It's PICNIC TIME!

Photo courtesy of BillyCam.

My name is Laura Lafata and I'm a PROFESSIONAL PICNICKER.

Darlings, coming from Michigan, a harsh, Siberian like land where the winters are long and gray and the summers are short and intense, our family made the most of outdoor living and dining when I was growing up.

My customized bed on my balcony, a place so popular to hang out at that I gave it it's own Facebook page and many a friend who visits from up north beg me to let them spend the night on it!

In 1993 after living 30 years in the Midwest, the opportunity came up for me to move to Sydney, Australia.  I moved without hesitation, grateful for the well-timed life change, and I never looked back.  Generally speaking, I LOATHE being indoors and would live my entire life outside if I could (for the most part!)  So, naturally, eating and enjoying the outdoors is a large part of my life.  In fact, I camped for SEVEN MONTHS around Australia and ate and cooked almost all of our meals out of doors.

One of the many gorgeous sunsets we've seen while eating dinner on our pool deck of downtown Miami on Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach, Florida.

Likewise, I've packed many a gourmet dinner for outdoor concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, or hosted luscious poolside parties or prepared healthy and satisfying lunches for our times hiking through the canyons in Southern California, bush walks in the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney or kayaking, cycling or boating in Southern Florida....YES, I AM THE PROFESSIONAL when it comes to eating outdoors.

This green bean and sugar snap pea salad with almonds and an orange dressing is perfect picnic food.  The vegetables hold well and stay crunchy and there is no mayonnaise to worry about.

So, the talented Joan Nova of our Creative Cooking Crew has decided that May's challenge would be a picnic theme and everyone must bring something to the table with the idea of giving y'all ideas for Memorial Day!

A hearty meal in one comes in the form of my tuna potato salad.  High quality line-caught tuna packed in olive oil is flaked over tender, red-skinned potatoes and blanched green beans on a bed of arugula with a lemon thyme vinaigrette.

But first, let's talk about what makes good, no GREAT picnic food!

1. The less utensils you need the better.  Finger food is always a good choice but if a fork is required, try to make a dish that won't require a knife as well.  It's hard to cut food on your lap, unless you find a nice picnic table!
2. Pick food that doesn't fall apart and create a mess.  You wouldn't want to get stains on your new white pants now, would you?
3. Choose food that can be kept at room temperature without spoilage, a change in flavor or texture.  Will the food become soggy?  Discolored?  
4. Choose dishes that are easy to pack and will transport well.  For example, I tend to prefer vegetable salads over green salads, which can wilt and are delicate and need to be dressed on the spot, thus creating another container to bring. 

An asparagus quiche is a perfect picnic food!  

I'll never forget watching The Food Network's Claire Robinson creating a food for an outdoor concert.  What a disaster.  She started off with a goopy, white bean dip with celery in glass jars.  GLASS JARS.  For the Hollywood Bowl.  Which is made of cement.  Kick one of those suckers over and you've got a mess, injuries and possibly a lawsuit!  Besides, glass isn't allowed by pools and is heavy to carry, which is why I prefer plastic at picnics.  I like the snap lids on plastic containers that will seal in liquids even when they are turned on their side.  White bean dip in glass jar for picnic:  FAIL.

Forget about those old fashioned sickly sweet macaroni salads from when you were growing up!  This modern pasta salad includes Israeli couscous, steamed kale, toasted pine nuts, preserved lemon, lemon basil and extra virgin olive oil.  Delicious and healthy!

These grilled red pepper, zucchini, fontina cheese and fresh spinach sammies on ciabiatta kept their crunch at room temperature.  I wrapped each half in deli paper and secured with a pic for easy transport and handling.

Make sure sandwiches are wrapped well or secured with a pick.  There is NOTHING worse than eating something that falls apart in your lap!  Another Claire Robinson gaffe from the same show were her flank steak pinwheels.  The poor lamb, they didn't even make it off the set and were already falling apart.  I was embarrassed for her and wondering how the heck people get their own cooking shows....You can buy deli paper from restaurant supplies like GFS is your grocery doesn't carry it.

These chicken tender sliders have been a huge hit for picnics and parties alike.  Cook the tenders yourself or buy them pre-made for a quick, convenient party platter.  The tenders are cut in half and put into buttered potato rolls with a shmear of mayo and shredded, crunchy iceberg lettuce.  These will fly off the platter!  HANDY HINT:  after making the sliders or sandwiches, pack them right back into the bread bag!

 "The Gang" of neighbors and friends that would gather most weekend nights down by the pool to picnic and party with!  

