the Simplicity of Frozen Berries and a Sigh

Some days in my life go by in a blink of an eye. I don't know where time went or what I did with it.

Today however, something happened in me. I cannot pin point what, but I started to notice things differently.

I woke up to a lovely post from Sarah. When someone I admire so much says such kind things about me, it affects me. I appreciate it and never, never take it for granted. Then I had a few other encounters, happy accidents, even found sweet Pia on Twitter. Things that made my day.

Finally, these berries. I took them out of the freezer and as they started to come to temperature, I realized how beautiful they really are. Not staged, no styling intentions here, just plain frozen berries. Then, I sighed.

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Fighting the Heat with a Honeydew, Mint and Lemon Thyme Soup

It has been incredibly hot and humid in the Southeast this past week. I have a bit of a bad habit of constantly checking my weather app in my phone to see what the actual heat index is. A bad habit I should stop since there is nothing I can do about the weather anyway. Just accept it.

Soaring temperatures and humidity make me want to stay inside, drink ice cold lemonade and snack on refreshing fruit salads.



Every year when August comes around, I start thinking about our childhood camping trips. My parents had the entire month of August off and we would pack the family camper and spend the first half the month in the mountains and the second, at the beach.

We would take day trips in the surrounding areas and I remember my dad always stopping at local produce stands to get a whole melon as a snack. We would just find a place to sit, cut the melon into wedges and eat it in silence. We seem to do that a lot in my family. Sit, eat and look around.



There really isn't anything better to fight the heat than some cold soup. Sweet honeydew melon, a little cucumber, squeeze of lemon juice and lots of mint and lemon thyme from my herb pots. Super simple, but perfect to fight this summer heat. I also made some savory crackers with lots of crispy jamon serrano, pink peppercorns and lemon thyme.



Actually I have to tell you that I loved this so much that I will be making it when I appear on the Basque cooking show Robin Food. We will be recording it next month when we go back home. I am excited to meet David de Jorge and very anxious at the same time. Those who know me well know how I always shy away from cameras and I have a shaky voice when I have to speak in public. So stay tuned for that one!

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{Cooking for Friends} Heirloom Tomato, Rice and Almond Tart

I think there is an erroneous perception that chefs become chefs so they can eat. Don't get me wrong, I love good food and I love to eat. I love tasting fresh ingredients cooked to perfection, but I don't think that is why I became a chef. For me, it is all about the process of creating something with my hands and my palate, something that I can share with others.

Perhaps it's a way of getting approval or a need to please others. I am not sure. I have asked myself this question many times.



When I have to cook for myself, I always resort to simple, no fuss dishes, but I get tremendous pleasure from cooking for others. I watch their facial expressions as they eat the first morsel, I ask them to describe it for me and probably, bore them to death with my persistence.



My dear friend Karen is my guinea pig. I love cooking for her because she is one of those people that welcomes everything I make with the biggest heart and smile. She appreciates life, friends and good food like no other. She and I can spend endless hours talking about food and in fact, we do.

So last Friday morning I decided to make this tomato tart just for her. "Do you have any dinner plans?", I asked. "No", she replied. "Ok, now you do".



The tart is super crumbly with a brown rice and almond crust, filled with arborio, parmesan, slices of heirloom tomatoes and a breadcrumb, almond and parmesan topping. All flavored with herbs and olive oil. Served with a salad is a perfect lunch or light dinner.

And I have to say, Karen gave me the thumbs up.

Rice and Almond Short Dough

55 grams (1/3 cup) sweet rice flour
50 grams (1/3 cup) superfine brown rice flour
50 grams (1/3 cup) almond flour
40 grams (1/3 cup) potato starch
1 grams ( 1/4 tsp) xanthan gum
3 grams (1/2 tsp) salt
115 grams (1/2 cup) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, beaten

In the food processor, pulse together the six first ingredients. Add the cold, diced butter and pulse about 10 times or until butter is cut into the flour into small pieces. Add the beaten egg and pulse until lightly comes together. Turn the dough onto your work surface and press it together. Wrap it in plastic wrap, flatten it and form it into a disk and refrigerate for about an hour.

