Our annual co-hosted holiday cooking class at the home of LA-based designer Jenni Kayne was as dreamy as ever, especially with this year’s secret sauce: the culinary magic of private chef and caterer Lori Stern.
Like us, Lori loves creating delicious and healthy foods using local, seasonal and highest quality ingredients. Her food is always full of eye-popping color and unforgettable taste — and the cookies, lunch and tonics she whipped up were mouthwatering and memorable, to say the least.
The decor for our casual lunch felt easy and earth-inspired, featuring wooden cake stands from World Market, cozy mugs from Gjusta Goods, pottery from Victoria Morris and rose gold cutlery from Canvas Home, each of which was wrapped in handmade name tags by gift box goddess Simone LeBlanc. Florist Ren MacDonald filled the space with natural, seasonal materials including cranberries, pinecones from Big Sur, juniper and eucalyptus. Her handmade pomegranate-dotted wreath was one of our fave holiday-vibing accents. Learn how to make your own chic and modern version here!
Below we’re sharing Lori’s warming latte recipe made with fragrant spices and green tea — basically a riff on a traditional chai, but a little lighter and somehow even cozier. Hit up the homepage for two stunning holiday cookie recipes to pair with your tonic — a ganache dipped hazelnut cookie and a pink peppercorn shortbread.
Pink Sima Latte
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp loose green tea leaves
10 cardamom pods
2 tsp baking soda
10 ice cubes
1 cup cold water
2 Tbsp unrefined cane sugar, raw honey or maple syrup
2 cups Pressed Juicery almond milk
Directions:
Bring water, tea and pods to simmer in a medium-sized saucepan for 15 minutes. Then add baking soda, ice (add where mixture is boiling), water and sugar.
Keep stirring and let mixture simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain. Then add almond milk. The latte should be a pinkish color. Bring to a simmer and serve right away, or store in a glass Mason jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
