Growing up in a Philadelphia suburb, I have vivid memories of a restaurant called the Country Squire Diner. It was one of those typical 1970′s diners with large booths. The restaurant had a long counter with round stools, and behind the counter were mirrored display cases with sundae dishes filled with cubed jello or fruit cup. Does anyone even serve fruit cup anymore…or jello? Anyway, what always caught my attention upon entering this place was the revolving display case with pre-cut pieces of cake, endlessly going around in circles.

Now these were huge hunks of cake, usually seven or eight layers. Chocolate, lemon, carrot cake and strawberry shortcake were popular 1970′s favorites. My friends and I would actually order those desserts, one for each of us, and finish them.  Those days are so over.  If you read my blog, then you know I make my desserts now in mini versions. Everything in moderation, right?

My family are big chocolate lovers, so I made these Mini Brownie Cupcakes. They’re not really brownies, nor are they cupcakes, but kinda like if a brownie and a cupcake had a kid, this is what you would get. There’s lots of bold cocoa flavor in these little mini’s. You can give them a dusting of confectioner’s sugar if you like, or maybe a drizzle of melted chocolate. For me, they’re a perfect, little treat.

Brownie Cupcake Bites

Adapted from Best Ever Cookie Collection

• 1 1/2 sticks of butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetend coca powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1 cup whole milk 

Recipe: Easy   

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Thomas Keller…if loving you is wrong, I don’t wanna’ be right. Folks, look at the photo above of Bouchon Bistro’s Croque Madame ($18.95). Pure French goodness all on one plate. Grilled ham and cheese on brioche topped with a Mornay sauce AND a perfectly, fried egg, partnered with crispy French fries. At the time it seemed so, so wrong, but it tasted so right.

I have been a fan of Chef Thomas Keller’s for a long time, a chef groupie if you will.  I own many of his cookbooks and have been regaled by friends of their experience at his iconic restaurant in Napa Valley called The French Laundry. Bouchon serves classic bistro fare, but really, they elevate it to a higher level. The restaurant itself is a rather grand space, very open with high ceilings and classic French decor, yet it felt very comfortable and casual to me. Before you enter the restaurant on the second level, there is a wine bistro and a take-out bakery on the first level.

My accomplice on this calorie consuming extravaganza is my friend Gail who shares my zest and zeal for dining adventures. Our plan was to share all our dishes to maximize how many different things we could taste. The strategy was soup, salad, sandwich and dessert.

Their soup special that day was a Potato Leek soup ($9). The soup was light and the flavors were subtle, so we had plenty of room left for their heartier dishes.

Their frisee salad with lardons, and poached egg with a bacon vinaigrette ($14) is my new favorite salad ever, it’s almost like a deconstructed BLT. I think the secret weapon here was the vinaigrette, which could make paper taste delicious. The toasted brioche was perfect for scooping every last bit of salad up.

As for dessert, we felt the only right thing to do was to have something chocolate, and a wise choice it was. The dark chocolate mousse with burnt orange cream ($10) for me was shear perfection. The mousse had rich chocolate flavor, but was not overly sweet and when you dipped it into the orange cream…well, you’ve just gotta try it yourself.

I would certainly go back to Bouchon again. For a short while I felt transported far across the ocean to a traditional bistro in the heart of Paris, even though I was just a block off of Wilshire Boulevard. The service was impeccable, and I loved the servers black vests and bow ties…so European. And, in a land where parking is at a premium, there is a lot right next door with 2 hour free parking. Lovely.

Bouchon Bistro – 235 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210  (310) 271-9910

Valentine’s Day is all about the Love, and I love cookies. I was recently contacted by Ogilvy Public Relations and asked if I would like to participate in a campaign for their client the American Chemistry Council. They had asked four bloggers to submit their favorite Valentine’s recipe for the campaign. As part of the project, ACC would send me an array of their plastic baking products such as mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, storage containers and silicone baking pans, (three big cartons full).

My recipe and photos are currently on their website for their “Plastics Makes It Possible” campaign, and you can view it right here. I was very honored that they chose to feature me, and was delighted to use the products that they sent me, as they really did enhance the baking process.

