Strawberries & Cream June 27, 2007

It’s a beautiful thing to go to a farmer’s market and breathe the heady aroma of sweet strawberries and peaches, a few of my favorite fruits. I was seduced by a small basket of Gaviota strawberries as I was leaving the farmer’s market and just had to get em.

As you all know strawberries & cream is a classic combination and a quite delicious one. I can eat a bowlful of berries just topped with creme fraiche or freshly whipped cream. But this time around I went with Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta with Strawberries from the Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook.

Panna cotta is so easy to make. It’s one of the few desserts that sits on my desserts-I-can-actually-make list. It’s an Italian dessert whose name means “cooked cream.” It’s basically cream base that has been set with gelatin and chilled. You can flavor it any way you please but since I heart creme fraiche with a passion I went back to it to pair with my strawberries.

The creamy, cool and tangy panna cotta and the sweet strawberries simply tossed with a bit of sugar made a beautiful team. Not only an easy dessert but a looker too.

Romesco Pulled Pork Reborn, Part 4 June 21, 2007

All I gotta say is these tartlets were frickin delicious. My favorite of the reborn bunch. [added note: I totally forgot about the hash! The hash is my fav, then the tart. ] It came out of the oven smelling heavenly, the tang of the pecorino wafting all around me. The romesco pulled pork, sauteed poblano, red pepper and shallots, and a canned roma tomato baked together as a delicious filling in the flaky buttery crust, providing flavorful juicy bites and a hot and crispy crust fresh out of the hot heat.

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Romesco Pulled Pork Tartlets with Peppers, Shallots & Pecorino
(inspired by Chubby Hubby’s savory tart)

makes four 5 1/2 inch tartlets

1 batch of Thomas Keller’s Buttery Pastry Shell (recipe below)
1 cup sliced shallots
1/2 cup diced poblano
1/2 cup diced red pepper
3/4 tsp minced rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup romesco pulled pork
1 canned roma tomato, finely chopped
1 tbsp grated pecorino (more if you want)

four 5 1/2 inch tart pans with removable bottoms

Divide the chilled pastry dough into 4 equal pieces. Dust flour onto each side and roll out to about 3/16 inch thick. Lay the dough inside the tart pans being careful not to stretch the dough into the corners. Using a rolling pin run over the top of the pan and cut off the excess dough. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Take the tartletts out of the fridge and prick all over the bottom with a fork. Lay a piece of foil or parchment paper over it and fill it with rice or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and rice or beans and continue to bake for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Saute the poblano, red pepper and shallots in a drizzle of oilve oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Add rosemary and garlic. Continue to saute until vegetables are tender and edges brown. Add the chopped tomato and romesco pulled pork and mix in. Remove from heat.

When the tartlets are finished baking, divide the filling equally between the four pans. Sprinkle with the pecorino and bake for 15 minutes.

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Thomas Keller’s Buttery Pastry Shell
(truncated version of recipe in Food & Wine, July 2007)

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for dusting
1 tsp kosher salt
2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup ice water

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, mix 1 cup of the flour with the salt. At low speed, add the butter pieces, a handful at a time. When all of the butter has been added, increase the speed to medium and mix until the butter is completely incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and add the remaining 1 cup of flour just until blended. Mix in the water just until thoroughly incorporated. Flatten the pastry into an 8-inch disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or overnight.

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Okay okay, you are sick of my romesco pulled pork dishes now! But I don’t like to waste if possible. With the scraps left from the pastry dough and bits of leftovers of pork and peppers I made turnovers. I added chopped boiled eggs and cilantro to these on the go mini hot pockets. I simmered the eggs for about 9 minutes which resulted in a yolk that was still a bit soft and whites that were cooked. It added a nice creaminess to the filling and cilantro brightened it all up. These would make great little appetizers for a cocktail party.

Romesco is also awesome on top of baked potato. Romesco pork? Probably even better.

Hope you guys got some ideas for your leftovers!

Romesco Pulled Pork Reborn, Part 3 June 21, 2007

Romesco Pulled Pork Biscuit with Creamy Slaw

For this third installment of my leftover adventures I made a simple sandwich, a take on pulled pork sandwiches. I made little buttermilk biscuits, 2 inches in diameter to be exact, then topped it with a bit of romesco pulled pork and cole slaw. The buttery flaky biscuit, flavorful pork, and the creaminess of the slaw came together to make a delicious little sandwich. It made for a nice snack and got pretty good reviews from tasters.

