Friday, March 26, 2010

Eating Out In Los Angeles

I am very impressed with the transformation of Culver City and enjoy strolling along Culver or Washington Blvd. in the evening amongst the newly opened cafes, restaurants and bars. What a face-lift this small town has had over the last five years. Every time I go there something new has opened and one of the new eating establishments Meet at 9727 Culver Blvd. was our destination last night.
It site amongst three other restaurants all of whom have outdoor tables making it very appealing to enjoy the wonderful So Cal weather.
After living in NYC for many years I get a kick out of dining outside in January with a light wrap on thinking of all my friends on the East coast freezing their #&*@ ‘s off! So here were three of us sitting at a lovely table outside waited on by one of the owners of this relatively new French café and restaurant.
We had prompt and friendly service for the most part and were impressed with simple and enticing menu.
We ordered appetizers; a burrata and tomato salad garnished with fava beans and balsamic glaze and a crab, avocado salad that was quite a large portion; two could have split this. Both were very good and the presentation was stunning for each dish.
Our entrees were; roasted chicken with sautéed spinach and a burger with potatoes gratin. Both were beautifully presented and decent portions. I had the roasted chicken that was served with a spicy au jus. I found it a bit dry and quite chewy, nothing special and on the verge of bland. The spinach was very good (but how does one ruin sautéed spinach?) and I chose a mixed green salad as a side that arrived in a chunky soup bowl. The greens needed more dressing and would have been more appealing on a salad plate. My dining companion said the burger was very good although he didn’t love the potatoes as they were
“chewy, and I make better potatoes gratin”. Oh well! We ordered an apricot chocolate tart for dessert that was delicious – but we waited for it for at least 15 minutes. I was about to ask if they had gone to the market to get apricots when it arrived. It was served cold which means they must have forgotten about it. So all in all it was enjoyable to be dining outside in the middle of winter with a lovely gracious server who is also part owner. But the food was less than fabulous and I would say it might be better to have lunch here or appetizers and save dinner for another place in this town with countless choices for great food.

My version of roasted chicken can’t be simpler or more delicious and calls for a free-range organic chicken to insure the proper flavor.

Lemon-Garlic Roast Chicken
Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients
1 whole free-range organic chicken, 2 1/2 pounds
8 cloves garlic, peeled, halved
4 Tb. unsalted butter
2 Tb. chopped thyme
Salt, pepper
1 lemon cut in half
1 bunch parsley
Thyme sprigs
1/2 cup chicken broth or more as needed
2 shallots, minced

Procedure
1. Heat the oven to 450. Rinse the chicken and pat dry.
2. Rub the cavity of the chicken with one clove of garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place 2 Tb. of butter inside. Squeeze the juice from one of the lemon halves inside and take a few sprigs of parsley and add to the cavity. Chop remaining parsley and set aside.
3. Lift the skin from the breast meat and distribute the remaining butter under both sides. Add the chopped thyme to both sides and the cloves of garlic.
4. Combine the broth and lemon juice from the remaining half in a small bowl. Tie the legs together and place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, basting twice with the chicken broth and lemon juice.
5. Reduce the heat to 350 and continue roasting basting often until the temperature reaches 170, about 40 minutes. Allow chicken to rest about 10 minutes before carving.
7. Pour the juices from the pan into a degreasing cup and allow separating. Reserve 2 Tb. of the fat. Return the fat to the roasting pan and set over med-high heat. Add the minced shallots and sauté 3 minutes. Add the degreased juices and deglaze the pan scraping up any brown bits in the pan. If there isn’t enough liquid you can add white wine, dry sherry, dry vermouth or chicken stock to the pan.
8. Carve the chicken as shown and transfer to a serving platter, pour the gravy over the chicken and garnish with the parsley and serve.


Serve these yummy potatoes with the roasted chicken and you will be a big hit with friends and family

Scalloped Potatoes
Serves 6

4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 pounds russet potatoes, sliced ¼ inch
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 small onion, chopped
3 Tb. all purpose flour
4 Tb. unsalted butter
2 cups low-fat milk

1. Heat the oven to 400. Butter a 13x9x2 inch baking dish.
2. Mix the cheeses. Arrange half of the potatoes in overlapping slices on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with ½ the salt and pepper, ½ the onion, the flour and half the cheese. Dot with 2 Tb. of the butter. Arrange another layer of potatoes on top, the remaining onion, salt, pepper and butter.
3. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until scalded. Pour over the potatoes and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top cover with foil. Bake another 45 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes before cutting.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Recipes for the Chilly Nights

We are having some unusually cool temps these days and sunny SoCal is feeling the winter. What better way to enjoy your evening than with a cozy cup of soup made from whatever you have on hand. Soup is the easiest dish as it can me made with anything you may have in your fridge and can be served for many days as a quick lunch or snack.
Soup is also very healthy as you can load many veggies into the healing broth and include ginger, garlic and healing spices which are all so good for you!
Here are a few of my favorites but remember it is a creative process- to cook- so enjoy creating your own yummy and delicious dishes.

