Michael Mina at Home (Interview)

I recently met Chef Michael Mina for the first time at a SF Chefs 2010 event. He spoke on a panel aptly titled “A View from the Top”. I had heard a lot about Chef Mina’s work in the past, and given his resume, I was a bit nervous to approach him afterward. After all, this is a man who has earned two Michelin stars, won the coveted James Beard Award and owns numerous restaurants across the country. One might imagine that a person with such an amazing list of accomplishments would be an intimidating and imposing figure, but when I approached him, he immediately made me feel at ease with his natural charm and kindness. Because of his busy schedule, I was ecstatic and very thankful that Chef Mina accepted to take time to answer a few questions. This isn’t the first time he has been interviewed, so I thought it would be fun to focus on the role food plays in his personal life.
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Michael Mina's Butterscotch Pudding (Vol Au Vent Pastry Recipe)

I was browsing through Chef Michael Mina's recipes, looking for one to post alongside the interview, and I stopped on butterscotch pudding. My husband Lulu loves anything butterscotch and I thought it would be a nice treat for him. I didn’t want to serve the pudding by itself in a bowl, and after going through several options in my head (I thought of creating chocolate cups or tart shells), I decided to make a quick puff pastry dough and baked it as a "vol au vent".

I filled the puff pastry with Chef Mina’s butterscotch pudding and sprinkled a little powdered sugar over them. To make the flavors more complex, I sautéed a medley of dried fruits and pistachios in butter and added a splash of rose water. If I had time to do butterscotch three ways, a la Chef Mina, I would also have made a stack of mini crêpes layered with butterscotch cream  and a butterscotch crème brulée. You won’t go wrong with any of these dishes.

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Indian Sweets from Hyderabad

Family friends from Hyderabad (India) came to visit us last weekend. They brought with them delicious specialties from Lulu's father's hometown. They're called "fruit biscuits". The texture is crumbly, just like a shortbread cookie with a strong rose flavor and a variety of dried fruits.
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Fruit Chaat Recipe (Indian Spicy Fruit Salad)

Contrary to what one would think, fruit chaat is not your average fruit salad, and it's not served as a dessert. It's a savory snack. Several types of fruits are chopped up and mixed together, then seasoned with Indian spices such as chili powder, ground cumin and salt. For fruit chaat, bananas and oranges are a must; today I also added apples, grapes, apricots and mangoes, but you could combine any other fruits that are in season.

The first time I tasted it, my brain was expecting sweet flavors but my palate kept getting a savory signal. The subtle spiciness and tanginess with hints of cumin makes the dish very tasty. Next time you have a dinner party, this dish could make a perfect, and addition to your menu.

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Speculoos Spread Cookie Tartlet Recipe

I recently received a jar of speculoos spread from a company called Tamarin. I first saw these new speculoos "pâte a tartiner" jars during my last trip to Paris. Our family loves Nutella and peanut butter, so I couldn't wait to develop a new dessert around this product. The thick spread is based on speculoos, which are specialty shortcrust cookies that originally were baked traditionally for consumption on St. Nicholas' Eve. They originated from the North of France and Belgium (also known as "speculaas" in Dutch) and often are shaped with an image stamp depicting the story of St. Nicholas. The main spices for the thin, crunchy, slightly brown cookie are cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, cardamom, nutmeg and white pepper. The cookies are so delicious that they're available year 'round in France.

I made a cookie dough using the same spices as for speculoos cookies but instead of making shortcrust, I used it as a base and created a cookie tartlet. As soon as the shells come out from the oven, I pressed the center of the cookie to create a cavity so I could insert a creamy spread of speculoos inside. The result was fantastic. I’ll play around with the product more and post additional recipes, so stay tuned. Thanks, Tamarin!

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