December 24th, 2011
We thought we’d share our holiday celebration in 3D style.
This time our gathering was all word and expression-based, and our three colours were pine green, burgundy, and creme.
Caramel fudge, plus a few nuts
Natalie wanted to consider the fact that we had friends and family from different corners of the world come together to celebrate on this one day. Think of John Lennon’s song Imagine. Everyone has their busy life and agenda, but the beauty of the holidays is in having some extra time to be still and catch up.
That’s where the words and sayings came in. Every word was made up of different everyday elements, whether food or letters from the logos of familiar companies. These elements were coming together to compose words, while all of us gathered to make up a warm and heartfelt party.
Sasha enjoying the edible tree decorations
Our tree, besides being adorned in positive messages, was decorated with edible ornaments. Nuts, peppers, apples, pears, and dried cherry embroideries. I cannot begin to tell you how much the kids enjoyed that idea. They spent the whole evening picking treats off the tree and eating them with enthusiasm.
“You’re my whole world”
And food, of course, brings everyone together, encourages good conversation, makes everyone at the table into one whole. A dish is composed of ingredients, that come together harmoniously. In a good company, the people are the ingredients.
We want to tell you about three holiday dishes we enjoyed.
The first was a salad of kale, avocado, and pomegranate. It is entirely festive in appearance, really simple in making, and very tasty.
The tart was wild mushroom and herb, with almond creme, sage, and rosemary. The mushrooms we used included chanterelle, shiitake, crimini, king oyster, and brown beach. They were marinated in a mix of different citrus, which made them extremely delicious.
Spelling with sage on the tart, “Earthy” because it’s exactly what it is.
“Earthy”
For dessert, caramel fudge. The saying “Family is like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts” came first, then came the fudge. We thought it would be fun to take this very literal approach to both the expression and the dish.
It’s dessert with a sense of humor.
“Times like this…”
2012 tart
At our dining table, we had this centerpiece, which was about all negativity melting away before the new year.
The word “feud” was spelled out in ice and suspended over candles, which spelled “hope.”
The hope melted away any and all feuds.
Happy, healthy holidays and a happy new year to you. Thanks so much for reading in 2011, we can’t wait to see you in 2012.
Hope all your feuds melt away…
Kale Avocado Salad
1 bunch of kale – stalks removed, sliced into bite-size pieces
1-2 ripe avocados – peeled and pitted
1/4 onion – thinly sliced
juice of one lime or lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
1/2 pomegranate – kernels
Mix all of the ingredients, except pomegranate, in a large bowl. Massage for 5 minutes or so, until kale is soft and wilted. Mix in the pomegranate and enjoy.
Wild Mushroom and Herb Tart
(Makes about one 9″ circular and one 5″x13″ rectangular tart)
Crust
2 1/2 cups
almonds – soaked overnight, skin removed for lighter color (optional)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 cup ground golden flax seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
2-3 tablespoons purified water
Mix all the crust ingredients in a food processor until smooth, adding more water if needed. Press the dough into your tart shells, preferably with removable bottoms. Distribute the dough evenly against the sides and bottom of the shell. Place the tart shell(s) in the dehydrator for 4-5 hours. Gently remove the shell from the mold, and put it back onto a screen-lined dehydrator tray. Dehydrate for another 8-10 hours until completely dry and crispy.
Filling
A mix of different types of mushrooms, we used chanterelle, shiitake, crimini, king oyster, and brown beach mushrooms – cut into smaller pieces if necessary
A few sprigs of rosemary, sage, and thyme – optional
1/2 cup each orange, lime, and lemon juices – freshly squeezed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Mix all marinade ingredients and pour over herbs and mushrooms. Stir to cover and marinate for 1-2 hours at room temperature. Drain.
Caramelized Onion Cream
3 medium onions – sliced thinly
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt
1/2 cup brown rice vinegar
1/4 cup raw light agave syrup
1 small red chili pepper – optional
2 cups almonds – soaked overnight, skin removed (optional)
1 cup cashew – soaked for 2 hours
1 clove garlic – coarsely chopped
Cover the onions with warm water and lemon juice for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse thoroughly. Combine salt, vinegar, and syrup. Pour this mixture over the onions and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain, leaving a little liquid, and spread on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 115F for 24 hours or until crispy. Then blend the onions in a high speed blender with 1 1/2 cups of purified water, chili pepper, and a pinch of salt.
In a food processor, pulse the almonds, cashews and garlic with a pinch of salt to achieve tiny granules. In the food processor, add the onion mixture to almonds and cashew and mix until a paste-like consistency is achieved.
Assembly
Spread some of the cream on the bottom of the tart shells. Spoon mushrooms over it. Cover with more cream and garnish with herbs.
Caramel Fudge Two Ways
#1
1 1/2 cup almonds – soaked overnight, skin removed (optional) and dehydrated
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/4 cup powdered coconut sugar, or maple syrup powder
3 tablespoons almond butter – made of blanched almonds, if lighter colour desired
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
Mix all of the ingredients in a food processor until sticky. Form into desired shape, keep refrigerated.
#2
1/2 cup cashews – soaked for 4 hours
1/4 cup light agave syrup
1/4 cup lucuma powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoon melted cacao butter
Blend all but last two ingredients in a high-speed blender, until smooth. Add oils at the end to incorporate. Transfer mixture into the mold or form into a desired shape and freeze until ready to serve.
Tags: 3D, dessert, holiday, natalie, raw food, recipe
Tweet
October 23rd, 2011
3D: Dinner, Decor, Delight, our new venture. We want to say thank you for your input and support, you are all invited. The interest, that our first gathering generated, brought us to planning several future 3D events. We decided to direct the profit to Jamie Oliver’s Foundation, whose philosophy corresponds with our goal to show just how enjoyable cooking and eating good food can be. We are especially inspired by Mr. Oliver’s commitment to improving school lunches.