Roll the pastry between two sheet of parchment. It is very delicate so it's easier to use parchment. Fill the tart mold with the pastry and cut the excess dough. It might tear a little but just press it back together. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes.

Cover the tart mold with a piece of parchment and place pie weights or beans on top to blind bake it. Bake in a 350F oven until edges start to brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the pie weights and bake for another 5-7 minutes.

Filling

2 cups cooked arborio rice
10 grams (1/2 cup) parmesan cheese, grated
salt
pepper
1 Tbs olive oil
450 grams (1 lb) Heirloom tomatoes, sliced

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Fill pre-baked tart mold with it. Arrange the sliced tomatoes on top.

Topping

50 grams (1/2 cup) gluten free breadcrumbs
20 grams (2 Tbs) almond flour
5 grams (1/4 cup) parmesan cheese, grated
20 grams (2 Tbs) olive oil
Parsley, chopped
Thyme, chopped
Basil, chopped

Mix all ingredients together and sprinkle on top of the sliced tomatoes.

Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes until tomatoes soft and topping is golden brown.

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The colors of Summer: Gluten-Free Raspberry and Oat Scones

When I think of summer, I think of bright, deep berry colors. I think of raspberries, currants, blackberries. I think of vintage enamel dishes with macerated berries and their juices melting in sugar. I think of open windows, blue glass jars, the ocean.

Often times, people ask me what is my inspiration to cook, bake, style and photograph. I look no further than nature. Nature really is the best color wheel when composing a shot. The array of colors in seasonal produce really is what marks an image in my head even before I grab my camera.



My dear friend Erica visited this week. It had been almost a year since I had seen her and it was so fun to let our little girls play together. I asked her what she had been doing since she arrived in town. "Sleep", she said. Then it reminded me of the lazy summer days before I had children and spending time under a tree with a good book and good music. That rarely ever happens anymore.... But I dream of it.



During my trip to Seattle, my sister in law Lisa and I stopped at Flying Apron Bakery where we both ate the most delicious gluten and dairy free, heart-shaped blueberry oat scone. We sat out side in the quaint downtown Fremont and enjoyed every morsel without saying much.

It had been a while since I had made any scones and after that, I decided I had to make some when I returned home.



This raspberry and oat scone recipe is an adaptation of one of Dorie Greenspan's recipes. I used a combination of brown rice, sorghum and tapioca flours in lieu of wheat flour and also, gluten-free oats. It worked great. They are hearty, yet soft and chewy from the oats. The raspberries add a touch of sour and freshness that I love, better than the blueberry version in my opinion.



So when I was getting ready to photograph the scones, I really wanted to capture more than the food itself. I wanted to capture the season through color and light. There lies my inspiration.



Gluten-Free Raspberry and Oat Scones

adapted from Dorie Greenspan

150 grams (1 cup) superfine brown rice flour
50 grams (1/3 cup) sorghum flour
40 grams (1/3 cup) tapioca flour
150 grams(1 1/3 cup) gluten-free oats
75 grams (1/3 cup) cane sugar
20 grams (1 Tbs) baking powder
3 grams (1/2 tsp) baking soda
2 grams (1/2 tsp) xanthan gum
5 grams (1/2 tsp) salt
Zest of 1 lemon
140 grams (10 Tbs) cold butter or non-hydrogenated shortening
1 egg
110 grams (1/2 cup) cold buttermilk (I used coconut milk with 1 tsp lemon juice)
75 grams (3/4 cup) raspberries, fresh or frozen

Put the butter in the freezer for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the first 9 ingredients. Take the butter out of the freezer and grate it into the dry ingredients using a box grater. If you don't have a box grater, then just cut it into small pieces (no need to freeze) and work it into the flour. Coat the grated butter with the flour and spread it throughout.

Whisk the egg and buttermilk together and add it to the flour and butter mixture. Fold using a spatula or your hands until flour moist. It will be lumpy and chunky. Just press it together with your hands. Add the raspberries and fold.

