Salsa Criolla has two of my favorite words: salsa and criolla. Salsa of course can refer to the music and dance from the Caribbean, but here it refers to the sauce or spice that adds a special touch to any dish. And criolla or creole refers to the influence of Afro-Peruvian culture in Peruvian cuisine. Not surprisingly, you may be… Read more →
Imagine that you are a mixologist in the late 1800’s and just sampled some of Duncan Nicol’s famous Pisco Punch at the Bank Exchange on Montgomery Street in San Francisco. You are inspired and want to create a Pisco cocktail that pays homage to the Pisco Punch and to San Francisco. But you want it to be different and meaningful.… Read more →
I first read about the Asian Culinary Forum via a tweet, and though I’ve always been interested in Asian cuisine, the description for their symposium on Asian + Latin American food was made for me: From lomo saltado to jerk chow mein, Brazilian sushi to Korean tacos — learn about culinary exchanges old and new between Asia and Latin America.… Read more →
One of my favorite food projects is to “Peruvianize” a dish, that is, take an existing dish and change some of its ingredients to give it a uniquely Peruvian touch. For example, start with a traditional flan, but add quinoa and create the Crema Volteada. Or use quinoa to cook a Quinua con Leche instead of the traditional rice pudding.… Read more →
Inspired by the creativity flowing during SF Cocktail Week, I went into Pisco Trail’s cocktail lab, and didn’t come up for air until I had mixed something new. The result is a drink with a deep amber color and playful effervescence that pays homage to the classic French 75, but with ingredients that make this cocktail uniquely Peruvian. Read more →