Chia seeds are nutritionally dense and will thicken any liquid you add them to, yielding a tapioca-like texture with a mildly sweet flavor.
This recipe is intended for breakfast, but if you add cubed, baked apples and a cinnamon stick, it can be an elegant vegan dessert for the holidays. For a post-Thanksgiving breakfast, replace blueberry jam with cranberry orange sauce, and top with a few plump cranberries—it is a family favorite that also works as a lovely vegan dessert for the holidays.
You can use either black or white chia seeds, or a mix. The pudding will continue to thicken as it sits, and you can easily thin it out to taste with a little more water or coconut water before serving.
Summer is winding down too quickly, as it always does, and I find myself trying to hold on to every last bit of what remains. The Hamptons is a place, a space, and an echo all at once. It’s peaceful, medicinal, and sometimes wild and chaotic like the sea that draws us to these hamlets.
Sweet, buttery corn and luscious fruits evoke smiles and thoughts of beach parties and backyard gatherings. These are flavors I want to hold on to for a little while longer.
Blackberries grow wild on my property and there’s nothing more delicious than a sun-ripened berry right off the bush. I harvest as much as I can, eating them out of hand, presenting them warm and freshly picked on the breakfast table. Here, I share my recipe for blackberry jam, a simple way to hold on to the flavors and feelings of summer.
In Spain, gazpacho is served icy cold, in frosted glasses or chilled tumblers. The perfect soup when it is too hot to eat, and your body is craving something nourishing, cold, and salty. Typically, an emulsion of red tomatoes, pale green cucumbers, and golden olive oil, it is an easy preparation that comes together quickly in a blender. Oftentimes, this refreshing soup is topped with bits of stale bread. Variations can include onion, bell peppers, garlic, vinegar, and smoked sweet paprika (in the Northern regions), and toppings may contain almonds, grapes or chopped vegetables.
In Palm Beach and the Hamptons, I have encountered several creative variations on the theme, some of which may make an Andalusian cringe. Having grown up in New York, I always appreciate a dish that melds cultural tastes—concepts from one region combined with the flavors of another, using the fresh ingredients grown locally—like the Green Gazpacho soup featured in Hamptons Entertaining.
The gifted, Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, Sarah Patricola, created this easy-to-make Melon Gazpacho for me and my family. We tasted it for the first time during our winter holiday in Hawaii, on a particularly hot evening, and we welcomed the refreshing, flavorful soup with requests for second helpings—a sure sign of a winning recipe.
Kimchi, a traditional side dish in Korean cuisine, is a combination of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish, made with a widely varying selection of seasonings and a variety of spices. I first tasted kimchi when my brother’s then-girlfriend would come to our home for dinner. She would always bring a big jar of her mother’s homemade, super spicy, kimchi. With its perfectly subtle crunch, umami, sour, and piquant flavors, I fell in love with this dish immediately.
Back then, very few non-Koreans were enjoying kimchi and it was difficult to find. Now, most Americans are aware of its potential health benefits. According to Harvard, “Probiotic foods contain live helpful bacteria…” and kimchi is high on the list of those thought to support a healthy microbiome, which plays a key role in immune function. It is no wonder kimchi has been enjoying a renaissance during these pandemic times.
It was the team at foodtrainers that encouraged me to reintroduce kimchi to my diet, and I have been adding it on as a side dish, layering pieces in my salmon bowl, or simply enjoying it as an afternoon snack.
Recently, chef Sarah Patricolo, created this delicious dressing as a way of getting even more kimchi into my diet. Easy to make, this dressing adds an incredible burst of flavor to any salad, and pairs especially well with Castelvetrano olives. Our favorite brand is Mother in Law’s Kimchi, a crowd-pleaser, available in original and vegan versions.
Also known as Japanese mint or perilla, shiso is a bright maple-leaf-shaped herb often served with sashimi or sliced into ribbons and added to rice. It has a memorable, captivating flavor. A member of the mint family, this tasty leaf can impart flavors of basil, cinnamon, and anise.
This summer I decided to grow shiso in my garden—it is Fall and the plants are still happy and bountiful. I have been adding shiso leaves to salads and summer rolls, using them for garnish, and making teas.
While visiting Japan, I enjoyed shiso tea for the first time—leaves added to hot water, made like a mint tea, and believed to contain antioxidants, as well as anti-inflammatory and allergy-fighting properties. It is thought to help strengthen the immune system and improve the health of your skin. I love the flavor of shiso and found it fascinating to learn that shiso oil is an herb-based alternative to fish oil, as it can provide omega-3 fatty acids.
One of my favorite discoveries this summer was the Shiso Mojito—just swap mint for shiso and rum for vodka, add the flavor of yuzu and you have a fabulous, exotic summer cocktail! Shiso can pair with a wide range of spirits and be used to either flavor the drink or simply add a bright and refreshing aroma when used as a garnish.
If you’re planning a dinner with any variety of Japanese dishes, this is a great welcome drink to serve your guests. For cocktail hour, I love the wonderful burst of flavor this drink adds when paired with pickled plums and wasabi peas. Here in the Hamptons, I found everything I needed for a Japanese inspired cocktail hour at Hen of the Woods.
