The Church of Chai.

Some say that breakfast is the most important way to start the day. While I always eat and enjoy breakfast, I believe two of my friends had starting a day pinned to a T.
Joani and Sundar, a married couple very dear to me, arose every morning to make chai while the sun dawned. In their house, food, friendship and company were held in very high esteem. After the sun was up, friends from around town would arrive at their front door for the amusing environment coupled with fantastic chai to start of their day.
In this household, there were three main staples: morning chai, political rantings, and amazing food. The way I figured, if I showed up to their house not too late, but certainly taking my time, I would appear in time for chai while getting the first of the lunchtime food.
After a while of this tradition, their house became known as the Church of Chai. Whether having a true significant meaning or not, in my head, I always thought of their house as a place of worship for beverage, food and fine company.

Working as a barista at a few local coffee joints for 5+ years, I have been able to make/play with a lot of chai. While chai is perfect served as-is heated in a mug, there are many other creative things one can do with chai. I will extend a few ideas: serve the chai over a little ice, mix the chai with ice cream for a different type of milkshake, serve the chai mixed with a shot of espresso and a dash of cinnamon (yum!), use chai in place of milk in desserts or other beverages, such as a cafe au lait, and finally, a chai popsicle.

P.s. Just a fun fact-- chai in Hebrew means living.

Nepali Chai

2 Cup Water
4 Whole Cloves
1 Stick Cinnamon
4 Cardamom Pods
4 Tbsp Sugar
4 Tbsp (4 Tea bags) Black Tea
2 Cup Organic Whole Milk/Half and Half
(Optional: I like to add some fresh ginger root to my tea...)

1. Mix water, whole cloves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods into a sauce pan/tea pot and bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat to low, allowing the mixture to simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Steep the tea powder for 1 minute in the water mixture.
3. Add the milk and heat or another minute, being very careful as to not boil the mixture. When hot, add the sugar.
4. Stir and keep hot or strain and serve immediately.

Yeilds: 4 cups

What's hot, what's not, and what's... perennial?

When it comes to food, my thoughts revolve around what's healthy. So when I am asked to determine what should be followed because of a current trend, I feel like I am showcasing my interests for the next edition of fashion weekly.
The American Culinary Federation sent out a "What's Hot" survey for 2010. While taking this massive survey consisting of everything from appetizers, entrees, food production, I had to think to myself, these questions should not be asked to determine current "fashions" in the culinary industry, but more so a moral question. Nobody should determine if watermelon if outdated, but when and where to use it.
Granted, many chefs rely on the creativity of those around them to keep trudging forward, but to tell someone that fennel foam or vegetable ceviche are outdated does not leave any room for furthering the flow of creativity. Genuine resourcefulness and originality should be the fad of fashion within the culinary arts. Chefs strive to bring forth integrity from the kitchen to the table.
During the great task of sorting through cookbooks and random scraps of paper laden with scribbled recipes, I came upon recipes I had altered for breakfast sandwiches, dips served in bread bowls, veggie rolls, soups, sushi, salads, etc. then stopped mid recipe; are these out of style? Would these recipes that I held so close to heart and mouth be considered old school, a hot topic or a perennial favorite? It was at that moment that I realized it does not matter what people say is outdated - I've never changed my fashion sense due to a shift in the fashion industry, so why change a menu to accommodate any culinary mafioso?
The culinary arts should and have always been just that- an art. Art is created from the soul. A limitless expression to release and glorify one's needs or feelings. There should be no rules on what should be used, except the ones created my nature.
When tomatoes are in season, they should be used, celebrated and then released from their position until their next ripe season. Summer fruit earns a place at the table within it's due time frame, not whenever the need for it arises. Animals should not be exhaustively bred to feed people who will eat 1/2 of their portion because it lacks the richness and principle that meat should contain.
All food is perennial. We eat the food that is harvested by us to survive. All food should be respected, not overlooked due to the misuse and abuse of the product the year before.
That leads me to my conclusion. Here in lies my final what's hot list in the culinary industry:
1. Integrity.
2. Creativity.
3. Seasonal menu (to the very best ability of the chef).
4. Local production (a.k.a. produce, dairy, wine, beer, livestock, etc.)
5. Sustainability.
6. Regard for guests.
7. Open-toed ankle boots... er, wait.. Safety.
8. Positive work environment.
9. Enforcing teamwork and creative sessions between all members of the staff.
10. Perenniality interlaced with change.

Oeufs en meurette

Not able to get this recipe out of my head since my arrival from France, I knew my only salvation would be to share with everyone reading this exceptional recipe of the classic French dish, oeufs en meurette. Amusez-vous, de jouir et de manger!