Creamy New England Clam Chowder
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 Tb. canola oil
4 slices slab bacon, rind removed, diced
2 medium onions, diced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. thyme, chopped
3 cups fish stock
2 large baking potatoes, peeled, diced
2 cups milk
4 Tb. flour
1/3 cup cream
1 1/2 cups white wine
4 pounds littleneck clams, rinsed several times
2 sprigs thyme
1 Tb. butter
Salt, pepper, to taste
2 Tb. finely chopped parsley

Procedure

1. Heat a medium saucepan over med-hi heat add the oil and sauté the bacon, onions, bay leaves and thyme until onions are golden, about 7 minutes. Add the fish stock and deglaze the pan. Add the potatoes, salt and pepper and reduce heat to med-low and simmer until potatoes are tender about 15 minutes. Add the milk and bring to a simmer.
2. Whisk the flour and cream together in a small bowl. Add to the saucepan and stir until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Meanwhile bring the wine to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the clams, sprigs of thyme, butter, salt and pepper to taste and cover. Allow clams to open removing them as they open, after about 10 minutes. Set aside. When they are cool enough to handle, remove them from the shells.
4. Add the clams to the soup and heat through. Serve chowder in large bowls with the parsley as a garnish.

Chick Pea Soup with Sausage
Serves 6

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 stalks celery
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tb. rosemary, chopped
3 cups chicken stock
2 cans chick peas, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste
5 sausages of your choice, sliced into ½ inch rounds
1 bunch Swiss chard or Escarole, rinsed, trimmed, roughly chopped

Procedure
1. Sauté the garlic, celery and onion in 2 Tb. of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until softened. Add the rosemary, stock, chick peas, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes. Spoon some of the solids into a food processor and puree. Add the puree back to the saucepan and cover to keep warm.
2. Heat the remaining oil in a medium skillet and sauté the sausages until browned. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Add the sausages to the saucepan with the greens and wilt down. Taste and adjust seasoning, serve in large bowls.


French Onion Soup
Serves 6

Ingredients
4 medium onions, sliced very thinly
2 Tb. butter
1 Tb. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tb. flour
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 Tb. thyme, chopped
1 bay leaf
6 stale slices French bread
Salt, pepper
1/4 pound grated gruyere cheese

Procedure
1. Sauté the onions in the butter and oil over med-hi heat in a large saucepan about 3 minutes, add garlic and lower the heat and sauté until caramel color, about 20 minutes.
2. Add the flour and sauté another 2 minutes. Add stock, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil over med-hi heat, stirring constantly. Scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
3. Heat the oven to 500.
4. Place bread on a baking sheet and toast lightly on both sides. Ladle the broth into soup bowls. Place a crouton on top of each soup and divide the cheese evenly.
5. Place on the baking sheet and put into the oven and melt the cheese. Serve very hot.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Culver City transformed!

