Happy New Year: Brunch

This brunch was all about the bloody mary and the egg sandwich.  I can't decide which was my favorite: pork belly and fried egg on a maple syrup drenched waffle or honey baked ham, blackberry jam & scrambled egg on a buttermilk biscuit.  Both winners.  And Greg's bloody marys, with touches of fennel and lemongrass, made for a delicious toast to the end of the holiday season, and the start of the new year.  All of the citrus at the farmer's market has been beautifully piled which inspired the simple centerpiece of sprawling tangerines.  2012 was pretty amazing with more cooking than I ever imagined and incredible theme parties that were as much fun to create as to attend (Out of Africa was a clear highlight).  In 2013, I look forward to more celebrations, big and small.  I want to challenge myself to explore new cooking techniques, stay organized in the kitchen (clean as I go!!!), and cook for pleasure as much as for work.  I want to have more small gatherings, do spontaneous get togethers, and continue to celebrate the "off" holidays: Chinese New Year, St. Patrick's Day, May Day and more.  And hopefully travel will inspire new traditions, ingredients and recipes.  Looking back on last year, I feel overwhelmingly grateful to Greg, my partner in crime, without whom, the success of 2012 wouldn't have been possible.  I had so much fun cooking with, drinking with, eating out with, cooking for and throwing parties with him.  It wasn't always pretty (it was usually a mess) but I wouldn't have wanted to do it with anyone else.  So, thank you Greg for doing so many dishes and for helping me stay calm.  Cheers to more good in 2013!

 

 The Menu

sips

spicy bloody mary's

blood orange mimosas

snacks

quail eggs, cucumber and chives on toast

avocado toast with red pepper flakes

gravlax, cream cheese & dill on everything bagel 

to share, brunch buffet

sunny-side up eggs on waffles with pork belly & maple syrup

egg on olive bread with prosciutto & arugula

scrambled eggs, ham & blackberry jam on buttermilk biscuits

kale with mixed winter citrus

asparagus, wild mushrooms & leeks

brioche french toast with mixed berries

homemade raspberry pop tarts

sticky buns

carrot cake muffins with lemon cream cheese icing

sweet(er)

banana pudding cups

old fashioned chocolate cake

Ramen Party for New Year's Eve

Throughout 2012 I did many menu proposals for various parties.  No matter the occasion, I almost always suggested a 'build your own ramen bowl' party (even for baby showers--I was getting desperate!).  Because I've been obsessed with eating ramen all year, it's my perfect idea of a 'taco party' equivalent.  However, despite all of my attempts, I had no takers.  Finally, my friend Leanne let me do ramen for her New Year's Eve party!!  We agreed that after all of the ham & turkey throughout December, people were ready for something different.  Greg and I filled each bowl with freshly boiled noodles and then guests went through an assembly line of toppings--e.g. pork shoulder, poached egg, frozen corn, kale & nori--selecting their favorites.  Then we topped the bowls off with either the pork broth from  David Chang's Momofuko Cookbook (a really amazing read) or a spicy miso broth.  If you're in LA, a trip to Mitsuwa Marketplace is a great source for fresh ramen, Japanese snacks and candies (when there have a bowl of ramen from Santouka for inspiration.  If you're a real enthusiast, make it a crawl and also go to Tsujita on Sawtelle, my current favorite).  The ramen was a huge hit.  This is a fun meal for a casual get together or game night because everything can be made in advance and people can assemble their bowls as they please--just leave the broth simmering on the stove.  And any dessert from Christina Tosi's Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook is a perfect & fun sweet finale.  Thanks Leanne for letting me end 2012 on a high!!

         

 

The Menu

sips

ginger margaritas

snacks

lotus root, spicy daikon & ginger skewers

kimchee & brussel sprout skewers

salmon tartare & seaweed on rice cracker

teriyaki chicken skewers with chili sauce

savory, build your own ramen bar

fresh ramen noodles

pork broth & miso broth

pork shoulder

pork belly

poached eggs

fish cakes

corn

kale

nori seaweed

scallions

thai basil

cilantro

sriacha

sweet

cornflake crunch cookies, double chocolate cookies, 

fruity pebble marshmallow cookies & confetti cookies

all cookie recipes from Momofuko's Milk Bar Cookbook (a must have!!)

