april - may 2011

Yay - its spring and we are up and running with the café again. Now you can enjoy our basil limeade any day - just drop by and have a glass or pick up our antique style capped bottle for your martinis. When you bring the bottle back for a refill we will give you a 50% discount on it!

don't forget - our pop up cafe is now open!

We're back in baking mode! We made some beautiful coconut layer cakes, light & fluffy just like Spring! We've been garnishing all our sweet treats with some pretty little organic flowers from one of our favourite local suppliers, fresh origins .

Of course we will be experimenting with new flavours and creating some fresh foodink classics this season. We featured classic sliders combo plate for our kick off tax day special, that ran out the door almost as fast at everyone trying to get to the post office before midnight. Mother’s Day was jewel coloured macaroon boxes & white peach & agave bellini infusion packages – memorial day DIY bbq-pax are coming soon!

Next week we will be featuring some of favorite Mediterranean flat bread pizza flavours, a favourite from downunder where the base is a slightly thinner yet chewier crust than the average Italian pie and topped with unusual mixes such as lamb with feta & eggplant jam or a thai chicken. if you have any suggestions, let us know on our facebook page!

event diary

Last week was another successful night at Burberry; we showcased a new English style appetizer which was our modern take on the old tradition of roast lamb with mint sauce . We did a lovely roasted fillet of Colorado lamb with a mint crostini, watercress mousse and micro cress salad & of course it was a hit !! We followed that up with fashion bites at Chanel for a variety of lunches & dinners celebrating their luxury custom handbag line (where they had sample handbags worth $45,000!). Our favourite new tray passed bites is the grapefruit dusted macaroon with duck foie gras & quince membrillo paste – or was it the arancini tuna tartare cake with the rare ingredient of Sardinian truffled dwarf peaches? See our photos below & let us know which one you think is the tastiest looking!

figfest competition!

Looking ahead we are ever so excited to see the stone fruit season just around the corner so we are building them into our menus everywhere we can, though it is so hard to wait until they are at their best . The Dunsmuir fig tree is getting prepped for another bumper crop so we are getting geared up for our fig jam production. The baby green buds have appeared….we’re taking bets on when that first picking day occurs. I’ve reviewed our fig-almanac and mine is going to be July 23. Put in your date picks on our facebook page & the winner will receive a free cheese platter for 6 people along with a French jar of our famous organic fig jam! Open your calendars….!

Happy eating –

Emma, Kate & the foodink team

Holiday Platters @ foodink's catering counter!

Just in time for the busiest weekends of the year, we've opened up our catering counter for those about to party...and need some help! Gorgeous to look at and delicious to taste - stop by for all your entertaining needs. We've got party platters ready to go, elixir & infusions for your bar, edible holiday decor & hostess gifts, all in one convenient location! From Friday December 10 to Friday December 24, when we will be merry with some Champagne for our customers! Happy Holidays all from our kitchen to yours!

Friday Turkey Ideas!

You've slept well, gotten up & braved the Black Friday Crowds...and are now back home, starving & ready to chow down on the left overs! If you didn't order from us this year (and thus didn't get our Turkey Leftover Postcard tucked into your order), here's some ideas we have brainstormed for you - from breakfast through to the end of the day! All super easy, no real recipes needed - just follow the concepts & enjoy it either way!

black friday ideas for your turkey!

Turkey Chiliaquiles (breakfast!) – dice up turkey, slice up tortillas into strips, add onion & peppers, then scramble a couple of eggs over the top – garnish with cilantro & salsa!

Stuffing Hash - fry off the stuffing in a little olive oil or butter, add herbs & shred turkey bits; top with a poached egg & chives.

Breakfast Cranberry Pastries : put some cranberry sauce in the middle of a 3" puff pastry square; fold edges over (rustic works) to meet each corner in the middle. Brush with egg wash & sprinkle with turbinado sugar, bake in 400 oven centre rack.

Next day turkey sandwiches : lay slices of turkey, smidge of gravy, some cheese on bread, toast in the oven

Turkey roti wraps : mix some curry paste with plain yoghurt & lime zest, add in turkey, spread on a tortilla or roti wrap & add lettuce, roll up!

turkey bahn mi on a crisp baguette : Vietnamese turkey sandwich with a chili-lime dressing

Turkey pot pies topped with puff pastry – use the gravy to keep it moist

Shepherds pie topped with two potato topping : similar to the pot pie, but use your left over mash & sweet potato to top off!

