Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Nutella-Filled Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies


Now, those cookies may not look like much from the outside. But on the inside (where it really matters, amirite?) there is a delicious, melt-y, chocolate-y NUTELLA center. And no one can resist nutella. Keep that in mind the next time someone approaches you at a bar. Get to know them. They may be filled with nutella too!


As part of the 2015 Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, I baked the above cookie and sent them out to my three match-ups ... Lynsey Lou's, The Kitchen Adventurer and Recipe Runner. Hopefully the ladies enjoyed their cookies - and from the Instagram posts I got, I think they did! My coworkers also enjoyed the sample that I gave them so I'll need to bake more soon.

Every year, I participate in this cookie exchange as part of the holidays, but the great thing about it is that to participate, the swappers are asked to donate $4 and the proceeds to go Cookies for Kids' Cancer. In the last few years, we've raised over $7,000 with just this exchange during the holidays, in tandem with the brand partners (Dixie Crystals, Land O Lakes and OXO), who match all contributions 1:1. Not only that but they send us nifty little gifts for participating! This year I got a set of measuring beakers and a silicon baking mat - both super cool!

Definitely think of joining next year if you're also a blogger - it's fun and everything goes to a great cause!

Nutella-Filled Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Layers of Happiness

1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
4 Tbsp of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Nutella (refrigerated)

First of all, refrigerate your nutella. I can't stress this enough. If I have an enemy, I'm just going to cover them in nutella and they'll go insane trying to get it off. IT GETS EVERYWHERE when it's at room temperature.

In a skillet (preferably not coated), melt butter over medium heat - stirring constantly. Once the butter begins to foam and has the aroma of a nutty flavor, remove it from the heat immediately or the butter will burn and that's no good for everyone. It will be slightly brown at the bottom of the pan. Set it aside and let it cool down.



In a medium bowl, combine the flour and baking soda, incorporating well.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cooled brown butter, salt and sugars, blending thoroughly. Add in the egg and egg yolk, pumpkin, spices and vanilla - mix well again. Turn down the mixer to the lowest speed and add the flour mixture slowly. Remove from the blender and fold in all the chocolate chips.

Chill dough for 2-3 hours to make it easier to work with. Preheat oven to 350degrees.

Measure out 1.5 tablespoons of dough out and smash it flat between your palms. Put a chunk of refrigerated nutella in the middle, then roll the rough around it and form a ball, sealing the nutella completely.

The best way to do this is to use two knives so your hands never touch the nutella. It helps if you have a sheet of Saran Wrap laid out and you can take out a few chunks at a time, and keep refrigerating the rest. Don't ever touch the nutella!!



Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until they begin to turn brown. Don't worry if they look underdone in the middle - you don't want fully cooked nutella!

Thanks to the ladies of Ambrosia Baking for your chewy ginger molasses chews, The P.K.P. Way for your holidays spice coookies and a mystery sender that sent chocolate peppermint crunch cookies for my sweets - my coworkers and I enjoyed them immensely!!

Looking forward to the 2016 cookie swap!!

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Coconut Curry Cauliflower Soup


Coconut curry cauliflower soup. Say that ten times fast. I've only had this soup one time at Mendocino Farms but it was enough to make an impression on me cause it was absolutely DELICIOUS. I've made some homemade version modifications to this soup to cut the calories and boost the fiber content and I'm very pleased with the results.

Definitely set aside a couple hours to make this soup. Don't let the thought of that be too daunting; soup making is therapeutic and the house will smell amazing. Read the entire recipe first, as some of the steps can be done simultaneously.

I took this soup to work and it was devoured by the girls for lunch. Since there is coconut milk in it, it probably won't freeze too well but will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Coconut Curry Cauliflower Soup
adapted from LA Times
makes about 3 quarts soup

First, make the lentils and lentil stock:

2 cups green lentils
1 small carrot, quartered
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
2 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
2 sprigs thyme
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp kosher salt
6 cups water

Rinse the lentils and place in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the carrot, onion, garlic, thyme, olive oil, salt and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, skim any scum floating on top and loosely cover. Cook until the lentils are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from heat and remove the carrot, onion, garlic and thyme with a pair of tongs. Strain the lentils, reserving 4 cups of the lentil stock and 2 cups of the cooked lentils (use the remaining stock and lentils for another recipe). If you are short the 4 cups stock, you can add enough water to make 4 cups - the soup will taste just as good!

Now you're ready to make the soup! ...



