September 17, 2020
September 10, 2020
September 03, 2020
August 21, 2020
Our store remains open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Our employees have been well trained in hygienic practices and will not come to work if ill. We have also implemented stringent and frequent cleaning and disinfecting procedures. There is a maximum limit of 15 customers in the store at a time.
If you choose to shop in the store, we request that you wear a mask and maintain a six-foot distance from other shoppers and staff.
Know what you need? Place your order over the phone and then pick up at the store. You may also arrange delivery at the curb (front or rear entrance). Call 831-426-1351 between 11 am and 6 pm.
For those customers who feel comfortable shopping online, we encourage you to do so. You have the option of either having the products shipped to you or to pick them up in the store or at the curb (or in Half Moon Bay at our warehouse). For store pick up, you’ll be offered that option at the Shopping Cart stage of your order. There’s no shipping charge for store pick-ups.
We have also noted that some customers who want to support small businesses are purchasing gift cards to use later. We offer two types: plastic gift cards for use in the store that we will mail to you and virtual gift cards for use online that we will email you. You can see the two types here: https://www.mytoque.com/collections/gift-certificates
We appreciate your ongoing support. We welcome your feedback and are happy to answer any questions you have, info@mytoque.com.
August 05, 2020
1 package rice paper wrappers
2 cups fresh edamame, shelled (or thawed frozen edamame)
1 red pepper, cut into matchsticks
3 green onions, sliced
2 carrots, spiralized
1 bunch cilantro leaves
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced
Spicy Peanut Sauce:
1/2 cup fresh peanut butter
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 lime, juiced
1 clove garlic, finely minced, or crushed
1 tsp ginger, finely minced, or grated
1. Prepare all of the vegetables and stage in individual prep bowls.
2. Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients, thinning with water, as needed.
3. Singly, submerge the rice wrappers in water for 15-20 seconds each, then artfully fill with the vegetables. Fill the bottom 1/3 of the wrapper with veggies, leaving a generous margin to each side. Roll once half-way covering veggies. Place additional vegetables in the top 1/3 taking care to artfully place so that a beautiful pattern may be seen on the top 1/3 of the wrap. Fold over both sides on wrap. Finish the rolling motion until the wrap is fully rolled and sealed.
4. Slightly moisten a serving plate, and place the rolls on the plate in a single layer (not touching). Refrigerate for a short time or enjoy them immediately. (They will not keep moist for very long, so enjoy them soon!
5. Serve the rolls whole or cut in half with a personal serving of sauce on the side.
August 04, 2020
1 pound green beans, trimmed to 1/2" shorter than the jar
3 jalapeños, sliced into thin strips
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1-1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1-1/2 cups water
1 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1. Blanch the prepped green beans and jalapeño strips by boiling in a large pot of water for 2 minutes. Plunge them into an ice bath to preserve the green color and to stop from over-cooking.
2. Clean and sterilize 3 pint-sized canning jars. Fill the jars with the blanched green beans, jalapeño slices, and garlic slices. Tightly pack the green beans in the jar vertically. Divide the mustard seeds and peppercorns into the jars.
3. Prepare the brine: In a saucepan, bring the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar to a boil. Boil for three minutes. Let the brine cool.
4. Pour the brine into each jar, covering the green beans completely.
5. Cover and refrigerate the pickles overnight before serving.
6. Keep refrigerated. Enjoy the pickles for up to one week.
August 03, 2020
Makes About 2 Pints
6 medium carrots, trimmed into sticks 1/2" short than the jar
1/2-inch fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
Brine Ingredients:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon kosher or pickling salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
4-6 whole cloves
1. Slice the carrots into sticks -- approximately the same size and length.
2. Closely pack the carrot sticks in two clean canning jars along with the ginger and garlic slices.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring the brine ingredients to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove the pickling liquid from heat and slowly pour over the carrots until about 1/4 inch from the top, covering the carrots completely.
