Spring Shrubs and Bacon at Villains Tavern

You would never stumble upon Villains Tavern just walking around downtown LA, as it's hidden in a pretty desolate part of downtown near the arts district. You'd likely come across signs of a shoot or taping as you get close, but when I found it I loved the ambiance. The indoor bar is fairly small with little seating, but this is LA and outdoor seating is where it's at, especially when there's live music (as there frequently is here).

The spring menu is divided into two section: The Garden and The Shrubbery. The Shrubbery contains all the drinks made with shrub (aged liqueur made with vinegar). I noted it was now a thing and popping up all over, but this was the first bar I encountered that had a whole section dedicated to shrubs.

The Venus Flytrap ($12) is made with Milagro Reposado, apricot orange muscat shrub, fresh lime juice, sea salt, and orange oils. The shrub was made using orange muscat vinegar and cane sugar.

The head bartender said that he would suggest this cocktail for those who like margaritas but wanted to venture out.
The Garden section also has the Autumn crocus ($12), what the bar calls "the ultimate spicy Margarita" with reposado tequila, agave, muddled mango, chili (Tapatio), lime, and salt. The Autumn Crocus had suck a kick to it, though, that I personally thought it was more adventurous than the Flytrap.

I also liked the White Snakeroot ($13) made with Black Bush, Cardamaro, Rosemary and strawberry aged balsamic shrub

Aged strawberry balsamic is apparently the easiest shrub to make, but making the cocktail is hard because of balance. Just an excess drop of the balsamic shrub would throw the whole thing off.

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The Great Canadian Beer Bread Round-Up!

Hon. Prime Minister Stephen Harper - photo from Globe and Mail

It's no secret that we Canadians love our beer. You wouldn't even catch one of our politicians denying a celebratory brew.

Beloved Hon. Jack Layton - photo from Globe and Mail

So. What's a Canadian representative of the Bread Baking Babes to do when presented with the challenge of presenting a challenge to the world? She finds one awesome beer bread for people to bake!

Granville Island Beer Bread - The Knead for Bread

Thanks to Chuck at CookingBread.com and The Knead for Bread - we found the perfect beer bread to delight your friends and families and you guys stepped up to the challenge - here are the awesome Bread Baking Buddies!

Heather from girlichef threw open her windows to let the glorious scents of dark beer, fennel seeds, sharp, tangy cheese and her favourite sausage waft through the air and temp her neighbours.

Dewi from ~ e l r a ~ added sun-dried tomatoes and bunching onions from her garden to the bread and served it to her family. She says her resulting loaf was one of the most delicious she has tasted!

Breadsong from The Fresh Loaf managed to get her hands on some Granville Island beer and added asiago and chives to her loaf for a delicious treat!

Judy of Judy's Gross Eats also managed to find some good Canadian beer for her bread and used a spinach, fontina, and roasted garlic chicken sausage and Quattro Formaggiio (four cheese blend). Delicious!

Tara of The Guild of Knitting Kninjas spiced hers up with chorizo and red pepper flakes for a treat with heat!

Rita of soepkipje was surprised by how much she loved having sausage cooked into her bread. This is a bread she would not have thought to bake on her own, and she is glad she stepped up to the challenge!

Mági from szeretetrehangoltan used fresh bear onion, vegetarian sausage, Hungarian cheese and German wheat beer for a veggie spin on this delicious bread!

Sandie from Crumbs of Love had a rough week this week but still managed to turn out these gorgeous loaves featuring "Big Rock traditional ale, Bavarian smokies that are house made and smoked at a german butcher in the neighborhood, extra sharp Canadian cheddar cheese, and fresh chives, right out of my Canadian garden.."  Looks delicious!

Thanks to all you buddies for baking along with us and for loving beer as much as I do. 

You guys are awesome! 

You totally deserve to be honourable Bread Baking Buddies. Great job! 

Okay, take it easy, eh?

