Thursday, May 30, 2013
Healthy Color & Dry Cupcakes
So around Christmas time I made red velvet cake balls and I was mortified by the amount of red food coloring that went into my cake batter just to make it red. We have all been hearing about how unhealthy red dye #40 is, how food coloring can be toxic and the links to various health issue due to food dyes.
The big concern is the connection between behavioral issues in children and red food coloring and well seriously let's be honest, my kids, just by the very fact that they will be my kids, will have enough hyperactivity, ADHD, behavioral issues, borderline little monster disorder, strong willed personality and precocious behaviors in and of itself. So I am trying to limit the amount of food coloring I use just to try and help the future of this planet so they don't have to deal with my future ancestry under the influence of red food coloring #40. You may think I am joking, but I am dead serious...I promise you that if I have children they will be entertaining to say the least because karma is well...karma is just a bitch...and my Mom knows I have it coming to me.
And I am not going to go so far as to say I won't use food coloring again because well that just would be a lie. However, I have been on a crazy beet kick lately and when I saw this recipe for red velvet cupcakes that were colored by beet puree I was all over that. Seriously how can you go wrong with "healthy cupcakes" right?
Since discovering this recipe and feeling all original, innovative and healthy, I have since learned that the original red velvet actually was colored with beet juice or beet puree. So come to find out our ancestors were actually pretty ahead of their time with their no additives, artificial coloring gig, ay.
Anyway I digress....this recipe was actually way easier than expected. Sure it does take more time to make, as it requires the roasting of beets for about 90 minutes and pureeing the beets, which is a little more time consuming than dumping in a giant bottle of red food coloring. However, I was impressed with the fact that the beets did not influence the flavor of the cupcakes at all. They did not create an earthy after taste and they did not detract from the "cupcakeness" of the cupcake in any way, shape or form.
The color was pretty close to being spot on. I did feel that my cupcakes were slightly more on the purple side, but considering the fact that beets are a little on the purple hue of red I was happy with the result.
Unfortunately I was dismayed with the texture of the cupcakes and I do not know if that was due to the recipe I chose or if the beets played a role in just drying my cupcakes out. The recipe I used did call for 2/3 cup of oil so I thought that was enough fat to make the cupcakes moist, but I cooked them for less time than the recipe and they still came out a little on the dry side for me. So all and all I will be honest and say that I will not make this particular red velvet beet cupcake recipe again, however I am still open to future beet puree cupcake experimentation.
So roast the beets in foil for 60-90 min in a 350 degree oven. Let the beets cool and then peel and puree in a food processor.
Mix all of the dry ingredients-cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Whisk the wet ingredients together-sugar, oil, eggs, beet puree and vanilla. Add the the dry ingredients.
Place the mixture in cupcake pans and bake 25-30 min and cool.
The frosting is 1 cup butter, powdered sugar, orange zest or orange oil and vanilla.
1 pound red beets (3 medium), scrubbed
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
3 large eggs, beaten to blend $
2/3 cup canola oil
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
ORANGE BUTTERCREAM
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure orange oil*, such as Boyajian brand, or zest of 1 large orange $
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
1. Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°. Wrap each beet in foil, put on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast until tender when pierced, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Let cool. Peel, cut into chunks, and puree in a food processor. Measure 1 1/4 cups puree.
2. Line a 12-cup muffin pan (1/2-cup size) with paper liners. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Whisk together beet puree, granulated sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. With a plastic spatula, stir in flour mixture one-third at a time just until smooth.
4. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each almost to the top of the liner. Bake until cupcakes spring back when gently pressed and a toothpick inserted in center of one comes out with a couple of moist crumbs clinging, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely.
5. Make buttercream: Beat butter with a mixer on high speed until very smooth. Add powdered sugar, orange oil, and vanilla; beat on low speed to blend, then on medium until fluffy and smooth.
6. Spread a thick layer of buttercream on cupcakes, swirling it decoratively. Or pipe frosting from a pastry bag, using a star tip.
Make ahead: Up to 1 day, chilled.
I also have to say that I loved this recipe for the buttercream. It is just butter, powdered sugar and orange zest or orange oil. I couldn't find orange oil unless I ordered it on-line so I used orange zest and I loved the texture, the hint of orange flavor and the sweetness of the powdered sugar. This part of the recipe is definitely a keeper.
The big concern is the connection between behavioral issues in children and red food coloring and well seriously let's be honest, my kids, just by the very fact that they will be my kids, will have enough hyperactivity, ADHD, behavioral issues, borderline little monster disorder, strong willed personality and precocious behaviors in and of itself. So I am trying to limit the amount of food coloring I use just to try and help the future of this planet so they don't have to deal with my future ancestry under the influence of red food coloring #40. You may think I am joking, but I am dead serious...I promise you that if I have children they will be entertaining to say the least because karma is well...karma is just a bitch...and my Mom knows I have it coming to me.
