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Jen A. Miller Consulting

Tag: marlene bernstein

  • Savour this Kitchen – Gypsy Carrot Cupcakes with Merchant Icing

    Savour this Kitchen – Gypsy Carrot Cupcakes with Merchant Icing

    savour-this-kitchen

    When we met up for our interview, Marlene gifted me a tin of one of each of her company’s signature spice blends (4 in total). I’d already dabbled with the Seafarer spice blend, sprinkling it over salmon as it’s packaging suggested. Easter provided the prime occasion to test drive another recipe.

    savour-this-kitchen

    After ticking off the customary easter traditions- mass, brunch, and overloading on jellybeans and chocolate – I made my way into the kitchen to whip up a batch of Marlene Bernstein’s Gypsy Carrot Cupcakes with Merchant Icing. As you could guess the recipe incorporates the sweet and savory Gypsy blend of Paprika, Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Cardamom, Anise, and Black Pepper as well as the spicy Merchant mix of Turmeric, Cumin, Black Pepper, Paprika, Coriander, Cinnamon, Clove and Onion.

    savour-this-kitchen

    You might not expect all of these spices to harmoniously mix but together the spice blends provide the perfect one-two punch of flavors. Since I’d already glutted myself on Easter candy, I decided to make a few substitutions to Marlene’s original recipe to lighten it up a bit. See below for my take on her masterpiece and head on over to the Savour the Kitchen blog to find the original recipe.

    (Lightened Up) Gypsy Carrot Cupcakes with Merchant Frosting

    Cupcake Ingredients //

    • 3 Cups of Carrots, grated
    • 2 Egg whites
    • 1/2 Cup Truvia baking blend
    • 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
    • 1 ½ Cups Apple Sauce
    • 1/3 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
    • 3/4 Cup of Coconut Flour
    • 3/4 Cup of Gluten-Free Flour
    • 1 Tsp Baking Soda
    • 2 Tsp Baking Powder
    • 4 Tsp of Gypsy Spice Blend
    • 1 ½ Tsp of Vanilla
    • 1 Tsp Salt

    Frosting Ingredients //

    • 16 oz Reduced- Fat Cream Cheese
    • 1 Stick of Butter
    • 1 Tsp of Vanilla Extract
    • 2 ½-3 Cups of Powdered Sugar
    • 2 Tsp of Merchant Spice Blend

    Directions //

    • Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. In one bowl mix together egg whites, carrots, sugar blend, brown sugar, apple sauce, almond milk, and vanilla extract.
    • In separate bowl mix flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and gypsy spice blend. Fold the dry flour mixture into wet carrot mixture.
    • Spoon the batter ¾ full into individual cupcake liners in the cupcake tin. Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
    • Remove cupcakes from oven and allow time to cool.
    • Combine room temperature cream cheese frosting, butter, vanilla extract and whip. Slowly incorporate sifted powdered sugar into creamed frosting. Finally add the merchant blend and whip until fully incorporated.
    • Once cupcakes have cooled down, fill a pastry bag with frosting and decorate tops of carrot cupcakes. Alternatively, use a knife to spread the frosting.

    Makes 24 Cupcakes

  • Behind the Scenes! Savour this Kitchen Interview

    Behind the Scenes! Savour this Kitchen Interview

    the-springs

    When asked where she’d like to do our interview, Marlene offered up The Springs, a spot in downtown LA where Marlene spends much of her time. The Springs describes itself as a “multi-faceted urban oasis cultivating health, wellness, sustainability, and community”.

    the-springs

    If you’re anything like me, this description is confusing at best until you arrive at said destination. Walk inside of the large warehouse space and you’ll be greeted by a juice bar/ raw vegan restaurant nestled amongst a yoga studio, wellness center, and plenty of open seating for the freelancers amongst us to settle in and work.

    the-springs

    Oh yeah and there’s this awesome outdoor space which get even prettier when the sunsets and the hanging lights turn on.

    the-springs

    Marlene and I each ordered one of The Springs 100% organic cold-pressed juices, the Fireside and North Star respectively. An order of house made chips and guac proved to be the perfect pairing.

    the-springs

    While I bathed Marlene in questions she showered me with gifts. These are the four spice blends in the Savour this Kitchen collection. I gave the spices a test drive by whipping up a batch of Marlene’s Gypsy carrot cupcakes with Merchant cream cheese icing. Click on this link to get yourself a free sample!

    the-springs

    To hear all about the making of these spices and the rest of the story behind Savour this Kitchen, make sure to check out my interview with Marlene!

