When nightfall begins at 5 p.m., the temps drop to a below-freezing 50 degrees, and San Diegans start to begrudgingly wear close-toe shoes, it can only mean one thing: porcini chestnut soup at A.R. Valentien inside the Lodge at Torrey Pines.
“Many of our regular guests (and cooks for that matter) look forward to seeing this on the menu,” shares chef Kelli Crosson. “This year you’ll find a variation of it on our Christmas prix rixe menu.” Having worked under chef de cuisine Jeff Jackson for the past 11 years at the restaurant, chef Kelli has finally taken the reins of fine dining venue. She’s earned it.
Kelli Crosson
Now, it’s her turn to make her mark on the beloved chestnut soup. Over the years, it has gone through its fair share of iterations, including using different nuts, becoming vegan, getting garnished with extravagant flavors such as truffles and chestnut tuille, and simply getting fancied up by adding crème fraîche and chives.
We asked chef Kelli to share her recipe for us to make at home and luckily, this year’s version doesn’t include any crazy bells and whistles—just some good old fashioned roasted chestnuts to get into the festive spirit. “This is the perfect soup to serve for your holiday dinner,” says chef Kelli. “It’s full of earthy flavor and I’d venture to say it’s unlike most mushroom soups you’ve tasted.”
To make chef Kelli’s porcini chestnut soup, follow the recipe below:
Thaw porcinis. Squeeze the juices from the mushrooms and reserve.
Thaw chestnuts and place on sheet pan. Roast in preheated oven until golden brown. Approximately 10 minutes.
In a large pot, heat one tablespoon of clarified butter over medium heat. Add leeks and onions and sauté. When tender add in the reserved porcini juice.
In a separate sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of clarified butter over high heat. Add cremini mushrooms and cook until golden. Add porcinis and continue to sauté until they’re golden brown as well. The more color you get on the mushrooms without burning them, the stronger the flavor will be.
Add the sherry and white wine to the pan with the mushrooms. Let cook for a minute or two, until the alcohol cooks off.
Transfer the mushrooms and chestnuts into the pot with leeks and onions. Add the herbs.
Cover with chicken stock by 2 inches.
Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes
Blend in batches in blender until smooth.
Serve immediately topped with a dollop of crème fraiche and chive.
*** can use other high heat oil like grapeseed or avocado
Enjoy this sweet fruit cake bursting with fall flavors and comforting spices at home
Recipe Easy Spiced Vegan Pear Cake from Rachel Steenland of The Garden Party
By Rachel Steenland
This sweet fruit cake recipe is bursting with fall flavors and uses all the warm and comforting spices that you crave this time of year. The gooey pear caramel topping takes the cake to the next level. You can get the best flavor by using fresh, in-season pears. This recipe is perfect for serving at holiday gatherings. –Rachel Steenland
Easy Spiced Vegan Pear Cake (Serves 12)
Toppings
2 red pears
6 tablespoons dairy-free butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
Prepare pears by cutting them in half and removing seeds and stem, then thinly slicing them lengthways.
Mix together dairy-free butter and brown sugar, then spread mixture over the bottom of a nine-inch round baking pan. Top with sliced pears, overlapping to create a circular pattern.
Batter
1 stick (4 oz.) dairy-free butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup oat milk
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cane sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of salt
Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. In a medium mixing bowl, add dairy-free butter and brown sugar and mix to combine. Then, add vanilla extract and oat milk and stir to combine.
Into a second medium mixing bowl, sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda, then add cane sugar, ground spices, and salt. Stir to combine.
Pour wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, then stir until combined.
Pour batter into the baking pan on top of the butter, brown sugar, and pear topping.
Place pear cake into the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
Once cooled, flip your pear cake. Place a serving plate over the top of the baking pan. Then, holding the plate and the pan together tightly, turn the pan upside down, placing the plate on your kitchen counter. Carefully remove the baking pan to reveal the spiced pear cake.
Serve warm or at room-temperature with a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Octopus can be daunting. Unlike the chicken or beef you probably have hanging out in your freezer at any given moment, it’s a rare ingredient on most American’s grocery lists. (Also, chickens don’t have tentacles.) Prepared skillfully, octopus is buttery, tender, even lightly sweet. Cook it wrong, and you’ve got rubber with suckers—which is why we usually leave it to the professionals to get it right.
