From the Garden // Meyer Lemons

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A friend of mine gave me a huge bag of Meyer lemons that were exploding off his tree this season. Anything with Meyer lemons that you find in restaurants, cafes, ice cream shops, or markets always costs an arm and a leg for some reason, so I thought I'd take advantage with the 30+ lemons I got. 

The most distinct visual difference with a Meyer lemon compared to a "regular" lemon, is the texture of rind. The Meyer's rind is very smooth, almost shiny; it's not at all bumpy like its more popular cousin. The color is also very saturated - a perfect sunny yellow that is usually even all around with little or no green (and definitely no white/brown spots!). Plus, Meyers are a tad bit smaller and more petite.

The flavor is very distinct, not like any other lemon we are all familiar with. It is not as citrus-y in the traditional sense, but more tangy; you can really taste the flavor of the Meyer lemon blossom and the essence of the leaves in both the juice and the rind. It is very floral and fragrant and should be used sparingly because the flavor is so potent. I had these in a bag in my kitchen and it actually smelled like I had a big bouquet of lemon blossoms in a vase. 

I attempted to make an Meyer lemon sorbet with just the rind, the juice, and sugar - the result was one puckery, sour, eye-watering, lip smacking dessert!! It really needed to be diluted with either a cream or another fruit. The rind, however, can be used in just about anything - from a pasta to a pie crust. The flavor used by the rind is a bit easier to control, zesting with a microplane zester or slicing off a bit of the rind (minus the white pith) and using it for preserves, drinks, dressings, sauces, and just about anything. Remember, a little goes a very long way with these lemons!

  

Paella w/ Chicken + Artichokes

Ingredients: short-grain white rice, vegetable stock, organic chicken breast, artichoke hearts, soy chorizo, paprika, New Mexico red chile, saffron threads, shiitake mushrooms, dried mushroom medley, yellow onion, garlic cloves, diced canned tomatoes, lemons, fresh Italian parsley, kosher salt, black pepper, extra virgin olive oil

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I've been dying to make a paella for the longest time and finally got a paella pan (for Christmas). I based my first paella venture on a recipe by José Andrés; I thought it was essential to find a Spaniard to provide a solid foundation for a good quality paella! The original recipe called for shellfish, other seafood, and pork-based products; I improvised as the dinner party I was attending had guests who couldn't eat either shellfish or pork. I love artichokes and thought I'd throw those on in lieu of mussels and found an awesome soy chorizo at Trader Joe's (it tastes exactly like the real chorizo!).

It was first necessary to saute the chicken and chorizo in the paella pan and cook it through, set aside, and then saute the mushrooms and artichoke hearts in the same pan, setting this aside in the same bowl. Earlier on, I hydrated the dried mushrooms in a separate bowl with some boiling water. I then set aside about 2 cups of this "mushroom broth" (to be used later). I used the dried mushroom medley from Trader Joes which is a really quick - yet gourmet - solution to any dish.

In the paella pan, add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent and add the uncooked rice. I stirred it around for about 1 minute and added about 2 cups of the mushroom broth, the diced canned tomatoes, the New Mexico red chile (ground in a mortar/pestle), paprika, and saffron threads. These spices are key ingredients! No shortcuts! The saffron is a bit pricey, but definitely worth it - a paella isn't a paella without saffron. 

Bring to a low boil and add the chicken, chorizo, mushrooms, and half of the artichokes sauteed earlier (set aside about 8-10 artichokes) - reduce heat to low and simmer. Make sure the paella is patted down in an even layer and add the reserve artichoke hearts in a circular pattern. 

At this point, the paella becomes a bit tedious as it will take the next hour or so to cook. You will need to add 1/2 cup of vegetable broth every 10 minutes for the next 30 minutes. Then, switch to boiling water every 10 minutes for the next 30 minutes (or, veggie stock for three times and boiling water for three times, every 10 minutes). Make sure you leave the paella uncovered while it cooks! You can snag a bite toward the end to taste-test; remember that the outer edges and surface of the paella may have some hard, crunchier bits of rice (it doesn't mean it's not cooked). 

Add fresh lemon wedges and freshly chopped Italian parsley upon serving. It's in typical Spanish tradition to serve with a nice dry Spanish white wine. Enjoy!