4. Cover and refrigerate the pickles overnight before serving.
5. Keep refrigerated. Enjoy the pickles for up to one week.
August 03, 2020
Filling:
6 peaches, pitted, peeled, sliced
2 cups blueberries, washed and destemmed
1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/8 cup white sugar
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Topping:
1-2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Biscuit Topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour (plus 1/4 cup extra)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup chilled butter, diced into
1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup milk (plus 2-3 tbsp more)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Serve with:
Vanilla ice cream
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Prepare a ceramic baking dish (about a 2-quart capacity) by lightly buttering.
2. Prepare the filling. Prepare the peaches by peeling, pitting, and slicing into thin, crescent-shaped slices.
3. In a large bowl, add the blueberries to the peach slices. Sprinkle with the white sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until combined.
4. Place the peaches and blueberries in the prepared baking dish and place in the oven for 20 minutes to jumpstart the baking process.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the biscuit topping. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir to evenly combine the ingredients.
6. Add half of the diced butter to the flour mixture and combine well with a pastry blender or fork. Add the remaining diced butter and continue to blend leaving pea-sized pieces of butter.
7. Add the vanilla extract to the milk. Add the milk mixture to the flour-butter mixture, and stir together until a rough dough is formed. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured board and gather the dough together. Knead 2-3 times to form a dough ball. Flatten the dough ball to about a 1/2-inch thickness.
8. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut circles of dough.
9. Place the biscuits on top of the hot fruit in the baking dish. Brush the tops of each dough piece with melted butter. Extra biscuit dough? Simply bake in the oven on a baking sheet until golden brown.
10. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar-cinnamon topping. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the entire dish.
11. Continue baking in a 425°F oven until the biscuit dough is cooked through and the tops nicely golden brown, about 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
12. Serve warm (not hot) with your favorite vanilla ice cream.
August 02, 2020
1 pound asparagus, trimmed to 1" shorter than the jar
2 cloves garlic, whole
1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds
1/2 tablespoon peppercorns
1-1/4 cups white wine vinegar (at least 5% acidity)
1-1/4 cups water
1 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 sprigs rosemary
1. Blanch the asparagus. Boil in a large pot of water for 2 minutes, and then plunge into an ice bath to preserve the green color and to stop from over-cooking.
2. Clean and sterilize a quart-sized canning jar. Fill the jar with the blanched asparagus and garlic. Tightly pack the asparagus and rosemary in the jar with tips up. Place the mustard seeds, peppercorns, and crushed red pepper into the jar.
3. Prepare the brine. In a saucepan, bring the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar to a boil. Boil for three minutes. Let the brine cool.
4. Pour the brine into each jar, covering the vegetables completely.
5. Cover and refrigerate the pickles overnight before serving.
6. Keep refrigerated. Enjoy the pickles for up to one week.
August 02, 2020
Makes 6 - 8 Hand Pies
SUMMER BLUEBERRIES burst with a flavor that only happens when truly in season. One of our favorite ways to celebrate these little nutritional powerhouses is to place them in hand pies. The berries’ diminutive size fit neatly into petite packets, which highlight the rich cream cheese-based crust — a truly mouth-watering match!
Cream Cheese Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1-1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
8 oz. (1 pkg) cream cheese
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), well chilled
Crust Assembly Ingredients:
2 egg whites, beaten
1 tablespoon coarse sugar for crust topping
Blueberry Filling:
2 cups blueberries
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1. PLACE the flour, sugar, and salt in
the bowl of the food processor. PULSE a few times to evenly distribute the sugar and salt.
2. CUT the butter and cream cheese into 1/2-inch cubes. Use a little of the flour mixture to keep the pieces from sticking together. CHILL the cut butter and cream cheese cubes for 15 minutes.
3. PLACE the butter and cream cheese cubes in the food processor with the flour mixture. PULSE 6-8 times to cut the butter and cream cheese into the flour. The dough mixture will be coarse with some pea-sized pieces of butter and cream cheese remaining. (Resist the urge to keep pulsing.)
4. REMOVE the rough dough from the work bowl and form into a ball using your hands and a light touch.
5. FLATTEN the dough ball into a disk about a half-inch thick, and wrap in plastic wrap.
6. CHILL the wrapped dough disk for an hour or overnight.
7. REMOVE the dough from the refrigerator when ready to bake the hand pies and let set for 10 minutes on the countertop while the filling is mixed.