Holiday Hostess Gift

 

This holiday season I've cooked for a dozen gatherings but attended very few.  Luckily, this invitation carried the weight of many parties and filled me with inspiration for the entire month.  My very special friend threw a dinner that was put together for Alex's Lemonade Stand.  Suzanne Goin (my culinary idol), Nancy Silverton, April Bloomfield, Giada De Laurentis, Sherry Yard and, drumroll please, Alice Waters all came to her home and prepared our dinner, each serving and presenting a course.  The food was, duh, delicious (Alice's sunchoke and celery root soup with black truffles was the star), the room gorgeous (thanks to Amy's special touches) and the company of the guests was truly delightful.  What I loved the most was the spirit of the evening.  We all wandered back and forth from the table to the kitchen to see the chefs' preparations and to watch them all assisting one another with their dishes.  Really a dream come true.  What does one bring as a hostess gift for such a once in a lifetime experience?  Well I could have driven myself crazy trying to come up with the most perfect of all perfect gifts; instead, I brought my go-to gift: breakfast for the hostess.  Granted, this was a slightly tricked up version with Amy packaging the cinnamon maple syrup and granola for me and using her pretty jars for the fig jam and yogurt.  Alongside the basket of goodies, I brought a sausage & spinach frittata with oven roasted tomatoes (Christmas colors).  Since this party was over the top, so was the basket.  But I also like bringing a dozen fresh eggs, great bacon and a loaf of bread for toast.  If you want to make one thing, I suggest granola and then put yogurt and honey in jars to accompany it (or do as Amelia did and buy addictive granola from The Granola Project).  Depending on your hostess, bloody mary's or bubbly might be on the menu.  Choose your own adventure.  Thank you Judith for such a magical evening.  One that I will never forget.  xx  

 

 

The Menu

sips

freshly squeezed orange juice

good coffee

savory

sausage & spinach frittata

homemade yogurt

gingered granola with cranberries

cinnamon maple syrup

fresh fruit

apple spice muffins

fig jam

sweet

ginger cookies

chocolate espresso cookies

Gingerbread House Class: aka Heaven

 After last year's Swedish Christmas gingerbread house fiasco (I lost a week of my life to the cause), I thought I decided to swear off gingerbread houses for good.  But when Jenni Kayne asked me to help her put together a gingerbread making class for her kids and their friends, how could I say no?  I'M OBSESSED WITH GINGERBREAD HOUSES!!!  This year I baked my own gingerbread from scratch and assembled them with homemade frosting (after last year's glue fiasco).  And because the houses were for Jenni's Hanukkah dinner, the color palette was silver, white & blue.  For the month leading up to the class, I bought any candy in sight that fit the bill.  What struck me most about the experience, from baking to shopping to setting up, was watching the kids decorate their houses.  Some kids went crazy with frosting and quick mosaics, while others were far more methodical in their processes, with a clear plan.  All of the kids started decorating on the roof, while one girl focused on well designed pathways on the ground.  Just watching their creativity and enthusiasm felt really magical--the true feeling of the holiday season.  So thank you Jenni for bringing me out of my gingerbread house retirement.  While this isn't an activity I grew up with, I'm now committed to maintaining it as the best new holiday tradition in my life.  For my gingerbread house recipe, how-to tips and the dinner I made for the parents and kids after class, please check out Jenni's amazing blog Rip Plus Tan.  Happy Hanukkah!

The Menu

sips

rice milk punch

snacks

eggplant & butternut squash spreads on crostini

to share

vegetarian lasagna

white beans with rosemary

roast broccoli & cauliflower with lemon

winter greens with artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers

sweet

(duh) gingerbread houses

(and chocolate chip cookies)

Thanksgiving Leftover Kits

Everyone knows that the best part of the Thanksgiving meal is the day after tradition of the infamous turkey sandwich.  I like mine simple: turkey, cranberry sauce, lots of mayo, plenty of cracked black pepper, on white bread.  It made me sad to think that my guests would be robbed of this ritual so I assembled leftover kits for everyone.  I made extra gingered cranberry sauce & classic stuffing in advance so that I was sure to have enough for all.  With that all prepped, it was easy to add leftover turkey and assorted pieces of pie at the end of the night.  As always, I'm lucky to have Amy as a friend because she elevated the whole kit with wish-bone themed labels, making the kits feel more like a party favor than just your basic leftovers.  The true highlight of the kit was including Wonder Bread.  It's the end of an era and the spongy white bread takes me right back to my childhood.  I literally got the last loaves at Smart & Final (where I picked up my containers & bags, as well) and it was a real treat--thank you Hostess for the memories.