Poppies + Juice Shots: Easter Brunch with Jenni Kayne + Malibu Farm

Spring has barely begun and already we’re thinking of Easter. After such a long winter, the thought of fresh flowers and spring pastels seems too good to be true.

Last week, we gathered in Jenni Kayne’s kitchen for yet another cooking class with a favorite L.A. chef. This time, Helene Henderson of Malibu Farm came to teach us some of the delicious, farm-sourced dishes we love from her gorgeous cafe on the coast.

All of L.A. has fallen in love with Malibu Farm, Helene’s restaurant on the Malibu Pier that is everything you want a Malibu beach spot to be. The locally-brewed espresso and green juice flow while surfers and celebrities alike pour in from the coves. Every dish at Malibu Farm is sourced from local farms and farmer’s markets and Helene’s own home farm is just minutes away along the PCH. The style of cooking in Helene’s kitchen is very Sweden-meets-the-California-coast, in other words perfect brunch food. We asked Helene to teach us a few recipes from the actual Malibu Farm menu (this burrata and fruit salad!) and a few from her cookbook, The Swedish Table.

To start our class, Jenni passed around shots of Helene’s beet and ginger-infused wellness shots. Our lunch included several salads, one of which was topped with an impressive, but surprisingly simple to make sesame seed candy Helene showed us how to whip up just before serving. We also made these nutrient-dense cauliflower pizzas and a unique pavlova roll cake like we’ve never seen. Bookmark this dessert for the easiest, most gorgeous finish to your next gathering. We’ll be sharing the recipe tomorrow morning.

Hollyflora dressed the outdoor table – these unreal Icelandic poppies in hand-marbled vases needed very little accessorizing. The table runner is an Etsy find — vintage flour sacks, and the tablesettings are by Heath and Nicky Kehoe. Find a few elements to inspire your brunch plans and celebrate the springiest of all holidays like never before! We’ve never been so glad to see the season arrive.

Burrata, Nectarine, and Arugula Salad with Sesame Seed Candy
This is a great salad. In the summer, I make it with nectarines or peaches. In the fall, I make it with figs or persimmons. In the winter I use blood oranges or grapes.

Ingredients:

1 bunch arugula

4 ripe nectarines, peaches, or any fruit you like, sliced

Sweet pomegranate dressing (recipe follows)

1 8-ounce ball of burrata cheese, pulled into shreds

Pomegranate seeds (optional or for garnish)

For the garnish:

Sesame seed candy (recipe follows); fresh mint, chopped

For the Sweet Pomegranate Dressing:

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses or maple syrup

1 teaspoon chopped shallot

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt to taste

Directions:

Toss the arugula and the nectarines in the sweet pomegranate dressing (recipe follows), and then scatter shreds of burrata cheese on top. (Pouring the dressing over the burrata would give the burrata unappetizing color, and we don’t want that.) Garnish with sesame seed candy and fresh chopped mint. If in season, pomegranate seeds are a great addition.

For the Sweet Pomegranate Dressing:
Whisk together all dressing ingredients.

For the Sesame Seed Candy:

To make sesame seed candy, you just need more seeds than sugar. In a small, dry skillet over medium heat, add 1/3 cup sugar. No need to stir or do anything. Just sit back and wait for the sugar to melt. If it is starting to burn, turn down the heat. Just when the sugar begins to melt, stir in 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds. Once the sugar is fully melted and the sesame seeds are incorporated into it, pour the mixture onto a lightly greased sheet pan.

Once cool, break or cut into little candy pieces. If you have a hard-as-rock mass of sugar and seeds, you used too much sugar. Toss it out and start again.

Goat Cheese Lavash Pizza with Cauliflower
This isn’t really a pizza at all. It is more of a cracker. A cracker full of bubbling hot cheese and thinly sliced cauliflower.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup goat cheese or ricotta cheese

1/2 cup créme fraîche

1 egg

A little olive oil

1 piece lavash bread

Shredded three-cheese blend

Lots of finely sliced cauliflower

Additional olive oil, for drizzling

Directions:

In a food processor, combine the goat or ricotta cheese, créme fraîche, and egg. The exact quantities are not important; you just want to end up with a spreadable cheese mixture.

Spread olive oil on a sheet pan, and lay the lavash bread on top.

Spread goat cheese mixture on lavash bread, distribute shredded cheese across the goat cheese, top with lots of finely sliced cauliflower.

Drizzle olive oil on top, and season lightly with salt. Bake in a 450 degree oven until lavash is starting to brown around the edges and get crispy.

Yeah, I am not gonna tell you how long that will take, because it really depends on your oven. Your going to bake it until it is done, which is when the edges are starting to brown and crisp. Remove from oven and cut into squares with a pizza cutter. This is also terrific as an appetizer.

3.23.15

Burrata, Pears + Juice Shots: Easter Brunch with Jenni Kayne And Malibu Farm

Burrata, Nectarine, and Arugula Salad with Sesame Seed Candy
This is a great salad. In the summer, I make it with nectarines or peaches. In the fall, I make it with figs or persimmons. In the winter I use blood oranges or grapes.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Goat Cheese Lavash Pizza with Cauliflower
This isn’t really a pizza at all. It is more of a cracker. A cracker full of bubbling hot cheese and thinly sliced cauliflower.

Ingredients:

Directions:

3.23.15

Burrata, Pears + Juice Shots: Easter Brunch with Jenni Kayne And Malibu Farm

Burrata, Nectarine, and Arugula Salad with Sesame Seed Candy This is a great salad. In the summer, I make it with nectarines or peaches. In the fall, I make it with figs or persimmons. In the winter I use blood oranges or grapes.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Goat Cheese Lavash Pizza with Cauliflower This isn’t really a pizza at all. It is more of a cracker. A cracker full of bubbling hot cheese and thinly sliced cauliflower.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Burrata, Nectarine, and Arugula Salad with Sesame Seed Candy
This is a great salad. In the summer, I make it with nectarines or peaches. In the fall, I make it with figs or persimmons. In the winter I use blood oranges or grapes.

Goat Cheese Lavash Pizza with Cauliflower
This isn’t really a pizza at all. It is more of a cracker. A cracker full of bubbling hot cheese and thinly sliced cauliflower.