Green Tea Ice Cream Recipe

As I mentioned at the beginning of the summer, my husband Lulu decided to leave the ice cream maker on the kitchen counter to encourage us to make good use of the machine. School has started and I bet the weather is going to get cooler, so I decided to get one more use out of it before storing it away until next season.

We are huge fans of tea. Whether it's for crème brulées, cookies or making Arnold Palmers, my family just can’t get enough. I've made Earl Grey ice cream this summer and I thought it would be fun to make another ice cream out of matcha green tea.

I love combining matcha with black sesame; I think the flavors go perfectly together. So I decided to serve the scoop of ice cream with warm black sesame sauce. Aunt Danielle just introduced me to an instant black sesame product that tastes really great. I've been making my own black sesame sauce from scratch but this version saves a lot of time. The warm black sesame sauce against the cold ice cream is reminiscent of the same temperature contrast for chocolate lava cake and ice cream, which is very pleasant.

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Confessions of a Las Vegas Chef

I’ve been to Las Vegas several times over the past 10 years. It’s close enough to the Bay Area that we get out there quite often. We’re not gamblers, but my husband Lulu and I definitely enjoy the food. Whether it’s the Bellagio Buffet or one of the many fine dining restaurants on the strip, finding great food is one of the safest bets in the city. I thought it would be fun to speak to a Vegas chef to learn about what goes on behind the scenes. To that end, I recently interviewed Chef Pawan Pinisetti, who is a chef at a fine dining restaurant in Las Vegas. We can’t mention the name of the establishment he works for, but I can tell you it’s a very popular and high-end restaurant. Anyway, isn’t it fitting for a website called “Pham Fatale” (femme fatale) to engage in a little clandestine activity from time to time? I hope you enjoy the "intel" I was able to gather!
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Harissa Recipe Provided by Chef Pawan Pinisetti

This recipe was provided by Chef Pawan Pinisetti. To learn more about the life of a chef in Vegas, check out his interview (click on the link to view):

"Here's a recipe of one of my favorite accompaniments when I'm eating Mediterranean food. This is a recipe I learned when I was in school (Culinary Institute of America, New York) and I've held onto it ever since. Hope you try it out and enjoy it as well.

Harissa, a spicy red chili paste, popular throughout the Maghreb, was created long after Islam occupied the Iberian Peninsula. Not until the 16^th century and well after the discovery of the New World, did the rest of the Mediterranean accept the pepper as an edible and flavorful ingredient."

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Indian Salsa: Kachumber Recipe (Chop Chop Salad)

Indian meals are typically composed of a starch such as basmati rice or flat breads (naan, roti, paratha), a meat dish (or fish), a lentil dish such as kali dal,  crudité-style vegetables such as horseradish and cucumbers, raita, and of course kachumber.

So, you ask, what is kachumber? Kachumber, also spelled cachumbar or kachumbar, is often referred to as "chop chop salad". It's a blend of onions, chiles and raw vegetables with lemon juice and other spices. It looks very similar to regular salsa but with a lot more onions and a lot more heat. For regular salsa, there’s usually a tomato base, whereas in the Indian version, onion and lemon form the base of the flavor. It’s wonderfully refreshing, and really cuts through the heaviness of Indian dishes.

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Deconstructed S'mores Recipe (Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert Cups)

S'mores are a classic campfire dessert. Generally, only chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers are necessary for this American treat. As a French person, nothing symbolizes American desserts more than peanut butter, so I had to add some to the dish.

This summer we decided to make use of a little outdoor fireplace on our property (we've been in this home for 6 years; I know we're pretty slow). We spent so many evenings roasting marshmallows and telling scary stories.

I noticed the girls would smear chocolate everywhere, which makes the laundry not so fun. So I served these desserts in verrines (dessert cups). I don't know if making deconstructed s'mores reduced our laundry chores, but it tasted amazing!

*The dessert was inspired by Chef Catherine Schimenti (Chef Michael Mina's pastry chef), which was served during the Sugar Party at SFChefs 2010.

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