The Gables (part two-dessert)

Who does not love a nice dessert? I have a rule of thumb...when I first meet somebody and they tell me, they don't like dessert, I just act extra careful around them. Really? you don't like dessert? hmmm...

The second part of this nice little visit to the Gables we stopped for dessert at a great place called "Chocolate Fashion". The name automatically worked as a human size magnet for me. I looked at it from afar and saw a couple of small, cramped chairs and tables on the narrow sidewalk, right next to an ugly  and old parking lot. It was full. The food must be good I said to myself. 

Really impressed by the beauty of every dessert, I spend half an hour driving the waiter crazy, asking what every single one of those jewels was. As you could expect, there was a very ample selection of chocolate based desserts and truffles but there was also a huge selection of french pastries that looked incredible. Napoleons, fruit tarts, fraisers, opera, fruit mousses. You name it, it was there. 

I ended up ordering a passion fruit and dark chocolate double mousse that was to die for. The combination of the sour fruit with the earthiness of the mousse was spectacular! My husband ordered a chocolate tart that I was eyeing every second. Soft in texture but full in flavor, it was what a chocolate tart was all created to be. My daughter ordered a chocolate chip cookie that was bigger then her face! It was a great one, but please be more adventurous than a 5-year old! Otherwise, just save yourself some miles and go to the Starbucks close to your home; the cookies are good there too.

I cannot wait to go back and try some other goodies. They also have a good lunch menu and a very decent breakfast. All simple and very good excuses to have dessert right after!

Bon Appetit!

Andie.

The Gables (part one)

There is something magical about this place. Starting with the astonishing trees that create all kinds of beautiful canopies and shades, to the manicured, historic architecture there is no place in South Florida like Coral Gables. But of course that is not it. And of course I want to talk about the food! Last week, for the first time in many years, I decided that I did not want to throw myself a party for my birthday. I just wanted to rest and marinate in a good conversation, a nice glass of wine and a tasty meal. I told my husband that I felt like eating sushi, but wanted to feel like we actually left home for a little while.

We hit a restaurant called Red Koi that my husband tried a couple of weeks before when having lunch with a friend. it-was-amazing! I know that if somebody from Japan actually went to this place, he wouldn't be very impressed-or if he was, he would not call it sushi...but who cares? It was delicious!

I have always been a huge supporter of adding fruits and nuts to all foods that agree, so I was VERY pleased to see the menu. Knowing that it was my birthday and I was bound to end up having some type of super rich dessert, I cut to the chase, did not order any appetizers and went right for the rolls.

EAT this:

HAVANA: Fish katsu, macadamian nuts, guava paste, cilantro, avocado, rolled in soy paper with spicy mayo.
MONKEY: Eel, sweet plantain, crab, cucumber, asparagus, masago, avocado with ell sauce and spicy mayo.
CARIBBEAN: Coconut shrimp, figs, asparagus, cilantro, japanese chili powder, rolled on soy paper, kimchee sauce.
What I liked the most about these rolls was that every one of those flavors stood alone. I don't know how they achieved that, granted you eat the whole piece of sushi at once, but every "chew" was different and all together was poetic!
I ordered a glass of pinot grigio and my husband the house sake. I ended up stealing my husband's drink. I am not very versed when it comes to sake and don't like fruity drinks but it really surprised me how good this pineapple sake was! and I like to be surprised!

Pizza and hormones

My poor-neglected husband just walked in to see old pictures of the scrumptiously delicious meals I used to cook about eight and a half months away. He's had a sandwich for lunch every other day, delivery pizza almost every weekend, pasta with bolognese sauce once a month (thank God he absolutely loves that one) and a huge dose of hormonal imbalance and challenges coming right from the woman he fell in love with and did not ever have PMS during the first year of dating her. Yeah...that would be me!
By now, my little baby boy is about ready to come! yes! exciting right? I cannot believe how fast time has past and how blessed I have been for a healthy pregnancy even though my mood swings may not feel like they fell from heaven to the people that do life with me.
Hopefully, I will regain my appetite for good meals and my desire to be in the kitchen. Right now, I am no inspiration in this area of my life, therefore, this blog has also been neglected completely.
I hope you all forgive me and bear with me as I come around the corner either with a new direction or with renewed inspiration in what I consider the heart of my precious home: the kitchen.

