by John F. Carafoli

When I started this article, I called Maricel to have her send me her recipes. She had just returned from Washington, cooking for 400 in the White House Kitchen for the Fiesta Latina, one of the White House’s monthly music events. Maricel was their first high-profile, female celebrity chef.

I was first introduced to Ms. Presilla several years ago by a mutual friend. We went to her amazingly creative restaurant featuring artisanal South American cooking, Cucharamama, in Hoboken, New Jersey, just a short train ride from Manhattan.

Several months ago her publisher asked if I would be interested in styling her revised edition of The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural and Natural History of Cacao with Recipes. On the day of the photo shoot I took the bus from New York City to Weehawken. When I arrived at her home, two precious, friendly dogs greeted me at the door. There was a cage of three very large parrots, screaming “¡Hola!” and a house filled with artifacts from all over South America. I had entered another world.

Exotic aromas filled the air. In Maricel’s uniquely-designed kitchen, food was being prepped and cooked for the photo shoot. Books were everywhere. There was an outdoor garden and a patio with a variety of plants where we ate our lunch (food catered from her restaurant). To the right was a bright blue vacant chicken coop. The neighbors complained about her chickens and they were removed.

Back in the kitchen, Paloma, Maricel’s assistant was preparing the first dish to be photographed. I had made an early morning stop at a specialty fish market to purchase a $100 box of langousta for the Catalan Lobster with Chocolate and Almonds, one of Maricel’s special recipes. When I looked over Paloma’s shoulder and saw her gently stirring the mixture in the large stainless pan, the langousta complete with heads simmering in the rich sumptuous and complex, orangy brown sauce, I said to the photographer, “Grab your camera and shoot this dish right here on the stove. The black stove frames the pan and enhances the colors and shapes of the dish. Hopefully we can get a few bubbles from the simmering sauce and possibly a little steam against the black.”

As the day progressed it was one creative moment after another. A photo shoot like this is very rare, especially when advertising agencies and large corporations are involved.

Maricel or Paloma made the food. I would see what it looked like, find the appropriate dish, and the photographer and I would find the perfect setting. We photographed it all in natural light: a drink on a weathered table, cocoa beans on a rustic wood background, three elegant chocolate truffles on a glass pedestal shot on a moss-filled old tile table in the garden, a pot of mint-flavored hot chocolate placed on a cement step. We shot several recipes in different settings and experimented with different platters, pans and dishes on a variety of surfaces to see which one told the best story for the recipe.

Once I grabbed an interesting wooden spoon and placed it in the dish of the Dark Milk Chocolate-Coffee Brûlées only to have Maricel say, “You can’t use that spoon! It is not authentic to the dish. It’s from another region of South America.”

I went wild running through her home with all the artifacts at my disposal. It was an exciting creative adventure. Her house was my prop room.

I have always been curious and excited to see and learn about the food and cultures of other countries. Learning from Maricel was a new and adventurous experience. Her intense, complex flavors reflect her passion and love of food and culture.

After this adventure into Maricel Presilla’s world, I arrived back on Cape Cod extremely excited about what I had just experienced. Working with Maricel in her kitchen on this book opened my eyes to the versatility of chocolate and how Latin Americans incorporate it as an ingredient to enhance the flavor of savory dishes. I wanted to share a little of the experience with people who would enjoy it.

I started our meal with friends on the deck with the Chocolate Garlic Mojo with Toasted Cuban Bread. The best way I can describe this starter is an equivalent to the Italian crostini, only Latin style. I substituted the Cuban bread for a baguette from Pain D’Avignon, brushed it with olive oil and lightly toasted it under the broiler.

We came inside for the Catalan Lobster with Chocolate and Almonds. Instead of the prawns, which Maricel used, I substituted our local lobsters. I also added several extremely small cherrystone clams to the dish and served it with pan-fried potatoes with fresh rosemary, and green beans tossed with a little butter. Crusty warm bread was also served to sop up the flavorful sauce. There was much deliberation as to what wine to serve. What would compliment this uniquely flavorful dish? We discussed the ingredients, tasted the sauce and unanimously agreed that a floral, crisp white would work, so from our wine cellar we chose the Crios Torrontes from Argentina.

The conclusion to this sensuous meal was the wonderful Dark Milk Chocolate-Coffee Brûlées. I have made this rich, decadent dessert several times serving it with a large dollop of whipped cream. It has become one of my staple endings when I want to impress anyone.

CHOCOLATE GARLIC MOJO WITH TOASTED CUBAN BREAD

CATALAN LOBSTER OR PRAWNS WITH CHOCOLATE AND ALMONDS

DARK MILK CHOCOLATE-COFFEE BRÛLÉES

Maricel Presilla has a Ph.D. in medieval history and is a culinary historian. She owns two restaurants in Hoboken, with her partner Clara Chaumont: Cucharamama and Zafra. Soon to open in the same building as Zafra will be Ultramarinos, a Latino/Spanish grocery and take-out shop.
Cucharamama (Mother’s Spoon), 232 Clinton Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Tel: 201-420-1770 www.cucharamama.com
Zafra, 301 Willow Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Tel: 201-610-9801 www.zafrakitchens.com

John F. Carafoli is an internationally known food stylist based in New York and Cape Cod. He wrote Food Photography and Styling, the first and only book on the subject. Carafoli has presented papers at the Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery, published in Gastronomica, is a contributor to The New York Times and was profiled on the Food Network.