Chomping Ground // Berkeley: Ici

Ici

2948 College Avenue

Berkeley, CA 94705

tel 510.665.6054

www.ici-icecream.com

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This is my definite go-to place for ice cream while in the East Bay, or in the entire San Francisco Bay Area for that matter. I have never experienced the freshest, most flavorful ice cream anywhere else. And what I love about Ici is that the ice cream doesn't leave you feeling heavy or gross after - they have mastered the cream-custard-flavor ratio perfectly. 

And their homemade cones are something you absolutely must try. It is a perfectly crisp vanilla-butter cookie cone with an ingenious (and functional) surprise at the bottom: a chocolate seal which closes up the little hole so that your melted ice cream doesn't drip down your hand. 

Their flavors are updated daily and change with the seasons. Today's flavors include:

Strawberry Sorbet

Strawberry Balsamic Swirl

Darjeeling Cinnamon

Malted Vanilla

Orange Rosemary Toffee

Caramel Rose

Mocha Fudge Swirl

And while we're on the topic, some other ice cream honorable mentions in the Bay Area must be noted:

Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous

[Dogpatch, San Francisco]

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mr-and-mrs-miscellaneous-san-francisco

Fenton's Creamery

[Piedmont, Oakland]

http://www.fentonscreamery.com/

Bi-Rite Creamery

[Mission, San Francisco]

http://biritecreamery.com/

Mitchell's Ice Cream

[Mission-ish, San Francisco]

http://www.mitchellsicecream.com/

Photos courtesy of Ici

Chicken Nuggets w/ Fresh Jalapeño

Ingredients: organic free-range chicken, day-old Tuscan Italian sliced bread, dried basil, dried oregano, fresh garlic cloves, kosher salt, black pepper, jalapeño

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Absolutely no ground-up chicken byproduct to be found in these nuggets! I believe the key here is my fresh breadcrumb mixture; trust me, once you make your own breadcrumbs, you'll never buy the Progresso canned ones again. All you need is a food processor and it's soo simple. 

I just tore pieces of my sliced bread and put it directly into the food processor with a dash of the dried herbs and a roughly chopped garlic clove. I put in a good pinch of salt and just gave it a whirl. I ground it up very finely - keep in mind fresh breadcrumbs have considerably more moisture in them (which is why you shouldn't use fresh bread). They are lighter and flakier, almost like panko breadcrumbs. 

I sliced up some boneless chicken thighs but you of course could use chicken breasts for this as well. I seasoned the chicken bits with salt and pepper and buried them directly into the breadcrumbs - no milk, no eggs, nothing. 

Lay them gently in very hot canola oil and let them brown before flipping over the pieces - make sure you don't stir them around in the oil; let them sit there and fry away. Oh, and another handy tip for some added flavor, throw in about 2 fresh garlic cloves in the oil first before frying the chicken; remove them before adding the chicken. 

In order to prevent any dry nuggets, remove them from the oil about 1 1/2 mins after flipping. Make sure you also cut your chicken in similar size pieces or slices, that way you can ensure a more even cooking process.

I served them with a fresh piece of jalapeño pepper and dipped them in some dijon mustard I had handy. Soooo much better than the mystery meat nuggets they have at fast food joints and your kids will love these (and they'll have fun with the breadcrumb part, too - just make sure they stay away from the oil!).

Chomping Ground // Napa: Morimoto Napa

Photo: Eater SF, Peter Hopper Stone

Morimoto Napa

610 Main Street

Napa, CA 94559

tel 707.252.1600

www.morimotonapa.com

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I was completely speechless and amazed at the quality of the food here, the inventiveness of the dishes, and the overall presentation and attention to detail of every aspect of the dining experience. It was such an incredible, 2 1/2 hour dinner that felt like one of those rare (and expensive) indulges you definitely don't have every day. 

You may know Chef Morimoto from his stints as one of the Iron Chefs from the Food Network. I was familiar with his name, his brand, and his celebrity but I never tried his food until recently. The photos here are some that we took from our meal, which was a much better experience overall since I dined with about 5 other people. 

Going in a large group is key, so you can try a little bit of everything. Morimoto Napa excels in their small bites, appetizers, and definitely their sashimi. I was a bit underwhelmed by some of their main courses as their efforts seemed to be concentrated on their appetizers, especially the Cold Appetizers we were able to try: the Toro Tartare, Yellowtail 'Pastrami', and their most amazing Lamb Carpaccio.

