Orzo Salad with Lemon, Mint and Ricotta Salata

 

We’ve been up to our eyeballs in a bathroom remodel over here—more on that to come—but we’ve also found a little time to eat dinner, too. I’ve made this wonderfully light and refreshing orzo salad a couple times in the past few weeks. It’s great with grilled fish or roast chicken, and is an old favorite recipe from Dean and Deluca. I can just tell it’s going to be making the scene all summer.

Orzo Salad with Lemon, Mint and Ricotta Salata

From Dean and Deluca

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup minced shallots
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, or more to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked orzo
1/2 cup very finely diced yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup very finely diced seedless cucumber
1/2 cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese (about 3 ounces)
3 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves

Stir together the olive oil, shallots, lemon juice, garlic, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook the orzo in a large kettle of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain pasta completely in a colander, running under cold water. Transfer orzo to a bowl, stir in the olive oil mixture, and let cool. Stir in the bell pepper, cucumber, ricotta salata, and mint until combined well. You could serve the salad immediately, but we think it tastes best if you let it stand at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.

 

Chocolate Stout Cake

 

This weekend I’ll be celebrating my sons’ and husband’s Irish heritage with some good friends, who are going all out with corned beef and cabbage. I’m bringing a chocolate stout cake for dessert. When I was at Bon Appétit, an editor cult favorite was a recipe for Chocolate Guinness layer cake that I was pretty sure could never be bested. And then I tried Heidi Swanson’s Chocolate Bundt Cake, which calls for chocolate stout instead of Guinness. Chocolate stout refers to a style of stout that is brewed with roasted malts, which impart a chocolate flavor.  This one, below, which I picked up at Whole Foods, has actual chocolate in it. And while I wouldn’t want to drink it, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout is perfect for cake baking purposes.

Heidi’s recipe is inspired thanks to several other innovative ingredients—such as whole wheat flour, yogurt, maple syrup, darkest muscovado sugar for moisture—and much less butter. If you are familiar with her website, 101cookbooks.com, you know that she often improves classic recipes by making them healthier and cutting out unnecessary sugar or butter. She’s kind of a genius. And the proof is in this cake.

Imagine a perfectly rich but not too sweet chocolate cake with subtle malty notes, frosted with buttermilk cocoa icing and sprinkled with Maldon salt.

 

And then imagine it disappearing faster than you can say blarney…

Midnight Potatoes + Smoked Salmon

Last weekend, four friends and I ran the Pasadena Rock ‘n’ Roll 13.1 Marathon. During our weekly training runs, my friend Laurie and I often talked about dinners we’d cooked during the week. She mentioned a French friend’s Christmas Eve tradition of waking the family at midnight and serving Champagne with roast potatoes, smoked salmon, crème fraîche and chopped chives. The secret, she said, was to sprinkle a little allspice over the potatoes while roasting. It seemed like it might be the perfect post-race recovery brunch—and it was.

Midnight Potatoes & Smoked Salmon

Serves 4

8 medium-size Yukon Gold potatoes, skins on

1/2 cup olive oil

Pinch of ground allspice

Salt and freshly cracked pepper

12 ounces sliced smoked salmon

1/4 cup crème fraîche

Fresh chives, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut potatoes in half (or quarters if larger potatoes) so that potatoes are uniform in size. In a roasting pan or glass baking dish, toss potatoes in olive oil with a pinch of allspice, and season generously with salt and pepper. Bake in oven for 35 minutes, or until tender (stirring potatoes midway through to ensure even cooking).

Divide potatoes between four plates. Drape salmon slices over potatoes. Drizzle each with crème fraîche, sprinkle with chopped chives and cracked pepper.

Valentine’s Cookies

 

My favorite cookie when I was a kid was the classic Peanut Butter Kiss my grandmother made, warm from the oven with the chocolate kiss on top still soft. Someone far more clever than I had the brilliant idea of subbing in Hershey’s Hugs—what Hershey’s describes as a Hershey’s milk chocolate hugged by sweet white cream—and adding some food coloring to the dough make Valentine’s cookies (hers were bright fuchsia and super fun).

I dialed it down a bit and added just a few squirts of red to the dough and then rolled them in red sugar leftover from Christmas baking. Also, you might notice from my photos that in a moment of a peanut butter addict’s overkill, I added 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips to my grandmother’s recipe. Go for it. Or don’t. (But I say go for it.) Finally, if you live near a Vons, Pavilions or Safeway supermarket, their generic Organics “O” Creamy Peanut Butter is my favorite for baking.

