MO-CHICA - mindblowingly good

Mo-Chica is a fantastic Peruvian restaurant owned by chef Ricardo Zarate, a Lima native who sept most of his adult life cooking in high-end Japanese restaurants all over the world. The simply styled restaurant is part of the Mercado La Paloma complex south of downtown, and they have the best ceviche: cubes of sushi-quality fish in a thick acidic emulsion sharp with chile, soft and tart and spicy all at once, served with slivered red onion, giant-kerneled corn and a soft chunk of sweet potato. This is the best high-quality Peruvian seafood since Nobu. But there is much more to Peruvian food than just ceviche. The Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, African and Inca influences show in earthy, sensual and unusual dishes like 'Aji de Gallina' a chicken stew in a spicy, nutty cheese sauce. There's no way around: you have to check it out for yourself. I promise, you will not regret it.

Michelin-starred chef Miguel Sánchez Romera nourishes the brain

I am always happy to discover amazing chefs that come up with new, intriguing ideas like Miguel Sánchez Romera, an Argentinian-born neurologist from Barcelona, who won a Michelin star in his quest for food that satisfies your brain.

Read the article that was published in the WSJ today: Cerebral Palate

AGUA FRESCA - QUE DELICIOSA!

With days becoming hotter, I have discovered a new obsession, the wonderfully refreshing Mexican coolers, the aguas frescas. I love their subtle flavors and the feeling that my body gets an internal moisture boost! My favorite is the cucumber agua fresca. Here's how I prepare it:

AGUA FRESCA DE PEPINO

Makes 4 servings

1 medium cucumber

2 cups cold water

1 cup ice cubes

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Peel and seed cucumber and cut into chunks. In a blender blend cucumber with remaining ingredients until completely smooth and pour into a glass pitcher, chill, covered.  Stir  before serving.

SON OF A GUN, WEST HOLLYWOOD

I was warned that I would find it too noisy at 'Son of a Gun'. At my first visit yesterday, I not only found it too loud, but annoyingly loud. I was simply impossible to have a conversation with my dining partner. Not that I have the desire of eating out in a church-like atmosphere, I like lively, but too much is too much. What's the point of having dinner with a friend if you cannot communicate and end up screaming at each other? I should have counted how many times I shouted 'what did you say?'. Unfortunately, we had lost our reserved table and had to sit at the communal table, because we were twenty minutes late. But I doubt, that it would have been much better at a smaller table.

I could have been appeased by great food, and was excited to be at seafood place, a rare thing in L.A. But unfortunately, the culinary mastery was limited. I felt like having been served home-cooked dishes by a bachelor who tries to impress a girl, but lacks experience and technique. We both went for the citrus salad, avocado, fennel, arugula, as a starter. There were lots of sliced citrus fruits like grapefruit and oranges, but so little avocado and arugula that I felt tempted to ask for a magnifying glass, and the fennel was completely missing. Too much citrus, guys! Way out of balance. This is not supposed to be fruit salad dessert. At least the seasoning was subtle and enhanced the flavors nicely.

After that we had mussels, Pernod, tarragon, fennel, toast. Those poor mussels were drowning in a thick, creamy, uniform tasting sauce. Where was the lemony-licory scent of tarragon? The anise-like taste of Pernod? Was there any starch mixed into the sauce for it too be so thick? And why salt the sauce generously when mussels have a natural salt content? And please don't make that toast so greasy! I would have liked the menu to mention the cream sauce, since I expected a light, mediterranean wine sauce. Ok, I could have asked, but it did not occur to me. It's always good to be given a lot of information to be able to make the right choice.

We also tried the Idaho trout, carrot, potato, caper dill butter. It was dry, boring and tasteless. Did they mention a caper dill butter on the menu? What can I say? Uninspired? Lazy? Do-not-care?

We gave the desserts a try and went for the frozen lime yogurt, graham crumble, toasted meringue. The yogurt lacked creaminess and was too sweet, but otherwise the dessert was ok and perfectly sized, the toasted meringue even very good.

