Peruvian Cuisine & Pisco Mixology in San Francisco
Picture of the Week - October 30, 2011
First stop on a bike ride around San Francisco exploring different coffee bars and local roasters. The caffeinated day included:
Pisco Tres Amigos
This Pisco cocktail pays homage to Peru, Spain, and the grape. The grape that arrived from Spain to the Ica Valley of Peru 400 years ago, where Pisco was born. The grape that in Spain is used to make Sherry, wine, and Cava. And in the Tres Amigos, three versions of the grape play beautifully — Pisco, Cava, and raw grape juice.
The inspiration for this cocktail came from The Pisco Book by Gregory Dicum, but I modified the measures and preparation after experimenting with the cocktail in search for a balance I really liked. This is also the first time I combined Pisco with another wine or spirit and after tasting the result, you can bet I’ll be doing more mixing.
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Picarones, Peruvian Donuts
My grandmother had magical hands. Big, beautiful, strong hands that for many years cooked my favorite dessert as a child — Picarones, or Peruvian Donuts. I can almost hear the hot oil sizzle as she tossed a ring of dough with a flick of her wrist into the large pot. And I remember standing on my tippy toes to look into the pot and watch the dough rings inflate and turn crispy brown, like small life preservers coming to life. As the donuts floated in the oil, she scooped them up with a wooden stick that passed through the donut holes, rescuing them just in time for dessert. Continue reading
Picture of the Week - October 23, 2011
Closing time… outside Bi-Rite Market on 18th Street.
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Prickly Pear Pisco
After a conversation about Pisco cocktails with a friend who recently celebrated her birthday, I was inspired to make a new Pisco cocktail and name it after her. The possible permutations and combinations for a cocktail are of course endless. And that’s what makes mixology so fascinating. But my style is to make recipes accessible and to focus on simple ingredients and techniques.
With that in mind, I poured over Pisco cocktail recipes in my library, until I found one in Gregory Dicum’s The Pisco Book — a Pisco cocktail made with sorbet. Sorbet? Yes, sorbet. It made perfect sense! It’s frozen. It’s fruity. It’s colorful. And it’s sweet. Must try. So I made my way to the frozen food section in the supermarket and stood in front of a wall of sorbet and ice cream containers — so many flavors, so little time.
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