     

    Cheers!

     

    Jen

  • The Culinarian | An Interview with Marleen Bernstein, Chef & Owner of Savour This Kitchen

    The Culinarian | An Interview with Marleen Bernstein, Chef & Owner of Savour This Kitchen

    A few weeks ago I was introduced to the marvelous Marlene Bernstein. She is the chef and owner behind Savour this Kitchen, an umbrella brand for the catering company / line of original sauces and spice blends she runs with her brother Michael. As someone who keeps her fridge fully stocked with sauces, spices, and condiments of all varieties at all times, I was immediately all over Ms. Bernstein’s blends. Needless to say, I was stoked when she agreed to sit down for an interview with Toast Meets Jam.

    When asked where she’d like us to do the interview, she easily came up with The Springs LA, a newish downtown hotspot that boasts itself as an “urban oasis of wellness”. To put it simply this place is absolute amaze-balls. Part organic juice bar, part yoga center, part local for morning rave parties, The Springs has everything this girl could possibly want in life all rolled into one.

    Over our interview, Marlene guided me through the journey that brought about Savour this Kitchen and it’s evolution over the past few years. She also shed light on the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, her advice for aspiring foodies, and what she does to keep the STK train driving forward. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Toast Meets Jam interview if we didn’t have some fun along the way so you’ll also get to find out what makes Marlene, Marlene, from her favorite Halloween costume to her hidden talent.

    More About Marlene

    savour-this-kitchenMarlene is the chef behind Savour this Kithcen. She is trained in classical French cuisine but her cooking is inspired greatly by er Mediterranean roots. When she’s not making her rounds at the LA farmers’ markets or hosting a fantastic fete, you can find her catching a dance class, exploring downtown, or writing recipes for popular blogs like LaurenConrad.com.

    What is Savour this Kitchen?

    Launched in the summer of 2011, Savour This Kitchen began as Savour This Moment, a California fresh catering company dedicated to using wholesome flavors and natural ingredients. After receiving rave reviews for the unique sauces in their dishes, brother and sister entrepreneurial super team, Michael + Marlene, decided to sell these sauces as stand alone products.

    Savour This Sauce came to fruition at the beginning of 2013 and featured their three signature sauces: Red Pepper Romesco, Thai Chile Cilantro, and Pistachio Mint Pesto. With humble beginnings at the La Canada Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles, people flocked to the new vegan, gluten free brand.

    Thanks to love and support from the community, coupled with early success at the Farmer’s Market, Savour This Sauce found a smooth transition into retail outlets. Nearly a year and a half into the sauce line, the budding company decided to expand beyond sauces and develop a line of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern inspired spice blends: Gypsy, Merchant, Nomad and Seafarer. In order to establish a marketplace for these unique seasonings (and more that are being developed) that make cooking more approachable, fun and delicious, Michael & Marlene created the umbrella brand Savour This Kitchen for their various product lines. (cite: Savour this Kitchen)

    Check out Savour this Kitchen at:

    Web: www.savourthiskitchen.com

    Instagram: @savourthiskitchen

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savourthiskitchen

    A Toast to you and Marlene too,

    Jen

     

     

  • Up Next on Toast Meets Jam – Marlene Bernstein!

    Up Next on Toast Meets Jam – Marlene Bernstein!

    An Interview with Marlene Bernstein, chef & owner of Savour this Kitchen

    Coming up next on Toast Meets Jam… Marlene Bernstein,  chef and owner of Savour this Kitchen.

    Whether you’re just discovering Toast Meets Jam or have been following along for a bit, this next interview is one you won’t want to miss. Marlene is the pint-sized powerhouse behind Savour this Kitchen, an umbrella brand that includes her catering company as well as vegan and gluten free signature sauce and spice blends. She invited me to one of her favorite spots in downtown LA, The Springs, to catch-up over green juice and guacamole.

    There are so many things I love about this interview. To start, I am head over heels for The Springs. This recently opened spots dubs itself “a multi-faceted urban oasis” and includes an organic juice bar, yoga studio, wellness center, and raw vegan restaurant & wine bar. What’s not to love?? If you’re in LA you need to find any excuse to make your way there (yes even you west siders!).

    On top of getting to do the interview at an awesome spot, Marlene was just a blast to get to know. We started with the serious — how did you get started, what’s your advice–weaved in a lot of of fun along the way, and ended up with a full-on karate demonstration– she’s a black belt. There are so many ‘mazing things to discover about Marlene. Make sure to check back to catch the full interview!

    Cheers!

    Jen

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