Cranberry Mascarpone Graham Cracker Salad

A few years ago a friend introduced me to his childhood "Strawberry Pretzel Salad" - exact origin unknown, but incredibly well-known by many potluck goers. It goes something like this: a crushed pretzel crust, a cream cheese / whipped cream center, topped with a strawberry jello loaded with fresh strawberries. It was new to me, despite my potluck attendance in years past, and didn't sit well with my taste buds. Well, the time has come for a new dessert and I remembered that particular dish. What could I do to make the treat into something I would enjoy? The next thing I knew I was pulling together this Cranberry Mascarpone Graham Cracker "Salad." It mirrors the original in concept, removes the saltiness, and blends into a rather smooth delight!

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Banana Pudding

For those of us unable to go home for the holidays, food can be one of the simplest ways to bring that taste of home to wherever we are. Accented by the family pie and casserole classics, the season also serves up Banana Pudding on my family's dessert table. Over time, one of my grandmother's sweet specialties began to sit with certainty in our dinner tradition (and I never minded). This year, I added my taste of home to a non-traditional holiday feast among friends bringing what I know as comfort in a simple dish with a few simple steps.

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Vanilla Custard

There are a few flavors that give me the nostalgic feeling of home and this is one to certainly add to that list. This Vanilla Custard is a quick and delicious pudding-custard dessert hybrid that pairs artfully with fresh fruit, cream pies, or served as a more elaborate dessert pudding. It thickens quickly and is so simple to make it's a wonder why I don't make it more often. I tend to eat a serving or two right off the stove and another later after it chills (on a puff pastry, mayhaps?). Try it, enjoy it, and see what new desserts come to mind as the creamy dish takes over the taste buds!

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Doughboys Cafe

Los Angeles, CA. I admit it: I'm known to crave cake. If it were left completely up to me, I'd eat an entire double-layer frosted confection - health permitting. When I'm in such a state and find myself fogging the exterior of a local bakery, I make the firm decision: Doughboys Cafe. Funny enough, years ago a friend suggested we grab a bite, but the downplay on the baked goods didn't sell me on the excursion. Yes, they do serve food, but it's the individually portioned cakes that returns me to this mid-city eatery.

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Chicken Soup with Bacon, Broccoli, & Oricchette

In the story "Stone Soup," three hungry travelers convince wary villagers to give them some food in a time of scarcity. The trio fill an empty pot with water from a nearby stream, drop a large stone into it, and set it over a fire. Seeing this, the townspeople gather round, asking if it is delicious. "Oh yes," the trio replies, adding that it could use a little of "this and that" for a garnish. One villager offers a few carrots, another adds some seasoning, until eventually the entire village has contributed to a delicious soup shared by all. Whenever my teacher retold that story in class, I was hungry for soup by the time the stone hit the bottom of the pan. Soup has always had a hold on me.

This Chicken Soup with Bacon, Broccoli, & Oricchette you'll want to share (or horde for yourself, whatever - it keeps well in the freezer), and the delicious bacon bits and doughy oricchette will settle nicely at the bottom of your tummy like warm, delicious, digestible stones keeping you nice and toasty this winter. Dive in. 

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Pambiche

Portland, OR. Put a little flare on the table. Better yet, put a little flare everywhere! If on the hunt for Cuban fare in quite the festive environment, Pambiche becomes the place to try. I grew up around Cuban cuisine on the east coast and discerning the authenticity became easier with time. Here, the bright exterior, tight interior, friendly staff and flavor combinations gave me a little Miami in an unassuming city: good ole Portland, Oregon.

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Dad's Donut and Bakery Shop

Newport Beach, CA. Tis the season for a southern California holiday stroll - exploring neighborhoods glowing beyond reason from timely decor in a 'crisp' upper 60s climate. If you find yourself in Orange County, head over to Balboa Island and be impressed by the holiday aesthetics gratuitously provided by the local light displays. At some point along the way duck into Dad's Donut and Bakery Shop. For a donut? Naw, for their famed frozen bananas. 

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Savoy Tavern Bistro

Portland, OR. CHEESE CURDS!! NO, really!! CHEESE CURDS!! How often are those words really heard nowadays when you're looking for a decent place to grub? Well, clearly Savoy Tavern makes the introduction: Customer, meet fried goodness. A group of us gathered at this Clinton Street bar / bistro for an after work, pre-home snack. I guess we weren't quite ready to end the day by sinking into the comfiest of couches and falling asleep to another dated documentary (it's a thing...).

