Lady Bug BDay Party

Thank you, Laci, I could not have done it without you!!! Mwah!!




My first event. For the first time, I served people who had no obligation to like anything - strangers. My niece, Margaret, celebrated her first birthday with her first best friend, Juliet (gotta get a pic of this little lady - her lashes go on for days) and admittedly, I felt a little pressure to really, really try like I've never tried before- after all, they can hate it, my family is contracted to think everything is awesome even if it's horrible! haahaa Anywho, we had about 45ish big and small people RSVP to this gig and being that I live in LA, putting together a menu means that certain expectations are expected - it has to be fresh, organic, and it must have vegetarian options.

Whatever, here's the menu (sans the beef dish - once again, victim of having only one oven)

White Bean Dip -

standard recipe of cannellini bean (canned white kidney beans, rinsed), parsley, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper


Served with pita chips (organic, store bought - tooth breaking hard)



Ginger and Sesame Chicken cups -

Chicken breast marinated in green tea and ginger with soy sauce, rice vinegar, fresh ground pepper and hot peppers. I made a fairly standard ginger and sesame dressing, which was a little spicy and a little sweet and drizzled it over the chilled chicken on iceberg lettuce "cups". My lettuce wasn't cooperative and I couldn't find skewers longer than a toothpick to keep them together, so my presentation was a bit off. Tasted good. That's all that counts. Right?



Bean Burritos -

Vegan chili (see earlier post, modified a bit to be smoother - I also used lentils and black beans) rolled into tortilla cones brushed with a little Tapatio and sprinkled with cheddar and baked in a 400 degree oven for about 13 minutes





Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Skewers -

Super sweet grape tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper







Cheese Souffle Pastry, garnished with Asparagus -

Process was a bit more than my usual simple and quick prep; and after feeling a bit down about the Thanksgiving souffle's not working out on time, I didn't have any real motivation to achieve Alton Brown perfection, so I deviated from the chemistry and it worked - like REALLY worked. It's now apparent to me that going by recipes is just not my thing - it must be done by taste, feel and look. Too much butter, not enough milk, really sloppily measuring the flour - had Laci separate the eggs from the yolk (what's my deal with eggs?- they hate me) and whip up the whites to perfect peaks. I folded the heavy mixture with the perfect egg whites and let the mix sit while I prepared the pastry.

I used Pepperidge Farm frozen pastry and rolled them out to twice their size - as thin as I could get them without falling apart. Here's where I got crazy: tiny muffin pans would have been appropriate, but I'm cheap and couldn't help myself, so I made tiny muffin pans out of oil sprayed foil squares:







Ok, my hands are so dry from all the cooking and dishes - must soak them in heavy lotion and drink a cocktail - it was fun, though. I love this stuff.

Souffles are for Pansies

Cocky, yes, and perhaps it was a bit of beginners luck, but how hard is it to follow directions? The real challenge will come when I start experimenting - oh the possibilities!

I had a little problem with the egg whites, which I'm blaming on a hand mixer that kept falling apart on me and I had to fish out the beater many times with my fingers - that should probably not happen - delicate work. The egg whites had a little water left at the bottom of the bowl, which I left in the bowl, but I probably lost an egg white which kept them from getting more lift int he final product. And I'm surprised at how quickly they cool, er fall...

cheese souffle in the oven:


Right before eating:

Ginger Spiced Coffee

Shake some ground ginger in your coffee - gives a warm spice to your daily cup.

THANKSGIVING 2009

Holiday at the Hill House


Le Plate of Grup (Grup? Do I have a cold? Well, yes...)

Le Menu:

Butternut Squash Soup garnished with Duck Confit (store bought)
Beef Wellington


Mashed Potatoes (they'll be special, but due to having only one oven, there would be no way for me to keep another baked good warm and fresh with everything else) "Le Big Sigh"
Spicy Fried Brussels Sprouts
Smoked Cheddar Cheese Souffle
Caramelized Onion, Garlic and Parmesan Tart
Norwegian Style Pickled Beets
Pickled Carrots

Dessert
Spiced Apple and Pecan Pie Cups
Gingered Marscarpone Cups

Cheese plate

Shopping list and recipe lists are done and organized - I've got the majority of the list in the refrigerator and I've tested my souffle recipe. Now to get the produce.

