deseo Menu
 |
Chef Roberto Madrid formally with deseo at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa |
| see also | Rainbow Ceviche See how it’s made at deseo. |
deseo’s Nuevo Latino Cuisine
Showcasing imaginative Latin-influenced cuisine, deseo’s menu features a distinctive and skillfully blended combination of flavors to create dishes that are bold and intriguing. Located across from The Kierland Mining Company on the lobby level. Patio dining available. Click here for reservations.
At the heart of deseo lies “The Rail” which holds the 
12 best seats in the house. Guests are invited to sit at The Rail and overlook the open kitchen while chefs prepare intricate ceviche dishes and delectable desserts. Guests can take home a few cooking tips on Nuevo Latino Cuisine or even sample a bite of what’s cooking.
To make a reservation for The Rail, mention “seating at The Rail” in special instructions through online reservations, or request the seating preference when making a phone reservation at 480-624-1202.
For more culinary inspiration KEYWORD “recipes”, a specific ingredient or click here.
Chef Maya Nahra Recipes
 |
Chef Maya Nahra Behavioral Nutritionist |
Coconut Flour Banana Bread
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup honey
6 eggs, whisked
3/4 tsp. unrefined sea salt
3/4 cup coconut flour, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, sift the coconut flour. Add salt and cinnamon.
In a pan over the stove, add coconut oil and honey, then mash in bananas. Add vanilla. Remove from heat and add to the coconut flour bowl.
Lastly, add the whisked eggs to the mixture. Stir thoroughly.
Grease two small or one large loaf pans with coconut oil or non-GMO canola oil. Add batter and bake for 50 minutes.
Remove, cool a bit and enjoy with butter, lemon curd, fresh fruit, or cream cheese!
Roasted Red Beet Hummus
2 small or 1 medium-sized roasted red beets
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. tahini (sesame seed butter)
juice and zest of one lemon
1 Tbsp.ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt, plus extra if desired
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/4 cup olive oil
filtered water, if thinner consistency is desired
Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse until well blended. Add more spice as desired.
Add more olive oil or water as necessary for desired thickness.
Serve with warm pita bread and fresh vegetables.
Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream
2 cans full fat coconut milk
1/2-3/4 cup organic cane sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp salt
Place the coconut milk in the fridge overnight, upside down. Open the can without shaking it.
Carefully pour off the top milk layer. You should be left with the fat on the bottom only.
Spoon the fat into a mixing bowl. Turn on low and add sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
Turn mixer on high and whip until a whipped cream texture is reached, about 3-5 minutes.
Serve! You can spoon on top of ice cream, for cream pies, into coffee latte mugs, or eat with a spoon!
Farm Fresh Mini Frittatas
4 large eggs
1 cup milk or fresh cream
1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
Assorted mix-ins (We used goat cheese, finely chopped spinach and sauteed diced sweet potatoes.)
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease about 10 molds of mini muffin pan.
Whisk together the eggs, milk/cream, and salt in a medium bowl, then evenly distribute the egg mixture among the muffin cups.
Add about 1 tablespoons of mix-ins to each cup.
Bake the frittatas until they are puffy and the edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Loosen with knife and serve warm.
“The life you want with your food, your body, and yourself does not require a fight. Your struggle ends now.” -Maya
Maya is the leading behavioral nutrition expert helping the yo-yo dieter with the all-or-nothing mindset break free from the addicitive cycle, shifting the diet mindset. She is a registered dietitian, holistic nutritionist, and founder of My Intentful Life, a company whose mission is to help no less than 1 million women move out of the life of ‘pizza & cake’ or ‘carrots & celery’ and into their middle road to LIVE their authentic, true beauty and their extraordinary life.
Chef Maya Nahra
Behavioral Nutritionist
For more culinary inspiration KEYWORD "recipes", a specific ingredient or click here.
Filet Mignon-Brie-Pesto Tacos
 |
Chef Nicole Frasz www.nicoleskitchen.com |
As seen on FW&D Episode:
WINE-DINE-DESIGN
Filet Mignon-Brie-Pesto Tacos
Ingredients:
Beef Tenderloin, cut into bite size pieces
Corn Tortillas
Avocado
Sour Cream
Brie Cheese
Arugula
Sauté steak in butter and oil. Fry tortillas semi crisp.