Well these are some great picnic ideas, Diva.  But what, pray tell, are YOU bringing to the picnic?  

I'm bringing something I've been making since I was a little girl.  Something that can be made the day of or day ahead.  Something that is not expensive to make but most people will love.  It can be made vegetarian or with meat, can be eaten room temperature and keeps well.  It can also be eaten without utensils:  

Italian Frittata!

The frittata is made with fried potatoes, steamed rainbow chard and parmigiano cheese, much like a Spanish tortilla!  I cook it on the stove to begin with and then finish it in the oven to get it nice and brown on top.  I cut it into slices and it's ready to be served!  Enjoy, darlings!  What is YOUR favorite picnic food?

The rest of the crew has until May 22 to post, so the round up will be up with a link after that!  Ciao for now, darlings!  

Now, can somebody PLEASE pass me the sangria?!

Pork Belly is my Nemesis and Why I'll Never Truly be a Southerner

via Time Out Chicago Photograph by Jessica Dixon

Disclaimer:  If you do not like reading or talking about perfectly natural bodily functions, read no further!  Usually, I do not ever approve of such talk on a food blog but here, I make an exception.  Read on, if you dare!

PORK BELLY IS MY NEMESIS

Darlings!  I can see you shaking your heads in disbelief....Is it true?  How CAN pork belly be someone's nemesis?  After all, EVERYONE likes pork belly?  And La Diva?  WHA?    I mean, after the bacon craze started where a foodie was required to devour bacon on everything, including in chocolate and five dollar cupcakes, it seemed only a matter of time before pork belly became the Next Big Thing.  And it did.

But I can't stand it.

Oh, I've tried to like it, really, I have.

Well before the pork belly craze hit America, La Diva found it on the menus of many an Asian eatery in Sydney, Australia well over ten years ago.  And the funny thing is, no one thought anything of it.

I tried it when I lived there when I went to Chinatown, where it was all crispy skinned, looking divine and lovely resting on top of Chinese soup laden with hand pulled noodles.

I've had it at people's homes, braised and cooked with tender, loving care.

I've had it only a few weeks ago at Chef Michael Schwart'z place here in Miami, Michael's Genuine.

All with the same, sad results:

It makes me sick to my stomach.

There, I've said it.  I can't standz pork belly and apparently, neither can MY belly.

La Diva's version of pizza isn't drowning in greasy cheese......

In fact, I've found a number of rich foods that I can't seem to digest including soft shell crab, ultra rich and buttery cream sauces, fatty baby back ribs, some ice creams and even....PIZZA!!!

WHAT THE?!

I know.  Sad, isn't it?

I'll never forget when I went with my sister and her kids to Stone Cold Creamery for the first time a few years back, keen to try a product that I'd been making since I was a kid at birthday parties and would mix my cake into my ice cream.  But an hour after ingesting a not too crazy combo, I was in the ladie's room....

Another time a few months ago, after eating fried chicken thighs with a very rich tasting mashed potato at a friend's house, I ended up in the toilet again in the middle of the night.  I called him the next day, lauding the chicken and asked how he'd prepared it.  After telling me he'd fried the chicken in vegetable oil, he took the drippings and put them into the mashed potato.  Blech.  Why?  Why would you do such a thing?  All fat in everything isn't always good.  I advised him against doing that, butter and milk or cream is certainly enough, it didn't add flavor but GREASE.

La Diva's version of fried chicken and waffles, er pumpkin pancakes!  What's the difference?  NO CHICKEN SKIN....and don't add grease to mashed potatoes, please.....

And this natural aversion to chicken fat and fatty foods in general is probably why I've NEVER IN MY LIFE made traditional Southern fried chicken nor do I ever buy it, order it or eat it.  When I went to the famous Los Angeles chicken shack of Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles, yours truly took the crispy skin off and ate the chicken!

La Diva loves pizza!    There is a wonderful place here on Miami Beach that does a great pizza:  good quality crust that is crispy and slightly chewy, tasty, high quality cheese, delicious tomato sauce and most importantly, very well cooked pies.  But in the middle of the night, you guessed it, La Diva is in the bathrrom again, sick to my guts.  And what's on the pizza you ask?  Mushrooms.  That's it.  No MEAT LOVERS pizza.  No greasy pepperoni or sausage.  Simply sauteed mushrooms and by the way, ordered "light on the cheese, please."  When I was a kid, I would pull the cheese off of pizza and just eat the dough and crust.  Did my young body know something then that it has since forgotten that I needed to be reminded of?

