Breakfast hike recipes - fresh from our organic farm by Chef Denise Roa of La Cocina Que Canta

breakfast hike recipes
Fresh from our organic farm
  by Chef Denise Roa of La Cocina Que Canta

At Trail's End
   Recipes from Rancho La Puerta's famed
    “Breakfast Hike” to its organic farm
Sunlight streams westward at dawn toward
a vast whale-back mountain, lighting fields
of granite boulders that take on the color
of faded blue jeans. Lazuli buntings flit
from rock to rock, watching a line of hikers
thread its way along the mountain's hemline
until they reach the orderly rows of a large
farm. Dark green kale with vivid red stems,
squashes, herbs, quince and persimmon
orchards, and the last corn of the season...all
combine into a fragrant tapestry worthy of
any Oriental carpet as the hikers descend to a
large hacienda-like building.

Inside, they're greeted by Chef Denise Roa.
"Welcome to La Cocina Que Canta," she says
with a broad smile. "'The kitchen that sings.' I
have breakfast ready for you!"

Most recently, Chef Denise has been treating
guests on occasion to gluten-free meals as well
as her cooking tips. More and more guests
are requesting gluten-free options as word
spreads about the benefits they afford some
people: better digestion, less congestion, and
increased energy, among others.

Today's breakfast is a celebration of Fall.
Simple, healthful recipes showcase the
organic farm's harvest. The field's name is
Tres Estrellas or "Three Stars." It's a fitting
award, as well for a three-star meal. Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash
                     “con Piloncillo”
In Mexico, the familiar 6-inch-tall cones of hard dark sugar are called Piloncillo. The sugar can be
grated using a micro-plane so that a little goes a long way (the flavor is strong). It can be found
in Mexican specialty markets. Use the same method as Chef Denise’s beet recipe (next page) to
                                        roast in a foil wrap.

Serves 6
Ingredients
3 cups peeled butternut squash cut into half-moon pieces
  (slightly larger than bite-size)
¼ cup grated “Piloncillo” Mexican brown sugar (dark brown sugar can be substituted)
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Fresh Spanish tarragon
Fresh calendula petals (if available)
Balsamic vinegar

Preparation
Preheat over to 350F. Place cut squash in a large bowl and sprinkle with grated sugar,
allspice, and cinnamon. Mix. Place on parchment paper inside a larger sheet of 18-inch-
wide foil atop a rimmed baking sheet. Fold and seal edges to create a purse (do not
seal air-tight). Bake approximately 20 minutes or until fork-tender. Place on serving
platter or individual plates and garnish with fresh tarragon, calendula, and drizzles of
balsamic vinegar.

Roasted Beets “La Favorita”
La Cocina Que Canta’s Chef Denise likes to roast the garden’s bounty of fresh beets inside a simple
“purse” of aluminum foil and parchment. It’s her favorite method -- it helps preserve the roots’ bursting-
with-moisture texture. Remember that term “turgid” from your biology class long ago? It’s a good thing!

Serves 6
Ingredients
4-5 medium beets, about 3 inches in diameter
Agave syrup
Olive oil
2 tablespoons Tamari sauce

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350F. Place a large sheet of 18-inch-wide aluminum foil (about 24
inches long) atop a rimmed flat baking sheet. Foil should be longer than pan. (Two
sheets of narrower foil can be crimped together lengthwise to make a larger sheet.)
Place a shorter sheet of parchment paper, approximately the size of the pan, atop foil.
Remove ends and skin from beets. (Although the skin is nutritious and can be left on,
Chef Roa removes it because it can sometimes lend a slightly bitter overtone). Cut
peeled beets into ½-inch wedges. Place cut beets in a large bowl and drizzle with agave
syrup, olive oil, and tamari; mix to coat. Place beets atop parchment paper. Gather two
foil ends together and fold to seal. Gather and fold remaining open sides until closed
into a loose rectangular “purse.” Do not seal tightly (some steam should escape). Bake
approximately 20 minutes or until fork-tender.

                           Breakfast Red Juice
Ingredients and Preparation
Using a juicer that removes pulp, juice together equal portions of peeled fresh beets,
carrots, and fresh orange segments. Serve in heavy Mexican glassware (there’s
something about the blue tinge of a thick Mexican glass pitcher and tall glasses that
makes any juice look and taste sweeter!).

Roasted Eggplant With Buttermilk Sauce
A boldly fragrant accompaniment to any egg dish, these small eggplant halves give breakfast a
surprising kick thanks to a tangy cold yogurt/buttermilk sauce. Like a tiara of pale rubies,
pomegranate arils (seed casings) honor the Fall harvest season. Grown at 1,700’ elevation, the
Ranch’s pomegranate’s arils are almost as white as they are red. Our late-season eggplant, harvested
                    young and tender, don’t need any pre-prepping with salt.

Serves 6-8
Ingredients
3 eggplant, any variety, as small as possible (one half = one serving)
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
½ cup pesto (see note below)
¼ cup fresh thyme, hand-torn into small sprigs
Olive oil
Buttermilk sauce (recipe below)
½ cup pomegranate arils
½ cup quartered tiny figs (or cut larger figs into bite-size wedges)
Basil sprigs

Preparation
Preheat over to 350F. Halve eggplants and crosshatch the interior flesh with a sharp
knife (not piercing eggplant skin). Place halves on rimmed flat baking pan. Sprinkle
with salt and pepper, then brush each half with pesto (plain olive oil can be substituted).
Sprinkle with thyme. Dribble olive oil over each half just enough to moisten thyme.
Bake approximately 20 minutes or until fork-tender. Plate individually, or arrange all
on a serving platter, drizzle with sauce, and garnish generously with pomegranate arils
and basil sprigs.

