Here, There, Everywhere

Hand-brewed coffee, latte and buttery brioche with strawberry jam at Sqirl.

Shoe splurges for Mom and I.

An indulgent lunch from Würstkuche in Downtown LA. Top to bottom: Louisiana Hotlink, Pheasant, Sun-dried tomato and mozzarella würst, and Belgian fries. 

Valentine's Roses.

One bite, and these cheese-guava churros and hot chocolate from Churros Calientes will transport you from Santa Monica to Spain.

Chocolate Éclairs

Is there a dessert more French than éclairs? I think not. As you can tell by the lack of uniformity among my éclairs, this was my first shot at this equal parts beautiful and delicious pastry. I grew up eating my mom's homemade éclairs, which closely resemble powdered sugar-dusted profiteroles. And though mom was skeptical when I told her I wanted my éclairs to be long and chocolatey instead of round and sugary, I quickly got her stamp of approval after her first bite. 

Créme Anglaise (adapted from Gale Gand's recipe)

2 cups milk (any percent will do, but whole milk is ideal)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 egg yolks (use the whites for meringue!)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and vanilla to a boil over medium heat. Once the mixture reaches a boil, immediately remove it from the heat and let it sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk until there are no lumps. Quickly whisk in 1/4 cup of the milk mixture. This will temper the eggs and prevent curdling. Whisk in the remaining milk mixture. Strain the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat. Make sure to whisk constantly. Don't stop! Whisk until the mixture is thickened and once it reaches a slow boil, remove it from the heat and add the butter. Let it cool slightly. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Make sure to put the plastic wrap on the custard to prevent skin formation. Refrigerate for a couple hours. 

Pastry Dough

1 cup water

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs

dash of salt

In a saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and sugar to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. When it reaches a boil, remove the pan from the heat. Add the flour and stir vigorously until everything is incorporated. Again, stirring vigorously (or using an electric mixer), add the eggs one at a time. Stir very aggressively to avoid "cooking" the eggs. The dough should be very sticky and loose. Using a pastry bag or snipped ziplock bag, pipe long flat lengths of the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes more. When the éclairs are done, leave them in the oven with the door open. Do not touch the éclairs until they have cooled to room temperature. This is key! Cutting into the éclairs too soon will cause them to deflate. 

Chocolate Glaze

4 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt the ingredients in a bowl on a double boiler until smooth. You can also microwave.

Assembly

Once the pastry has cooled to room temperature, cut each éclair halfway lengthwise and generously spread the cooled pastry cream. Do not overstuff the eclairs. Dip the tops of the eclairs in the melted chocolate. Enjoy with a cup of tea. 

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Who would have thought two of my favorite ingredients - chocolate and avocado - would be compatible for each other? I guess opposites do attract after all. While this was unthinkably easy to whip up and a healthy alternate dessert, it certainly has a cactus-y note that may be too pungent for some (including boyfriends). But a couple spoonfuls in, I was hooked. Of course, this will never compare to a classic chocolate mousse that's made with fatty eggs and milk. But if you dare, give this guilt-free concoction a shot. Recipe below. 

Avocado Chocolate Mousse Recipe

2 very ripe avocados (un-ripe avocados will result in a lumpy mousse)

1/4 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup agave nectar syrup

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

a splash of almond milk (or regular, soy, or coconut milk)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

dash of salt

Blend all of the ingredients together in a food processor until very smooth and creamy. There should absolutely be no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the processor periodically to ensure it is perfectly smooth. Pour into ramekins and cool for a few hours. Bon appetit!

Care-ah-mel. Car-mel.

Making caramel seemed like a daunting task for the longest time...until I found this simple foolproof recipe from my culinary hero, Ina Garten. This luxurious caramel sauce stores perfectly in the fridge for long periods of time and is a great alternate to store-bought jars of preservative-laden caramel.

At room temperature, this sauce is the perfect consistency for apple-dipping, adding a spoonful to a cappuccino, or my favorite, coating a batch of freshly popped popcorn. 

Keep a close eye on the saucepan the whole time. The mixture will be extremely hot and will turn brown faster than you can spell Mississippi. Once the mixture reaches a warm amber hue, remove it from the heat to avoid burning and add the heavy cream.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

I satisfied a recent cupcake craving with my personal take on a classic Italian dessert - Tiramisu. Of course, I cut a few corners and opted to use cake-mix out of a box. But with just a few special touches, these cupcakes were anything but ordinary tasting.

 Step 1: Bake the cupcakes. I like to use a basic white-cake mix because it's light and uses only egg-whites. While the cupcakes are baking, start preparing the coffee-liquor syrup and frosting.