Pat to a disk that is about 1/2" thick and cut using a cookie cutter or knife. Place the scones on a baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake at 400F (200C) for about 18 minutes or until golden.

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Purple Corn Muffins and Poached Salmon Salad

Living far away from home means that I don't always get to enjoy the subtleties of my family's and friends' everyday lives. I miss the everyday hellos on the street and the "vamos a tomar un cafe?" exchanges. Proximity, even with silence, is enough sometimes.

I have noticed recently that those phone conversations with friends always end up with talks about food. Not food in general, no. Detailed descriptions of what we have been eating, what new foods we have discovered, what "el gordo" cooked on yesterday's show... I mean it goes on and on.



Recently, I have been very conscious and mindful about what I eat. Rather than focusing on things I cannot have, I have been focusing on things I should be incorporating into my diet. Always learning about new foods and their benefits (learning tons from Sarah Wilson I must say).

And it was in one of the hundreds of late night Twitter chats I always have with Y, where she told me about the purple corn she bought. I had seen blue corn before, but had never had the purple kind. Come to find out, it is widely used in Peru where my good friend P. is from.



The next morning when I saw P., I bombarded her with questions and she told me about the different purple corn dishes her grandmother used to make for her as a child.

I immediately ordered some organic purple corn online and couldn't wait to cook with it. I made some breakfast purple corn porridge, mazamorra morada and these purple corn and banana muffins. The muffins are sweet and good for you. Can you believe that?



I actually served the muffins with a large salad of greens, fingerlings, snap peas and salmon to make one satisfying lunch.

I warmed up some olive oil and infused a bunch of mint and thyme into it. Then slowly poached the salmon in the oil for a few minutes, just like my grandmother used to do with bacalao. Served with with watercress, baby romaine, arugula, blanched snap peas and super buttery fingerlings. Salt, olive oil and lemon.

So simple and abundant.



Gluten Free Purple Corn and Banana Muffins

makes about a dozen and a half muffins

3 eggs
50 grams (1/4 cup) organic cane sugar
280 grams (1 cup) ripe bananas, pureed
125 grams (3/4 cup) vegetable oil
25 grams (2 Tbs) coconut milk (can use whole milk if you like)
75 grams (1/2 cup) superfine brown rice flour
20 grams (2 Tbs) potato starch
20 grams (2 Tbs) tapioca starch
100 grams (3/4 cup) purple cornmeal
25 grams (1 Tbs + 2 tsp) baking powder
3 grams (1/2 tsp) salt
1 gram (1/2 tsp) xanthan gum

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, bananas and milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the liquids to the dry and mix until combined.

Divide the batter into your baking cups and bake at 350F for about 15-18 minutes depending on the size.


Poached Salmon, Snap Pea and Fingerling Potato Salad

makes 2 servings

2 cups of mixed greens (watercress, baby romaine, arugula, herbs)
1 cup of fingerling potatoes
1 cup of snap peas
8 oz (225g) salmon
Olive oil for poaching
Thyme
Mint
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
Large pinch salt

Place the potatoes in a pan and cover them with water. Bring them to a boil and cook until fork tender. Drain and peel them. I like to serve them when they are lukewarm in the salad as they absorb more of the dressing this way.

Blanch the snap peas in salted boiling water for about 1 minute. Drain them and shock them in ice water. Reserve.

Place olive oil (enough to cover the salmon almost all the way up) in a small pan. Add some thyme and mint leaves to the oil and let it steep in medium low heat for a few minutes. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Add the pieces of salmon and reduce the heat to low. There might be a little sizzle but must be gentle. Let the salmon cook for about 5-7 minutes, depending on the thickness, until it turns pale pink.

Remove the salmon from the oil. Let it cool on a plate. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and flake it with a fork.

Place the greens, snap peas, cut fingerlings and salmon on a plate. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Toss and taste to adjust seasoning.

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Herb Garden

Saturday morning as J. was getting dressed to go out, he opened his eyes and he screamed, "amatxu, the herbs!". He seemed so upset over something. I asked him to explain it to me calmly. It turns out, he had forgotten the herbs he had picked at school the day before in his cubby. "Don't worry, we will get them on Monday".