Buttermilk/Yogurt Sauce
In a blender, whirl ¼ cup buttermilk and 1 small clove peeled garlic until smooth. Fold
into ½ cup plain Greek yogurt. Mix in salt and pepper to taste. Chill until needed.

Pesto note
Use your favorite recipe that combines nuts, basil, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper. At Rancho La
Puerta, we often substitute spinach, cilantro, or sorrel for basil, depending on the harvest season. And
we often substitute almonds or walnuts for pine nuts.

Garden-Fresh Frittata “Divorciada”
Fresh vegetables and eggs–what could be better? But whence the name? It’s all in the presentation,
where we place a wedge on twin sauces, red chile and green tomatillo. In Mexico, classic Huevos
Rancheros is often served “divorce style” –so named because small lakes of red and green sauce
beneath sunnyside-up eggs are separated by a detente-like line of beans. The plump leaves of our
garden’s Malabar spinach are extraordinary-look for this variety in your farmers’ market and count
                                  your blessings if you find it!

Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 dozen eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
1 small zucchini, cut bite-size
½ cup yellow onion, diced
1 cup roasted* baby carrots and/or parsnips, diced
1 cup Malabar spinach (or any variety spinach)
Tomatillo (green) salsa (use favorite recipe or fresh market-bought)
Mild tomato (red) salsa (use favorite recipe or fresh market-bought)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350F. Set 12-inch cast-iron frying pan over medium burner. Set aside
two eggs, uncracked. In a large bowl, crack 10 eggs together and whisk thoroughly.
Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Coat bottom of hot pan with olive oil and saute
zucchini and onion; after a few minutes add roasted vegetable(s) and spinach, sauteing
until wilted. Pour eggs over. Stir once or twice only. Crack remaining two eggs carefully
into center, taking care not to break yolks. Place pan in hot oven for approximately
20 minutes, or until center is set. To serve, let cool approximately 10 minutes, cut
into wedges and place over twin areas of red and green sauce. Garnish with a sprig of
spinach or fresh herb.

Roast vegetable note:
Slice fresh carrots and/or parsnips into pencil-thin pieces. Coat with olive oil and roast in a 350F oven
until fork tender.

Gluten-Free Walnut and Fig Muffins
These little “corks,” fragrant and warm from the oven, have a wonderfully crunchy exterior and a
sweet, nutty taste. Even those who cherish daily baked goods made of wheat don’t realize these are
gluten-free. One secret is the way Rancho La Puerta’s La Cocina Que Canta chefs make their own
                            “flour base” from five gluten-free ingredients.

Serves 6
Ingredients
Dry
2½ cups flour mix*
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Wet
2 eggs
1¼ cup buttermilk
½ cup grape seed oil
½ cup fresh or dried figs, chopped
½ cup walnuts, chopped
½ teaspoon vanilla

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl,
lightly beat eggs and other “wet” ingredients together. Pour wet into dry and mix with
a spoon by hand until some dry flour is still evident (do not over-beat). Use ice cream
scoop to dollop muffin mixture into olive-oil-misted muffin pan (preferably one that
makes small, cork-shaped muffins). Bake approximately 20 minutes or until wooden
pick inserted comes clean.

*Gluten-Free Flour Mixture
Rancho La Puerta uses all Bob’s Mill ingredients, which are commonly available in health food grocery
stores. For precision, this mixture is by weight: Combine equal parts of corn, quinoa, and sweet brown
rice flours until weight is 700 grams. Combine equal parts potato starch and tapioca flour until weight is
300 grams. Mix all together. Store excess in airtight container and use soon for any baked-goods recipe.
Experiment with amounts to accentuate certain flavors (ie. corn) you might like best.

La Cocina Que Canta
Executive Chef Denise Roa
Keen to fuse the culinary and cultural heritages of her own
life with the healthful “spa cuisine” pioneered 71 years ago
by Rancho La Puerta co-founder Deborah Szekely, Chef Roa
instructs Ranch guests in healthful cooking that emphasizes
just-picked ingredients only steps from her large teaching
kitchen. She began her culinary career at Johnson & Wales
University in Miami. Her chef stints include positions at many
of the San Diego area’s top restaurants, including Pacifica Del
Mar, Crescent Shores Grille, the Turf Club at the Del Mar
Thoroughbred track, and her own restaurant, La Trattoria.
Chef Roa also coordinates the amazing array of celebrity guest
chefs and cookbook authors who come to Rancho La Puerta
to teach and enjoy their own vacations from the high-pressure
culinary life, including Rick Bayless, Deborah Madison, Rafael
Lunetta, Alice Waters, and many more.

Roma Maxwell, Director of PR
  Direct line: (858)764-5504
rmaxwell@rancholpauerta.com

         Business Office:
 11722 Sorrento Valley Rd Ste. G3,
      San Diego, CA 92121
         (800) 443-7565

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