A fresh Springtime pasta with pesto, asparagus and buratta cheese eaten with nary a problem

So, what's the deal?  Lactose intolerance?  I doubt it.  I've been tested for milk allergies by my allergist, no food allergies of the sort.  I eat cereal, put milk in my coffee and occasionally enjoy a good tomato salad with a lovely mozarella.   Hell, I've even been making my own pizza!   But for some reason, THAT pizza makes me sick but not every time I eat it...I can't figure it out.  Hmmmm....

Even my cocktail palate leans towards the lemon/sour side as opposed to the creamy options!  You can have your Midori Splices and White Russians, I'll be the one having the Negroni, Manhattan or Margarita, thank you very much.

A Polish stew called "kapusta" with cabbage, potato and country-style pork ribs...a cut of pork I can eat!

For two years in a row, I've come home from Thanksgiving dinner and had to lay down on my bed, clutching my stomach  at 10:30 pm while we give up late night plans to meet neighbors for a nightcap.  Both years, I've gone to a dear friend's house for dinner, a fabulous home cook, but methinks she loves her cream and butter too much.  After all, I only had very small portions of the turkey, mash, gravy, stuffing and sides but I think that all together it is just TOO RICH.  I am now calling off Thanksgiving and am going to be a non-participant.  I just can't eat that kind of food, even for one day.

In fact, it was only the other night that I'd made a lovely risotto where I finely diced some pancetta, fried til crisp and then sauteed the zucchini and mushrooms in the fat and added it all to the risotto.  It was LOVELY!   It tasted DIVINE!  And then, YES, in the middle of the night, I was in the bathroom sick to my guts!  MY mistake?  Should have drained the fat off, dumbass....how many times do I have to go through this before I learn?  After all, pancetta IS PORK BELLY!  *Head slap*

via Ifood.tv  Pancetta is thinly sliced and served up with bread, a way I could never possibly eat it.

After complaining about the incident to a galpal, she said to me, "That's me!  I had my gall bladder taken out and I can't eat fatty or rich foods either.  Maybe THAT'S your problem?  Have you had your gall bladder checked?"  The thing is, I have no pain, none.  I think it's just my body's way of telling me that I SHOULDN'T eat this way.  Like Jack Sprat.

Whenever I'm served a fatty bit of meat, I cut off the fat.  When I'm served pork belly, I tend to eat the meat itself, the gelatinous fat is too unappealing and I cut it off.  "It's the best part!"  foodies say.  I cut away the fat in steaks and even when I lived in Australia, where we enjoyed a different cut of bacon with a rind, I would actually cut it off too!  In fact, I only started eating "American" bacon a few years ago and it MUST be cooked to be very crisp.....  I don't enjoy heavily marbled meats either.  While gourmands galore are shaking their heads in disgust by me turning down a well marbled and aged steak, I would rather eat the leaner New York strip...oh dear, Anthony Bourdain, DON'T hate me and look down on me!

At Michael's Genuine restaurant,  after taking a few bites of my pork belly, I scraped the rest onto my husband's plate and said to the server, "Now I need some real meat, I didn't like that."  He laughed, thinking I wasn't serious.  Indeed I was and he was shocked.  "No one has ever said they didn't like the pork belly here!"  Well, it's not YOUR pork belly, dear, it's ANY pork belly.  I ordered the beef shortribs.  To my dismay, it came to the table and all I could taste was fat.  Even though it had been rendered away, the rib was too rich for my liking.  I didn't enjoy it or eat it either.  I much prefer my home made beef shortribs.

A La Diva fave:  Lemony kale salad with israeli couscous and pine nuts

Is it any wonder then that when I plan and make my meals, I naturally gravitate towards the flavor profiles of Southeast Asia, the Mediterannean, North Africa and the Middle East?  These are cuisines that embrace dishes without a lot of heavy sauces or creams....but instead highlight the clean flavors of good quality olive oil, garlic, lemon, ginger, lemongrass, chili, yogurt, sheep's milk and goat's milk cheeses.  THESE are the flavor profiles that get me excited and I seem to be able to naturally and easily cook simple dishes influenced from these cuisines with seasoning coming from fresh herbs, pastes and spices but NOT drowned in fat, breading, heavy cheese, butter or cream.  OR BACON.

And sad as that may seem to a gastronome, my body is healthier for it.   And I'm not in the bathroom in the middle of the night.

The fact that Diva don't eat no pork cracklin', chicharonnes, fried chicken or anything cooked in bacon fat means that I'll never truly be a Southerner.  And I can live with that....for a long time.