New Year's Cure: Bloody Mary

 

Ingredients: organic tomato juice, celery stalks + leaves, shallot, Worcestershire sauce, vodka, kosher salt, black pepper

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There are so many variations and types of Bloody Marys so I thought I'd throw together a recipe that combines all the Bloody Marys I've tried and really liked. The key to a really great version is to puree one celery stalk, some celery leaves, and 1/2 of a shallot in a food processor first (if you're a horseradish fan, you can throw some fresh cuts of it at this stage). Starting with a pureed paste really kicks up the flavor of regular old tomato juice and adds a thicker consistency to the drink so it's not too watered down when you add the ice. Using V8 or a bloody mary mix should be illegal (so much salt!!!).

Combine the juice, the puree, and the vodka in a pitcher and add a few dashes of the Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste. If you're a Tabasco fan, you can add some at this point, too (I omitted it from mine because of the threat of heartburn - the thought of drinking Tabasco is too intense for me).

I also added the juice of half a lemon and rubbed the spent lemon around the rim of the glass, dipping it in kosher salt. Add ice to the glasses to serve (leaving out the ice from the pitcher, or else it'll water it down). The garnishes are of course the fun part - I like to keep it simple by just adding a celery frond, but there is this great bar in the Mission in San Francisco that piles on the pickled green beans, caper berries, olives, lemon wedges, and fresh celery.

Happy 2012!

From my Hexenhäuschen to yours!

Ingredients: Trader Joe's Gingerbread House Kit, egg whites

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Happy holidays! This gingerbread house kit was possibly one of the most fun things to do, now that the holidays are well underway. It was our first time making one and honestly, so glad we got this kit at Trader Joe's. They had the house pieces, candies, sprinkles, and figures all delicately packaged - all you needed to do was get one egg white and beat it together with some powdered sugar (this was already in the kit). I couldn't even imagine making the gingerbread pieces from scratch...  

The frosting/mortar dried very quickly, so it was necessary to move fast! The kit even provided a piping bag so it made it very easy to put the house together. We echoed the design on the front of the packaging, but I'm sure you could go nuts making it look however you want. I think your kids would have a blast doing this with you - I know I did.

Hope everyone has a very filling, very Merry Christmas.

Chocolate Almond Bark w/ Fleur du Sel

 

Ingredients: raw almonds, dark chocolate, unsalted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, coarsely ground fleur du sel (sea salt)

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Possibly one of the best treats to gift for Christmas! I was inspired to make this after reading the recipe and seeing the photo in the December issue of Bon Appetit magazine. For my recent tree trimming gathering, I thought I'd make up a batch, but then realized halfway through that I mistakenly bought raw almonds instead of the roasted kind! I had already sugared them at this point, but because they were raw, they were chewy and soft...

Luckily, with the help of some friends, the nuts were saved by sauteeing them over the stovetop with some additional butter, vanilla extract, and a pinch of sea salt. The kitchen smelled like Union Square during Christmas time, with the  aromatics of the sugar and toasted almonds filling the room.

After melting the chocolate over a double boiler, we combined the cooled nuts in the chocolate and laid it out flat over some foil to cool. Top with some reserve nuts and coarse sea salt and set in the freezer to chill. Once set, you can break up the bark as little or as big as you want!

The result is a candy/toffee/nutty/salty/chocolaty goodness (best served cold, in my opinion).

Poached Pears w/ Spiced Caramel Sauce

Ingredients: 

Poached Pears - Anjou pears, orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, lemon zest, granulated sugar, water, splash of Rum

Spiced Caramel Sauce - granulated sugar, brown sugar, heavy cream, clove, fennel, black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks

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This was my first foray into poached pear territory and thought I'd try this out for Thanksgiving dessert. I always loved how classic and elegant fruit can look when you poach it and thought that pears would be perfect for Fall. I began by peeling the Anjou pears one-by-one (while the turkey was in the oven), which took up most of the prep time. The best way to do this is with a small vegetable peeler - the hand-held one, not the stand-up kind. 

The poaching liquid was essentially a diluted citrus mixture of oranges and lemons and sugar. I omitted about 1 cup of sugar from the recipe as I'm not a stickler for super-sweet desserts and added about a splash of Rum (ok, about 1 cup) to the poach while it was simmering. The recipe called for 25 mins of poaching time, but it really could've gone for much longer; at least 45 mins to 1 hour. Once finished, you need to cool it in the poaching liquid, so I put the lid on and removed it from the stove and left it alone for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, for the Spiced Caramel Sauce, this too was my first venture into caramel territory. I was always intimidated by cooking sugar - so important to keep your eye on it. You start by heating up sugar directly into a saucepan. I blinked and before I knew it, it was almost bubbling over and browned. At this point, remove it from the heat and add the spices, stirring constantly! Strain it through a sieve and set aside in a bowl to cool.

