berry desserts: August 2013

Learning Pie Making with Sherry Yard and Evan Kleiman

Evan Kleiman started "Pie a Day" on the KCRW Good Food blog a few years ago by making a pie a day for 100 days. That took off and culminated in an annual Pie Contest where home cooks compete. Sherry Yard is one of the best pastry chefs in LA. She's put in years at Spago but is now set to open her own bakery in Culver City. The two came together to give a pie making class at Culver City's New School of Cooking recently to raise funds for KCRW.

To be precise, they're raising funds for the 5th Annual Good Food Pie Contest, which will take place on Saturday, September 7 from 2-4pm at LACMA. If you want to enter, you can sign up before September 1 on the website, and the fee is $10 per entry! There's also a Kids and Vegan category.

I don't know a thing about making pie, but I can tell you what tips I learnt from the pie class! First off, the set up is pretty nice. A glass of sparkling wine greeted us as we were seated at the tables. There's a full table setting because we're not just watching a cooking demo, but will soon be eating three delicious pies while drinking more wine!

The pie class was completely sold out, so it was a full house, but most can see what they're doing pretty clearly on the overhead mirror.

First up is Evan Kleiman making her chicken pot pie (I will post the recipe tomorrow!)

Untitled

So Evan uses part butter and part duck fat for her pie dough, genius! She passed it around so we can smell it.

Night Film: A Novel by Marisha Pessl

Night Film
A Novel
by Marisha Pessl
Hardcover, 624 pages

Wow! This has got to be my favourite book this year. A mystery with so many layers, you will savour every page. And you get a lot of pages for your buck, topping at over 600.

The official synopsis:
On a damp October night, the body of young, beautiful Ashley Cordova is found in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. By all appearances her death is a suicide—but investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. Though much has been written about the dark and unsettling films of Ashley's father, Stanislas Cordova, very little is known about the man himself. As McGrath pieces together the mystery of Ashley's death, he is drawn deeper and deeper into the dark underbelly of New York City and the twisted world of Stanislas Cordova, and he begins to wonder—is he the next victim? In this novel, the dazzlingly inventive writer Marisha Pessl offers a breathtaking mystery that will hold you in suspense until the last page is turned.

Vibrant, fascinating characters, a completely fresh and intriguing sleuthing team, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the last page. And possibly even after that. Seriously, you will want to think about the book, talk about the book and make sure your best friends all get to read it so you can talk about it with them.

Author
MARISHA PESSL grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and now lives in New York City. Special Topics in Calamity Physics, her debut novel, was a bestseller in both hardcover and paperback. It won the 2006 John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize (now the Center for Fiction's Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize), and was selected as one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Book Review. The author lives in New York, NY.

LA Picnic on Sept 7, Benefiting St. Vincent Meals on Wheels + GIVEAWAY!

In my opinion, one of the best charities to support is St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, which provides hot meals to homebound seniors, and they do a lot of great fundraisers. St. Vincent MoW delivers over 4000 meals a day and only receive about $1 per meal in donation, which costs them $7 to deliver with current gas prices. That's why the fundraisers are so important!

This year, they're doing their first LA Picnic on Saturday, September 7. The event is presented by Lexus and co-hosted by LA Kitchen. Starting at 10:30 am, guest chefs will join attendees at the table for a picnic style brunch on the grass lawn of a historic hacienda at the Original Farmers Market.

Michael Voltaggio
Photo courtesy of StVMoW

The guest chefs include Michael Voltaggio (ink), Ray Garcia (FIG), Tim Guiltinan (The Raymond), Josef Centeno (Bar Ama), Vartan Abgaryan (Cliff's Edge), Neal Fraser (BLD, Redbird, Fritzi Dog), Sal Marino (Il Grano), Kris Morningstar (Ray's and Stark Bar), Christian Page (Short Order), Erik Sun (Pursuit of Food).

Tickets are $95 each or $150 for VIP tickets and can be purchased here. The VIP tickets get you the same thing as the general admission tickets, but the difference goes to feeding more seniors (20!). It's more about the good deed!

Now, to spread the word about this wonderful event, St. Vincent's Meals on Wheels has offered up a pair of tickets to one of lucky readers! To enter the event, just use the entry form below and help us spread the word!