7 Spice Arroz con Pollo

I love spices.

I love experimenting with them, tasting different combinations, smelling the results, infusing my home with them as I hear curious footsteps approaching the kitchen eagerly.

I have a great respect for Indian cuisine because the dishes are like a surprise party in your mouth. I love trying to figure out what's in it, even though, a lot of times, I am completely off and have no idea what I am talking about. Indian people know their spices and they know how to combine them down to an art form.

I felt like experimenting a bit today with the spices I know and came up with this. Let me tell you, it's pretty freaking good!

Try it at home and let me know what you think.

Here's the recipe.

7 Spice Arroz con Pollo:

1 teaspoon of the following spices:

Cumin

Cinnamon

Clove

Chili Powder

Yellow curry

Cardamon

Paprika

1 vidalia or yellow sweet onion

2 chicken breasts (no bone)

1.5 cups of rice

1.5 cup of whole peeled tomatoes (canned)

1 cup of cooked garbanzo beans

1/2 cup of black raisins

2.5 cups of chicken stock

1/4 cup of capers

Sea Salt to taste ( I use about 3 teaspoons, but it's up to you to change the amount)

Cut the onion in large cubes. Cook them in canola oil until they are golden. Add chicken cut in strips. Cook with the onions until they are tender. Cut the tomatoes in large cubes and add them with their juices. Let this simmer for 8-10 min in low heat. Add spices one by one and add rice. Let it cook as you stir for about 5 minutes.
Add raisins, capers and sea salt. 

Last, add chicken stock and garbanzo beans.

Let it cook in medium heat until 3/4 of liquid has been consumed. Cover it and turn down the heat. Cook until rice has flourished. Let it rest for about 15 minutes before serving.

I recommend to use a flat (paella type) pan to cook this rice, but that is not necessarily a rule.

Serve, decorate, sprinkle with a little chili powder and a little olive oil.

The rest, it's up to you!

Bon Appetit!

small secret revealed.

I am a foodie's nightmare.

At the time.

I have a 4 year old girl's diet. There are only a handful of things I like right now: Pasta, bread, pizza, potatoes, rice and of course, arepas. The good old venezuelan ones. All of that, needs to be topped off with cheese. Any cheese will do. That, I have not lost.

Everything else, makes me feel like my insides are a volcano in eruption. Just opening my refrigerator makes me dizzy. I can smell absolutely everything, even if it's inside of a can, and trust me, being able to smell garlic, whipped cream, yogurt, blue cheese and raw chicken at the same time it's NOT a pleasant experience.

Yes baby, I am PREGNANT! There is an additional little heart beating inside my body. There is a little being developing into a precious little child that will make me cry as soon as I see her/him and will make me look like a helium balloon for many months. He/She will make my breasts acquire gargantuan sizes and will cause people to say hello to me looking down and in awe of this new and undesired proportions. But most importantly I know that there is a God, who is right now very busy, knitting that baby inside my womb.

I guess the fact that I cannot eat, feel miserable for most of the day and that I have to surrender my entire body to this little tenant is just a small part of a huge miracle developing. The miracle of Life.

I will continue posting and maybe cooking, but mostly praying for what's about to happen in my life.

I guess I cannot close this post with Bon Appetit...

Sure, why not?

Bon Appetit!

A

Latin Burger and Ingrid Hoffman

Guys, I am so happy...I feel like I am back home! Only a recognized chef drives the truck this time! I had the great opportunity to eat at Latin burger yesterday and was impressed by the concept, the quality of the food, the cleanliness, and the friendliness of the workers. Of course, Ingrid Hoffman was there, so they'd better behave!

