Inspired by a love of family and gourmet cuisine—with a particular penchant for desserts—two renowned local chefs are dishing up sweet ideas for Mother's Day.
In advance of the release of her first cookbook, private chef Alma Ayon of Paso Robles is dropping one of her favorite breakfast recipes for readers to try at home.
Formerly an Emmy Award-winning television producer, Ayon switched careers after more than 20 years in the entertainment industry "so that I could take my lifelong passion for cooking to the next level," she said.
- Courtesy Photo By Anna Lillian Photography
- PASSIONATE ABOUT PASO Chef Alma Ayon is currently working on an e-cookbook with her own sweet and savory recipes. "I don't have a title yet, but it will be about the B&B experience and how I fell in love with Paso Robles," she said.
After graduating with honors from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Hollywood, she continued, "I interned under master chef Michael Cimarusti—the best chef in LA—at his restaurant Providence.
- Photo Courtesy Of Chef Alma Ayón
- LUSCIOUS LIME Chef Alma Ayon's individual key lime pie features lavender-whipped cream, blueberry gastrique, and graham cracker. The recipe will be included in her highly anticipated e-cookbook.
"From there I helped open LAMILL Coffee in Silver Lake—voted one of the 10 best boutique coffee shops in the country by Bon Appetit magazine—and worked for several catering companies, including Wolfgang Puck, before making the move up the 101 in 2012 to create and open my beloved Sundance Bed and Breakfast in Paso," she said.
"The B&B was an incredible experience and a big success, but after 10 amazing years we closed June 12, 2022. The time had come to change gears once again."
Ayon and her husband sold the business "in order to prepare for the next chapter," she added.
That next chapter includes traveling to continue learning about food and wine from other parts of the world, working as a private chef, authoring a cookbook with original recipes from her breakfasts and dinners at Sundance, and possibly opening a restaurant in Paso Robles someday, she said.
Later this year Ayon will announce the release date for her e-cookbook, potentially followed by a hard copy format.
One recipe that will definitely be included is her raspberry ebelskiver (Danish pancakes).
"This was a very popular one with our B&B guests," she said, adding that it was a particularly good recipe for Mother's Day.
Ayon is originally from Mexico and comes from a family "where food is at the center of everything we do," she said.
"Even though I did not know it then, I have been exposed to great homemade food since I was a child. I learned to cook just by watching my mother, who cooked for us every day. My father was also an amazing cook, but he only cooked on special occasions, when he could dedicate entire days.
"My style of cooking is modern California cuisine with global influence. I love making desserts as much as I enjoy making savory dishes. I just think desserts look prettier in pictures, but the [cookbook] will have equal amounts of sweet and savory."
- Courtesy Photo By Sharon Breda
- PEAR PERFECTION Chef Florencia Breda's Ricotta and Pear Tart will be available at Peruvian restaurant Mistura in SLO throughout May. The elaborate recipe combines pear sponge cake with ricotta mousse atop a hazelnut flour crust.
San Luis Obispo's Florencia Breda, on the other hand, is 100 percent dessert-focused. Breda Pasticceria and Cioccolateria—or Breda SLO—is housed within Peruvian restaurant Mistura, where she also serves as pastry chef.
During the month of May, she will be serving her ricotta and pear tart, a labor-intensive recipe (available by request) that is near and dear to her heart.
- Photo Courtesy Of Breda Slo
- BEAUTIFUL BONBONS Chef Florencia Breda's signature chocolates are handmade daily, with new flavor combinations hitting her display case at Mistura regularly. She uses premium Valrhona chocolate, including vegan options.
"I am very proud of it because it is the dessert I had on the menu at the time the Michelin inspectors came to the restaurant I was working at, which was in May," she said. "It is also the month my mom died ... so it's the dessert I will always remember the most."
Argentinian-born Breda received the Michelin star while working alongside her mentor Vincenzo Guarino at Ristorante Il Pievano in Italy, where she was raised.
"My ricotta and pear tart is a very traditional dessert in Italy, and this is my modern version of it, where I play with consistency without compromising the original flavors," she said.
She also created a pear and walnut chocolate to pair with the dessert. Breda's full repertoire of handcrafted chocolates are on display at Mistura, and customers can purchase them at her counter in the restaurant or online.
On May 8, and monthly going forward, the master chocolatier is offering workshops for up to 15 guests "to teach you how to paint, temper, and create your own chocolate molds ... all while you sip on some Italian wines," she said.
Then guests can take home their works of art.
The ganache fillings are sourced locally and ethically from around the globe, she added, "and they taste even better than they look."
Raspberry Ebelskiver (Danish Pancakes)
Servings: 8-10
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 eggs, separated
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons butter, melted
raspberry preserves
confectioners' sugar
2 lemons, zested
- Photo Courtesy Of Chef Alma Ayón
In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks, milk, vanilla, and melted butter. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Using a hand mixer with dry beaters, whisk egg whites on medium high speed until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter with a rubber spatula (do not over mix). Batter should be airy and fluffy.
Place an ebelskiver pan on the stovetop and turn flame to low. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat each well. Pour about half a teaspoon of batter into each well. Using a mini spoon, drop raspberry preserves in the center of each pancake and cover with more batter to just below the rim.
Turn flame to medium low until pancakes begin to form bubbles (just like regular pancakes). Using wooden skewers, flip each ball so that they can continue cooking on the other side. The ebelskiver should have a nice golden color.
Dust them with confectioners' sugar and grated lemon zest. Serve immediately. Δ
Flavor Writer Cherish Whyte needs to buy an ebelskiver pan and a chocolate workshop ticket. She prays she has the willpower to share with Mom. Reach her at [email protected].
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