Pumpkin Time!

To me, nothing says ‘autumn’ more than a bright orange pumpkin. Of course, pumpkins are associated with Halloween, but looking past Jack-o-lanterns, they are also the perfect fall food. A few years ago, I came across this recipe in one of the many food magazines I subscribe to, and since then, making it has become an annual obsession...er...I mean.... tradition. I have made a few adjustments to the recipe over the years, but this year, I really think I may have perfected this rich and gooey sinful pumpkin recipe.

Pumpkin “Fondue”
Ingredients:
1 12-inch baguette, cut into ½ inch slices
1 5 to 7 lb Sweet Baking Pumpkin
1 c. Heavy Cream
½ c. Chicken Stock (reduced sodium)
½ c. Dry White Wine
 ½ tsp Nutmeg, grated
2 ½ c. Gruyère, grated (about 6 oz.)
2 ½ c. Emmental (or other Swiss cheese), grated (about 6 oz.)
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Method:
Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third.
Toast baguette slices on a baking sheet in oven until tops are crisp, but not browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Remove top of pumpkin by cutting a circle around stem with a small sharp knife. Scrape out seeds and any loose fibers from inside pumpkin with a spoon (including off top of pumpkin). Season inside of pumpkin with ½ teaspoon salt.

Whisk together cream, broth, wine, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Mix together cheeses in another bowl.

Put a layer of toasted bread in bottom of pumpkin, then cover with about 1 cup cheese and about ½ cup cream mixture. Continue layering bread, cheese, and cream mixture until pumpkin is filled to about ½ inch from top, using all of cream mixture. (You may have some bread left over.)

Cover pumpkin with top and put in an oiled small roasting pan. Brush outside of pumpkin with olive oil. Bake until pumpkin is tender and filling is puffed, 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool slightly.

To serve, scoop out roasted pumpkin flesh and cheese/bread filling into shallow bowls. Serve with leftover bread slices.

 (Photo by Romulo Yanes from Epicurious.com)

-Katrina

Meeting Mario

I have to begin by saying that I am not one to get all googely-eyed over celebrities. In fact, I am quite the opposite. I would rather just leave people to their own to enjoy their lives, rather than harassing them as so many others seem to do.

 
On a trip to New York last weekend, I made plans with my best friend and our boys to check out Eataly, Mario Batali’s newest restaurant concept. After dining at some of Mario’s restaurants here in LA and watching him endlessly on the Food Network, I was eager to see what it was all about. I read many exciting reviews of this new eatery, describing it as seven restaurant concepts under one roof, along with amazing artisan/gourmet food selections: Pasta, pizza, wine, cheese, cured meats, chocolate, gelato, breads, etc., offered in one unique setting in a loft-style building in Manhattan. Just the thought of this place drove my foodie palate wild at the thought of its deliciousness.

 
When we arrived, it was bustling with people moving between different food stations, each with their own décor, and each offering a different type of eats. We were pleasantly surprised to find a large high-top table for the four of us to hunker down at. Service began attentively and with a smile, but that quickly took a downward spiral. Our server disappeared after we let him know the bottle of wine we ordered was corked, but not before trying to argue with us that it wasn’t. A young, uneducated server leaves a lot to be desired when they try to argue such things. He did finally arrive back with a better Barbera varietal, which we all thoroughly enjoyed, but he remained unavailable to us for the rest of our stay. We had to track down any random server in sight for the remainder of our meal service. But now back to the fun part.

 
As we surveyed the scene, we looked about to see what everyone else was eating and suddenly I spotted Mario behind a counter, casually chatting to a few of the clientele seated nearby! I took a walk over to check out if he was wearing his signature orange clogs. Confirmed. I was half tempted to say hello but decided to refrain and leave the man to his work.

 
We ordered a few menu items to share, including a platter of assorted cheeses and charcuterie and a tomato mozzarella dish. Both were outstanding in quality, presentation and flavor.

