Voyager Creative // Uncharted: Short Films & Suitable Snacks

The filmmakers at Voyager Creative curated a series of short film nights in their Brooklyn studio. They called on me to stretch my brain and come up with some snack options for these films:

• This Is How You Haunt Your House 

• Psychopomp 

• Samantha Moonley's

That night, I served up dishes inspired by robots, space, alchemy and the color blue.

FRUIT SOUP was grape and orange jello with blue Kool-Aid caviar. Over the course of the night, everyone started to eat the blue caviar and add it to their beers. It reminded me of Orbitz soft drinks.

BLUE VELVET is a riff on red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.

In the spririt of the films, we combined them. Alien and almost alive, it was truly a close encounter of the sweet kind.

If you're hosting a film screening and would like custom snacks for your audience, please get in touch!

Crackling Toffee S'mores with Ancho Morita Marshmallow

The FeedFeed is hosting its 2nd annual s'more contest and we invite you to compete! All you have to do is follow @TheFeedFeed and @Ghiradelli on Instagram, then add the hashtags #Ghirardelli, #feedfeed & #contest to your post (not in the comments). The contest ends on September 3rd, 2018 at exactly 10:59 PM EST. Multiple entries are encouraged!

It came to me when I was researching English cracker toffee with saltines. What if I made a s'more with softer graham cracker toffee? It sounded like too much at once. Should I add nuts? How could I balance so much sugar? The answer: HOT SAUCE! My first iteration used a large, Jet Puff marshmallow. Then I tried mini mallows. But to get an exact square, I would have to do something different. I melted it down with butter as if I were making Rice Crispy Treats. Then I poured it into a sheet pan to cool off in the fridge. The result was a sheet of marshmallow that I could fold.

Things you'll need:
1 sleeve graham crackers 12 Ghiradelli chocolate squares 1 cup light brown sugar	1/4 cup unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon divided 1 bag of mini marshmallows 1 tablespoon Humble House Ancho Morita hot sauce a pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a saucepan, melt two sticks of the butter and the brown sugar. Stir to combine.

Line a quarter sheet pan with silpat or oiled parchment. Arrange the graham crackers in a single layer.

Once the sugar is bubbling, turn off the heat.

Pour the mixture over the crackers and put the sheet pan in the oven for 8 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and place the chocolate squares over the hot candy to melt it.

While you wait for the toffee to cool, melt the rest of the butter in a pot.

Add the marshmallows and stir on low heat until they melt completely into a smooth sauce.

Prepare another pan with silpat or oiled parchment paper. Pour the marshmallow into the center and spread it around evenly. Squirt the hot sauce in lines over the marshmallow.

Let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes before moving both pans to the fridge for another 15 minutes.

As best you can, break the toffee into squares. Save any broken bits for ice cream topping or snacks.

Pull up the edge of the marshmallow and fold it like an envelope over itself 3 times. Trim the edges and cut squares smaller than the toffee squares.

With a chocolate-side up, lay a piece of toffee on a heat-safe surface. Put a marshmallow in the center of the toffee.

Torch the marshmallow until it bubbles on all sides. Finish by placing another piece of toffee, chocolate-side down, onto the marshmallow.

Have you tried it? Let me know!

MASARAP, a comfort food exhibition (2018)

In 2018, I put together an exhibition called MASARAP at Babycastles Gallery. Masarap is Tagalog for 'delicious.’ I used this two-week takeover to explore the complicated origins of comfort food as well as the ways we play with what we eat.

Why comfort food? In an increasingly troublesome world online and IRL, we have looked to online food delivery, food porn and various forms of self care to seek solace. This space is here to help you step back and examine your relationship with food.

Running throughout the exhibition was the Dampa Project, a reimagining of open-air fish markets in the Philippines where customers handpick their ingredients and choose what style of cuisine they want.

In this version, customers donated ingredients as their admission to select gallery activities. The object was to create a communal pantry where dishes were created and served at the closing event. An online inventory and menu was updated throughout the exhibition.

MASARAP: Opening Party on Thursday, 8/23/2018

DJ sets by Buskko and Greem Jellyfish

Comfort Nuggets by Frank Demarco

MASARAP: Indie Game Night on Saturday 8/25/2018

8pm DJ set by Business Pastel

Featuring these games:

• RAD CHEF by Nick Santaniello

• NOUR by Terrifying Jellyfish

• you should eat breakfast by npckc

MASARAP: Board Game Night on Sunday 8/26/2018

Games: Guts of Glory, Morels, Candyland, Flapjacks & Sasquatches, Bad Medicine, and Sushi Go. Thanks to Kickstarter for lending us a few copies!

