Monthly Archives: October 2022

Give It Up For Spiced Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

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Cinnamon rolls get extra delicious with the addition of pumpkin in the dough.
Cinnamon rolls get extra delicious with the addition of pumpkin in the dough.

Now’s the time for a boatload of cinnamon rolls warm from the oven.

Not just any ol’ kind, but ones made moister and more golden in color with pureed pumpkin, and even more delectable with pumpkin pie-like spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

That’s exactly what you’ll get with this recipe for “Spiced Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls,” which makes 20 — yes! — palm-sized, swirly cinnamon rolls slathered with fluffy cream cheese icing.

Get your mixing bowls out now, and thank me later for turning you on to this recipe that’s simply made for this time of year.

It’s from the new cookbook, “The Shared Kitchen” (Smith Street Books), of which I received a review copy.

Written by Clare Scrine, an Australian food writer, it features 80 vegetarian and vegan recipes that by no means will leave you feeling deprived in any way.

Not when the selection includes the likes of “Luxe Potato, Apple & Fennel Bake,” “Spicy Capsicum & Artichoke Pesto with Hand-Rolled Pasta,” “A Big Moussaka,” and “Lemon & Rosemary Cake with Mascarpone Cream.”

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It’s The Great Pumpkin (Curry)

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Pumpkin gets spiced up for the season.
Pumpkin gets spiced up for the season.

We can’t help but get smitten with all things pumpkin at this time of year.

We make no secret, either, of tending to veer to the sweet side, with pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, and even pumpkin lattes (which, of course, has no pumpkin in it at all).

However, the savory flip side shouldn’t be relegated to second fiddle.

Not when it means indulging in something savory and sweet, plus spiced and spicy like “Pumpkin Curry.”

A Sugar Pie pumpkin stars in this dish.
A Sugar Pie pumpkin stars in this dish.

This hearty, warming dish is from “Plant-Based Himalaya” (Red Lightning Books), of which I received a review copy, a new cookbook showcasing vegan recipes from Nepal.

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Dining Outside at the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley’s Après Village Pop-Up

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How fun is this? Making your own S'mores at your table in the Après Village at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley.
How fun is this? Making your own S’mores at your table in the Après Village at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley.

With festive string lights overhead, holiday trees everywhere, a sleek fire pit blazing away, and even a seemingly light dusting of snow falling, one of my best friends and I recently spent a relaxing winter getaway — without actually really trekking anywhere beyond Silicon Valley.

That’s because the second annual winter pop-up at the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley in East Palo Alto is so incredibly transportive that you will feel like you’re on holiday, fresh off the slopes at Whistler or Banff in British Columbia.

The Après Village is set up on the terrace of Quattro, the hotel’s signature restaurant. It’s open from now through Feb. 26, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Mondays through Thursdays, it’s available for private bookings.

The spot is truly a sight to behold, as I found when I was invited in as a guest last week.

The very cozy pop-up on the Quattro terrace.
The very cozy pop-up on the Quattro terrace.

The Après Village is fashioned into its own separate space, complete with a Sweet Shoppe at one end that’s modeled after a European Christmas market stall, where you can purchase Pastry Chef Guillermo Soto’s truffles, macarons, signature chocolate bars, and freshly made doughnuts.

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Noodling Around

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Is it pasta? Not quite.
Is it pasta? Not quite.

Hungry for supple strands of pappardelle smothered in deep red sauce?

You’ll be forgiven if that’s exactly what you think this is.

Yet it’s not.

Peer closer to discover it’s not noodles at all, but a clever tangle of egg omelet strips instead.

“Charred Red Pepper Sauce with Omelet Noodles” is a genius recipe from the new “Mezcla” (Ten Speed Press), of which I received a review copy.

“Mezcla” is Spanish for “mix,” “blend,” or “fusion,” which aptly describes the food by its author, Ixta Belfrage. It’s the first solo cookbook by this disciple of Yotam Ottolenghi, who worked for five years at his Nopi restaurant in London, before moving on to work at the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen.

Belfrage considers this cookbook a tribute to the three countries that have most shaped her, and her style of cooking: Italy, where she lived as a child; Brazil, from which her mother hails; and Mexico, where her paternal grandfather lived.

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Dining Outside at Juniper & Ivy, San Diego

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The hamachi tostada with pickled pumpkin at Juniper & Ivy.
The hamachi tostada with pickled pumpkin at Juniper & Ivy.

Richard Blais of “Top Chef” fame may no longer be affiliated with Juniper & Ivy, where he was the founding chef, but this San Diego establishment remains as popular as ever.

Opened in 2014 by owner Michael Rosen in an abandoned warehouse, it kick-started a new renaissance in the city’s Little Italy. The kitchen is now helmed by Chef Anthony Wells, a James Beard semi-finalist.

When my husband and I dined on a recent Saturday night while on a Southern California road trip, the place was hopping with the dining room and bar full, and a group of fashionably dressed women celebrating some sort of occasion in the private dining room.

The stylish restaurant was built in what was an old, abandoned warehouse.
The stylish restaurant was built in what was an old, abandoned warehouse.
The outdoor dining area.
The outdoor dining area.

We dined outside on the outdoor patio that has a living wall, as well as plenty of potted plants and a canopy awning overhead. One thing it doesn’t have, though, is heaters. So, be sure to dress in layers, especially if you tend to linger at dinner.

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