Obsessions + Confessions

I haven't done much of these posts this month and I dunno why because I have a bajillion links saved up for the sole purpose of these posts. Well back to my obsessions + confessions of the month!

Keep these lunch ideas in mind for back to school ease.

And for the teacher in your life... these adorable teacher gifts.

Leopard is my thing.

So intimidated by the mere thought of making these glorious macarons.

More macaron intimidation.

I'm not Brazilian but I KNOW this is good stuff.

Can't get anymore summer than this.

Need to get my peach fix before summer's over!

A healthy rainbow.

Not helping my "diet".

Melty ooey ice cream goodness.

Fancy schmancy hot dogs.

Black pepper in popsicles?? Who knew?!?

Are you kidding me???

Vegetarian goodness.

What the what? I'm a buffalo+blue cheese freak!!!

Let's get chocolate wasted.

Speaking of cakes, is that frosting technique not the best?

This quote. Kinda life-changing.

Love this perfect blend of edgy and soft. She is rockin that outfit.

Can my fiancee be more handy so he can make me this gorgeous kitchen island? Oh, to dream.

This DIY makeup table makes me wish I was more into mkaing my face all pretty. Apparently I've reached the point of not caring :)

I start back to school today! Well technically I started Saturday. It just seems wrong for the first day of classes to be on a Saturday. My niece is starting as a freshman at Xavier too! I'm so excited to have her there with me and to watch her grow into more of an adult and live the college experience.

Oh, and I start at my practicum site this Thursday! Things are bout to get real! I'll be counseling actual clients. I just don't feel ready! Hope I don't mess anyone up :)

Whoa there's a ton of links in this post that I'm obsessin over. Confession: I spend way too much time on the internet.

Peace, and bacon grease!

Giveaway! Tickets to California Beer Festival in San Dimas

So California Beer Festival is hitting up three different cities this year and they will be in San Dimas on Saturday, September 7 at the Frank G. Bonelli park. The brew lineup of over 60 beers on tap includes California favorites like Stone, Hangar 24, Lagunitas, Firestone Walker, Ballast Point, along with out-of-towners you can't miss including Deschutes and Goose Island.

Now. They've generously offered two pairs of general admission tickets ("Craft Beer Heaven ticket", $45 value per ticket) to give away to my readers. That could be you! And it's easy to enter. You can enter using the form below and following the instructions, and I will be drawing two winners on Sunday!

The general admission ticket ($45 online or $55 at the door) will get you admission with souvenir cup and all the beer samples, live music, and (apparently) bikini bocce ball.
Food is not included but will be available for purchase. The $70 VIP tickets will allow you to go in an hour early with a souvenir pint glass and access to reserve and specialty beers, along with a taco bar from 11:30am-1pm.

Proceeds will benefit the Gen Giammanco Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides financial support to student athletes to assist in their pursuit of both scholastic and athletic success in the city of San Dimas.

Good luck!

Gorge on Labor Day Weekend with LA Times' The Taste

The Los Angeles Times once again takes over labor day weekend with The Taste with 5 different food and drinks events throughout the weekend. It's not just going around tasting food and drinking, though. The Taste has cooking demos and various panels (last year I got to taste pinot noir while listening go a guy rap about wine). Tickets for each event are $65 (or $85 after August 29), with the exception of the $125 opening night. Here are the schedule of events and what to expect:

LA Times' Noelle Carter served up brisket sliders at
the preview

Friday, August 30, 7:30pm: Opening Night ($125 for this event)

Saturday, August 31, 11am: Field to Fork
There will be cooking demos with Ari Taymor from Alma (named Bon Appétit's Best New Restaurant this year!) at noon, Michael Cimarusti, and Sherry Yard.

Saturday, August 31, 7:30pm: Flavors of LA
There will be a Power of Pop-up panel with Jonathan Gold, Starry Kitchen, etc

Sunday, Sept 1, 11am: Labor Day Block Party.
There will be cooking demo with Nancy Silverton, Evan Kleiman. Noelle Carter (responsible for LA Times' Test Kitchen) will also be hosting a Competition BBQ panel.

