Cannoli Ice Cream

July 31, 2012
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My very first restaurant job was in part, by accident. I was in college and was interested in becoming a chef instead of the psychologist I was studying to be. Ever practical (having 3 jobs to put yourself through college will do that to a person), I decided to try working in a restaurant before spending even more money on a culinary education.

I found myself in a local Italian place which was hiring for a prep cook. Unfortunately, the chef took one look at me, 21 years old and female, and said “no.” I don’t remember what else he said but it was along the lines of “I don’t have anything for you” which wasn’t exactly the truth.

Suddenly, he reconsidered and said, “Can you bake? My pastry chef is leaving and I need someone for that position.” I said “Sure, I can bake!” This may have been …

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Cherry Clafoutis

July 23, 2012
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I’ve always wanted to make a clafoutis, but never had until recently. Something about the name sounds so romantic to me (maybe because it’s French?), which is odd considering this is really quite an easy, homestyle dessert.

What is a clafoutis, you ask? Think of a cross between a dense custard and a thick pancake, baked with fruit. Some recipes call more more or less flour or fewer eggs which will, of course, change the texture on direction or the other. My version, based on one I found in Saveur, has quite a few eggs, so it leans more toward custard with a nice crust. I think it’s a perfect summer dessert, but it could also work on a brunch or breakfast menu.

Apparently the French tend to make this without pitting the cherries first. It’s thought that the cherry pits impart an almond flavor, but frankly, …

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Moroccan Chicken With Eggplant Tomato Jam

July 16, 2012
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Morocco has become a bit of an obsession lately. Maybe it’s cooking from Paula Wolfert’s book, The Food of Morocco, or maybe my trip to Turkey just whet my appetite for that part of the world, but now I’m planning a trip to Morocco in the fall.

Paula Wolfort’s book  is fantastic and I even had the good fortune to hear her speak in person and have her sign my book a few months ago. Most of the recipes in the book are fairly straightforward, and while I wouldn’t say “simple” they aren’t that complicated. Wolfort strives for authenticity in her ingredients and recipes and while I’m all for that, sometimes “authentic” can get in its own way.

What do I mean by that? At times striving for authenticity can prevent people from even cooking at all. If it’s presented in a way which seems too complicated, or if …

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Where To Eat In Downtown LA (Jury Duty Lunches)

June 18, 2012
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I was recently called in to do jury service and was placed on a panel for five days. While it was a somewhat interesting case, and I was happy to do my civic duty, I most looked forward to lunch. At first glance, the downtown area around the Superior court building and city hall might look like a culinary wasteland, but if you’re willing to walk a few blocks there are literally hundreds of options. While the nearby LA Mall has lots of fast food choices, and the court building has its own cafeteria, I preferred to get out, stretch my legs and search for something different for lunch each day.

Even if you’re not there for jury duty, if you ever get the chance visit downtown Los Angeles (and you should), you might want to check out some of these places. For my five days of lunches, I relied on …

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Candied Meyer Lemon Ice Cream

June 4, 2012
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It’s safe to say that just about everyone likes ice cream, right? What’s not to like? Good ice cream has all the qualities of the perfect husband; sweet, rich and satisfying. Ok, just kidding. Maybe. A little.

But once again, I’ve had my assumptions challenged, this time by a fifteen year old boy who told me at dinner the other night he just “doesn’t like ice cream“.

What? Really?

No amount of encouragement by his parents, or even the allure of “homemade”, could entice him to give this ice cream a try. And I honestly didn’t try too hard to convince him, because I think people should be allowed to eat what they like. Plus, inside I was thinking “more for the rest of us!”

Everyone else at the table loved this ice cream and described the flavor to be akin to lemon meringue pie, or even  lemon curd because …

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Summer Garden 2012

May 29, 2012
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I seriously debated whether or not I wanted to spend the time, effort and money to do a garden this year. In the past we’ve built raised beds, I tracked every expense to see if it’s worth it, and last year only planted half a garden. This year, even though I was a bit late in getting started, I decided to jump in all the way and plant every bit of space in our raised beds. With a little help from family and friends we got the beds ready in a weekend.

We went with a modified version of the no-dig method this year. Instead of hay, alfalfa, compost and fertilizer, I substituted organic garden soil for the compost and fertilizer. Last year we lost a lot of soil in the boxes to various digging creatures and general decomposition. The hay and alfalfa break down every year so …

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