As for beverages, I had a glass of 'Crémant du Jura' a sparkling wine from the French Jura region. I usually like the light Crémant, but the one served at 'Son of a Gun' was bad, real bad. Flat and tasting like cheap cider. And this for 18 Dollars a glass! My friend's Pinot Noir was good, but the 17 Dollars a glass were also quite steep. 

I liked the concept of serving small portions, for guests to playfully taste different dishes.

Still, my final verdict: the cuisine is too amateurish to be taken seriously.

Nice maritime-theme decor, though.

RAS EL HANOUT

A dear friend of mine just came back from Paris, where she had stayed a couple of months. She was living in an Arab neighborhood and bought lots of exotic spices in large plastic bags, and then filled used small Campari bottles with different spice mixes to gift her friends. Mine was hand labeled 'ras el hanout'. The spice mix is an old ingredient in the Moroccan cook's battery of seasonings. When I inhaled the mingled aroma, I felt like walking through a souk at sunset. Ras el hanout literally translates as 'head of the shop', and as the story goes, it is a blend of as many as 100 exotic spices. Usually it's made with fewer than 100 or even 40 spices. Some of the ingredients include cassia (a cousin of cinnamon), nutmeg and its lacy orange covering, mace, green cardamom pods, turmeric, allspice berries and sometimes paprika (like me version, hence 'rouge' for red). There is also long pepper that has a tingling effect on the tongue. The fiery rush that occurs when inhaling the spice mix comes from a pale dried root which appears to be galangal, a ferociously pungent member of the ginger family. When these very distinct ingredients are pulverized  to a fine powder and mixed, they create an aromatic blend that lends a divine perfume to dishes like tagine, stews, chicken or hearty meats. It's never used with fish, it would be too overpowering.
What a great addition to my pantry!

ALPINE BLISS

Dreaming of a rustic meal like 'Aelplermagronen' in an alpine chalet!

http://saeumertaverne.ch/

Aelplermagronen

traditional alpine recipe

9 oz potatoes

salt

9 oz straight hollow noodles

7 oz grated Gruyère cheese

3/4 cup cream

3 Tbsp butter

2 large onions

Directions:

Peel and dice the potatoes. Boil in salted water. Add the noodles shortly before the potatoes are done (read the directions on the package first). The potatoes should be soft. Drain and arrange in alternate layers with the cheese in a deep baking dish. Pour in the cream and place in the hot oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet. Slice the onions and saute until they turn light brown. Spread over the noodles and potatoes.

Serve with apple puree or salad.

FLOUR POWER

As if I wouldn't have enough kitchen appliances, I am seriously contemplating getting a flour mill. I am done with commercial flour that has been chemically 'enhanced' and 'refined'. Stripped of the bran and germ, the berries have lost not only their nutritional value but it's wonderful range of rich flavors. Just about any grain can be ground into flour – imagine baking muffins made from barley flour, millet flour, rice flour, buckwheat or oat flour. And hearty pancakes. Or tasty artisan breads. Maybe homemade pizza? Sounds pretty exciting, don't you think?  I heard that there are manually operated mills as well as electric machines, and I would think it is a no-brainer to get an electric mill that will make flour in just a few minutes. And I will be part of the new food revolution that ultimately will lead food giants that feed us with unhealthy food into bankruptcy. Please, don't tell me that I am overly optimistic on this one... 

I WILL NEVER KNOW HOW GOOD THE FOOD AT ANIMAL REALLY IS

NOTHING

First attempt to have dinner at Animal: leaving tons of messages, no one calls back.

Second attempt to have dinner at Animal: leaving a couple of messages, before someone finally gets back to me. We get a reservation for the next Thursday evening. The day before I get a phone call from the staff at Animal barking at me why the hell we wouldn't show up. Um, it's WEDNESDAY, guys, I replied.