The menu is nothing but short and simple. Three different tacos and one burger. No need for more when they are all delicious.

The cause, even better. People that work there, are those that need a second opportunity in life. Their first one, did not go so well. They also hire students that need to do their internship to graduate and part of their funds go to feed the homeless. That's my kind of business!! Cooking, doing it well and doing it for one or many causes.

The prices? A chorizo, sirloin, chuck burger with caramelized onions, oaxaca cheese, jalapenos and a delicious avocado sauce: $5.75! Three tacos for $6.95! Do I need to say more? Go follow that truck right now for lunch!

The truck is at a different place every day. You need to follow them on twitter (@latinburger) or add them in you facebook page.

See you all later and put those taste buds to work!

Bon Appetit,

A

Saboreando - In and out

Yes, I am back.
I have been very busy eating and feeding and have had no time to blog!
In the past 2 months I have been laid off, got a new job, moved my whole daily life to different places; I found a new school for my daughter, I got a new role in my church, and I have cooked, and cooked and cooked a little more. I have also eaten and cooked my way thru peace. Cooking for me it’s therapeutic. I know what I am doing, I can control it, If I mess it up, I can start all over again, I can also chase people off the kitchen when they disrupt my found “zone”. (Get outta here before I use this 12” Santoku chef’s knife and turn you into a Hannibal Lecter kind of dinner please!!!!). Yes. I am very territorial when it comes to my kitchen. I especially hate when somebody stands right behind me and asks me what I am doing. (Mmmm…peeling an onion? Slicing a garlic clove?...yes! slicing a garlic! Not killing it with a mortar!!!)
Well. Enough about me. I wanted to write some about this very special place with tons of amazing food. Design District, Miami. My new job is located there and I have been very impressed with the places I have been to. There is a renaissance of good food going on over here. I tought all I was going to find a lot of trendy, expensive places, but I am pleased to report that you could eat very well on a dalily basis around here without having to leave your left eye as part of payment. Yes, I know that when I say Design District, you think Senora Martinez, Michael’s Genuine, but that is not what I want to talk about.
I want to talk about options for the business people, the strolling moms and the hungry middle class traveler. Creative, delicious, fast and affordable.

Here are three of them. This is just part one of a very tasty journey.

Salsa Fiesta:
Mexican. $
I love this place. Is it authentic Mexican food? Not really. You are not going to find mole or tacos al pastor; there is no Valentina sauce and for the first month they did not have soft corn tortillas. So you ask-why is it even on my list? Because the ingredients are fresh, the tacos make your mouth water, they do use crema Mexicana and fresh queso blanco instead of sour cream and Monterrey jack. The menu has great options, the guacamole is very well done, the mango salsa is addictive! They also have tostones (which I die for) and really good, well seasoned carnitas. Some of my favorites there are the guerrero taco with grilled fish (that features that mango salsa I’m talking about) and the Acapulco Mio Salad with carnitas. The best part of this salad? It comes with crunchy tostones so you can dip on the good stuff. The service is excellent, the place is very nice – modern and clean, and the prices are awesome. Sorry Lime Fresh, there is not even a contest here.

Pizza Volante.
Italian. $$

Mozzarella and Burrata Bar. Hand written daily specials. Brick oven Pizza. Welcome!
From the Pacific Time owners, comes a more affordable, simple menu, very fresh ingredients, all organic, lovely Italian eatery.
I’ve had many things here and I have not been disappointed yet. I love the concept of the mozzarella bar and the accompaniments are delicious. From roasted eggplant to fresh tomatoes, red peppers, they are all fresh and perfectly served. The only thing I would add for the bar is that the burrata I ordered was very cold. I like my burrata al natural. The pizzas are amazing, beautiful crust; less is more with the ingredients. The daily specials are usually very simple, more towards home made Italian cooking, and that is exactly what I like about them. The service could improve substantially, the music is too loud and they charged me for the bread I asked to go with my burrata (fail!). Not perfect, but close.

