Rhubarb Ice Cream

8 Jun

Today has certainly been a whirlwind in the kitchen. After a day of lounging and swimming in the pool, my good friend Sara and I cooked up a feast: ricotta blintzes from scratch with homemade lemon curd, a veggie cheesy fritatta baked with breadcrumbs, and rhubarb ice cream for dessert.

Today is the Jewish Holiday known as Shavuot. In short, this holiday is a celebration of the Israelites receiving the Torah and of the seasonal harvest of wheat. Most of what I remember from this holiday is the FOOD. Dairy is the name of the game on this holiday. There are all sorts of explanations given as to why it is customary to eat dairy on Shavuot (see wikipedia). Anyway, I saw today as the perfect excuse to make some ice cream.

Rhubarb ice cream.

So easy to make. First you chop your rhubarb, then you simmer it for 15 minutes until it softens.

(The black piece is a vanilla bean)

Then you combine your braised rhubarb with some milk and some cream. Let it chill. And freeze in the ice cream maker. OOooo this tastes HEAVENLY. And it is the most precious pink color.

Here is my pal, Sara, scooping out the last bits of the ice cream. Check out that smirk on her face, she is going to get every last drop out of that bowl!

Rhubarb Ice Cream

from Not without salt

3-3 1/2 cups rhubarb (I used 6 medium sized stalks), washed and cut into half inch pieces

OPTIONAL: 2 oz (1/2 stick) butter ***I just nixed the butter and threw in a splash of water

1 vanilla bean, seeded

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup brown sugar, not packed (you could probably use regular granulated sugar, too if you prefer)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

Combine the rhubarb, butter (if using), vanilla bean, vanilla extract, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Cover and place on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb has softened. Remove the lid and break the rhubarb up with a wooden spoon or spatula.

In a medium bowl, combine the cream and milk and add the braised rhubarb. Cover and let it chill completely in the fridge or an ice water bath. Churn in the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Mezze, Los Angeles

5 Jun

Last night I went out to eat at the one of the hottest new LA restaurants. Mezze. Contemporary Middle Eastern Cuisine.

From the website:

“Mezze, which translates to sharing in Arabic, is a series of small plates that is the staple of Middle Eastern food culture. It is the symbol of conviviality, and time well spent with family and good friends. The traditions of mezze-style dining and the bounty of the California marketplace is the inspiration in creating Mezze’s contemporary Middle Eastern cuisine. We take the bounty of fresh product and local produce and combine them with the flavors and soul of the Middle East.”

My (as well as my fellow diners’) experience at Mezze really was exquisite in every way possible. Not only was the staff so warm and welcoming, but the natural light and the open kitchen and cozy atmosphere made us all feel so comfortable and easily pleased. And the food was divine, everything had that special finishing touch to it. Beautiful.

I will now take you on a photographed tour of our dinner. Unfortunately I was so excited when the first dish (Beet Salad, Chickpea, Sheep’s Milk Yogurt, Haloumi) and the wine came out that I did not grab my camera for sake of gawking and digging in immediately. Actually, the beet salad was my favorite thing that we ordered (although, I really loved every dish). The cubes of Haloumi cheese and the nice flower petals complemented the sweet beets and yogurt perfectly.

The Open Kitchen, complete with happy chefs

Baby Gem Lettuce, Fatoush, Crispy Pita, Sumac

Pink Snapper Crudo, Cherry, Green Almond, Tahini

We ordered 2 flatbreads:

1. Flowering Squash, Syrian Cheese, Zatar

2. Green Cauliflower, Moroccan Olive, Feta, Golden Raisin

Hashweh Risotto, Lamb, Burnt Onion, Fried Lemon

(OH the lemon was SOOOO good)

Grilled Corn, Moroccan Spice, Shallot

(oh so perfectly grilled; the corn was fresh and sweet and went nicely with the creamy sauce on top)