We were also able to sample some of their Hot Appetizers: Oyster Foie Gras, Spicy King Crab (SO GOOD), Kakuni, Morimoto Bone Marrow, and Melon Tempura (which was my favorite and most amazing thing I've ever tasted). 

The most interesting dessert I had was Chef Morimoto's take on the classic Korean bibimbap, which he turned into a creatively gorgeous sweet dish instead of a savory one. He topped a sushi rice pudding with cubed papaya, mango, and other tropical fruits. In addition, he added a yellow mango custard in the shape of an egg yolk - a classic staple of a bibimbap. Visually, it was beautiful and it was the perfect end to the most amazing meal. 

Melon + Feta Salad w/ Mint

 

Ingredients: Honeydew melon, organic Greek feta, fresh mint leaves, lemon juice, salt

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I had an incredible salad last night at a lovely little gastropub in Hollywood.  Wood & Vine had an ingenious idea to pair honeydew with feta cheese - the salad was a refreshing, delicious, and a very simple starter that went perfect with our cocktails. Theirs was slightly different; I think they might've added another type of melon or fruit, but I replicated it pretty well, with the fresh chopped mint and lemon vinaigrette. 

This was so easy, it's just a matter of throwing everything together in a bowl with a splash of lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to taste. Make sure to try and cube the honeydew and feta so that they're the same size. Add the chopped mint as the very last step and toss right before serving, as the mint tends to oxidize and turn brown quickly once it's chopped. 

From the Market // Mushrooms

I was so amazed and curious by these awesome mushrooms I saw at the Hollywood Farmer's Market last weekend. We were at the L.A. Funghi stand; it was full of various types, species, and strains of every type of mushroom you could imagine. No boring button mushrooms here! A few I recognized, some Wood Ears, Morels, Portobellos (of course), and Shitakes, but some were just downright insane. I failed to write any of the names down so I don't know what type they are, but thought I'd snap some shots of the ones that caught my eye and figured they'd speak for themselves. 

They also sold whole, fresh white truffles in a jar by the cash register to tempt you as you're paying for your goodies. And as a side note, their Portobello caps were so juicy and flavorful, it was like digging into a steak. We threw them on the grill - no seasoning needed. 

Turkey + Pancetta Ragù w/ Pappardelle

Ingredients: canned whole tomatoes, shallots, garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, bay leaf, unsalted butter, pancetta, ground turkey, egg pappardelle pasta

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Much in the way I made the sauce for my Spaghetti + Meatballs, I slow-cooked all of the ingredients together for about 2 hours. I added a step in the very beginning, searing the pancetta and cooking the ground turkey in my dutch oven first, removing the meats, and began the base for my sauce. After placing in the food processor to get that saucey consistency, I added the pancetta and ground turkey and simmered on low for another hour or so. 

I'm not a fan of setting a sauce on top of the pasta - I like stirring and mixing it together in the saucepan prior to serving, just so all the flavors combine properly. Especially with a ragù recipe like this, you really want each and every noodle to achieve maximum ragù-ness.

Alice Waters has a brilliant Mushroom Ragù and also a classic Bolognese sauce that served as an inspiration for this recipe.

Tarragon Shrimp Salad w/ Butter Lettuce + Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

Ingredients: Argentinian Red Shrimp, butter lettuce, fresh tarragon leaves, unsalted butter, red garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, kosher salt, cracked pepper, Dijon mustard, lemon juice

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Having spent the weekend in the beautiful Napa Valley, I was inspired by a dish I tried at brunch today at the Auberge du Soleil Resort restaurant. It was a poached shrimp and little gem appetizer in an incredible citrus Dijon vinaigrette, so of course I attempted my own version this evening for dinner.

My shrimp weren't as gorgeous as the Auberge version so I decided to saute them with garlic, butter, and fresh tarragon leaves instead of poaching them. I set them on top of some small leaves of butter lettuce and whisked together a lemon Dijon vinaigrette that tasted exactly like its inspiration!

If you have a chance to visit the area, pop in to the restaurant and/or bar area. They have the most beautiful terrace that overlooks the entire valley, with wine vineyards that stretch as far as the eye can see. Staying the night here is extremely expensive, so I often just visit the bar and restaurant when I'm in town. 

Summer Berry Salad

Ingredients: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cane sugar, fresh mint, lemon juice

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This is such a versatile dessert perfect for summer and so simple to put together! Full of fresh flavors, it's simple, beautiful, and you can eat it in so many ways. The mint is a great way to combine all the berries together, counteracting their sweetness and tartness with a nice fresh bite. After combining all the ingredients, it's best to let it sit in the fridge for a bit so that the lemon juice and sugar work their magic on extracting some of the berries juices.

