Delicious Food at the INDYpendence Day Lunch

In the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Jiro Ono asserts, "In order to make delicious food, you must eat delicious food." Amen to that. It's one of the reasons I love attending food-centric events - besides the obvious; they are wholly inspiring. The 4th of July INDYpendence Day Luncheon at the Henry Miller Library was just that: an inspiration.

Will travel for good food. Jake and I happily day-tripped down the coast to Big Sur while the boys wrapped up their week at Kayak Kamp.

Beneath the redwoods, on a portable propane burner, Chef Matt Millea and others worked some pretty outrageous culinary magic. I was there, writing for Edible Monterey Bay, so I won't tip my hand too much about the event. But I'll share some of the edible goodness...

Fresh Herbs
Fresh herbs are akin to culinary fairy dust. They add that delightful je ne sais quois to dishes, adding dimension and freshness. I watched Chef Matt chop fresh thyme, dill, and more. I think if more people used herbs liberally, they could get away with so much less salt in their food.

Fresh Flowers
If fresh herbs are fairy dust, flowers are the fairy skirts. They add flounce and grace. Chef Matt had an entire tray of hollyhock petals - icy pink with flecks of bubblegum - ready for sprinkling over a tomato bake. It was as lovely as it was delicious.

Fresh Veggies
Okay, I do know that tomatoes are actually fruits, but we utilize them as veggies most of the time, don't we? This line-up of carmine tomatoes and sunny summer squash drew me over to the table. What is it they say? Something about food's appearance adding to its overall appeal? I'll buy that...though I have made my share of unphotogenic but delicious fare.

Like the Summer Heat
They said that these were poblanos, but the poblanos I've cooked with are larger and deeper green. They looked like shishito peppers to me - in shape and color. But they were larger than any shishito peppers I've ever gotten. Whatever these were, they were prepared simply - panfried until they had a slight charring. Like the summer sun on your skin, the warmth of these peppers is inviting, enveloping you in a delightful warmth.

That's all I'll write about for now. Once my post is up, I'll share it.

Comments

Caulibits Crni Rižoto (Croatian Black "Risotto") #Whole30

Last week, I participated in the Wine Pairing Weekend event 'New Year, New Wine." I paired Crni Rižoto with Dingac Vinarija’s Pelješac...and you can read my post: here . I was pouring a Croatian wine and decided to make a traditional Croatian dish. Every seafood restaurant in Croatia has a Crni Rižoto (black risotto) on its menu. Crni Rižoto is risotto dyed black with squid ink; I used cuttlefish ink for the same effect. However, since arborio rice is not Whole30 compliant, I made a version for myself that used caulibits instead of rice. Ingredients 1 C fish stock (or a combination of fish stock and vegetable stock) 1 T olive oil 1 medium shallots, peeled and minced 1 cloves garlic, crushed and minced 1/4 lb shrimp 1/4 lb squid tubes, cleaned and sliced into rings 1/4 lb scallops 1/4 lb clams, scrubbed 1/4 lb mussels, scrubbed 4 C caulibits, or chopped cauliflower 1 T fresh parsley, minced juice and zest from 1 organic lemon 1 t cuttlefish ink

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the Bread Bakers home page . We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy. Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Search This Blog