So, with Valentine’s Day being just a few days away, I hope you’ll try these shortbread cookies for your sweet-heart. The combination of fresh orange zest, cardamom and bittersweet chocolate is delish, and I put them on a stick…just because it’s fun! The first time I made these cookies, I dipped them in melted Nestle’s bittersweet morsels and I just couldn’t get the chocolate to the right consistency. I tried them again with Scharffen Berger Bitterweet Chocolate Baking Bar and the consistency was perfect, as was the taste. The better chocolate was twice the price of the morsels, but the appearance and taste of the Scharffen Berger was twice as good.

Bake some LOVE today!

Roll the cookies thick enough if you choose to insert the sticks

Orange Cardamom Shortbread Sweet-Hearts 

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• zest of 2 oranges
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 2 teaspoons vegetable shortening
• paper lollipop sticks from craft store
• heart-shaped decorations

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, add the flour, salt and ground cardamom, and whisk to incorporate all the ingredients. Set this bowl aside.
2.  Slice the butter into 1″ pieces and let it sit out until room temperature. Do not microwave. Using the paddle attachment on the electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. Add the sugar to the butter, beating for several minutes to incorporate. Then add the vanilla and continue to beat a minute longer.  With the mixer on low-medium speed, add the orange zest.
4. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture just until incorporated and a dough begins to form.
5. Take the dough out of the mixer bowl and press dough into a rectangular shape. Flatten out the rectangle with your rolling-pin and then wrap in plastic wrap for at least 2 hours or overnight.
6. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
7. When dough is chilled, roll out dough turning the dough 1/4 turn to achieve consistent thickness of the dough. Using cookie cutter, cut heart shapes. Cookies should be on the thicker side so that the sticks can be inserted into cookie.
8. Gently maneuver the sticks into the cookies. If the stick pops through in the back, patch with a piece of scrap dough. Chill cookies for 20 minutes
9. Prepare cookies sheets with parchment paper. Bake cookies 9-11 minutes, or until edges turn lightly brown.
10. Let cookies  cool on sheets for 10 minutes, then place cookies on cooling rack.
11. When cookies are completely cooled, gently melt chocolate over a double boiler, or in the microwave. Add the vegetable shortening and stir until dissolved.
12. Dip cookies half way into melted chocolate and then place cookies on parchment covered sheets until chocolate is set.
13. Decorate with chopped nuts, sprinkles of other garnish while chocolate is still wet.

Makes 24 cookies

I hope to get to Paris some day because I like many things about the French. Their “joie de vivre”, their art, music, clothing and especially their food. I often picture myself strolling up and down Parisian boulevards dining in one French bistro after another. Oh, and not getting fat. That would be very un-French. Since I was not getting out of the country today, I settled for getting out of the San Fernando Valley. I went with my friend Gail to The Original Farmers Market at Third & Fairfax, a Los Angeles institution since 1934. That’s where we stumbled upon Monsieur Marcel.

Monsieur Marcel is both a bistro and a marketplace, and very, very French. Before we could shop, we had to eat. There’s no indoor dining, it’s all outside. But as luck would have it, it was an eighty-degree February day…perfect for eating al fresco. To start with, what would be more French than French Onion Soup ($7.50). This one is perfectly done, with a rich, flavorful broth, tons of caramelized onions, and a gooey layer of Gruyère cheese. I’m not just saying it, but this is my new favorite onion soup. It was perfect.

sautéed leeks & artichoke hearts with St. Loup goat cheese

Quiche was very popular back in the eighties (for those of us who remember the eighties). It was served a lot at wedding showers and women’s luncheons. So, when I saw Quiche on the menu I was feeling a little nostalgic and thought I would give it a try.  This Quiche of sautéed leeks and artichoke hearts ($10.99) was the definition of French comfort food. It’s rich and decadent with chunky vegetables and goat cheese atop a lovely, crispy crust. This dish is definitely for splitting.

Endive salad with apples, walnuts & Roquefort cheese with a walnut vinaigrette

To counter-balance the richness of the previous two dishes, we ordered their endive salad ($13.99) with apples, walnuts and Roquefort cheese with a walnut vinaigrette.  The ingredients in the salad were crisp and fresh and the resulting salad was very flavorful. Three different dishes, with three different cheeses.