Hanger Steak, Charmoula, Apricot, Okra

Flowering Bok Choy, Grape Leaves, Lebne

Poached Egg Shakshouka, Yogurt Emulsion, Sweetbread, Pita

Berry Malab (check out the sugar art with flower petals inside [top left])

(Malabi=Middle Eastern Milk Pudding)

Chocolate Hazelnut Meringue Cake
espresso ice cream

(nice balance of textures and flavors: creamy, crunchy, nutty, bitter, sweet, not too too rich;

also, I like the plating with the cake secured down by the whipped cream and the meringue on top with the quenelle of ice cream adjacent)

Semolina Pound Cake

(blurry photo, but great dessert; the berries were my favorite part)

Good to the last drop

I forgot to mention that family friend and Mezze head chef, Micah Wexler, came out and said hello and made sure that our evening was seamless. Congrats and thank you, Mezze.

Fresh Apple Coffee Cake

4 Jun

I know, I know, the summer is here and I should be cranking out recipes with berries and cherries and rhubarb and the beginnings of stone fruit. Trust me, I’m working on it. I found the most luscious and sweet and plump strawberries the other day. I have been intending to make something with them-sorbet, a strawberry rhubarb crumble, a cake…but alas, I have been too tempted to just eat them as is because they are irresistibly sweet.

This past week I have been filtering through all of the goods that I left at my parent’s house over the years to sit in the dust. I have clothes from when I was a young girl, food magazines galore, old school papers, books, CDs, a boom box… As I sat down with my pile of old recipes from various magazines, online sites, and old cooking classes, I stumbled upon a recipe that I treasure and hold very dearly.

I made this recipe for Fresh Apple Coffee Cake at a “grandmother workshop” cooking class about three and a half years ago. It was taught by Pastry Chef Siew Chinn-Chin from Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Below is a short article I wrote about the class and my time spent working in the kitchens of Chez Panisse. I wrote this for the Bay Area Dietetic Association Newsletter the summer after my freshman year of college. This is really when I began to delve into the restaurant world…:

My Delicious Summer

        Three dollars?! I could not believe it! These classes are usually seventy–five dollars, at least! Just as I was preparing to take my finals before summer break, I had the opportunity to attend a quickbread workshop taught by Chez Panisse pastry cook Siew-Chinn Chin. After explaining my interest in good, nutritious food to the chefs and instructors, I wrote down contact information and was able to join the rest of the Chez Panisse pastry staff the following week to stage. I could not wait to stage, except I was not entirely clear what “stage” meant. After checking with my sources (google, to be exact), I found out that the word “stage” is in fact pronounced “stAHj” and refers to an apprenticeship whereby one goes into the restaurant kitchen to expose him/herself to the way things run.

        On the day of my stage I came prepared with my non-skid shoes, black pants, pen, sharpie, and notebook in hand, not to mention a series of nervous yet excited butterflies fluttering inside my stomach. From the moment I walked in and put on a chef coat and apron, I was busy, busy, busy. After a morning of baking and counting “ossi dei morti” and “langues de chat” cookies, slicing and sorting fresh cherries, hulling strawberries with a “bird peak” knife, and washing and trimming fig leaves, it was time for tasters! Yes, around eleven fifteen a.m. I stood, spoons in hand, with the pastry chef, sous chef, pastry cook, and intern, ready to taste every single dessert before serving it to the café. We took tiny tastes of bittersweet chocolate pave with a hazelnut cream, rhubarb tart, meyer lemon ice cream and sorbet, and pavlova, scrutinizing every detail and noting the quick changes that needed to take place before serving. Then, around twelve thirty, I had the most gourmet lunch I had eaten in ages, consisting of whatever leftovers were lying around. Did I mention that I packed a lunch? Silly me, I should have known that I would be feasting on Chez Panisse ravioli, salad, fish, white bean soup, and crème fraiche ice cream while having causal conversation with the staff.

