Poke the Penguin

Ok this post actually has nothing to do with food, for once. But as it is the holiday season, sometimes you get a bit stressed out or exhausted or overwhelmed or generally just want to tear your hair out. And if you do, have no fear! Poke the penguin! I've been doing this since college.

It sounds dirty but it's not. Just click away on him madly with your speakers turned up as loud as you can ...

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2012 - Bouchon Bakery’s ‘Nutter Butters’ #fbcookieswap

After participating in the #FBCookieSwap last year, there was no way that I was going to pass up the opportunity to participate again in it this year. Hosted by Lindsay at Love & Olive Oil and Julie at The Little Kitchen, dozens of bloggers in different countries participate to send cookies to each other for the holiday season. After receiving my matches, I send out a dozen cookies to each blogger. In return, I receive three one-dozen sets of cookies in the mail from other bloggers.

In order to participate in the exchange this year, we had to donate $4 to charity, which was a great idea. Signing up and paying via Paypal was easy, and in exchange, this adorable cookie spatula was sent to your house along with a thank you not for your donation.

It's been really fun getting boxes in the mail though I got them all practically on the same day. No spacing out this year! I wish it was a bit more staggered so I could have had a steady stream of cookies to eat but no fear ... you can never have too many cookies! And I received the following lovely cookies from the following lovely bloggers:

linzer thumbprint cookies with apple butter from Hannah

(www.nothingbutdelicious.blogspot.com)

rosemary lemon cookies from Stacy

(www.everylittlethingblog.com)

orange walnut waffle cookies / holiday popcorn w/ dark chocolate, white chocolate, pistachios and dried cranberries / peppermint bark from Liz

(www.cookingbymoonlight.com)

This year, I decided to do a recipe from Thomas Keller (who I also met earlier this week at a book signing ... EEP!! *clapping*). His fancy nutter butters had ... well, a ton of butter. But they were so good. At the book signing, they had these cookies to pass out so I was able to try his actual version (I hadn't tried it prior to the recipe) and ... well though I thought mine were delicious, they were nothing compared to his.

creaming of the butter and sugar. lots and lots of butter.

cream till fluffy

batter up!

cookies ready to be filled and sandwiched

tins of cookies ready to be sent out

Some of the cookies might not have had as much filling, so I'm very very sorry. Next time, I will have to double up on the filling so each one gets a good healthy dose. Ha, I said healthy. There is absolutely nothing healthy about these cookies. Hope you liked them Victoria, Beth and Diana!!

Bouchon Bakery’s ‘Nutter Butters’
makes about 3 dozen sandwiches

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ttsp baking powder
4 tsp baking soda
1 lb (4 sticks) butter, room temperature
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter, preferably Skippy
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cups coarsely chopped peanuts
2½ cups quick-cooking oats

Cookie Filling:
¼ lb (1 stick) butter, room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter, preferably Skippy
1 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350degreesF. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and peanut butter. Add sugars and beat at medium speed for 4 minutes, scraping down bowl twice.

At low speed, add eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed until well mixed, frequently scraping down bowl. Add peanuts and oats, and mix well. Using an ice cream scoop 1 1/4 inches in diameter, place balls of dough on parchment-lined baking sheets at least three inches apart.

Bake until cookies have spread and turned very light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool and firm up, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before filling.

To make the filling, with an electric mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar until very smooth. Spread a thin layer (about 1/8 inch) on underside of a cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat until all cookies are sandwiches and start eating!

The Walking Dead S3E7 - Grilled Tuna with Potato-Tomato Gratin

I'm so behind in blogging that I'm ashamed of myself. The Walking Dead has been over for weeks! Well, two weeks ... but still. And this is still for the episode before the midseason finale. And what a midseason finale it was. Hopefully they get rid of unreasonably angry women in the second half of the season.

Dinner was from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. It took a bit of preparation ahead of time but for the most part, everything came together pretty quickly. The gratin had to bake for almost three hours so definitely prepare for that if you want to make this dish!

Maybe I did something wrong but the gratin was a bit more watery than I would have liked. Anyone know what I did wrong? I think the tomatoes just have a lot of juice. Maybe I need to bake everything longer or seed the tomatoes first or just use less tomatoes.

The hunt for ahi tuna to sear was also an adventure. I first went to Whole Foods and ahi tuna was on sale for ...wait for it ... drum roll please ... $39.99 a pound. I almost fainted. Then I went to Trader Joe's and they were being sold for $16.99 a pound, which was a lot more reasonable. But the tuna wasn't too tender after being seared. I guess the more expensive quality does make a difference!

gratin onions being caramelized

onions caramelized

tomato, potato, onion and basil layering in progress

layered and ready for baking

Potato-Tomato Gratin
serves 6

5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups thinly sliced onions
1 Tbsp thyme leaves
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 1/4 lbs ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced opal basil (I used regular)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large sautee pan or Dutch oven over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in 3 Tbsp olive oil, and add the onions, 1 Tbsp thyme, 1 tsp salt, and some pepper. Cook 6 minutes, stirring often, and then turn the heat down to medium, Add the butter, and cook 15 minutes, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon, until the onions start to caramelize. Turn the heat down to low, and continue cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are a deep golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350degreesF.