And speaking of cheese…After a most enjoyable lunch, it was time to wander into the marketplace. If you’re a lover of artisanal ingredients like I am, this place will give you goosebumps. They offer an extensive selection of high end wines, cheeses, charcuterie, chocolate and any other delicacy your heart could imagine.

Monsieur Marcel, Los Angeles Farmers Market, Third & Fairfax, Los Angeles, CA 90036  (323) 939-7792

As a kid, my most prized possession was my 120 color box of Crayola crayons. Some people were quite content with the eight-color pack, and that’s okay for them. But I could never be satisfied with just eight simple hues.  I clearly remember my excitement upon opening a new crayon box that had the built-in sharpener, and marveling at the vivid assortment of colors with names like Mango Tango, Mountain Meadow and Razzle Dazzle Rose.

I feel quite the same way about cooking. Some folks like to stay within their comfort zone when it comes to choosing ingredients, tending to shy away from something they’ve never worked with before or maybe never heard of.  I like to look at a market shelf like the big box of Crayola crayons with so many lovely choices. I was recently in an organic market near my home (PC Greens in Malibu) and spent about 20 minutes in front of their chocolate section.

Chocolate, you could say, is my drug of choice. I look at chocolate, like some women look at a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes. I stood there before the display, mesmerized by the almost endless variety of chocolate being offered to me. My eye was drawn (this is why packaging is so crucial) to a brand of chocolate called Taza. Taza, is stone ground, artisanal Mexican-style chocolate.  Taza makes a variety of  chocolate flavors like, Salted Almond, Coffee and Salt & Pepper. But I was intrigued by the Guajillo Chili flavor.

But what could I make with my new found treasure? Duh…chocolate chip cookies. Yes I thought, this would kick things up a notch, and turn my every day cookie into something more exotic. And I was right. I’m not just coloring with Red anymore, time to whip out the Wild Watermelon.  So, I present to you my Mexican chocolate chip cookies. Ay caramba!

 Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon, Vietnamese cinnamon (or regular cinnamon)
• 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chopped
• 3/4 cup, (5.4 ounces) Mexican chocolate, chopped

Recipe: Easy

It’s an absolutely beautiful day today in Los Angeles. The sun is shining (yes, again), the air is balmy, and I’ve decided to stay in and bake Lemon Muffins. I know, I know. I should go out and get some exercise, get that heart rate up and breathe some fresh air. But I can’t help myself, I just want to stay in and bake. I’m really not kidding when I say Mama’s Gotta Bake. But it’s okay, this is LA and it will be sunny again tomorrow. I promise, I’ll get out there tomorrow.

I still have half a bag of these Meyer lemons sitting on my countertop. They won’t last forever, so I’m foraging through the recipe file looking for a tasty way to use this beautiful citrus fruit. I found a recipe from The Los Angeles Times for Meyer Lemon Muffins. You could still make these muffins with regular lemons if you don’t have the Meyers, it’s just that they won’t be as sweet. But they’ll still be good. Anyway, what I like about these particular muffin tops is that the cinnamon and sugar sweetly caramelize the edges of the muffins and the lemon slice gives it a tart tang.

 Lemon Muffins

From The Los Angeles Times 

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 Meyer lemons (or regular lemons)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons sugar

You can make these muffins with muffin liners or without. I preferred the look of the muffins without the liners as they got a beautiful, golden brown. Either way, you’ll be pleased with the results.

Recipe: Easy

“Foodie” is kind of a silly word and an overused word, but I don’t know how else to describe myself. I am someone who definitely enjoys and appreciates good food, and loves to talk about it. Or in my case photograph it and write about it. Having  gone to culinary and pastry school, and having a son who is a chef; food is to my family what the Green Bay Packers are to a family in Wisconsin. It’s a passion and an obsession. So, when I find a restaurant that pays homage to good food, I feel compelled to share the experience with anyone reading this, hoping that they can share in my experience as well.

