10.12.2010

TASTE WITH THE EYES has a New Home



Please visit at the new site:
TasteWithTheEyes.com

Taste With The Eyes moved in February 2010, but I recently removed the redirect so old links could be accessed.

quesadillas florales


quesadillas florales



edible flowers and herbs harvested from my garden this morning


rose, geranium, lavender, day lily, marigold, mint



Once again I turn to John Sedlar for inspiration. After a most enchanting lunch at his restaurant Rivera in downtown Los Angeles, we fell head-over-heels for his Modern Southwest Cuisine. The chef serves tortillas florales with "indian butter," a spread made from avocado. Here, I take his idea to embed flowers into the masa and make decorated quesadillas filled with brie.


making tortillas



2 c. corn masa flour
maiz seleccionado y nixtamalizado
(selected corn treated with lime)



sprinkle 1/4 t. sea salt



add 1 1/4 c. water, mix thoroughly to form a soft dough



form masa into a ball



cover masa with damp cloth, let rest 5 minutes



take a piece of dough



roll between the palms to form a ball



cover masa balls with a damp cloth to keep moist



tortilla press



place a sheet of plastic wrap on the press, place one ball in the center, cover with another sheet of wrap
close lid and press down on lever



open lid, remove top layer of wrap


decorating tortillas



rose and marigold



rose, geranium and lavender



rose and mint



after placing the decoration, re-cover the tortilla with wrap, apply the press again



leave tortillas in individual wrappers until ready to cook


making quesadillas



slice brie, remove most of the rind



heat an ungreased skillet or comal over medium-high heat


add tortilla to the pan, cook about 5o seconds on each side



keep tortillas warm between folds of cloth napkins



cook plain tortillas, top with slices of brie



when brie starts to melt, top with a decorated tortilla



slice quesadillas into quarters



pour refreshing beverages
and serve quesadillas florales!



Project Food Blog



Competition Overview


  • Project Food Blog is the first-ever interactive competition where thousands of Foodbuzz Featured Publishers are competing in a series of culinary blogging challenges for the chance to advance and a shot at the ultimate prize: $10,000 and a special feature on Foodbuzz.com for one year.

  • Voting for entries on the first challenge will kick off September 20th, and contestants will be whittled down over the next 12 weeks via exciting challenges related to food blogging.

  • Entries are voted on by Foodbuzz Featured Publisher peers and rated by our panel of judges including: Dana Cowin, Editor-in-Chief of FOOD & WINE Magazine; Nancy Silverton, Founder La Brea Bakery, Co-owner Mozza; Pim Techamuanvivit, Author of ChezPim.com and The Foodie Handbook

  • Winners advance to the next challenge, including one lucky Reader's Choice winner who earns auto advancement to the next challenge (solely based on Reader votes; not applicable in the final round).

  • Join the fun! Follow Project Food Blog for contest updates and help us discover the next Food Blog Star!


(from Foodbuzz.com here)

Challenge #4: Picture Perfect


Challenge Prompt: Sure, you can take a pretty picture. But your task here is to go above and beyond and use photography to create a step-by-step, instructional photo tutorial. It could be anything from how to bone a chicken to how to make your favorite recipe, but your photos need to guide the reader through the steps.


UPDATE:

Votes may be cast now through Oct. 14th. If you are a fan of quesadillas florales, please vote here! Muchas Gracias!