Use a mandoline to slice the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Toss them with the cream, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp salt, and some freshly ground black pepper.

Cut the tomatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices, arrange them on a plate, and season them with 1 tsp salt and some pepper.

Place half the caramelized onions in an even layer in a 9x9 inch gratin or baking dish. Arrange one layer of alternating potatoes and tomatoes on top of the onion layer. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp of the cream from the potatoes and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, a healthy pinch of pepper, 1/2 tsp thyme and half the basil.

Scatter the rest of the caramelized onions over the potatoes and tomatoes.

Arrange another layer of potatoes and tomatoes on topl make this layer pretty, because it will be the top of your gratin. Pour the remaining cream (from the potatoes) and remaining Tbsp olive oil over the potatoes and tomatoes. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, a pinch of pepper, the remaining 1/2 tsp thyme, and the remaining basil. Press the vegetables down with your fingers. The cream and oil will come u p through the layers and coat the vegetables evenly.

Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake about 2 hours, until the potatoes are tender when pierced. Remove the gratin from the oven and uncover it, being careful of the steam.

Turn the oven up to 450degreesF and return the gratin, uncovered, to the oven. Cook another 25-30 minutes, until the juices have thickened and the top is nice and golden brown (as in "gratinéed").

grilled tuna over arugula

perfectly seared on the inside

Grilled Tuna
serves 6

6 tuna steaks, 5 to 6 oz each, about 1 inch thick
1 lemon, zested
1 chile de árbol, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 Tbsp thyme leaves
1 Tbsp sliced flat lead parsley
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp fleur de sel
1 Tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 oz arugula, cleaned
2 Tbsp super good extra-virgin olive oil

Season the fish with the lemon zest, chile, thyme and parsley. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Light the grill 30 to 40 mintues before cooking, and remove the fish from the refrigerator to come to room temperature. Alternately, use an indoor grill pan over high heat.

When the coals are broken down, red, and glowing, brush the fish with olive oil, and season on both sides with fleur de sel and cracked black epper. Grill the fish 2-3 minutes per side, rotating it once or twice. The tuna should be well seared but still rare.

Scatter the arugula onto a large platter and arrange the tuna on top. Squeeze some lemon juice over the fish, and then drizzle the fish with the super good olive oil. Dollop each piece of fish with rouille (I didn't make the rouille but the recipe is available in the book).

The Walking Dead S3E6 - A Mini Thanksgiving (with Chicken)

Thanksgiving is upon us tomorrow! I tried to tell Boyfriend that I made him a baby turkey, which is why the (chicken) was so small. But he wasn't fooled. Apparently he can just tell the difference between the taste of chicken and turkey! Strange.

I followed the same Thomas Keller Roast Chicken recipe as I had done in the past, but I changed the veggies underneath, as they were a bit undercooked last time. This time, I cut the carrots smaller and in half, quartered an onion and quartered four yellow Dutch potatoes. Also, I cut the butter to rub onto the breast by half. The skin still turken out nice and crispy though. Score!

I made brussel sprouts for the first time, which was awesomely easy to make with the chicken since they both roast at 400degrees F. Then when I took out the chicken and it was resting, I lowered the oven temp to 350degrees F and popped the stuffing in. By the time the chicken finished resting and I carved it, the stuffing was ready! All of this was basically a test on timing for the T-Day showdown.

Yay for mini-Thanksgiving! What did everyone think of The Walking Dead this week? Why is Andrea so weaksauce and slutty? So many questions. This week wasn't as good as two weeks ago, but I think its a lot of setup for the future. Hopefully a huge Rick-Governor showdown ... to say nothing of a Merryl-Rick showdown as well.

On another note, I used the cups that Boyfriend gave me for our three-year anniversary! Don't they look super fancy and golden? I always naturally drink with my pinky up (yea, sorry I'm weird) but I made sure the pinky was super-up when I used this cup! I drank some ginger peach tea that Vanessa gave me and the experience was exquisite.

Roast Brussel Sprouts

1 lb brussel sprouts
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400degrees F. Wash and trim brussel sprouts, removing any withered or yellow outer leaves. Half the large sprouts, or leave them whole if they're small.

Toss brussel sprouts with the remaining ingredients and pour onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 35-40 minutes, shaking the baking sheet about every 10 minutes, until the sprouts are tender.