MASARAP: Comfort Food Roundtable & Potluck on Friday 8/31/2018

A potluck and roundtable discussion about comfort food through the eyes of chefs and media makers. We delved into why we crave what we crave through all five senses. 

Moderated by Jenn de la Vega and featuring Simon Keough of Put A Egg On It, Wenjay Ying of Local Roots, Isha Aran, and Carol Benovic-Bradley.

MASARAP: Sutukil Dinner on Saturday 9/1/2018

A sit-down dinner focusing on the parts of Filipino sutukil style of cooking: sagwa for grilled, tuwa for stewed and kilaw for raw. Includes 3 courses and 1 refreshment.

Sutukil is the familiar practice of choosing the food you are about to eat and the different ways it can be prepared for you. It’s like when you go to a restaurant and point at a fish in the tank that you’d like to eat. 

MASARAP: Closing Party & Kamayan on Sunday 9/2/2018

All the ingredients that were donated to the Dampa project were cooked and arranged in a giant banana-leaf lined grazing table where you can only eat with your hands.

Installations on view:

KUMMERSPECK translates to ‘grief bacon.’ These soft breakfast items were created to bring comfort and relief. They can be touched and rearranged any which way on its blue plate.  Please take off your shoes when engaging with his meal.

BLUE PLATE is a dinner table where people can sit down and ‘feast’ with their eyes on various food porn projected onto plates.

For all future events, you can follow my Facebook page or check my website.

THE BIG EGG SALAD (2017)

In 2017, I collaborated with the imaginative Thu Tran on THE BIG EGG SALAD. Our part class, part participatory salad.was hosted at Babycastles Gallery.

It started with a lesson about sous vide with GIFs by Thu. I walked the audience through our recipe for sous vide egg croutons for a large salad we would eat together afterward. 

We brought edible tortilla bowls to reduce waste. We served chopped romaine, cucumber and a pickle-based dressing for our salad.

Static slides are viewable here.

Get the recipe for sous vide egg croutons.

If you'd like to host a BIG EGG SALAD, please email me!

Ernest Hemingway's Burger, My Way

I had been eyeing Ernest Hemingway's burger recipe in The Paris Review for a long time. It had so many moving parts, it was was a concerted effort to make India relish, Mei Yen and Beau Monde at home. If it helps, Mei Yen is basically salt, sugar and MSG. If you don’t prefer to use MSG, substitute a half teaspoon of miso paste. India relish and Beau Monde are available in ready to buy jars at specialty stores. I also learned that Beau Monde and Old Bay have a similar structure (except for paprika).

Photo by Hanna Elise Furey

I absolutely loved that this burger was jeweled with capers. I was worried about the chunky India Relish but because it was pre-cooked, it wasn’t disruptive in the silky bite. 

Photo by Hanna Elise Furey

Photos by Hanna Elise Furey, GIF by me

I dressed this complex burger with whey ketchup, red onion, butter lettuce, jack cheese and fresh meyer lemon mayo all piled on a squishy potato bun. You can grab the recipe for the mayo in my cookbook.

Get the recipe for Ernest Hemingway's burger from The Paris Review.

#MadewithLocalRoots: Mustard Crust Fingerling Potatoes

I learned an invaluable brunch trick from my time at Home/Made. Their potatoes are tossed in mustard and a variety of herbs before roasting to a crisp. I’ve come up with an easy version that uses up leftover salsa or the bottom of a hot sauce bottle. Serve hot or let it cool for a tangy potato salad for your next cook out.

Things you'll need:
1 pound fingerling potato, split lengthwise 1/2 cup mustard 1/4 cup salsa or hot sauce 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled	1/2 pound arugula 1/4 cup olive oil Salt Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the mustard, salsa and oil in a small mixing bowl. Toss in the potatoes and coat well. Lay the potatoes out in a single layer, cut side down on a baking sheet.

Generously salt and pepper the potatoes. Roast them in the oven for 45 minutes and up to an hour and a half, until their tops and undersides are browned. The mustard should have bubbled off and formed a crust on each potato.

BEFORE

AFTER

While you wait, toss the arugula with a spoonful of leftover mustard mix. Place in a serving bowl.

When the potatoes are done, pick out the garlic cloves and peel them (or keep them on to make it a game for your guests! Haha!).. Real talk: depending on if your guests like garlic, leave them whole or chop it up and sprinkle over the bowl.

Place the hot potatoes over the dressed arugula, so they wilt.

View fullsize

Tried it? Let me know how yours turns out by tweeting to @Randwiches.

Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes with Spicy Radish Microgreens

I love heirloom tomatoes that get so ripe that they practically burst when you cut into them. This dish can sit out all morning during brunch and gets better with every minute. Lay a slice onto toast, have a bit between bites of fatty cheese or bacon. Radish microgreens add a bit of spice and crunch to an otherwise squishy dish.