A PLAY on the Good Ol' B.L.T. Sandwich

Basil, Cilantro and Preserved Lemon Chermoula marinated and grilled Tuna with Meyer Lemon Mayonnaise on Ciabatta with Frizzled Leek Garnish

Darlings!  Lazaro Cooks, one of the heads of Creative Cooking Crew came up with an inspired theme for April's challenge:  

"Build a sandwich around three ingredients that start with the letters...

B.L.T.

Obviously something other than Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato.  Other ingredients can be used but like our last challenge, the sandwich should be built aroud three ingredients that start with the letters BLT.

Like Beet, Leek & Tarragon...though probably not a tasty sandwich.

Any kind of sandwich, any kind of bread and of course creative takes on what a "sandwich" actually is welcomed."

Yeah, well you KNOW La Diva lurves a good, substantial sammie!  I instantly thought of tuna and formulated my ingredients based on the steak-like protein.

B?  L?  T =  TUNA

What a purdy piece o' fish!  This one piece of ahi tuna cost me $16, I better not screw it up!

For the B part of B.L.T.,, basil instantly came to mind.  But basil pesto?  BORING!  What else could I use for a basil flavoring?  I thought a basil based chermoula would do the trick.

A chermoula is a marinade used in North African cooking, mainly for fish, and usually includes fresh herbs, preserved lemon, cumin, onions and other herbs and spices.  It's tasty and divine, and lately, I've taken it a step further, using it like a salsa or chimichurri and serving it up with grilled steak and chicken.

MY chermoula included:  Lemon Basil, Basil, cilantro, Preserved Lemon, olive oil, smoked paprika and fresh garlic, but I omitted the cumin, I thought it would overpower the basil.  It was easy enough to make in the food processor and onto the tuna it went.

Now it was time to make my condiment:  Meyer Lemon Mayonnaise!  I made the mayo using my food processor and then added Meyer lemon juice and the grated peel from two lemons!  OH MY!  BOLD AND ZESTY!

Now that I had my condiment, it was time to create my garnish of frizzled Leeks!  I cut the leeks into fine strips, washed and dried them thoroughly and then dusted them with salt and Wondra and quickly fried them in hot oil.  You have to be careful here, they burn and over cook very quickly!

Finally, I grilled the Tuna to a lovely medium rare and toasted the ciabatta Bread and put it all together!  I served it up with my tangy, home-style, smashed red skin potato salad!

In spite of the flavor hit of the chermoula, over all, this was a mild and fresh-tasting sandwich.  The Meyer lemon mayo was an excellent foil for the quite bold flavors of the chermoula, which I drizzled over the tuna as well as used as a marinade.   With each bite, I would get a surprise hit of lemony, coriander seed or sharp, salty preserved lemon while the usually strong basil flavor  was subdued by the other herbs, lemon and garlic.

The tuna was cooked to perfection and I was pleased when I took a large, eager bite and tuna juice mingled with the mayo and dripped on to my plate.  The leeks, however, were a bit insipid beneath all the robust flavors in the chermoula and mayo, so maybe next time I'd cut them thicker and actually batter them or HELL, just put some onion rings on the darn thing!  A lack of crunch was my only tiny criticism, the freshness of the ingredients combined with the multitude of flavors were really delicious!  A WINNER!

There will be a round up in the next few days and I'll add the link so YOU can see all the super-creative entries!  As per usualy, the Creative Cooking Crew will NOT disappoint!

HERE IS THE LINK FOR THE ROUND UP, CHECK IT OUT!

So, what would YOU make for YOUR NOT-A-B.L.T. sammie?  Do tell, La Diva wants to hear all about it!

Ciao for now, darlings!

NO Farmer's Markets in Miami?! or "Listen to the Old Gal and You Might Learn Something, Cowboy

A bag o' mangoes from a friend's tree near downtown Miami

I was invited to a private pop up dinner on Monday at the fabulous Dolce restaurant at the Gale Hotel, the event was put on by Domaine de Canton, ginger liqueur.  The bar was peppered with the young and beautiful, and I was clearly the oldest, er, more "experienced" industry person attending by a good 20 years.

I tried to strike up a conversation with a young man standing next to me but he wasn't interested in why I was there.  I found this curious, seeing as he worked for the brand, that it never occurred to him to ask what I did....I went back to drinking my refreshing Canton welcome cocktail and bored, checked in to Facebook.