Peanut Butter Hugs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup organic creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup Spectrum All-Vegetarian Organic Shortening

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons whole milk

2-3 squirts red food coloring

1/2 cup peanut butter chips (optional)

Red sugar for dusting

36 Hershey’s Hugs, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat together peanut butter, shortening and granulated and brown sugars, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on medium until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.

With the mixer on low, add the food coloring and flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in peanut butter chips, if using. Shape the dough into walnut-sized balls, and roll in colored sugar.

Place on two un-greased cookie sheets, with about 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes, switching cookie sheets between racks about halfway through. Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate into the center of each cookie. (Cookie will crack around edges.)

Using a spatula, move cookies from sheet to baking rack and allow to cool completely. Makes about 36 cookies.

 

 

 

 

Caramelized Bacon

 

I’m torn about sharing this recipe, because it is so incredibly artery clogging. It comes, obviously, from the Barefoot Contessa who has built an empire on heart-stopping food. But, moral quandaries aside, the bacon is ridiculously good. And it’s Super Bowl weekend. And if you make this for dudes, they will swoon at your feet. (It’s a theory I tested recently at an all-boys dinner for my husband’s birthday.)

Caramelized Bacon

From Barefoot Contessa Foolproof

Makes 15 to 20 Hors D’Oeurvres

1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup chopped or whole pecans
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 pound thick-sliced applewood-smoked bacon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil (for easy cleaning) and place a wire baking rack on top.

Combine the brown sugar and pecans in a food processor and process until the pecans are finely ground. Add the salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper and pulse to combine. Add the maple syrup and pulse again to moisten the crumbs.

Cut each bacon slice in half crosswise and line up the pieces on the baking rack without touching. With a small spoon, evenly spread the pecan mixture on top of each piece of bacon, using all of the mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is very browned but not burnt. If it’s underbaked, the bacon won’t crisp as it cools.

While it hot, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside to cool. Serve at room temperature.

The Best Fried Chicken

One upside to having my husband’s beloved NY Giants out of the Super Bowl is that I can actually enjoy the game. The rest of this week I’ll be posting a few new ideas for Super Bowl snacks. Click here for last year’s favorites. The headliner this year will be Michael Ruhlman’s Rosemary-Brined, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, and if you’re planning to make you need to start at least THREE DAYS ahead. Ruhlman says, “This is the best fried chicken, ever. There I said it. If it’s not, I want to try yours.”

He’s right. The secret is the brine, which is flavored with aromatics and keeps the chicken juicy and flavorful.

Day 1 involves simmering the brine, cooling and then combining with chicken in a bag to rest in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours.

 

Day 2, chicken is rinsed, patted dry and left uncovered in the fridge for up to three days to dry out the skin (though 24 hours is sufficient). When you are ready to deep fry, the chicken gets dredged in a buttermilk, flour and paprika mixture to produce the crispiest, most flavorful crust.

The results are so worth the wait. After deep-frying in oil for about 12-15 minutes, get ready to bite into the crispiest, most flavorful fried chicken imaginable. Believe the hype. For recipe, click HERE.

 

Tomboy Style Q & A

You know how awesome it is when great things happen to great people? Meet the extraordinarily talented Lizzie Garrett Mettler, creator of the ultra-chic Tomboy Style blog and the smashing book of the same name, and—according this year’s September Vogue—inspiration for J. Crew’s fall collection. For reals. She is also one of my favorite people and mixer of mean cocktails, maker of perfect salads with shallots two ways and, of course, always the best accessorized girl in the room. I hope you enjoy this end-of-year peek into Lizzie’s closet and fridge… See you all in 2013!

What was the inspiration for Tomboy Style?

I felt like there wasn’t a blog out there that really spoke to my style, so I decided to start it myself. I remember realizing that there was a shift in the word “tomboy,” its meaning seemed to be in a transitional phase; growing up I thought of it as a pejorative word, now it’s come to mean something entirely different, especially when paired with the word chic or style.

Can you describe your design aesthetic? 

Not well. I definitely like a mixture of periods. I hate this word, but I guess I’d have to say it’s “eclectic.”

Your girliest moment?

I can get REALLY into table settings.