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Raspberry-Apple-Cranberry Sauce

Who likes cranberry sauce? Anyone? I don't know many people who actually do, and the memory that comes to mind for many is the canned cranberry-esque gelatin. If that's the tradition, be traditional, but why not soften the tart and start up a new standard? This Raspberry-Apple-Cranberrry Sauce carries with it hints of the other fruit along with the known cranberry flavor. It makes cranberry a subtlety and converts the dish to delish. If made in excess, it becomes a great jam alternative for after the holidays!

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Bacon Stuffing, Pan-Fried

Holidays may come and go but sometimes the food remains for days...along with those additional pounds. This Thanksgiving, I made a Bacon Stuffing for a dinner party co-hosted among friends, a variation from a recipe I introduced last year. The stuffing was a hit, the bacon a favorite, but of course in wandering my own leftover woes, I had a decision to make: toss, re-heat, or fry. Of course I explored the latter and I wanted to share it as an alternative to serving stuffing the traditional way.

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Mini Peanut Butter Cream Pie

When it gets down to the wire with guests arriving in less than 24 hours and it's realized that there aren't enough desserts, what does one do? This Mini Peanut Butter Cream Pie is a rather efficient little homemade treat that leaves the complexities on the side and eases right into any dessert spread. The graham cracker crunch and sweetened peanut butter cream pair well for a wanting mouth and hungry belly and will surely be a new household favorite. Holidays or otherwise, this dessert hits the spot in two to three bites!

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Mukhtar's Afghan Eggs

My friend Mukhtar whipped up this quick and delicious dish in Afghanistan, but it's so simple it can be made anywhere around the world. Bonus: serve it in the skillet you cook it in and you'll save time on clean-up! Spicy and light, this is perfect for lunch or a very quick dinner - serve with a salad and you have a full meal.  It's a great dish to share with friends... pass around some naan or pita and just dig in!

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Ken's Artisan Pizza

Portland, OR. Duck for cover from those chilly and rainy autumn nights and head into Ken's; no, not the bakery, though its co-founders are one and the same. Ken's Artisan Pizza is a 'why not' choice - a bread maker having mastered the craft branching into a related dish of dough palatable by many a person? It seems a rather natural fit. Seeking the toasty warmth of a nearby wood-fire oven and the pleasure of a tall stout, this Portland eatery accents a natural craving.

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Postcard from Kabul

Kabul, Afghanistan. OK, so you'll probably NEVER come here; but I'm always interested in reading about food in far-flung places, and perhaps you are too. In a place as exotic and mythical as Afghanistan, one might imagine nomads sitting in yurts eating naan and yak cheese... in Kabul, that couldn't be further from the truth. There is a vibrant, diverse and refined food scene here, as long as you know where to go. Restaurants are largely unmarked in this city: dusty, pockmarked walls encircle villas and courtyards, replete with gardens, lush furnishings, gorgeous carpets. To get in requires passing through two steel doors and for males, undergoing a pat-down. But once inside, it can be magical.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake, No-Bake

The days are upon us: gathering together with family, friends, or sometimes even alone but still accompanied by a table overloaded with great holiday food. Pumpkin Cheesecake definitely hints of the holiday season and I find myself craving it come Thanksgiving. It could be the resurgence of pumpkin lattes, bakeries boasting of seasonal treats, or some misguided internal clock that designates that this time, is cheesecake time. However it happens, this no-bake rendition of a cheesecake, looks particular impressive despite its overtly simple approach. Make it at the start of the day and just forget about it until it's time for dessert!

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Apple Galette with Brown Butter & Sage

I usually prefer my share of fall's apple crop processed and bottled into hard cider instead of pastries because a.) it makes long cold nights cozier, and b.) I'm not a baker. I'm the kind of cook who likes to experiment with ingredients and just throw things together...a habit that usually doesn't lend itself well to baking. Who knew confectioner's sugar wasn't the same as regular sugar? I do - but only after using it in an extraordinarily inedible batch of cookies I once served to a friend's family after Christmas dinner, subsequently destroying any goodwill I had earned with my Christmas roast leg of lamb.

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Semi Sweet Bakery

Los Angeles, CA. A walk into this little shop may lend itself to some brief confusion - decor is simple, a table or two with garden chairs, and not the usual cafe of romance and trend - but fear not, for there is pastry ahead. Situated next to a tequila and mezcal bar and across from a famed French Dip eatery, Semi Sweet Bakery supports handcrafted goodness that combines skill with a touch of homestyle warmth. If I look and believe I can make it at home, then take a few morsels and realize: no...there's a greater skill at play, then something has been done quite right.