A few minutes later, a gorgeous "Brook-Shields-Back-In-The-Day" look alike came over to me and introduced herself as the brand's VP of sales.  How this young woman could already be vice president of a company was intriguing, but she was interested in my business and we spoke about the brand and she heartily thanked me for coming.  Ah yes, vindication. 

My first CSA basket from Bee Heaven Farms

We were led to the dining room and seated.  I looked about at my table partners, young, vibrant and self involved.  Again, I had to make the first move in conversing with each of them.  I found the man across from me to be a bartender at a long-established steak house, we chatted politely and I found that he'd moved here from New Jersey over three years ago.  We began talking about farmers markets and he and the pastry chef beside me began to lament the lack of them in Miami.  The bartender complained that there just weren't that many around and when they were on, he always had to work.  He said that that he and his girlfriend had even gone down to the farmland and never found one.  And when they did, there was hardly anything to choose from.  Maybe tomatoes or a few other vegetables, but no variety.

Diva couldn't listen to one more word, "What are you talking about?  I go to a number of farmers markets all of the time.  In fact, I just went down to Teena's Pride, the actual FARM, to get produce only last Sunday.  Do you realize that Teena is one of the farmers that provides produce to some of the hippest and trendiest restaurants in Miami? Maybe you've heard of Chef Michael Schwartz of Michael's Genuine?  Teena's has loads to choose from, I just picked up squash blossoms, baby zucchini and purple cauliflower!"

Cocky bartender:  "Well, I'm from Jersey.  And NOTHING beats a Jersey tomato, NOTHING."

Heirloom tomatoes from Teena's Pride Farm

Diva:  "Darling, you are not in Jersey.  And you, sweetie, are not in Southern California.  Florida is a different climate with different soil, you can't expect the same produce in a completely different climate and set of circumstances.  I think you might have to become a bit more adaptable, darling.  You said there were no markets, or they are always on when you are working.  Do you work Sunday morning?"

Cocky bartender:  "No."

Diva:  "Then why not go to Pinecrest market on Sunday morning?"

Cocky bartender:  "What time does it close?"

Diva:  "About 2 p.m."

Cocky bartender:  "See, THAT'S THE PROBLEM, I want to go to the farmer's market about 4 pm.  I need my sleep."

Diva:  "Didn't you say you worked at a restaurant bar?  I mean, I can understand if you worked at a nightclub until 5 am like I used to....."

Cocky bartender:  "Well, I need my sleep!"

Diva: "Darling, the lack of farmers markets is not your problem then.  I highly suggest that you adopt the attitude of 'when in Rome...'

Conversation abruptly ends and I'm disappointed in this young man's smug sanctimony, wondering why someone like him, a fledgling in the food industry, wouldn't WANT to learn more about what is locally produced where he LIVES?

Golden baby beets from the Pinecrest Farmers Market

In all honesty, I understand his disappointment.  Seven years ago, I moved to Miami from Southern California and expected the produce to be the same.  It's NOT.  And when I learned more about the local, exotic produce and adapted to my new land, I got a very deep appreciation for what Southern Florida could offer a foodie, cook and avid gardener like myself.

I just have to wonder though, do they have stone crab claws, lychee honey, sugar cane, mamey sapote, sapodilla, callaloo, canistel, star fruit and giant sweet, green avocados at the farmers markets in Joisey???  

Stone crab claws with mustard sauce from Pinecrest Farmers Market

FARMER MARGIE OF BEE HEAVEN FARM COMMENTS:

Ah, yes. There's precious few of us actual farmers at local markets, but we ARE there (mainly during the growing season, of course, which is now rapidly ending). For example, we'll be at the Pinecrest Market for just two more Sundays. We'll return in the fall. Too often, the chefs come out to the farms, look around, claim they want everything, and do not follow up. They don't have/make time to check out the emails and order in a timely fashion, or to actually go to a market to shop. They want everything delivered. That's OK-I know they're busy, and there are a couple of local farmers (Paradise Farms is one) and food foragers (Farm to Kitchen is one) who DO provide that service. But please don't lament that you can't find a farm or a market - that's disingenious. You need to ask yourself: "do I REALLY want the locally-grown food, or am I just giving lip service to the local food trend, but really only want the convenience?" "am I ready to try unusual veggies, common to tropical areas, or am I stuck in the temperate produce rut of the rest of the country?" "am I ready to celebrate the UNIQUENESS of South Florida, or do I want my food to be like the everybody else's?"

Herb and organic mixed greens and cherry tomatoes from my garden at the South Beach Community Victory Garden (three blocks from the beach!)