Romesco Pulled Pork Reborn, Part 2 June 20, 2007

I came across Yves Camdeborde’s recipe for savory buckwheat crepes while food surfing the web. Brilliant I thought, this would be a perfect way to use up my romesco pulled pork.

I stuffed my crepes with the shredded pork, parmesan, avocado and arugula. I really wanted to use manchego in the crepes but since I had grated parmesan in my fridge that I’ve had forever I practiced some food shopping restraint this time.

But no manchego related complaints here. The combination of the tender pulled pork, deep chili flavored romesco, nutty parmesan, creamy cool avocado and the peppery baby arugula was quite delicious. I may sneak in a few very thinly sliced red onion in there next time though for a refreshing bite.

The combinations are endless really and I’m looking forward to my next batch of buckwheat crepes.

What would you stuff your buckwheat crepes with?

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Buckwheat Crepes with Romesco Pulled Pork, Arugula & Parmesan
(adapted from Yves Camdeborde’s recipe)

Serves 4

for the crepes:
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 large egg, beaten

1 cup romesco pulled pork, warm
1/4 cup grated parmesan
handful of baby arugula
avocado, sliced and juiced with lemon

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Starting with the crepes…
Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Let it rest for 30 minutes covered at room temperature.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat (didn’t take exact measurements of my pan) and lightly grease with vegetable oil, using a papertowel to soak up any excess oil. Pour in batter using a 1/3 cup measuring cup and swirl pan to spread the batter evenly. Cook until crepes are lightly brown and edges crusty. Flip and continue cooking for 1 minute. (Adjust the heat of your stove as necessary. Mine is a weird electrical one so the heat varies a lot.) You need 4 crepes for this recipe.

Sprinkle each half of the four crepes with 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan. Fold over and bake for 3 minutes. Open up the crepes and lay a few avocado slices on one half of the cheesed side (so a quarter of the crepe), season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the warm romesco pulled pork on top of the avocado and and on the other cheesed side top with a small handful of arugula. Fold the crepe over the filled side and then fold again. Serve with the arugula pocket on the bottom and the avocado/pork pocket on the top.

Romesco Pulled Pork Reborn, Part 1 June 19, 2007

Back in May I was left with a large container of romesco pulled pork, leftovers from an event that I did. I ended up freezing it because I had way too much other stuff in my fridge that needed my attention asap. But now is the time! I came up with a few dishes the pork would be useful for.

First up I have a hash. I love hash! Especially if it comes with piles of house-made corned beef. But romesco pulled pork is not a bad substitute at all. I finished this dish in the oven to cook the egg I cracked over the top of the potatoes and pork. The egg cooked up perfectly with the yolk still creamy in the middle and edges of the pulled pork all crusty and brown. The best part was when I picked up a crusty string of romesco pulled pork and poked it into the yolk. Ahh yeah.

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Romesco Pulled Pork Hash with Poblano, Bacon & Egg
(inspired by Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques)

Serves 2

3/4 lb baby yukon gold
1/2 cup diced poblano
1/2 cup sliced shallots
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp minced rosemary
2 slices cooked bacon not too crispy, sliced thin
2 eggs
2/3 cup romesco pulled pork
thinly sliced scallion and minced parsley for garnish

2 individual baking dishes

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook potatoes in a pot of salted water until tender. Drain when done, about 15-20 minutes, and let it steam for few minutes in its pot with the lid on. Then squish each potato with the heel your hand about halfway down. Use a folded up papertowel to protect your hand since the potatoes will still be very hot. Run your knife through each potato a few times to break up large pieces and the skin. Your looking for a rustic look here – some small pieces and some big pieces.

Heat a large pan over high heat for few minutes then add olive oil. Decrease the heat to medium high and add the potatoes in a single layer and do not disturb it. You want the potatoes to brown and crisp up around the edges. If your pan is hot enough the potatoes will not stick to the surface. Season with salt and pepper. When the potatoes look nicely browned flip them over with a flat spatula to brown the other side. Add bacon, romsemary, poblano, shallots and garlic to the pan. Add more olive oil if needed. Continue to let the potatoes brown and ingredients cook, using your spatula to flip them to brown evenly.

Divide the mixture between two individual baking dishes and top each with 1/3 cup of romesco pulled pork. Crack an egg into the middle of each dish and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice just over the meat part. Garnish with scallion and parsley.

