Taste With The Eyes

La Purée de Pommes de Terre de Joël Robuchon

La Purée de Pommes de Terre de Joël Robuchon

Can mashed potatoes be forever memorable? Oui! Especially if the recipe comes from “Chef of the Century” Joël Robuchon. With just four ingredients – potato, butter, milk, salt – his legendary Purée de Pommes de Terre recipe takes the humble potato and turns it into something impossibly elegant and silky and oh so rich. A potato dish of dreams that we were fortunate to enjoy at a “dinner of small tasting portions” at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas here.

While Robuchon’s pommes de terre are typically served sans garnish, it is Spring, and my garden chives are in bloom. I don’t think he would mind my fresh addition to this signature dish… Joyeux Printemps, Chef!

French Mashed Potato Recipe

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Chili Chocolate Brownies with Gochugaru, Ginger, Sesame Seed, Olive Oil, Fleur de Sel

Korean Influence Chili Chocolate Brownies
with
Gochugaru, Ginger, Sesame Seed, Olive Oil, Fleur de Sel

Gochugaru is a Korean red chili powder that is definitely spicy – but also has a balanced fruitiness, slight smokiness and depth of flavor from the sun-dried red peppers. Korean chili plus a fruity California olive oil and the sharp, exotic flavor of ground ginger come together in this fusion brownie that is an intense spicy grown-up dessert.

Gochugaru Brownie Recipe

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Red Rice Noodles with Stir-Fried Tempeh and Savory Peanut Sauce {Vegan}

Red Rice Noodles
Stir-Fried Tempeh and Savory Peanut Sauce
Cucumber, Radish, Scallion, Cilantro, Peanut, Serrano Chile

Bursting with flavor. And color. And texture. And heat. May I say that this vegan dish has it all. Super satisfying organic red rice noodles are tossed with a savory peanut sauce that gets a hint of sweetness from agave nectar. Stir-fried tempeh cubes add substance and protein, radish adds a zingy crunch, while serranos bring fire which is balanced by cooling cucumber and herbaceous cilantro.

These Organic Red Rice Noodles from my friends at Explore Asian are a product of Thailand. Red rice called Kow Mun Pboo ข้าวมันปู in Thai, is a non-glutinous long grain rice that is reddish brown in color with a nutty flavor and a high nutritional value, as the germ of the rice is left intact. The noodles are made from organic rice, organic tapioca flour, and water only.

Organic Red Rice Noodles with Savory Peanut Sauce Recipe

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Baked Sweet Potato, Salted Caramel Puffed Rice Noodle Topping

Baked Sweet Potato, Salted Caramel Puffed Rice Noodle Topping

Why not add a touch of whimsy to tonight’s dinner? Baked potato, ok. Baked sweet potato, even better. Baked sweet potato topped with a tangled nest of puffed brown rice vermicelli and drizzled with salted caramel, wow!

Puffed vermicelli (skinny rice noodles) are rather neutral in flavor (with a slight popcorn-y essence), fried in peanut oil for just a few seconds, the rice noodles puff up into light crisp nests. Seasoned with a bit of sea salt, they add a delightful crunch to the baked sweet potato. But to take it over the top, caramel sauce is drizzled over the puffed noodles, then it’s sprinkled with fleur de sel.

Who is going to resist a steaming orange-hued baked potato studded with butter and vanilla yogurt, seasoned with salt and pepper, then topped with sweet and salty flavors and a crunchy light-as-air garnish???

Baked Sweet Potato with Salted Caramel Puffed Vermicelli Recipe

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Fabulous Filipino Chicken Adobo

Fabulous Filipino Chicken Adobo

I make chicken adobo, a lot. It is one of my go-to dishes when serving a crowd. And it is an easy one-skillet dish for weeknight dinner. While my method is somewhat traditional, my garnish is not. We love the flavor of the chicken and sauce with white fluffy rice, but I think it needs a little bit of fresh green flavor and a little crunch. So I garnish with sliced scallions, cilantro, radish sticks, and toasted sesame seeds.

Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe

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