I am very impressed with the transformation of Culver City and enjoy strolling along Culver or Washington Blvd. in the evening amongst the newly opened cafes, restaurants and bars. What a face-lift this small town has had over the last five years. Every time I go there something new has opened and one of the new eating establishments Meet at 9727 Culver Blvd. was our destination last night.
It site amongst three other restaurants all of whom have outdoor tables making it very appealing to enjoy the wonderful So Cal weather.
After living in NYC for many years I get a kick out of dining outside in January with a light wrap on thinking of all my friends on the East coast freezing their #&*@ ‘s off! So here were three of us sitting at a lovely table outside waited on by one of the owners of this relatively new French café and restaurant.
We had prompt and friendly service for the most part and were impressed with simple and enticing menu.
We ordered appetizers; a burrata and tomato salad garnished with fava beans and balsamic glaze and a crab, avocado salad that was quite a large portion; two could have split this. Both were very good and the presentation was stunning for each dish.
Our entrees were; roasted chicken with sautéed spinach and a burger with potatoes gratin. Both were beautifully presented and decent portions. I had the roasted chicken that was served with a spicy au jus. I found it a bit dry and quite chewy, nothing special and on the verge of bland. The spinach was very good (but how does one ruin sautéed spinach?) and I chose a mixed green salad as a side that arrived in a chunky soup bowl. The greens needed more dressing and would have been more appealing on a salad plate. My dining companion said the burger was very good although he didn’t love the potatoes as they were
“chewy, and I make better potatoes gratin”. Oh well! We ordered an apricot chocolate tart for dessert that was delicious – but we waited for it for at least 15 minutes. I was about to ask if they had gone to the market to get apricots when it arrived. It was served cold which means they must have forgotten about it. So all in all it was enjoyable to be dining outside in the middle of winter with a lovely gracious server who is also part owner. But the food was less than fabulous and I would say it might be better to have lunch here or appetizers and save dinner for another place in this town with countless choices for great food.

My version of roasted chicken can’t be simpler or more delicious and calls for a free-range organic chicken to insure the proper flavor.

Lemon-Garlic Roast Chicken
Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients
1 whole free-range organic chicken, 2 1/2 pounds
8 cloves garlic, peeled, halved
4 Tb. unsalted butter
2 Tb. chopped thyme
Salt, pepper
1 lemon cut in half
1 bunch parsley
Thyme sprigs
1/2 cup chicken broth or more as needed
2 shallots, minced

Procedure
1. Heat the oven to 450. Rinse the chicken and pat dry.
2. Rub the cavity of the chicken with one clove of garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place 2 Tb. of butter inside. Squeeze the juice from one of the lemon halves inside and take a few sprigs of parsley and add to the cavity. Chop remaining parsley and set aside.
3. Lift the skin from the breast meat and distribute the remaining butter under both sides. Add the chopped thyme to both sides and the cloves of garlic.
4. Combine the broth and lemon juice from the remaining half in a small bowl. Tie the legs together and place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, basting twice with the chicken broth and lemon juice.
5. Reduce the heat to 350 and continue roasting basting often until the temperature reaches 170, about 40 minutes. Allow chicken to rest about 10 minutes before carving.
7. Pour the juices from the pan into a degreasing cup and allow separating. Reserve 2 Tb. of the fat. Return the fat to the roasting pan and set over med-high heat. Add the minced shallots and sauté 3 minutes. Add the degreased juices and deglaze the pan scraping up any brown bits in the pan. If there isn’t enough liquid you can add white wine, dry sherry, dry vermouth or chicken stock to the pan.
8. Carve the chicken as shown and transfer to a serving platter, pour the gravy over the chicken and garnish with the parsley and serve.


Serve these yummy potatoes with the roasted chicken and you will be a big hit with friends and family

Scalloped Potatoes
Serves 6

4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 pounds russet potatoes, sliced ¼ inch
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 small onion, chopped
3 Tb. all purpose flour
4 Tb. unsalted butter
2 cups low-fat milk

1. Heat the oven to 400. Butter a 13x9x2 inch baking dish.
2. Mix the cheeses. Arrange half of the potatoes in overlapping slices on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with ½ the salt and pepper, ½ the onion, the flour and half the cheese. Dot with 2 Tb. of the butter. Arrange another layer of potatoes on top, the remaining onion, salt, pepper and butter.
3. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until scalded. Pour over the potatoes and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top cover with foil. Bake another 45 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes before cutting.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Try this dessert when you want to impress your guests

Bittersweet Chocolate Cake
Serves 6

Ingredients
3 Tb. cake flour
1 Tb. Dutch cocoa powder
2 tsp. instant espresso powder
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 Tb. unsalted butter, room temperature
4 eggs, separated
½ cup superfine sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tb. confectioners sugar
1 Tb. orange zest
1 tsp. vanilla

Procedure
1. Heat the oven to 350. Butter and flour an 8 inch spring form pan.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa powder and espresso powder in a medium bowl.
3. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and then stir in the butter until smooth.
4. Combine the yolks and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy about 3 to 4 minutes. Fold in the flour mixture and the vanilla.
5. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
6. Fold the whites into the chocolate mixture in thirds. Pour into the prepared pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before cutting.
7. Whip the cream in a large bowl with the sugar until soft peaks form. Stir in the the zest and vanilla and serve with the cake.