The Walking Dead S3E5 - Italian Pork Chops

I have no idea how to name this recipe. It's just pork chops. Literally. Pork, salt and lemon. I was reading The Wednesday Chef and she raved about this recipe so much that I had to prepare it for Boyfriend. He liked it but I think it was a bit too simple for him ... he had to use Tapatio. But he uses Tapatio on practically everything so I don't know if that's a good baseline to judge.

This week's The Walking Dead was definitely not as intense as last week, which is really good. I cried last week ... it was crazy. The amount of intensity in that episode was too much to handle. Boyfriend is not liking Michonne's character at all, and I agree at him. Why you so angry, Michonne? Why you so suspicious? Why do you just keep glowering at the camera and at everyone else?

Based on what Boyfriend has told me happens in the comics, I'm waiting for the Govenor to show his evil side but I don't think that's really happened yet. He's actually supposed to be very molest-y but I don't think AMC would umm, show scenes like that on the channel.

Anyways, back to the pork chops. I think if they were a bit fattier, it would have been better. Served with garlic rosemary roast potatoes, sauteed spinach and tomato/avocado/onion salad.

Italian Pork Chops
from The Wednesday Chef

Good-quality pork chops, around 1/2 an inch thick
Coarse sea salt (do not use fine)
Lemon

Take a heavy frying pan and put it over medium-high heat. Coat one side of each pork chop evenly with one or two teaspoons of coarse salt, depending on the size of the chop. That's PER CHOP.

Lay the pork chops, unsalted side down, in the hot pan. No need to add oil. Let the chops fry until, the salt on top starts to go clear, meaning they've absorbed the liquid from the meat (a little less than ten minutes). Flip the chops to the salted side

Fry thie unsalted side for just a few minutes, until the salt sticks to the pan. Remove the chops to the serving plates and, using a spoon, scrape off the coarse salt and discard. Flip the chop again, so that the nicely browned side is facing up. Squeeze a good amount of lemon juice over each one and serve with more lemon on the side.

Ate a slice of Vanessa's birthday cake from dessert and it was wonderful. Happy early birthday, Vanessa!

The Walking Dead S3E4 - Pot Roast with Vegetables

I made pot roast. It tasted ... well to be quite honets, it tasted a bit like Campbell soup out of the can. But not just any Campbell's soup ... the thick n' chunky line, to be exact. I have no idea why it tasted that way, but at least now I know that I can make big batches of this and sell knockoff versions. Bampbell Soup, it'll be called. Nobody steal my idea!

The pot roast braised for three hours, which made the meat tender, but not as falling apart as I would like. Extra veggies were also added, so the meal wouldn't just be one big hunk of meat.

It looks very pretty though, when I had all the ingredients assembled. Also, let's talk for a minute about the Rachel Ray "garbage bowl" ... do you know that you can go to Target and buy a big ceramic bowl that says "garbage bowl" on it? First of all, it's such a waste because at the end of everything you have to wash yet another bowl. Second of all, you're spending probably $20 (I don't know how much it is) to buy a bowl that you basically can't use for anything else besides garbage ... who wants to eat salad out of that bowl? I have a much better idea ... behold the AZN GARBAGE BOWL.

Although now that I think about it, plastic trash bags may start becoming a bit harder to come by now that we're supposed to be bringing our own tote bags to the markets and stuff. Hmm ... maybe I will end up buying the garbage bowl after all!

Pot Roast with Vegetables
adapted from Tyler Florence

1 (3-4 lbpound) piece beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 14.5 oz can beef broth

Splash of cognac (optional)

2 yellow onions, quartered

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 bunch baby carrots

2 celery stalks, sliced

2 cartons button mushrooms, sliced in half

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper.

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot that has a tight cover; heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat. Brown the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Pour in the tomatoes, beef broth and cognac. Scatter the vegetables and herbs around the pot roast, season with additional salt and pepper. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Braise for about 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender.

Taste and season with more salt to taste. Slice the pot roast and arrnage on  platter surrounded by the vegetables. Serve with the pot juices.

Europane

Do you live in Los Angeles County ... or for that matter, do you live in Southern California? If so, please hurry and drive to Pasadena and go to Euro Pane. Order the egg salad sandwich. They recommend it on rosemary current bread but I prefer it on olive bread. All of their bread is baked fresh every day and if you like it, you can order it and take it home by the whole, unsliced loaf (if you want to be rustic) or you can ask them to slice it for you (if having unsliced bread is one of your #firstworldproblems or one of your #99problems).