The red wine sauce for the Wellington took nearly 9 hours from start to finish, but it was SOOOO worth it, and two days later, I used it as the gravy for a Shepard's Pie. It is the best sauce:

Red Wine Sauce (from the Beef Wellington recipe in Cooks Illustrated)
2 1/2	pounds beef oxtails , trimmed of excess fat
2	medium carrots , chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
2	medium ribs celery , chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
4	small onions , chopped coarse (about 3 cups)
1	large head garlic , broken into cloves, unpeeled
2	teaspoons tomato paste
1	bottle red wine (750ml)
4 - 6	large shallots , minced (about 1 cup)
1	bay leaf
10	sprigs fresh thyme
1	can low-sodium beef broth (14 1/2-ounces)
1	can low-sodium chicken broth (14 1/2-ounces)
1	teaspoon whole black peppercorns
6	parsley stems
1/4	cup ruby port
	4 tablespoons unsalted butter cold, cut into 4 pieces Red Wine Sauce 1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine oxtails, carrots, celery, onions, and garlic in large flameproof roasting pan; spray lightly with cooking spray and toss to combine. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until beef and vegetables are well-browned, 40 to 50 minutes, adding tomato paste to roasting pan after 30 minutes. 2. While oxtails and vegetables roast, bring wine, shallots, bay leaf, and thyme to simmer over medium heat in heavy-bottomed 8-quart stockpot or Dutch oven; reduce heat to low, and simmer slowly, uncovered, until reduced to about 11/2 cups, about 30 minutes. Set pot aside. 3. Place roasting pan over burner(s) set at high; add beef and chicken broths and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan with wooden spoon. 4. Transfer contents of roasting pan to stockpot with wine reduction. Add 7 cups water, peppercorns, and parsley stems, and bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until richly flavored and full-bodied, 3 to 4 hours. Strain broth into large glass measuring cup or container (you should have about 2 cups), discarding solids in strainer. Cool to room temperature; cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. 5. While beef Wellington bakes, skim hardened fat from surface of stock using soup spoon and discard. Transfer stock to small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat until reduced to about 1 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Add port; set aside off heat. 6. While beef Wellington rests, return broth to simmer over medium heat and whisk in butter 1 piece at a time. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper and serve with beef Wellington.

the Norwegian Beet Pickles will be a staple in my fridge: (recipe will be up soon)

Instant Mashed Potatoes

You should be ashamed of yourself!

Steps to the easiest mashed potatoes:

1. Big pot of water (keeping up with me?)

2. Place potatoes in water - skin on - wash the dirt off ---you probably have eyes all over yours, so take those off and start using your produce in a more reasonable amount of time, loser.

3. Boil until done. Oh right, you probably don't know when they're done - if the knife (the thing you probably should just kill yourself with) slides through the potatoes without crunch or resistance, they're done. Or if you press on them a little and they start to crack open...

4. You have a couple of options (didn't know you had options with potatoes?). Here's where you start whining and bitching, but suck it up - you'll thank me:

a. you can just start mashing and adding liquid (milk or broth), butter or olive oil, salt and pepper

or

b. place the hot potato in a towel and literally wipe the skins off and add your liquid, fat and seasoning

Easy, healthier, tastier and REAL.

Know what's in your food! Make it yourself!!!

Posted with love albeit with a little frustration at seeing all the garbage in the grocery store.

Onion Tart - Taste of Thanksgiving

Inspired by a friend and restricted to only what is available in the house at the moment, a savory tart was made.

We are doing this for Brunch, Thanksgiving 2009 and serving with heirloom tomatoes - stay tuned to details on how exactly it will be done, but I'm thinking small hand tarts, so they can be snacked on and would fit on small plates.

Failing in the Best way

OK, so my life has been getting in the way of my passion and the result is less than appetizing, so! I'm going to read my way out of my culinary block with the following recommended reading list from the CIA:

http://www.ciachef.edu/admissions/academics/reading.asp

Meatcards and Vegan Chili

www.meatcards.com

for the carnivores who do business

Vegan Chili:
For the Vegans whom I dearly love:



Chili base:

1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
whole bulb of garlic peeled and coarsely chopped



Once the pot is at about medium heat cook the vegetables in a light oil until they are really, really soft, but not brown - add broth (any broth, it doesn't matter - you can use water) - about 2 cups.

Add spices to taste:

Cumin (start with a full tablespoon)
Chili Powder (full tablespoon)
Ground Black Pepper (full tablespoon)
Salt (add as you go, this one can be tricky)
Cayenne (tiny teaspoon - even less if you can't handle too much heat - i end up adding more as i go)
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
Whole Dried Chilis (optional)


The spices and the veggies should turn into a thick sauce, but to make it awesome, you should puree this in a food processor or take an immersion blender to the pot (carefully, of course) until you can't tell what it is anymore.


Add two cans of your favorite beans, drained and rinsed, three cans of diced tomatoes, 3-4 bay leaves, one coarsely chopped onion, in a slow cooker and cook for a few hours until you just can’t stand it and have to have some NOW.


I serve my Chili “Frito Pie Style” but with a modification learned from my Texas grade school cafeteria – over rice, fritos, and topped with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Pictured above with ground beef (didn't shoot the vegan one, sorry) and served over rice with kale.

Good Blog

I want to have dinner with this couple - they're so cool. (if you aren't into strange food that looks dangerous, this is not the place to go)

foodtease.com

Something for your cereal when you have no Milk

This happens to me quite often. I want a bowl of cereal, but I have no milk, soy, almond... and making a trip to the store just isn't going to happen. What was my solution? Peanut butter. I diluted peanut butter in some water (because for whatever reason, water is just icky in cereal - I've had, not a fan) and poured it over my flakes and nuggets. It worked. It tasted like a liquid peanut butter granola bar.

