Apple Date Pecan Cheddar Tarts.
I’m not sure if I’ve gone into any particular detail about this before, so bear with me while I confess: fruit is not my favorite.
A blanket statement, a write-off of an entire category of food, from a food blogger?! The shame, the audacity. Really, the hypocrisy. How ever can one be taken seriously, as a foodie, if an entire group of nature’s best produce is cast in the ‘not to be eaten’ category?
Well, I’d hope that a common love of fat, sugar, bacon, and caffeine would aid in letting my dismissal of fruit slide. Because it is the truth. Save for apples, grapes, and blueberry pie, very few fruits taste delicious. Pears, plums, nectarines, apricots, strawberries, blackberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges, clementines, all of the above do not, in anyway, appeal to my palate. Yes, it makes no sense. If I love sugar like I claim to, then fruits are the easiest and healthiest way for me to take advantage of nature’s natural glucose. And, yet.
I cannot explain my aversion to fruit. Sometimes, it’s the texture that gets me, but more often than not, it’s the flavor. That floral, soapy, fruity flavor. Ugh.
This fruit-avoidance is the reason for the skewed ratio of non-fruit to fruit desserts on this blog. My family will knowingly answer, “something with fruit?” when I ask what kind of dessert they’d like to eat, only to be shot down with a look. I rarely make an exception outside of birthdays for fruit-based treats. And it is all to my detriment.
It’s more of a hindrance, an annoyance than a culinary position. There is no possible way to defend a dislike of fruit. How I wish a nectarine appealed to me, if only, my life would be make all the more easy. More times than I would like to recall have I had to forgo a delicious sounding chocolate tart because of errant raspberry sauce. Yes, please, can I have that brown butter pound cake, but please hold the compote. A trio of ice cream you say? What about just the chocolate and coffee duo, minus that horrid passion fruit crème? Espresso with an overtone of blackberry? No, thank you. Beer infused with apricot? I’ll stick to my hops.
So please, imagine my utter glee at happening upon a fruit pastry I’ll gladly eat on a menu. Such an instance occurred at Salt’s Cure in Los Angeles, with an apple, date, pecan, and cheddar crumble. I ordered without need for further explanation. And it was not a crumble in the strictest sense, it was really a tart topped with a mound of streusel, which is never a letdown. The combination of apples and dates, with the salty pecan and subtle to the point of undetectable cheddar was perfect. So perfect, it had to be replicated.
This recipe is ingenious on several levels, the first being wholly technical. The dates, when lining the bottom of a tart shell, act as a natural sponge for the juices the sliced apples will inevitably leak and the result is a date plumped and spiced beyond all hopes and dreams. The apples proved a layer of the best Thanksgiving memories and the crumble, oh, the crumble. Studded with toasted pecans, it’s marvelous. I’ll admit, I had not idea where to put the cheddar. Incorporated into the crust? What about in the streusel?
Opting for the classic ‘in the filling’ American tactic, I grated little more than a teaspoon of cheddar atop each tart before topping them off with streusel. The result? A hint of earthy saltiness at the end of each bite.
Recipe on the following page.
Filed under: Breakfast, Tarts and Pies | 1 Comment
Vegetable Bin Soup with Quinoa.
Need to introduce more vegetables into your diet? What about some protein? Vegetable Bin Soup with Quinoa has got you covered. Obvious plus: it’s de-licious. Think a mouthful of fresh veggies in a spiced, hot, tomato-based broth.
Filed under: Savory | 1 Comment
Goat Cheese Brownies.
There are some truly irresistible combinations, pairs that are stronger than the sum of their parts. These pair are replicated both in actually life amongst people, communities, and organizations. But, more relevant to this blog and as such a little bit less serious, perfect partnerships happen frequently in food. And if you live in the lovely, slightly deluded world where food remains supreme, where the perfect combination of textures in ice cream is really the pinnacle of happiness, perfect partnerships, evolved taste pairs, and unexpected combinations are plentiful.
While killing time in an airport, I picked up a copy of this month’s Atlantic. This month, the Woman’s Dilemma was on the cover, and two-thirds of the way through the magazine in no less than 12 pages of text. This Atlantic, carried the woes of upper-middle class, intellectual white women folded in amongst pages of other worldly happenings, sandwiched between insider trading and Canadian tolerance. This opus to the single woman’s status is neither disheartening or uplifting, tired or particularly innovative. What it is, however, is a practical look at modern day coupling. Surprise, the relationship is evolving alongside society into to something new, and equally exciting if you choose to take the optimistic outlook. In parallel to food, where combinations are continuously revisited, revamped, and repaired, evolving relationships is nothing new.