Third attempt to have dinner at Animal: I have an assignment for a magazine to write about the five most exciting restaurants in L.A. I contact Animal's publicist several times, before I get acknowledged. And then nothing happens.

No more attempts to have dinner at Animal.

Eggplants with chèvre – a delicious appetizer

Recipe serves 4

Ingredients:

2 eggplants

olive oil

a generous 1/2 pound cherry tomatoes

fleur de sel

2 tbsp aceto balsamico

1/2 pound chèvre or buffalo mozzarella

a handful of basil leaves, plucked into small pieces

Preparation:

Cut eggplants in slices, about 1/3 of an inch, brush generously with olive oil.

Place the slices on a baking sheet and bake them on both sides for about 10 minutes at 400 F until a golden crust forms. Let them cool on a paper towel.

Cut cherry tomatoes in halves, place them into a heat resistant  dish, drizzle generously with olive oil and bake for 60 minutes at 200 F.

Sprinkle with fleur de sel and the aceto balsamico, roast for another 60 minutes in oven, let them cool.

Place one eggplant slice on 4 individual plates. Add tomates. Cut chèvre or bufflao mozzarella in slices and individually place on top of eggplant. Add basil leaves, fleur de sel and pepper from the mill. Sprinkle with a little olive oil. Repeat until all ingredients are used. Serve at room temperature.

Light cream - all the good taste but with less calories

While shopping in Europe, I discovered something I would like to be able to find at every food store in L.A. Pure, fresh whipping cream as well as sour cream with only 18 to 25 % milkfat. According to the California Milk Advisory Board there is a product called 'light whipping cream' with reduced milkfat, which makes me wonder why I can't find it in the refrigerated shelves of food markets. So far, I have only been able to get the 'heavy whipping cream' and regular sour cream. Dear dairy buyers, please get us some of the light stuff for all of us to indulge without the calorie overload. Many thanks!

I LOVE MY BREAD!

I am currently in Europe and have been shopping at this bakery (see picture above) in Zurich, Switzerland, an experience that immediately catapulted me into bread nirvana. Look at those beauties, at the incredible variety! Trying to describe the different breads, I feel that I ultimately will be failing. How will I ever be able to describe breads, that are so different from what we know in L.A.? Unfortunately, American bakeries seem to take their inspiration mostly from the French and Italian baking traditions. While France and Italy are undisputedly great food nations, they are somewhat limited in their bread making. Sure, who doesn't love a baguette or a ciabatta, but looking into the German baking traditions that is prevalent in Switzerland, opens up a whole new bread world, that, trust me, goes way beyond the hard-to-love Pumpernickel. It's a world filled with artisanal breads, each carrying intense flavors that remind me of the fifth taste Umami. Bread making is not difficult, but it's an art, where the perfect ratio of water, yeast or sourdough, salt and flour matters, where the kneading method has a crucial impact, where a puritan approach using a simple recipe and the best ingredients (NEVER using industrial flour) is key, and where the baker has to be not only patient, but in tune with the forces of nature surrounding the bread making process. I wish, hope and pray that L.A. will soon have bakeries sprinkled all over town that celebrate bread as the most elementary and most wonderful culinary pleasure. Breadbar, Le Pain Quotidien and the original La Brea Bakery are a good start, but we could even do better. A lot better.

All you need to know about a really good espresso

One of the sad stories in the L.A. culinary world is the espresso. Better: the absence of a really good espresso. It just seems to be inexistent in this town. And unfortunately, since there is no real understanding of what an outstanding espresso is all about, no one really notices. Or complains. But that's what I am here for...

Espresso is more than just coffee. First of all, you have to understand the important distinction between 'brewing' coffee and 'extracting espresso'. An espresso is just a couple of sips of deep-brown extracted liquid (actually an emulsion since it contains oil from the beans) served in a very tiny cup, not bitter-tasting, but rich, complex and lingering on your tastebuds for a couple of minutes. How many bitter or burnt-tasting espresso (espressi in italian) did my palate have to endure? I am better not counting...