Pesto Sauce
1 Bunch Cilantro
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup parmesan
5 cloves garlic
1 T white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt
1/2 cup olive oil
In a blender, mix together cilantro and all ingredients except oil. When combined, with motor running, add oil in slow steazdy stream until emulsified.
To prepare tacos:
Slice brie and lay in warm corn tortilla to melt slightly, add beef, lettuce, avocado slices, sour cream and pesto. (You may also toss beef in pesto sauce)
Enjoy!
Pairs Well With:
 |
| ONE Hope Zinfandel |
For more culinary inspiration KEYWORD “recipes”, a specific ingredient or click here.
Tuscan Green Olive Chicken
 |
Chef Owen May Chef with Benefits |
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
½ onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 Roma tomatoes, diced
¾ cup green olives (pitted), chopped
1/3 pine nuts
½ cup feta cheese
1 box of whole wheat pasta (12 ounces), cooked according to package directions
1. Heat sauté pan; when pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and half of chicken.
2. Allow chicken to cook until it is brown and “releases” from the pan. Turn chicken and brown other side.
3. Remove chicken from pan and repeat steps 1 and 2 to cook other half. Remove from chicken from pan.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and sauté onion until softened.
5. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
6. Add diced tomatoes and stir until softened.
7. Stir in chopped green olives.
8. Return chicken to the pan.
9. Sprinkle chicken-tomato mixture with pine nuts and heat through.
10. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Top with feta and cover pan with lid to warm cheese through.
12. Place serving of pasta in the center of a plate and top with chicken-olive mixture.
Pairs Well With:
 |
| 2006 Barba Vigna Franca Mont -This red from the Abruzzo region of Italy is made from 100% Montepulicano grapes. It evokes flavors of minerals and dark cherries. |
For more culinary inspiration KEYWORD “recipes”, a specific ingredient or click here.
Pan-Seared Sweet and Spicy Scallops
 |
Laura Slama Celebrated Cuisine | Executive Chef, Owner |
As seen on Episode 19 “Allstate Appliances”
Pan-Seared Sweet and Spicy Sea Scallops with Asian Apricot Glaze and Coconut Jasmine Rice Cakes
Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
Sea Scallops, muscle removed, U-10 12 each
Sugar 2 T
Pepper, freshly cracked 2 T
Garlic, minced 1 large cloves
Ginger, crushed 1 t
Jalapeno, red or green, minced 1/2 of one small
Mirin or Dry Sherry 1 T
Apricot preserves 3/4 cup
Sriracha Dash, or to taste
Jasmine Rice, rinsed and drained 1 cup
Coconut Milk 13 oz (one can)
Water 11 oz
Coconut, shredded 1/4 cup
Kosher salt To taste
Black and white sesame seeds As needed
Procedure:
Prepare rice; in a medium saucepan, heat 1 T canola or vegetable oil. When hot, add rice and stir to coat, toasting lightly. Add water and coconut milk to pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15-18 minutes. Remove from heat; fold in coconut and season to taste with kosher salt. Place in a shallow baking pan and cool.
Using a square cookie cutter, cut squares and place on a parchment lined sheet tray. Sprinkle tops of rice cakes with sesame seeds. Heat in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes before serving.
Prepare Apricot Chili Glaze: place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add a little canola or vegetable oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add garlic and ginger and cook until aromatic. Add jalapeno and cook until softened slightly. Deglaze pan with mirin or dry sherry. Add apricot preserves and a dash of Sriracha, and whisk until melted. Cook to reduce slightly over medium low heat, about five minutes. Season to taste, set aside, keep warm.
Place sugar on one plate and freshly cracked pepper on a second plate.
Heat a cast iron or stainless pan over high heat. Dredge one side of each scallop in pepper and sear, pepper side down, about two minutes. Remove scallops from pan and move pan from heat.
Dredge remaining side of scallop in sugar. Return pan to high heat and sear sugared side of scallop for a minute and a half, or until caramelized.
Plate scallops on or next to jasmine rice cakes. Drizzle with Asian Apricot Glaze and serve immediately.
