White Chocolate Brownies

After reading David Lebovitz's "The Sweet Life in Paris," I've become slightly obsessed with French food and culture.  So when he posted this fabulous recipe, which originated in a French magazine, I knew I had to try it.  I'm kind of picky when it comes to white chocolate because sometimes it tastes artificial or overly sweet. But with highly quality Ghirardelli white chocolate, these brownies are a welcome deviation from traditional brownies - they're moist and chewy and the lemon zest gives it a perfect zing. 

Above: Nobody said this was a healthy recipe.  With over a stick of butter, this recipe is classically French.

Below: I baked the batter for exactly 30 minutes.  Depending on your oven, monitor the crust color to prevent over-baking, or worse, drying out. Nobody likes dry cake. 

LA Winter Tart

There may be a polar vortex blowing through the country, but in LA, it's been feeling like summer lately.  I took advantage of the beautiful LA weather (and harvest) by making a berry tart, which is usually reserved for summer.  With an extra pie crust in the freezer, I improvised and made a rectangular tart, which I filled with some homemade eclair custard cream and topped with a berry mix.  Summer or not, this is the perfect base for any fruit tart.

Custard Recipe

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

6 egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon butter

1. In a saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla over medium heat.  Bring to a boil.  Immediately turn off the heat and set aside.

2.  In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until there are no lumps. 

3. Whisk in some of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. (A splash will do).  The purpose is to bring up the temperature of the eggs gradually so they don't curdle. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture into the eggs.  Pour the entire mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. 

4. Cook over medium-high heat. Whisk constantly until thick and slowly boiling.

5. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter.  Once it has cooled to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. 

To assemble the tart: 

Thaw the pie crust until pliable.  Press the dough into your desired pan.  Bake the pie crust according to the package directions.  Once the pie crust is cooked and cooled, spread the cooled custard mixture into the tart shell and top with your favorite fruit.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Alternatively, try glazing the fruit with warm jam or jelly.

...Or, just dip the fruit in the custard and eat as is!

30 Degree Weekend

View from the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Museum Row 

I spent this past weekend in New York with a few of my best girlfriends from college.  Having graduated from college in a town that is eternally sunny, the four of us were perpetually frozen during the whole weekend.  But, the icing on the cake was reuniting with my freshman year roommate, who is a temporary New Yorker (until she moves back to the best coast).  Sharing a room with these amazing girls and seeing old faces made me nostalgic for our dorm days, and although we were only together for a short weekend, I realized that time doesn't weaken true friendships. 

Above Left: Breakfast at Ess-a-bagel.  

Above Right: Dinner at Mario Batali's newest venture, Otto Enoteca

 Above: Our hotel lobby, where episodes of Gossip Girl were filmed
Below: Obligatory trip to Laduree

Above: Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'avignon" at MoMa

Below: Lombardi's white pizza and margherita pizza, which were both inhaled in 5 seconds.

Above Left: Arguably the cheesiest french onion soup in existence at Balthazar in SoHo. My friends loved the Steak Frites.

Above Right: French toast and mascarpone/cherry rice pudding at Rice to Riches in Nolita. (Think rice pudding á la Pinkberry.)

Below: Flower mimosas at Sarabeth's on the Upper West Side

Sweet Spain

It’s been over a month since I returned from my three-week trip to Spain, and yet, the smells, flavors, and sounds of the rich country are strong as ever in my memory. My boyfriend and I spent three weeks trekking through Madrid, Andalucia, and Barcelona, making sure to immerse ourselves in each city’s distinct culture before moving onto the next. We were floored by the stunning architecture, touched by the unbelievably hospitable Spaniards, and in constant awe of the iconic artwork that was pervasive throughout the country’s museums. But most importantly, the food stood out as the epicenter of Spain’s rich heritage and culture. I’ll be posting more photos from my Spain trip, but for now, here’s a roundup of my favorite desserts from Spain.

Above: Perhaps my favorite dessert from the trip - the milhojas de turrón (back) from La Campana, the oldest pastry shop in Sevilla. It's reminiscient of a classic French mille feuille, but is far richer, thicker, and nuttier. It has notes of almond and condensed milk. 