The Cheese Course.
Cheese! $

I absolutely adore this place! Why? Simple. They have AMAZING cheese. I am not exaggerating. World class, all international, best quality ever cheese. The sandwiches and salads are delicious. The quiches are excellent. The products they sell to go with the cheese are high quality. You can taste before you buy and they usually have an array of produce for you to explore with your taste buds before your food is ready. I go often and by now I’ve tried at least ¾ of the menu. Is has all been worth it. But, again, it’s me, cheese adicta Andie. But even if you’re a not a cheese connoisseur, you can delight on the great cold cuts they offer, they are all world class as well. The prosciutto and jamon Serrano are my favorite, and you can order a side of them to go with your salad and a piece of freshly baked baguette.
Again…deliciousness!

If you made thru here, Congratulations! You are officially my fan number one! I’ll be back soon with more stories and more eateries. In the meantime, make sure you cook, eat out, taste something different and enjoy life.
In the words of one of my favorite people in the whole world, Tony Bourdain “Your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement ride!” so go out and taste the world!

Bon Appétit!

Chocolate (Volume I)

Is there a more loved and craved ingredient than chocolate? It's delicious, it's a spirit healer, it makes you feel loved (literally, because it contains phenylephylamine - the same hormone the brain triggers when you fall in love) and it is also believed to be an aphrodisiac (I'll leave that up to you).

I love it with almost everything-with fruit, melted over bread, powdered on top of my coffee, dark, light, pure and unadulterated. I've had gourmet chocolate confections with chile, wasabi, curry, sea salt, pomegranate, it's amazing how it blends with all these exotic tastes without losing its essence.

Chocolate it's by far one of the most amazing foods on the planet, and that is why I feel the need of experimenting a little more with it. I know I am not totally original by doing this, after all, my latest experiments have been really inspired by the fantastic mexican mole, which is one of my favorite concoctions in the planet. But since mole is so difficult to make and does not really count as an everyday meal (unless you are Rick Bayless), I am trying to use some of this background to amuse my family's palette and see where that leads in my future of my stardomship as a famous Home-cook.

This weekend I surprised my husband with a treat and I would love to share the recipe. There are really a couple of stars in this one. Bitterweet Dark Chocolate, Fleur de Sel, Mexican Tarragon, and dark beer.

The Tarragon may be a little difficult to find, so I highly encourage you to buy the plant . I got the grown plant at Target (go figure) and it is a staple herb on my kitchen. It has anise, sweet undertones. The Aztecs used it on their chocolate drinks and they served it as a nutricious meal. It grows all year round in warm climates.

About the Fleur de Sel, I am going to give one piece of advice. Do yourself a favor, go to your kitchen and throw away the regular salt from your pantry. That stuff is bad for you. I am not saying that you should use this expensive salt for everything. For everyday cooking, you could use sea salt or kosher salt, and then, for special days or to salt your tomatoes, eggs, or anything that requires a pinch of salt on top after it's cooked, use Fleur de Sel. You will not regret it. It's good for you (it has over 20 minerals that your systems needs to function properly) and its taste it's amazing.

Bon Appetit!

Pork Loin in Bittersweet Chocolate and mexican tarragon sauce.
4 Thick cut pieces of Pork Loin.

4 Tbsp of Olive Oil

5 oz of Dark beer.

2 Large stems of fresh mexican tarragon.

4 Pieces of Fresh Garlic

Peppercorn blend

1 tsp of Powdered Chile

4 squares of bittersweet chocolate.

Sea salt

1 Tbsp of Flour (if neccesary to thicken the sauce)

Fleur de Sel to finish.