I served mine with Louisiana hot sauce and jalapeno aioli. I cheated. The jalapeno aioli was just really mayo whirled with a jalapeno, seeds and all. But real aioli would be excellent. Definitely next time. The my cheating jalapeno aioli didn’t turn out spicy at all but added a nice creaminess to the dish while the acidic L-hot sauce added a nice zing.

Tonkatsu & Sauteed Bloomsdale Spinach June 18, 2007

I’m in love with bloomsdale spinach. It’s meatier than the more common smooth-skinned variety you see in the markets. Bloomsdale is an heirloom variety with a crinkly skin, first introduced by D. Landreth Seed Company in 1826.

It is quite delicious and holds up to sauteeing very well, which is exactly the way I’ve prepared it everytime. Sometimes with bacon or pancetta give it a nice smokiness or salty meatiness, but this time just with garlic and olive oil.

I pondered and pondered on what I would want with my delicious sauteed spinach for dinner and could not think of anything. I have blank days sometimes when I can’t seem to quite put my finger on what it is that I want or want to cook. But when I went to Trader Joe’s I saw the pork cutlets. I’m trying to eat healthier and but tonkatsu seemed like the best candidate for the spinach. I didn’t deep fry it though, cutting back on some of the fat by frying it in a few swirls of olive oil in a saute pan.

And I have no regrets whatsoever! The cutlets turned out golden, crispy and juicy. The results were far better than I expected. The katsu sauce is made from a mixture of sriracha, Trader Joe’s ketchup (very important that it is TJ’s) and HP sauce. My mom called it “amazing!” Well no surprise, all three of those sauces are excellent.

Bloggers ‘N’ Beer June 14, 2007

I attended the very delicious Bloggers ‘N’ Beer event at Library Bar with the tasting menu created by beer sommelier Christina Perozzi. The beer choices were excellent and the menu came in these little library cards, all in order from lightest to strongest. Ok, I’m a sucker for cute things and the library card menus were brilliant!

Back to the beers.. here was the menu:

1. 1903 Prohibition Lager – Craftsman Brewery (Pasadena, CA)

2. Blanche de Chambly – Unibroue (Chambly, Quebec)

3. Saison Dupont – Brasserie Dupont (Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium)

4. Maudite – Unibroue (Chambly, Quebec)

5. Inversion IPA – Deschutes Brewery (Bend, Oregon)

6. Black Butte Porter – Deschutes Brewery (Bend, Oregon)

7. Road Dog Porter – Flying Dog Brewery (Denver, CO)

8. Westmalle Trappist Tripel – Brouwerig Westmalle (Province of Antwerp, Belgium)

I think Boy and I have tried all of those before, except the Road Dog Porter. My beer memory is not so good as Boy’s but why do I need beer memory when I can just turn to him and say “hey, did we try this before”? I know, so lazy of me. Hey it’s equal exchange – he provides beer & beer knowledge and I provide food and somewhat truthful food knowledge.

I really gotta give it to Boy though for introducing me to quality beer and really piquing my interest in this delicious drink. Before I was just a beer drinker, and now a more discerning beer drinker. Seriously I’ve never met anyone who was so into beer as he is. To my dismay his fridge is always packed with beers and no food. I practically forced him to start this blog beerblahblog.blogspot.com telling him that only cool people blog. Hehe.

The menu actually had one of my favorite beers ever – Saison Dupont from Brasserie Dupont. I have hailed Brasserie Dupont as my favorite while sipping on some delicious Saison Dupont from Boy’s living room at least a few times while raising my chalice up and admiring the beautiful lacing. I can’t get enough of that yeasty character, a reason why I also really love Brut Champagne. There are only two alcohols that ever make me really swoon – that is a really good saison and really really good dry Champagne. Ok, and maybe a really piney floral double or triple IPA.

Christina on the right with friend

Christina came over and talked to us for a bit about the beers we were drinking. She’s so knowledgeable and easy going too. Very cool that she is considered one of the top beer experts on the West Coast. Go grrls! All I know is imma be drinking more beer and try to learn more too.

Check out her blog www.christinaperozzi.com.

Pics from the event (not taken by me) HERE.

Library Bar

Endive & Artichoke Salad with Anchovy Dressing June 13, 2007

Do you ever get those days where you just need a juicy salad? By juicy I mean a lettuce that is crunchy, full of water. Most of the time this means romaine to me. For a while I was on the arugula and baby spinach train, but lately I’ve been all about having crunchy juicy salads. But romaine itself is not the only such lettuce to tickle my fancy in that way.