I had a preview of some of the things served at this event, including Dog Haus who will either be serving their spicy Thai dog or the Pastrami Dog. Coni Seafood's seafood tostada with sea snails and that amazing smoked marlin pate was one of the highlights of the night. Creme Caramel infuses custard desserts with Asian flavors with their pandan flan and Chinese sausage bread pudding (move over, bacon!)

food

There will be plenty of drinks, too, including Mionetto prosecco. Circa in Manhattan Beach will showcase one of their bottled cocktails. The Richard Pryor is made with Demerara rum and a cherry wood-smoked house made cola (with lime, of course)

booze

Sunday, Sept 1, 7:30pm: Cocktail Confidential
The more drink-focused event will feature a craft cocktail demo with the famed co-hose Matthew Biancaniello, Serena Herrick (Allumette), Christiaan Rollich (AOC), and Brady Weise (1886). There will also be cooking demo with Michael Voltaggio.

Sucka Punch from Sunny Spot at last year's
Cocktail Confidential

Tickets can be purchased on the LA Times' website.

Spend Summer Fridays Sipping Local Craft Beers on Thompson Hotel's Rooftop

Every Friday this summer, the Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills is bringing different local craft breweries to the rooftop, dubbed the Rooftop Food Club. They'll be serving these local beers along with rotating grill menu from Caulfield's (and sometimes Seoul Sausage). Drinking beer on the rooftop with a view of Beverly Hills? Pretty chill way to spend a Friday evening!

(Well, you can't quite get to the pool, though, as they close around 6pm or something every day. I snuck up there and took this photo but then was told to come back down to the rooftop bar).

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Pork Belly's (Venice, CA)

A couple doors down from a juice bar on Abbot Kinney is Pork Belly's, specializing in sandwiches made with meats smoked in-house by their competition BBQ pitmaster, Eric Solton.

There's no seating inside this small store, but you can eat on the wooden counter on the wall of graffiti and they're working on some outdoor seating.

Their signature sandwich is The Belly Up: Smoked BBQ Pork Belly topped with homemade coleslaw on a brioche roll ($8.95)

Generous amount of thick pork belly slices encased between brioche buns. It's decadent, for sure, but the slaw does a surprisingly nice job balancing the fattiness so that it's not too heavy on your palate.

If you're still afraid the pork belly will be too fatty for you, try The Chop: Brisket smoked for over 12 hours in their in-house smoker then chopped. Topped with homemade BBQ sauce and Cole Slaw on a brioche roll ($8.95)

This is easier to eat than the pork belly. With the shredded brisket you don't need to tear off a chunk of meat with each bite. The sauce is nice, slightly tangy. Again, the slaw balanced out the sweet BBQ sauce nicely so you can keep eating.

Oh, every sandwich also comes with a mini chocolate chip cookie, so watch out for it when you open the wrapper! The cookies are freshly baked and chewy.

Smoky Balls: Pork & Beef meatballs smoked then thinly sliced. Served with homemade tomato sauce, peppers and onions on a grinder roll, topped with melted cheese ($8.95).

The meatball had a very interesting texture, closer to meatloaf than the usual meatball. It's not as flavorful as the first two sandwiches but it had a subtle smokiness.

They also serve something which they claim are "like chili cheese fries but better". They're tater tots topped with either brisket (called Chop Tots) or chorizo (called Slop Tots) and melted cheese ($4.99)

Better than fries indeed! I only tried the slap tots but will need to try the one with brisket next.

You can still take your vegetarian friends here, where they can try the veggie sloppy joe or a grilled cheese sandwich.

Another side to get is the Fried pickles served with sriracha aioli ($3.95)

I think this is my first time having fried pickles but I really liked them, especially with that sriracha aioli.

There's no beer or wine here, but I have to admit I did enjoy the freestyle Coke machine with over 100 choices of soft drinks or lemonade. So. many. choices.

Pork Belly's offers something different in the Venice area and a quick, satisfying to-go lunch stop. To make it extra quick, you can also place your order online for pick up.
On Mondays and Thursdays they have ribs after 1:30 pm but unfortunately I was there too early to try it.

It's not just a lunch stop but they're also open late at night on the weekends (until 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays) and the food would be so good on those drunken nights and prevent hangovers!

