andrealawsongray

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Convivir, Modern Mexican Cuisine in California's Wine Country Now Available for Pre-order

I did a thing! My latest cookbook from Cameron & Co/Abrams is now available for presale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and Books-A-Million and will start shipping on September 17, 2024. Convivir, Modern Mexican Cooking in California’s Wine Country, celebrates the flavorful interweaving of traditional Mexican cuisine with the agricultural and artisanal abundance of California’s wine…

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@rossauritas-blog @rphunter9535-blog @stillhunter83-blog @rubilopezguerrero 

Ray-Ban Sunglasses

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Semana Santa in Mexico and a Capirotada Recipe

Semana Santa in Mexico and a Capirotada Recipe

[The following is an excerpt from my book, Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes, co-authored with Adriana Almazan Lahl] Holy Week (Semana Santa) begins with Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) and lasts until Easter Sunday or Pascua. Holy Week is one of the most important holiday seasons in Mexico, a much more significant part of Mexican life than it is for most Americans. (It is…

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10 Recipes for the Holidays

10 Recipes for the Holidays

Here is a curated list of memorable dishes that will add something really special your holiday table! Perfect TAMALES in 9 Steps: History, Traditions and INSTRUCTIONS (with diagrams!) The holiday season is upon us, and here in San Francisco’s Mission district, that can only mean one thing: It’s time to make tamales! Expect to see long lines at La Palma, on the corner of 24th and Florida, as…

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One of my Storied Suppers may be the most unique gift of this holiday season…

One of my Storied Suppers may be the most unique gift of this holiday season…

Give someone you love the gift of their life’s journey, told through one of my Storied Supper menus. I can create a COVID-safe dinner, or you can or we can wait until things are safe for a larger celebration.

Each meal, be it for a table of 4 or 14, is a story of its own.

 I co-write these stories through bespoke menus, creating singular moments with plot lines that you can literally “sink…

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How to Virtual Party This Holiday Season

How to Virtual Party This Holiday Season

Maybe, back in March or April, when Zoom was either new to you or something you associated with business meetings, the idea of a virtual party was novel and appealing. But, now that we’ve all lived virtually, at least in some aspects of our lives, for the better part of a year, a virtual holiday party may not sound so exciting.

Given the warnings we are getting this week, from no less than the…

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How to Build an Epic Cheesemonger’s and Charcuterie Board

How to Build an Epic Cheesemonger’s and Charcuterie Board

When I design a Cheesemonger’s Board or a Charcuterie Board, the first thing I consider is whether it is being served as the first course at a dinner party or a part of a cocktail hour with appetizers where no dinner is planned. Why is this important? Because it helps me determine the direction of the components: if I am planning a Spanish dinner, the cheeses and in particular the meats, are very…

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Truffled Cheddar Queso Fundido w/Mushrooms

Truffled Cheddar Queso Fundido w/Mushrooms

A California twist on a Mexican classic using Fiscalini Farmstead’s Truffle Cheddar Cheese, this recipe for Mexico’s take on cheese fondue is great served with baguette slices or warm tortillas.

(SERVES 6 )

3-4 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 Spanish white onion, diced

2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced finely

Salt and pepper to taste

Jalapeño, sliced paper thin (optional)

Chopped cilantro…

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On National Sandwich Day: Searching for the best Torta Mexicana in SF

On National Sandwich Day: Searching for the best Torta Mexicana in SF

If you’ve never tasted an authentic Torta Mexicana, you’ll be pleased to know that the Mission is a mecca. We are not talking about the much abused, overused and misconstrued Cubano sandwich (this is another story, but the Cubanoas it is known in New York City, which has a huge actual immigrant population of guess who?…. Cubans! is not even similar to the mountain of meats and who knows what that…

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Contest Alert! Sign up for my blog & win a jar of Pistachio Pipian!

Contest Alert! Sign up for my blog & win a jar of Pistachio Pipian!

Pipianes are moles seed and nut-based “cousins”, typically with pepitas or pumpkin seeds as one of the main ingredients; in fact, the name is thought to come from the word “pepita”. Whereas are moles are developed based on the chiles used, Pipianes start with the nuts and seeds as building blocks, incorporating the requisite chiles, herbs and spices..

My Pistachio Pipian starts with Califo…

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Contemplating Dia de Los Muertos in "El Año de Los Muertos"

Contemplating Dia de Los Muertos in “El Año de Los Muertos”

(Day of the Dead in the “Year of the Dead”)

No doubt, we are surrounded by so much suffering this year, if not experiencing it ourselves that we barely can breath. While much has been written about coping and survival skills, it struck me that this might be a good time to take a page from traditions that have sustained Mexican families for millennia. It is in that spirit that I offer this post.

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Warm Spinach and Pear Salad

Warm Spinach and Pear Salad

A beautiful transition from summer to fall takes shape in this warm salad; braised pork belly adds a hint of umami, the Pear-Chevre Mousse adds elegance and texture!

Recipe by Chef Rose Johnson of Private Chefs of the SF Bay

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

3 large ripe Frog Hollow Farm pears

10 oz bag pre-washed baby spinach

¼ lb bacon or braised pork belly

¼ red onion

6 cherry tomatoes

Sliced…

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(Serves 6-12 depending upon portion size, or 24 small bites as an appetizer)

Before you start

Prepare Chipotle-lime Butter by blending room one stick of temperature butter, the juice of 1/2 a lime and adobado from a can of chipotle chiles to taste, starting with a 1 teaspoon and adding more as needed.

You’ll need: wooden chopsticks or similar

Ingredients

6 very fresh corn ears,…

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Black “Baked” Frijole de Olla (Mexican Clay Pot Beans) with Chorizo and Lardons

Black “Baked” Frijole de Olla (Mexican Clay Pot Beans) with Chorizo and Lardons

(serves 10-12)

A Mexican Clay Pot or “Olla” is an essential ingredient which actually adds a subtle flavor

Before you start

Prepare Frijoles de Olla (see B, prepare 24 hours in advance)

Prepare Chipotle BBQ Sauce (there are numerous recipes on-line)

Ingredients

3 cups Frijole de Olla(Mexican Clay Pot Beans) See Basic Recipes for Californio Cooking, beans should be cooked with 1…

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Urfa Biber Mole

While a mole made with a chile native to Turkey may sound unusual (it is!), in a strange way, it makes complete sense. Many food historians, including Rachel Laudan, who is the preeminent source on this topic, posit that “both moles and curries [are] vestiges of the cuisine of medieval Islam, a cuisine that was enjoyed from southern Spain in the west to northern India in the east. The high…

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Frog Hollow Farm Cherries and Cheese, Please!

Frog Hollow Farm Cherries and Cheese, Please!

This recipe from Chef Rose Johnson of Private Chefs of the SF Bay works as a starter, a dessert or as a delicious snack!

Ingredients for 2-4 servings

2 lbs fresh juicy Frog Hollow Farm cherries, washed and gently dried, keeping stems on.

I take the pits out of mine so the cheese can get inside the cherries and guests don’t have to spit the pits out.

½ lb Swiss Cheese ( Jarlsberg,…

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Roast Cherry Mole

CHERRIES ARE THE PERFECT FOIL FOR CHILES HUACLE NEGRO WITH their INTENSELY FRUITY UNDERTONES, AS WELL AS FOR THE MORE FAMILIAR DRIED CHIPOTLE CHILES AND DANDELIOn Chocolate’s Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania Chef’s Chocolate with hints of ripe mango and caramelized red berries.

(Make 2 quarts, enough for 10-12 servings. Prep time: active 2 hours. Cooking level: Intermediate to expert)

Ingredients: