Dead Mousse

With Dia de los Muertos in a few days, this recipe is in honor of the dead- 'mousse muerto'. It is in place of 'pan muerto', which is typically made (although I recognize that 'dead mousse' doesn't have quite the same ring as 'dead bread'. Thank god 'los muertos' have a sense of humor).

This recipe was inspired by my friend Emma, who I made chocolate mousse with a few days ago in honor of her 25th birthday. She doesn't like things too sweet (which I guess you could say is appropriate for Dia de los Muertos), so instead of sweetness, we made it extra chocolaty. Like Emma, this mousse is incredibly rich, a little spicy, and very, very intense.

In honor of Dia de los Muertos, I added a little cinnamon and a dash of cayenne, a reminder of the importance of a little spice and levity. A layer of dulce de leche on top with a sprinkling of sea salt would be divine. Whipped cream is, of course, delicious on its own, but scraping the inside of a vanilla pod and mixing the seeds into the cream as you're whipping it, makes it especially worthy of the dead. Vanilla is the seedpod of the beautiful vanilla orchid, and is, therefore, a testimony to the fragrant, pungent and richly-woven world out of which this ancient holiday emerged.


For more than three thousand years the indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America practiced a form of Dia de los Muertos. Originally it was celebrated on the ninth month of the Aztec Solar Calendar, at the beginning of August, and was celebrated for the entire month, during which time, the goddess Mictecacihuatl, known as "Lady of the Dead," who was believed to have died at birth, kept an eye on everyone.

Not even the force of catholicism's blow, or the brutality of Cortez could eradicate the scent of vanilla and cayenne from this tradition. The honoring of the continuum of life and death was too deeply steeped in the blood of the people.- The dead refused to die.

The Spaniards did succeed in moving the holiday so it coincided with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (Nov. 1 and 2), which is when it is celebrated today. Their hope, I suspect, was that it would soon be over-shadowed and forgotten, which, gracias a dios, didn't happen.

My grandma, Dorothy Mumper (or Grand Mumper as she briefly attempted to have us grandkids call her), died a few months ago at the age of 94. While alive, she had a ferocious sweet tooth and a fairly satanic sense of humor, so this recipe is in honor of her. I trust that, dead, she will appreciate it as much as I think she would have alive.

RECIPE:

8 oz. unsweetened South-American chocolate
3/4 cup cream (you could substitute coconut milk)
4 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cayenne (or more or less)
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt

1/4 cup cream (for whipping)
1 vanilla bean
agave nectar to taste

Chop the chocolate coarsely and mix it with the cream in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir until the chocolate begins to melt. Remove from the heat and stir until completely melted.

Whisk eggs and the sugar in a fairly large bowl and set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir, while scraping down the sides of the bowl until it is hot to the touch (keep testing the temperature). Remove the egg mixture from the the heat and beat with a whisk or a mixer until it begins to get light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

Pour the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl. Add the cayenne and cinnamon and stir well. Stir in the egg mixture, adding a little at a time, until it is thoroughly combined.

Pour the mousse into individual cups and refrigerate for a few hours.

Before serving, sprinkle with sea salt. Whip the cream with the agave and vanilla, adding a spoonful (or two) to the top of each cup. disfruta!

Morning Miso

According to Japanese mythology, miso is a gift to mankind from the gods to assure lasting health, longevity, and happiness.

Six months ago I began eating soup for breakfast in an in an effort to solve the digestive problems I'd been having. As soon as I started eating soup in the morning, all my problems went away. Having revolved around elaborate breakfasts of eggs and grains for most of my life, this was a huge change for me, but since the first day of trying miso for breakfast, I haven't gone back. Nothing makes me feel as good as miso soup in the morning. From an Ayurvedic perspective, this makes sense, since agni (one's digestive fire) is generally small in the morning and needs to be "stoked" with a small, easily digested meal that acts as kindling to the fire.

The idea of soup in the morning may not sound very appealing, but I encourage you to try it and see how you feel. To most people (at least in the US), breakfasts are usually sweet (from the ayurvedic perspective, this including things like toast, cereal etc.) Much of the world eats a savory breakfasts consisting of mostly vegetables. Even if you don't want to give up pancakes and eggs, you can still make this soup any time- it's quick and versatile and so delicious. This soup only takes about 10 minutes to make and can be made with almost any vegetables you have on hand.

Miso is a food that has been eaten for centuries in Japan. It has is usually made from soybeans and either rice or barley, which is then mixed with seasalt and the koji culture, but can also be made from various other grains and legumes. Unpasteurized miso is a living food that is filled with digestive enzymes which ward off harmful organisms, creating a healthy digestive system.

I use white miso paste because it has a mellower, softer quality than the darker pastes, but experiment and see which ones you like. Miso made from garbanzo beans, is especially good as well. But don't use the instant miso packets, because miso is a living, fermented food and it loses most of its healthful qualities in the dried form. Many health food stores sell miso in bulk, but make sure it is unpasteurized and organic. One of the best makers is South River Miso.

This can be made with almost any vegetables you desire. Every morning the soup I make is completely different from the morning before. I often find that the fewer vegetables the better. Also, experiment with different ways of chopping the vegetables as well. To the Japanese, in order to completely nourish you, food needs to be beautiful as well as delicious. If it's not beautiful, you will never feel "full". I use the moments chopping the vegetables as a sort of meditation. And I always try to leave enough time to sit down and eat in a peaceful way. Here is just one possible version- this serves two.