What piece of clothing or accessory in your wardrobe is in heaviest rotation right now?

My new Mrs. P Hicks canoe boots.

What five things will we always find in your closet?

Striped t-shirts
light weight scarves
Tretorn Nylites
I think I just counted that I have nine chambray shirts (yikes).
a photo of my husband

What five things will we always find in your refrigerator?

Lillet
capers
ginger
beer
baking soda

First song played at your wedding? 

With a Girl Like You by The Troggs (wait, Heather, you don’t recall that from memory!?)

[EDITOR'S NOTE: After the fireworks, things got a little hazy...]

Favorite movie?

Hard to pick one. I’ve seen Casino Royale and The Graduate a lot of times.

Last book you read…

Joan Didion’s Slouching Towards Bethlehem (essays), a gift from Julia Leach the designer and creative director of Chance

Favorite drink?

Michelada

Five things you always bring on vacation…

Foldable Ray-Ban wayfarers
an L.L.Bean tote with zip-top
Swatch Watch
The latest issue of The Gentlewoman magazine
Lavender essential oil—it calms, treats minor cuts or bites, helps induce sleep, and can act as a room fragrance. Plus, the bottles are always TSA-friendly.

Favorite piece of luggage?

T. Anothony 1-suiter

Photo of Lizzie, top, by John Konkal.

Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes

 

It’s a toss up between Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for my favorite family meal of the year. For Christmas we start off with caviar and smoked trout and then move into a prime rib with Yorkshire pudding and mashed potatoes, followed by trifle. Go big, or go home. For the mashed potatoes I’m giddy when we’ve made enough to use for leftover mashed potato pancakes. My dad puts chives in his mashed potatoes, but if yours are without, do add some fresh chives to the pancake batter. Or, for a cheesy option, sprinkle some grated pecorino into the mix. These savory pancakes can be sweetened up for kiddie appetites with a spoonful of applesauce, though I prefer them with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes

Makes 8 pancakes

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes

2 eggs

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter

crème fraîche or applesauce, optional, to garnish

In a bowl, mix together mashed potatoes, eggs, flour and salt and pepper until smooth. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and using a 1/4 cup measure drop batter into 8 rounds into the pan and flatten slightly with spatula. (Depending on size of skillet, you may need to do this in two batches.)

 

Fry pancakes about 4 minutes until bottoms are golden and crispy, and then flip with spatula. Fry an additional 4-5 minutes until crispy and golden. Drain on paper towels and serve with either crème fraîche or applesauce.

Cookie Magic

Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t bake. It’s a well-known fact for regular visitors to this blog. And so you can imagine how overjoyed I was that this month’s theme for cooking club was a cookie exchange! When I think cookie perfection, immediately my friend Christine comes to mind. You may remember this plate of gorgeous cookies she left on my doorstep last Christmas. The woman has mad skills.

And so I took a page out of Christine’s ever pitch perfect book, and made a batch of White Christmas Dream Drops for last night’s cookie swap. They are heavenly bites of meringue, studded with white chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candy canes. They are exquisite. Better yet, even I can make them and they were a hit at cooking club. Take a look at the competition:

If I can get my hands on the recipes from the other girls, I will definitely share because they were all awesome. In the meantime, here’s the recipe for the dream drops. Before starting, make sure your eggs are at room temperature and that your oven is preheated. Otherwise, they’re a snap.

White Chocolate Dream Drops

Recipe from Sunset Magazine, December 2011

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup white chocolate chips

1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp. coarsely crushed peppermint candies

Preheat oven to 250° F.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a deep bowl with a mixer, using whisk attachment if you have one, just until soft peaks form. Add vanilla and salt. With motor running and mixer on high speed, pour in 1 tbsp. sugar and beat 10 to 15 seconds, then repeat until all sugar has been added. Scrape inside of bowl and beat another 15 seconds. At this point, meringue should form straight peaks when beaters are lifted. Fold in chocolate chips and 1/3 cup candies with a flexible spatula.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, using a bit of meringue at corners as glue. Using a soup spoon, drop meringue in rounded 1-tbsp. portions slightly apart onto sheets, scraping off with another spoon. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tbsp. candies.

Bake until meringues feel dry and set when touched but are still pale, 30 to 35 minutes, switching pan positions halfway through. Turn off oven, open door, and let cookies stand about 10 minutes. Let cool on pans. Store in airtight container for up to two days, though I doubt they will last that long.