1 medium-large head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 large carrot, finely and evenly diced
1/3 to 1/2 cup oil, divided
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 onion, minced
3/4 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
4 cups lentil stock (above)
2 cups water
1 11 oz package coconut milk
2 Tbsp agave nectar or honey
2 cups cooked lentils (above)
2-3 cups Tuscan kale, finely chopped/shredded

Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Take the cauliflower and cut off the tiny, cute florets at the top to leave whole in the soup (2 cups worth) and toss with the diced carrot in 2 tablespoons oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread the cauliflower and carrots onto a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender and slightly golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and set aside for the end of the recipe.

Toss the remaining cauliflower with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread out onto a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes; use this for the soup.

** The cauliflower roasting can be done at the same time as the lentils are cooking.

In a medium, heavy-bottomed pot, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the roasted cauliflower (not the small pretty pieces), potatoes, curry powder, turmeric, cayenne and black pepper, the four cups lentil stock and two cups water.

Bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer, loosely cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk.

Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil, then remove from heat. Cool the soup slightly, then purée with an immersion blender until smooth. You can also purée in batches in a blender, but be careful not to burn yourself.

Add the agave nectar and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in the cooked lentils, roasted cauliflower and carrots, and the shredded Tuscan kale.

Gently reheat, then taste and add more salt as needed.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap Year 5


I'm joining again this year!! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to participate last year due to a hectic work and travelling schedule but this year ... everyone at my work will be eating cookies, all day every day. Can't wait to see what gets delivered to my door in a few weeks.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Romesco Sauce


Guys. Look at that picture. I know the vegetable looks kind of weird - that's broccoflower, which is a hybrid cross between broccoli and cauliflower (clever, huh?). But don't focus on the genetically mutated cross-bred vegetable, Focus on what's underneath the broccoflower - the romesco sauce. I wanted to eat that sauce with a spoon, in great big mouthfuls. But I refrained cause I'm a lady.

The sauce pairs well with chicken, beef and basically any sort of roasted vegetable. I roasted more cauliflower afterwards and it also tasted great!

Romesco Sauce
adapted from Melissa Clark

2 medium red bell peppers, halved and cored
1 plum tomato, halved
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup peeled almonds (or peeled hazelnuts)
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar (or combination of Shaoxing wine and red wine vinegar)
1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses or 1 tsp honey
1 1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt

Set oven to broil and arrange the bell peppers (cut side down), the tomato (cut side up) and garlic on a baking sheet. Broil until the garlic turns a golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Turn garlic and broil a couple minutes more. Transfer garlic to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Continue to broil peppers and tomatoes until the peppers are charred and blackened, about another 5-10 minutes. Remove to the same bowl as the garlic, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to cool.

In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the almonds. Once they are a light golden brown, transfer to a food processor and pulse until they are broken up (not too fine).

Peel the skins off the peppers and tomatoes, being careful as they are hot. The skins should come off fairly easily, but just try to get most of it.

Combine the rest of the ingredients into the food processor with the almonds. Puree until almost smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more vinegar, honey or salt as needed. Eat with roasted veggies!

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Lobster Stock


What do you do when you have a ton of leftover lobster carcasses? If your answer is "throw them away, of course - the delicious lobster meat is gone and that's trash" then that answer is wrong! Take the shells and make a delicious, rich lobster stock. The stock is very versatile - use it as a base for a lobster bisque, seafood soups, chowders, seafood pot pies, etc.

After you eat the lobsters, scoop out the thick roe on the inside and save that for another use. My mom is going to make porridge with it tonight, which is also very exciting - but beware of the cholesterol levels, if that's an issue for you. Also, remove the gills and any innards.

Simmering the stock made my apartment smell amazing and seafood-y (is that a word?). I think the first thing I'm going to make is lobster miso soup, much like the kind made from the heads of sweet shrimp at Japanese restaurants (amaebi). Just add some miso and a few cubes of tofu and I'll be good to go!

Lobster Stock
Makes about 2-3 quarts

Carcasses and shells from two lobsters
3 Tbps canola or vegetable oil
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 carrot, cut into chunks
2 Tbps tomato paste or 2 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup mirin
1/3 cup dry white wine (or 2/3 cup if not using mirin)
8-10 cups water

Heat oil in large stockpot over medium heat. When the oil is hot (but not smoking), add lobster shells. Stir often with a wooden spoon until they are browned, about 15 minutes. The longer you deepen the color, the more flavorful the stock will be.