Laura Lafata:  Obviously, all he wanted to do was sleep in.  I LOVED when I got my first CSA from you...it FORCED me to try new veggies this Michigan girl was not familiar with.  It also made me look at unique ways to cook and utilize vegetables I hardly ever bought, like radishes!  And lastly, it made me THINK about creating a meal around the fresh produce I got, challenged me, actually, instead of creating a meal around the MEAT or protein.

Farmer Margie:  Thanks, La Diva!  That's always been my mission-we have such a diversity of food here, and most folks visting a grocery store NEVER SEE 90% of the variety available.  If I can help expand local food horizons, even for a relative few...word spreads.  It's a long-term chain reaction, a tumbleweed that grows over time.  Chefs have a unique opportunity to participate and educate.  I can count on one hand (at most two) the few that have TRULY taken up the challenge here and stuck with it!

5th Annual Tropical Brunch in the Garden!

Darling, I am on the committee to organize the Les Dames d'Escoffier 5th Annual Tropical Brunch at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden and have been working hard to make this a wonderful, tasty and beautiful charity event and I'd love to invite YOU.

I can honestly say that we are going to have some very stellar offerings for the brunch!  We have secured Hakkasan at the Fontainebleau, The Front Porch Cafe, The Oceanaire Seafood Room, Bianca at The Delano, Smith and Wollensky, Terrazza at Shore Club and Serafina Dream Hotel South Beach and MORE!  Their creative and talented chefs are cooking up some enticing dishes like:

• Tuscan Bread toasted with Garlic and Tomatoes featuring a Basil Topping, Eggplant, Whipped Lemon Zest Buffalo Ricotta and Tomato Jam

• Tomato Gazpacho with Tequila Shrimp Ceviche and Crispy Tortilla

• Asparagus Mushroom Strata with Pastrami Salmon and Spring Greens

• Waldorf Chicken Salad, Gluten-free Quinoa Salad with Artichokes, Roasted Pepper and Olives and Green Salad with Roasted Tomato Dressing

• Build your own Omelet Station

• Tropical cupcake bar featuring coconut, orange, guava, lemon and gluten-free vanilla rum

• Asian-style Shrimp and Grits with Chorizo and Red Pepper over Wasabi Grits with Cilantro-Green Onion Garnish

• Sweet, savory and Gluten-free Crepe Station

• Pan-fried foie gras Shanghai Dumplings and Steamed Crystal Shrimp Dumplings

• Chicken Mango Salad with Lemon Emulsion and Watermelon and Mint Salad with Micro Mint and Feta

• Cabot cheese and creamy yogurt with Laurie's Pantry Gourmet Foods artisanal granola, tropical fruits and Figs from California Fig Council

• Latin Specialty Sweets:  Alfajorcitos, Coconut Macaroons and Tres Leches Shooters 

and more!  

Come and check out the Bloody Mary Bar sponsored by Smirnoff and Ultimat by Patron!

Farm fresh samples from Southern Florida farmers Teena's Pride and Miami Grow!  

Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options will be available.

Educational demonstrations from Chef Adri, Chef Ana, Claire Tomlin, Mary Lang of Nespresso and La Diva Cucina.  Also, authors Ellen Kanner and Melissa Contreras will be signing their new books!

Guests will also have the opportunity to bid on some fantastic auction items to help raise funds for Les Dames d'Escoffier Miami including some of Miami's hottest restaurants!

TICKETS ON SALE VIA PAYPAY HERE:  http://lesdamesmiami.org

COME AND SPEND a relaxing few hours in this lush garden and enjoy the wonderful food, drinks and demos with La Diva Cucina!  Thank you!  

*  About our brunch: Brunch proceeds support Les Dames d'Escoffier Miami's educational and scholarship programs and will help maintain the chapter’s recently installed culinary garden at MBBG. Les Dames d’Escoffier is an international, invitational service organization comprised of professional women in food, beverage, farming and hospitality whose goals are education, advocacy and philanthropy. Every LDEI chapter is committed to performing charitable work within their respective communities, and members benefit from the experience of networking, camaraderie and mutual support. The Miami chapter's dynamic membership includes bakers, caterers, chefs, consultants, cooking teachers, farmers, food stylists, home economists, journalists, publicists, restaurateurs, retailers, specialty purveyors and winemakers.

Come on Down to the Farm! Free La Diva Cucina Food Demonstration and Farm Tour!

La Diva picking up freshly picked produce at Teena's Pride including sweet corn, celery and purple cauliflower!