But if you’ve got guts and a recipe (like the one you’re about to read), then you’re capable of transforming the aquatic critter into your most impressive dinner party entree ever. This octopus shawarma serves as a delicacy at the California coastal restaurant Mediterranean Room, located inside of the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla.
Courtesy of executive chef Fabian Aceves, the recipe pays homage to the restaurant’s waterfront location by bringing together elements of both land and sea. “Octopus is nostalgic for me because it has a connection to memorable days I’ve spent cooking, eating, and learning delicious new versions of it over the years,” Aceves says.
To make chef Aceves’ octopus shawarma, follow the recipe below:
Octopus Shawarma
Octopus
Ingredients
1 whole 3–5 lb octopus (Spanish preferred)
4 gallons water
1 oz whole black peppercorns
1 oz fennel seed
1 oz bay leaves
1 cup red wine vinegar
½ cup sea salt
1 tsp chili flakes
Shawarma Marinade
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Zest of 2 lemons
7 oz lemon juice
7 oz white vinegar
7 oz orange juice
¼ cup tomato paste
2 lb yogurt
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp sumac
1 tbsp coriander
1½ tbsp cumin
3 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp dried oregano
Salt to taste
Mediterranean Bean Mix
Ingredients
1 qt cooked chickpeas
1 qt cooked gigante white beans
2 roasted red bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
1 oz lemon juice
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
Garnish
Ingredients
1 cup mayo
2 tbsp squid ink*
Chili thread to taste
Instructions
Poach the whole octopus in water with peppercorns, fennel seed, bay leaves, red wine vinegar, sea salt, and chili flakes for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
While the octopus is poaching, marinate chickpeas and gigante white beans in garlic, olive oil, dill, lemon juice, cumin, black pepper, and sea salt for 30 minutes. Mix together shawarma marinade ingredients. Make squid ink aioli by stirring together mayo and squid ink*.
Strain the octopus and portion out whole tentacles. Discard the octopus head. Once tentacles are cooled, sear on a flat top grill or large skillet until crispy on both sides (about 2 minutes on each side).
Toss the tentacles in the shawarma marinade and bake in a salamander oven or broiler until crispy again (about 4 minutes).
Create the Mediterranean bean mix by tossing the marinated garbanzo beans and gigante white beans with the roasted peppers together in a bowl.
To serve, arrange the octopus shawarma around the bean mix. Dot squid ink* aioli around the plate and garnish with chili thread.
*If squid ink is not available, substitute lemon juice to make a lemon aioli.
Melody Bathaee is a freelance lifestyle writer and creative producer based in San Diego, CA. She's covered arts & culture, food, politics, and music at regional and nationally recognized publications. When she's not scoping out the local music scene or rock climbing, you'll find her working on different media projects across SoCal. For more information, visit melodybathaee.com.
It’s cold out—well, cold for us San Diegans at least (ignore us, Idaho). And with 5 p.m. feeling more like 10 p.m. these days, all we really want are holiday lights outside, cozy blankets inside, reality TV and comfort food to fill our evenings with.
So, we looked to none other than Louisiana Purchase for the goods on what to make to warm up our bones this winter. Their suggestion? Chef Quinnton “Q” Austin’s Uptown Sink Gumbo.
The New Orleans native marinates the charm and character of his hometown into every item on the menu, creating diverse Cajun flavors and creole tastes—with his chef Q twist.
“The background of the Uptown Kitchen Sink Gumbo is taking a little bit from everyone I’ve been around that made great gumbos, bouncing from house to house on Sunday and being a taste tester,” says chef Q.
Louisiana Purchase, gumbo vertical
Courtesy of Louisiana Purchase
There are many different kinds of gumbos and choosing your flavors means you get to pick your party. Chef Q likes to use chicken stock, onion, celery, file, garlic, herbs, and proteins such as andouille sausage. Though he notes it’s hard to find in San Diego.