Turkey paella : add in your diced vegetables to cooked rice, season with a dash of stock or wine

Asian turkey noodle soup : start with a ginger & herb base, dice in your turkey & veg; add stock to volumise

Crisp potato pancakes – mix mash potatoes with egg & breadcrumbs, seasonings & perhaps some cheese! Griddle like a pancake, top with turkey & gravy

Cranberry sorbet – put leftover cranberry jelly in a food processer, add in a little wine or champagne, process until smoother & less jelly like: freeze in plastic

Thanksgiving Prep!

All is happening here at foodink - the chef team has been in since before the coffee was brewed, sorting through a mound of fresh produce from our suppliers, WorldWide Produce, Harvey Guss meats & Chefs Warehouse. Thanks to our fabulous customer service reps, who have responded to last minute requests, additions & changes with good humour (Teri, Harvey & Janice). For the last few days we've been underneath boxes on top of boxes, and we only just made space post our holiday cookie project! Attached are some of the great shots from the week of cookies to the beginning of our prep for next Thursday. We're opening the store front on Tuesday for those who want to stop in for last minute Thanksgiving things - extra stuffing, deep dish apple pies with calvados sauce, meyer lemon tartletts, chocolate pecan pies (even vegan versions!) plus some wonderful fall squash soup & faro salad. We hope to see you!

Wine for Turkey, Pies & beyond

It's always the agony of choice for me, deciding what wine to put with our meals -- there are so many great options out there, and I'm learning about a new varietal or vintage or vineyard every event we do! We have some especially knowledgeable clients & they've taught us some great yet unexpected pairings over the years.

Given the timbre of the times, a lot of our clients have asked about a couple of go-to wine choices that would suit the entire turkey meal if possible - did we know of any good ones reasonably priced? We reached out to a couple of our favourite wine peeps - Dave over at John & Pete's on La Cienega & Lucian Fick, who helps us curate wine pairing dinners for parties. Here are some of our picks & theirs - all available locally & at reasonable pricing for a crowd! Enjoy!

Our Executive Chef Emma's suggestions & picks....(read with a "kiwaus" accent!)

Pinot noir is always a good choice for a large holiday meal as there are so many competing flavours, you need something versatile. Australian Rieslings or an American Rhone style blend are also great, especially if you are adding other meats to the meal. Try the Paso Robles wines for a locavore touch to your meal. I also always recommend a Martinbough Pinot from New Zealand!

For pumpkin pie 2005 Quady Winery Electra Orange Muscat - spices hit the right notes & blend without being overly sweet on the finish."

Dave Griffith & Pete Burra, from John & Petes Liquor on La Cienega in West Hollywood (a great full service liquor caterer, from olives to nuts to glassware & ice, they deliver it all!) have suggested the following wines that they have on the shelf at the moment:

"For your Turkey : the Inception Central Coast Pinot Noir $20. We also love the Qupe Bien Nacido Cuvee Viognier Chardonnay blend, great value @ $20. Both will appeal to those at your table who are fussy about only drinking red wine with meat or white wine with white poultry!

To pick up the grassy notes in the green beans and other green vegetables : Crios Torrentes White Argentine wine $14. Great New World wine .

Chocolate Pecan Pie - needs a more complex flavour to linger with : try the Niepoort late bottled vintage Port $25

And for your apple pie : Saracco Moscato d’Asti $16 - stands up to spices & cream!"

And from Lucian, who's also the Head Wine Buyer for Wholefoods in Beverly Hills on Crescent Drive:


"Thanksgiving fare begs for red wines that are fruity, softer, bright and less tannic. So, when in doubt, go with Pinot Noir. Another inspired choice is Beaujolais made from the Gamay Noir grape. These two wines, both of which exhibit subtle notes of earth, sweet fruit, and spice, offer a generous mid-palate mouth-feel, and are a perfect foil for the holiday table.
 My suggestions for great value are also stocked at our Wholefoods store - I look forward to chatting with our customers about their wine & food choices!