 

 After wrapping up our meal, we wandered around the different sections of the venue gazing longingly at the variety of Italian cuisine in each area. The gelato bar and espresso station looked inviting but we refrained. We spotted Mario again, still chatting to guests and staff members throughout the joint.  This time, I couldn’t stop myself from grabbing Lou’s arm and approaching him to say hello. At that point I was fully committed to making his acquaintance and had also decided I would ask him for a photograph. He was smiley and bubbly the whole time and was appreciative when I told him I was a big fan. I guess it’s easy to grin from ear to ear when you have just launched a tremendous new food venture in NYC!

http://www.newyork.eataly.it/index.php/about/about-us/

-Jean

Let's Just Say, I am no Julia Child

After inviting the ‘in-laws’ to dinner, I figured I better pull out the big guns and prepare something memorable. How better to impress, than with some traditional French cuisine? I had recently received Julia Child’s ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking” collection as a birthday gift and was dying to tear into a few recipes. And after watching the “Julie and Julia” movie a while back, I was chomping at the bit to try to be the courageous Julie.

With a trip to Santa Monica’s Farmers Market and Santa Monica Seafood and a pantry filled with fresh produce, I was ready and eager to take on this new culinary challenge.

We choose an entrée consisting of traditional French Risotto and Coquilles St. Jacques A La Provence (scallops gratineed with wine, garlic and herbs) served with Asperges Au Naturel (boiled asparagus).
They say, one should never prepare a meal for the very first time and invite guests to enjoy... now I know why.

We planned ahead and prepped all ingredients the day prior, since it was Sunday and we had time, rather than rushing home after work on Monday evening and having little time to prep. We wanted to take our time to do this just right. Julia’s book had helpful hints as to what could be prepared ahead of time and what needed to be done at service time.

Julia recommends peeling the asparagus but by using a sharp knife and not a peeler. That lasted all of 10 minutes with utter frustration- that method just didn’t seem to be working. She also suggests not snapping the ends of the asparagus off. Another huge mistake, as these ends are completely fibrous and inedible. After preparing, the asparagus stalks were bland and tasteless so I had to spruce them up with a drizzle of good EVOO and grated lemon zest.
 

The scallops turned out like bullets. They were as hard as rubber pucks due to being overcooked in the pan before broiling with a cheese gratinee. Even though we followed the recipes to a T, they definitely needed a cooks’ knowledge to know when to remove items from the heat, etc.
 

The risotto was just to die for on Sunday when we made it, we literally couldn’t stop eating it and had to remind ourselves that we needed to leave some for our guests the next day. Julia recommends reheating the risotto in a double boiler, which we did. This proceeded to change the consistency of the entire dish! The rice was completely dried out and turned into more of a pilaf than a risotto.
 

What a disaster!
 

Thank goodness our guests were courteous and understanding as we presented them with our failed concoctions. We have now learned the well known lesson of never trying something new when welcoming guests into your home.
 

Bon appétit!

-Jean

Just Peachy

For those of you who do not know me, I have to tell you something about myself: I am an award winning pie baker. It wasn’t a large scale contest by any means, but I won first place nonetheless! The bake-off was part of the Brentwood Country Mart Rodeo Days celebration back in August 2007, and it was the height of peach season. As I carefully hand-selected each juicy, fragrant peach from the stand at the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market I knew that each one was going to help me bake my winning creation… and that they did. Grand prize bragging rights and a $250 gift certificate to the Country Mart!

In an attempt to relive my glory days, this weekend I decided to bake my award winning recipe. No sharing with the judges this time!

