Fall Fruit Dejour

This morning, I found myself rummaging through my fridge looking for something tasty to eat.  I found the essential breakfast items; Greek yogurt, fresh berries, mint chocolate soy milk (for coffee purposes), and granola.  Meanwhile, something bright orange caught my eye.

A persimmon.

For being one of the tastiest autumnal fruits on the market, persimmons are still a mystery to many.  There are generally two types of persimmons: those that bear non astringent fruits and those that bear astringent fruits.  Both varieties can vary in shape and color, ranging from light yellow-orange to dark red.  

The non astringent persimmon is more round in shape and can be eaten when crisp.  They have a thicker skin and look similar to that of an apple.  The most common varietals for this persimmon are the Fuyu and Imoto. 

Persimmons are extremely nutritious, with excellent sources of vitamin A, vitamin C, and rich in fiber.  They contain many phytochemical antioxidants such as: epicatechin, gallic, proanthrocyanidin, and p-coumaric acids. Persimmons have even been found to have higher levels of dietary fibers, total phenols, and other minerals than apples!  Some laboratory studies show that persimmon consumption may help reduce your total cholesterol and lipid peroxides.

________________________________________

If you're curious how to start incorporating persimmons into your daily diet, try some of these tips:

1. Cut the Fuyu variety like an apple and eat whole, or in salads
2. Puree the Hachiya variety to add to drinks, smoothies, or to make cookies & muffins
3. Make salsa with diced Fuyu, with avocado, cilantro, tomatillo, onion, and chili serrano
4. Enjoy a Hachiya persimmon as a mid-morning snack by simply spooning the fruit out of the skin.

Persimmon Muffins
Serves 12 * Total time: 20 minutes
 This recipe contains 8 powerhouse foods

8 oz fresh persimmon (pureed)                                     4 oz dry-roasted pecans

1 cup enriched all-purpose flour                                   2 large eggs

1 cup whole wheat flour                                                 1/8 tsp. ground allspice/cloves

1/3 cup agave syrup                                                       1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 cup canola oil                                                           1/4 cup of purified water

1/3 cup California golden raisins                                 1 tsp. baking powder/ soda

To begin, presoak raisins in water. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Blend together the persimmon puree, agave, eggs, spices, canola oil, baking powder & soda until very smooth.  Add flour and hand mix until smooth.  Drain raisins into muffin mixture.  Add raisins and nuts by gently folding them in.  Be careful not to overmix because this will change the consistency of the muffins.  Bake until done, about 13 minutes.  When cooled, dust the muffins with a little powder sugar and cinnamon.

le Nouveau Rock Saké.

Saké (pronounced /ˈsɑːkiː/ in English and is a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice.

To many of us, saké may be an unfamiliar beverage.  However, growing up in a house where extensive wine knowledge is a requirement to succeed in life, I was curious to learn more about this "rice wine."  So, one evening my boyfriend and I went on a date to a nice sushi bar in Del Mar.  We felt adventurous and ordered the house hot saké.  We were not thrilled, both finding it harsh and fairly unpleasant.  I decided that warm rice wine did not compliment my sushi.

Not too long after this, I applied and got a bar tending job in San Diego.  Little did I know that this would further my distaste of saké.  I was instructed to remember the thousands (ok, maybe hundreds) of sakés that we served.  All the bottles looked different.  All the names were different.  All the names were written in Japanese characters.  And there were different types of saké!  I was screwed.  To add insult to injury, the girl who trained me might have been the craziest human being on planet earth.  If she had anything to do with my saké training and knowledge, I had to go asap.

After this (extremely traumatic) experience, I decided to leave saké alone for the moment.  I had other beverages of choice, and I was ok with that.  That was until my best friend Rachel Taylor got a job with Rock Saké.

I still remember the day that I met Rachel for lunch in Westwood when she told me the good news.  She had just heard word that she had gotten a position within the rapidly growing saké company.  The single saccade of her excitement immediately made me happy for her.  I made a vow then and there that I would have an open mind about saké.  Little did I know that she would introduce me to a saké unlike I had ever tasted before.

Rock Saké is regarded as a top shelf saké.  In essence, it is the ultra premium beverage with a pronounceable name.  I thought putting Rock Saké on our cocktail menu at my restaurant sounded like a good idea.  We serve a wide array of international customers who might find Sakétinis appealing!  And to make a long story short, we did.  We featured Rock Saké premium cocktails from May-September 2010.  It was a hit.

Rock Saké promotes two different saké grades:

• Rock Saké Junmai Ginjo: This saké comes in the white bottle and has a clear color.  It has a subtle hint of lime and feels cool to the tongue.  It comes from all natural California milled rice and pure spring water from the mountain ranges of Oregon.  This saké is gluten free and comes from only the finest ingredients.  Junmai Ginjo can be substituted for vodka in cocktails easily. Try a Saké Lemonade martini with a sugared rim, or Cucumber Mojito.  For an extra refreshing flavor, add muddled cucumber and/or elderflower liqueur.

• Rock Saké: Cloud: This is an unfiltered saké, with a cloudy opaque appearance.  Cloud is a "nigori" sake that has a slightly sweeter flavor than the Junmai Ginjo.  This is the most traditional form of saké and contains no sulfites, additives, and is also gluten free.  This is my personal favorite as its flavor compliments any cocktail.  It has a wholesome flavor with herbaceous notes, coating the palate delicately.  Try the Cloud with sparking grapefruit juice and a splash of lime or jasmine liqueur.  Or better yet, drink it simply by itself!  Make sure to shake this bottle up!

If you would like to try a bottle of Rock Saké, please contact either myself or Rachel.  We would love to introduce you to this refreshing beverage!

the trouble you get into with a free afternoon and a little inspiration

autumnal Baking.

Part I
 

 After getting my hair done, running many pointless errands, and finalizing costumes designs, much of last Friday was spent in the Van Buren kitchen.  This was a treat as a little holiday baking was on my to do list (and had been since Labor Day Weekend.)
This may seem a little extreme to some of you.  However, if there's one thing that I plan ahead for, it's the holidays.

I had all the decorations assembled, the butter at room temperature, and the cookie sheets greased.
I was ready.
In addition to my audience: the house cat we call Pixie.

After making dozens of sugar cookies, I began to realize I would also need time to decorate them.  This I had failed to take into account time-wise.  I had been baking for 3 hours without melting the chocolate or cracking open the decorating materials...woops.

When all was said and done, the cookies turned out pretty well.  I could have spent a little more attention to detail, however, I had to attend Ben's special (strictly costume) birthday party that beginning in only a matter of minutes.  Baking was not a legitimate excuse for being tardy.

... (shot taken in first few minutes of arriving.  Consumed very quickly thereafter.)