Fig & Olive is every foodie’s dream. They have three locations in New York and this West Hollywood location has been opened about 10 months. I’ll start off by telling you I liked everything about it. Naturally the first thing I noticed was the space itself.  It’s extremely open and airy with soaring ceilings and warm Mediterranean colors. There are olive trees and rosemary plants throughout the space, and the decor is simple, contemporary and casual. It’s very tasteful.

A trio of olive oils from Spain, Australia and Tunisia

As soon as my friend Gail and I were seated, we were brought a dish of fresh rustic bread and a trio of olive oils. The olive oils were from Spain, Australia and Tunisia and each one had it’s own distinct and unique flavor. When I opened the menu, quite honestly I found it hard to contain myself. Sometimes I’ll go to a restaurant and have trouble finding something I like on the menu. My problem was that I wanted everything on the menu. Check out the menu here, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Fig Gorgonzola Tartlet

Branzino Lemon Ceviche

We started off with their Fig Gorgonzola Tartlet ($15) with prosciutto, walnut and arugula over a perfectly crispy puff pastry. Visually it was like art, with beautifully layered flavors of salty, sweet and cheesy. We also ordered the Branzino Ceviche ($8).  Personally I’ve never been to a restaurant that served a ceviche with Branzino, (a member of the sea bass family found in northern Italy). The flavors were fresh and simple and let the Branzino shine through.

Romaine & Endive Baby Beet Salad

Gail and I split the Romaine and Endive Baby Beet Salad ($16) with apple, maple pecans and topped with a dollop of warm goat cheese and pistachios. The salad is dressed with raspberry sherry and Manzanillo olive oil. The beets were so sweet and the perfect compliment to the warm cheese and nut topping.

Marzipan Cake

You guys know me now, so you know that I love dessert. All their desserts are made in-house and we had a tough time choosing which to pick. So I will say this to you. If you ever go in there, start with dessert. We ordered the Marzipan Cake with Olive Oil Gelato, Candied Olive Oil and Toasted Almonds ($9). Each component by itself was incredibly delicious, but as a composed dish, it should be illegal. The Caramelized Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream ($9) was also well worth the extra calories.

Caramelized Apple Tart

I love when a restaurant nails it. It doesn’t happen very often, and that’s probably why restaurants come and go. But Fig & Olive scored high on food, ambiance and service. That’s what the customer is paying for, and that’s what I got.

Olive trees and rosemary plants

Terra cotta tones and a wall of olive oils

a 50' tasting bar

Fig & Olive, 8490 Melrose Place, West Hollywood, CA 90069  (310) 360-9100

I’m at it again with the mini desserts, I don’t know why. Certainly I could make full size desserts, it’s just that I find these mini’s so darn cute. I knew that I wanted to make lemon tarts today because the wintertime yields the most wonderful and fragrant varieties of citrus. I decided to hit up my local Costco in my quest for the fruit, and lo and behold they had the most gorgeous boxes of Meyer lemons.  I imagine most people wouldn’t react to fruit with such glee, but I have a hard time finding these; and when I do, they’re usually small and unattractive.

So, what you may ask is a Meyer lemon. They are a cross between a lemon and a Mandarin orange.  Their skins are thinner than your garden variety lemon, and the juice is sweeter. The Meyer lemon has less acid, a very floral scent and their season is usually between January and May. And by golly, I just love them.

I should point out, if you make these tarts in the mini muffin tin, please make sure you spray the tin sufficiently so the tarts will release easily. I also made some in 4 inch tart pans, and those were easier to release.

Anyway, I still have tons of these lemons left so you guessed it…Mama’s Gotta Bake somethin’ new tomorrow. I’m thinking muffins.