So this morning when I walked him into school, he went straight to his cubby and took out the bunch of herbs he had picked the week before. Dried by now, of course. So I took him by the hand and went back to where they had planted their garden and got some fresh ones. Dill, mint, chives, thyme, basil... A lovely garden and really showed me that even at this young age, kids have a nurturing spirit.

Happy Monday!

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A Trip To The Farriss Family Farm

I came back from Seattle revitalized and inspired as ever. Pike Place Market in July was like a dream for me with all the beautiful produce and bounty of summer. Stand after stand of gorgeous cherries, all sorts of berries, dairy farmers... Endless. I even tasted my first tayberries this weekend.

All of this reminded me of the trip we took to Farriss Family Farm a few weeks ago. Not much really grows in Florida in the summer, but their chickens are still laying beautiful eggs and you know how much I love eggs.



"We are going to go see the pregnant goat", I told J. I don't really know that he understood where we were going that morning. We arrived early, but the heat and humidity were already in full bloom. None of the animals seemed to be too bothered as the turkeys, chickens, roosters and goats were roaming around the property very content.

J. was quite taken by the turkeys and their loud sounds. Fascinated and frightened at the same time, he kept chasing them trying to finding out what all that skin hanging from their necks was. "It changes color", he kept shouting.



We saw the pregnant goat who since then, has had her babies. We also watched a chicken lay an egg. Even got to hold it in our hands right afterwards, still warm. These are some of the things that were so normal to us when we were growing up and nowadays seem like such a luxury. What happened, I wonder. How did we get to this place where finding neighborhood eggs is so elusive.



The farm is best known for their amazing eggs. Making tortilla de patatas with those beautiful orange yolks puts me right back in my grandmother's kitchen. But they also have gorgeous tomatoes, avocados, pineapples, large assortment of herbs and many fruit trees.

First thing I did when we got home was to slice a tomato, drizzle it with olive oil and some sea salt and serve it with a fried egg. That's luxury. The perfect snack.



All these eggs had to go into a beautiful custard tart that I made with goat's milk and local raw clover honey. I used some of the frozen leftover quinoa pate brisee for the crust. Always make sure you have extra tart dough in the freezer. Will make your life so much easier.

I served the tart at room temperature with some raspberries. I love watching my little boy just dig his finger in the baked custard. Skipped the crust and raspberries, but loved his custard.



Instead of the traditional tortilla, which I always make when I have lots of fresh eggs, I made a quick lunch snack of zucchini and potato pancakes. Grated zucchini and potatoes with some eggs, rice flour and chives served with aioli and a simple salad. My kind of lunch.



The Farriss' new website is live now! If you live in the area, you should stop by and purchase some of their eggs, herbs and beautiful produce.

I will be working with them on a fun story soon and will keep you posted. Can't wait to share it.

Goat's Milk and Honey Tart

Quinoa pate brisee
120 grams goat's milk
60 grams heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
Zest of 1/2 lemon
80 grams raw honey (I used clover)
30 grams cornstarch
3 eggs

Roll out the quinoa pastry to about 1/8" thickness and fill the tart molds. Refrigerate for about 1 hour, then blind bake them at 350F.

In a small saucepan, heat the goat's milk, heavy cream, vanilla bean and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, cornstarch and honey. Temper the warm liquid into the egg mixture. Strain it through a fine sieve.

Fill the partly baked tart shells with the custard. Bake at 325F for about 20 minutes or until set. Let them cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.

Zucchini and Potato Pancakes

1 small zucchini, grated
1 small potato, grated
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup rice flour
pinch salt
pinch of pink peppercorn
chives
olive oil

Squeeze out most of the moisture from the grated zucchini. Pat dry if necessary. In a bowl combine grated zucchini, potato, egg, rice flour, salt, pink pepper and chives. Heat some olive oil in a pan. Add about a tablespoon of mixture and flatten it. Cook till golden brown, flip and finish cooking. Serve with aioli.

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