“Just Peachy” Caramel Delight

Ingredients:

2 pie crusts, rolled to cover a 9-inch diameter glass pie dish (either make your own, or, I find that Pilsbury brand pie crusts taste great and save time)

Filling

1 c. Sugar, divided

½ tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Salt

3 lbs Peaches, ripe, peeled and cut into 8 wedges each (about 6 large peaches)

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

¼ c. Water

2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

2 Tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream

3 Tbsp Flour

1 ½ Tbsp Cinnamon-Sugar (1 Tbsp sugar mixed with ½ Tbsp ground cinnamon)

Method:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place one pie crust in 9-inch diameter glass pie dish. Trim edge to overhang 1”. Fold edges out and under and pinch decoratively. Stick fork in bottom of crust in several places so crust will bake flat. Line the crust with foil and place dried beans for weight on top. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until crust is set and just barely golden.

For filling, mix ½ cup sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Add peaches and lemon juice, stirring to coat. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.

Stir ½ cup sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved completely. Increase heat to medium-high and boil mixture, without stirring, but occasionally swirling pan, for approximately 10 minutes or until caramel is a deep golden color. Remove from heat and add butter and cream. Use caution, as mixture will bubble vigorously. Strain juices from peach mixture into caramel and stir.

Add flour and caramel sauce to peaches and stir to coat. Transfer all filling to the pre-baked pie crust, mounding it in the center.

Cut remaining pie crust into ten ¾ inch wide strips. Place five strips in one direction across the top of the pie, spacing evenly. Beginning in the center, using one strip at a time, weave remaining strips in the opposite direction, forming the lattice top. Press ends of strips onto edge of baked crust to keep in place. Sprinkle entire pie with cinnamon-sugar.

Cover pie loosely with tin foil and bake, covered, for 35 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake, approximately 25 minutes longer, until filling is bubbling and lattice is golden brown.

The pie I baked this weekend may not have won any contests this time around, but it won top honors from me and the select few who got to try it!

-Katrina

Relais de Venice 'Entrecote' Restaurant, Paris, France

After booking our holidays to Paris, I looked to my BFF Louise for restaurant recommendations as she lived there for 5 years during her teen years. She immediately started to ooze about this amazing little gem of a bistro she and her family used to frequent. I added it to my list of ‘things to do’ while visiting the most renowned culinary mecca of the world.

After a few days in London, we arrived in Paris peckish for something local and delish, so we decided to try out Lou’s fave family spot. Taking a metro to the location was the easy part of the experience. The rain had decided to pour out of the heavens by the time we reached ground level but soon enough we spotted the crowded restaurant. It was late, so we were famished by the time we came upon the large group of locals and tourists alike, hovering outside the front doors. No queue was formed, just a mass of people, all trying to cuddle under the canopy to stay somewhat dry from the torrential downpour.

After speaking to a few of the locals in line, we determined that there was no line and that all tables were on a first come, first served basis. Suddenly the hostess arrived and yelled ‘table pour deux’ (table for two). People started flailing their arms in the air trying to manhandle their way to her and take this table for two. It was a total cluster, an unorganized ridiculous mess!

Once we wiggled our way in, ahead of the people who arrived after us, no thanks to them trying to wrangle their way in ahead of us, things changed drastically. Inside was the most authentic french bistro one could find anywhere in France. We were welcomed immediately by the waitress and offered wine or water. No menu provided, just offered the choice of the temperature of our meat, well done, medium or rare.

Taken aback we decided to play along and asked for a bottle of their ‘vin de la maison’ (house wine) seeing as we weren’t offered a list.

Out of nowhere, a plate of greens topped with chopped walnuts and a spicy wasabi mustard vinaigrette landed in front of us, accompanied by a basket of sliced French baguette. It was surprisingly delicious, even though it was 10:45pm and by then, rabbit food would’ve worked. I asked our server for some butter for the baguette but she chuckled and stated that there was enough butter on the entree course that I wouldn’t need it for my bread. I guess my request was denied whether I liked it or not.