Pork Belly's Sandwich Shop
1146 Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90291
(424) 777-8875
http://www.porkbellysla.com/

Disclosure: this meal was hosted

Kelley Armstrong - Omens

Omens
The Cainsville Series
by Kelley Armstrong
Hardcover, 496 pages

Welcome to Cainsville!

Kelley Armstrong is best known for her internationally bestselling Women of the Otherworld series and hot on its heels is another fantastic series starting with Omens - our first look into Cainsville and what lurks therein.

Olivia Taylor Jones is the daughter of a wealthy family; beautiful, educated, and busy doing volunteer work until her marriage to equally suitable CEO, James Morgan.

This bubble is ripped apart almost immediately by an avalanche of reporters and speculations on her heritage. A fine way to find out you were adopted. And may be the birth daughter of serial killers.

In the frantic need to find out who she is and what all this means, Olivia sets out on a new life path. One in which she must fend for herself and use what little life experience she has to find out who she really is - and who her parents really are.

This novel has it all - mystery, thriller, romance, and a creepy town that just starts to unfold in this debut book of the series. Once you read this one, you'll be longing for the next.

Photo credit: Kathryn Hollinrake

KELLEY ARMSTRONG is the bestselling author of the Women of the Otherworld series, the Nadia Stafford crime series, and two bestselling YA trilogies, Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising. She lives in rural Ontario.

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Lucy Handler Photo

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Water Menu at Ray's and Stark Bar: Can You Taste The Difference?

Yes, Ray's and Stark Bar now has a water menu of twenty different still and sparkling waters, complete with their own water sommelier, Martin Riese. When I was invited to a water tasting there, I was both tickled and curious. A "water menu" seems excessive, but I was curious if I can really taste the differences between different brands. I mean, I knew there was a difference because I never really liked Voss but have always loved Fiji, but I wanted to see if it really makes a big enough difference.

water

Martin explained that the different flavors of water comes from the different mineral contents according to the water source. The waters are labeled by their "TDS" number or "total dissolved solids".

The water menu itself is pretty impressive and beautiful, with the mineral contents and flavor profiles of each water listed next to a beautiful photograph. So, the short answer to my question was YES, I can certainly taste the differences. Voss has a low TDS (6 mg of sodium, 1 mg of magnesium, and 5 mg of calcium) and has a little bitterness/sharpness at the end. Martin suggests that Voss would go better with salads, while Fiji would be better for desserts.

After the tasting, I think Fiji is still my favorite still water! Fiji's aquifer is hundreds of feet below the edges of a rainforest and the water that goes in there had gone through layers of volcanic rock, creating a natural filtration process. Fiji has a slightly higher TDS (18 mg of sodium, 15 mg magnesium, and 18 mg calcium) and it has a softer, almost "buttery" (as far as water can be buttery) mouthfeel to it.

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Glazed Donut Strawberry Shortcake

Secret Recipe Club time again. Man it comes so fast! Months are just flying by. Oh, the truths of getting older.

This month I was assigned to Christina's blog, Mis-Cakes Oven Adventures. So many tasty desserts to choose to make! With recipes like PB Banana Brownies, No Bake Nutella Cookies, and Brown Butter Monkey Bread, she made it really hard for me to narrow it down to the perfect recipe. But when I saw this, I was done. Over. Finished. No more searching. I've found my calling. I've died and gone to heaven.

A strawberry shortcake simplified without all the cooking, and yet so amplified by the use of donuts. You'll have these desserts whipped up in a jiffy, and people will think you're all fancy schmancy when really all you had to do was slice some strawberries and have your mixer whip up some whipped cream.

Done and done!

Glazed Donut Strawberry Shortcake
from Mis-Cakes Oven Adventures

4 fresh glazed donuts
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place strawberries in a bowl. Top with sugar and mix. Let sit for a bit.

Add heavy whipping cream to electric mixer bowl and whisk on high until soft peaks form. Turn mixer to slow, adding powdered sugar and vanilla. Return to high speed and beat until stiff peaks form.

Slice each donut and set top slices aside. On the bottom of each donut, place 1/4 of the strawberries and top with 1/4 of the whipped cream. Top with the top of the donut.

Printable Recipe

Forget slaving over a hot stove all day. These shortcakes are the perfect summer dessert. Quick, easy, no cooking required, no heat required, and just as delicious as the real thing.