The salad is perfect on its own, or topped with a bit of chilled mascarpone cheese or even a dollop of greek yogurt with a mint tea syrup for a dessert; of course, always great with some vanilla ice cream. Add some more yogurt and some granola and honey and you've got yourself a great breakfast; better yet, top these on some fluffy buttermilk pancakes and warm maple syrup!

Chomping Ground // Los Angeles: Fruute

Früute

8951 Santa Monica Blvd. | Ste. A

West Hollywood, CA 90069

310.786.9983

www.fruute.com

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I just read about this lovely little new dessert place in West Hollywood [on Santa Monica between Doheny and San Vicente] and was taken by its minimalist and delicate design of their bite-size tarts. To top it off, the flavors sound ünique, interesting, and über gourmet. 


Having just opened on July 2, the menu of tarts feature "curated" flavors and are divided into Classic (flavors for the purist) and Curious (flavors for the audacious). The website is clever; hovering over each tart, you are given a profile view of the tart along with a small caption description of its flavor. See their tart page here.


Some classic flavors include: 

Three Berries

Citron

Creme Brulee

Sea Salt Caramel

Curious flavors are: 

Matcha

a light matcha green tea cake on a dacquoise base, topped with harmonious blueberry and raspberry

Black Pepper

pepper-infused bittersweet chocolate with a forest berry center, layered with frangipane in a chocolate crust, topped with candied black pepper crisp and blueberries

Wasabi

a rare blend of spicy Japanese horseradish and a blood orange center, layered with vanilla frangipane in a pistachio crust, garnished with a mint leaf tempura

Mont Blanc

caramelized banana with a touch of rum in a chocolate crust, topped with caramel wafer, chestnut cream swirl and a lone pistachio

Let's just hope the flavor of these teeny things live up to their design. I haven't been here yet, so I have no idea how much these cost, but presumably an arm and a leg.  

Peach Crisp

 

Ingredients: Filling // yellow peaches, organic cane sugar, all-purpose flour

Crumble topping // toasted pecans, brown sugar, cane sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, unsalted butter, kosher salt

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I used Alice Waters' very simple crisp recipe for this incredible dessert (perfect for 4th of July bbqs!). I've never poached fruit before and it was necessary to poach the peaches slightly in order to remove the skins. The skins slide off very easily after placing the peaches in a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds. I couldn't believe how bright and colorful they were underneath (see photo above). Some variations to this peach filling are to add blackberries, blueberries, or even raspberries to the mix; for other seasons, you can use apples & pears (fall), or cranberries & orange zest (winter).

The crumble topping was super simple; it was just a matter of throwing everything into a bowl and dicing up the butter (very cold) into cubes and adding them to the mixture. You then just massage and mix the topping with your hands until it becomes crumbly and no longer sandy and loose. 

Pour the filling into a ceramic baking dish (make sure you pick a nice one since you'll be serving out of this dish - you could also use individual ramekins for this recipe) and then sprinkling the crumble topping on top, covering as much of the filling as possible. Line a flat baking sheet with some parchment paper and place your baking dish on top - some of the juices will spill over in the oven while baking. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 mins and you're set.

Alice Waters suggests serving this crisp with a cold heavy cream or a crème anglaise - I'm a fan of both, especially with some whole vanilla beans added for flavor. Even better, just top with a scoop of simple vanilla ice cream and serve.

From the Market // Peaches & Nectarines

Featured: Yellow Peaches, White Nectarines, Green Nectarines, Snow Angel Peaches

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Peaches have been flooding the markets lately and I couldn't help but snap some quick shots of all the reds, oranges, and yellows. I read a blurb in Bon Appétit magazine last month that some of the peach crop in California has suffered this year due to an unusually wet/cold spring; explains why some of the flats I've purchased at supermarkets have yielded a lot of firm and sour peaches. Your best bet is to stick to your farmers' markets where careful attention has been paid to harvesting.

From the Market // Carrots

I found these vibrant and fun carrots today and can't wait to try them. Some herbs that go great with carrots are fresh thyme and even some rosemary stalks. You can steam, saute, boil, broil, bake, and puree carrots every which way and taste super sweet during the summer.

The gorgeous Red Carrots are this deep beet-red color with bits of orange peeking through while the White Carrots are these pale cream yellow color. The mini carrots below are called Thumbelinas!