Next came a platter with a mound of sliced beef tenderloin, drowned in the most devine garlic butter sauce, served with a pile of skinny French Frittes. We lapped it up like we hadn’t eaten in days. We had never eaten such amazing Steak Frittes and believe me, we have certainly tried many. Our server also wasn’t kidding about the butter, the beautifully cooked tender beef was absolutely smothered in the butter, garlic and herb sauce. The entire meal was polished off with the full bodied bottle of red which paired superbly with the meat. There was absolutely no room left for dessert by the end of the meal but we just couldn’t help ourselves and both went back for seconds of the steak and fries. We rolled out of the place at 1:00am stuffed to the brim and blissfully happy to be spending the next week together in Paris.

Moral of the story? Getting a local’s scoop on where to dine is key to securing a scrumptious meal in a new city.

~Jean.

Say Cheese!

If you are a foodie in Los Angeles, there is a good chance that you have heard of Andrew’s Cheese Shop. Andrew Steiner opened this Montana Ave. fromage mecca in August 2008, and with a slogan like, ‘This place stinks!’ how could you resist? Luckily for me, I happen to live less than two blocks away from Andrew’s and love cheese. It’s like a match made in heaven. Taking a stroll on a recent Saturday, I decided that I would like to stop in and purchase some cheesy goodness for consumption later in the evening. I had a bottle of 2006 Rosenthal Merlot I wanted to drink and was looking for something that would pair well with it. After blissfully sampling several cheeses, I was handed a thin slice of Leonora. Immediately after it hit my tongue, I knew this was the one. When you make a purchase at the shop, they conveniently include a cute little fact card, complete with the country of origin’s flag and a picture of the animal the milk came from. These are great to show your guests what a cheesehead you have become. The fact card for Leonora read as follows:

Named after the region of Leon, Span, this rustic goat’s milk cheese has a beautiful natural, rustic rind and a pure white interior. The Spanish goat cheeses like this one tend to be much grassier and earthy than most others. The aroma is of mushrooms and truffle and the taste is of grass and tart lemons.

Moral of the story, check out Andrew’s Cheese shop. It won’t stink.

http://andrewscheese.com/

-Katrina

Creamy Pasta Goodness (Without the Guilt!)

Seafood Fettuccine (makes 8 servings)

* This is a lightened version of this traditionally heavy dish.

Ingredients:

1 ½ tbsp Butter

1 cup Green Onions, chopped

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 lb Medium Shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb Sea Scallops

2 cups Half-and-Half

½ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Black Pepper

½ lb lump crabmeat

¾ cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

8 cups Cooked Fettuccine, hot (approximately 1 lb uncooked – homemade is preferable)

¼ cup Fresh Parsley, chopped

Method:

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic, sauté 1 minute. Pat the shrimp and scallops dry so as not to dilute the sauce and add them to the mixture, sauté 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add half-and-half, salt, pepper and crabmeat. Cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir constantly, ensuring the mixture does not come to a boil.

Gradually sprinkle ½ cup of the cheese over seafood mixture, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute and remove from heat. Combine seafood mixture and pasta in a large oversized bowl. Note: The sauce may look thin but it is the perfect consistency to coat the pasta. Top each serving with parsley and remaining cheese as desired.

I also served a Caesar salad with homemade croutons

 -Jean

Korean in Florida

While visiting my old home base of Florida for my lovely friend Jenn’s wedding, I was determined to meet up with as many of my old Floridian friends as possible. Being the wonderful friend that Sean is, he kindly offered to make the long haul all the way from Orlando to Tampa (where my trip was based) to meet the rest of us for lunch. It was a fun reunion of the Florida gang who used to drink and be merry in years since past. However, we are apparently now older and wiser, and meet up for lunch rather than for binge drinking while watching Monday Night football at the local ale house. Wow, how times have changed. 