Ingredients:
6 large eggs
A bottle of red wine
Salt, pepper, parsley, thyme
57 g onions and/or shallots
25 g of corn flour
50 g of butter
6 pieces of toast pasted with garlic

Heat the red wine in a saucepan until it is simmering. Poach the eggs in the wine for a few minutes. When the eggs appear to be ready, remove them from the liquid and put aside. (5 minutes)
With the remaining sauce, add the herbs, hashed onions and shallots. Add half of the butter and flour, then whisk the sauce, add the the rest of the butter. (5-10 minutes)
Keep simmering the sauce until it reduces and thickens.
Drain the mixture and then reheat this time adding some diced vegetarian bacon if desired.
When serving, place the poached eggs on pieces of garlic pasted toast and pour the sauce on top (the more sauce, the better!).

Bon Appettit!

When in France...

Having recently returned from a culinary trip to France, I have much advice, many stories, and must-see places in store for you.
Being the only vegetarian on this trip proved to be, despite challenging and humiliating at times, a far greater an experience than I could have asked for. No matter where we went to, the ego of the French chefs inspired them to always serve me and amazing meal, despite the trouble of being the only different dish of the group.
The plane landed in Lyon the morning of May 26. Jetlagged, jittery and ready for a nap, the lot of us (nine students and two teachers) stepped outside to this foreign country with the sunlight staring us right in the eye. Fresh air… we all sucked in deep breaths while walking back and forth aimlessly to reconnect with our legs. Then we saw him, our tour guide for the trip, Chef Michelle.
Now, when I was in Italy, we always knew where we were, what we were eating, why the food was relevant to the region we were in, and each had our personal copy of the itinerary. In France, we had no idea where we were, where we were going, only one person had a copy of the itinerary, and we were never told what we were eating until after it was consumed (I, on the other had, was allowed to ask).
Also, when we arrived in Italy, Chef Paulo gave us the entire day to rest before dinner that night with a cheese and wine tasting. In France, you suck it up. We arrived at the hotel, unloaded our luggage into our rooms and were given an hour or two before a tour around the city of Lyon followed by another short break before dinner.
In the kitchen, the French play with class. Every meal I had was a perfect combination of classical, modern, and experimental foods. From oeufs en meurette (eggs in red wine sauce) to mashed potatoes frothed in whipping cream canisters, every meal had my full attention and anticipation, while a couple ended with my utmost appreciation.
In as quick an overview I am able to give, I will try to recap my experiences in France. Demonstrations were given personally to us by world renowned chefs at the Institute Paul Bocuse, with breaks for meals and a grandeur finale consisting of a seven course tour of heaven all taking place in your mouth (some pictures below from the dinner).
Markets in the mornings, chocolate confectioners in the afternoon, medieval villages in the late afternoon for more food (artichokes and creamed spinach and mushroom dish, oh my!).
Cheeses, oils, vinegars, and wines. Historical tours through the process of wine making and fun tests for the senses along the way.
If I had to recommend one place in France to eat, I would encourage strongly for someone to eat at Loiseau des Vignes. The chefs managed to grab my attention while earning my respect; they served me one of the best meals in my entire life.
Walking through caves, then classes for lunch; salt mines in the afternoon, and a wonderful horse-ride before supper and bed, the days proved to be full and exhausting. The beds always seemed to gently whisper for me to sleep; I needed to reboot my energy for more wine, food and… absinthe?
After another wonderful breakfast with fresh, unsweetened yogurt accompanied by fresh fruit with golden raisins tossed on top, our group headed to visit Pierre Guy Distillery in Pontarlier, the produces of fine alcohol and absinthe. After a short tour of the distillery and how the alcohol is produced, they offered shots of any alcohol we wanted. Eying my way through the bottles, I knew for sure the three I would have to partake in; peach liqueur, a pine tree liqueur and absinthe. I will go more in depth on these liqueurs another time, but state now that those were the best liqueurs I have ever tasted.
Taking a journey out to the country, we visited a farmer of poulet de bresse. The birds are highly valued for their rich, gamey depth of flavour, yet with fine, tender flesh and delicious, clean-flowing fat. Roughly 1.2 million are raised annually, but such is the demand inside France that few birds make it out of the country. As a premium product, they sell at a premium price: Poulet de Bresse command around 15 euro ($21) per kilo at fine food markets.*
Our last dinner took us up into a small town in the mountains (again, sorry, but I don’t know where I was!) where a copper workshop resides. Before touring the production facility for copper production, we dined at Le Cerdonnet, a colorful restaurant seated in the base of the mountain.
Filled with food, wine and wonderful memories yearning to be recreated in the near future, I arrived at the Lyon airport to make my way home; Iowa.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poulet_de_Bresse

France in my Camera

Exposing the world to Greens

With the ending of my internship at Greens in San Francisco and my graduation from college, I have the world to look forward to. From starting a career, to the prospects of moving, and marriage, the world keeps unfolding and showing me paths that I need to take.
In hopes of moving back to San Francisco, I plan on taking a position at Greens restaurant, switching from the intern to the employee.
Below rest some pictures that I took while working/dining at Greens. Enjoy!