ile flottante

ile flottante at flo nice

i have to admit that i've maintained somewhat of a vendetta against french food most of my life. many of you will be happy to hear that this opinion was shattered during a trip to nice a couple of years ago...yes, a couple of years ago. i have been waiting that long to write this particular entry. i discovered something there so special, unique and fun that i felt i had to find a version of this dish stateside before i could write and share it. because what fun would it be if you had to travel to france to experience it for yourself? okay, maybe i'll take that one back...

imagine this: you walk into a large restaurant to the sight of an army of waiters, half of them with one arm lifted high above their head with a white bowl perched on top. in each bowl is a giant white glowing orb. i might as well have yelped like a small child and asked the first person i could find what THAT was. then i not-so-patiently sat through an entire (glorious) meal, waiting until the moment i could experience the magic orb in all its glory.

ILE FLOTTANTE! essentially, this dessert is a meringue ball/cube/other shape floating in a bowl of creme anglaise. yum. but as you can see, the presentation is quite remarkable. especially when you have a giant ball of meringue in front of you that is practically as large as your face. if you're headed across the atlantic, i'd recommend the version at flo brasserie. but as for the rest of us, a similar version (although not quite as grand in appearance--i promise it makes up for it in taste), can be found at bouchon.

ile flottante at bouchon in las vegas

for all practical purposes, let's discuss the actual flavor makeup of our good ol' u.s. of a location. bouchon's version was a little different because the meringue had a bit of a denser consistency which made the taste a little richer. the winner here was the salty carmel sauce drizzled on top. good thing they provide you with an entire dish of it (and not just what's drizzled on top). momma zo and i practically drank the rest of it. seriously dangerous. in the best way possible of course...

chocolate pecan pie with bourbon

for some, the holiday season and pie are synonymous. i can't say that i'm a huge fan of either (holidays=winter, why have pie when you can have cake or ice cream?) but thanksgiving and pecan pie break these boundaries for me.

when a dear friend was in charge of the pecan pie for thanksgiving dinner, she openly accommodated the idea of a bourbon and chocolate tweak. i mean, seriously, BOURBON AND CHOCOLATE, what's not to like??!! seeing as we had maaaany other dishes to cook, we did not make our own pie crust. go ahead, get mad. but we did make the most important part (the bourbon and chocolate...catching on here?) we bought a gluten-free crust from whole foods. which really wasn't half bad.

don't be fooled, this pie would be good at any time of year.

chocolate pecan pie with bourbon

from food & wine

crust (if you feel you have the time for this)

• 1 1/4 cups flour-substance
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup ice water
  

filling (this is the good stuff)

• 2 cups (about 7 ounces) pecans
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons bourbon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

• make the crust: in a food processor, pulse the flour with the sugar and salt. add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. transfer to a bowl and stir in the ice water. knead the dough 2 or 3 times on a lightly floured surface and pat into a disk. wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 12-inch round. fit the dough into a 9-inch glass pie plate. trim the overhang to 1/2 inch, fold the edge under itself and crimp decoratively. refrigerate until firm.

• make the filling: preheat the oven to 375°. toast the pecans on a baking sheet for about 8 minutes, or until fragrant; coarsely chop.
  
• in a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, melted butter, bourbon and salt until blended. stir in the pecans and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
• pour the filling into the pie shell. bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for about 55 minutes, or until the center of the pie is set.
  
• cool for at least 1 hour before serving. (or until you can't stand it any longer)

mcrib & the broham

you may have heard the recent mcrib rage. when serious eats wrote about it, i knew there was something to be discussed. so i referred to a conversation the broham and i had last winter, wherein
i learned about his mcrib addiction. but before i present my first guest author, the broham, with his official mcrib review, i'd like to provide the following conversation excerpt:

bro: Me thinks it might be time to fetch some luncheon

ggz: lovely, what's on the menu?

bro: Mc fucking Rib. I hate myself.

ggz: ew no noooooooooooo don't do it!!!!!!

bro: UGH IT’S DELICIOUS

ggz: seriously mcrib? wtf?

bro: I know... I KNOW ARGH!