After deciding on Korean food as our cuisine of choice (which of course we were all up for), Sean selected a Korean Restaurant he had heard good things about. Sa Ri One …a tiny little hole-in-the-wall kind of place in Tampa, freeway adjacent. Why not have Korean for Sunday Brunch?! The place looked kind of sketchy from outside, but we were pleasantly surprised by the interior décor and privately screened, oversized booths. Once inside, it’s actually quite a quaint little place. It was very clean with decent ambient lighting and seemed to be family run. The service was fast and attentive, which was important, given that we were in a time crunch to make our early afternoon flight.

After receiving our food, it was perfect! We nearly ordered one of everything from their menu, since none of us at the lunch are exactly food shy. The crispy egg rolls were cooked to perfection and accompanied with a sweet chili dipping sauce that was to die for. We even asked for seconds on the sauce. The Ba Bim Bop shrimp dish with fried egg on top was gloriously toasty. The Korean short ribs were sweet and succulent. The only lackluster dish was the bland cold plate of soba noodles. Of course we ordered far too much food as there were definitely plenty of leftovers for the local Floridians to take home.

Sa Ri One is certainly is not the place to bring a business client to impress but it definitely works for a family style friendly get together! As always, we chatted like we see each other all the time, like great ‘old’ friends do- just like no time has passed since our last reunion. After departing the restaurant with full to the brim tummies, I definitely enjoyed a sleepy happy plane ride home to LA.

-Jean

Lonely Scallops

It was a Friday night, my roommate was out of town, and two of my friends were oddly in the same situation. What better way to bring the three loners together than to throw a ‘lone roommate’ dinner party?! The decision on what to make was fairly simple for once. Someone mentioned scallops earlier in the day and I was obsessed- I had to have scallops for dinner. Leafing through old issues of Gourmet, I came across a scallop recipe that seemed very simple to prepare, but also very elegant. Just what I wanted for this evening of wine and friends! Since I am never one to follow a recipe to a T, here is my twist on these heavenly, just-rich-enough seared scallops with tarragon and butter.

Scallops with Garlic Tarragon Butter Sauce (makes 3-4 servings)

Ingredients:

12 Sea Scallops, large (approximately 1 lb)

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 tbsp butter

¼ cup Dry White Wine such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc

¼ cup White Wine Vinegar

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 ½ tbsp Fresh Tarragon, finely chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste 

Method:

Using a paper towel, pat scallops completely dry. (This is an important step so the scallops sear in the pan and not steam) Season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is just smoking, add scallops, spacing evenly, making sure not to crowd the pan. Sear scallops, without moving them, until golden brown on the bottom- approximately 3 minutes. Flip scallops and add 1 tbsp of butter to the pan. While second side is searing, spoon butter over the tops of the scallops. When scallops are just cooked through and golden brown on both sides (about 6 minutes total), remove from the pan and set aside on a platter.

Return pan to heat. Add wine, vinegar and garlic and bring to a boil, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. When the pan is clean, reduce heat to low and add half of the remaining butter. When butter is nearly melted, add the remaining butter and stir until incorporated. Add tarragon, then salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over the scallops and serve.

I had plenty of ideas as to what to serve the scallops with, but I ultimately decided on a creamy polenta and a medley of green beans and oyster mushrooms. Served with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, I think it’s fair to say that dinner was a hit and that should the occasion arise, there will be a lot more ‘lone roommate’ dinners in the future.

-Katrina

Church on Wednesday?

Feeling adventurous last Wednesday, a couple of friends and I decided to take a field trip to the depths of downtown Los Angeles. I’m not talking Staples Center adjacent here- I’m talking about warehouses and factories on East Industrial Street. Our destination was Church and State, a fairly new French bistro that has been getting a lot of buzz. Picture a crowded, bustling dining room with brick walls, high ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, low lighting and minimalist furnishings, with specials listed on chalkboards around the room. It was a simple yet elegant backdrop for our killer meal to come.

