Pisco in the Time of Cholera

by Nico on July 12, 2016 in Cocktails

For a long time, I’ve been wanting to make a Pisco cocktail to honor one of my favorite novels, Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel García Márquez. In the story filled with magical realism and the fate of unrequited love, one of the most dramatic proclamations is made by Fermina Daza when she accepts Florentino Ariza’s wedding proposal circa 1880 with these words:

Very well, I will marry you if you promise not to make me eat eggplant.

And from those words, a challenge was born — to make a Pisco cocktail using eggplant that even Fermina Daza would fall in love with.
Read more →

Kaiseki Criollo, Spring 2016

by Nico on May 25, 2016 in Tasting Menu

Kaiseki Criollo, Spring 2016

Culinary inspiration can be found in many places — cookbooks, food films, dining at a new restaurant, visiting farmers markets, meeting other chefs, or following the World’s 50 Best Restaurants on social media. But nothing inspires me to cook as much as traveling, being immersed completely in another culture, and learning about it through food is an experience that stays with you forever. And after coming home from a week-long exploration of the food and cocktail culture in Tokyo, all I’ve been wanting to do is to cook.

For days, I was profoundly inspired to cook a Peruvian tasting menu that followed some of the progression and Japanese culinary traditions of a kaiseki meal — 5 colors, 5 flavors, 5 senses, and 5 methods of cooking, all of which center around a sense for shun, the peak of seasonality for ingredients. Going through this creative process completely transformed how I viewed a menu, thought about the ingredients, and plated the dishes. The result, a culinary fusion of Peruvian and Japanese cultures, is something that I am calling kaiseki criollo.
Read more →

Arroz con Mariscos (Peruvian Paella)

by Nico on April 7, 2016 in Recipes

Arroz con Mariscos, Peruvian Paella

The Spanish Paella is popular all over the Americas and the Caribbean where each culture has made it their own — in Louisiana the Creole and Cajun cooks transformed the Paella into the Jambalaya, and in Peru we added a spicy aji amarillo onion sofrito to give birth to the Arroz con Mariscos, or Peruvian Paella. Start by cooking steamed rice with a saffron to honor the roots of this dish. Prepare the seafood, sauté the sofrito, and then combine all the ingredients in a paella pan. Garnish with cilantro and parsley and top with freshly squeezed lime juice and shredded parmesan cheese for a touch of umami.
Read more →

Suspiro Limeño (Sweet Sigh from Lima)

by Nico on April 6, 2016 in Recipes

Suspiro Limeño

The Suspiro Limeño is a creamy custard topped with a meringue cloud, that according to a Peruvian poet is as sweet and light as a woman’s sigh. It originated in Lima, the City of Kings, and was first known as the “Royal Delight of Peru.” The traditional recipe calls for slow cooking milk with spices, but this modern version uses a popular technique that results in a creamy and sweet manjar blanco custard. In this recipe, the meringue is scooped to create a layered dessert, but it can also be piped for a fancier presentation.
Read more →

Sudado de Pescado Criollo (Peruvian Steamed Fish)

by Nico on March 16, 2016 in Recipes

Sudado de Pescado Criollo

Last Sunday, I cooked lunch with my Mom, and our goal was to practice a recipe that I would prepare for our upcoming Peruvian Dinner & Stories at 18 Reasons — Sudado de Pescado, a Peruvian Steamed Fish. She told me that she liked this dish for many reasons, it reminded her of home, the aroma of the spices in her Mom’s kitchen, and the smell of the ocean in Lima, all of which inspired our cooking. As part of our tradition, we put on some Latin music while we cooked, and when the fish was simmering in the pan, I could see all the spices dissolving into the broth, creating a perfect vehicle for the slow burning aji amarillo hot pepper. When we sat down to eat, our conversation naturally turned to food, and memories of Lima. And when I asked her how the meal turned out, she kissed the tips of her fingers, smacked her lips and smiled, which in Peru is the highest compliment a teacher can give her student. Presenting, Sudado de Pescado, a family-style dish that is a wonderful example of “criollo” cuisine and the beautiful marriage of ingredients from the ocean and from the land.
Read more →