Goat Cheese Brownies, for example, are something that have been done before and yet they remain unusual. My roommates, my friends, they all approached the tray of deep, chocolaty brown fudgey brownies with apprehension. “Goat cheese? In brownies?…”
“Yes.”
And that’s the only correct response. With unexpected pairings, particularly in food, the only thing to do is to present the most visually appealing selection possible, state a couple times that, yes, there is tangy, creamy, savory goat cheese in the brownies and just wait. Give the surprising a try, chances are that you’ll like it.
Wait for that first, complex, confusing bite where the play of the earthy, slightly sour goat cheese resonates in perfect harmony with the sweet, endlessly rich bittersweet chocolate brownie. Unexpected and perfect. The Goat Cheese Brownie, although odd, is greater than either two components separately. But that’s not to say goat cheese and a brownie are individually inferior. It’s just a different sort of taste, for a different sort of time and place.
Recipe on the following page.
Filed under: Bar, Chocolate, Savory | 5 Comments
Loco Moco.
Eat messy Loco Moco and get crazy full on delicious gravy, rice, beef, and a fried egg. Definition of ‘nom.’
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Tags: hawaiian, nomnom, nuintel, savory
Arepas.
Arepas, the delicious, corn-based Wonderbread equivalent of Latin America. Except they’re homemade, deep fried and delicious. Oh yeah, and they are stuffed with cheese. So, they’re much, much better.
Filed under: Savory | 1 Comment
Here’s the thing about donuts, they’re perfect. Truly, completely, perfect bits of fried dough. That they’re fried should tip one off to their perfection. And glazed, and occasionally filled. Whether yeasted or cake, donut I love you. It’s an unhealthy feeling, yes, to love such a thing. But have you ever tried one?
It’s America after all, if you’ve reached the point in life of literacy, you probably have encountered a donut.
But here’s the thing, Krispy Kreme donuts are not the superior donut of which I speak. Neither, unfortunately, does Dunkin’ Donuts fits the bill, although their coffee is my guilty go-to in the face of dearth of cafes. Donuts from small, ma and pa shops are the way to go. If you’re in the proximity of a Happy Donuts or an All-Star Donuts, (the favored donut shop name I’ve concluded after years of research), go. Go immediately. Get a cinnamon stick, a chocolate old fashioned, a chocolate custard donut, and donut holes.
In Los Angeles, specifically in Westwood, there is a corner store name Stan’s Donuts. Oddly, Stan’s shares a storefront with a Korean rice bowl place, but don’t worry, they’ve yet to collaborate on a Kim Chi donut. Which, to be honest, if they did, I would try. Because I love Kim Chi too. But that’s a love poem for another time.
Stan’s Donuts, of peanut butter chocolate, custard filled fame. It’s an exercise in self-control to even wander down into the neighborhood. But look what happens when I restrain myself from purchasing the perfect little fried and lazed circle of bliss?
I make my own. Because, as it turns out, a decent cake donut is a bit of flour, an egg, and a chocolate dip away. Throw on some sprinkles and it’s a rainbow party. Who needs Stan’s Donuts? (When you can make your own…)
Recipe on the following page.
Filed under: Breakfast, Cake, Chocolate | 2 Comments
Bruschetta with Fresh Ricotta.
Quick and easy Bruschetta, it’s a great way to use up the last of summer’s beautiful tomatoes, and a phenomenal bed for a roasted bevy of fall and winter’s produce.
Filed under: Savory | Leave a Comment
South Dakota.
South Dakota. You should go. If only to eat at Jerry’s Cakes & Donuts. And ride the roads with Harleys galore. Oh ya, and the Badlands and Mount Rushmore are pretty cool, too.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Edamame Hummus.
Perfect things exist. Hummus, plain old garbanzo bean and tahini hummus is perfect in the way some simple things just are.
The obvious response is, of course, to mess with hummus. Take something perfect and make it, well, green.
