Guava Jellin'

Originally from Brazil, Feijoa or pineapple guava as its known in southern California, is a cold hardy guava that blooms in May and is covered with tiny pink and crimson blossoms. By Fall, the plum-shaped fruits are ready to eat and are harvested when they fall to the ground. The easiest way to eat them is to simply scoop out the creamy flesh. We use them fresh in all kinds of dishes- they are vegetarian friendly after all- but by far my favorite use is for guava jelly.

Jelly recipes are a little more precise than my usual technique of ratios. Jellies do need more sugar than jams or marmalades. The extra sugar is required to get a proper set- the appropriate “jelly” texture if you will- not to soft and not too hard.

Fortunately the guava is pretty tart so it balances the sugar really well. 

Recipe

5 pounds of guavas

3 ½ cups of sugar

4 T lemon juice.

Wash your guavas, halve them and cover w/ 2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for at least 30 minutes. Your guavas will start to get a little mushy- that’s ok. Let them cool some and refrigerate overnight. Guava skins have a lot of natural pectin in them and this will help to extract all of that goodness. Pectin is a natural thickener- which is handy when it comes to firming up your jams and jellies.

Now its straining time. The easiest way to strain your guava juice is to get a nice thick layer of cheesecloth and line a mesh strainer w/ it and put it over a bowl or pitcher. Gently pour your juicy mix in the strainer and let slowly drain out, This may take a while as the juice has got quite pulpy at this point. When your fully strained, discard the pulp and measure out 6 cups of juice. You’ll have extra juice that you can throw in the freezer for next time. If freezing’s not up your alley you can also use that juice right away -add to smoothies, ice tea, or make a quick vinaigrette w/ it.

Mix your 6 cups of juice w/ your sugar and lemon juice in a large wide pan- the larger the better. This allows for maximum evaporation. Bring to a boil.

At this point your juice will look a little scary- kinda like dirty dishwater- don’t panic! You’ll be amazed at the transformation. Suddenly it will start turning a lovely shade of pinkish amber. As its boiling you’ll get some foamy stuff floating on top-you’ll want to skim this off. A slotted spoon works well.

The jelly should be cooked about 20-30 minutes. It will start to thicken and take on a viscous quality. To test if its’ done, put a small spoonful on a frozen plate.

Run your finger through it. If it is thick and wrinkles around the edges- it’s done.

Remove it from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Carefully pour into clean glass jars and cover. Refrigerate. It will keep for at least 2 months in the fridge. Although it probably won’t last that long.

If you don’t feel inclined to make it yourself- no worries. You can try it here @ Avanti Café- the best healthy vegetarian restaurant in Costa Mesa  in fact in all of Orange County!

Chef Tanya Fuqua

Smoking Organic Beets

Beets, like fennel, eggplant, mushrooms and yams are in that category the Japanese refer to as ‘suki/kirai’. You either love them or a big NOT. Personally, I’m out of that loop as I’ve never met a vegetable I didn’t like. And when beet season is in full swing I cannot get enough of their red radiant gently gelatinous texture and sweet Mother Earth flavors. We decided to smoke a batch of organic red and pink beets freshly picked from the South Coast Farms organic fields in San Juan Capistrano using our preferred simply designed, Camerons smokers.

 Our wood chip of choice these days is the bourbon soaked oak.

We like to add herbs as well, this time tarragon

& the ever favorite chamomile – one of the best smoky fragrances to our nostrils & taste buds.

Ahead of time, the beets were boiled in their skins, in a mixture of coffee and water w/ a pinch each of Sicilian sea salt and organic sugar. Cooled in that liquid, they were removed of their jackets in a process that turns the fingers a glorious pink, and has been known to reduce men in the kitchen to real tears of vanity if forced to pinken their digits w/out the protection of gloves. Side note: Real Men cook w/out gloves & sometimes end up w/ pink cuticles, but that is another blog topic all together. Next the newly and beautifully nude beets in all their glory were cut into sumptuous wedges and marinated in extra virgin olive oil. They were loaded into baking dishes, placed a top the smoking chips and herbs and slowly smoked over a low flame for just a short time. Next the red beets were tossed w/ a bit of warmed Avanti house made Berbere spice and allowed to marinate overnight. For service the red beets were warmed in the oven until just hot through. They were plated w/ organic pink smoked beets, organic citrus miso dressed romaine, slow roasted shishito peppers and garden herb blend of Spanish tarragon, lemon balm & basil.

Banish your fear of beets / be fearless and order new foods & unorthodox preparations / Don’t let words like vegan / vegetarian / organic / healthy frighten you. At Avanti we are always Healthy & Delicious! The year is 2012 & we are valiant citizens of the newest foodie centric location in CA, Orange County. Whether your reside in Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, Irvine or beyond, make the short trek to 17th St, here in Costa Mesa and taste our Avanti flavors again and again.