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Buttery Soy-Braised Pork

I don't have a sweet tooth. What I do have is a fat tooth, impacted and impossible to remove -- one whose roots can be traced to, among other things, a pork chop recipe my mom learned from my papa as a kid growing up in Hawaii. It is as delicious as it is simple: pork chops, browned in a healthy pat or two of butter, are finished in a quick simmering bath of soy sauce and water. The pork chops were occasionally dry, but the sauce - the sauce! Only the annual Christmas Scattergories game inspired the same kind of family drama like the fights over the last bit of sauce-sopping sticky white rice. 

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Pumpkin Pie with Graham Crumble

It is never too early to start making, or thinking about, those holiday favorites for the coming season of eating! Pumpkin Pie has always been the easy treat served annually by my family and friends. What isn't to enjoy from a dessert that is simple to throw together and can be made in advance well before any guests arrive? This version takes the classic approach, less the roasting of a gourd, and pairs it with a graham cracker and flour blended crust and crumble. Enjoy!

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Test Kitchen

Los Angeles.  Why bother writing about a restaurant where the chefs and the prix-fixe, multi-course menu change every night; where the servers are barely trained, the foodrunners are still memorizing table numbers, and every night is opening night? Because Test Kitchen has food that sustains the circus; and the circus is the point.  Only in Los Angeles are there pop-up restaurants within pop-up restaurants within brick-walled restaurants in Skid Row.

Test Kitchen is a sort of a rotating who's-who in the L.A. culinary world: the chefs breeze in, take over the kitchen at whatever restaurant plays host (currently it's the soon-to-open Bestia, on the fringes of downtown), and cook the food they want to cook. You pay what they ask, and you eat what they give you, or you just don't participate in the whole event.

Whatever I ate won't be there on the night you choose to go (they have a blessedly easy reservation system on OpenTable... just book early), but the offerings by chefs Ori Menashe, Walter Manske and Neal Fraser were delicious, and if they're any indication of the talent booked at Test Kitchen 2012, y'all are in for a treat.

Charcuterie board

To start, house-made charcuterie, including a stunning rabbit porchetta and a "faux gras" mousse with Asian pear.  We suspected the "faux" gras was actually chicken liver mousse but it was nearly as rich as the real thing and just as decadent. 

Grilled Octopus with lentils

Next up: grilled octopus, deliciously charred, with warm lentils...then Mediterranean turbot with sunchoke puree (oh boy, oh boy do I love sunchokes) and black truffles... and finally: duck breast served with a confit-filled pastry, perfect little grapes, and a little dollop of what we guessed to be parsnips but was as addictive as chocolate. 

Turbot

We wrapped up the night with two desserts by two different pastry chefs (Genevieve Vergis and Mariah Swan) - an ultra-rich rice pudding with roast plums, and a teeny tiny bite of a s'more that was the perfect nightcap to the evening.

Rice pudding with plums

The downside to this "let's do it LIVE!" style of cooking?? The TIMING.  Dinner took nearly 4 hours.  We had a 45 minute wait between courses... twice.  And several tables around us sat down after and finished before our little table of four.  But a couple cocktails from master mixologist Julian Cox helped soothe the nerves, and frankly, the food was so good it was worth it.  The open kitchen was a perfect theater - more than once, harried food servers rushed off with hot plates, only to bring them back, tails between their legs, when they went to the wrong table.

What will be on the menu when YOU go?  No one knows until about a week in advance - but snag a table, get started with some drinks, settle down for a looong night, and enjoy the show.  Your tummy sure will.

Test Kitchen 2012 

2121 East 7th Place
Los Angeles, CA 90021

www.testkitchenla.com

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Butternut Squash Loaf

Tis the season for breads and loaves...or at least an excuse to make some of the sweet variety. My grandma makes a pumpkin bread every year that remains fluffy and moist, and I wanted to create something of the sort with a different gourd. This Butternut Squash Loaf also gets fluffy, remains moist, and has that slightly varied flavor to be certain it is not pumpkin (the resulting bread survived my friends less than 24 hours). With the coming holiday parties, this could make for a great homemade treat to add to the dessert table. Enjoy!

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Pork Tenderloin with Onion Marmalade and Fennel Salad

My brother-in-law, Nate, makes the best onion marmalade.  It's idiot-proof, because the longer you let it cook, the better it tastes. You simply can't make a mistake with this.