So, what makes a good espresso?

1. There is no way you can make a good espresso unless you start with good coffee beans correctly roasted and packed. The best coffee for espresso is made from Arabica beans, and I stress Arabica ONLY! Forget about the stuff from Starbuck's, Peet's or any other supermarket brand, go for a specialty brand like Illy. 

2. Perfectly roasted coffee beans, and that doesn't mean super dark-roasted! A very dark roast only destroys the subtle flavors. Medium-roasted coffee beans, stored at room temperature in a dark, airtight container, are the secret. Humidity, light and oxygen are BIG enemies of coffee.

3. What many people ignore is the importance of grinding. A good, fine grinding is crucial for a good espresso. An inexpensive non-professional grinder will burn and therefore ruin the coffee beans. Unfortunately many professionals use a cheap, bean-burning grinder. The whole grinding stuff is tricky: if the ground is too fine the water can't get through, but if it's too coarse, the water will flow through too quickly. It needs to be just right.

4. You can't make good coffee without the right water. It has to be low in calcium, magnesium or other minerals that not only inhibit the pressure of the pipes in the espresso machine after a while, but will affect the taste too. 

5. To make the perfect espresso, only little (max 7 gr) of coffee should be used, and it needs to be tamped using up to 15 kg of pressure.

6. A perfect espresso should take 20-25 seconds to extract under 8.8 atmospheres of pressure. Don't call me a nerd - the pressure is very important and should be checked constantly. A thick, creamy hazelnut brown top, the so called crema, should cover the espresso protecting a perfectly balanced taste of sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami and display aromas of chocolate, butter, puff pastry and more. 

Now that you know what a good espresso is all about, go out there and DEMAND it.

STEVE'S FABULOUS DUCK BREASTS

Once again, I had the privilege of having been served a wonderful home-cooked meal prepared by our friend Steve in the cozy Silverlake cottage-style house he shares with his wife Danielle. Steve impressed me with the most amazing duck breast I had in a long time. Marinated in a herb-infused blood orange 'bath' and cooked to perfection, it was a very happy experience for my palate. And how refreshing to find, for once, something different than beef or chicken on my plate!


That's how he prepared the duck breasts (for 4 people):

Trim 4 breasts and place, skin side up, in a dish. Squeeze 
the juice of three or four blood oranges over them so the the meat underneath is immersed. Then zest the oranges over the  breasts, and sprinkle with a few fresh thyme leaves, and some chopped fresh rosemary. Let sit in the fridge for a few hours.

Spark up your grill. Drain the marinade. Season both sides with good-quality sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper (especially the skin). When the coals are red but not too hot, place the breasts, with the skin side down on the grill. Let the skin brown and crisp up, but try not to get them too close to the heat -- you don't want them to blacken. Don't be afraid to move the breasts around, since there's a lot of fat in the skin that will cause the flames to leap up.

Cook about 6-7 minutes on both sides. Remove and let rest for at least five minutes.

Steve served the duck breasts with vegetables braised in olive oil. 


Thanks for sharing, Steve!

BREAKFAST AT THE SPORTSMEN'S LODGE, SHERMAN OAKS

Lured by the nice looking makeover at the Sportsmen's Lodge, favorite hangout of Hollywood and Rock'n'Roll celebrities in the 60s and 70s, I decided to pack my husband in the car and treat him with a Sunday breakfast at the Lodge's Patio Café. I have to admit that I have a fondness for rustic, dated decor, and with the few, recently added touch-ups, the Sherman Oaks legend looked quite appealing and in no way uncomfortably overdone. The place keeps true to his values, you could say. My first order of a freshly squeezed orange juice quickly uncovered a misunderstanding: I thought that the staff would squeeze fresh oranges in the kitchen, but was proven wrong at the first sip. When asked, the waiter insisted on 'freshly squeezed', informing me that this was what the package said, while laughing at the absurdity that they actually would do something like cutting oranges in half and SQUEEZING them. Well, I learnt my lesson. Then we ordered Eggs Benedict and Huevos Rancheros. The kitchen's philosophy of using pre-pepared, packaged OJ translated into their food as well, I could taste and smell artificial flavors and the distinct metallic taste of canned food all over the dishes. The worst being the almost inedible, tough ham and a super dry, strange tasting biscuit under the eggs benedict. Well guys, you lost me there. I will happily go back to the Sportsmen's Lodge for drinks at the bar enjoying the charms of the good old days, but for food? No thank you. Not for me.