The gougeres that were brought out in place of a typical bread basket were the perfect way to jump start our appetites and were quite nice with our bottle of French red wine. In fact, I probably would have been completely content sipping on wine and eating the little cheesy morsels the rest of the evening. This, obviously, did not happen. The menu had so many interesting and intriguing dishes that we had difficulty narrowing down our choices. I use the term ‘narrowing down’ loosely, as we ended up ordering way too much food anyway. Some of our selections were fairly safe: Goat cheese and lavender honey served in a charming mason jar. Some sort of salad with apples. (I would tell you what else was on the salad, but in the words of Simon Cowell, “It was rather forgettable!") A caramelized onion, gruyere and bacon ‘tarte’ (sort of like a pizza/flatbread hybrid). And fall-apart-tender braised short ribs served with sour cherries and Brussels sprouts.

I don’t want to detract from how much we enjoyed the above dishes. I would happily order any of them again (except maybe the salad). However, I want to spend the next few minutes talking about the other two hors d’oeuvres we ordered. Remember how I said we were feeling adventurous? Well, we took the plunge and ordered both escargots de bourgone and moelle de boeuf, a roasted marrow bone!  Each escargot came soaked in garlic parsley butter in a little ceramic cup with a puff pastry lid. It was a very cute presentation and I must say, rather delicious. This could be because it tasted mostly like butter, but hey- whatever will get me to eat snails and say I like it! The texture of the escargot was very mushroom like, so nothing scary there. As for the bone marrow, I’m not sure there is anything scarier than a plate with nothing but a colossal bone, split down the middle, arriving at the dinner table. Now, I have tried bone marrow from an osso bucco bone before, and was pretty proud of myself- what was sitting in front of me now was a whole different animal (no pun intended). In addition to the initial shock of the presentation, the actual texture of the marrow was also a bit harrowing. The marrow was cooked with a lovely caramelization where exposed, but was rather gelatinous when scooped out. Getting past all of this, once spread onto a slice of grilled baguette, making sure to include some of the caramelized goodness, the marrow became sort of a whimsical ‘pâté’ and actually tasted pretty good. I’m not sure exactly how to describe the taste, but it was rich and savory with maybe just a hint of sweetness.

Our experience at Church and State was absolutely worth the drive downtown. The atmosphere was inviting, the service was pleasant and the overall affair, especially the extreme food, was definitely one to remember! 

www.churchandstatebistro.com  

- Katrina

Heart Attack On A Plate

After six years of living in Los Angeles, I finally made my way to the world renowned 'Roscoes House of Chicken and Waffles'.

Five girls on a feeding frenzy, took to a Friday night feast of freshly made waffles and fried chicken! From the mac 'n' cheese to the cornbread we ate like champions, even with our two personal trainer friends in tow. The chicken breast was succulent (as stated on the menu) and fried crisp to perfection. The waffles were topped with whipped butter and syrup. We all left stuffed to the gils but smiling contently after a wonderful girls night out on the town.

http://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/

~ Jean.

Get Your Groupon

A daily deal for Los Angeles (with other US locations available), Groupon's website offers discounted daily special offers which are valid for one day only. Each day, they feature something cool to do at an unbeatable price. You can only get the deal if enough people sign up. Check back the next day for another Groupon with a different deal. Started in 2008, Groupon offers unbeatable prices through the power of group buying.

I just singed up recently and purchased one of their offers; $15 for two weeks unlimited Yoga Classes at Yoga Works in all LA locations. Refer your friends and get a $10 credit.

www.Groupon.com

Check it out!

-Jean

A Good Bite

It was a rainy evening in West Hollywood and I was at a pizza place with a group of friends… We were really there to hang out and escape the rain more than anything else.  When a deep dish pepperoni pizza was delivered to our table, I wasn’t particularly interested in having a whole slice to myself. But when a couple of my tablemates showed enthusiasm with such statements as, ‘Mmmmm,’ and ‘This is really good,’ I decided that I should probably try it to see what the fuss was about. Again, not wanting an entire piece to myself, I turned to my friend Erris and asked to try a bite from his plate. Our conversation went something like this:

Katrina: I want to try a bite of your pizza. Will you make me a good bite?