bro: I know it’s terrible, and I feel bad after I eat it. It’s like a horrible drug. Fucking heroin of the tummy. Fantastic while eating, and afterward...the guilt. BUT I CAN'T STOP DROOLING!!!! Okay, I'm going to get this filth, and I'll be back.

bro: I shall type a narrative to you of its filth. The very odd, nearly black "barbecue sauce" they put on it... I NEED IT NOW!!!! ARGH ::Leaves.::

so without further adieu, i bring you the broham:

the broham's mcrib review

"A boneless pork patty smothered with our tangy sauce, topped with pickles and chopped onions." It sounds innocent enough, but to eat one of these is surely to invite death. It is an unnatural creation brought from the darkest recesses of the McDick's test kitchen. And since the McRib resurfaced I've had four.

When you first open the box , you're greeted by a rather depressing sight. The bun usually sits off kilter, and the bright burgundy sauce has smeared inside the box. But they drown the fucking thing in it. Picking it up is something of an exercise in dexterity because when I say "smothered", I mean it. The bun tends to slip around a bit if you aren't careful. Biting into it is a startling sensation, because there is very little texture difference between the bun and the reconstituted pig hooves and ears they call pork. The bun if firm and the meat is spongy. The taste is like a tangy ketchup flavor mixed with a vague and generic "meat" flavor.

Each bite is more fantastic that than the last. The "flavor" punctuated by a salty fry or bubbly slurp of Coke (gotta have that value meal). It's a positively suicidal way to enjoy myself for the 15 or 20 minutes it usually takes me to devour it. And how do I know this is so suicidal? Because about 20 minutes after I finish I begin to feel what I describe as the "McBrick." And what is shocking is how true that feels. If you press on my stomach (which I invite you all to do, of course), it actually feels...hard. This is of course a sign that I am going to die within moments. And that's how I feel. And that's how I feel every time. And I'm going to have another. Or maybe I'll learn and stop doing this to myself. Nah.

Note: I would like to thank my dear sister for not only allowing me on her blog, but not disowning me.

double note (p.p.s.): go go zo DOES NOT condone the consumption of the mcrib or anything else golden arches related.

p.p.p.s: if you skip the bun, the mcrib is actually wheat-free (alarming, i know)

squash pancakes and pumpkin waffles

i've done the pumpkin pancake thing before. but for some reason, taking my fresh csa squash and mixing it into a pancake recipe seemed fresher, healthier and more innovative. especially considering it was a winter squash--something that in my mind doesn't automatically belong in a pancake. and i had a squash i need to use. a scenario that tends to be my motivating factor.

thanks to a squash site, i identified my winter squash as a delicata squash. it resulted in a wonderfully moist pancake with a great texture. the squash was not overwhelming in flavor and provided much more of a desirable consistency than anything else. and it was easy too. i just took my normal pancake recipe, added a freshly roasted and pureed winter squash to the batter and threw in some chopped walnuts for good measure.

you want another breakfast squash recipe? and what's that? you don't want healthy-feeling pancakes?


pumpkin waffles (aka pumpkin pancakes meet waffles)

i am confident in saying that the best way to serve these is layered with cheddar cheese (so that it melts) and topped with maple yogurt. yes, you heard me right. now go forth and conquer the cheddar-maple-waffle world that lays before you! or throw that squash you've been saving into your sunday pancake batter.

squash pancakes or pumpkin waffles

because of the similar consistency of squash and pancake or waffle batter, i merely added a cup of squash to a batch of batter. depending on the type of squash you use, you may have to thicken (add more flour) or thin (add more liquids) out the batters. in my case, i used canned pumpkin with the waffles, which left no adjustments. in fact, i added some extra pumpkin without having to adjust anything else. for the pancakes, i added some liquid to the squash to get it to more of a puree, since it was rather thick after roasting.

mercadito's tacos de camarón

you may know my opinions about mercadito. so when i received an email about a mercadito "cooking class" i was ecstatic--and demanded friend number 2 join me.

when we showed up and saw what was on the menu for the demonstration (not really a cooking class), i got even more excited: mercadito's chipotle shrimp tacos! they're literally one of my 2 choices to order every time i'm there (my other choice is the chicken tacos with crispy manchego and pickled sweet potato. now if only i could get my hands on the recipes for those pickles...)