And I am not going to go so far as to say I won't use food coloring again because well that just would be a lie. However, I have been on a crazy beet kick lately and when I saw this recipe for red velvet cupcakes that were colored by beet puree I was all over that. Seriously how can you go wrong with "healthy cupcakes" right?
Since discovering this recipe and feeling all original, innovative and healthy, I have since learned that the original red velvet actually was colored with beet juice or beet puree. So come to find out our ancestors were actually pretty ahead of their time with their no additives, artificial coloring gig, ay.
Anyway I digress....this recipe was actually way easier than expected. Sure it does take more time to make, as it requires the roasting of beets for about 90 minutes and pureeing the beets, which is a little more time consuming than dumping in a giant bottle of red food coloring. However, I was impressed with the fact that the beets did not influence the flavor of the cupcakes at all. They did not create an earthy after taste and they did not detract from the "cupcakeness" of the cupcake in any way, shape or form.
The color was pretty close to being spot on. I did feel that my cupcakes were slightly more on the purple side, but considering the fact that beets are a little on the purple hue of red I was happy with the result.
Unfortunately I was dismayed with the texture of the cupcakes and I do not know if that was due to the recipe I chose or if the beets played a role in just drying my cupcakes out. The recipe I used did call for 2/3 cup of oil so I thought that was enough fat to make the cupcakes moist, but I cooked them for less time than the recipe and they still came out a little on the dry side for me. So all and all I will be honest and say that I will not make this particular red velvet beet cupcake recipe again, however I am still open to future beet puree cupcake experimentation.
So roast the beets in foil for 60-90 min in a 350 degree oven. Let the beets cool and then peel and puree in a food processor.
Mix all of the dry ingredients-cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Whisk the wet ingredients together-sugar, oil, eggs, beet puree and vanilla. Add the the dry ingredients.
Place the mixture in cupcake pans and bake 25-30 min and cool.
1 pound red beets (3 medium), scrubbed
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
3 large eggs, beaten to blend $
2/3 cup canola oil
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
ORANGE BUTTERCREAM
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure orange oil*, such as Boyajian brand, or zest of 1 large orange $
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
1. Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°. Wrap each beet in foil, put on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast until tender when pierced, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Let cool. Peel, cut into chunks, and puree in a food processor. Measure 1 1/4 cups puree.
2. Line a 12-cup muffin pan (1/2-cup size) with paper liners. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Whisk together beet puree, granulated sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. With a plastic spatula, stir in flour mixture one-third at a time just until smooth.
4. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each almost to the top of the liner. Bake until cupcakes spring back when gently pressed and a toothpick inserted in center of one comes out with a couple of moist crumbs clinging, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely.
5. Make buttercream: Beat butter with a mixer on high speed until very smooth. Add powdered sugar, orange oil, and vanilla; beat on low speed to blend, then on medium until fluffy and smooth.
6. Spread a thick layer of buttercream on cupcakes, swirling it decoratively. Or pipe frosting from a pastry bag, using a star tip.
Make ahead: Up to 1 day, chilled.
I also have to say that I loved this recipe for the buttercream. It is just butter, powdered sugar and orange zest or orange oil. I couldn't find orange oil unless I ordered it on-line so I used orange zest and I loved the texture, the hint of orange flavor and the sweetness of the powdered sugar. This part of the recipe is definitely a keeper.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Culinary School #10-Shellfish
It is hard to believe that I am already on class #10. There are 24 classes so we are very close to being halfway through this fun filled adventure. I don't even want to think of what is next for me as it seems like my life has been an amazing and overwhelming journey. So before I get too melancholy or I start reminiscing with you all let's talk shellfish.
I have to say this was one of my favorite classes. I love shellfish! I also learned a lot! I was in the ciopino group, but I was pretty obsessed with the paella group.
I had tried paella before, but I had never seen it made and I was completely intrigued by the giant pan, the process and the food traditions behind it.
So let me share some paella knowledge with you all:
- Paella is a Spanish dish that originated in Valencia which is on the eastern coast of Spain.
- The name came from the pan it was cooked in, probably a derivative of the Latin word patella, which means a flat plate on which offerings were made to God.
- Paella came about in the 19th century. So the stories of the Kings servants mixing all of the leftovers from the banquets together are probably false. The belief is that paella started with the field workers who mixed their food together in the fields and cooked them over an open fire.
- The traditional paella has rice, rabbit, chicken and snails, beans and artichokes, however it has morphed and now has several variations.
In the class we cooked the paella in a large paella pan that came complete with it's own open fire. We cooked it outside since it is an open flame...yes safety first.
One of the things I found so cool about the paella was that everything is cooked in the pan. You start by cooking the chicken. Then we added the vegetable and Spanish chorizo mixture.
Next we added the diced tomatoes.
The rice is added next.
Chicken stock and spices were then added to the pan. Paella is often known for the saffron which enhances the seafood flavor.
The seafood is added as the last step.