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Crab Cakes! from Lard: The Lost Art of Cooking with Your Grandmothers Secret Ingredient

Lard
The Lost Art of Cooking 

with Your Grandmother's Secret Ingredient
by the Editors of Grit Magazine
Paperback, 7.5 x 9 inches, 272 pages

Cook like your grandmother? Mine embraced cans and boxed mixes with gusto as soon as they sold the farm, long before I was born. I am guessing it is more like cook like your great-grandmother these days - by which I mean the original classics. Before they replaced nurturing and natural ingredients like lard and butter with margarine - whatever that is.

Butter finally came back into good graces, and now it's lard's turn. Good quality lard is free of trans fats and has almost half the saturated fats of butter. The editors of Grit Magazine, the country lifestyle source for Americans and Canadians alike, want to remind this generation of "the lost art" of cooking with lard.

They start with sourcing and even rendering your own top-quality lard for cooking and baking. Then they deliver 150 recipes, both savoury and sweet, that use lard as an ingredient or cooking method- carefully selected from over 100 years of tried-and-true recipes from the magazine.

With Lard, you will rediscover what was once lost - how to make the flakiest pie-crusts, crispiest chicken and everything from Breads and Biscuits, Vegetables, Main Dishes, Cookies and Brownies, Pie, Cakes and Desserts - just like they did back on the farm.

Crab Cakes
From Lard/Andrews McMeel Publishing

Serves 4


Enjoy the taste of the Maryland seashore, even when fresh crabmeat isn’t an option. Whip up a homemade tartar sauce with mayonnaise and diced sweet pickles. Or for a lighter version, use equal parts sour cream and mayo, a pinch of minced shallots or onions, and some fresh aromatic herbs of your choice (cilantro, dill, basil, and tarragon are all delicious).

1 (6.5-ounce) can crabmeat, drained
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chopped green onion (white and green parts)
Salt and black pepper
Lard, for frying

In a large bowl, place the crabmeat, bread crumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and onion. Season with salt and pepper; mix well. Shape into 4 equal-sized patties. (If more moisture is needed to form patties, add a dash of melted lard.)

In a large skillet, heat the lard over medium-high heat. Fry the patties 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

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Lamb and Tomato Breads with Lamb Meatballs and Lentil Salad

The whole world loves a pizza. I kid you not.

As I was working on this recipe from Flatbreads and Flavors, this exotic bread from Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Turkey, I started to recognize it for what it was. A pizza. Gloriously exotic and spicy, but a pizza nonetheless. That is awesome. And it is. Forget mozzarella and bacon, try this spicy lamb flatbread this weekend for something completely different.

You can always go back to the cheesy one next weekend.

And while you are making your lamb flatbread, give the delicious lentil salad a try - you can make it ahead of time and serve it room temperature when your flatbreads come out of the oven.

And - if you have some ground lamb leftover like I did - make the meatballs!

A little touch of exotic, without you having to leave the comfort of your own home.

I am all for that!

This bread has been YeastSpotted!

Lamb and Tomato Breads
adapted from Flatbreads and Flavors, Alford and Duguid

Dough
1 cup warm water (110°F)
½ tsp honey or sugar
1 tsp dry instant yeast
1 cup AP flour
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1½ cups whole wheat flour

Mix all the dough ingredients in your stand mixer, on low, for 3-5 minutes. Adjust hydration as necessary. Form into a ball, place in a lightly oiled clean bowl for 2 hours, covered, until doubled in size.
Make topping, below.
Preheat oven to 450°F, rack on the bottom third shelf. 
Divide dough into 12 portions, roll out to 4 inch circles and place 6 on a parchment lined half sheet pan and 6 on the other.
Spread the filling equally over the 12 breads, leaving a half inch border around the dough.
Bake for 10 minutes, turn pans and bake another couple of minutes until they look nicely cooked through.
Remove and serve hot.