But the real trick to a good gumbo is the roux, which is equal parts fat to flour, and should be dark brown and silky. For the kitchen sink, you’ll want to throw it all in—go ahead, get crazy.
Chef Q goes with roasted chicken, shrimp, crawfish, and blue crab. “Yes, California people, blue crab,” he says. “Don’t put snow crab in a Louisiana person’s gumbo.”
Finally, don’t forget the spices. Don’t mess with Louisiana’s spices. To make Chef Q’s Gumbo at home, follow the recipe below:
Louisiana Purchases’ Uptown Sink Gumbo
Ingredients
Lite vegetable oil
1 lb diced onion
1 lb diced celery
2 cups garlic
3 tbsp thyme
2 tbsp oregano
3 lb sausage
½ cup file
Garlic powder (to taste)
Onion powder (to taste)
Cayenne pepper (to taste)
Creole seasoning (to taste)
12 bay leaves
Brown roux
3 gallons chicken or seafood stock
5 blue crabs
2 lbs roasted chicken
3 lbs shrimp
3 lb crawfish tails
3 lb crab meat
Instructions
Sweat down your onions, celery, and garlic then add your ½ cup of file
Season with garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and creole seasoning to taste and add your bay leaves, brown roux, three gallons of chicken or seafood stock, and blue crabs.
Allow this to come to a simmer, then add your roasted chicken and shrimp. Take it up to a boil then reduce again to a simmer.
Once all of your flavors come together, taste and season more to your liking.
Add your crawfish tails and crab meat at the very end and cook for only a few minutes till done.
Kayla Barber tells stories about culture, leadership, and sport through her writing and visual journalism as a photographer. She creates for Major League Baseball, San Diego Magazine, and is a freelance storyteller for purpose-driven entrepreneurial ventures.
Today’s seniors are more connected than ever, with a renewed focus on retirement as a time of discovery and enriching experiences. The ultimate reward for a retirement well-earned is the wisdom to appreciate it all, and what better place to enjoy that unique perspective than Vi at La Jolla Village, in the heart of San Diego.
All-access pass to good living.
As a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), Vi provides access to a connected and fulfilling community while making it easy to plan for future care, should the need ever arise. With a care plan in place, residents enjoy greater financial predictability and long-term value, freeing them to focus on making the most out of retirement.
Resort-style amenities at the epicenter of a cultural hub like San Diego offer a retirement experience unlike any other. Paired with exceptional dining, spacious accommodations and dedicated staff, the best of maintenance-free living is all around. And with the introduction of Vista 360 Well-Being, Vi’s panoramic approach to wellness, there are more ways than ever for residents to access it all.
The harmony of mind, body and community.
Courtesy of Vi at La Jolla Village
The key to longevity is striking the right balance in maintaining an active lifestyle with an active mind in a fulfilling community. With newly renovated community spaces and restaurants, Vista brings a variety of opportunities for residents to elevate their well-being through Vi-exclusive “Signature Experiences.”
Vista Enrich takes an evidence-based approach to brain vitality, keeping residents at the forefront of cognitive health through exergaming (exercising + gaming), nutritional plans and informative workshops. It is also home to The Brain Vitality Studio, an innovative facility dedicated to cognitive fitness that has garnered national recognition.
Vista Discover invites residents into stimulating educational experiences, from chef-led cooking demos and guided wine tastings to lectures at local universities and intimate lectures following cultural outings.
While Vista Enrich focuses on brain health and Vista Discover engages residents intellectually, Vista Explore cultivates a sense of adventure through curated travel and local excursions. But broadening one’s horizons doesn’t always require a plane ticket. One recent event brought a taste of the world right to the community: an onsite “jazz cruise” featuring live music and global cuisine served at a series of themed “ports” all within the community’s own ballroom.
“Location, location, location”
Courtesy of Vi at La Jolla Village
One of the biggest perks of life at Vi at La Jolla Village is its proximity to just about everything. With easy access to transportation and local attractions just steps away, residents can explore and engage with their community at their own pace.
“There are trolley and bus stops within a 5-minute walk that will get you to the beach, UCSD Campus, medical appointments, downtown La Jolla or San Diego, et cetera. We rarely use our car,” said resident Tom Yager.
