Julie and Julia

As a cooking instructor I have seen a renewed interest in hands-on classes over the past two months. I think it must be a combination of the financial times and the Hollywood. Since we live in the home of movie making it is of particular interest to see what Julie and Julia has done for the cooking class business. My classes are sold out- one right after the next but especially the classes where we prepare traditional French cuisine such as Beef Bourguignon and Chocolate Soufflés.
I thought everyone wanted healthy low-fat, no dairy, no meat meals and all of a sudden we are preparing everything with sticks of butter, bacon and cream, what happened?
Well I think people need a break from the stress of life at the moment and what better way to feel good than to eat and drink. So here we are cooking stews and gooey chocolate desserts while sipping a perfect Burgundy or Pinot.
This month alone I taught three Julie and Julia classes and hope to have seen the end of the trend but you never know.
For those of you who don’t know Beef Bourguignon is a simple beef stew cooked with red wine and quite a bit of butter, it is traditionally cooked for hours with a tougher cut of meat such as a bottom round but for the modern everyday cook who may not want to spend the day in the kitchen I have changed the recipe to suit a shorter cooking time.
Here it is in all its glory and hopefully if the cool weather sticks around it will be a wonderful treat on a chilly night. Serve with plenty of good Burgundy and Bon Appetit!

Quick Beef Bourguignon
Serves 6

Ingredients
Brown Sauce:
1 Tb. butter
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
2 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 Tb. tomato paste
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup red wine
Bourguignon Sauce:
1 ½ cups Burgundy or Pinot Noir
1 bay leaf
½ tsp. chopped thyme
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 slice lemon
Zest of an orange

Beef:
6 Tb. unsalted butter, divided
2 large diced onions
2 tsp. sugar
¼ cup chicken broth
12 mushrooms, stems trimmed, sliced
4 thick slices salt pork, diced finely
2 ½ pounds beef tri-tip cut into 1 ¼ inch cubes
Chopped Italian parsley, garnish

Procedure
1. In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium-high heat and sauté the onion and carrots until browned about 8 minutes. Add the beef broth, bay leaf and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cook an hour and then add the tomato paste, salt, pepper and wine. Simmer another 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve and set aside in the same saucepan.
2. Heat another large saucepan with the wine, bay leaf, thyme, salt, pepper, lemon and orange zest and bring to a boil. Simmer until reduced to one cup and then strain into the brown sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes. This is the bourguignon sauce.
3. Meanwhile heat 2 Tb. of the butter in a large high-sided skillet and add the onions, sauté them until they are lightly browned about 12 minutes, adding the sugar for the last 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan, season with salt and pepper. Remove to a bowl. Add 3 Tb. of butter to the same skillet and sauté the mushrooms over medium-high heat until browned about 5 to 7 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms to the bowl with the onions. Add the salt pork to the same skillet and sauté until crisp brown, remove to the bowl and drain off the fat from the pan.
4. Heat the remaining butter in a large high- sided skillet or saucepan and sauté the beef in batches over high heat to sear, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Add the bourguignon sauce and let it just come to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until tender about 30 minutes. Add the vegetables and simmer another 5 minutes.
5. Serve garnished with chopped parsley.

For classic beef bourguignon use a 5 pound piece of bottom round cut into chunks and cook in the sauce until tender about 2 hours.

West Side Tavern on the West side of L.A.

I visited West Side Tavern last night on Pico Blvd. and enjoyed it!
Very nice restaurant in a perfect location downstairs from the Landmark theatre; good service, yummy food!
I am used to NYC so I don't think it is too expensive as all the other reviewers on Yelp seem to.
We sat at the bar- my favorite place to enjoy a quick meal and a drink. The staff were friendly, helpful and efficient, the dark sexy lighting and atmosphere was lovely and so un-typically L.A. that was a big plus for me.
The food was excellent, very generous portions and well seasoned- rare to not ask for the salt at a restaurant.
I highly recommend it and will go back for a proper dinner soon.
Here is a recipe for roasted cauliflower which was on their menu - mine is an Indian twist to a terrific preparation of a mundane vegetable.

Roasted Curried Cauliflower
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 large cauliflower
1 large onion, cut in large chunks
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tb. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
2 Tb. chopped cilantro

Procedure
1. Heat the oven to 400.
2. Break up the cauliflower into medium pieces and combine with the onions on a roasting pan.
3. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant in a small skillet, about 5 minutes. Grind the seeds in a spice grinder.
4. Combine the spices, olive oil, curry, salt and paprika in a medium bowl and whisk. Toss the sauce with the vegetables.
5. Roast for 35 minutes. Serve garnished with the cilantro.