You'll receive the egg salad with just the right amount of mayonnaise, with the yolks still moist and golden, garnished with chives and fresh pepper. There will be a red pepper pesto underneath and some field greens and arugula. Eating will be messy but oh so worth it. Afterwards, indulge in their baked goods ... namely macarons. They are huge, about 2.5 inches across. The salted caramel is the favorite here and is very good, though I had to admit that I do still prefer 'lette or Jin Patisserie.

I may have gone a little overboard in ordering macarons in the above picture but I enjoyed every bite of them. Also, their pear spice cake is amazing and I order it every time they have it. Come to think of it, I've never had anything bad from there or even mediocre. Once I ordered a roast beef sandwich and it was also awesome. Am I gushing too much? I love this place.

There are now two locations ... both on Colorado Blvd. The original one is near Lake Ave in a small two-story strip mall and that's the one I like better. For some reason, the egg salad tasted different at the other location. Also, the egg salad isn't ready until about 10am so you can't pick one up on the way to work and save it for lunch. Which makes me sad.

Euro Pane Bakery
950 E Colorado Blvd, #107, Pasadena, CA 91106

The Walking Dead S3E3 - Italian Meatballs (Part 1)

I knew it would be an uphill battle/trek because Boyfriend is Italian but this week for The Walking Dead Sunday supper, I decided to try to make meatballs. Some part of my mind had a beautiful amazing image that consisted of him taking one bite of the meatballs (which I've never made before; this was a first attempt) and proclaiming that they were the absolute best meatballs in the whole entire world, even better than his Grandma's meatballs. Umm that didn't happen.

Not to say that they turned out badly. Actually, he admitted that they were quite good for a first attempt but the recipe just needed some tweaking because there was still "some distance" between mine and his Italian grandmother's meatballs. After all, his Grandma had been making them for 70 years and this was my first try. Sadness.

I mixed the meats with fresh made Hawaiian breadcrumbs, spices and parsley by hand and formed them into uniformed sized balls. Then dropped them into sauce (without frying or baking them first) and simmered for three hours, stirring occasionally. Served with crusty Italian bread and a bell pepper, tomato, onion and avocado salad.

Next time I think I'm going tp substitute panko breadcrumbs for the fresh Hawaiian bread and up the amount of milk. Also, I'm going to use some fattier meat cuts. Maybe a hint of red wine vingear as tenderizer. Totally determined now to make some perfect meatballs!! Who wants to come over for dinner and help me eat them?

Authentic Italian Meatballs (Part 1)
adapted from Food.com
makes about 20 meatballs

Sauce

2 28-oz cans crushed tomato with basil

1 28-oz can peeled plum tomatoes

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 tspn kosher salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot (dutch oven) over medium heat, sautee onion and garlic until fragrant and soft, about 7 minutes. Pour the plum tomatoes into a bowl and squash by hand. Add the tomatoes and the rest of the imgredients into the pot and bring to a simmer.

Meatballs

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1 tsp salt

2 tsp oregano

2 Tbsp fresh parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together by hand. Don't overmix but make sure everything is blended nicely. Score into four equal sections; make each section into 5 slightly-larger-than-golfball sized meatballs. Drop raw meatballs into sauce and simmer for three hours.

Big Gay Ice Cream & Canter's Deli

I've heard a lot about the Big Gay Ice Cream truck, which is based out of New York and therefore very very far away for me to make a quick run to ... BUT then I found out that the truck was doing a pop-up week in Los Angeles! Even though I had to travel an hour and a half on a Friday night to get to Fairfax, it was worth every minute of the traffic time.

We got there only a few minutes after they opened and it was good that we did ... after we had finished ordering, there were about twenty people in line behind us. We also managed to chat with the owners a bit and advise them to visit Fossilman's in Alhambra.

salty pimp - vanilla, dulce de leche, sea salt, all dipped in chocolate

bea arthur - vanilla, crushed nilla wafers, dulce de leche

I wish the truck were here all the time, because then I'd eat it all the time. Next time I'd ask for more sea salt on the salty pimp; I really like salt. Also, I love how they fill the entire cone with ice cream so I didn't have to eat an empty cone at the end. Genius.

Afterwards, we walked down the street to Canter's Deli for a quick bite. I had wanted to go to Animal but Boyfriend wasn't feeling well and didn't want to super rich food there. We ended up ordering a bunch of different items ... actually, really random items.

chicken broth

complimentary pickles

hot tea with a ton of honey

liverwurst on rye with side of coleslaw

meatloaf, potato pancakes (instead of mashed potatoes), steamed veggies

You know, I never had meatloaf until I went to college ... I was in the Pippen dining hall of Middle Earth (seriously) with my friend Judith and I asked her what she was eating. I was thus introduced to both meatloaf and yellow squash. Meatloaf is magical! I seriously don't know why people make fun of it in books; I had only known of meatloaf's existence up to that point from books. Random tangent, but all you people out there need to appreciate the loaf!