Frittata & Yogurt Does a Brunch Good August 13, 2008

Sweet Pepper & Arugula Frittata with Six Cheeses

Yes six cheeses! Comte, Iberico, boccocini, cambazola, goat cheese and parmigiano reggiano. Don’t fret though, it was only a bit of each left over from my housewarmings. The main components were baby sweet peppers and arugula, seasoned with thyme, chives and parsley. This was sooo delicious and smelled so good while it was cooking. The frittata was part of a brunch I was making for my good friends The Boys (including Boy) who desperately needed some nutritious and satisfying good ol’ homemade food in their bodies. They devoured it.

Cinnamon Sugar Butter

I also served Trader Joe’s filone bread. It come par-baked so you can finish it off in the oven for a glorious crust and the pleasures of warm bread straight from the oven. I served it with TJ’s reduced sugar apricot preserve and two types of butters – plugra with cinnamon sugar and plugra with fleur de sel.

Yogurt with Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Sliced Almonds

Since I had a made a trip to the Hollywood farmer’s market that morning I was able to pick up some superb berries. I served lightly macerated strawberries, blueberries and raspberries over whole milk yogurt with toasted sliced almonds. I rarely eat yogurt and when I do I like it with a lot of toppings. This was just perfect – I liked it even more than I expected and with so many berries how can I complain?

For some reason alcohol at brunch is always acceptable. Lunch? Nooo. Brunch? Yaaaaay! For drinks I served a passion fruit-mango sparkler. Delicious. I got so sleepy after the brunch though with all the food and the booze. Nap time hit quick, but only after a satisfied tummy.

Housewarming August 7, 2008

My friend Ellen getting down with the juicy tomatoes.

Two nights, twenty three girls, lots and lots of cheese. This is how my housewarming vs.1 and vs.2 went down. Although my place is small I still wanted all the girls to come by and break in my apartment with me. So I broke up the party into two making sure everyone would have somewhere to sit. This includes my bed which can double as a seating arrangement in my junior one bedroom where I only have a semi-wall to separate the sleeping area. It used to be a studio at one point and got converted into two spaces. Dining table in one, bed in the other. I even considered getting a sofa bed and having just a dining room and living room. Perhaps in due time!

I kept things super simple for this “happy hour” labeled gatherings while the girls all contributed their delicious cocktails, wines and beers. Cheeses accompanied by bowls of little tomatoes, piquillo peppers, and olives tossed in meyer lemon olive oil. The cheeses over two nights were parmigiano reggiano, gouda, iberico, variety of goat cheeses, comte, chive gloucester, cambazola, and boccocini. For homemade items the first night featured a cannellini feta crostini with fried salami and onion topped with a sprig of frisee. And very popular oven fries which were made with roasted walnut oil, rosemary fleur de sel, and cracked pepper, and served with romesco for dippin.

Second night featured baked flatbread with ricotta seasoned with fried garlic, thyme and lemon zest, fried salami, red onion, cracked black pepper and frisee. Also another version with romesco, goat cheese, red onion and frisee was served. Dessert items included ice cream sandwiches and cookies from Trader Joe’s, fresh strawberries and a chocolate cake on the second night in honor of my friend Lisa’s birthday.

Yes yall, I accidently scheduled my housewarming on her birthday but it all work out in the end. I surprised her with a chocolate ganache cake with chocolate covered sunflower seeds, we sang her happy birthday, she blew out her wish candle and we kept on drinking through our happy hour.

So very unexpectedly I was the recipient of a ginormous number of gifts. Lots of delicious wines and beers just for myself (including a bottle of Deus Brut de Flanders that I can’t wait to open), chic kitchen items (including a fondue set, a beautiful Nambe wine chiller, steak knives, martini glasses and a shaker), decorative household items (a fish glass statue, rod air freshener, fridge magnets, candle), a big bottle of high quality olive oil, beautiful pot of hydrangeas, Swiss chocolates, and a generous giftcard to Bed Bath & Beyond. All the generosity blew me away and wished I could have cooked up a king’s feast for all of them. I am so spoiled! It feel like it’s my birthday again but all I did was move to a super small apartment. Thanks girls for great time and all the drinks and gifts! My new humble abode is officially broken in.

Warm Summer Days… August 5, 2008

Warm summer days=cold beers & a well working fan (for those of us without AC).

Colorful Summertime August 2, 2008

Baby Heirloom Tomatoes…

absolutely screamin summertime. These babies were to be part of a leisurely weekend lunch I was cooking for another birthday friend Lance and his lovely girl Julie.

Avocado, Baby Heirloom Tomato & Arugula Salad with Ricotta Salata, Lemon Vinaigrette

The beautiful heirloom tomatoes were to be served along with the most delicious farmer’s market avocado from the “avocado lady”. I did a quick look around the area but didn’t spot her and got avocados at another stand thinking they should still be good. And I totally regret it. In comparison to the other superb avocados these were a disappointment. The avocados were supposed to be the star of the dish along with the tomatoes and these were no stars – not buttery or soft enough although the skin was dark and the guy said they were ripe. I should have just cut my losses and let the beautifully hued tomatoes take the attention. I seasoned the salad with a lemon parsley ricotta salata dressing.

Shrimp & Corn Fritters, Romesco, Pepper Salsa, Cannellini Feta Puree

In keeping with the seasonal cooking I’m attempting to upkeep I made shrimp and corn fritters. The flour-egg-beer-based batter had chopped raw shrimp, corn kernals, sweated onion, cilantro, parsley, chives, a touch of lemon juice. I served the fritters with creamy cannellini feta puree and topped them with romesco, pepper salsa, and chopped cilantro.

Raspberry Pavlova with Honey Ice Yogurt

Pavlova makes a comeback! Seems like forever since I made pavlova. My favorite version is raspberries. I did a little twist this time by filling the meringue shell with homemade ice yogurt before topping it with whipped cream and raspberries. I loved the cool ice yogurt in the middle. The pavlova base was crusty on the outside, spongy like marshmallow inside. Filled with homemade honey ice yogurt, whipped cream and juicy colorful raspberries, the dessert made for a perfect ending to this meal.

We drank Velt.1 Gruner Veltliner with the meal. I saw it on display at Whole Foods one day and grabbed it remembering reading somewhere that gruners are very food friendly. It was light, fruity and delicious. Also inexpensive at $10 or so!