        After lunch, a man brought in freshly picked roses from his garden, and since they were grown without pesticides, the cooks and I whipped up an egg white wash to brush onto the petals and then we dipped them in sugar to serve with a meringue. I could go on and on about my day there, but there is one more aspect that I really want to applaud Chez Panisse for: using fresh ingredients and trying to reduce waste. So many restaurants have microwaves lining the kitchen and huge units for storing frozen foods. At Chez Panisse, however, it is unthinkable to throw away an orange peel. Instead, it would be sliced thinly and candied. Delicioso! I have been told that restaurant kitchens are brutal war zones and that I am too “beautiful” to work in a kitchen. I have been told that I should go on television and tell people that broccoli is good for them, and I have been told that I will not make a lot of money as a chef and/or dietitian. Nonetheless, my summer of staging and taking cooking classes confirmed that I do want to work in the industry even more than I did before, and that I want to live and breathe food and the culture around it.

Wow. This makes me feel so nostalgic. Next week I move to New York City to embark on a new journey of restaurant-ing and cooking and surrounding myself with lovely food people. Looking back, I see how much I have grown and how much more I have to learn. From that summer on, I have not stopped making food and restaurant cooking a huge part of my life. I remember how ecstatic I was to be working at this famous restaurant, even though I spent most of the day prepping fruit. Just being in an environment like that was out of this world.

I made this Fresh Apple Coffee Cake at the grandmother quickbread workshop. It is totally rustic and will make you fall in love. The apples bake up sweet and almost caramelize in the pan. The nuts add a rich comforting flavor. And the cinnamon and nutmeg make the whole cake pop. This recipe is meant for everyone, for novice cooks and for experienced cooks and for non-cooks who just like to eat well. It is quite straightforward. And I love the method of cracking an egg over the apples and then adding the sugar and butter and finally the dried ingredients. The method just adds to the easy rustic vibe of the cake.

Fresh Apple Coffee Cake (9 servings)

recipe from Siew Chinn

Flour                1 C

Salt                   1 t

Baking Soda   1 t

Cinnamon       1 t

Nutmeg           1 t

Apple               2 C (peeled, cored, and diced)

Egg                   1

Butter              1/4 C (melted)

Sugar              1 C

Nut                  1/2 C (chopped and lightly toasted-walnut, pecan etc)

Line an 8 inch baking pan and set oven at 350 F (NOTE: If you are using a glass baking pan, raise the temperature by 25 degrees. If you are using a black bottom pan, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees).

Sift flour, salt, and baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg and set aside. Place apple in a medium bowl, break egg over apples, add melted butter, sugar, and nuts and mix thoroughly. Stir dry mixture into apple mixture just until flour is moist. Spread in the greased pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack.

Sweet and Savory Quinoa Salad

2 Jun

I’ve got another quinoa salad for you. This time I packed it with roasted cauliflower, spinach, garlic, lemon zest, dried apricots, golden raisins, and Marcona almonds. I also threw in some leftover chopped roasted chicken.

I roasted my cauliflower at a high heat (about 450-475 degrees F) and I lightly sprinkled on some Middle Eastern spices. Hawaji is a spice from Yemen, it is made of cumin, black pepper, turmeric, and cardamom. Sumac powder comes from the sumac fruit and is a red in color, and provides a tart element in cooking. Sumac is essential to making za’atar, a mix of ground sumac berries, sesame seeds, and crushed dried thyme. I also used a sprinkle of za’atar on my cauliflower. Typically za’atar is used on flatbreads and in yogurt or with kebabs or veggies.

(P.S. I researched my spices using Jill Norman’s herbs&spices)

In addition to a nice subtle flavor, I really loved the yellow-red color that the spices gave to the cauliflower. This went nicely with the green spinach and orange apricots. The whole theme of this quinoa dish is a play on the salty almonds with the sweet dried fruit, the savory roasted vegetable with the garlicky spinach and tangy lemon zest. I almost threw in some chopped mint, but in the end I decided to leave it out just for simplicity sake.

