Culinary's "Concepts"

Here's a fun menu concepts: the BLT SOUP.  A rich creamy tomato bisque, garnished with a chiffonade of crisp green leaf lettuce, and a crunchy applewood smoked bacon 'straw.'  The delicious soup is perfect for a cold winter's day, and satifies both the craving for soup and sandwich!  Serve with a crusty sourdough roll and a freshly tossed mixed greens salad to complete the meal. 

We're excited to annouce one of our latest special event venues: ANTHOLOGY SAN DIEGO!  We catered an event there in October, and it went beautifully (check out the pics below).  It was a corporate event, however click here to read a feature from The Wedding Source blog about a recent wedding held at Anthology--looks like a fun, unique spot for couples seeking a more motroplitan, downtown vibe. If you haven't had the opportunity go to Anthology for a dinner and a show--hurry up, you're missing out!

Cinnamon, the aromatic spice I most commonly associate with Fall and Winter cooking, can also boost your health!  But why is it so often used in the colder months?

Cinnamon, from a Chinese medicine perspective: The twigs (guizhi) and bark (rougi) of this large tropical tree are said to warm the body, invigorate the circulation, and harmonize the energy of the upper and lower body. Modern studies demonstrate that cinnamon reduces allergy reactions. Traditionally, cinnamon twig is used when the peripheral circulation is poor and cinnamon bark is used when the entire body is cold. If the upper body is warm and the lower body is cold, then cinnamon will correct the imbalance.

In addition to its warming properties, over the years, cinnamon have been found to offer a lot of other health benefits. From lowering your blood pressure to boosting your brain power, just a bit of cinnamon a day can offer bountiful benefits:

• Lowers blood sugar levels
• Lowers cholesterol
• Lowers blood pressure
• Anti-clotting qualities promote healthy blood
• Acts as a natural preservative for food
• The scent of cinnamon boosts your cognitive and memory powers
• A great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium
• Helps stop the growth of bacteria (has shown to aid in treating some yeast infections)
• Soothes the stomach while helping with nausea and indigestion
• Relieves congestion from colds and allergies
• Helps alleviate joint, muscle, and arthritic pain
• May prevent tooth decay and gum disease
• Eases menstrual cramping

American recipes call for heaping teaspoons of cinnamon, but it is used more subtley in many cuisines around the world. In fact, cinnamon can be used in small amounts to mellow sharp flavors or infuse warmth and sweetness into a dish.  Cinnamon is used in couscous to create a richer flavor in Morocco, and it perfects Indian curry dishes. Cinnamon is a key ingredient in Chinese five-spice powder, and a pinch of cinnamon added to an Italian dish can create a sweetly exotic taste.

How to integrate Cinnamon into your diet in unexpected places:

• Add a sprinkle to your quiche filling for a richer taste
• Add a dash to your coffee grounds before brewing--tastes great and smells amazing!
• Shake a bit onto your carrots and squash to enhance the natural sweetness
• Stir half a stick into your rice to create an enchanting scent
• Add a dash to leafy winter greens to curb bitterness
• Dust the flour of your pie crust for a lively boost

Sometimes trying to eat locally grown and seasonal ingredients requires a little extra creativity!  I recently teamed up with Christine Dionese, author and integrative health professional to 'experiment' in the kitchen.  Using some ingredients that we found growing literally all around us--pomegranates from Kathy's orchard, figs from Laura and Christine's yard, and persimmons and pears from the local farmer's market, we came up with this unique and nutritious treat. We call them Persimmon-Pomegranate Spice Cookies, though consistency-wise they are cross between cookies and scones.  Delicious on their own, or warmed and served with coffee or tea!

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon clove
• 1 vanilla pod (minced)
• 1 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter or soy butter (melted)
  
• 2 persimmons (pureed)
• 1 pear (cored and pureed)
• Seeds of one pomegranate
• 2 figs (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup chopped cashews
  

Mix together all dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another.  Blend together until smooth, then stir in pomegranate seeds, figs, and nuts.  Spoon onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cookies develop a golden brown/crunchy appearance (and when your kitchen starts filling with aromatic spices!)

When asked about the correlation between health and seasonal foods, Christine revealed that her "patients are always asking what it really means to eat with the seasons. If they live in a suburban area I say, 'look around, what's falling from the trees or growing in the farmer's fields?  That's what you should be eating; whatever is abundantly growing for that particular season.' For those of us living in more urban areas, local markets and farmer's markets are a great way to get in touch with seasonal eating. These smaller markets tend to offer a local geographical variety."

So, why should we eat with the seasons? Well, Christine explains that "If a particular food is growing well year after year in a fixed climate, this means it contains properties that can withstand that climate and still thrive. This means foods that are in season will yield the richest amounts of nutrients to the eater.  For example: watermelon, harvested in warmer weather, is the perfect food on a sunny summer day.  It bears tons of water and nutritional elements that rehydrate on the hottest of days.  Fall and Winter are however colder months, so naturally our body craves warmer, heavier, more fibrous foods. As we shift from autumn to winter, the weather gets a little more chilly and crisp.  Opt for hearty soups and stews full of fibrous vegetation."

Just an ode to everyone's favorite dairy product.  We found a cool resource, pretty much THE enclyclopedia of cheese:  www.cheese.com.   Cheeses that you didn't even know existed!  You can sort by Country of Origin, Texture, Name, etc....Crack open a bottle of your favorite wine and get to cheese tasting!