As we say, eat w/ us several times a week and it’s likely you’ll become healthier than you already are! And your taste buds will love every minute of it too. How many restaurants can legitimately make that claim !?! mc

Jammin in August

It would be hard for me to choose, but stone fruits are always at the top of my favorites list. So of course this time of year is the best for making jam! I love both peach and nectarine jams and this summer the quality has been stellar. These techniques work for most stone fruits including peaches, apricots, nectarines and plums. It’s always better to work in small batches to ensure a good texture. I don’t work so much with recipes as I do w/ ratios. The general ratio for most of my jams is twice as much fruit to sugar. This is a lot lower in sugar than most standard jam recipes. That still adds enough sweetness but doesn’t cover the inherent flavor of the fruit, Your peach jam will actually taste like peaches instead of just sweet! Just add a little lemon juice and salt and you are good to go. Most home cooks shouldn’t cook more than 2 or 3 pounds of fruit at a time. Slice nectarines and toss w/ sugar and lemon juice. I’ve been using nectarines lately because I’m lazy. If you decide to use peaches you’ll need to peel them. Plums and apricots don’t require peeling either. The peels add nice color and a little extra texture to the jam! So pretty! Let them marinate at room temperature for a couple of hours- this will insure the sugars gets fully dissolved. Then refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, strain the slices away from their juice. You can do this by putting them in a colander set over a large bowl. Make sure they are drained very well. You should have a nice syrupy pool.

Find the largest/ widest pan you have. The whole idea is to get the syrup to cook as quickly as possible with maximum evaporation. This will help to keep the color and flavor as fresh as possible. Cook on very high heat until the syrup starts to form big, thick bubbles on top. Your going to reduce it by not quite half. Don’t let it get away from you- it will darken pretty quickly if your not paying attention. Remember- Safety First! It’s very hot, so don’t burn yourself.

When the syrup is nice and thick, add the nectarines and a generous pinch of salt. Stir everything together and bring back to a boil. Your going to cook long enough till the fruit starts to break down some. The jam will also start to thicken up and darken a little. Make sure to stir frequently- it likes to stick to the bottom of the pan.

When you feel its thick enough take it immediately off the heat. Let cool and refrigerate. If you know how to preserve in a jar- go ahead while its still hot. If not these jams lasts quite a while in the fridge. Cheers!

Avanti HOT Chili Garden Report Mid July 2012

The Avanti garden chili plants are gearing up for the HOT sunny days to come. So far the plants are small and compact. But the bird dung chili is the most prolific, covered in both small lumpy round green fruits and many flowers. The purina chili is ripening just two larger fruits & the cobra is tall yet somewhat bare.

The Chinese chili is ripening several very small fruits and working on some more buds and flowers. Very small plant w/ tiny leaves and flowers

Characteristically golden in color this aji chili has great form, and lots of flavor behind a medium heat. A second fruit is ripening.

With the ornamental ginger dominating the background, the chili patch prepares to explode into the HEAT of summertime growth.

Avanti Thoughts on Type Two Diabetes

Now that all the hoopla over Paula Deen’s diabetes drama has subsided, it’s a good time to talk rationally about the positive effects diet can have on type two diabetes. As a personal chef in from 1996 through 2005, I worked w/ cancer survivors, heart patients and folks diagnosed w/ type two diabetes on a regular basis. While cancer is by far the fiercer foe, with so many diseases the old adage ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ is strikingly apparent. And it is exceptionally true when it comes to type two diabetes. I was perpetually amazed when clients would inform me after only two or three weeks of cooking whole food menus for them that they had been taken off their meds by their doctors. It’s really pretty simple, eliminate white starches, greatly reduce sugar and when baking use hearty whole grain flours & nuts to lower the glycemic index, reduce saturated fats and eat more whole foods, vegetables, fruits and whole grains and beans. In the wake of the accusations that Paula Deen’s restaurant menus can precipitate type two diabetes in people w/ a disposition in that direction, take a look at the film ‘Forks Over Knives’ to see the miraculous benefits a whole foods diet can have on everyone’s overall health. And as we’ve always said, ‘Just eat healthy 50 to 90% of the time. That gives you plenty of time for your favorite fun food pleasures AND provides your body w/ all the nutrients it needs to keep running in peak condition. You wouldn’t run your car w/ out ever changing the oil. Treat your body better than you treat your car.’ We also firmly believe that we are one of the few restaurants out there that can honestly say that if you eat at Avanti more often, you’ll be healthier than you already are. See y’all soon at Avanti Café. Cheers, Mark http://www.forksoverknives.com/

Feeling the Love for Good Quality Traditional Organic Soy Products

Talking w/ fellow foodies about soy these days creates a lot of divergent info bantered about confusingly. The soy fillers talked about w/ disdain in Food Inc. are not in the same category as the age old healthful and delicious soy foods, mostly Asian in origin, that remain a part of a body & taste bud nurturing wholesome diet. Organic soy sauce, tamari (100% soy sauce, wheat & therefore gluten free), miso, tofu & eda mame are all great sources of vegetable protein and phyto estrogens that are good for the body. Learn much more about the history of tofu making .....> http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Tofu.html#b

The Shift Is About To Hit The Fan

Great documentary for New Year's Day & a new way of thinking about connectedness & that dialog we never new was going on w/ each of us and that petri dish of yogurt www.iamthedoc.com/thefilm/