Make a dish for your family by combining two ingredients you would have never thought to before...vegetables and chocolate! Shoko Moossavi, owner of Shokolaat Restaurant in Palo Alto, showed us her cauliflower and chocolate soup.
Shokolaat
516 University Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 289-0719
www.shokolaat.com
Cauliflower and Chocolate Soup Recipe
Serves about 3-4 people
From Shokolaat Restaurant in Palo Alto, California
Chef Shekoh Moossavi
Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, broken into one inch pieces
Zest of two whole oranges
One cup of orange liqueur such as Cointreau
½ teaspoon of salt
Three cups of heavy cream
One half yellow onion, peeled and sliced
Method:
Cook the onion (medium heat) with one tablespoon of vegetable oil for about one minute in the same pot to be used for the rest of the recipe. Add cauliflower, orange zest, orange liqueur, and salt. Let cook until volume of liquid is reduced by half. Add heavy cream, bring to light boil and then reduce to simmer until cauliflower is completely cooked (soft to the bite). Puree the entire content of the cooking pot in a blender.
To Serve:
Garnish with one teaspoon of cocoa nibs per bowl, sprinkled on top of the soup just before serving.
What is Shokolaat?
Shokolaat in Palo Alto is Modern Bistro centered in the heart of Silicon Valley. The concept of Shokolaat is that of a neighborhood Restaurant, Patisserie, Chocolatier, and Lounge serving lunch and dinner with take out pastries. With it's elegant, yet casual, ambiance it is most certainly a place for an impromptu gathering of friends, a fun culinary evening with a business client, to a romantic dining experience for two. As our guests arrive and throughout your experience our service staff will treat you with genuine care.
Our culinary team is pleased to tempt your pallet with our seasonal small plate inspired menu stemming from mostly local, and sustainable ingredients.
Finish up your meal with our selection of European style chocolates and pastries made with organic sugar, flour, and dairy from St. Anthony's farm in Sonoma.
If a trip to Paris is out of the question. Our early morning pick me up of freshly baked croissants and Danishes, of course made from organic ingredients, can be enjoyed with organic, fair trade coffees from the Barista.
We look forward to breaking bread and toasting wine with all and hope many of our good neighbors experiences will lead to many friendships for the Shokolaat family.
About Shekoh Moossavi:
Shekoh Moossavi is opening SHOKOLAAT in Palo Alto in Spring of 2007. This unique idea of serving European-inspired California food with fine pastries, artisan breads, and one-of-a-kind chocolates is a culinary collaboration of two professional chefs with individual passions.
Shekoh, who was born and raised in Iran, later moved to Brussels, Belgium. In 1986, she moved to the United States and achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Science. She worked in eye-research for many years and later changed her career from science to culinary. She graduated from the Florida Culinary Institute in Palm Beach, Florida.
She worked at many 5-STAR / 5-DIAMOND hotels and restaurants, including the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, in Florida. In 2002, she moved to San Francisco and worked at various well-known restaurants. In 2003, she recreated Restaurant Gervais under her ownership along with her husband, Mark Ainsworth, as the consulting Pastry Chef.
Shekoh is now realizing her dream of having a very unique destination for fine food and worldly wines in this special environment.
