I hope you didn’t miss this post, where laid out all the amazing qualities of a Zephyr Ventilation hood.

I also wanted to share some more of this wonderful blogger retreat I attended in San Francisco. I have some beautiful images below of furniture and products you will love AND the secret recipe for this fabulous pumpkin dessert from John Smilanic, the Zephyr showroom manager, who, in fact, is also a chef!

John worked for 20+ years as an accomplished private chef, caterer and event planner. As people do these days, John began questioning his career path and became interested in interior design. After attending design school, he came to work at the Zephyr showroom, where he is not only working with a luxury design kitchen brand but can also organize their events and occasionally dabble in the food preparation of their functions. What a great marriage of his talents and passions.

The day we had our in-house presentation, we had lunch in the showroom, presented by Bocados Catering. It was delicious and we so enjoyed it. However, the personal touch was that John, himself, prepared our sweet dessert that was the perfect end to our meal. He agreed to share the recipe with me so that YOU, my dear readers, can have a deliciously light, tasty pumpkin dessert for your Thanksgiving meal. :-)

Dessert Recipe - Pumpkin Pot De Creme

Serving Size 6 (4-5 ounce ramekin)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sugar

7 large egg yolks (room temperature)

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup whole milk

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

a pinch nutmeg and clove

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ancho chile powder (optional)

1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
In a med. bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until they get pale yellow and thicken slightly. Set aside.
In a med. saucepan, whisk together milk, cream, pumpkin puree, spices and salt. Turn on med. heat and whisk until mixture is hot to touch. Do not let it come to a boil.
Time to temper. Pour about 1/4 cup of hot creme mixture into bowl of egg yolks and whisk. Continue to slowly pour remaining mixture into egg yolks and whisk together.
Pour mixture back into saucepan and turn on heat to med-low. Place a thermometer into mixture. With a spoon or silicone spatula, stir until mixture get to 175 degrees and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, add vanilla and pour through a fine sieve strainer into a 4-6 cup measuring cup. (Note: You may need to hold thermometer in one hand and stir with the other. It is important to not let this mixture come to a boil or go over 175 degrees.)
Set ramekins into a large roasting pan or baking pan. If all 6 cannot fit into one pan, use a second to accommodate. Pour custard mixture into ramekins.
Transfer baking dish to oven and add boiling water from a tea kettle until it is about half way up the sides of ramekins.
Bake 35 minutes or until firm but there is a slight giggle in the center. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before removing from baking pan.
Refrigerate until cold. Serve with small dollop of slightly sweetened whipped cream.

Thanks so much to John for sharing his recipe!

After lunch, we headed out to visit some of the local showrooms where we saw some beautiful products in gorgeous settings. I think it would be so much fun to be a designer in SF, with all this glorious shopping right at my door.

First stop was Nido Living. They specialize in contemporary Italian furnishings.

Contemporary Italian furnishings at Nido Living

Contemporary Italian pendant lighting at Nido Living

Daltile was the next stop.

The dahlia mosaic tile mural at Daltile, San Francisco

Refreshing lemonade served at Daltile on our tour

Daltile has some amazing slabs that can create art walls in your home.

Tile mobile installation at Daltile, San Francisco

You know, I visit my local Daltile showroom all the time, and yet I saw a product I haven’t noticed before, in this showroom. I’ve always found that to be true. You can actually become aware of products in different settings, even if you think you understand the breadth of a brand’s line. Some products you notice better in a showroom, some better online on a website, some while visiting a show, or some presented in your studio by the rep. It pays to keep in touch at all levels, which was why this trip was so good for me. (Of course, all you have to do is read my blog. :-)

Daltile "Brickworks" - Porcelain tile that looks like whitewashed brick

I saw this product on the wall walking in. This white painted brick style porcelain tile will hold up and be so much easier to clean than real brick floors. What a great look.

During the presentation, the showroom manager mentioned this about trends in tile that they are seeing. She said to “just watch”, that standard old 6x6 tile that your grandmother had in her tiny bathroom is coming back!

Ha ha, I know!!!!! I find it refreshing after sooooo much subway tile out there. I designed this guest bath recently (it’s under construction right now), and luckily sold my client on that 6 x 6 tile. I also wrote a blogpost about it LAST YEAR …...HERE. So, I get it, I’m right there with her.

Lastly, we stopped by Coup D' Etat for a sip of champagne and a walk through. Stunning furnishings, lighting, and art are all beautifully displayed. Have a look.

Knobby kneed walnut chairs with rush seats

Stunning brass drum tables with a velvet tufted sofa

I’ll probably remind you one more time in a future post to sign up for the Zephyr Ventilation Hood Giveaway, but don’t wait. Get over and do it now, so you can come closer to having some cleaner air in your kitchen!

Best Thanksgiving Pumpkin Dessert Recipe And More From The Zephyr Retreat

Dessert Recipe - Pumpkin Pot De Creme

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