Gastronomic (Mis)Adventures : February 2015

For me, Valentines day is about spending quality time with my close-knit family in San Francisco. After all, it is only my sister, nephew and I who live in the same vicinity. When the opportunity to host a dinner by Kitchit knocked on my door, I immediately invited my loved ones for an intimate pre-Valentines dinner in my small abode.

I was excited to try the new service, Kitchit Tonight, which is currently only available in San Francisco. Intrigued specifically by the sunchoke soup, I chose Chef Andre Villahermosa's Winter Texture meal out of the three menus offered at www.kitchit.com/tonight. I also commented that all guests do not eat pork and beef and added a kiddie meal for the little one, who is allergic to peanuts.

On the day of my Kitchit dinner, I received an email in the morning notifying me a change of chef. I later became more agitated when my chef, Oropeza, failed to show up at the designated time and even called and left a message to customer support. Twenty minutes before dinner time, I heard a loud knock on my door. Carrying a silver bag emblazoned with Kitchit's logo, Chef Oropeza profusely apologized for her tardiness due to the downtown traffic President Obama and his entourage caused. Luckily enough, my guests were also running late.

After showing the chef where the pots and pans, plates and cutlery were, it took her only a few minutes of prep time because all ingredients were packaged and measured ahead of time. It was a fuss-free night since the only thing I had to do was wait for my guests and chat with the chef, who I later learned is a former farmer and now an herbalist. Chef Oropeza did everything else- reheat the soup, sear the cod, warm up the apple puff, plate them and clean everything after the meal.

Chef Oropeza preparing to sear the cod.

Veggie sticks with dip- part of the kids meal.

When my guests finally arrived, Chef Oropeza gave us enough time in between courses so we didn't feel rushed. I got to spend more time catching up with my busy sister and making fun of my nephew, who is the real source of my joy and inspiration.

The kiddo got his food first while my sister and I wait for our first course.

First course: rich and creamy sunchoke soup with onions and chives.

Our menu for tonight with my nephew's toy, which he brought with him since it matches his red OOTD and Kitchit's brand colors, too.

Putting on the finishing touches for our second course.

Roasted cod with baby carrots, charred cabbage, browned butter and carrot reduction. The fish needed more seasoning.

And last but not the least, dessert!

Caramelized apple puff: pate a coux with granny smith apple inside topped with caramel.

Spending quality time with those who care about me the most. This is what Valentines day is all about.

The grand finale which had to be plated two times since the caramel melted while warming up in the oven.

Thanks, #KitchitTonight!

Wait, that's not all... Donning his smartest red button down and armed with a discerning palette growing up with pastry chef parents, my 5 year old nephew has this to say about his kiddie meal, including a plateful of spaghetti and 2 chocolate chip cookies.

(R-L; Top-Bottom) "Yummy, spaghetti my fave", "Where's the cheese?", "I dream of noodles in my sleep", "I'm eying that chocolate chip cookie coz I'm a cookie monster", "So full now. Can I sleepover tonight?"

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