LARCHMONT BUNGALOW - A HOME AWAY FROM HOME

I haven't been in the Larchmont area for quite some time, which is a shame, since Larchmont Boulevard is such a charming place with lots of nice shops, restaurants and cafés. LARCHMONT BUNGALOW artisan café embodies the neat small-town feel –  it's so cozy you feel right at home. They serve breakfast all day long and fancy classic American fare such as Mini Burger Sliders, Bison Chilli Burgers, Lobster Crab Cake Sandwich,  Southern Fried Chicken Wrap, and the famous Red Velvet Pancakes. It's all fresh and really good. At LB they offer their own blends of organic, sustainable coffee as well as single origin roasts of exceptional good quality and teas that are custom crafted. I was happy to discover a lovely outdoor space with lots of tables and enjoyed some warming winter sun rays along with a long chat with a friend.

Food that makes me happy

When my friend Richard, a food scout for one of the best delicatessen stores in Europe, toured California in search for the best products the Golden State has to offer, he came back to my house his car loaded with delicacies. While all the treasuries were blissfully good, I especially fell in love with the preserves made by Happy Girl Kitchen in Pacific Grove near Monterey. Good heavens! How could I ever live without the pickled spicy carrots, classic dills or the apricot summer jam, which I swear, is the best I had in my life. And I don't say this lightly. Of course, I was miserable when I looked at all those empty jars after splurging on their content. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the Happy Girl Kitchen Products in Los Angeles. Until now. The Marketplace at 'Sweet Butter Kitchen' in Sherman Oaks has stocked up their shelves with tomato preserves, and Leslie, the owner, promised to order the pickles and jams in the new year, too. Thank you, Leslie!

Ottolenghi - simply delicious

One of my favorite cookbook discoveries in 2010 was Ottolenghi The Cookbook. Ottolenghi is the iconic London-based restaurant run by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. Their simple yet inventive dishes are inspired by their respective childhoods in West and East Jerusalem, and they draw from culinary traditions ranging from Persia to California.

Today I prepared their aubergine*-wrapped ricotta gnocchi with sage butter. A great dish for a California winter evening:

1 small to medium aubergine

4 tbsp olive oil

20 g unsalted butter, melted

15 g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Ricotta Gnocchi

30 pine nuts

250 g ricotta cheese

2 free-range egg yolks

35 g plain flour

40 g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp chopped basil

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

a good grinding of black pepper

Sage Butter

90 g unsalted butter

20 sage leaves

a pinch of salt

1/2 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

1. Place the pine nuts in a small frying pan and dry-roast over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring them occasionally so they color evenly. Transfer to a large bowl and add the ricotta, egg yolks, flour, grated Parmesan, herbs, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir well, then cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 180 C. Trim the top and bottom off the aubergine and cut it lenghtways into 5 mm-tick slices; you will need 8-12 slices, depending on how many gnocchi you make. Lay the slices on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and brush liberally with the olive oil. Place in the oven and roast for 10-15 minutes, until tender and golden.

3. To shape the gnocchi, wet your hands and scoop out 40-50 g portions (about 3 tablespoons). Roll into 8 or 12 elongated barrel shapes. Meanwhile bring plenty of salted water to the boil in a large saucepan.

4. Carefully add a few dumplings to the simmering – don't cook them all at once or thy will stick to each other. After about 2 minutes, they should rise to the surface. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a tea towel to drain. Pat dry with kitchen paper and brush them with the melted butter.