Endives, also crunchy and juicy, make for delicious salads. I picked up a pack of endives at Trader Joe’s for a last minute salad to go with my pasta dinner. I added some canned artichokes to the salad and tossed all of it gently in an anchovy dressing using the Chez Panisse recipe as a guide. I mashed up a few anchovy filets and garlic in my mortar and pestle then added champagne vinegar and lemon juice to the mix. Then a whisk of good quality olive oil, and my salad my ready for mah belly.

I loved the color combination of the white endives and the red endives. A more elegant salad than my usual romaine and Trader Joe’s caesar dressing.

Dungeness Crab Salad with Avocado, Beets & Lime June 11, 2007

The perfect spring salad of refreshing dungeness crab, creamy avocado, peppery cress, and ruby roasted beets, spooned over with a simple lime vinaigrette of minced jalapeno and shallots. This salad sounded and looked delicious when I came across in Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook, but it surpassed my expectations.

It actually made me like beets for a few minutes. In fact the beets tasted damned good in the salad and the combinations of the different flavors were stellar. I cheated with the beets though – instead of roasting them myself I bought roasted beets from Trader Joe’s. The salad was supposed to be a quick weekend lunch. I couldn’t dare roasted beets in my oven for 45 minutes, wait for them to cool and then have to peel them! Plus I had to pit 2.25 pounds of cherries for the beautiful cherry tart in the last post.

I picked up the crab from Santa Monica Seafood Company. The seafood there is expensive but they are so fresh. The crab meat was truly excellent. Don’t try to skimp by getting packaged or canned crab meat. It won’t be the same. Goin says “If you’re feeling less extravagant or can’t get to the fish market, a crabless version of this dish makes a pretty good salad, too.”

I left out the creme fraiche which was to top the crab and it wasn’t missed much. I’m sure the creme fraiche would have made it even more delicious but the salad on its own was delicious and refreshing. Plus I’m trying to watch my waistline so it all worked out.

The vinaigrette is composed of 1/4 cup finely diced shallots, 3 tbsp seeded, diced jalapenos, 1/3 cup lime juice and 1/2 cup of olive oil. The rest of the salad is just sliced avocado, roasted beets, and extra fresh dungeness crab meat. Try it out. It just might make your weekend a lil bit fresher.

Roman Cherry Tart with Almond Crust & Almond Ice Cream June 6, 2007

Yes it’s cherry season. The beautiful ruby shiny skin is just a tease until you bite into one and you get sweet juiciness. I concurred (yesterday) that cherries are the perfect biteful. Working around the pit doesn’t bother me too much. After all I grew up eating bowlfuls of concord grapes which has way more many seeds and takes a lil bit more tongue work.

Although I am now enthusiastic about this season and thoroughly enjoyed my trek out to the Santa Monica farmer’s market last week, I have been slow to catch onto spring fever. I haven’t cooked seasonally in a while nor have I been on top of cooking out of my cookbooks.

With this teeny guilt I knew I had to turn back to the Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook and choose something glorious to remind myself why spring is great and how good it is to live in LA’s weather. For my sometimes m.i.a. sweet tooth I chose the Roman Cherry Tart with Almond Ice Cream.

I’ve been seeing cherries everywhere but just haven’t taken them up in fancy yet. But once I picked up a juicy bag from Marina Farms I was hooked. I refilled my supply of cherries at the farmer’s market and got to making the tart.

The tart shell was as simple as it was delicious, made just with ground toasted almonds, flour and melted butter. And the cherries, plump and juicy, were easy to pit while watching baseball with Boy to pass some of the time. My fingers were left ruby tinged with a trail of fruity stickiness – proof that I had done my job.

The cherries were cooked very lightly for a few minutes in a syrup mixture with half a vanilla bean. Now all I had to do was fill the tart and bake it off. The tart looked simply beautiful. Glazed like a French fruit tart, the shell evenly pressed along the edges. That alone was victory alone for me considering how bad I am with dough and matters baking related.

But that wasn’t the end of it all. Almond Ice Cream was to turn this tart dessert into something really special. The ice cream recipe is superb, creamy, nutty and studded with crunchy roasted almonds. The combination of the cherry tart and almond ice cream was soooo good. The almond flavor of the ice cream echoed in the buttery tart shell and the juicy plump texture of the cherries remained intact.

I confess, I indulged this weekend.