Add onion, carrot, tomato paste (or tomatoes), mirin and wine. Cook until the wine has evaporated by half. Add water and bring stock to a simmer. Continue to simmer for an hour, uncovered. Strain stock and keep at room temperature for up to a day, or refrigerate for a week. Freeze for up to three months.

Friday, June 26, 2015

Berkeley - Chez Panisse


After the most disappointing dinner of my life, I really wanted to redeem the rest of the trip. Luckily, I was able to snag a last minute reservation at another bucket list item restaurant - Chez Panisse. Obviously I didn't learn from the day before's experience because I was immediately excited and my expectations were high. This time though, everything worked out!



The menu changes daily, which is fantastic. Alice Waters was a big pioneer of the farm to table movement in California and it really showed in her dishes. Plus, the restaurant itself is adorable!

Acme bread for the table

Blue Heron Farm Little Gems lettuce with green goddess dressing and radishes

local halibut tartare with shaved spring vegetables, Belgian endive and citrus vinagrette

fazzoletti pasta with basil pesto and cherry tomatoes

grilled Liberty Farm duck breast with fried new potatoes, sweet peas and sauce hachée

bittersweet chocolate pavé with stracciatella ice cream and caramel sauce

apricot galette with vanilla ice cream

I can't rave enough about the meal I had here. THIS is exactly how duck should have been done at Ad Lib ... soft, tender and perfectly medium rare. I think it was the best duck I've ever had, which only served to enrage me more about the previous night's dinner. If you get the chance, definitely go to Chez Panisse ... SO GOOD.

Chez Panisse
1517 Shattuck Ave, Berkley, CA 94709

Monday, June 22, 2015

Napa - Ad Lib at Royal Oak (Silverado Resort)


When French Laundry closed for renovations/expansions a few months ago, the ever-innovative Thomas Keller looked to the Silverado Resort in Yountville/Napa and opened a pop-up concept. Since the pop-up is a takeover of one of the country club's restaurants, TK decided to do a homage to the country club cuisine.

Nancy, Hua and I headed there over Memorial Day weekend, keeping our fingers furtively crossed that TK would be at the restaurant, carving beef wellingtons or tossing Caesar salads tableside. It would have been amazing! We were fan-girl-excited at this very thought.

front view of the Silverado Resort

Since there were three of us, we decided to go with three appetizers, entrees for four, a bunch of sides and a few desserts. Nancy and I traveled far to eat here; don't judge. Plus, since this is a temporary concept and though there is no actual end date, we didn't want to miss out on any amazing dishes. Basically we experienced FOMO to the max.



Bread was served to the table warm and the butter/salt combination was delicious. We were off to a great start. Excitement levels high at this point. Plus, we kept craning our necks for TK to appear.

duck liver mousse, kumquat jam

lamb carpaccio, compressed cucumbers, pearl onions, mint crème fraîche


classic Caesar salad, prepared tableside

Appetizers were solid. The Caesar salad could have used like, double or triple the amount of lettuce for the dressing that was on it, but I generally like very lightly dressed salads. The mousse was good but I wasn't too fond of the lamb carpaccio. Nancy and Hua liked it though. I liked how good looking our server was ...



prime beef short-rib "wellington" (serves two)

Liberty Farms duck breast, mustard fruits, sauce "bigarade"

grilled Elysian Fields Farm lamb t-bone

With these entrees for *ahem* four people, we also ordered a bunch of side dishes. Basically we ordered everything that looked interesting and/or delicious. Cause treat yoself.

crispy fingerling potatoes with caramelized sweet onions

crispy cauliflower with garden dill and sour cream

garden carrots glazed with wildflower honey

The entree round is where the meal started to fall apart. The beef wellington was really good, but honestly, it's hard to mess up or overcook short ribs. They get MORE tender the longer you cook them! Short ribs are very forgiving. The duck was a bit overcooked; more on the medium side than the medium rare that we requested. The sauce was also very thick and very sweet.

Our biggest beef was with the lamb (haha). It was definitely cook to well done - the meat was gray all the way through with no hint of pink, and ended up being tough and chewy. It's very, very rare that I send something back to the kitchen but for a $54 dish ... they should be able to execute it properly. Then the second one we received was still overcooked! Albeit slightly less overcooked, but it was still medium-well. The server asked us to cut into the middle (she hoped it would be more pink) but nope, fail. However, she did say that she would take it off the check.