Ok enough about paella. I also learned how to shuck oysters and I actually had a lot of fun doing it. You put the oyster in a towel, and this is in the event your hand slips with the oyster shucking knife, you may be able to save your hand from great bodily injury. Next you take the shucking knife and put it in the hinge of the oyster and start working the edge of the knife back and forth until you feel it give . Yes, you can actually feel it (and yes I know this sounds sexual but I am deciding to just not go there). You then use the knife and turn it vertically to open the oyster...voila! And yes the whole time I was shucking oysters I was looking for pearls, but I got nothing. This is my first oyster:
I also learned a few valuable tidbits about shellfish and I guess fish in general that I wanted to share:
- If oysters or clams sound hollow when you hit them together they are old and you probably don't want to eat them.
- Do not wash oysters as it diminishes their flavor. You want that saltwater taste to them.
- Clams have two vales (hinges) so if you are opening them you are going to have to cut them meat away in two places so they aren't still attached to the shells. Oysters have one valve.
- Do not buy fish on Monday because it comes into the stores on Fridays and therefore it is already old even before you get it home.
I also learned about a new herb. This is lemon balm and it is often used in beurre blanc sauce and yes it does actually smell like lemon and it has a slightly citrusy taste:
Now let me show you some of our other food creations from the night. We made Oysters Rockefeller which are seriously one of my favorite foods on the planet:
There was also Fresh Stuffed Calamari:
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| Uncooked Calamari |
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| Cooked Calamari |
We also made Grilled Jumbo Prawns and Scallops with a Dried Mango Basil Sauce. This sauce was incredible:
We do not have class this next Monday due to Memorial Day Weekend, however the class is going on a field trip on Thursday so stand by for that one. The week after we do have pastry class....and holy hell I have to deal with puff pastry again. I am seriously starting to believe that puff pastry will just not go away and I really wish it would. It is kind of like those relationships that just never seem to end even though you are totally done and you keep telling them it's over but they seem to always be there....wait it sounds like I know way too much about this topic doesn't it. Haha
Have an incredible Memorial Day Weekend and I can't wait to hear about the amazing food you cooked and/or consumed. Cheers my friends!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Culinary School #9-Pasta
So I got a little behind on my culinary school adventures so this last week we learned how to make pasta and pasta sauces and this week we covered seafood and shellfish. I decided to go back and talk about pasta, well because I can, and because it is pretty much one of my favorite foods. I have to mention that between the last 2 weeks I have been teased in school because everyone has said that they have never seen me eat so much. Haha I know what I like, right? And seriously who is going to turn down homemade pasta and seafood? I am not a dumb girl.
I digress...back to pasta. I have to admit this was one of those classes where I didn't learn a ton. I have kind of always prided myself on being a pasta connoisseur, I was born with spaghetti in my mouth and I was raised by a family with Italian roots so it was just what I knew. Plus I had already tried to make homemade pasta and although I was pretty proud of my dough, I do have to admit that when I tried to make it into raviolis they became extremely large when I put them in water. I am talking VERY LARGE!!! Plate sized!! I even asked the Chef about why my raviolis grew to gargantuan size and he just kind of looked at me and laughed. Hmmm....
I did learn a valuable little trick about eggplant. Did you know that if you slice it, salt it and let it sit the water content will be reduced? This is a valuable little trick when making things like eggplant Parmesan or when you want to grill it, so I will definitely remember this little tidbit.
On pasta night I was responsible for the pasta with wild mushroom sauce. I was pretty friggin excited by this assignment because I LOVE mushrooms! Honestly the class got damn lucky I hadn't picked all of the mushrooms out of the sauce before I served it, but I was trying to be good. I did, however, get teased about the size of the spoon I chose to use on my recipe. What can I say, I am one of those girls who just believes that size matters...just sayin'...
We also learned how to make gnocchi and I was pretty excited about this process especially since the week before I had purchased packaged gnocchi and I just wasn't very impressed. And let me just say, making the gnocchi dough, was not hard at all. It can actually be made in the food processor. However, shaping the dough is very time consuming. You roll the dough into ropes, ya know kind of like dough snakes. Then you cut the snake into gnocchi sized bites. Finally, you leave marks in them by rolling it on a gnocchi shaping tool (don't know what this is called) or the tines of a fork to give it ridges. This is the tough part because you have to be gentle enough not to mush the hell out of it, but firm enough so it actually leaves a mark. My culinary buddy was kind of like a bull in a china shop with this process and I kept reminding him to be gentle...for some reason his mind seemed to end up in the gutter and as you can imagine I was only talking about pasta.
And although I don't have a wealth of amazing knowledge to share with you from this class, I do have some great food porn. So feast your eyes on this pasta loveliness:
I digress...back to pasta. I have to admit this was one of those classes where I didn't learn a ton. I have kind of always prided myself on being a pasta connoisseur, I was born with spaghetti in my mouth and I was raised by a family with Italian roots so it was just what I knew. Plus I had already tried to make homemade pasta and although I was pretty proud of my dough, I do have to admit that when I tried to make it into raviolis they became extremely large when I put them in water. I am talking VERY LARGE!!! Plate sized!! I even asked the Chef about why my raviolis grew to gargantuan size and he just kind of looked at me and laughed. Hmmm....