Here, I've paired it with a simple pork tenderloin and a salad that's pure October - thinly sliced fennel and whatever autumn fruit floats your boat.  The crunch of the salad, the gaminess of the pork, and the sweetness of the onions hits every taste bud.  I even made extra toasted pecans, set them aside, and put them on pumpkin ice cream for dessert. (Yep, this is a full-blown autumn obsession, now.)

Pork tenderloin's elegance belies its simplicity. This dinner looks fancy... but takes less than an hour and uses a pot, a pan, and a tray. That's it.

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Lucques

Los Angeles, CA. Given the choice between being held hostage on the gridlocked 405 during rush-hour and eating dinner alone at a restaurant, most Angelinos would prefer the traffic; in traffic, at least, no one will judge you for singing solo. If more of them knew about the bar menu at Lucques, however, they might change their minds.

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Chicken Sausage with Autumn Vegetables

Ah, fall.  Without even noticing the change in weather, my cravings have changed: over the weekend I bought a new pair of boots and picked up as much pumpkin-flavored goodness as I could find at the grocery store.  The light fell at a different slant today, the breeze had a slight chill, and at dinnertime I found myself pulling out all the ingredients for an easy autumnal feast.  I whipped up this Chicken Sausage with Autumn Vegetables with ingredients I already had (no pre-planning), and you can substitute whatever root vegetables or protein may have piqued your interest at the market and is sitting in YOUR fridge.  From start to finish it'll take less than an hour... and you'll be cozying up to a hearty bowl of autumn in no time.

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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

The discernable seasons in this seemingly season-less city vary between summer and spring with the occasional fall day. It seems up to us, eaters of seasonal treats, to make the feeling come alive, at least in the kitchen. This simple Roasted Butternut Squash Soup was put together in minutes from ingredients around the kitchen. The butternut squash had sat for some time with nowhere to go, and with the season of tasty gourd-saturated food fast-approaching, its moment finally came. The soup is smooth, warming, and has just a little 'kick.'

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Alma Restaurant

Los Angeles, CA. Cautiously walking across Downtown Los Angeles led a friend and I into this pop-up eatery that came strongly recommended by an eatTALK reader! The address was questionable since the street appeared quiet with very little indication that a business actually existed. Thankfully, we continued. Temporarily hoisted up was the signage indicating that we found Alma Restaurant, the talked about earth-inspired restaurant that uses the unknown for unique innovation.

The team was small, and we quickly learned who was who. The waiter, also their drink specialist, provided us with a menu while both of the artisan chefs remained in the open kitchen. The heavily industrial pop-up was consistent with a downtown loft style or a restaurant that opened its doors before it was finished. It looked completely unassuming, but the service, the flavors, and the presentation exceeded and overturned any doubt in unanticipated ways. With only 14 weeks behind them at this location, they were certainly starting strong.

Though I could go into detail as to the many unknowns that joyfully invigorated our senses, I will not. Instead, I will make a suggestion: impress your mouth with Alma's inspired use of ingredients and flavors, make a list of anything new, and learn about your food along the ride home.

Pictured Above: padron peppers, squash blossom crema, fried shallot

house bread and cultured butter

corn and bacon beignet, beer and burnt citrus

smoked white sea bass with watermelon, seet and hot peppers

egg yolk, sunchoke cream, date and charred chicory

hay roasted potato with cabot cheddar, lovage, and savory crumble

sunchoke split, birch ice cream, nocino marshmallow

warm turkish fig, bitter honey, fig-leaf vanilla sherbert and walnut granola

Alma Restaurant
952 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90015
www.alma-la.com

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Aroma Coffee and Tea

Studio City, CA. An evening of small bites and conversation led my friend and I to round out the night with a warm beverage and cake at Aroma Coffee and Tea. He spoke of the cafe before but timing never suited either one of us to convert the talk into reality. Looks are a bit deceiving in this eclectic eatery. The tight-fitting entryway, the line out the door, and the humble display cases can make the wraparound patio unnoticed. Yet, once an order is placed, desserts chosen, and the quest for a seat occurs, one realizes how spacious the eatery is for extended conversations of any sort.

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Jones Coffee Roasters

Pasadena, CA. Ever stroll around the local industrial area and fixate on a hideaway spot that becomes the host to creative genius or a simple cup of coffee? I have a tendency to explore new areas, and not all of them introduce me to something to which I would likely return - and yet when I found myself in an area that is miles away from where I live, I came across such a place: Jones Coffee Roasters.