Castlerock Pinot Noir. Regular price $13.99, on sale $9.99

Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages 2009 $13.99"

Whichever wines you choose, we're sure you'll have a tasty Thanksgiving & wish you & your families all the best for the Holiday Eating!

Kate & the FoodInk Team

Coriz Family Thanksgiving

Coriz Family Thanksgiving

As some of you know, my family is native American but I’m a Kiwi from Australia! In an effort to reach across the great cultural canvas that is our family we do celebrate with a traditional family meal . This year I am going to attempt to reach into the heritage of the New Mexico region ( location of the pueblo homes of the Santa Domingo people) and try doing some different side dishes with my roasted turkey - which given the restraints of my somewhat picky children, I do have to keep a little less flashy! I am going to start with mini Navajo fry bread appetizers, topped with a corn and lime salsa, which will look too tempting for them to say no!

Then for the sides : new mexico red beans, grilled blue corn and cactus salad, and dry-baked yams. Maybe I’ll even mix up our traditional New Zealand style turkey by making a green mole sauce for it and a nice poblano chilli based rub !

For dessert I have been musing over a few options, but haven’t decided yet due to all the busy-ness at foodink’s kitchen but I was thinking of using a corn custard as a base, or going the flan route... maybe a sweet corn tart topped with a pine nut crumble? I’ll let you know & post up some recipes once we get through the madness of our Gourmet2Go pick up day! You can see the photo of me looking at the Thanksgiving orders on our "menu wall", as well as some of my kids Jai & Jazzy, helping me out with some holiday baking.

Don’t forget to call us to place your Thanksgiving-to-go Orders – we are getting super busy & this year are offering a curb-side pick up that we know will help all our clients get to their final tukey destination a lot faster!

Yo-Gobble-Gobble!

We're getting excited about Turkey Time. We've already checked in with our butcher, the fabulous Harvey Gussman, of Harvey Guss Meats in Miracle Mile. The Willie Bird turkeys are all doing well & on their way to us! For those who are not partaking of the bird, we have created some amazing vegetarian & vegan dishes to taste this year, as well as new salads & desserts. Exec Chef Em is going to start working on our stock for the jus, and we have begun our baking program! Below is a recipe for Emma's newest favourite dish on our Gourmet2Go menu for 2010, Candied Yams with Ginger Marshmallows. If you don't use all the marshmallows, they make great take home treats for your guests!

Next up for me is pumpkin & gourd & squash - I love them all. As it starts to get colder, I begin to crave pumpkin risottos with crispy sage leaf & shaved parmesan....I'm going to experiment with some heirloom varietals this year & I will let you know which one ended up my favourite - and the one I am most thankful for!

Let us know your Thanksgiving Questions - the things that you need to trouble shoot & we'll have a few tips going up over the next 23 days, as we begin the march towards Thursday 25! Call us today to place your Gourmet2Go order & you might even be rewarded with a special gift!

Candied Garnet Yams with Ginger Marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (convection) 400 degrees (normal)

Peel 3 large garnet yams cut into cubes, toss in light olive oil, sea salt, white pepper, brown sugar & ginger powder.

Spray shallow baking dish & put yams in one layer. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until just fork tender & remove from oven. At this point you can leave ready to finish, or do the night before and store covered in the fridge.

30 minutes before serving, bring to room temp. Add marshmallows cut into cubes, scattered across top of yams & mixed through. Bake in high oven for no more than 3-5 minutes to glaze. Serve immediately . Serves 6 -8 ppl approximately!

Ginger marshmallow recipe

2 Tbsp gelatin

½ cup water

2 cups sugar

1 cup

1tsp vanilla

To Dust:

½ cup powdered sugar

2 tsp powdered ginger

Method:

Combine gelatin and first measure of water.

Swell for 10 minutes.

Heat second measure of water and sugar, dissolve gelatin over hot water, pour into sugar mix and boil. Boil steadily for 15 minutes cool until lukewarm and beat until thick and white.

Mix powdered sugar and ginger together.

Line sheet tray with cling film and dust with ¼ powdered sugar and ginger mix .Pour marshmallow in to tray to set, sprinkle with another ¼ of sugar /ginger mix . Leave at room temperature when dry completely cut into desired size and then toss in the remaining gingererd sugar

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