Natalie and I are no strangers to the dilemma of keeping kids’ food healthy while still providing the appropriate social environment for them to learn and develop. Starting out, we were fortunate to find a day care run by a very special woman, who was understanding of our dietary requirements for Paloma. She made the transition from eating at home to dining with other children smooth and enjoyable. Since then, Paloma never thought anything much of her food being a little different from the rest. (Thank you Susan, we love and miss you!) Even now, in a big school environment, Paloma is able to drink her green smoothies, while still being part of the crowd. Sasha, being a year younger, caught up to Paloma as soon as his age permitted. Since then, they’ve shared many smoothies together, all shades of green.
The idea to make this video came to Natalie when we were talking about how much enthusiasm and impatience those two show while the blender is going. They both see the smoothie as a treat, something to look forward to. Ziggy Meilus, our videographer, executed it without a plan or scenario, and we are so thankful for his great work. Once the smoothies were made, Sasha and Paloma went into a sort of trance, gobbling up their drinks. Natalie and I were standing at the side, laughing.
There have been so many inspiring food videos popping up in the community, and we are very excited to finally share one of our own. We cannot wait to do more in the future. Thank you for watching!
Tags: 3D, children, drink, food for tots, life, natalie, raw food, video
Tweet
June 6th, 2011
Hello there, I’m fresh off the plane from Europe, London-Cologne-Paris-London. Home just in time for my friend N.’s 60s themed birthday tea party.
You may remember N.’s son’s birthday that we posted about a while back. N. throws the most beautifully thought-out parties, where every detail is pitch perfect and fun. It goes without saying that I’m always excited when she asks me to make the dessert.
Tired because of jet lag and the overwhelming amount of memories I carried away from Europe, I wanted to make a cake that is unfussy in preparation, but still elegant and tasty.
My choice fell on pudding cake, a simple dessert perfect for afternoon tea.
N., an interior design ace, often starts with a colour story and builds a whole world around it. This time it was green, white, and black.
For the cake, I went with green and white stripes. The pudding is initially off-white, its main base being macadamia nuts, coconut milk, and banana. And what better way to achieve the green colour than by adding matcha (green tea) powder? Quite appropriate for a tea party.
The dome shape and minimal decoration was inspired by Fauchon cakes that I saw in Paris. Fauchon is a sort of luxury food supermarket, where much emphasis is put on packaging and design. They carry both sweets and savouries, and their patisserie is mind-blowing and very innovative. In addition, the food is delicious.
Fauchon’s cakes are unlike anything I’ve seen before. The shapes are often extremely simple – domes or very flat rectangles. The decorations seem to be placed instinctively, with a sort of raw confidence that I wish I had more of when it comes to decorating and plating food. One side of a Fauchon cake may be completely covered with edible gold leaf, while the other one remains bare. There is no visible strategy, an effortless feeling that makes for some of the most elegant desserts I’ve ever seen.
I worked with a dome shape, a thin pistachio crust, and very minimal decoration with strawberries, letting the striped cake speak for itself.
I really enjoyed the party theme, 60s. I’m almost embarrassed to admit what a huge Mad Men fan I am. Any excuse to put a Bardot tease in my hair and paint my eyes like Twiggy seems like a good one.
There were beautiful vintage gloves, clip ons, sweetheart necklines, and bright lipstick. A girls’ paradise – it’s a good thing it was girls only this time.
The pudding cake is light, nutritious, with subtle hints of matcha, ideal for green-tea ice cream lovers. Alternatively, the pudding can be easily eaten for breakfast.
The birthday girl was happy with the cake, and the guests seemed to enjoy it as well. All good fun, the best possible way to fight jet lag.
Striped Tea Time Pudding Cake
(adapted from Living Raw Food)
This amount is for a dome mold 8 1/2″ in diameter and about 5″ deep (we used a regular mixing bowl)
Pudding
4 1/2 cups macadamia nuts – preferably soaked and dehydrated
4 1/2 tablespoons coconut butter
6 grams or about 3/4 cup Irish moss – soaked in hot water for 10 or more minutes and drained
3/4 cup raw agave syrup or more if you like sweeter
1 1/4 cup sliced banana
2 1/4 cups coconut milk – see panna cotta recipe
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 vanilla bean – seeds
matcha powder – to taste
Crust
about 1 1/2 cup raw pistachios
1/2 cup dried coconut flakes – untoasted
1 teaspoon matcha powder – optional
2 tablespoons raw agave syrup or more until sticky
In a food processor, blend the macadamia nuts and coconut butter until smooth. Place the macadamia mixture into a high-speed blender and combine with the rest of the ingredients, except the matcha powder. Divide the mixture in half. Leave one half white. Add matcha to the other half and combine in a blender to achieve the desired colour and taste. Take care to add the matcha in small portions, as it’s very strong in colouring and taste. A little matcha goes a long way.
For the crust, combine all the ingredients in a food processor.
Pour the two mixtures into your mold, alternating between green and white to achieve the stripes. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
If you are using the type of cake mold, which you’ll have to flip (like we did here), distribute the crust onto the bottom after refrigeration and before flipping. If you are using a springform pan, which requires no flipping, form the crust first, pour the mixture over it, and then refrigerate. When set, the pudding should slide right out of the form. Optionally, garnish with fresh berries and ground pistachios.
Tags: dessert, food, inspiration, life, natalie, raw food, recipe
Tweet