Erris: There is a bite on the fork right there. Go ahead and take it. 

Katrina: But I need you to make me a good bite. Like, a really good bite.

Erris: What in the world are you talking about? There is a bite right there on the fork.

Katrina: Erris. That is just a regular bite. I need you to make me a good bite.

Erris (in an increasingly annoyed tone): Seriously Katrina, I have no idea what you are talking about. You are not making any sense. Just take a bite. 

At this point, my roommate, who had been observing this whole exchange, decided to join the conversation and help me out. It was clear that Erris needed to be educated in the world of good bites and luckily, Jaime was there to intervene before he got completely frustrated with me and refused to let me taste the pizza at all.

A good bite is a carefully engineered forkful of whatever you may be eating. Good flavor combinations are important throughout a meal, but good bites are absolutely crucial when it comes to the first or last morsels of any dining experience.  These are the bites you are going to remember the entire meal by. Not having a good bite as your finishing mouthful is like a symphony ending on a wrong note: flat and anti-climactic.

Now you can see why a good bite of this deep dish pizza was extremely critical. I really only wanted one bite, so I had to take measures to ensure it was a good one. There are a few ways a good bite can be accomplished. In the case of the deep dish pizza, it needed to be a perfect balance of all of the elements of the pizza- just the right amount of crust, cheese, sauce and pepperoni. In other cases, a good bite can be an unadorned bit of your favorite part of the meal, say, one single, tender bite of filet mignon. Occasionally, an attempted last good bite doesn’t go as planned, and a second attempt must be made. But the solution to this is easy, simply try again!

After Jaime finished explaining all of this to Erris, he became much less put out by my request for a good bite. In fact, he now understood exactly what I meant and happily put one together for me. After tasting his creation, I came to one conclusion- it was a really good!

-Katrina

Late Night Munchies

With some Irish friends landing at LAX on a late night flight, I wanted to provide something yummy upon arrival for all to munch on, courtesy of Chez Jean. I chose to serve an assorted selection of cheeses, crackers, dips and chips, but I also wanted to offer my guests something more substantial, depending on their hunger levels. I decided some homemade crab cakes would be a good fit for all to enjoy, along with a fresh green arugula salad with shaved parmesan.

Asian Crab Cakes (makes 8 cakes)

Ingredients:

1 large Egg, beaten

2 slices Whole Grain Bread, crumbled

1 tbsp Light Mayonnaise

1 tbsp Fresh Ginger, grated

¾ c. Scallion, finely chopped

1 tsp Light Soy Sauce

12 oz. Lump Crabmeat

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

Method:

In a large bowl, combine egg and breadcrumbs until the bread absorbs the liquid. Add mayonnaise, ginger, scallion and soy sauce and stir to combine. Gently fold in crabmeat and season with salt and pepper. Working quickly, shape mixture into eight 2 inch patties and place on a plate, cover and chill for 15 minutes. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook crab cakes in sesame oil, turning once, until brown and crisp. Do not crowd the pan. Serve as an appetizer with a spicy remoulade, with a salad or on a sandwich.

Polished off with a couple of bottles of red wine, the crab cakes were devoured by all.

-Jean

25 Degrees

Located in the famed Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, this restaurant’s name refers to the temperature difference between a medium rare and well done burger. Feeling the after effects from our New Year’s Eve celebrations, my boyfriend and I were craving comfort food on New Year’s night. So we headed to this joint after hearing rave reviews from friends. 

Upon entering, we were welcomed by some friendly staff passing by and told to seat ourselves anywhere we like, diner style. The décor is so fun with dark red leather booths and black chandeliers overhead with a fun bar/counter area for enjoying cocktails or some grub. There is a really warm tone to the place while it is eclectic at the same time. We began with cocktails at the counter while we perused the menu. I enjoyed a lovely glass of red vino while my other half enjoyed a stiff, very, very dry martini. My only bone of contention would be their stemless glassware, as I do enjoy my wine in a stemmed glass. But that is a personal qualm I guess.