My boyfriend and I were blown away by the churros con chocolate at Cafe Fútbol in Granada. We've had our fair share of churros, but these were hands down, the fluffiest and crunchiest.

Above: We succumbed to the "cronut" craze and tried the sugary treat at Boldú in Barcelona. The lemon-poppy seed was a hit while the nutella flavor was just ok.

Below: One of the highlights from our trip was my boyfriend's birthday meal at Ferran Adría disciple Carles Abellán's Suculent in Barcelona. We capped off our dinner with a refreshing Yuzu sorbet and Brie cheesecake, which is one of the best desserts I've ever tasted.

Above: (Left) Raspberry spongecake on a stick at Carles Mampel's Bubo Born in Barcelona. (Right) Granada's light and subtly sweet take on a classic cheesecake.

Below: One of the best milhojas I've ever had - at Mallorca Market in Madrid.

 Below: Ice Cream Roundup - We were impressed by three flavors, each from a different city. The mascarpone/dulce de leche/sunflower seed (left) in Sevilla was so delicious that we had it two days in a row. The violet (right) from Madrid's Mercado de San Miguel was a spin on a classic Spanish candy flavor based on an indigenous flower. The pistachio (below) from Granada's famed Los Italianos was one of the most natural tasting pistachio flavors I've ever tried.

Marshy Mallows

 

Making marshmallows had never crossed my mind until I saw a recent episode of Barefoot Contessa. I've always been hesitant to delve into the world of candy-making, but Ina Garten made it look so easy, that I had to give this recipe a shot. I was very pleased with the end result. These marshmallows are light and fluffy clouds that taste subtly sweet and are a far cry from the artificial tasting marshmallows sold in supermarkets. They're perfect for dipping in chocolate, dunking in coffee or eating as is. But personally, I can't wait to make s'mores with these. 

Make sure to use parchment paper when lining your pan. Dust extremely generously with confectioners sugar to make cutting and removal easy and stick-free.

 The mixture should have a very thick consistency.

 It's possible to make these marshmallows without a candy thermometer. I did! Here's the test - after the sugar mixture comes to a boil, continue boiling for about 7-8 minutes, then remove from heat. If you boil it any longer, it will not be in the soft-ball stage and will probably turn into burnt caramel, which is a no-no!

For best results, let the mallows set overnight. Cut them into squares using kitchen scissors. Rinse the scissors with hot water between cutting to avoid sticking. 

Voila!

Bananas for Banana Cream Pie

The world needs more banana recipes. I often find myself confused as to what to do with browning bananas (which seems to happen on a weekly basis). So when I found this amazing banana cream pie recipe, I was excited to make something besides banana bread, muffins, or cake. The vanilla custard came out impeccably smooth and delicious, and surprisingly, it wasn't an egg or butter overload. This custard is definitely my new go-to recipe for future pie and tart fillings.

Crust Ingredients

1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers

1/3 cup melted unsalted butter

1/3 cup sugar

Crust Directions

Combine the three crust ingredients in a bowl. Press the crumbly crust into a pie crust lined with parchment paper. Use the bottom of a flat cup to pack the crust tightly. Refrigerate the crust while you prepare the filling.

Vanilla Custard Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

dash of salt

3 cups milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract

2-3 large bananas

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp sugar 

Vanilla Custard Directions

In a saucepan (not over heat), combine the cornstarch and milk. Mix until very smooth and thickened. There should be no lumps. Place the saucepan over low heat and add the sugar and salt to the milk mixture. Cook and continuously stir over low heat until the mixture is thick and starts to bubble. This will take awhile so be patient. Make sure the heat is on low, otherwise the milk will scald. Keep stirring! Once the mixture starts to bubble, cook for 2 more minutes while stirring. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir a very small amount of the hot filling into the egg mixture. Stir very quickly to temper the eggs and raise the temperature to avoid curdling. Strain the egg mixture into the saucepan through a sieve and bring to a gentle boil while stirring. Once the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla and salt. Cool the mixture to room temperature, then refrigerate.

Assembly Directions

Slice the bananas and arrange in a single layer over the chilled crust. Pour the custard over the bananas and spread evenly. Beat the heavy whipping cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar until medium-stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the custard in an even layer. Chill the pie for at least 6 hours.