I did learn a valuable little trick about eggplant. Did you know that if you slice it, salt it and let it sit the water content will be reduced? This is a valuable little trick when making things like eggplant Parmesan or when you want to grill it, so I will definitely remember this little tidbit.
On pasta night I was responsible for the pasta with wild mushroom sauce. I was pretty friggin excited by this assignment because I LOVE mushrooms! Honestly the class got damn lucky I hadn't picked all of the mushrooms out of the sauce before I served it, but I was trying to be good. I did, however, get teased about the size of the spoon I chose to use on my recipe. What can I say, I am one of those girls who just believes that size matters...just sayin'...
We also learned how to make gnocchi and I was pretty excited about this process especially since the week before I had purchased packaged gnocchi and I just wasn't very impressed. And let me just say, making the gnocchi dough, was not hard at all. It can actually be made in the food processor. However, shaping the dough is very time consuming. You roll the dough into ropes, ya know kind of like dough snakes. Then you cut the snake into gnocchi sized bites. Finally, you leave marks in them by rolling it on a gnocchi shaping tool (don't know what this is called) or the tines of a fork to give it ridges. This is the tough part because you have to be gentle enough not to mush the hell out of it, but firm enough so it actually leaves a mark. My culinary buddy was kind of like a bull in a china shop with this process and I kept reminding him to be gentle...for some reason his mind seemed to end up in the gutter and as you can imagine I was only talking about pasta.
And although I don't have a wealth of amazing knowledge to share with you from this class, I do have some great food porn. So feast your eyes on this pasta loveliness:
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| Penne Pasta w/Roasted Shallot Puree, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Feta Cheese and Thyme w/Grilled Chicken |
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| Papardelle Bolognese |
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| Sugo de Pomodoro Fresco |
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| Potato/Cauliflower Gnocchi with Gorgonzola |
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| Strawberry Tiramisu |
Monday, May 20, 2013
My First Recipe-Pork Tenderloin w/Balsamic Reduction & Roasted Brussel Sprouts
So my culinary school homework, that I get to turn in tonight, involved picking a protein out of a hat and creating a dish around it. So two weeks ago I closed my eyes, reached my hand into the hat, swished it around a bit for good luck and pulled out pork tenderloin. I wasn't sure if I was elated or disappointed. I do not have plethora of pork tenderloin experience, but I have used it, and I wasn't sure if I was hoping for something exotic like ostrich or if I was content with my every day pork tenderloin.
So the night of the class I played around with a roasted brussel sprouts and artichoke little number. Well the artichokes came out tough and I just thought the brussel sprouts were a little bland and definitely needed a little more salt. I was pretty content with the pork, however I thought it could have been browned a little bit more for my taste. As for the sauce well I just didn't care for it at all. It was a white wine pomegranate balsamic sauce and it was just a little too bitter and acidic for my palette. I also added some chopped up apples to it and well I just didn't like the flavor of the balsamic and the apples. And finally I thought the dish needed more color overall. So here is the picture of my original dish:
Next we were supposed to take the dish home and recreate it, taking a picture and writing a recipe to go with our marvelous creation. So here is my first original recipe. Please feel free to give it a try and give me some feedback because I am new to this recipe creation gig.
The first change I made was to add a beet salad to add some color and some depth of flavor. I roasted the beets and served them on the side with olive oil, balsamic and blue cheese vinaigrette. I thought the balsamic would tie in nicely with the reduction sauce of the pork and the blue cheese would add a nice contrast in flavor.
The next change I made was to roast the brussel sprouts with onion and add a hell of a lot more salt. I also cooked them longer to get them a little more on the softer caramelized side. Definitely an improvement.
Next I changed my sauce...I will let you know if this gets me in trouble tonight in school, but I really think the changes are for the better. So I sauteed the shallots and garlic in smoked olive oil and then added the balsamic and cooked until reduced. I added some fresh rosemary as I thought it would compliment the rosemary that was roasted with the pork and I added a little bit of mustard to add some tang. The sauce was perfect. There was a bit of sweetness from the reduced balsamic, the mustard did provide a little tang, the rosemary some nice earthy flavor and the shallots and garlic were lightly caramelized. I was pretty proud of the sauce!!
So here is the picture of my second attempt:
So the night of the class I played around with a roasted brussel sprouts and artichoke little number. Well the artichokes came out tough and I just thought the brussel sprouts were a little bland and definitely needed a little more salt. I was pretty content with the pork, however I thought it could have been browned a little bit more for my taste. As for the sauce well I just didn't care for it at all. It was a white wine pomegranate balsamic sauce and it was just a little too bitter and acidic for my palette. I also added some chopped up apples to it and well I just didn't like the flavor of the balsamic and the apples. And finally I thought the dish needed more color overall. So here is the picture of my original dish:
Next we were supposed to take the dish home and recreate it, taking a picture and writing a recipe to go with our marvelous creation. So here is my first original recipe. Please feel free to give it a try and give me some feedback because I am new to this recipe creation gig.
