This time last year my husband and I were traveling around the Island of Crete for a two-week vacation. We met really wonderful people, ate delicious food, drank great wines, (as well as Raki) and took in all the beautiful scenery. It’s crazy how fast this past year has gone by and I would love to be back there experiencing it all over again. Perhaps we’ll have another opportunity to visit again in the near future.

So lately, I have been reminiscing and all I want to do is eat Greek food and experience their culture. Two weeks ago we went to a Greek Festival in Oakland and this weekend we’ll be attending another festival in San Jose. We also went out to eat last weekend for my husband’s birthday at a very nice Greek restaurant. However, it’s just not the same and so I wanted to make something today, which reminded me of the special times during our vacation. So I decided to make Loukamades, tossed in Hot Cinnamon Syrup with Toasted Walnuts. I’ve eaten so many of these today that I’m sure I’ll be up all night with a sugar rush. They were really fun to make and all the employees at work loved them.

While we were traveling through Crete, we spent the night in a town called Paleochora, which is located on the southwest coast of Crete along the Libyan Sea. The town is very beautiful, quaint, with two gorgeous beaches. Anyway, I believe it was a weeknight and my husband and I had just finished dinner and we were walking around the streets and we stumbled upon this small little cafe where they only serve Loukamades—the best in the area! So it’s about 11:30pm when we arrive at the cafe and there are one or two other couples chatting, but by midnight, the place was packed with locals (about 30) eating Loukamades and drinking Greek coffee and Raki. It was such a wonderful experience, watching all of these people (family, friends, neighbors discussing their day with their kids playing in the street) and it was all centered around food—these little delicious balls of dough. I’ll never forget that experience and I am so glad that we had the opportunity to be there.

I have never made Loukamades, Beignets or donuts before and so I researched a bunch of recipes and combined certain elements to make it taste exactly how I remembered. You can use a basic donut recipe, but what surprised me the most about the dough was how soft and sticky it was. It almost reminded me of brioche, without all of the butter, and it was just as difficult to work with. To avoid adding unneeded flour while forming the balls, spray a little bit of canola spray on your fingertips and form the dough into small balls the size of cherries. I let the dough rise for about an hour, formed into balls and then dropped into hot oil at 375 degrees, turning constantly so that they browned evenly. I then drained them on paper towels and then tossed in the hot Cinnamon Syrup.

For the syrup, I chose to make a simple syrup (3 cups sugar to 2 parts water) instead of using melted honey. I reduced the simple syrup, along with ground cinnamon, orange zest, and lemon juice to a thick consistency. While the Loukamades are still hot, pour over the cinnamon syrup and toss to coat evenly. Arrange in a bowl and sprinkle with toasted minced walnuts. They are soft and moist on the inside with a slight crunchy exterior—and they are a sticky mess—but you’ll love them! Serve hot and enjoy a small taste of Greece no matter where you are!! Opa!

Everyday at the restaurant I filet salmon for service and I always have left over salmon scraps. The salmon is incredibly fresh (we get shipments every morning from our fish vender) and it’s a shame to just throw it away. But unlike other white fish (halibut, mahi, sea bass, snapper), which can be used to make fish stock, served in chowders, etc., salmon has a very distinct flavor and overpowers the stock and so you need to come up with other ways to use the fish. And there is no better way than to create a Big, Juicy, Fresh, and Healthy Salmon Burger! I could eat these all day!

To start, medium dice the salmon and the add to a food processor and pulse until you obtain a ground beef consistency. Finely dice red and yellow bell peppers, scallions, tarragon and basil (you can also add dill and red onions—whatever flavors you want) and mix well. Add whisked whole eggs, salt and pepper and just enough panko bread crumbs to absorb the extra moisture to hold the salmon cakes together. To determine if the flavors are perfect, cook a small burger first and then portion the salmon into 6–7oz balls and then roll in panko again. Using a large cookie cutter, press the salmon mixture into the mold and place on parchment paper and chill until ready to use.

Pan sear the salmon cakes on medium high heat and either finish on the stove or in the oven. Serve on warm, crusty kaiser rolls with shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, housemade tartare sauce (gherkins, capers, red onion, garlic, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper) and spicy Chipotle aioli. Serve with a fresh field greens salad with tomatoes, dressed in a light lemon vinaigrette, and you’ve got an incredible, healthy and delicious lunch! Enjoy!

We have these gorgeous Peruvian Purple Potatoes at the restaurant and so I couldn’t pass up using them for a special last week and so I paired them with Pan Seared Pork Tenderloin and Brandy Sage Cream. The purple color of the potato was so intense prior to adding cream that I almost hesitated doing so. However, the dish came out beautiful and incredibly flavorful. The whole grain mustard smashed potatoes offers a sharp contrast to the brandy sage cream and all the flavors work perfectly with the pork tenderloin.

For the potatoes I boiled them until fork tender, strained them really well and mashed lightly with a fork—leaving large pieces intact. I then added a mixture of hot heavy cream and melted butter for a smooth consistency and then folded in minced green onion, parsley, whole grain mustard and salt and pepper to taste. For the brandy sage cream sauce, I sauteed onion and garlic until soft, deglazed with brandy, reduced, added a bunch of fresh sage leaves and heavy cream. I simmered the cream until it thickened slightly and to combine all of the flavors, which I then blended the mixture really well and finished with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

The weather has been really beautiful, sunny and warm in the Bay Area the past couple of days and so I wanted to make a dish that was light, but full of robust flavors. So I decided to make Pan-Seared Sea Scallops, served on a bed of Blue Lake and Yellow Wax Beans, Herb-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Toy-Box Tomatoes, dressed in a Charred-Tomato, Basil and Applewood Smoked Bacon Vinaigrette. Potatoes, Tomatoes and Bacon are a perfect match for the sweet scallops and the beans provide great color and a nice crisp texture.

To make the vinaigrette, small dice applewood smoked bacon and cook slowly rendering fat until bacon is crispy. Pour off some of the fat and reserve for later use. Then deglaze the pan with Pale Dry Sherry and a good quality Aged Sherry Vinegar. Reduce almost to a syrup and pour bacon and syrup into a bowl. Add salt, pepper, a small amount of sugar, and minced basil, stir and set aside. Meanwhile, take the same pan that you cooked the bacon in and add the reserved bacon fat. Heat the pan until it’s hot and then add sliced cherry tomatoes and cook for about two minutes until tomatoes are charred but still hold their shape. Add tomatoes to the bacon mixture, along with additional Sherry Vinegar. Stir in canola oil (don’t whisk—you don’t want to break up the tomatoes) into the mixture until you have a nice consistency. Taste and add additional salt, vinegar or oil, if necessary. Serve vinaigrette at room temperature.

Enjoy!

I know what you’re thinking—carrot soup? But trust me—it’s really good! Carrots are very sweet and tender this time of year and the fresh ginger adds a little heat to balance out the sweetness of the carrots. The color of the soup is also amazing and you can either serve the soup hot or cold.

You can roast the carrots and caramelize to sweeten their flavor even further, but I prefer to slowly simmer the carrots with celery, onions, fresh ginger, sparkling apple cider and water so that I retain the vivid color of the carrots. I also finish with a small amount of cream to smooth out the texture and pass through a china cap/strainer to remove any fibers. I finished the soup with deep fried shredded carrots, sea salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. You can also garnish with lemon creme fraiche and chervil which adds a nice contrasting color. Enjoy!