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Chichen Itza Restaurant

Los Angeles, CA.  On a non-descript street, on the fringes of downtown Los Angeles, is a colorful adobe building.  The building looks new and vaguely professional, like a hip architectural firm might be housed inside.  But you open the set of double glass doors and are greeted by the music of a live mariachi band, and you know you’re at the right place: Mercado La Paloma.

Mercado La Paloma is a modern-day, Californicized version of a Latin American marketplace, ringed with food and gift stalls.  The vibe is mostly Mexican – more than a few taco joints in here, and there is, of course, that band – but there’s also a Thai restaurant and a juice counter, and more than one place to get a hamburger.  But that is not why you are here.

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Neveux Artisan Creamery

Los Angeles, CA. On one of those much-needed errand days, I found myself wandering along Melrose Avenue and into Neveux Artisan Creamery. It was absurdly hot outside and either I saw their sign or had ice cream on my mind. However it happened, I stopped, turned around, and followed a few area tourists inside to cool off and sample a potential afternoon indulgence.

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Indian Summer Gazpacho

I love gazpacho this time of year – tomatoes and strawberries are at their sweetest, the temperatures haven’t dropped yet; you can eat this soup and pretend it’s still July.  This version calls for only one tomato (or you can substitute 6 Tbsp of tomato juice) and the rest of the soup is carried by the berries – which add an interesting but not overpowering sweetness to the dish.  This is Strawberry Gazpacho but definitely NOT dessert soup; it’s a rather refined version of the traditional gazpacho.  Make it one quiet night at home and keep it in the fridge overnight to serve at the next evening’s dinner – it looks and tastes like you were slaving away all day.

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The Local Peasant

Sherman Oaks, CA. Ever find yourself wandering around a new area in search of the next great eat then realize: I'm really just thirsty, and not just 'any' thirsty. Welcome to The Local Peasant a gastropub located valley-side just off Ventura Boulevard, where one goes to Eat and/or Pub.

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Simplethings Sandwich and Pie Shop

Los Angeles, CA. "Pie" was the word that brought me into the doors of Simple Things: Sandwich and Pie Shop. One three-letter word that began my fixation with wanting everything on the menu. The restaurant sits along the 3rd Street Shopping district, next to a number of eclectic clothing and specialty item stores, cafes, finer dining, and brunch choices. Under this simple awning rests a few white tables and chairs, and inside, as one could guess, is a very simple, clean feel consistent with the shop's name.

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Chicken Pot Pie

This Chicken Pot Pie is one of those "throw-it-together-at-the-last-minute" recipes that pays some mind to a weightier restaurant version. It is crust-less, and sure, a pie crust could be made and secured to the bottom of the pan, but who needs the 'extra' dough weighing in on the meal? Ok, truthfully, I enjoy my crust, but to go a bit lighter this measures up fine (see: Mini-Italian Pot Pies). The flavors are there and the dish can be eaten among friends looking to warm up to a comforting home-style meal.

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Cooks County

Los Angeles.  A good neighborhood spot is hard to find.  It needs to be bustling and fun, but not impossible to get into without a reservation, and not so loud that conversations are out of the question.  The food should be so good you return again and again, but the menu should change often enough that you’re never bored.  Servers should be friendly; attitudes should be left on the street.  It’s a delicate balance to find, but in all these ways, Cooks County is a success.

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Carmela Ice Cream

Pasadena, CA. What is all this fuss about? Sweetened organic cream frozen and stirred, a balance of air and fresh seasonal flavors integrated for a 'fancy' (hungry) palate...or is it simply the quick-to-melt but fast-to-eat ice cream that makes Carmela Ice Cream the sought after frozen dairy treat. The name goes hand-in-hand with its philosophy in utilizing garden-inspired ingredients to create these small batches of sweet cream, tailored for true lovers of ice cream.

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Delta Café

Portland, OR. Ask anyone who knows me and it becomes clear (quickly) that I can get really into my Southern cuisine. Fried chicken? Country fried steak? Fried okra? To this day I have a spot reserved to each of them and I often quest to find the next hosting eatery in any city I happen to visit. On yet another Southern front, let me introduce this fun little spot that chooses some of my personal fried favorites (yes, I said FRIED).

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Kobawoo House

Los Angeles, CA. There is no neighborhood as culinarily fascinating to me as Koreatown.  Strip mall after strip mall of little restaurants, each specializing in something I've usually never heard of (pickled crab, tofu hotpot, blackbean noodles, beef bibimbap), every nook and cranny teeming with Koreans and foreigners alike, all crowded around tables of steaming meat, noodles and rice.

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