No cooking? Now you've got more time for summer fun.

You're welcome.

Check out my past Secret Recipe Club posts.

Linking up here.

Peace, and bacon grease!

Glazed Donut Strawberry Shortcake

Glazed Donut Strawberry Shortcake

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The Bread Baking Babes get a little Nutty!

We all like to get a little nutty from time to time. And a coffee cake in the house, nestled under the glass dome, is as great a welcome as anybody could have. Especially if there is nice, strong espresso to go with it.

Jamie challenged us to make this delicious yeasted confection but, after reading her post, I suspect it was more of a challenge for her than for me! For some reason everything came together easily for me and my trusty stand mixer and I had a good time assembling the jellyroll style logs into the angel foodcake pan and baking this baby up. I stuck with the original recipe and ground my nuts in a food processor. After reading some other posts, I think this is an important step. Finely ground nuts absorb more of the meringue and make spreading and rolling easier.

If you are feeling a little nutty this month, bake up the Nut Roll Coffee Cake! You'll be glad you did.

A message from Jamie, our Bread Baking Babes Hostess of the Month!

You too can bake along with us and be a Bread Baking Buddy. Simply bake this Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake, blog it – don’t forget to mention being a Bread Baking Buddy and link back to this blog post! Then send me the link (please include your name and your blog’s name) by August 26th to jamieannschler AT gmail DOT com with August Bread Baking Buddy in the subject line and I will add you to the roundup.

NUT ROLL COFFEE CAKE

You will need a stand mixer or beaters to whip egg whites for the meringue filling and a 10-inch (standard) tube pan.

For the dough:

2 packages (1/4 ounce/7 g each) active dry yeast
¼ cup (@ 65 ml) warm water (110°F to 115°F)
16 Tbs (225 g) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup (125 ml) warm 2% fat/lowfat milk (110°F to 115°F)
4 egg yolks
2 Tbs sugar
¾ tsp salt
2 ½ cups (350 g*) all-purpose flour, more as needed

For the filling:

3 egg whites
1 cup + 3 Tbs sugar, divided
2 cups ground walnuts (I usually use pecans but choose what you like)
2 Tbs 2% fat/lowfat milk
2 tsps ground cinnamon

The day before, prepare the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add the butter, milk, eggs yolks, sugar, salt and flour. Beat until smooth – the mixture will be sticky. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The day of baking, prepare the filling:

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, on high speed until the sugar is incorporated and dissolved.

In a large bowl, combine the walnuts, milk, cinnamon and remaining sugar; fold in the meringue.

Prepare the Coffee Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 10-inch tube pan.

Divide the dough in half. On a well-floured work surface, roll each portion into an 18 x 12 –inch (45 x 30 cm) rectangle. Spread half of the filling evenly over each rectangle within 1/2 –inch (1 cm) of the edges. Roll each up jelly-roll style, starting with the long side; pinch seam to seal.

Place one filled roll, seam side up, in the greased tube pan. Place the second roll, seam side down. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 – 45 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before removing the coffee cake from the pan to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Eat as is or drizzle with glaze or dust with powdered sugar.

The Bread Baking Babes

Now at Pinkberry: Greek Yogurt and Great Savory Bowls!

Did you know that Pinkberry now has greek yogurt? Not a "greek" frozen yogurt, but a bonafide greek yogurt, and they use it to make some great bowls! Yes, Pinkberry's not just about froyo anymore.

I was recently invited to the Pinkberry headquarters in Santa Monica to do a blind tasting of greek yogurts and try their new Powerbowls. When else will I get a chance to visit their headquarters??

When I eat yogurt at home, I usually just add fruit and granola to it - maybe honey. That's it, and you probably do, too. But Pinkberry has been getting quite creative with their greek yogurt! I was amazed by their Sunflower Cucumber combination in which they top their greek yogurt (named "Pinkberrygreek") with cucumber, sunflower seed bites (like sunflower cookies), olive oil, and chili powder.

You don't have to have dessert at Pinkberry, you can have something savory too! I never thought of making something like this with yogurt, and was very pleasantly surprised. It was sweet and savory, silky and crunchy. This bowl has a very Mediterranean flavor to it, and will make a great light meal or snack. I'm already itching to go to a Pinkberry to get this.
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