L.A. Street Food Fest 2012

Lessons were learned. Churros were consumed.

Guess where I'm going . .

Here's a hint:

YYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!

I'm super excited. My mom and I will be constructing a gameplan beforehand to make sure we hit the best spots. Mezcal tasting is locked in for sure, and Hendrick's Gin (a super favorite of mine) will have a cocktail bar set up too. I usually only have about a drink and a half each year so maybe they can give me thimble sized shots so hopefuly I can try more than 2 before passing out :)

Some of the food vendors we're hoping to try:

Gravy Train Poutinerie (Fried Cheese Curds!)

Peiking Duck Truck (Duck Sliders!)

Antojitos mi Abuelita (Black Mole!)

Mexicali Taco and Co. (Cachetadas!)

Haven Gastropub (Cola Glazed pork and Crispy Pig Ears!)

Tiana Cafe's Balls of Lust (pork stuffed poblanos!)

and basically every dessert they have. Gluten free churros! Friend chicken and waffle ice cream! Brown Butter rice crispy treats waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!

Excited.

Careless Cauliflower Au Gratin and Mexican Coke Glaze

So I had about an hour to crank out an Easter Brunch side dish. Mom had given me the run-down of who was bringing what and it became very apparent we were desperately cheese-less. This cannot stand. Dad wouldn't budge on having mashed potatoes (which are so un-springy it's not even funny. It's a passive aggressive reaction to summer coming I'm sure) so scalloped potatoes were off the menu. But really the vegetable in scalloped au gratin anything is just something for the cheese to cling to so instead I decided to make Cauliflower au gratin. So I went out and bought what I thought I needed: 2 cauliflower heads, a pound of butter, 2 pounds of cheese, a pint of half and half, garlic and shallots. Once I got it home I looked up a recipe. One of the first women I turn to when I need a standard recipe done right and (hopefully) simply and quickly is Ina Garten. Legend.

Started scanning the ingredient list looks good skip the nutmeg I'll add my unsecret weapon Tony Chachere's if anything goes awry WAIT A SECOND. PARBOIL?!

Don't think so.

Even if I had the time I wouldn't want to bother with parboiling and time's a wastin' so instead I started chopping with abandon, filled 2 glass pans and put them in the oven at 425.

I never even wait for the thing to preheat all the way because I never bake and that way the food warms up with the oven I don't know it makes total sense to me. While the cauliflower's going I sliced 3 shallots and 2 much garlic and added half of each to the roasting pans.

My kitchen is not smitten, but so far so good.
 

Here's where the heresy kicks in.

We've got no flour and hence no roux. Or nothing that most people would call roux. I've got the butter no problem there (and isn't the packaging cute!)

but what I DO have is a gang of almond meal. This totally shouldn't have worked.

But it totally did.

After the butter hit the pan I added the rest of the garlic and shallots and did a preliminary seasoning. In went some almond meal. I stirred. It thickened. It was awesome.

How 'bout some cheese? OK! I used a swiss gruyere blend, an aged Unexpected Cheddar (tastes a teensy bit like a fruity Parmesan) and a Cheddar Gruyere Hybrid. I added them to the roux with a little milk and got a little scared but stuff started melting and oozing but kept from breaking!

More stirring, more cheese and more milk and then the pan was full and ready for some baking action.

This is where I should have dumped the entire pan on the oven door or burned my hand beyond recognition but thankfull all was well and before I knew it everything was bubbling away!

 Let's take a peek!

I added some more almond meal to the leftover cheese and sprinkled deluged the cauliflower with it.

Once again we needed to hurry things along. The cheese was gurgling gangbusters in there but I needed a brown top stat.

Off went the oven, on goes the broiler and I was out the door 5 minutes later.

The perfect compliment to an amazing Mexican Coke and Cinnamon-Orange Flame-Glazed Ham.

O yes...the glaze.

So I get to my mom's house and the ham looks fine don't get me wrong but we could take it to spectacular in 15 minutes so why not?

I reduced a mexican coke, the juice and pulp of one orange, a dash of cinnamon, some garlic powder and some salt until it's the consistency of maple syrup. I spoon a third of  it onto the ham open side down and put it onto a preheated grill. This is important because I want the outside hot and the inside meat room temp so it doesn't get tough. After a few minutes I open the lid and give it a second coating fast. Lid down and up again 2 minutes later for a final coat. One last heat treatment and that baby was golden. Alas I forgot to get a picture of it when it was ready and remember when it was almost done, But this gives you a little idea.

New family tradition for sure.

They're here! They're here!

Jamie from A Desert Fete and her best very good friend Michelle Pullman from Michelle Pullman had the brilliant idea to start shooting weddings together and boy am I ever glad they did!

It was such a treat to have them spend the day with us and having these pictures means more to me than I ever really thought it would. Best wedding photographers ever!

Sweet Mackerel I can't believe how many pictures there are! This is going to be a while, so join me!

If you want to see (TONS of) pictures from the wedding:

Visit their site Rad + In Love

Click on Client Access

Click on our heads

And type in the password: "Everlasting Light".

If you'd like a little soundtrack, click play below :)







Man . . . I'm one blessed individual.

Making Rice

So last week I mentioned cauliflower rice. Ever since I started making it we don't go a week without a batch, and just like I hoped the grater came in super handy.

Cutting out grains has had some huge high points (fat loss, more energy, better sense of taste, etc.) but the downside is I MISS THEM LIKE CRAZY. I get cravings for stuff like baguettes, anything with corn in it, and O Mother do I miss fried rice. I should say I used to because when I eat this it totally hits the spot.

Minh's mom was nice enough to make us a big batch of pork and prawns this week (so. good.) so cauliflower rice was a given.

I'm not into measurements or detailed instructions when it comes to cooking but you can look it up somewhere if you really need a step by step. I'll just hit the highlights.

So here's what I use:




!/2 head of cauliflower (so. cheap.)
1/4 onion
1 shallot
4 cloves of garlic
a little canola oil
some ground ginger
salt
pepper
sesame seeds
2 or 3 green onions
2 eggs
1/2 bag of Trader Joe's Kimchi (I know! I can't believe it either!)
red chili flakes
maybe some pineapple tidbits? yes.
and a couple snippets of bacon. This really makes it. Don't leave it out.

Chop the onion, shallot and garlic and grate the cauliflower.




Add the chopped stuff, some oil and the bacon to the biggest pan you own. Let it cook but don't burn it. you will be sad. When the onion is kinda transleucent turn up the heat and add the pineapple, salt, pepper and chili flakes. Before anything burns add the cauliflower. There's a lot of moisture to cook off, so stir it frequently. Looking good? Less moist? Add kimchee! Mmmmm...

Try a bite. Kinda wet? Keep stirring!

Getting better? Crack open 2 eggs and stir into the rice. Sesame seed time! Give it a few final tosses and then add your chopped green onion.




Here it is!

Minh likes this one a lot. We had it with grilled lamb last week.

Still. So. Good.

Corned Brrf!

This looked so sick when it started boiling I totally lost any desire to eat Irish last night.



But 4 hours later thar be happy goodness! Cue the bodhran and tin whistles!




I still think boiled cabbage is sick nasty and smells like hospice so we ate it with slaw. We eat tons of slaw.

Cara Caras

This is a regular orange.

and THIS is a Cara Cara.

I long for Cara Caras the way the Dutch long for daffodils. The best part? It tastes the way you always hope an orange will taste. Every. Single. Time.

My favorite way to eat them is with red leaf lettuce, avocado and a little french vinaigrette.