Category: Chefs/Restaurants

New Korean Salad: Chrysanthemum Greens, Chestnut, Persimmon

korean salad, persimmon salad
Fresh Chrysanthemum Greens, Roasted Chestnut
Semi-Dried Hachiya Persimmon, Fresh Fuyu Persimmon Wedges
Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette
Pomegranate Arils, Toasted Pine Nuts, Roasted Laver

Inspiration from two separate dining experiences sparked the idea for creation of this delightful salad. First, an outstanding meal at Jun Won in LA, a gem of a restaurant that features regional Korean cooking from the province of Chungcheongnam-do. I was captivated by their salad of chrysanthemum greens (sukgat) with chestnut jelly. A week later we attended an event highlighting the “Tastes of the Korean Forest” including sanchae (wild vegetables grown in the mountains), oak mushroom, chestnut, and persimmon.

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Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

pvplc fundraiser
A couple weeks ago we attended the Palos Verdes Pastoral, a garden-to-table dining experience on the Peninsula overlooking the Pacific under a spectacular full moon… It was an event designed to bring 200 people together amidst nature for an exclusive dining experience featuring the best of California hand-crafted, organic, and sustainable foods.

Producers from around the state donated all of the food and wine for the evening so that 100% of the proceeds from the event went to benefit the Land Conservancy. The event took place at the breathtaking Terranea Resort and featured an award winning menu by Chef Michael Fiorelli inspired by one he created for the James Beard House in NYC.

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Loup de Mer à la Provençale #CookForJulia

loup de mer julia child
Loup de Mer à la Provençale
Prepared in Honor of Julia Child’s 100th Birthday

Crispy Skin Mediterranean Sea Bass
Provence-Style Salad with Anchovy
Roquette, Green Bell Pepper, Red Onion, Tomato, Cucumber, Olive
Herb Garlic Vinaigrette

Original Photo by Paul Child

“Simca, Paul, Patricia, and I… penetrated into this beautiful courtyard and were seated at a little white table beneath a leafy trellis. It was a splendid lunch, moving from apéritifs to pâté of fresh duck livers and truffles, thick slices of pain brioche, a timbale, tomatoes and a green salad. But the real reason we were there was for the loup de mer.”  Julia Child, My Life in France

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Her First Meal in France #CookForJulia

Julia’s First Meal in France
with Husband, Paul Child
(a re-creation)

We rolled to a stop in La Place du Vieux Marché,
the square where Joan of Arc had met her fiery fate.
There the Guide Michelin directed us to
Restaurant La Couronne.

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Rouen is a 2000 year old city located in Normandy
on the Seine River not too far from the English Channel.

In Rouen, France
November 1948

The waiter is telling them about the chicken they ordered, Paul whispered, how it was raised, how it will be cooked, what side dishes they can have with it, and which wines would go best.

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In Julia Child’s Kitchen (A RE-Creation) #CookForJulia

julia child caesar and salmon en papillote
Julia Child – Caesar & Salmon Dinner

In Memoriam
JULIA CHILD
August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004
chef, mentor, heroine, author, television icon, inspiration, nonagenarian, friend

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An adaptation from Julia and Jacques Cooking At Home By Julia Child and Jacques Pépin

“Today we are going to make a delightful dinner, Caesar Salad and Salmon en Papillote.
Of course, cooking en papillote does not have to be fancy –
it’s a fine method for everyday cooking too.”

Julia Child Caesar Salad
Julia’s Kitchen: Caesar Salad

“I am probably one of the few people around who saw the real Caesar Cardini making his salad.
I was about 9 when my parents took me to Tijuana, just the other side of the border from San Diego. 

They were so excited when big jolly Caesar himself came to the table to make the salad, which had already been written up and talked about everywhere. And it was dramatic, I remember most clearly the eggs going in, and how he tossed the leaves so it looked like a wave turning over.”

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