Filling - can be made ahead

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup chopped shallots

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ lb ground lamb

4 tomatoes, chopped

½ tsp EACH - gr cinnamon, gr allspice, kosher salt, black pepper, gr cumin

1 tsp curry powder

Heat oil up in a large fry pan. Sauté shallots for a few minutes, stirring, add in the garlic and the lamb and the spices. When cooked through, add in the tomatoes and cook low and slow, uncovered, until most of the juices have evaporated. Let cool.

Lentil and Sweet Pepper Salad
adapted from Flatbreads and Flavors, Alford and Duguid

1 cup green lentils, washed and soaked
3 cups water
3 cloves garlic, halved
1 large red pepper, chopped
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp EACH - gr cumin, gr coriander, kosher salt, black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup cilantro, chopped

Place the drained lentils, the water, and the garlic in a smallish pot and bring to a boil. Let cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender - this will depend on your lentils, so try them every few minutes after the first 15 for texture. You don't want mush. Or rocks.
Drain and let cool, remove garlic.
Toss in large bowl with the red pepper and combine your dressing in a small bowl. Pour your dressing over the lentils and peppers, add cilantro, toss, and let stand. Serve room temperature. 

Lamb Meatballs

1 lb ground lamb
½ cup EACH - chopped parsley and chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp onion flakes
1 tsp EACH - ground cumin, hot paprika, black pepper, curry powder, chopped garlic
Kosher salt to taste
1 egg, and enough Panko bread crumbs to make it workable for meatballs - not too much

Combine in a bowl with your hands. Enjoy the squishing, but not too much.
Make meatballs, whatever size you wish.
Bake, fry or grill. Pop one open to see if they are done. Enjoy!

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Kiyokawa's New Sashimi-centric Omakase

Kiyokawa had been on my to-try list for some time since Jonathan Gold loved it so much, but I had sort of forgotten about this little place in Beverly Hills and stored it in the back of my mind. I recently dug it out and made it a point to finally go.

There are two omakase options at Kiyokawa, a full omakase (kaiseki) for $78 or a sushi-only omakase for $48. As I sat down and read the omakase menu there were things like miso black cod and other cooked items, but then they told me to ignore the menu. They had just started a new omakase menu and it was completely different than what was written. They recently changed the omakase menu to be more sashimi-focused rather than cooked dishes. Sounds even better to me.

Sushi Chef Satoshi Kiyokawa

Our first course came in an orange sitting on ice. Inside the orange was some halibut sashimi with cucumber sunomono and tomato


Albacore salad topped w crispy green onion

This was a rather big plate for a second course with plenty of albacore. As the ponzu sauce that normally comes with albacore tends to be too astringent for me at times, I preferred this.

Live sweet shrimp and Hama Hama oyster topped with uni

Did I mention the amaebi was a live? The legs attached to the head were still moving on the ice! (Sorry PETA)

Still, the oyster with the creamy uni stole the show for me.
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Armchair Novel Review: Kaleidoscope by Gail Bowen

Kaleidoscope
by Gail Bowen
Hardcover, 336 pages
Also available as an eBook

This is the thirteenth book in the Joanne Kilbourn series, and the most personal. 

Joanne and Zach have settled nicely into married life and are working on plans to fix up North Central, Regina, a notoriously bad neighbourhood, along with their friend and colleague Leland Hunter. Nothing is as easy as it seems and Joanne is ambivalent about the work they are doing and how they are going about it. Pressure against them is high, especially from local gangs and activists. 

As tensions mount, their house is bombed - just hours after the family headed to the lake for the weekend. Joanne finds her sense of security rocked and begins to question her own philosophies of life as events heat up and continue to hit far too close to home for comfort. 

Gail Bowen has won numerous awards for her Joanne Kilbourn series and in June 2008, Reader’s Digest named her ‘Canada’s Best Mystery Novelist’.

Her protagonist is genteel, intelligent and compassionate while remaining down to earth. I find the books read almost like autobiographical mysteries, and it is a pleasure to be part of Joanne's life.