The first change I made was to add a beet salad to add some color and some depth of flavor. I roasted the beets and served them on the side with olive oil, balsamic and blue cheese vinaigrette. I thought the balsamic would tie in nicely with the reduction sauce of the pork and the blue cheese would add a nice contrast in flavor.
The next change I made was to roast the brussel sprouts with onion and add a hell of a lot more salt. I also cooked them longer to get them a little more on the softer caramelized side. Definitely an improvement.
Next I changed my sauce...I will let you know if this gets me in trouble tonight in school, but I really think the changes are for the better. So I sauteed the shallots and garlic in smoked olive oil and then added the balsamic and cooked until reduced. I added some fresh rosemary as I thought it would compliment the rosemary that was roasted with the pork and I added a little bit of mustard to add some tang. The sauce was perfect. There was a bit of sweetness from the reduced balsamic, the mustard did provide a little tang, the rosemary some nice earthy flavor and the shallots and garlic were lightly caramelized. I was pretty proud of the sauce!!
So here is the picture of my second attempt:
3-4 medium beets, any color
12 oz brussel sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
½ white onion, chopped
1 ½ lb pork tenderloin
5T smoked olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, divided
1-2 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup blue cheese, crumbled
3-4 sprigs rosemary, divided
1.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the leaves off
the beets and trim. Leave the skin on. Wrap the beets individually in foil and
place in a baking pan with a ¼” of water. Place in oven and roast for 40
minutes or until tender when tested with a fork.
2.
Place the brussel sprouts in a roasting pan with
1T olive oil, salt, pepper and onion. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until desired
consistency. The brussel sprouts and beets can cook simultaneously.
3.
Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper.
Add 2T olive oil to a hot skillet. Add the pork tenderloin and brown on all
sides. Take 2 sprigs of rosemary and tie to the pork using kitchen twine.
4.
Put the pork on a baking sheet or roasting pan
and cook for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is at 135 degrees
using a meat thermometer.
5.
Remove the beets from the oven and cool. If you
are in a hurry peel them under cold water. Chop the beets and toss with 1T
olive oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, blue cheese and salt and pepper.
6.
Add 1T olive oil to same pan that was used to
brown the pork. Add the shallots and garlic and brown. Add 1 cup balsamic
vinegar and 2 sprigs of chopped rosemary to pan. Slowly stir in the mustard and
turn the heat to simmer, cooking until the vinegar has reduced to half.
7.
To serve, make a bed of brussel sprouts. Slice
the pork and serve on the brussel sprouts, drizzling the balsamic reduction
sauce over the pork. Serve the beets on the side.
Enjoy my friends and I am looking forward to your feedback. Cheers!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Villa Blanca-Beverly Hills
Do you ever have those days where at the end of the day you feel like you just woke up from a fairytale? Well I pretty much had one of those days. I am now sitting in bed with the candles lit, a cold bottle of strawberry water and my laptop as I reflect on an incredible day filled with an amazing friend, entertaining people watching, to die for food, superb wine and a world I have just never witnessed or been a part of.
But since this is a food and wine blog let me talk about well the food and wine. Today I had the incredible pleasure of having lunch at Villa Blanca in Beverly Hills. And sure I have heard a lot about it especially since I am a Housewives of....everywhere...fan, however I wasn't sure if the restaurant was well known due to Lisa Vanderpump or if it was worthy of its reputation because of the food. Well let me just say Lisa is beautiful and tiny, but the food and wine at Villa Blanca is so worth the visit!!!
The menu is Mediterranean but the Chef, Francis Dimitrius, worked at Koi prior so he also brings in some Asian influence to the food. And I know that sounds like an odd combination but the flavor profile is flawless and it works.
The restaurant itself is beautiful, it has incredible white leather, stunning silver accents and an attention to detail in it's decor that is impeccable. The patio dining is fun for people watching, however, we had just as much entertainment inside and the restaurant is truly a laundry list of the whose who. If you are interested in celebrity sightings this is the place to be.
We started the meal with Villa Blanca's own Rose. I have recently just discovered Rose. I think my early days of drinking sweet "pink wine," had me a bit afraid of Rose and I had shied away from it for years. However, I have recently discovered several that are more on the dry side with just a hint of sweetness. And they are incredible paired with seafood. Villa Blanca's Rose is incredible! They source their grapes from Paso Robles and it is out of this world when chilled! It has the perfect combination of dry and sweet, a hint of citrus and a very smooth finish. They also have a sauvingnon blanc, cab and pinot under their label and if they are half as good as the Rose I would imagine they are impeccable.