 Step 2: To make the syrup, combine about 1/3 cup of warm espresso or strong coffee with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 ounce Amaretto or Marsala. I prefer the almond aroma of Amaretto. Brush the tops of the cooled cupcakes with the syrup mixture. Repeat about 3 times until the cupcakes soak in the syrup. 

Step 3: To make the frosting, whip 1 cup of very cold heavy cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Do not over mix; otherwise, the whipped cream will turn into butter. In a separate bowl, whisk 8 ounces of room temperature mascarpone cheese with 1/2 cup of sifted powdered sugar. Fold the mascarpone mixture into the whipped cream. Be gentle to avoid deflating the whipped cream. Frost each cupcake and garnish with sifted powdered Dutch-process cocoa powder. Voila!

Lemon Ricotta Crepe Cake + Berry Compote

I inherited my baking skills from my mom, who mastered her technique from my grandmother. So lately, I've been on a mission to learn and transcribe all of my grandma's recipes. We started with one of my mom's popular classics - the french crepe, or as we call it - "blinchik." The batter is very simple, but my mom is such a pro that she eyeballs all her ingredients and never uses proper measures. Us inexperienced folk are probably better off using this recipe. (Just substitute the water with milk for a tastier crepe.) I tried my hand at swirling the crepes, but it's no easy task. I definitely ruined a handful of crepes before achieving a perfectly thin and hole-less one. A stack of crepes later, we decided to make a delicious lemon-ricotta crepe cake with berry compote based off of this recipe. 

Making the crepe: Crepes are very delicate, so the key is to immediately swirl the batter after ladling the mixture into the pan. Use less than a ladle-full of batter for a perfectly thin crepe. After a few seconds, once you see bubbles forming, run a sharp knife around the edges and flip with your fingers. Give the other side a few seconds before removing the crepe. And remember, the first crepe is always a disaster. 

The Berry Compote: Frozen berries work just fine for this recipe. Just add half a cup of sugar and a dash of lemon zest to the saucepan and let cool. The sauce will be just fine without the cornstarch.

Assembling the cake: Spread a tablespoon or so of the ricotta spread between each layer. Don't neglect to spread filling on the crispy edges. Repeat until you have about 12 layers.

The Finished Cake: My cake came out to 15 layers. If you want a taller cake, make sure to double the ricotta filling.

Pour the cooled berry sauce over the cake and slice. Bon appetit! 

East Coast Charm: What I Ate In DC

Red Velvet, Salted Caramel, Chocolate Ganache

This past week, my boyfriend and I spent some quality time exploring and eating our way through Washington, DC with my sister. But what was supposed to be a brief weekend trip to the nation's capitol turned into a week-long adventure caused by a national hurricane. (You may have heard of her...Her name is Sandy.) Regardless, we spent our week in DC ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the breathtaking architecture, satisfying our tummies with the best DC had to offer, and visiting almost every single DC landmark. Though I'll always be a Cali girl, my recent trips to NYC and DC have confirmed that I've been bitten by the east coast bug. I took 1000 photos but here are some of the food highlights from my week in DC. 

Ben's Chili Bowl: A DC institution made famous by Obama and Bill Cosby, Ben's Chili Bowl serves up some major comfort food, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it the best of the best. The cheese on the fries was underwhelming, but after a long airport day, it hit the spot.

Founding Farmers: FF capitalizes on the farm-to-table and eco-friendly concept, which always promises fresh and natural ingredients. The fried green tomatoes with herbed goat cheese and avocado dipping sauce was a major standout and a MUST. The Tuna Poke salad was delicious with a spicy kick. But the real star of this meal was the Cucumber Cranberry Cooler. I could drink it everyday. 

Il Canale: Hands down, the best spaghetti and meatballs I've ever had. I can't even begin to describe how delicious each morsel was. The Diavola pizza, topped with sliced soppresata, buffalo mozzarella and basil, was also pretty amazing. Will definitely go back next time I'm in DC.

Cafe Bonaparte: An adorable little creperie in Georgetown. The Moulin Rouge Crepe was delicious with caramelized peaches, vanilla ice cream, and a chocolate- berry melba sauce. 

Old Ebbitt Grill: This old-school oyster bar is located right by the White House and seems to be popular with locals and tourists alike. The oysters were so smooth and refreshing and the pumpkin ravioli tasted like Autumn on a plate.

Bistro du Coin: This romantic bistro is located in Dupont Circle but once you step in, you feel like you're in France. Go here for the best-tasting french onion soup you'll ever have. Perfect cold-weather food.