You don't need to read the books in order - I didn't, but once you read one you'll want to read the rest.

The Joanne Kilbourn series

Deadly Appearances [1990]
Murder at the Mendel (alternately titled as Love and Murder) [1991]
The Wandering Soul Murders [1992]
A Colder Kind of Death [1994]
A Killing Spring [1996]
Verdict in Blood [1998]
Burying Ariel [2000]
The Glass Coffin [2002]
The Last Good Day [2004]
The Endless Knot [2006]
The Brutal Heart [2008]
The Nesting Dolls [2010]
Kaleidoscope [2012]

Browse the book:

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Revisiting Asia de Cuba (West Hollywood)

I remembered Asia de Cuba as an early date place, with its view of West Hollywood and its lobster mashed potatoes and plantain fried rice. Eons ago. I haven't been back, what's with all the new restaurants in town to try, and the restaurant is pretty expensive (especially with $12 valet). It's one of those "seen and be seen" places. I was recently invited for a tasting, as the menu had changed quite a bit with the arrival of the new chef, though signature dishes still remain.

There is now a whole ceviche section, served with plantain chips and toasted sesame tapioca chips:
Black grouper, sevilla orange, aji amarillo, yuzu and horseradish

Photo courtesy of Asia de Cuba

Wild salmon and salted avocado helado, spicy coconut milk, bird's eye pepper and black lava salt ($7)

The avocado helado (that's ice cream for you) was a cool addition to the dish in both sense of the word.
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April's Secret Recipe Club - S'mores Cookies

It's time for another month of The Secret Recipe Club!

For April I was assigned to Jamie's blog Cookin' with Moxie. As always, there were so many wonderful recipes to choose from, but I settled on her s'mores cookies, because I had the graham crackers and marshmallows to use up from my pb&j s'mores. 

These cookies didn't disappoint. My dumb butt kept putting them back in though for longer than the recipe called for because the marshmallows weren't melting. Then the marshmallows got kinda brown so I took them out, and then the marshmallows ended up being a bit chewy and the cookies a bit crisp but still delicious. Next time I'll put them in for less, maybe the length the recipe actually calls for. I also did not turn mine half way through like Jamie did, so maybe that would also be a good suggestion.

S'mores Cookies 

ever-so-slightly adapted from Cookin' with Moxie

• 3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (I crushed some whole graham crackers up in the food processor)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• about 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 2 Hershey bars, chopped up

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugars until fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, salt, and baking soda, and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spray cookie sheets with baking spray or cover with parchment paper. Drop tablespoon-full scoops of the batter onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8 minutes and remove from the oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of Hershey bar into each cookie. Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes until fully cooked. Cool cookies on wire rack(s). Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

 
Printable Recipe

I'll definitely be back to try some more of Jamie's tasty recipes!

Linking up here.

Peace, and bacon grease!

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Rick Bayless' Roasted New Potato Salad with Poblano Mayo

I know, your gramma made the world's best potato salad. Mine may have too, I can't remember. I like potato salad the old fashioned style - with egg and bacon and mayo, I like it with a vinaigrette, with dill pickles, with various herbs and spices... potato salad is blissfully adaptable to whatever you are cooking at the time.

And potato salad is great with Mexican flavours too, as Rick Bayless has taught us. This one has lovely roasted new potatoes, green onions, and a roasted garlic-poblano mayo that will brighten up your barbecue this week. So don't get stuck in the same potato salad rut - try something new!

Rick Bayless' Roasted New Potato Salad 
With Poblano Mayo
A Mexican Take on a Familiar Side Dish
 for I♥CC From the Earth
online recipe source: ABC News

Servings:6-8
Difficulty: Easy
Cook Time: 30-60 min

I know that potato salad sounds a little familiar and not at all Mexican, but this preparation proves both those assumptions wrong. Crusty roasted new potatoes, with their creamy centers, take potato salad to new heights when combined with garlicky homemade roasted poblano mayo, wilted green onions and fresh cilantro.