I have to admit we didn't do anything too crazy with the food, but everything we tried was fresh, flavorful, prepared well and very enjoyable. The highlight of the meal was the miso soup. And I know you are probably thinking,"wow super exciting miso soup," however this soup was like no other miso soup I have had before. It has a coconut broth that adds an amazing contrast to the salty flavor of miso. It had thinly sliced asparagus, fresh mushrooms and tofu. Overall the soup just had so many flavors,it was out of this world!
We tried one of the specials, which was an exotic mushroom and truffle pizza. And although I know again it doesn't sound like a food adventure it was wonderful. The crust was crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The cheese was not greasy, the mushrooms and truffle oil gave the pizza a great earthy flavor.
And for dessert we shared the English Sticky Toffee Pudding. I had never had a toffee pudding before and I think I have been spoiled. It is brown sugar sweet, moist and full of luscious caramel flavors. It was paired with a vanilla toffee ice cream that was also incredible. This recipe is supposedly Lisa's great grandmothers recipe, I believe, and it was the perfect end to an impeccable day.
I also just have to compliment the service. Our server was Tina and she was beautiful, fun and funny. She made great recommendations and she just truly seemed to enjoy her food and her job. We loved her!
I will definitely be back and thank you to my friend who took me on such a special day. Cheers!!
But since this is a food and wine blog let me talk about well the food and wine. Today I had the incredible pleasure of having lunch at Villa Blanca in Beverly Hills. And sure I have heard a lot about it especially since I am a Housewives of....everywhere...fan, however I wasn't sure if the restaurant was well known due to Lisa Vanderpump or if it was worthy of its reputation because of the food. Well let me just say Lisa is beautiful and tiny, but the food and wine at Villa Blanca is so worth the visit!!!
The menu is Mediterranean but the Chef, Francis Dimitrius, worked at Koi prior so he also brings in some Asian influence to the food. And I know that sounds like an odd combination but the flavor profile is flawless and it works.
The restaurant itself is beautiful, it has incredible white leather, stunning silver accents and an attention to detail in it's decor that is impeccable. The patio dining is fun for people watching, however, we had just as much entertainment inside and the restaurant is truly a laundry list of the whose who. If you are interested in celebrity sightings this is the place to be.
We started the meal with Villa Blanca's own Rose. I have recently just discovered Rose. I think my early days of drinking sweet "pink wine," had me a bit afraid of Rose and I had shied away from it for years. However, I have recently discovered several that are more on the dry side with just a hint of sweetness. And they are incredible paired with seafood. Villa Blanca's Rose is incredible! They source their grapes from Paso Robles and it is out of this world when chilled! It has the perfect combination of dry and sweet, a hint of citrus and a very smooth finish. They also have a sauvingnon blanc, cab and pinot under their label and if they are half as good as the Rose I would imagine they are impeccable.
I have to admit we didn't do anything too crazy with the food, but everything we tried was fresh, flavorful, prepared well and very enjoyable. The highlight of the meal was the miso soup. And I know you are probably thinking,"wow super exciting miso soup," however this soup was like no other miso soup I have had before. It has a coconut broth that adds an amazing contrast to the salty flavor of miso. It had thinly sliced asparagus, fresh mushrooms and tofu. Overall the soup just had so many flavors,it was out of this world!
We tried one of the specials, which was an exotic mushroom and truffle pizza. And although I know again it doesn't sound like a food adventure it was wonderful. The crust was crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The cheese was not greasy, the mushrooms and truffle oil gave the pizza a great earthy flavor.
And for dessert we shared the English Sticky Toffee Pudding. I had never had a toffee pudding before and I think I have been spoiled. It is brown sugar sweet, moist and full of luscious caramel flavors. It was paired with a vanilla toffee ice cream that was also incredible. This recipe is supposedly Lisa's great grandmothers recipe, I believe, and it was the perfect end to an impeccable day.
I also just have to compliment the service. Our server was Tina and she was beautiful, fun and funny. She made great recommendations and she just truly seemed to enjoy her food and her job. We loved her!
I will definitely be back and thank you to my friend who took me on such a special day. Cheers!!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Life Lessons From the Kitchen-Gnocchi w/Pancetta and Asparagus
So tonight I made Gnocchi with Pancetta and Asparagus. Let me start by saying this meal was ok. Not Earth shattering amazing and not so horrific that the gnocchi could not cross my lips. It was just a mediocre middle of the week meal. How is that for marketing? Eh.
Let me tell you what I did love...I loved the pancetta!! If you are unfamiliar with pancetta it is in the bacon family...now we are talking, right? Pancetta is cured unsmoked Italian bacon and it is usually found next to the prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, etc. It is salty, fatty and yummy!! I seriously have not met anything in the bacon family that I didn't love and the pancetta did not disappoint.
