What Makes Food Sensuous?

Every time I watch a foreign French film portraying the heroine as a chef, I feel as if I've  been watching a love affair.  A love affair with food. The affair is not only expressed by the care and passion in the preparation of the dishes (that would be a one sided affair) but also with the actual experience of tasting and eating in a truly present way with great appreciation and pleasure.

After raptly watching the passion, love, and appreciation being exchanged between the chef and her patrons, I always feel inspired to make incredibly complex dishes, with the best ingredients for all those I care about. Unfortunately, this inspiration lasts about 48 hours max. After I've spent copious amounts of time finding the perfect ingredients, cleaned boat loads of pots and pans and have made a complete mess of my kitchen and I'm exhausted,  I realize that while I love making wonderful food, I am really best at the appreciation aspect of the love affair.

 I do love to create.  I do receive great satisfaction serving food that looks beautiful, tastes wonderful and will nourish the body, but I do not come close to the real chefs who seek the best ingredients and will spend hours in the kitchen to perfect a sauce or a dish.

 Even though I do think of food as medicine and such an important aspect to feeling good and keeping our bodies whole, I find myself spending less and less time in my kitchen!  I'm there less, mainly because I'm putting more time into what I'm even more passionate about, learning as much as I can about how the body heals itself given the right tools and then teaching it to you and helping the people who come to me truly heal.  With my time being spent here, I'm finding that I'm having to leave recipe development up to others.  

One site that I love to check out often, not only because this young lady is a wonderful writer, but because she also knows her flavors, and textures and has a love affair with food is www.sproutedkitchen.com. Her husband has a love affair with his camera so there are delicious photos to compliment the recipes.  Sara Forte is a new mama, so her postings are not as frequent as they used to be, but there is a plenty of content already there to make it very inspiring.  

On August 20th, I will be presenting a cooking class for a little summer romance: making a 
Summer Squash Pasta with Green Goddess Dressing, Coconut Yogurt, Raw Chocolate
 Macaroons, a Whole Food Protein Shake and more.  Click below to find out more.
 http://alivingbalance.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-special-summer-cooking-class.html

What makes food sensuous is attention to detail, a love to create and an immense appreciation of wonderful flavors, textures, and a touch of fat.  Yes, I said fat-good fat which includes fresh butter, coconut oil and olive oil.  Bon Appetit!

A Special Summer Cooking Class!

   

 Good Wholesome Fresh Food Made With Love 

Presented by: Cindy Dupuie

Menu

Whole Food Shake

Figs and Goat Cheese

Summer Squash Pasta w/Green Goddess Dressing

Coconut Yogurt

(we’ll start this in class, you will finish fermentation at home)

Raw Coconut Macaroons

We’ll be making and tasting dishes that are quick, delicious that support your Thyroid and Digestive system.

Class will be held on Wednesday, August 20th 10:30 AM to 12:30 at the Blue Heron Portal Studio in Laguna Beach.

   To make a reservation please call (949) 370-9843 or e-mail cindy@alivingbalance.net . Receipt of payment reserves your place at the table.  Credit cards are accepted.  Deadline to register is Sat. August 16th.

Cost: $45/person (includes mason jar for yogurt)

Notes: Space is limited to 12 guests.  Please register early to ensure you a place at the table.  Payment received reserves your spot. Because of the nature of the class, the fee is nonrefundable but is transferable. 

Coconut Yogurt Recipe

For those of you who have an intolerance to dairy but love ice cream and yogurt, then I have a treat for you!  This easy, peasy recipe for coconut yogurt will knock your socks off!  If I had known it would be this easy and tasty, I would have made it years ago.

All you need is a clean Mason jar, a 14 oz. can of coconut milk (the full fat kind-no skimping here) (I like using either Trader Joe's or Native Forest brands as their cans are BPA free), and 1 tsp of your favorite probiotic powder or capsule equivalent.  

Put the coconut milk with the probiotic in the mason jar, hand seal the jar, shake and place in your oven, next to the oven light for 24 hours. Remove and keep in the refrigerator until it disappears.  That's it!

The yogurt will be runny at room temperature, more like a kefir, but sets up very nicely in the refrigerator. I think there's a natural sweetness to this yogurt and it feels decadent in my mouth.  I love this over any fresh fruit.

For those of you that are interested in the nutritional benefits of coconut milk, here are some fun things to know.

Coconut milk does have a fairly high fat content, mainly in the form of MCT or Medium Chain Triglycerides.  Many fats can actually cause inflammation but the fat in coconut milk is easily digested and absorbed. It soothes as well as heals.   Coconut milk, with its MCTs, has antimicrobial properties which help prevent herpes, H-pylori, yeast, and giardia. It does all of this, while putting little strain on the digestive system and providing a quick source of energy as well.

Even if you can tolerate milk, I hope you will try out this little treat that is so good for you!

1. Thampan, P.K. 1994. Facts and Fallacies About Coconut Oil. Asian and Pacific Coconut Community, p.8
2. Kiyasu G.Y., et al. 1952. The portal transport of absorbed fatty acids. Journal of Biological Chemistry 199:415