Add crumbled bacon, diced ham or flaked, hot-smoked salmon to the mix and you have a more substantial, party-ready small dish. As is, it can add the perfect balance to your small-dish party offerings; it's just right for picnics, too.

Though you could roast the vegetables a day or two ahead, then cool, cover and refrigerate them, I wouldn't really recommend it. The texture of freshly roasted potatoes that have never been refrigerated is beyond compare. However, the roasted poblano mayo can be made several days ahead without suffering.

Since your finished salad needs to be refrigerated if not served within two hours (it contains homemade mayonnaise) -- and refrigeration will change the potatoes' texture -- I recommend combining all the ingredients shortly before serving.

Ingredients
1½ pounds small new potatoes
A little vegetable oil or olive oil for coating the vegetables
Salt and black pepper, preferably fresh ground
2 large poblano chiles
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 green onions, roots and wilted outer leaves removed, cut cross-wise into ½-inch pieces
1 egg yolk
¼ cup olive oil (one that's not too strong is good here)
About ¼ cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off) or ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Cooking Directions

Roast the vegetables. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. If the potatoes are bite size, keep them whole; if not, cut into halves or quarters. Put them into a bowl, drizzle with a little oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Scoop onto one side of a rimmed baking sheet. Roast 10 minutes. Put the poblanos and garlic in the bowl, toss with a little oil to coat and scoop onto the other side of the baking sheet. Toss the green onions with a little oil and scatter over the potatoes. Return to the oven and roast until the potatoes are tender, the poblanos are evenly blistered and the garlic is soft, about 20 minutes. Cool.

Make the mayonnaise. Peel the blistered skin off the poblano, pull out the stem and seed pod, then quickly rinse to remove any stray seeds. Chop into small pieces and scoop half into a blender jar, along with the roasted garlic. (Set the rest of the chile aside.) Add the egg yolk, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth. With the blender running, pour in the olive oil in a thin stream, creating a luxurious mayonnaise.

Finish the salad. Scoop the roasted potatoes and green onion into a medium bowl, along with the reserved chile. Sprinkle on the cilantro or parsley. Add a generous 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise (cover and refrigerate the remainder for spreading on sandwiches or making incredible salmon salad) and stir to combine. Taste and season with more salt if you think necessary. Scoop into a serving bowl and the salad's ready. Cover and refrigerate if not serving right away.

*Recipe courtesy of Ricky Bayless from "Fiesta at Rick's: Fabulous Food for Great Times with Friends"; W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.; 2010

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Ahh!! No More Picnik....

I'm so distraught! This is the first time I'm wanting to use Picnik and can't since it shut down. It just isn't the same! No levels or cloning or curves or fun stickers or frames! I'm glad I can still use the texts though cuz there are some cute ones.

Anybody know of some other free photo editing software since Picnik is gone? I need easy, people!

How are YOU all surviving without Picnik?

Peace, and bacon grease!

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Roti Tissue and More Goodness at Kedai Sabindo (Surabaya, Indonesia)

In Indonesia, you don't have to hang out at upscale cafes and bars after dinner. Desserts at a dive works just as well for many people, and Kedai Sabindo is always packed. As with other dives in this country, there's no air conditioning and you sit on plastic stools, yet people clamor to this place for its roti tissu ("tissue bread", also known as tissue prata).

Roti Tissue is a Malaysian Mamak (Tamil Muslim) food and is basically a wide, round-shaped, thinner version of roti canai, grilled until crispy on the spot...

.. rolled up on the grill

.. until you get this cone of very thin, crispy "tissue", doused in toppings on the inside (chocolate sauce, condensed milk, or cheese - or whatever sounds good to you).

It's a very simple yet very addictive dessert. Large enough to share but good enough to not share with too many people. It costs less than $1 anyway, so splurge ahead.

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