With the best of San Diego just steps away, residents don’t just live in the city, they live within reach of everything that makes it special.
The best of all worlds.
Courtesy of Vi at La Jolla Village
At Vi at La Jolla Village, retirement isn’t a chapter to slow down; it’s an invitation to discover more. Tailored community experiences created by Vista, paired with the vibrant pulse of San Diego just outside the door, mean that residents don’t have to choose between security and adventure, connection and independence. They get all of it.
This is what an all-access pass to good living looks like: the comforts of an elevated lifestyle, a community built for growth and a city made for discovery – all in one place.
To learn more about Vi at La Jolla Village or for details on available floor plans, visit ViatLaJollaVillage.com/SDM.
This past summer, Ballast Point Brewing appointed chef Tommy Dimella as its culinary director overseeing all of the brewer’s kitchen operations. Since taking the reins, Dimella has crafted a globally inspired menu paired with pub favorites to complement the flavor profiles of the brand’s beers.
On his menus, guests can find everything from whipped goat cheese to 12-hour smoked pork shoulder, buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches, and a patron favorite: Sculpin beer cheese sauce. Developed in conjunction with Ballast’s flagship West Coast IPA and expert brewers, the sauce is served alongside pretzel breadsticks in their Little Italy and Miramar tasting rooms.
“It’s so satisfying to make,” says Dimella. “Melted smooth and creamy cheese is always fun to play with. The technique of making this sauce goes back to a classic French Mornay sauce.”
One of five foundational French mother sauces, French Mornay sauce is a variation on béchamel sauce and includes flour as a base, butter, milk, eggs, freshly grated parmesan and gruyere to produce a creamy, white sauce.
Creamy and refined, Dimella’s beer cheese sauce is incredibly versatile and decadent. “This sauce can be used in a variety of dishes, especially for a grown-up version of mac-n-cheese,” says Dimella.
To make chef Tommy Dimella’s Sculpin beer cheese sauce at home, follow the steps below:
Sculpin Beer Cheese sauce
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
1 1/2 cups half & half
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
1). Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until the flour is completely absorbed. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, for 1 minute.
2). While whisking constantly, slowly pour in the beer and half & half. Whisk in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce to a simmer and continue cooking, whisking frequently, until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes.
3). With the heat on low, add the cheeses a handful at a time, whisking between each addition, until the cheese is fully melted before adding more. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and sprinkle with fresh chives, if using. Serve immediately.
Anthony Wells has often been called a “chef’s chef.” The Juniper and Ivy executive chef has made a name for himself in the city simply by cooking the best fare without pretense.
Featuring a rotating seasonal menu, chef Well’s recipes often showcase his innovative take on Southern California cuisine while focusing on sustainably and hyper-seasonal, high-quality product from local purveyors.
He’s most known, though, for creating foods that feel comforting and nostalgic, which may be why his biscuit with smoked butter recipe has become a guest favorite. Though the dish has been around since the restaurant’s inception in 2014, it’s gone through a few adaptions over the years.
Now, chef Wells smokes the cream, salt, and butter to offer a more subtle smoky flavor. “It’s an easy recipe to make, a one-pot-wonder kind of dish that is a crowd pleaser,” he shares. “It makes you happy when you eat it.”
With the evenings cooling down and the holidays near, this is a cozy dish that will likely be a go-to in the coming months. To make chef Well’s biscuit with smoked butter recipe, follow the instructions below:
Growing up, Laika Nur, MD, Scripps Clinic sports medicine specialist, loved watching beach volleyball when the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour came to her hometown of Chicago. A talented volleyball player herself, she remembers sitting in the stands all day, and once, even got a couple autographs. Years later, Dr. Nur was attending a professional event focused on women’s sports, and the discussion turned to a new professional women’s volleyball league. The general manager and coaching staff for San Diego’s team, the Mojo, happened to be in attendance, and Dr. Nur took the opportunity to ask them if they needed a team doctor. Flash forward to the Mojo’s inaugural 2024 season, when Dr. Nur officially became the team physician. Click here to read more about Dr. Nur and how she incorporates lessons she learned on the court into her practice.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