5. Once the gnocchi have cooled down, take a strip of the aubergine and wrap it around the center of each one, like a belt. Trim the aubergine so that the seam is at the bottom. Place the gnocchi in a greased ovenproof dish and set aside. You can cover them with cling film and keep them in the fridge a day at this stage.

6. When ready to serve sprinkle the gnocchi with the Parmesan and bake in the oven at 180 C for 8-10 minutes, until they are heated through.

7. Meanwhile, quickly make the sage butter sauce, as it needs to coincide with the gnocchi. Place a small saucepan over a moderate heat. Add the butter and allow it to simmer for a few minutes until it turns a light golden-brown color and has a nutty smell. Remove from the heat and carefully add the sage, salt and lemon juice, if using. Return to the heat for a few seconds to cook the sage lightly.

8. Divide the gnocchi between serving plates, pour the hot butter on top with a few sage leaves and serve immediately. 

Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main course.

* aubergine = eggplant

convert heat, weight etc.

ONLINE CONVERSION

ARTISANAL CHEESE HEAVEN

Lured by the concept of custom building your burger, I had lunch at The Counter in Pasadena last week. It was a horrible food experience, and I will never ever set my foot back in this place. But there was one wonderful thing about my visit at The Counter: while miserably munching on my burger, I discovered the Pasadena Cheese Store across the alley. Of course, I had to go over and check it out. O.M.G.! This recently opened cheese store on Shoppers Lane is cheese heaven. Move over Silverlake Cheese Store and Beverly Hills Cheese Store. It is now in Pasadena where they offer the absolutely best artisanal cheeses from the greatest cheese producing countries on the planet like France, Switzerland, Italy, England, Spain and also some great ones made here in the U.S. I was especially enchanted to discover Caroline Hostettler's selection from Switzerland. I have known Caroline for a very long time, and I can tell you that she has uncompromisingly high standards. Her cheeses are simply the best Swiss artisanal cheeses you can get. I spent a small, well spent fortune on Appenzeller Sélection Rolf Beeler, Fourme d'Ambert, Montbriac, Crottin de Chaignol and Tomme Crayeuse – all so good, it made me cry.

SUNDAY SUPPER

Sunday Supper at Lucques:

fennel and endive salad with green olives, parsley and meyer lemon cream – absolutely lovely, fresh as it can be (the endives were super crunchy), a wonderful fruity, slightly tangy dressing, amazing green olives

grilled market fish with cauliflower rice and hot saffron-ginger-tomato sauce – perfectly grilled pink snapper, crisp on the outside, very moist in the inside (congratulations), rice and cauliflower is a surprisingly good combination, and the saffron-ginger-tomato sauce was a exciting dance of flavors in the palate.

olive oil cake with candied tangerines, crème fraîche and pistachios – I liked the candies tangerines and the lovely crème fraîche, but wasn't too crazy about the olive oil cake. not because it wasn't well made, but personally I don't like cake for dessert. it would have been a perfect match for an afternoon tea.

clearly at Lucques they deeply care about food and their love for outstanding products is enchanting. too bad the staff was utterly disimpassioned. nothing really to complain about. it just wasn't fun to be around our waitress pulling a face all evening.

ARTISAN TOFU

I followed the advice of my fabulous health practitioner and drove all the way to Gardena to get some of what he claims to be the best tofu in California, if not the whole country, Meiji Tofu. Meji makes its tofu - regular, soft and zaru (in a pretty bamboo basket) - fresh every morning from non GMO soy beans and uses no preservatives. It's not only super fresh, but has supreme, outlandishly wonderful taste and extremely silky texture that almost melts in your mouth. It's absolutely fantastic plain with maybe a little sauce to your liking, but I am also excited to experiment with it. I never want to go back to regular supermarket tofu again, which sucks since I now will have to drive to Gardena on a regular basis.