This dish would be smashing with a nice cinnamon roast chicken or a brisket or a fish or on its own with some flatbreads and yogurt dip. In other words, this dish goes with pretty much anything. Enjoy!

Sweet and Savory Quinoa

aka

Quinoa with Middle-Eastern Spiced Cauliflower, Spinach, Marcona Almonds, Golden Raisins, Dried Apricots, and Lemon Zest

**After rinsing my quinoa I put in in a wide and relatively shallow pot to toast with some garlic (just as you would make rice). The quinoa was still a bit wet from the rinse, but as it kept toasting on the dry pan, eventually it dried and started to do its thing (I’m not positive about the need to rinse quinoa, I’ve definitely made it without rinsing and it turns out fine, too).

1 head cauliflower, chopped
olive oil
salt
spice mixture (Hawaji, Sumac, Za'atar--or any spices you fancy...tumeric, cumin...) **you can also use harissa and spread it over the cauliflower before baking
1 cup dry quiona, rinsed
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped in half
2 cups water (or broth)
2 handfuls fresh spinach
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used golden raisins and chopped dried apricot)
1/2 cup marcona almonds
1 teaspoon lemon zest
optional: chopped chicken or garbanzo beans

1. Preheat oven to about 450 degrees F. Place your chopped cauliflower on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle just a touch of olive oil. Add a small sprinkle of salt, and your spices. Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes.

2. Have your 1 cup of dry quinoa ready. Heat your pan and add the quinoa with the garlic and toast for about 5 minutes. Add your 2 cups of water (or broth) and bring the mix to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once the mix starts to boil, add the spinach and reduce the heat to low. Cover and let quinoa sit for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the roasted spiced cauliflower, dried fruit, almonds, lemon zest, and chicken or beans. Serve with cracked black pepper.

Want MORE QUINOA recipes?

Steph’s Granola

Pumpkin Chickpea Quinoa with Haricot Vert and Almonds

Roasted Beets, Sauteed Chard (and Yuba) Quinoa

Quinoa with Greens, Grapefruit, and a Runny Egg

Garlicky Roasted Chickpea Salad with Feta, Herbs, and Lemon

1 Jun

 

Roasted chickpeas with salty feta and herbs so bright they taste like sunshine.

Now that’s a salad, folks. Or an appetizer. Or a side. Or whatever you want to call it.

You can make a healthy and delicious meal for yourself and/or company just by making a bunch of little salads (and having some crusty bread on the side). You can mix and match with different types of grains and proteins, herbs and veggies to give you a natural energy boost of protein, vitamins, healthy oils, and good-for-you-herbs.

My favorite way to dress a salad is simply, with lots of cracked pepper, some lemon and olive oil, and coarse salt.

Check out these recipes that I made last year for Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan and Pine Nuts and Tomato, Cucumber, and Haricot Vert Salad with Feta.

Back to chickpeas, I really like them warm from the oven as they develop a slight crunch but still have that creamy center. And I picked the mint and basil from my mom’s (small yet pleasant) herb garden.

In the words of Bon Appetit, this salad is fast, easy, fresh.

Garlicky Roasted Chickpea Salad with Feta, Herbs, and Lemon

adapted from Kayln’s Kitchen, originally from The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast, Easy, Fresh
4-5 servings (this recipe can easily be halved or doubled or tripled, etc.)

2 cans of chickpeas (15 oz each), rinsed and drained until any foam is gone

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 fresh minced garlic cloves

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper, to taste

3/4 – 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped herbs (I used a combo of mint and basil)

lemon wedges

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix together oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Pour into and over the chickpeas, stirring so that everything is coated. Place into a baking pan and bake for 15-18 minutes, until the chickpeas are hot and just beginning to crisp on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

While the chickpeas bake, chop your herbs and have your feta ready. When the chickpeas are ready, stir everything together in a bowl and squeeze some lemon on top, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

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