To make a wonderful dip for toast, add olive oil to the vinegar collecting at the bottom of the bowl after you've eaten all the tomatoes.

Things you'll need:
2 heirloom tomatoes 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup microgreen, radish or basil	Salt Pepper Optional: Olive oil

1. Cut the tomatoes into thick slices.

2. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

3. Toss in the microgreens.

Did you try it? Let me know by tagging @Randwiches on social,.

#MadewithLocalRoots: Fresh as Hell Vegan Burgers

One way to use up all the leftover winter vegetables in the drawer is to grind them up into burgers! Drawing on the idea of kibbeh, I fold in whole grains of cooked einkorn. Substitute it with any hearty grain like rye berry, medina berry, brown rice, or barley. I call on millet flour and breadcrumb to pull this mix together. Don't be fooled into manhandling these healthy-looking pucks, they are still quite delicate. Beets can take the place of turnips and feel free to use any fresh herb that you have on hand. If you haven't any millet, all-purpose flour works just as well. Instead of poppy seed, you can also use sesame, sunflower or seed mix of your choice.

My favorite way to eat these is not vegan. Try a mix of garlic yogurt and a chermoula (both found in my cookbook!). Or treat them as lovingly as you would your favorite burger.

Things you'll need:
10 small turnips 4 cloves garlic 2 cups pac choi 1 cup kale 1 cup mint 1 large carrot 1 tsp sumac	2 tablespoons millet flour 1 tsp poppy seed 1 cup cooked einkorn 3 cups bread crumbs 1 teaspoon salt Vegetable oil Optional: burger fixin’s like buns, lettuce, tomato, onion

Working in batches, break down the turnip, garlic, pac choi, kale, carrot, and mint in a food processor. Fold the vegetables together in a bowl. Mix in the sumac, millet flour, poppy seed, einkorn, bread crumbs and salt.

With clean hands, pack together 12 fat vegetable patties. Make sure the sides don’t crack.

Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Add a swish of vegetable oil to coat the bottom. Fry each patty for 4 minutes on each side. Halfway through frying, you may need to add another glug of vegetable oil to the pan.

What do you like on your burger? Let me know on Twitter.

A Vegetarian Table: Kale Salad with Everything Bagel Chips

Photo by Sarah Levine.

Learning about SCRATCH Bread’s vegetarian caesar dressing changed my world. I’ve been whipping tofu like no other these days. For the full recipe, buy a copy of Put A Egg On It issue 8.

Once you get that super secret dressing down, you massage it into shredded kale. Arrange it with sliced avocado and a soft boiled egg. I sliced an everything bagel thinly and dried it until it was chippy. What does that mean? I kept the oven at its lowest temperature, 170 degrees F in my case, and cracked the door open with a wooden spoon for an hour or two.

Right before we took this photo (left) I forgot to put the avocado in there and my fingers were messing up the slice I was holding, gah, what to do? Where to put it? And then it clicked, put the egg in the pit divot. Done!

Photo by Sarah Levine.

How do you like your kale? Let me know by tweeting to @Randwiches.

This is part of "A Vegetarian Table" menu shot by Sarah Levine.

Dip Your Veg into Versatile (and Addictive!) Bagna Cauda

Bagna Cauda is another way to enjoy crudites and fondue.  It is a flavor bomb of anchovy, garlic, spicy red pepper, olive oil, and butter.  You can also drizzle it on eggs, toss fresh pasta in it, and dunk bread in it. The lemon wash on the vegetables not only cuts the fatty taste but it helps keep them from browning.

I first learned about this magical Piemontese dip from a sidebar in Steve Jenkins' Cheese Primer, 

"This appetizer takes its name from bagno caldo, Italian for 'hot bath'. "

Things you'll need:
2 anchovy fillets 2 garlic cloves 1/3 cup olive oil 4 tablespoons butter	2 teaspoons red pepper flake ½ lemon 1/2 pound crudites like carrots, celery, radish, green beans, broccoli or any vegetable you’d like to eat raw 1-2 slices of rustic bread or pretzels

1. Cut the vegetables into sticks or smaller dipping sizes, leave rough leaves like kale or chard whole.

2. Squeeze the half lemon into a bowl of ice-cold water and let the vegetables rest in it until you are ready to eat.

3. In a small saucepan, crush the anchovy and garlic together with a spoon. Turn the heat up to medium and add the olive oil. Heat up the mixture enough for it to bubble and then reduce it to low heat. Add the butter and red pepper. Avoid browning the garlic!

4. Transfer to a fondue pot or small bowl with a dishtowel wrapped around the bottom to keep it warm.

5. Drain and pat dry the vegetables before serving.

Let me know what you think of it! I can't stop.