It’s simple, just as simple as hummus is in fact. Take the perfect equations of tahini, lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, oil and garbanzos and substitute the beans with something else. The logic is, that if it’s perfect for garbanzos, it must be perfect for every other kinds of bean. Just like, say down coats are perfect for winter, they must be perfect for every other season right? Or, alternatively, mini skirts especially when made out of shearling, perfect for summer, fall and 20 degree weather? So…
All right, so the swap-in-a-perfect-recipe may not be a great idea all the time, but while it’s not a uniform rule, it most certainly applies to hummus.
Edamame Hummus, inspired by the haven, the church, the heaven of all would-be buildings that sell food—you know, grocery stores—Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s, of the Salsa Especial, the Honey Greek Yogurt and chicken tacos and tomato soup and chocolate by the pound…chocolate by the pound. Chocolate by the pound.
But back to the Edamame Hummus, slightly healthier fare. Not that pounds of chocolate aren’t healthy, for mental health they’re just the prescription, but we’re talking day-to-day, heart healthy today. So back to the green hummus.
Edamame, those little soybeans that can, are protein intensified in perfect little grassy ovals. But more that that, more than their predilection to be fermented and turned into tofu or soy sauce, fresh edamame is bright tasting and just a little sweet. Pureed with all the right hummus accessories, it turns into a savory, full-bodied velvety dip. With the addition of chili oil, chili paste and sesame oil, Edamame Hummus is elevated past just another green dip and is transformed in a spicy, Asian-inspired spread.
The best part, it’s good everywhere traditional hummus is. Pita chips, sandwiches, wraps even, if you happen to like those green tortilla wannabes.
Recipe on the following page.
Filed under: Savory | 1 Comment
Giant Chocolate-Toffee Cookies.
Right off the bat, this post is lying to you. Because, dear readers, these cookies are not giant. What happened, quite unfortunately if you opened up this page with the hopes of reading about and in approximately two hours consuming said Giant Chocolate-Toffee Cookies, is that about two giant scoops of cookie dough in, I realized that not only did I not want 18 Giant Chocolate-Toffee Cookies, but what I really want was 32 smaller cookies and a glass of milk. That and after about one and a half giant globs of cookie dough in, I realized each cookie, BB—before baking—weighed approximately 1.2 pounds each.*
So where does that leave the recipe and perhaps more importantly, the Giant Chocolate-Toffee Cookies? Well, the result is 32 cookies somewhere between medium and large, with just enough surface area to contain both a chewy, slightly crispy rim and a dense, brownie like center. Add in the nubs of toffee and toasted pecan and what you’ve got is a brownie in cookie form, complete with the hallmark of all Good Brownies- the dry-cracked, delicate cocoa-rich top. These cookies beg for a glass of milk, they’re absolutely begging for a little dip in the tall-drink variety of a milky pool.
Why keep the name? Say it out loud: Giant Chocolate-Toffee Cookies. Now try: Medium-sized Chocolate Toffee Cookies. More than just a mouthful, and pretty much a letdown, an anti-climactic title for such a devilishly luscious cookie. And while these smaller cookies adhere to the don’t-eat-anything-bigger-than-your-head rule—a rule one should pay close attention to when trying to avoid the cemented-stomach, burrito-blockage type of feeling—it’s still nice to recall that these more midgeted cookies had larger, more aspirational origins. They’ve simply evolved to a more streamlined, efficient point. These chocolate-toffee cookies are so close to perfection in fact, that if you dare, you could, say, sandwich them together with a little chocolate ganache and still avoid the requisite couch-break after consuming just a morsel too much. And if these cookies prove so delicious that you eat not two, but three or four, chances are you won’t collapse and have to be excused for overambitious chocolate consumption. Granted, you’ll most likely have chocolate gumming up your teeth, but you’ll be functional. Always a good thing.
So travel off to cookie land, but take into account that with cookies on the slightly smaller end of the spectrum, not only will the end result be approximately 1.5 times more numerous, but you can actually eat more cookies than if you had simply one Giant Cookie. The only downside of which, perhaps, is that the more cookies you have, the less likely your fellow cookie consumers will feel guilty asking if they too could, please please, have a cookie and a glass of milk. A good way to get out of this is, of course, to say the milk’s all gone whilst blocking the fridge door.
*Another lie, but this one at least has thematic aims.
Recipe on the following page.
Filed under: Chocolate, Cookie | 6 Comments
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