as for the demonstration, executive chef-owner patricio sandoval was a wonderfully engaging host. he talked and cooked, we ate...all in all a beautiful thing. especially when you consider we walked away stuffed with delicious food (an assortment of tastings of guacamole, ceviche, tacos and dessert aaaaaand a pepino margarita) for $45 AND the recipes to recreate at home--I WIN! ahem. WE win!

keep your eyes on the sabores autenticos de mexico website for upcoming cooking demonstrations and events including mexican restaurant week.

a little less exciting than all of this awesomeness was learning the secret of what makes the shrimp tacos so delicious: mounting the sauce. aka adding tons and tons of butter. more specifically, whisking cold butter into the sauce at the end of cooking it. i should have guessed...so, if you're in the mood for something delicious and slightly indulgent, have at it. or on a less-indulgent day, skimp out on the butter (which is what friend number 2 and i did the other day when we finally got around to trying the recipe for ourselves).

mercadito's tacos de camarón
courtesy of patricio sandoval

makes 4 tacos

• 2 tablespoons canola/olive oil blend
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons red onion, diced
• 6 ounces marinated shrimp (recipe below)
• 2 teaspoons chipotle puree (we blended chipotles in adobo, since they're easiest to find. if you use these, just make sure to taste as you go so that you don't wind up with something that's too hot to eat...)
  
• lemon juice to taste
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• salt to taste
• 4 homemade corn tortillas (ha, whoops, i must have left my homemade tortillas at home...not gonna happen)
  
• 4 slices avocado

• heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet; sauté 1 tablespoon garlic until brown. add red onion and sauté 30 seconds.
• add marinated shrimp and cook 1 minute. stir in 2 teaspoons chipotle puree, lemon juice, and butter; season with salt to taste. cook 2 to 4 minutes.
• heat corn tortillas. top each with shrimp and 1 slice of avocado.

marinated shrimp

• 6 ounces diced shrimp
• 1/2 can of chipotle peppers (blend chipotle peppers in blender)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

glorified grilled cheese

when is grilled cheese okay for breakfast? when it has an egg on it! (or all the time). in any case, a wonderfully crusty spelt loaf and aged cheddar were beckoning and i couldn't wait until lunch.

i topped my sandwich (instead of stuffing it) with an egg, heirloom tomato slice and a ginormous basil leaf, because i was really looking for a grilled cheese vehicle and wanted to keep my cheesy goodness purely intact as possible.

if you're gonna go this route (extra toppings or not), there are very few ingredients involved so quality is crucial. i mean it! do no skimp. save your wonder bread and american cheese for something else. and as we transition to the fall season, read up on your heirlooms, if you haven't already. i must say, they were absolutely out of control at the santa monica farmers market a couple of weekends ago.
glorified grilled cheese

• cheese: a nice aged cheddar made me happy
  
• bread: crusty, please!
  
• nice thick slice of tomato
• a couple of basil leaves
  
• fried egg: over easy, lots of yolk, please

• combine as desired. in my case, this involved buttering two slices of bread, frying them butter side down with cheese on top, cooking until the cheese melted , sticking them together and topping them with the rest of the ingredients.

baked honey figs

by now you probably realize that i develop food obsessions. i.e. i'll get an item in my head and can't shake it out until i accomplish global food domination! aka cook that food and eat it asap.

this week's (and last month's) obsession? figs! so when i saw a basket of these yummy morsels at the farmer's market last week in la, i NEEDED them. really, i was beyond want; i'm talking desperate need. and then i had them at home and wanted to do something with them. some quick internet research yielded a few baked honey fig ideas but i focused on a simple recipe from amateur gourmet as a jumping off point.

in a nutshell: cut open figs, drizzle with honey, citrus, vanilla mixture, and bake until bubbly. serve with a dairy item. (for specifics, see below)

as an accompaniment, i recommend my latest obsession: humboldt fog cheese. make sure to let it sit out to uh, mellow and do it's thing. you won't be sorry.

yummy figs
adapted from amateur gourmet

• figs
• honey
• splash of vanilla
• liiiiitle bit of citrus: original recipe calls for orange zest but all i had was lemonade, so in it went

• cut open figs
• mix together honey, vanilla and citrus and pour over figs
• bake at 375 until bubbly (about 15 minutes)