For more culinary inspiration KEYWORD “recipes”, a specific ingredient or click here.
Food Styling Class in Singapore
Food styling and photography in another country is quite an adventure, and I got to do just that this past May in Singapore. What a beautiful country! I love going to markets in a foreign country because there are so many different ways of packaging things. So many things seem familiar, but are just not the same. This trip was a very quick 2 day class for people from all over Asia. Denise Vivaldo of Food Fanatics in Los Angeles, and writer of the Food Stylist Handbook, was the teacher of the class. I was there to teach a small portion on food photography so that students understood how the 2 work together. It was a wonderful experience for me and I learned so much from the students. We started out grocery shopping for items to show them how food styling works for a shoot here in the states. The first day was a series of demo’s with Denise showing the students various ways, and under different scenario’s food styling is used. The second day we allowed the students to work on photos for their portfolio which brought with it challenges. In the States, our chickens usually come with the heads and feet off, but not in Singapore. So it was a bit of a surprise when it was opened up for the demo. We used real food in various states of being cooked since most food styling now a days is real food that is not fully cooked. This chicken was barely cooked, but I think it turned out to be quite a beautiful presentation. Would love to know your thoughts on food styling and if you would be interested in a class taught locally this fall in the Phoenix area. Please enjoy the pictures from the class. The first couple pictures are Denise’s styling work and my photography with student styling work towards the end of the series. 
Heather
Great Arizona Picnic at the Scottsdale Culinary Festival
There was something for everyone of all ages at this final event of this week’s 2012 Scottsdale Culinary Festival. It was the hottest weekend on record for this year in Arizona, but that didn’t stop the crowds of people from showing up and enjoying what our local restaurants and chefs have to offer the valley. If you are new to the valley, and want to see a lot of restaurants in a short amount of time, this is the place to do it. Each booth offered a small sampling of what their much larger menu has to offer, just enough to entice you to come enjoy their hospitality for a longer amount of time.
The food ran the gambit from cheesecake to tacos and guacamole. The celebrities of Great Arizona Picnic were Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods and Adam Richman of Man v. Food Nation, both on Travel Channel.
There were also plenty of opportunities to cool off with the Skyy Bar presented by Skyy Vodka and the Tequila Experience. Nothing better than a cold margarita to help you cool off on the 100 degree days. Also on the weekend’s list of activities were Courtside Culinary NBA stars and the Larry O’Brien Trophy for picture taking opportunities. Johnsonville was serving up their world famous brats on the Big Taste Grill, and a few of the Valley’s food trucks were on hand as well.
There was no shortage of entertainment with some great bands on 2 stages, and of course all the people watching. If you haven’t been to the Scottsdale Culinary Festival, its too late this year, but there’s always next year! Enjoy the pictures from the Great Arizona Picnic.
Modern Group Opening and Classic Cooking Academy
The Modern Group had a grand opening recently to introduce us to their gorgeous new showroom. I knew there would be food, and I was pleasantly surprised by the Classic Cooking Academy. They had a wonderful assortment of hors d’oeuvres for the very large crowd of people that showed up for the event. Chef/Instructor Lou Swartz brought several students with him to serve and doing the finishing touches. On the menu was:
Gazpacho
Spicy Italian Sausage with Sweet Potatoes and Green Apple Salsa
Chicken and Asparagus Salad on Crostini
Salad on a Stick
Selection of Cheese and Crackers
If you are looking at a remodel of your home or kitchen this showroom is a must see. They have a bar that is lit from underneath with LED lights. I’m trying to figure out where this feature can go in my home as well as the beautiful kitchen.
Chocolate Banana Bundt Cake
This is how to make any quick bread fancy – cook it in a bundt pan!
Chocolate Banana Bundt Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
6 bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sour cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 1 bundt pan and 1 small bread pan. In a mixer cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, then stir in bananas and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda and cocoa powder, and mix well. Add in sour cream, chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared pans. Bake in oven for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake rest for at least 20 minutes before turn out of pans.
I’ve paired this with a port. You can even pour it over and let the cake soak it up if you don’t want to drink it. See more pictures and other posts from me here.
For more culinary inspiration KEYWORD “recipes”, a specific ingredient or click here.