Peel the garlic and cut it in thick slices. In a pressure cooker, add the olive oil, garlic. Cook in medium heat until garlic starts to look tender then add the pork. Let the pork get golden brown on both sides and then add the tarragon leaves, some pepper, Chile, sea salt and last the beer. Let it cook until it's about to boil and put the cover on your pressure cooker. Turn the heat up, wait until you hear the whirring of your cooker, that means is boiling and cooking at the speed of light, bring the heat down and leave it for about 15 minutes. Then turn the heat off, let your cooker decompress either by waiting or putting it under running cold water until you don't see vapor escaping. Only then, you can uncover the pot. Bring the pork back to the heat again. Let the juices simmer until they are no longer watery. Add the chocolate. It'll melt and thicken your sauce a some more. Taste and add the desired amount of Fleur de Seul. The sauce should not be too sweet, but you should taste the chocolate.

Take the sauce out and blend it so it's all one creamy consistency.

Only in the case of your sauce being too watery, I' d recommend to thicken it before you blend it. Take some of the liquid out, let it cool, add the flour, mix it and then incorporate this mixture, very slowly, back into the sauce. You'll see it getting thicker almost inmediately.

Serve the pork, pour over the sauce and decorate with a stem of Tarragon.

In this case, I served it with pearl potatoes in a spicy peppers sauce (Peruvian huancaina sauce) and some sweet corn on the cob.

If you don't have a pressure cooker you can still do this dish in a regular pot but it will take a lot longer for the pork to be tender. I highly recommend the use of pressure cookers. Once you use it, you'll be totally addicted to it. They are extremely fast and they can turn a piece of stone like meat into a beautiful tender, juicy roast in less than 20 minutes.

Have fun in the kitchen and see you all soon!

Andie.

Dinner and Tango

Husband gets home from work after a long day. Wife is wearing red. Gotan Project is playing in the background. She gives him a kiss on the lips and takes off his tie.

They walk to the dining room table. Candlelight. White table cloth down. A bottle of Saint Emilion has been opened and decanted. There are steamed mussels on the table. The air smells like sweet butter and parsley. Husband breaths deeply - he realizes is going to be a good night.

The dinner table keeps evolving as the clock turns. Rack of Lamb. Roasted crispy potatoes. The Rosemary scent floats in the air as the woman in red cuts a piece of the juicy meat. She feeds him the first bite as he closes his eyes and smiles in delight.

Shoes off, toes start playing. One more sip of wine. There are strawberries on the table. Chocolate is in the melting process, they dip, they bite, they giggle.

The party of two move to their living room, glasses in hand. She lays close to him as he plays with her hair. They laugh away the stress of the day. They talk about the past. They talk about their future. The candles slowly burn themselves out, casting a glow over them while the shadows dance on the walls.

The dirty dishes can wait.

I do not recommend to test this same scenario with a meal brought from Chili's takeout.

Bon Appetit!

A.

Foodie?

So what is a foodie? And, am I one?
I am not sure yet, but for some reason I don't like the term and I definitely don't like to be categorized as such.
Is it somebody that follows new restaurants around and is obsessed with Chefs? Just like a rock star groupie but with food? So, instead of trying to get up on stage to sing with Bono, are they jumping on top of the table holding a lamb chop in one hand and the new Giada De Laurentis book on the other to get it signed and take a peak at her cleavage?
Is it someone that only eats at fancy restaurants and would never get caught having a hot dog from a cart in the middle of the street? Would that be considered derogatory for a "Foodie"?
Is it a new breed of people that would use words as abstract, ephemeral, ethereal to describe a 55 dollar entree when they don't really know if they actually like what they are eating?
Is a foodie someone that could confuse food with fashion? Somebody that has never chopped more than 2 onions at a time, that has never cooked for over 30 people, that does not have battle scars from the kitchen but they can recite the entire top 20 new restaurants from Food and Wine Magazine and give you a quick bio of their chefs at your wine tasting party?
Do they believe that eating at El Bulli is definitely much, much better than eating paella directly from the pan while drinking Rioja out of a cup? Do they think that a dollop of mango foam is better than biting into the sweet, juicy, messy fruit as you sit under the tree you got it from?

