Taste With The Eyes

Cherimoya Brûlée

Cherimoya Brûlée

Recently at the local farmers market, a woman walked up and started asking about an exotic fruit called cherimoya. I shared that while it was very expensive (a medium-large one cost almost $8) I thought that it was ultimately worth the price. At about the same cost per pound as a top sirloin steak, it is probably not a fruit you would have on the breakfast table every day – but to add variety, or when guests are in town, cherimoya is a special treat.

This fruit, native to the valleys of Ecuador, Columbia, and Peru, has a mysterious flavor and unique texture. The juicy white sweet flesh tastes a bit like pineapple, though not as tart, with a hint of banana, and maybe papaya. The aroma is heady and tropical. The texture is even more intriguing, less like fruit and more like custard. As I was explaining the cherimoya to her, a pineapple banana crème brûlée came to mind. And that is how this Cherimoya Brûlée was born…

Cherimoya Brûlée Recipe

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An Incredible 5-Course Gourmet Dinner for $25?

Los Angeles Harbor College Culinary Arts Program

It’s one of the best kept dining secrets in all of Southern California, where the food is impressive, the service is genuine, the ambiance is unique and the cost for a 5-course gourmet meal is … $25.

The students of the Los Angeles Harbor College Culinary Arts Program benefit from community participation and this is a secret they don’t want us to keep.

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Vegetable Casserole with Fresh Herbs, Lemons and Cured Black Olives

Vegetable Casserole with Fresh Herbs, Lemons and Dry-Cured Black Olives

Potato, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Tomato
Lemon, Onion, Garlic, Parmesan, Dry-Cured Black Olives
Thyme, Oregano, Basil

The mandoline seems to be my go-to kitchen tool of choice these days. Thinly sliced vegetables and lemons are drizzled with olive oil and layered with fresh herbs, then baked for 40 minutes. Dry-cured black olives, Parmesan, and basil finish the dish. The result is a light fresh casserole that can be enjoyed warm or at room-temperature, easily wrapped up and whisked off to a picnic or the beach (or both). And would be equally fitting served as part of a fancy buffet dinner.

Fresh Vegetable Casserole Recipe

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“Spanish Influence” Chilled Soup: Fire-Roasted Chiles, Marcona Almond, Amontillado Sherry

“Spanish Influence” Chilled Soup
with
Fire-Roasted Chiles, Marcona Almond, Amontillado Sherry
Fried Tortilla, Roasted Corn, Bay Shrimp, Cilantro, Almond Oil

The chilled chile & almond soup has been a favorite around here for over a decade – a star of a cold soup that’s hot, smoky, and nutty. If fact, I entered it in a contest at the Los Angeles County Fair years ago, and it won second place. I’ve updated the soup recipe, now using fat luscious Spanish Marcona almonds and Spanish Amontillado sherry that has a whisper of sweetness. The basic soup can be simply garnished with a drizzle of Mexican crema and a few cilantro leaves. Or for entertaining, go all out and add sweet bay shrimp, roasted corn, freshly fried corn tortilla strips, chopped Marcona almonds, and a splash of toasted almond oil – your guests will surely be delighted.

“Spanish Influence” Chilled Soup
with Fire-Roasted Chiles, Marcona Almond, Amontillado Sherry RECIPE

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Understanding UMAMI

Understanding UMAMI

“Those who pay careful attention to their taste buds will discover in the complex flavor
of asparagus, tomatoes, cheese and meat, a common and yet absolutely singular taste
which cannot be called sweet, or sour, or salty, or bitter…” – Dr. Kikunae Ikeda
Eighth International Congress of Applied Chemistry, Washington D.C., 1912

You recognize it in the meaty taste of a sizzling rib-eye steak hot off the grill. Beyond salty, you sense it in the savory tastes of aged Parmesan and cured anchovies on a Caesar salad. Beyond sweet, your mouth waters over the flavor of a warm ripe heirloom tomato picked right off the vine.

Can you taste it yet? In addition to sweet, sour, salty and bitter…it’s umami, the fifth taste sensed by the human tongue.

Umami is defined as the savory taste and round mouth-feel imparted by glutamate and nucleotides such as inosinate and guanylate.

Over a century after its discovery, there is a huge fascination with this fifth taste because understanding the science behind umami can help cooks create more luscious dishes and help foodies better appreciate their meal.

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