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hello!
Welcome to feast's February cuisine of the month newsletter.
Mardi Gras is upon us! French for Fat Tuesday, Mardis Gras is arguably one of the largest global feasts celebrated today, typically preceded by decadent carnivals around the world. The word carnival is derived from the Late Latin expression carne vale, which means "farewell to meat", signifying that those were the last days when one could eat meat before the fasting of Lent. This month we take our inspiration from Carnaval de Nice and the French Riviera, or Côte d'Azur. The cuisine from this region is similar to Northern Italian food in many ways. Rather than the heavy ingredients and flavors often found in French cooking, local delicacies and fresh seasonal produce are often used. This makes it, along with our featured seasonal ingredient, green garlic, ideal for our February cuisine of the month, and a great jump start on spring!
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season's best: fresh green garlic
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buy
Green garlic comes to the table from the practice of farmers thinning out their garlic crops, bringing the young shoots to market. But the season is short. Green garlic should be showing up at the farmer's markets now and will probably only be around until mid-April. Look for the Schaner Family Farm and Windrose Farm booths at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market.
store
Seek out green garlic with upright green tops and no sign of drooping. Green garlic won't stay fresh nearly as long as dried bulbs. Place the shoots in a vase or pint glass full of water in the refrigerator, and cover with a plastic bag. Or wrap a damp paper towel around the stalks, put in an unsealed plastic bag and store in the refrigerator's vegetable drawer.
serve
Pasta with green garlic butter, in an omelet, in stir fry, green garlic mashed potato, caramelized on bruschetta with goat cheese, green garlic pesto, risotto with green garlic...
cook
Green Garlic Pesto Makes 4 pasta servings
1/2 pound green garlic
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly shredded pecorino cheese or other hard sheep's milk cheese
Trim and discard root ends of green garlic. Finely chop green garlic, rinse thoroughly and pat or spin dry. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, cook vegetable oil, green garlic, and 1/2 tsp. salt until soft, about 3 minutes. Let cool to warm room temperature. In a blender or food processor, pulse pine nuts to chop. Set aside. Add green garlic and process, scraping down sides as necessary, until bright green and smooth. With motor running, drizzle in olive oil. Pulse in reserved pine nuts and cheese. Taste and add more salt if needed.
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what's cooking .
  
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carnaval cocktail party
fried camembert fritter with lavender honey mustard
pamplemousse au crabe on fresh endive
pissaladière with anchovy, olive + green garlic
thinly sliced seared beef tenderloin croustade, black pepper bearnaise
mini gruyère popover with smoked portobello mushroom
niçoise tuna tartar in cucumber ribbon, saffron aioli + quail egg
côte d'azur feast
grilled baby octopus salad, winter greens, olive, caper, fresh tarragon dressing
chilled green garlic vichyssoise
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marseille style bouillabaisse with garlic rouille
pieds et paquets, fresh tomato sauce, grilled fingerling potato
winter root vegetable ratatouille
saffron fettucini with green garlic butter + fresh herbs
haricot vert, olive tapenade + meyer lemon
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tarte tropézienne with fresh winter berry
niçoise luncheon
socca; chickpea flour crepe with smoked chicken, spinach, tomato + goat cheese
seared pepper crusted tuna with vegetable pistou
niçoise roasted vegetable salad, cannellini bean, egg, radish, olive, tomato, lemon anchovy dressing
grilled broccolini, citrus segments, currant + extra virgin olive oil
roasted new potato + chanterelle mushroom
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house made french macaroon
Our menus are created using the best, fresh seasonal ingredients. To ensure premium quality and availability, orders must be placed 24-hours in advance. Contact us for personalized menus reflecting your event theme, culinary tastes or budget. Special dietary requirements can also be creatively accommodated. |
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details... .
  
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our favorite cocktail this month: kir royale
4 tablespoons creme de cassis
1/4 cup fresh seasonal berries
1 bottle French Champagne, chilled
Place 4 Champagne flutes in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove and add 1 tablespoon of the Cassis to each flute along with a few berries. Fill each flute to the top with Champagne and serve immediately.
great ideas
Candied flowers and herbs are a well known confection in the south of France. Organic rose petals, lavender flowers, and herbs are candied by brushing them with egg white then coating them in confectioner's sugar. The result is a delightful, crisp and fragrant edible treat that can be used to decorate a cupcake or given in sashes as guest favors.
feast loves...
Robinson Road Olive Ranch; located in Topanga Canyon, produces award-winning extra virgin olive oil. In 2007 they planted Spanish Arbequina saplings, joining the Bordeaux-style grapevines planted on the rolling slopes three years earlier. Just five miles from the Pacific Ocean, the nutrient-rich, rocky soil, combined with long warm summer days and cool evenings, creates perfect olive growing conditions. Carefully nurtured, pesticide-free, and drip irrigated for water conservation, their olives are hand picked, cold pressed within hours of harvest, and bottled without filtering. We love the way their complex finishing oil accents our menus with its fresh, nutty, herbaceous flavors.
www.robinsonroadoliveranch.com
contact us
We can be contacted at 310-568-8600 or by email. And as always, feel free to visit our website. We look forward to hearing from you for Mardi Gras, an Oscar party, a special dinner with family or friends or for your business catering needs.
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bon appetit!
Harvey Slater + your friends at feast
  
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