8. STIR the cornstarch and sugar together, then sprinkle over the fresh blueberries. Gently toss the fruit to distribute the cornstarch/sugar mixture. Set aside while finishing crust preparation.
9. ROLL the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/8- to 3/16-inch thickness.
10. CUT circles from the dough (5-inch circles for 6 pies; 4-inch circles for 8 pies). TRANSFER half of the circles to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
11. BEAT the egg whites with 2 teaspoons of water, and BRUSH the egg white wash lightly on the edge of each circle.
12. SPOON the prepared blueberries into the center of each bottom circle mounding them slightly. Leave about 1/2-inch of the crust clear for sealing.
13. STRETCH the top circles slightly to fit over the mounded blueberries. MATCH the edges of the top crust with the bottom crust pressing them together. CRIMP the edges with fork tines.
14. BRUSH the formed hand pies with the egg white wash. SPRINKLE lightly with sugar if desired. VENT the pies by cutting small slits on the top with the tip of a paring knife in a decorative design of your choosing. (We like a simple star with five small cuts placed in a radiating pattern.)
15. BAKE the hand pies in a 400° oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
16. SERVE warm or cooled to room temperature.
August 02, 2020
Makes 8 Boats
These zucchini boats make a delicious appetizer, lunch, or healthy dinner! Grilled and filled with pizza-like toppings, they are sure to be a hit with kids and adults alike. Get creative with the fillings and toppings, or try our suggestion of caramelized onion, red sauce, and cheese. Makes 8 zucchini boats.
4 medium-sized zucchini
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon
2 tablespoons butter
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 oz sliced mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade cut for garnish
1. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a small spoon or melon baller. Brush the 8 zucchini boats with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fire up the grill!
2. In a skillet, sauté the red onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until soft and beginning to caramelize. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, prepare the red sauce. Add the garlic, the remaining butter, and 1 teaspoon of olive oil and and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until the garlic begins to sweat. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes on medium-low heat until the flavors are incorporated. Add the cooked onions to the sauce.
4. Grill the cut, scooped-out zucchini on direct heat for 3 minutes on both sides. Remove the zucchini from the grill, and place on a platter in order to fill the boats.
5. Spoon the sauce evenly inside the zucchini boats, then sprinkle with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Return the stuffed zucchini boats to the grill. Cover the grill, and grill over medium heat until the cheese is has melted and turned golden brown, about 5 minutes.
6. Sprinkle the finished boats with additional Kosher salt, pepper, and fresh basil and serve immediately
August 02, 2020
Serves 2
Portabella mushrooms are a hearty vegetable that love the grill. Add minced garlic and a splash of olive oil before grilling for exceptional flavor. After grilling, these mushrooms are stuffed with sautéed spinach, grilled red pepper, and warm, crispy goat cheese medallions — a vegetarian’s paradise.
2 portabella mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil for drizzling
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Stuffng Ingredients:
1 red pepper
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 oz spinach, chopped
Goat Cheese Medallion Ingredients:
4 oz goat cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons
Panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
1. Trim the stem off of the mushroom caps. Mince the garlic, and sprinkle inside the caps. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the mushrooms on the grill with the gill side up. Grill over high heat for 4-5 minutes, turn, and grill the other side for another 4-5 minutes, or until soften and tender.
2. Cut the red pepper in half, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Grill for 3-5 minutes, or until softened. Place the pepper halves in a brown paper bag and close. Allow the pepper's heat to steam in the bag for about 4 minutes. Remove from the bag; the peel should be easy to remove at this point. Cut the pepper into a small dice and combine with the capers in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a small saute pan over medium heat, cook the garlic in the olive oil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach and saute for 2 minutes until spinach wilts. Remove from heat.
4. Cut the goat cheese into 1/2” slices. In a small bowl, beat the egg. Pour the bread crumbs into a low bowl or plate. Dip the goat cheese medallions into the beaten egg and then coat all sides with the bread crumbs. In a nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat and add the coated goat cheese medallions, cooking for 10-15 seconds on each side, or until lightly golden brown. Place the “toasted” medallions on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.
5. Spoon the red pepper mixture in the well of the mushroom, topping with sautéed spinach and a goat cheese medallion. Serve immediately