Photo courtesy of Steve Levine at http://www.steady70.com

COME ON DOWN TO THE FARM!

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to see an actual working Florida farm?  TEENA’S PRIDE located in the heart of the southern Florida farming community is a treasure!  Farmer Teena Borek opens up her farm up once a month for tours, a farmer’s market and cooking demonstrations!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Farm is open from 1pm-4pm, tours are at

1:30 and 3 pm

Cooking demo starts at promptly at 1pm!

La Diva Cucina will demonstrate two quick, easy and unique dishes that everyone (yes, even KIDS!) will enjoy using Teena’s freshly picked veggies and herbs!  

Farm tours are at 1:30 and 3pm.  For more OPEN HOUSE INFO CLICK HERE.

Bring the entire family (but leave the pets at home, thanks!) and enjoy the Florida farmland and fresh air!

THIS IS THE LAST FARM DAY OF THE SEASON, SO DON'T MISS OUT!

Teena's Pride Farm offers a delicious CSA program.  For more information on the program and the farm, please click HERE.

Teena's Pride is known for their delicious heirloom tomatoes!  Come on down and get the last tomatoes of the season!

Directions

Traveling NORTH on Krome

Turn LEFT onto SW 272nd Street (Epmore Drive) – (You will see an EXXON Station on the corner at 272nd St.)

Travel west (2.5 miles) to SW 202nd Avenue. Turn RIGHT onto SW 202nd Avenue headin north (0.1 mile) Turn RIGHT onto SW 270 Street. The office is located in the large tan building.

Traveling SOUTH on Krome Avenue

Turn RIGHT onto SW 272nd Street (Epmore Drive) – (You will see an EXXON Station on the corner at 272nd St.)

Travel west (2.5 miles) to SW 202nd Avenue. Turn RIGHT onto SW 202nd Avenue headin north (0.1 mile) Turn RIGHT onto SW 270 Street. The office is located in the large tan building.

Creative Cooking Crew Challenge: What's in the BOX?

Can you guess what this is?

Darlings!  The Creative Cooking Crew is a Facebook group headed by Lazaro Cooks and Joan Nova, both uber talented and creative cooks.  Joan writes about food and travel and does recipe development while Laz, a local Miamian, pushes the boundaries with high end plates emulating the great French chef Joel Robuchon!  

A few months ago, they asked me to join the group and I happily accepted.

In the style of the tv cooking show "Chopped," we were "given" four ingredients to work with and had to incorporate all in one dish.

They were:

green apples

vinegar

bacon

nut butter

 While many, naturally, thought of salad, I thought of dessert!  I'm TRULY not a lover of "all things bacon" and actually think that people have gone a bit overboard with their bacon love (it's full of fat, cholesterol and nitrates!!) but I do like it once in a while, though it MUST be made super crispy!

So, what EEEES THEES DISH, La Diva?

It's a caramelized apple bread pudding with a peanut butter sauce and maple syrup bacon garnish!

How'd I do it?

 I used the classic French dessert of Tarte Tatin as my inspiration and caramelized the apples in butter and sugar until a dark amber color.   I added a healthy dash of apple cider vinegar for a more sweet and sour taste!  It worked well!   Here you can see the caramelized apples on the right.

I used the apples as the base in the casserole and then did a basic bread pudding using challah bread, raisins, cinnamon and milk.   I baked it for about an hour and let it cool completely.  While it was baking, I made a simple sauce using egg, flour, milk and sugar and then two teaspoons of peanut butter.  It was nice and light in texture and sweetness with just a hint of peanut butter.

I baked apple smoked bacon in the oven and then just before it finished cooking, I drizzled maple syrup over it and continued baking for another five minutes.  I allowed the bacon to cool and then minced it up with a knife.

The bread pudding was spooned into bowls with the peanut sauce poured over the top and the bacon sprinkled lightly as a garnish.

RESULT:   HOLY COW!  What flavors, what decadence!  While I DID cut the sugar down by half (from 1.5 cups to .75 cup), this dish was already sweetened by the caramelized apples in the bottom and didn't even need THAT much sugar.  Of course the smooth, creamy peanut sauce with the crunchy salty hit of bacon sent my tongue over the top, it was THAT good.  But, honestly, for me, it was really too sweet and too much.  If I made this again, I would cut down the sugar in the bread pudding to quarter of a cup and omit the sauce and bacon (or maybe add some cooked bacon pieces to the caramelized apples?)

All the NEW POSTS ARE UP!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT ALL THE CREATIVE ENTRIES!

  Ciao for now, darling!

