I work with local purveyors, who take care of the land and sea and provide some of the best produce, meats, fish, and specialty items the Bay area has to offer, plus a few select, small, specialty vendors across the country. Through Water2Table, I have access to the same, amazing fresh hook & line-caught fish (caught the same day I serve it!) you are used to eating in Bay area Michelin-starred restaurants. I shop the local farmer’s markets so I can cook with seasonal, fresh-picked produce. I use Liberty Ducks for my Seared Duck Breast in Blackberry-Lavender Mole; my handmade tortillas, sopes, gorditas, and tamales are made from Masienda Chef Grade Masa, produced with heirloom corn; and use only Dandelion Chocolate in my signature Flourless Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes. To begin your meal, I build my Cheesemongers’ Boards starting with Fiscalini Farmstead artisanal cheeses, and to finish your dinner, proudly serve birthday cakes from Kahnfections. Below are just some of the great food companies I work with:
Blackberry Urfa Biber Mole
While a mole made with a chile native to Turkey may sound unusual (it is!), in a strange way, it makes complete sense. Many food historians posit that “both moles and curries [are] vestiges of the cuisine of medieval Islam, a cuisine that was enjoyed from southern Spain in the west to northern India in the east. The high cuisine of medieval Islam [was] one of the most sophisticated the world had seen…. With the diffusion of Islam, the cuisine was transplanted to new territories.1” From Spain, the culinary pathway to Mexico is a clear and direct one. We recommend serving this mole with a seared Liberty Duck breast, or other poultry.
3 Chiles Ancho
3 Chile Pasilla (dried)
3 Chiles Chipotle Mecca (or sub dried Chiles Chipotles)
¼ cup Spiceology Urfa Biber Chile (,you may omit, the result will be a somewhat different but still amazing mole).
Wild-Riced Stuffed Chiles en Nogada
Widely considered Mexico’s national dish, Chiles en Nogada have been called “A Mexican Flag on a Plate” for their tricolor appearance. The following recipe is adapted from the original dish, which didn’t include meat in the stuffing; although that is the common way you will find them served in Mexico, today. Instead, I have used wild rice; the chewiness makes this the perfect foil for the fruits and vegetables in the stuffing.
What Is Wild Rice? Wild rice isn’t technically “rice,” but actually the seed of a species of aquatic grass that was once a dietary staple of the Native Americans. Wild rice a high-fiber food, gluten-free, low in fat, and high in both lysine and protein. It has a nutty, earthy flavor and a distinctly chewy texture. We use wild rice from Rancho Gordo.
4 large, fresh Poblanos, as evenly shaped as possible
1 cup Rancho Gordo Wild Rice
Calabaza en Tacha (Mexican Candied Pumpkin)
Pumpkin has been an essential part of the Day of the Dead ofrendas since Aztec times, when they use the sap of a maguey plant as a sweetener for calabaza. The arrival of the Spaniards brought sugarcane, first introduced in Veracruz as early as 1524, which changed the way pumpkin was prepared. Cook’s began to candy the pumpkin by placing it in two cauldrons called tots us that were used for making sugar. It simmered along with other spices and fruits, resulting in the Calabaza en Tacha we know today.
7 piloncillo cones
4 cinnamon sticks
2 oranges (juice and rind)
½ tsp. anise seeds
Molletes, Open-Faced Refried Bean & Melted Habanero Cheddar Cheese
I’ve chosen my favorite Rancho Gordo Black Beans and Habanero Cheddar from Fiscalini Farmstead to bring the flavors of the SF Bay area to my Californio version of this traditional Mexican open-faced melted cheese sandwich.
6 French bread rolls, baguette cut into 4” sections or bolillos (Mexican bread rolls)
Frijoles de Olla/Claypot Beans
Dry beans typically double with cooking (so 2 cups uncooked will come out to between 4-5 cups of cooked beans). Figure 1/4 cup of uncooked beans for a ½ serving. We highly recommend Rancho Gordo beans!
2 cups black beans (or substitute pinto or any beans you like)
½ Spanish white onion
Refritos/Refried Beans
Frijoles Refritos, mis-translated as refried beans are actually only fried once. A translation blunder of sorts, the usage of “re”Mexican Spanish indicates that something is really good or well-done, as in “rebueno” meaning “that’s really good”. So “refrito” means “well-fried” but somehow the term “refried” stuck and is commonly used. You can use any kind of beans you like, although pinto beans are the most traditional.
Roasted Banana & Fig/Cointreau/Créme Fraiche/Queso Fresco
Choosing your bananas
Bananas do not need to be ripe for this recipe, but you should avoid bananas that are so under ripe that they have a large green part where the stem is. Smaller bananas work better (organic bananas are generally smaller)…. more
Truffled Cheddar Queso Fundido w/Mushrooms
A California twist on a Mexican classic using Fiscalini Farmstead’s Truffle Cheddar Cheese, this recipe for Mexico’s take on cheese fondue is great served with baguette slices or warm tortillas.
3-4 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 Spanish white onion, diced
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced finely
Esquite Shooters, and Corn Soup two ways
A Word About Fresh Corn
According to the National Gardening Association, “you can pull back a bit of the husk and check to see if the ear looks well filled and the kernels are creamy yellow or white. Many gardening guides tell you to pierce a kernel with your thumbnail to test for ripeness. If the liquid inside is watery, that ear isn’t quite ready. If the liquid is white or ‘milky,’ you’re in business.” …. more
New recipes added every week, so be sure to check back!
1) [Laudan, 2004, The Mexican Kitchen’s Islamic Connection, Aramco World, Volume 55, Number 3].