Restaurateur Tadeh Ghazalian of Dialog Cafe | Los Angeles, CA
Dialog has been around for 18 years. I always loved walnuts and thought they were so interesting, but never really had the chance to create something around them. We recently lost our flagship café and I have been feeling pretty uninspired creatively. When this opportunity came up, it gave me and our team something fun to create around again. Dialog has always been about bringing people together, sharing moments, and the relationships we build along the way. We wanted something that could take us into fall but still feel very Los Angeles—so naturally, it's served iced only. The toasted California walnuts, dates, maple, and miso give it those warm, fall flavors without making it feel too heavy. The whole milk makes it creamy and lets all those flavors really come together. — Restaurateur Tadeh Ghazalian
Adapted by StarChefs | November 2027 | Photo: Jakob Layman
INGREDIENTS
California Walnut Cream:
1 kilogram California walnuts
20 grams avocado oil
10 grams kosher salt
Toasted California Walnut Cream Foam:
35 grams maple syrup
10 grams date syrup
5 grams white miso
3½ grams vanilla extract
1 gram fine sea salt
Vanilla Syrup:
1 kilogram granulated sugar
12 beans Madagascar vanilla, scraped
Candied California Walnuts:
600 grams California walnuts
96 grams maple syrup
48 grams brown sugar
3 grams kosher salt
To Assemble and Serve:
Yield: 1 serving
6 ounces organic whole milk
40 grams espresso
15 grams date syrup
4 grams white miso
Grated nutmeg
Grated cinnamon
Flaky sea salt
METHOD
For the California Walnut Cream:
Heat oven to 350°F. Place walnuts on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Toast until lightly browned. Transfer to a Vitamix Commercial blender. Add remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
For the Toasted California Walnut Cream Foam:
In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients, 80 grams California Walnut Cream, and 150 grams water. Using a Vitamix Commercial immersion blender, mix until well combined. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours. Once chilled, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip until soft peaks form. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
For the Vanilla Syrup:
Heat the water bath of an immersion circulator to 150°F. In a vacuum bag, combine all ingredients and 1 kilogram water. Cook sous vide 2 hours. Strain, bottle, and reserve.
For the Candied California Walnuts:
Heat oven to 300°F. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet tray. Bake 8 minutes. Stir and bake additional 7 minutes. Let cool.
To Assemble and Serve:
In a serving glass, combine milk, espresso, date syrup, miso, and 20 grams Vanilla Syrup. Add ice. Top with 100 grams Toasted California Walnut Foam. Season with nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Finish with desired amount Candied California Walnuts and shaved California walnuts.
