Peruvians love sweet potatoes, and we often add them to Ceviche, or to the pickled seafood dish Escabeche de Pescado — but here, the sweet potato is the star of the show. Hailing from the southern Spain of the 1600’s, this dessert was originally a mixture of eggs, almonds, sugar, and cinnamon. But the addition of the sweet potato puree… Read more →
Ceviche Mixto (Shrimp, Squid, Scallops, & Mango)
It happened again, as soon as the weather turns warm and the sun is out, like a Peruvian Pavlovian response, I start craving ceviche. But which one to make? The traditional Ceviche de Pescado or Japanese-Peruvian Ceviche Nikkei made with firm flesh white fish are a great introduction. But did you know ceviche can also be made with shrimp, squid,… Read more →
Book Review: Wings of Cherubs
The Pisco Punch is the most important cocktail in San Francisco’s rich mixology history. I talk about its origins during the Gold Rush Days of The Barbary Coast in the “Born in San Francisco” post, and I have always included the Pisco Punch in my Pisco cocktail classes. But for those wanting the full-story, including how its once secret recipe… Read more →
Peruvian Pop-up Dinner at 18 Reasons
Last Tuesday, 18 Reasons hosted Pisco Trail’s first Pop-up Dinner of 2012 and to celebrate Spring I prepared a traditional Peruvian Lamb Stew — Seco de Cordero. Slow cooked with a lot of love in a cilantro sauce and sofrito with aji amarillo, it was savory, warm, hearty, and a little spicy — the perfect meal for a rainy night… Read more →
Drinks and Dessert
If you’ve been following Pisco Trail for some time, it should be clear by now that two of my favorites things are drinks and dessert, in that order, and often with a dinner in between. So when Cocktail Lab announced their Elements of Cocktail Class, I jumped at the chance to learn about the art of crafting the perfect cocktail.… Read more →