The best part is the presentation! I removed the poached pears from the liquid and placed them on a platter on top some coffee/vanilla bean mascarpone cream. Pouring the spiced caramel sauce over the pears at the table will definitely get you some oohs and aahs!

It was a great recipe that I'll definitely make again, tweaking a few things here and there. You can find it off Bon Appetit magazine's website at epicurious.com here.

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients: yellow gold potatoes, leeks, celery hearts, chicken stock, garlic, dried dill, dried basil, unsalted butter, olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, fresh chives, sesame baguette croutons

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This was my first venture into potato-leek territory and it turned out pretty awesome. I created the base in typical mirepoix fashion, so I started by sauteeing the chopped leeks with celery hearts in olive oil and butter. I softened these up a bit for about 5 minutes and added about 3-4 lbs. of yellow potatoes. 

I chopped up the potatoes very roughly, but in small, even pieces and tossed them with the wilted leeks. Your pot should be nice and hot at this point and I added 4 cups of chicken stock and 1 1/2 cups of water; I then added all the dried herbs and brought it to a boil. Simmer it on low for another 40-45 mins.

Bring out the blender and puree/liquefy all of the soup, except 2 cups. I wanted there to be some scattered chunks of potato, giving each bowl and serving some texture and depth. Top with fresh chives and some croutons of your choice! Another option would be to top with some Parmesan Crisps or fried shallots.

Launched: To Market, To Market

Come check out my latest and greatest list of favorite markets, food halls, and gourmet goodies to buy! I wanted to provide a guide to some of the best markets I get the freshest, organic produce, bakeries for the best bread, my go-to coffee spots, unique & cheap kitchenwares, and of course, food. 


Markets are - hands down - the greatest places to sample the most authentic dose of culture in whatever city you're in; from San Francisco to Peru, check out my list of must-see markets, boulangeries, and cafes, up there on the tool bar at To Market, To Market.

Mercado Central de San Pedro - Cusco, PERU

Grand Lake Farmer's Market - Oakland, CA

  

Le grand marche - Place de Precheurs
Aix-en-Provence, FRANCE

Mercat de la Boqueria - Barcelona, SPAIN

Pumpkin Bourbon Ice Cream

  

Ingredients: pumpkin puree, heavy cream, egg yolks, bourbon, vanilla extract, brown sugar, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, salt

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'Tis the season to be pumpkin-ing. This could be your Thanksgiving dessert in itself - it's pretty rich and would be awesome with a vanilla bean whipped cream. It actually tastes like a pumpkin pie, a pumpkin cheesecake, and a shot of bourbon all at once! Ice cream making can be tricky when alcohol is involved as it has a very high freezing point and tends to inhibit the churning process. The key is to add the liquor literally at the very last minute of churning and then placing it in the freezer for a couple hours to allow it to set. 

People are always surprised to hear of homemade ice cream and don't realize how easy it is. I've got a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker that does all the work. The main trick is getting the custard and ice cream base just right over the stove, making sure your egg yolks don't curdle or scramble when combined with the cream. Once you've got that down, you can make any flavor combination you want.

This has a gorgeous deep-orange/cinnamon color and is perfect for fall. Would be great with a warm apple cider as well. Recipe courtesy of Williams Sonoma.

Parmesan Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients: Arborio rice, white wine, Crimini mushrooms, Shiitake mushrooms, Parmigiano Reggiano, unsalted butter, vegetable stock, dried oregano, bay leaf, kosher salt, black pepper

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Mushrooms and risotto are a classic pairing that never fails - throw in your favorite mushrooms, any will do, but make sure you include a variety for more depth of flavor. I used crimini (brown) and shiitakes for this, but I've seen a Jamie Oliver recipe of up to 5 different kinds. 

Start by sauteeing the mushrooms with some butter and garlic, then add about 4 cups of the Arborio rice. Adding white wine is a must and gives the whole dish a bit of that elegance that really elevates all of the other ingredients. Once the white wine has evaporated, you start adding 4 cups of stock, one cup at a time; it really only takes about 15-18 minutes and it's not bad at all. Just keep stirring!

Turn off the heat when all the stock has evaporated and add about 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. If you let it sit for about 3-5 mins before serving, it thickens up to the most perfect risotto consistency. Serve with a simple side of arugula salad and some dry white wine!

