(Food) The Ritual of Cacao

When the day was still and cool, I whisked together some Subasta tablea, carabao milk, and mascobado sugar for something to sip in the garden. We need some sacred time and space before we venture out into the world.

Three separate plant and animal species, molded into three products by human process. From pure tastes of rounded nuttiness and bitterness (cacao), "bodily" and silky (milk), and dark caramel (mascobado sugar), a cup came together that was, for lack of a better analogy, like a symphony.

So smooth, flowing into the mouth like a deep and still river. Tasting like a strong, silent warrior, confident and precise in his solitary practice. If human beings have anything to be proud of, it is our aggregated history of agriculture and migration that leads to a perfect cup like this.

(More Subasta tablea coming this Friday. It runs out fast. You know a good one when you see one, folks.

(New) Non-Sweet Pan De Sal Testing Mode

We've been testing non-sweet pan de sal, after harboring cravings that haven't been satisfied in decades. People seem to love it, giving us faith in the world again. We thought it had been overrun by the dogma of sweet, sticky pan de sal. Turns out many are yearning for the crusty, salty bread of the past. Coming soon...

(Music) Ain't No Sunshine...

A little Bill Withers on for today's fence-sitting weather.

(New) Macho Mustard and Homemade Miso

We have new stuff in the chiller!

Our "macho" mustard is coarse, pungent, sour, and very textured, made from scratch with two types of whole grain mustard. It also has some wine and dagwey preserves in it to balance out the spiciness. Definitely a "grown-up" mustard, it goes on easy with salmon or soft cheeses. It's also perfect for a quick marinating of meats. One of our customers said it reminds him of Bengali cuisine. Definitely more popular among horseradish fans.

Our homemade miso is made by a lovely Japanese lady from scratch, from ground rice and soybeans, as well as a koji starter from Japan. It is worlds apart from the miso you buy in groceries, which has a lot of wheat flour and coloring. This one doesn't spoil, only evolves into different tastes (all good) in different stages of its maturity. Fermented foods usually give that savory taste that are important for quick but nutritious food-- use it in dressings, mixed with spreads, and as a soup base instead of those crazy cubes. Make any of these recipes with grocery-bought miso and with our high-quality homemade miso-- you will definitely notice the difference!