Meat and 'Taters: A Classic Comfort Food Combo

Filet Mignon with bearnaise sauce over mashed potatoes...

Darlings!  Well, the Creative Cooking Crew challenge for this month did a complete 180 from last month's vegan challenge to a theme La Diva is very comfy with:  Meat and Potatoes.

Having said that, I took a look at some of my dishes from the past few years and realized that I don't actually eat meat and potatoes very often!  In fact, it could be fish and mash or a Malaysian beef redang with rice or perhaps a lovely lamb ragu with home made pappardelle!

So to get you in the spirit, here's a bit of food porn from meals past to showcase some of my fave meat and potato dishes and then we'll get to the meat and potato challenge!

Polish kapusta with pork and keilbasa, potatoes and cabbage.....mmmmm....look at dat buttah and melt in your mouth pork!

   

Bow chick a bow bow!  YES!  That pork DOES taste as good as it looks!

Wow!  You can really see the difference in quality of the photos from my new camera (see pork above) to my old one (this photo!)  One of my all time fave winter dishes:  boneless short ribs braised in red wine with carrots over a creamy celeriac and potato puree.

Seared blackened ahi tuna steak over wasabi mashed potatoes, an 80's nouvelle cuisine classic.  While fish is not actually considered meat, this hearty fish is a healthy and low fat substitute for good ol' steak!

So, what WOULD I make for this month's challenge of meat and potatoes?  Originally I was going to make a lovely beef vindaloo with potatoes, but then I got busy, the beef was cooked and it was too late to add the potatoes!  Doh!

I started to think of other ideas.....rosti with some sort of savory meat topping?  Maybe a meatball encased in a fried potato?  A classic shepherd's pie?

And then after browsing through my latest issue of Food & Wine, I came across an enticing dish that I wanted to try:  Fresh chorizo and potato tacos! 

Sounds great, yes?  Cuz I know I loves me some fried poke and taters!

So, I made chorizo and potato tacos and guess what?  

THEY WERE A BIG, FAT YAWN.  

I was disappointed, considering Food & Wine claimed they had "perfected it in our test kitchen" and was a "staff favorite."  Yeah, maybe for La Gringa but not for La Diva, they were bland, bland, bland!  Fresh chorizo is full of flavor and SPICE, but the seasonings were insipid and without kick. No picante, Pedro.

Even The DJ was disappointed and wanted to know what brand chorizo I was using as it wasn't full of the usual chorizo zest!  When I told him it was home made, he carefully suggested that I just buy the chorizo we both know and love next time.  I concurred.

Unless I'm just checking out a recipe purely for inspiration, I usually make it as it's written and then modify it if necessary.  I noticed that when I added the spices to the pork, it was not the right color for a spicy chorizo, and there was not nearly enough paprika.  And yet, I followed the "tested, staff favorite" recipe anyway.

Further to my dismay, after I cooked it, I noticed that the meat was D-R-Y.

This is the second time I've used pork from my local grocer and it was dry in a recipe.  Really?  What's the point of using ground pork if it has no flavor or fat?  Perhaps the butchers are grinding their pork a bit leaner these days, so next time I make this recipe (and I will make it again according to MY specifications) I will either just buy the pre-made Colombian or Nicaraguan chorizo that is so readily available in Miami or get the butcher to grind me pork with a higher fat ratio.

To combat the dry, I made a fresh salsa and spiced it up with home made habanero garlic vinegar.  And of course, I served the meat on top of freshly chopped, cool and crunchy iceberg lettuce, a trick I employ to lighten up heavy Mexican fare, especially cheese enchiladas!

The good thing about this recipe, is that you can easily feed a crowd, so in the future I would halve it for dinner for two or offer it for a taco party, but only after modifying it.  

But now, what does a Diva do with all of this bland, dry taco filling?



HUEVOS!!!!

Yep, the pork and potato taco filling would make a perfect hash and a bed for poached eggs!  The next morning, I sauteed garlic and komatsuna from my garden (a  mild-tasting Japanese green similar to spinach) added some oil to a pan, sprinkled with a liberal dose of red pepper flakes and heated the mixture up.  The DJ was happy.  La Diva was happy.  Satisfied and with full bellies, we were both ready to start our Sunday!

The moral of the story?

Follow your instincts.  (and just buy the damn chorizo from the people who don't scrimp on the fat or flavor, the Latins!)

'Nuff said.  Ciao for now, darlings!

(I'll post a link to the other entries after the deadline, so come on back to check them all out, guaranteed to be creative and inspiring!)