From the Market // Pomegranates

  

I'm sure you've been seeing a lot of pomegranates crop up at the markets lately as they're in full harvest! I think the season might even be ending soon, so stock up. Pomegranates were always one of those fruits that I was slightly intimidated by, thinking it just took too much effort to pull out all the seeds. Plus the juice always turned me off since it stained horribly... but I was so wrong!

It's such an easy fruit to cut into and actually sort of fun to peel. I just cut crosswise in half, and then again so that they are cut into quarters. You then just pry apart the white pith and the seeds just roll out. It's so simple, not messy, and very quick. I think this would be really fun to do with your kids (just tell them not to squeeze the seeds!). They sell fresh pomegranate seeds at Trader Joes already peeled - but each little package will cost you about $3-$4 .... one whole pomegranate was about 50 cents at the farmer's market and will yield about two packages they would sell at the store (the photos of the seeds here are just from half a pomegranate!).

I eat pomegranates with either sweet or savory dishes - on top of your yogurt and granola for breakfast or simmered down into a nice sauce or glaze drizzled over a pork chop. My favorite thing to do is to add some fresh pomegranate on top of my Moroccan Chicken dish. Stay tuned...

Roasted Tomato + Leek Soup w/ Basil Rice

Ingredients: Beefsteak Tomatoes, leeks, garlic, brown rice, fresh basil + stems, dried basil, dried thyme, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, sugar, olive oil 

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This is probably the best comfort soup for Fall! It has very minimal ingredients that yields such a flavorful and filling soup. It's fairly simple to make with an extra step to puree them all together to get it to that perfect consistency. 

Roasting the tomatoes probably took the longest, taking about 1 1/2 hours in the oven at 400F - but it's worth it! Start by halving the Beefsteaks crosswise (I used about 7 tomatoes), sprinkling them with the dried herbs, salt & pepper, and olive oil. Once they come out of the oven, they're practically falling apart, incredibly juicy and very very sweet. Plus it gets your kitchen smelling like Italy. 

In a large Dutch oven or equally durable pot, sauté about 4 garlic cloves in some olive oil until they're golden and then throw in the chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only!). Once they've softened, add the tomatoes and simmer for about 15 mins until they're officially falling apart. Then throw the whole mixture into the blender and puree the hell out of it - as chunky or as smooth as you want.

Transfer the soup back into the pot and let it simmer a bit more and do some taste-testing, adding salt, sugar, or more black pepper to taste. 

I serve this with some Basil Brown Rice, cooking the rice with several fresh basil stems (just take off the leaves) so that the rice absorbs the aromatics of the basil. Spoon some into your soup bowls and ladle the soup right over it. This will be great with some Parmesan cheese crisps, a dollop of Ricotta, or of course, some fresh basil.

Chomping Ground // Palm Springs: Birba

Photos courtesy of birbapalmsprings.com

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Spent the weekend in Palm Springs and had to share a cute, fun little place with a really great pizza, worthy of the 1-hour trip outside of Los Angeles. It was a bit off the beaten path, away from the downtown drag, hidden away from the street a bit; seemed like a local crowd that frequented the place (plus us tourists, of course). It was my first time to Palm Springs, so thanks to Yelp I was able to find a great Saturday night spot with yummy food and fancy cocktails.

The pizza was the best part: crunchy, bubbly crust, tangy/sweet/hearty sauce (homemade), and their toppings to die for. We had the Homemade Sausage, Mushroom, and Onion but other pizzas include Braised Greens, Green Olive, Serrano Chile, and Smoked Mozzarella and a great white pizza, Egg, Pancetta, Pecorino, and Spring Onion. I'd love to try other goodies next time - they had some tempting appetizers like Burrata w/ Cherry Tomatoes, English Cucumbers, and Toast and Homemade Tuna Conserva w/ PeeWee Potatoes, Haricot Verts, Green Olives, Cherry Tomatoes, and Grainy Mustard Dressing.  

Their salads were equally as great - we ordered the simplest one on the menu, but it was probably the most refreshing, tastiest, and best salad I've had in a long time: Radicchio, Endive, Arugula, Fried Garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano, lemon juice, and olive oil. Sounds right up my alley, so I'll be copying this salad in the days to come.

The decor was fun, hip, mid-century, sleek... quintessential Palm Springs, but with that nostalgic charm. Charcoal-grey outer walls accented with wood textures, white highlights, and pops of bright orange. There was also a beautiful courtyard with sand/gravel that was bordered with benches and plush pillows, where we spent most of our evening. 

The cocktails were mediocre; deliberately creative, but overly sugary and watered down. I'm sure their wines were better!