Mini Lemon Tarts

Tart Crust

From The Silver Palate Cookbook

• 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup fine granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 teaspoons cold water

Directions

1. Sift flour, sugar and salt into mixing bowl. Cut chilled butter into pieces into the bowl. Using your fingertips, quickly rub the butter and dry ingredients together until the mixture resembles coarse meal
2. Stir egg yolks, vanilla and water together and add to the flour-butter mixture and blend in using a fork. Shape dough into a ball.
3. Place the ball of dough on a pastry board. With the heel of your hand, smear about 1/4 cup of dough away from you into a 6-8 inch smear; repeat until all the dough has been dealt with. Scrape dough together; reform into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for about 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tin with cooking spray well so the crusts will not stick to the pan.  Roll the dough out between 2 sheets of wax paper. Using a 2″ round cookie cutter, cut circles and tuck the dough into muffin cups, pressing with your fingertips so that the dough comes up the sides of the cup.
5. Using a fork prick the bottoms of each dough cup. Then cut 3″ squares of foil and press them into the inside of the dough cups. Use pie weights, beans or rice or even pennies to weigh down the foil. 
6. Bake the crusts for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and take out the foil and pie weights and then return the crusts to the oven for another 5-9 minutes until the crusts are lightly golden on the edges.  Everyone’s oven is different so you really have to keep an eye on the crusts. It’s not so much about the time, but how they visually look. You don’t want an undercooked dough, and you don’t want the crust too dark as it will be very dry and crumbly.

Press the dough rounds into the mini muffin tin

This is what it looked like with the foil and pie weights

Meyer Lemon Filling

Adapted from Joy of Baking

• 5 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
2. In a food processor or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the cream cheese and process until smooth. Add the sugar and process until incorporated. Add the eggs and process until thoroughly combined. Add the lemon juice and zest and process until well blended and smooth.
3. Using a tablespoon, I spooned the mixture into the individual tarts, filling to the top.
4. I baked the mini tarts for about 10 minutes.  The tarts are done when the filling is set. It took my oven about 10 minutes.
5. Let cool for about 15 minutes, then gently remove them from the pan.  I sprayed the pan well so the tarts released very easily.

You can garnish the tarts with fresh whipped cream and a wedge of lemon if you like. The recipe makes 24 mini tarts, or one-9″ tart.

I love my Meyer lemons

Recipe: Intermediate 

You can view this recipe and others at Crumbs and Chaos.

My husband and I have this weird obsession with French onion soup. We order it in every restaurant we go to that has it on the menu. Although it’s a fairly simple soup, you would be surprised how differently, different restaurants prepare it. He and I took a vote, and we decided the best we’ve had so far is at a place called Cafe Cigale in Oak Park (the Agoura/Thousand Oaks area, if you’re a local).

During the winter I like to make this soup at home, it’s really a no-fail recipe. This rich and hearty soup is perfect for dinner parties, or just cold, blustery nights when you need your insides warmed-up. (It was in fact 80 degrees here today, but I made it anyway!)  You might want to use a variety of onions such as yellow, red and sweet for a little more complex flavor. Either way, I just love the melt-y, crust-y, bubbly cheese on top when you first take it out of the oven. It’s so good!

French Onion Soup

Adapted From Williams Sonoma

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 2 1/2 lbs. yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 8 cups beef stock
• 1 bay leaf
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 French baguette
• 3 cups shredded Gruyère cheese

You’ve gotta love the Southern California winters.  It’s two days before New Year’s and Jimi (my doggie) and I are strolling around the neighborhood in summer clothing. Well, I was the one wearing the summer clothing, but it was hard to believe it was 73 degrees in the dead of winter.  Every New Year’s for about the last ten years, we’ve gone to my friend Cindy’s house to celebrate with a fun group of people. Gone are my  disco days of the 70′s of ringing in the New Year at some loud nightclub until 3 am. Now I’m home in bed by 12:15, and I kind of like it that way. Yeah, I’m getting old.

Anyway, I was asked to bring a dessert to this gathering and I decided I would bring this sour cream coffee cake. If you’re looking for something to bring to your New Year’s gathering, this cake is a winner. It’s easy, and I never met anyone who didn’t like it.

To all my friends who have followed this blog for the past year, I thank you for reading, I hope I’ve entertained you, and I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chips & Pecans

Adapted from Heirloom Bakery & Cafe

Topping

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, until incorporated, then beat in the sour cream and vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the butter and egg mixture. Continue folding until no lumps remain.
5. Spray a 9-inch baking pan, and spoon half the batter into the pan, then layer with half the topping. Layer with the remaining batter, and remaining topping. Bake until the cake is puffed and golden and when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Check this out and many other recipes at: Crumbs & Chaos

Recipe: Easy