Now let me tell you what did disappoint a bit...the gnocchi. So this recipe called for vacuum packed gnocchi...so you purchase it already made and it was a little on the gummy and slimey side. Next time I think I need to conquer my fear of making homemade gnocchi and just do it...yes just like the Nike slogan...but in relation to cooking and not sports. If you are unfamiliar with gnocchi they are kind of a cross between pasta and potatoes. They are little dumplings that are made with potato, flour and usually egg. When they are fresh they should be very smooth and kind of melt in your mouth. These just didn't quite have that consistency. I even thought I was buying a high quality packaged gnocchi because it said,"Made in Italy," on it and there was a sad looking Italian girl...seriously how could you go wrong with a sad Italian girl? I don't know but somehow I did.
I do have to say this recipe was easy and it was perfect after day 8 of a 31 day running challenge. I got home from work, ran my 40 minutes, drank a beer (not because I wanted to just because I was trying to put some carbs back in my body...yes this is a justification for drinking) and made my gnocchi.
So cook the gnocchi according to the package directions. This one was super easy, boil water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Just remember to reserve a 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid to add back into the pan at the end. Nothing like realizing this after you have dumped all of the liquid down the drain of your sink.
Next saute the pancetta for 3 minutes and then remove and drain on a paper towel. Next saute the shallots and asparagus for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. I personally do not like my asparagus mushy but this was a little too crunchy for me so I thought the asparagus could have cooked a tad bit longer, but that is just my opinion. Next add the gnocchi, lemon juice, reserved cooking liquid, pancetta, salt and pepper. Serve with shaved Parmesan cheese. Voila!!
1 (16-ounce) package vacuum-packed gnocchi (such as Vigo)
2 ounces pancetta, cut into thin strips (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved Parmesan cheese
Preparation
1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Keep warm.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.
3. Add shallots and asparagus to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add gnocchi, pancetta, reserved cooking liquid, juice, salt, and pepper to pan; cook 1 minute. Serve with cheese.
And because I know that you all love my random rants let me just throw one in at the end. Don't you hate when you bite your own face? I bit my cheek the other day and it just hurts like a mo fo. It just sucks...you feel lame, it gets swollen so you bite it again which makes you feel even more lame and it just makes you wonder how in the hell do you bite a part of your own body, right? Oy!! Cheers!!
Let me tell you what I did love...I loved the pancetta!! If you are unfamiliar with pancetta it is in the bacon family...now we are talking, right? Pancetta is cured unsmoked Italian bacon and it is usually found next to the prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, etc. It is salty, fatty and yummy!! I seriously have not met anything in the bacon family that I didn't love and the pancetta did not disappoint.
Now let me tell you what did disappoint a bit...the gnocchi. So this recipe called for vacuum packed gnocchi...so you purchase it already made and it was a little on the gummy and slimey side. Next time I think I need to conquer my fear of making homemade gnocchi and just do it...yes just like the Nike slogan...but in relation to cooking and not sports. If you are unfamiliar with gnocchi they are kind of a cross between pasta and potatoes. They are little dumplings that are made with potato, flour and usually egg. When they are fresh they should be very smooth and kind of melt in your mouth. These just didn't quite have that consistency. I even thought I was buying a high quality packaged gnocchi because it said,"Made in Italy," on it and there was a sad looking Italian girl...seriously how could you go wrong with a sad Italian girl? I don't know but somehow I did.
I do have to say this recipe was easy and it was perfect after day 8 of a 31 day running challenge. I got home from work, ran my 40 minutes, drank a beer (not because I wanted to just because I was trying to put some carbs back in my body...yes this is a justification for drinking) and made my gnocchi.
So cook the gnocchi according to the package directions. This one was super easy, boil water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Just remember to reserve a 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid to add back into the pan at the end. Nothing like realizing this after you have dumped all of the liquid down the drain of your sink.
Next saute the pancetta for 3 minutes and then remove and drain on a paper towel. Next saute the shallots and asparagus for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. I personally do not like my asparagus mushy but this was a little too crunchy for me so I thought the asparagus could have cooked a tad bit longer, but that is just my opinion. Next add the gnocchi, lemon juice, reserved cooking liquid, pancetta, salt and pepper. Serve with shaved Parmesan cheese. Voila!!
1 (16-ounce) package vacuum-packed gnocchi (such as Vigo)
2 ounces pancetta, cut into thin strips (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved Parmesan cheese
Preparation
1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Keep warm.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.
3. Add shallots and asparagus to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add gnocchi, pancetta, reserved cooking liquid, juice, salt, and pepper to pan; cook 1 minute. Serve with cheese.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Culinary School #8
Before I start talking about culinary school I just need to vent for a second because I just had myself a little bit of a technology temper tantrum. Seriously there is nothing worse than having technology just be a pain in the ass. And I was trying to send some pics for my next article and I was getting error message after error message. Grrrrr....
Ok thank you I am better now. So last night marked class #8, which means that we are officially 1/3 of the way through culinary school. Yes, we all expected a test and it wasn't nearly as painful as I was expecting. It was a combination of terms, a how to cook section and a preparation knowledge section. All and all it was doable.