Why not?

Somen - Japanese Wheat Noodles - Chilled Noodle for Summer (ARTICLE)

Sounds fantastic - there's plenty Korean chilled noodles in the area and when I get the chance, I will post, but in the meantime, feast on this.

OH! They also mention noodle slurping, which I'm only just getting good at - it's really hard to break 30+ years of being told it's obnoxious to make it really difficult to all of a sudden start doing, but I'm getting it...

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-somen1-2009jul01,0,1958041.story

Visiting a small Korean village in Oxnard

Roadtrip adventures can't be beat, and this particular mini-roadtrip sent us up Pacific Coast Highway to a farming area called Oxnard.

We got lost and got lucky. In the port area, we pulled into a fried food mecca, but stuffed into a corner was a little diamond in the rough called the Fisherman's House.

We sat down at traditional Korean tables, which means no shoes and sitting on your knees, which is not the most comfortable for me, but once they pulled a swimming fish from the water and sliced it up, I felt nothing but the beautiful texture of the fish on my palate. (all ordering was done in Korean, and according to my host, they just asked how many people they were serving and if I could handle sitting and spicy food...)



The sea cucumber was a little cumbersome. You can't really chew it, you dredge it through spicy red pepper sauce and swallow. It's supposedly a popular Korean drinking food.



Obviously, this isn't a white table cloth place - all of the food was served on Styrofoam, but that did not affect the quality and flavor of the dishes.

We were graced with the most presentable, tender, cleanest tasting part of the fish first, so what did they do with the rest of it? How better to handle the bitterness of the innards and to pull the mystery meats from the smallest of the bones? Put it in a spicy soup of course. Damn, it was good.

Hollywood Farmer's Market Kitchen

Good stuff. Read.

SEE-LA Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles

Farmer's Kitchen @ Hollywood and Vine

Epasote and Pumpkin Seed Pesto on Tofu

total time from unpacking groceries to licking plate: 2 hours

The meal went like this:

Jons. Not Vons. Up on 3rd between Western and Vermont. LA

The offerings available around the perimeter of the grocery store would have served me well, but I was on a mission to heat up my own kitchen. From a whiff and a glance I saw grilled meats, some kind of hot rice concoction ladled out in tall, insulated beverage cups, fresh veggies, herbs and pharmaceuticals for the taking - cash only, so maybe next time. If you, like many, believe you should never shop hungry, you don't have that excuse here as it is all provided.

The goal of this meal was to make an adventurous, new dish using Asian and Latin flavors at a cost that anyone can afford. I live in a great neighborhood, rich in multicultural flavors that are affordable. I cannot resist the opportunity. Give me something I don't know.

Brass tacks:

I have not worked with "Perulero Squash" which is more commonly known as Chayote (pic at top). Squash. I can do that.

Chayote: peeled, de-seeded and cut into tiny fry-like (little bigger than matchstick) pieces browned in a little light oil and softened with vegetable stock. I reduced the heat until it the raw was cooked out of them. Finished with a little freshly ground salt, pepper, chopped cilantro and crushed red pepper. Done.

The really interesting part of the experience was the epasote and pumpkin seed pesto I spread between and on top of the golden tofu. Epasote has spicy, floral, herby " je ne sais quois". It was a bit sandy, so after a good soak and dry, I combined it with pumpkin seeds, oil, salt, pepper, two jalapeno peppers and rice vinegar in the food processor. Where's the garlic? Yeah, thought of that after the fact. Next time... there will be a next time.


Next time:

Instead of the bok choy, I'll do a garlic-y tomato sauce, or crushed roasted red pepper as a bed for the tofu
And/or add a grilled portabello mushroom
And/or add adding a layer or topping of crumbled queso fresco and a sqeeze of lime over the whole thing.

OR! - I think the pesto would work well on a thick piece of fish - like tuna or salmon

Wednesday, June 24 - Dinner

Tonight I plan on picking up one protein and 3 vegetables and only have a few dollars to spend - stay tuned to see what I can make of that.

Here we go!

In case you just HAVE to read about cooking (like me), here's an article that I thought was interesting: http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-train24-2009jun24,0,5817763.story. It's about creating crafty cuisine while on a rocking choo choo.

Here's another - it's on tofu... Hey! That's a cheap protein (at some stores) perhaps i can find a new spin on it. I think I'll pick up some tofu from the Korean market, and then go to the Salvadorian one and see what I can combine... hummm....

If you want to try freshly made tofu, go to Tokyo Table on La Cienega in LA - it's next to Laury's. They serve it still warm with toppings of seaweed and salt and pepper. Delightfully soft and subtle - I could eat a barrel of it and want more. Maybe. :-)

p(l)easant food

Pleasant food on a peasant budget.

Explore the world through the local restaurants and grocery stores.