Don't get me wrong. I have been there. I have been thru phases in my life where I just loved to eat at fancy restaurants and skipped all the "hole in the wall" local eateries. I once bought a very expensive VIP ticket and waited in line in a big sweaty crowd (duck confit in hand) to get a picture with Tony Bourdain (and I will do it again). I have paid absurd money to be sitting at the most fashionable restaurant in SoBe at the time- I was very impressed at the level of theatrical performance and had the best drink of my life (would never go back unless somebody else pays and the food improves substantially). I think I could sacrifice an entire year of cheese (what?!) to have the opportunity of eating at Ferran Adria genious food lab.

All I have to say is that because I have done all that, I can testify that these elements do not give you any kind of guarantee of better food or experience.
Don't call me a foodie. I have gotten my hands dirty, have cried rivers cutting onions to make hallacas (Venezuelan's tamale-like food) for Christmas, I have battle scars from hot ovens and sharp knives.
I love eating mangoes with my hands, love eating food from a street vendor. I have stepped into a little fisherman's home with my family and asked him if he could share some baby shark (cazon) empanadas with us. I have eaten arepas and fried pig on the side of the road (dirt road) on my way to the beach. Nothing compares to those big, bold, fantastic flavors.

Food should not be compared to fashion. Creativity should be felt in your taste buds and not so much looked at in your plate. Food is good when it tastes good, not only when it looks nicely arranged or when it comes from a familiar part of the animal. Food is great when it's tied to history, when the culture of your town is reflected in that one bite, when memories hit you as you smell the burning fat and garlic -you can hear your mother calling you to the table when you were 5 years old. Food represents our family and our love, our hard work. Food brings stories to our dinner table. It makes everything more meaningful, our successes and our failures, our welcomes and our losses.

So, Foodie? I am not sure what it actually means. If anybody can better explain to me what a foodie does or what it is, it would be greatly appreciated.

Buen Provecho!

A

Food and Family

I grew up in a home where everything revolved around the kitchen table. My grandmother used to setup a table that looked like a Christmas dinner setting every day of her life . My grandfather would get home from work and then everybody would sit around him and wait for him to take the first bite. After that, the feast started. Flavors and smells traveling around the table, juices spilling, finger licking, second helpings, and the occasional picky eater being given the dirty look by the parents. I got to live all of that since I come from a Hispanic background and all the "children" lived at home until they got married -that included my two uncles who stayed until their late thirties and then found women that took care of them.

My mother followed her steps. Being more of a modern woman, who eventually left the 24 hour 7 days a week nest to go to work, she still took the time to run her show at the kitchen table. Nowadays, she never stops impressing her friends and family with her creativity and well executed dishes. She never cooks the same thing twice in a month, always improving, always reinventing.

I remember getting home from school to find a three course meal on the table- all fresh ingredients, table cloth down, three rows of silverwear and a big smile on the proud cook's face.

On the weekends, even though we did not have much money, my father used to take us touring the great restaurants in Caracas. By the time I was 11, I was ordering my filet mignon medium with a side of Bernaise sauce and would be very annoyed if they gave me some sort of bechamel sauce in its place.

I was a cheese addict by the time I was two. Queso (cheese in spanish) was the third word I learned after Mom and Dad. I used to follow my mom around and ask for "queso" repeatedly. I have failed every diet I've ever tried because cheese is never on the menu and I once tried desperately to substitute it for fat free versions. I do not even want to go there. I refuse to talk about that terrible and depressing stage of my life.

Ten years ago, after I graduated from Architecture School, I left my country to begin a new adventure. I left my home, my comfort zone, home cooked meals by my mother, family parties, mortgage and debt free life and moved to Florida. I left to find my new self and let go of my old one. Little did I know that in the process of reinventing who I was, by joining the Rat Race and Career frenzie, I found myself back in my grandmother's kitchen, the heart of my family and the core of my Home. But, this time it has been spiced up with my own journey and what I have learned from this beautiful nation and the people that make it unique.

This is who I am. I will write about food, family, friends and places.

I will write about my life. And who knows, maybe I'll write about yours too.

See you around.  Bon appetit!