Sides were solid but the carrots were also a bit overcooked. They were almost a bit mushy. The potatoes were well crisped but I feel like I could have made them myself - they're just roasted.

pineapple upside down cake, rum syrup, roasted macadamia nuts

meyer lemon chiffon pie

There was no saving desserts after the entrees. The pineapple upside cake had a weird crumbly texture and the whipped cream on top tasted exactly like the whipped cream on top of the mango pudding at dim sum (it took me a week of thinking to figure that out). The lemon curd and meringue was good on the chiffon pie but the crust was thin, brittle and slightly tasteless.

The bill came out to over $100 per person, before tip - and this was with the $54 lamb taken off the tab. As Nancy said, we spent a pretty penny for sub-par Thomas Keller food.

Honestly, I've never been more disappointed in a meal in my life. It's not to say that I haven't had worse food but our expectations were high, especially at a restaurant with Thomas Keller's name attached to it. Especially since Nancy and I flew up from Southern California to eat here. And TK wasn't there that night either! If I had gotten a picture with him, it would have at least saved the night a little bit. I understand the country club homage concept so I wasn't expecting French Laundry level plating but in terms of execution ... at least make the food taste good!

Conclusion: sad faces all around.

Ad Lib Pop-Up
1600 Atlast Peak Rd, Napa, California

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

CUCINA Enoteca Irvine


Are you already excited by all the food in the picture above? I am! I've never thought of Irvine Spectrum as a dining destination. However, when I was invited to dinner at Cucina Enoteca, I was game to give the place a try. And I was pleasantly surprised!

The menu is varied with large and small plates, which is great for either a full on dinner or just some appetizers with drinks. You can go for a cheese/charcuterie board, vasis (mason jars full of antipasti dips), bruschettas, appetizers, pastas, pizzas, and entrees. Also, the food arrived FAST (within 15 minutes of ordering) so if you're going to watch a movie across the way, no worries - you'll get in and out in record time.

Since we were so overwhelmed with options, we decided to go family style.

vasi - burrata, roasted garlic

grilled octopus, pickled beech mushroom, charred spring onion, acqua pazza aioli, black garlic and corriander vinagrette

chopped salad, escarole, radicchio, casalingo salumi, caciocavallo, pickled shishito, parmesan crouton, ceci bean, castelvetrano, garlic oregano vinagrette

risotto carbonara, pancetta, pea, pecorino, farm egg

short rib pappardelle, cremini mushroom, carrot, parmigiano

linguine+clams, salametto piccante, chili, white wine brodo, fettunta

tiramisu in a jar, mascarpone mousse, lady fingers, chocolate
dark chocolate budino, crème fraîche, amaretti cookie

As previously stated, I was extremely surprised by how great this meal was! We attacked the food as soon as it came so some of the pictures are not perfect (egg yolk broken, salad scooping in action) so I apologize .. but everything was well executed, season perfectly and arrived at the table piping hot, even though it all came out within 15 minutes of us ordering.

My only gripes are that half of the seating is outdoors so if you're sensitive to the weather, you may want to make a reservation and request an inside seat. And we ordered a non-alcoholic soda. the "aquazul" (strawberry, mint, lime, ginger, soda) and it was $7, which we thought was a bit steep. My friend probably didn't look at the price before she ordered it because she was a bit surprised.

CUCINA Enoteca Irvine
Irvine Spectrum across from movie theatre
532 Spectrum Center Dr, Irvine, California

Monday, May 18, 2015

Redbird


A few weeks ago, I was able to meet up with Weezermonkey for lunch (yay!) and we decided to check out Redbird, a newly opened restaurant in DTLA. The space is formerly the Vibiana Cathedral on the outskirts of Little Tokyo so needless to say, it's well-lit and gorgeous. The day was hot, so we opted to go for a lighter lunch. And I just realized that the above photo was taken by her.

new caledonia shrimp, grits, cocoa nib chipotle mole

burrata salad, sweet and sour pears, duck proscuitto, pistachio, red watercress

gnocchetti sardi, Maine lobster, black trumpets, nettles, tomato confit

grilled prime hanger steak, crushed peewee potatoes, wild broccoli, black garlic gremolata

A bit on the pricey side but all-in-all a great lunch! The hanger steak was amazing ... well cooked and tender. It was probably the best deal on the menu for lunch. The chicken potpie also looked really good but the weather was way too hot to have potpie. Too bad we skipped dessert cause it would have been interesting to see if the greatness would continue. Until next time ...

Can't wait to try the next place with you, Weezermonkey!

Redbird
114 W Second St, Los Angeles, CA