However, the hard part was yet to come. The night started with an herb test, in which we had two trays of 17 herbs and we had to name them. We could touch them, smell them and look at them, however it was still a challenge. I was able to get 14 of the 17 correct, but I thought you all might want to try to test your own herb knowledge so here are the trays. The answers will be at the end of the blog.
We also started to gain some helpful herb knowledge about which types of herbs pair best with which types of food. For example, did you know?
Now as many of you know I am slightly obsessed with the cherimoya fruit right now. So I thought you might like to see the inside of a cherimoya. I also have one at home and I think I am going to try and make it into ice cream this weekend. The pulp is very smooth and malleable in consistency, you do not eat the seeds and it is very sweet. The exterior goes from a light green to more of a brown color when it is ripe. Cheers!
Here are the answers to the herb quiz:
1. Bay
2. I forgot to write this one down
3. Sorrel **I missed this one as I didn't know what sorrel was. It is used in soups and sauces **
4. Garlic chives **And I missed this one because I put backyard grass **
5. Marjoram
6. Oregano
7. Sage
8. Mint
9. Basil
10. Marjoram
11. Dill
12. Thyme
13. Chives
14. Cilantro
15. Parsley
16. Rosemary
17. Lemon Grass
Ok thank you I am better now. So last night marked class #8, which means that we are officially 1/3 of the way through culinary school. Yes, we all expected a test and it wasn't nearly as painful as I was expecting. It was a combination of terms, a how to cook section and a preparation knowledge section. All and all it was doable.
However, the hard part was yet to come. The night started with an herb test, in which we had two trays of 17 herbs and we had to name them. We could touch them, smell them and look at them, however it was still a challenge. I was able to get 14 of the 17 correct, but I thought you all might want to try to test your own herb knowledge so here are the trays. The answers will be at the end of the blog.
We also started to gain some helpful herb knowledge about which types of herbs pair best with which types of food. For example, did you know?
- Sage is not normally paired with fish
- Dill does not pair well with steak, but it does pair well with fish
- Marjoram and Rosemary are too potent to be paired with fish
- Thyme, Rosemary and Sage are great paired with meats
- And tarragon goes on everything
Now because I love to share the most disgusting parts of my night, last night we tried cardoon. It is in the artichoke family, which I love. And you take the leaves off of it, peel the stalks and batter and fry them. Seriously until last night I hadn't met anything that I didn't like fried, but this was by far the grossest thing ever. It had the texture of the stringiest plastic celery on the planet. It had a very pungent herb taste that left a disgusting after taste in your mouth. And it was all and all just so very wrong!! And get this I ate rabbit last night and I like the rabbit but hated the vegetable...cardoon...now that is saying something!! So of course what did I do, I made everyone else taste this detestable little morsel. NASTY!!!
We also had a mid-term practical of sorts. We had to pull a slip of paper out of a bowl with a protein on it and come up with an original dish. It had to include some of the vegetables that we purchased at the Farmers Market on Sunday and it had to include a sauce. Dear God!!! I am a recipe girl!! I love reading recipes, following recipes, having a recipe as a security blanket...I think you get the picture...so this challenge pretty much had me in a tizzy. If I could have I would have been drinking the moment the class started.
I pulled pork tenderloin, which I figured was doable. Sure I don't cook a lot of pork, but I figured I could pull something off. So I took the brussel sprouts, shallots, onion and garlic and started by roasting them in olive oil and salt and pepper. I also took some of the purple mini-artichokes and roasted them as well...however they got kind of rubbery and weird and they ended up in the trash instead of the plate. Next I sauteed my pork tenderloin in olive oil, browning on all sides. I tied some rosemary onto the pork and roasted that as well. Finally, I made an apple white wine sauce with a little pomegranate balsamic vinegar, cream and rosemary. It wasn't too bad. Our homework now is to come home and recreate this dish, creating our own recipe and figuring out the cost of serving this dish. I think my dish needs a little color so I think I will do a beet salad on the side next time for additional color, texture and flavor. What do you think?
My class mates created the following dishes:
 |
| Beef Tenderloin with a Red Wine Sauce & Sauteed Vegetables |
 |
| Rabbit with a Red Wine Mushroom Sauce & Potatoes |
 |
| Albacore Tuna w/Peach Sauce & Radish/Potato Slices |
 |
| Whole Trout Pan Fried in Cornmeal w/Hollandaise Sauce & Carrots |
 |
| Shrimp Pasta w/Grilled Vegetables |
Here are the answers to the herb quiz:
1. Bay
2. I forgot to write this one down
3. Sorrel **I missed this one as I didn't know what sorrel was. It is used in soups and sauces **
4. Garlic chives **And I missed this one because I put backyard grass **
5. Marjoram
6. Oregano
7. Sage
8. Mint
9. Basil
10. Marjoram
11. Dill
12. Thyme
13. Chives
14. Cilantro
15. Parsley
16. Rosemary
17. Lemon Grass
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