for at least 30 minutes.
5. Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot, add potato cakes and cook for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and top with cucumber pineapple salsa.

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Tasty travels: Washington D.C.

 I think it's high time I introduce a new series on my blog, something to offer besides just recipes. So without further ado, I give you Tasty Travels! Every now and then I like to poke my head out of the kitchen to see what else is going on out there in this big world of ours. A huge source of my inspiration as a chef comes from the things I see (and taste!) on my trips. So now whenever I travel somewhere new I'll be remembering to put on my blogger cap. That way I'll be able to share my inspirations with you- the activities, the adventures and of course, always my favorite part of the trip- the food! 

First up, our nation's capital. I went for a long (but too short) weekend to visit a good friend of mine from Santa Barbara who now lives there. It was wonderful having a built in tour guide to show me around. And what an amazing time to travel to the East Coast. Even though I just missed the cherry blossoms, I loved seeing the intense green colors and floral abundance as we strolled along the National Mall taking in the monuments. Hello Springtime!

And the tulips. Tulips as far as the eye can see...I just adore tulips.

After a full day of sightseeing, our tired feet dragged us over to a patio table at Circa at Dupont for a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc, some killer people watching and a calamari frito misto that really hit the spot. The fried lemon slices were the best part, I ate them whole! Wouldn't you?

 That night we dined at Cava Mezze in Capitol Hill, a Greek tapas venue that was unfortunately much too dimly lit to snap even one proper photo. Nonetheless there were many standouts on the menu, including a whipped barrel aged feta with jalapeño dubbed "Crazy Feta," and an insanely good shrimp mezze with an Ouzo-dill cream sauce and fresh tomatoes that I am just DYING to recreate. 

Definitely deserving of the Le Petit Chef Stamp of Approval.

Another memorable dining experience was the Sunday Brunch at  Ardeo Bardeo, featuring a Spring-centric menu...

Chilled Asparagus Soup with Goat Cheese Mousse and Pinenut Praline, poured table side 

Asparagus Fettuccine with a Poached Egg

 ...and all you can drink Champagne for only $27. Our kind of place.

Afterwards, we may or may not have taken a tipsy little jaunt to the Smithsonian National Zoo (it's free!).

A good time was had by all.

Let me know what you think of my first Tasty Travels post in the comments! I'll have more posts like this from my recent trips to San Francisco and San Diego coming up soon, and some new recipes too!

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Cherimoya Citrus Sorbet

Have you ever had the pleasure of sampling a cherimoya?

If not, you're missing out. This tropical fruit native to the Andes region of South America is commonly referred to as both "the jewel of the Incas,” and the “queen of subtropical fruits.” It is the national fruit of Chile, and underneath its scaled, green, heart-shaped exterior lies a white, creamy flesh with a flavor that Mark Twain described as "deliciousness itself". Also called a custard apple, the cherimoya is a heavenly blend of tropical flavors with notes of pineapple, papaya, banana, apple and strawberry. See? I told you, missing out.

Fortunately cherimoya is no longer South America's little secret; its rising popularity has caused production to explode. In addition to a recent growth in exportation, crops are now also grown in Central America, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, Australia and, luckily for me, California! They are currently at the peak of their season here in Santa Barbara, so I created a recipe for a refreshing sorbet. A bit of lime juice and zest brightens and enhances the sweet tropical flavors, and a touch of blood orange juice adds a pretty pink tinge. So if you've ever wondered what to do with those exotic-looking green fruits you've eyed at the farmer's market stand recently, this is it! It's just perfect for the warmer days ahead. And if cherimoyas aren't available in your area, keep your eyes peeled at the supermarket because they just might be headed your way soon!

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts
Ingredients
 3 medium to large ripe cherimoyas, peeled and seeded
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp lime zest
3 tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup blood orange or orange juice
2 tbsp vodka

Instructions 
1. Place cherimoya pulp into a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add lime juice and zest, stirring to combine.
 2. Add sugar, blood orange juice and 1/2 cup of water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely.
3. When blood orange simple syrup has cooled, add to cherimoya mixture along with vodka and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, then freeze in an ice cream maker.

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