 

Sisters of Los Angeles

Here’s a smart idea. If you want something done, ask someone who’s busy. If you want something done well, ask three working women with kids. Such is the story of SoLA—Sisters of Los Angeles—founded by architect Barbara Bestor, designer Karen Alweil, and fashion publicist Sara Stein, all of whom are moms. This summer, the trio launched their colorful SoLA collection of groovy goods, which highlight those places most sacred to Angelenos—neighborhoods, canyons, beaches and, yes, our freeways—and L.A. design at its best, or what Bestor describes as “Southern California nature and street culture, kustom kars, Ed Ruscha sunsets, Griffith Park flora, printed materials blown up.”

It’s all so, so good! Scroll down for a Q&A with the stylish sisters, but first my picks for any last-minute holiday shopping on your list. You can find SoLA’s goods at Kitson, Ron Robinson – Fred Segal, The Getty, MOCA, The Downtown Library, Venokado, Firefly in Venice, and Yolk.

I love these Canyon Rocks Glasses, handmade in Los Angeles using organic ink. Or how about Santa using one of these oversized Hollywood totes to deliver presents this year?

If I were Santa, I’d skip the milk and cookies and hope that a plateful of SoLA’s gorgeous Valerie Confections Chocolate Candy Bars (particularly the dark cherry and chocolate, available at Venokado in Santa Monica and West Hollywood) had been left by the mantle with a wee dram of Talisker…

How did SoLA begin?

Barbara: I had lunch with Sara and Karen at Little Dom’s and we had a lot of iced tea and got very excited and that was that!

Favorite Los Angeles canyon?

Sara: I love Runyon Canyon—it is a place for people and their dogs (I have two rescues LUKE & LEIA). And just like all the best places in LA., you never know who you might see. But Beachwood is near & dear to my heart. I escaped there after a bad breakup—it is a place to disappear and redefine yourself.

Barbara: Elysian Park

Karen: Too hard to pick just one. Mailbu for the beach. Laurel reminds me of my childhood. Benedict because it is so much fun to drive and explore.

What piece of clothing or accessory is in heaviest rotation right now?

Sara: Saltwater Sandals & Superga Sneakers & Rachel Loren earrings my husband gave me.

Barbara: Roman Kremer for Camper wedges, Isabel Marant zipper jacket

Karen: Grey Blazer from Uniqlo, Rachel Comey wedges and an FFS necklace

What five things will we always find in your closet?

Sara: Muji Striped Sweater, Odd Molly tops, Matta dresses, Madewell t-shirts & white denim (I never met a white jean I did not like)

Barbara: fancy tshirts black, fancy tshirts navy blue, black jeans, leather bracelet, dark jackets

Karen: dark denim jeans, Matta dresses, blazers, always in search of the perfect t-shirt and always a pair of platforms

What five things will we always find in your refrigerator?

Sara: Manchego cheese, 1% organic milk, red grapes, my mom’s salad dressing, Fage yogurt with honey

Barbara: sharp cheddar, avocados, 2%milk, iced decaf coffee—homemade, apples

Karen: Salami, salami, cheese, more cheese—stinkier the better, and iced tea

Favorite piece of luggage?

Sara: my husband is the traveler so I steal from him whatever I can

Barbara: Clare Vivier leather travel bag (actually I don’t have one yet but I ASPIRE to have one, in navy blue, and then I can be fabulous).

Karen: Flight 001 Spacepaks

Five things you always bring on vacation…

Sara: My children Noah & Maggie, the game Apples to Apples, my iPad, Dr. Robin Sun Screen (for the kids and me), my running shoes

Barbara: Bea and Charlotte—my teen queens, books, tennis stuff, too much weight in my suitcase

Karen: My husband Daniel, my son Gabriel, music, ipad, magazines and of course too many shoes

SoLA iPad cases at YOLK, image via apartmenttherapy.com

Favorite cocktail?

Sara: Hitching Post “Cork Dancer” Pinot Noir

Barbara: vodka soda or maybe a dark and stormy if I am on Block Island

Karen: Kettel one straight up with a twist

i love l.a. because…

Sara: I can BBQ my Thanksgiving turkey in shorts and a t-shirt! (and I do it every year as you know with my dad’s Red River BBQ Sauce)

Barbara: it is the funnest place to live and the most creative place I know.

Karen: It’s home and the most beautiful and inspiring place all year long