RECIPE:
1 tbsp ghee or olive oil
1/2 a leek
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1/4 cup wakame soaked
1/2 avocado for garnish
miso (the amount varies depending on the strength of the miso. Usually its about 1 tsp- 1 tbsp per serving).
3 cups water or vegetable stock
cilantro for garnish
a dash of black sesame seeds

Put the wakame in water to soak for a few minutes. Heat the oil or ghee and add the leeks (meanwhile chop the other vegetables). Add the rest of the vegetables and cook a few minutes more. Add the water or stock and wakame and cook about 8 minutes more, or until the vegetables are soft.

Then in a small bowl, mix the miso and a small bit of the warm broth, stir with a spoon until the paste dissolves, adding more liquid if necessary. Add the rest of the soup to the miso. (boiling miso kills the beneficial enzymes.) Top the soup with the avocado, cilantro and sesame seeds and enjoy.

I believe that miso belongs to the highest class of medicines, those which help prevent disease and strengthen the body through continued usage.... Some people speak of miso as a condiment, but miso brings out the flavor and nutritional value in all foods and helps the body digest and assimilate whatever we eat... —Dr. Shinichiro Akizuki,

Pt Reyes Wild Mushroom Soup

I spent the past weekend at the Pt. Reyes Hostel. Needless to say, I showed up with a tremendous amount of food- more than enough to feed all of the guests staying there.

This is one of the recipes that emerged......an inspiration made with Peter- a
pu erh drinking, circus performer living in the French alps and Daniel, a Kentucky native with sparkling blue eyes in the midst of a skateboarding journey to South America.

We ate it with a warm, crusty sourdough baguette, and a fig and ricotta insalata salad.

RECIPE:
1/2 yellow onion chopped
2 shallots chopped
2 tablespoons butter or ghee
4-5 stalks diced celery
2 pounds various mushrooms- chantrelles and morels are my favorite, but unless you can find them wild (and they are popping up right now), you might want to do more crimini, portobello, etc. - chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1 potato diced in small cubes
1 tablespoon thyme (dry or fresh- use more is using fresh)
salt and pepper
some dry white wine
parsley chopped for garnish
white truffle infused olive oil (optional)

Saute the onions and shallots for a few minutes, then add celery and potato, saute a few more.

Add all of the chopped mushrooms and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes more, or until some off the liquid has cooked off.

Add the stock, and spices, cook 15-20 minutes more.

Garnish with parsley and a drizzle of white truffle oil......(I didn't have truffle oil when I made this, but the whole time I was eating the soup, I wished for it.)

This would also be good with wild rice instead of potato, and also cream makes any soup heartier-although I would imagine it might detract from the mushroomieness.....

Ginger-Miso Roasted Kabocha Squash

I bought a beautiful kabocha squash at the market on Sunday because as I stood looking at all of the various types of squash- not exactly knowing the difference between any of them, or even knowing if I wanted to buy one, a cute man walked by and said "Get a kabocha".

So I did. And was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. It has dense, delicious orange flesh.

I came across an article on winter squash in Sunset magazine and got excited to try their version of this recipe... needless to say, I changed a few things.

I bake the squash extra long so it gets a little crispy on the edges and almost caramelizes.

Recipe:

1/3 cup white miso
5-in. piece fresh ginger, grated
1/2 cup sherry or sake
6 tablespoons oil (I used a mix of red palm, ghee, and olive oil
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1 kabocha squash, seeded and cut into 1/4-in. slices

toasted sesame oil

Oven to 375°. Whisk all the ingredients minus the squash and sesame oil together... then arrange the squash on a baking sheet- drizzle about half of the sauce over the slices and turn them so they are entirely covered.

Bake for about 15 minutes, then brush slices with remaining sauce (you will have some left over) and cook until tender when thick edges are pierced with a fork, about 10 to 15 more minutes.

Drizzle with the sesame oil (tahini might be good also)

enjoy!

Rosemary chocolate fig spread...

15th of October

The mornings have begun to be cooler, I suddenly find myself cold when I leave my room in the early morning to go outside- slippers are in order....
The days are still warm though...Indian summer, and the fig tree is slowly offering up its jewels- one at a time almost... a coy seductress....

After a few days of neglect, there was a basket worth of the soft, sun-warmed fruit interspersed among the bird-pecked offerings- the ripe insides torn open like carrion.

RECIPE:

4 cups quartered figs
1 cup organic sugar
1/2 bar dark unsweetened chocolate
1/2 lemon squeezed
1 tablespoon minced rosemary

I quartered the figs and boiled them with sugar- slowly the pink seeded interior dissolved, leaving the firmer outsides floating in a translucent dark purple soup. I let them cool and then pureed them in the food processor, which turned them into a pinkish brown puree dotted with the seeds.

I returned it to the heat and mixed in some chopped rosemary and some finely chopped dark chocolate.- Decadence.... almost like a healthy nutella- although nothing's as good as nutella....


I canned it in a water bath, but I don't think it can keep on the shelf because of the chocolate content.

It would also be good with lavender instead of the rosemary.......

Hello Blog, Nice to Meet You!

This is my new culinary Blog.

I will use it as my on-line journal of recipes and experiences in the kitchen.

Hopefully one day it will evolve into a restaurant......


until then, thank you for reading!