I needed something soul warming, so I ordered the Tuscan Tomato Soup. My boyfriend ordered a Burger, of course, seeing as this is the main focus of the restaurant and what they are known for. When in Rome as they say. The menu really is quite fun with a gourmet twist on burgers, fries, shakes, and floats. They even have a ‘Guinness Milkshake’. The main focus is the “Build your own Burger” selection – ground sirloin, turkey, or veggie, with an abundant selection of cheese, sauces, and toppings. They also have what’s called the ‘Half & Half’ so you can have a half order of fries with a half order of onion rings or sweet potato fries. Of course, we had to be difficult and ask if we could have a ‘Third & Third & Third’ because we wanted them all! Jennifer, our server, couldn’t have been nicer and said that they typically don’t do that but that she would ask the Chef. She returned with a smiling nod of approval on our request which pleased us to no end.

Everything was absolutely delicious and just what we needed. We left the place a couple of hours later and headed towards the Roosevelt’s lobby bar for after dinner cocktails. Now that’s the way to start the New Year!

For those of you who are not located in Los Angeles, there are sister restaurants in City North Center in Phoenix, Arizona and Downtown Huntington Beach, California. 

www.25degreesrestaurant.com

 - Jean

A Cake for All Occasions

My boss, Don, loves carrot cake. More specifically, he loves the carrot cake that I bake. Don’s wife and son have also come to love the carrot cake that I bake. I made a cake to share with the office for his birthday last August, and a few slices made it home with him. 

Decorated with a little help from the pastry kitchen at work

Next thing I knew, his wife was requesting my carrot cake for their Thanksgiving desert! Unfortunately, I was traveling and was not able to make it happen. This week, as a thank you to Don for his generous Christmas gift, I decided to bake an entire cake for him to enjoy at home. No sharing with the vultures that are the hungry employees in our department. Just Don, his family, and the Layered Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting… and probably a few NFL games.

 My less professional decorating skills

Layered Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake

1 ⅓ c. Sugar

1 c. Canola Oil

3 large Eggs

1 ⅓ c. Flour

1 ⅓ tsp Baking Powder

1 ⅓ tsp Baking Soda

¾ tsp Salt

¾ tsp Cinnamon

½ tsp Nutmeg

2 c. Carrots, Peeled and Finely Grated (about 4 large carrots)

½ c. Walnuts, Chopped

Frosting

4 c. Confectioners Sugar

8 oz. Cream Cheese

¼ c. Unsalted Butter

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Extra Walnuts, Chopped, for topping

Method:

Cake

Lightly grease two 9” diameter cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper. Lightly grease paper as well. Preheat oven to 325°F. Blend sugar and oil in a large bowl with mixer until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Add carrots and walnuts and stir until evenly distributed. Pour batter into cake pans, dividing equally. Bake about 45 minutes, or until cake is firm and begins to pull away just slightly from the sides of the pans. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks and cool completely.

Frosting

Using mixer, blend all ingredients until completely smooth.

Assembly

Place one layer of cake on platter. Using spatula spread ½ cup of frosting over the top, making sure frosting reaches all the way to the edges. Place second layer of cake on top. Adding generous amounts of frosting near the center of the cake, spread toward edges until top of cake is covered. Next, frost sides of cake, being very generous with the frosting so as not to get cake crumbs caught in the icing. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts as desired for decoration. Refrigerate when completed. Cake can be served cold or at room temperature.

Even for a novice baker, this cake is very simple to make, yet it tastes absolutely delicious. Just try it- you will be glad that you did! And…if you still need more motivation, just tell yourself it is a good way to get your daily dose of vegetables :)