valentine's day decadence

Peppered Edamame, Hot and Sour Shiitake Mushroom Soup, Sensual Stir-Fry and Forbidden Black Rice, Chocolate-Rosemary Pudding with Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans

these are images taken by the brilliant Sara Remington for the january/february issue of relevant times magazine. they will be running my "Valentine's Day Decadence" menu from Grub. check for it.

Cacao-Café No Lait Pudding

raw cacao beans

This Saturday, August 25, at 10:30am join me for a not-to-be-missed cooking demonstration at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market in San Francisco. DJ Lovelee will be spinning Soulful music and Chef-Owner Jay Foster of Farmer Brown Restaurant will make a special appearance. In addition to my palate-pleasing “Citrus Collards with Raisins,” I will be making my newly-created “Cacao-Cafe No Lait Pudding” using Blue Bottle Coffee’s Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Blend.

Let me know what you think about the latter when you make it:

Cacao-Café No Lait Pudding
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Inactive Preparation Time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 12 minutes

Yield: 4 Servings

Soundtrack: “Brown Paper People” by Lila Downs from Una Sangre – One Blood

1 cup organic coconut milk
1 tablespoon of ground Blue Bottle’s “Ethiopian Yirgacheffe” coffee (or your favorite coffee)
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 box (3/4 pound) Mori Nu firm silken tofu (this dessert only works with this brand)
2 tablespoons raw cacao nibs

*In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the coconut milk and coffee. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and boil for 7 minutes, whisking often. Remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl.

*In a medium saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons of the coffee coconut milk mixture, the agave nectar, vanilla, coca powder, and salt and whisk to incorporate the coca powder. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat.

*Pour the mixture into in a blender, add the tofu, and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the cacao nibs, and stir well.

*Cover with plastic and refrigerate to set for at least 2 hours before serving.

*Serve chilled.

Double Watermelon-Strawberry Slushee

Double Watermelon-Strawberry Slushee
Inactive Preparation Time: 3-4 hours
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4-6 servings

Soundtrack: "So Fresh, So Clean" by Outkast from Stankonia

Takin' yall back and forward at the same time. Peep game:

8 cups fresh watermelon juice
2 cups frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons Agave Nectar
4 fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

*Fill two large ice cube trays with watermelon juice and freeze until solid, about 3-4 hours.

*In an upright blender, combine a full tray of watermelon cubes, 2 cups of watermelon juice, and 1 cup of frozen strawberries (the blender should be full). Blend on high speed until well-combined and slushy, about 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon lime juice and 2 tablespoons Agave Nectar and blend on high speed for another 30 seconds. Pour into a large pitcher and store in the freezer.

*Repeat.

*Serve immediately in slender clear glasses garnished with mint sprigs.

note: see fresh watermelon-vodka martini recipe for a method of extracting watermelon juice.

Citrus Collards With Raisins

click the above image for the recipe

this is my first published recipe, which was included in Recipes from America's Small Farm back in 2003. i'm gonna be demonstrating it at 10:30am on Saturday, August 4 at the Oakland-Grand Lake Farmer's Market. anna and i will be signing copies of Grub after the demonstration, and we will be joined by the folks at Sustainable Table for a presentation about their "Eat Well Guided Tour of America."

What Does Eating Well Really Mean?

smoky citrus shrimp with parsley

last august Food and Wine magazine featured Anna and me in an article entitled "What Does Eating Well Really Mean?" they included two original recipes that i created just for the piece--Smoky Citrus Shrimp with Parsley and Cajun-Spiced, Open-Faced Red Pepper Frittata Sandwiches.

getcha grub on and lemme know what you think.

Fresh Watermelon-Vodka Martini

i lifted this image from someone's blog.

Fresh Watermelon-Vodka Martini
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Soundtrack: “Watermelon Man” by Herbie Hancock from Head Hunters

Before you start prepping your ingredients:

• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Top it with cold water, and place in a freezer.

• Rinse two martini glasses and immediately place them in a freezer.

1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz fresh orange juice
1/2 oz blue agave nectar
3 oz vodka
4 oz fresh watermelon juice
Coarse sea salt
2 watermelon wedges, 2 inches long and 1/2 inch thick, with a horizontal notch cut into the red flesh to anchor it onto the rim of the glass

• Remove cocktail shaker from the freezer, empty, and refill with fresh ice.

• Combine the lime juice, orange juice, agave nectar, vodka, and watermelon juice in the chilled cocktail shaker. Vigorously shake ingredients until well chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into a martini cocktail glass. Add a pinch of salt, garnish with a wedge of watermelon, and serve.

Note: get your watermelon juice by adding chunks of fresh watermelon to an upright blender, pulsing until smooth, and then straining to remove all solids.

Another Note: If you are using measuring spoons, 1 oz = 2 tablespoons.