Recipe 29: Goat Cheese-Honey-Pear Truffles

As bummed out as I am to miss out on partaking in Eat My Blog 4.0 (having volunteered for the previous three) due to a previously-planned excursion, I'm glad to at least be able to contribute something. Hopefully if you bought one of the Goat Cheese-Honey-Pear Truffles, you enjoyed eating them as much as I did making them.

And to let you in on a little secret . . . these impressive, intensely-flavored little gems are amazingly easy to make! Requiring only five ingredients and less than an hour of actual prepwork, I hope these treats make your gift-giving, or bakesale-contributing, repetoire!

Ingredients (for approximately 50 bite-sized truffles):

6 oz. creamy goat cheese (salted is OK, in fact, I rather like the tinge of savoriness!)

12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks (I used Trader Joe's Pound-Plus bar)

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. pear liqueur/brandy (I used Mathilde, leftover from my Autumnal Mulled Wine)

1/2 cup unsweetened powdered cocoa, sifted (if you don't like in-your-face bitterness of straight-on cocoa, you can sift in some powdered sugar too.)

Directions

1. Cream together the goat cheese, honey and pear liqueur until thoroughly incorporated (it will be kind of runny, that's OK)

2. Over low heat of a stove and a watchful eye, melt the bittersweet chocolate chunks, stirring constantly to prevent burning (Tip: Be sure to the saucepan is completely devoid of water and that no water touches the melting chocolate, or you'll get a grainy seized mess!)

3. Once chocolate is melted, pour gently over the goat cheese mixture and fold to incorporate; it will have the feel of a brownie batter.

4. Cover with plastic wrap and let it chill for at least 2 hours (I used that time to sift my cocoa powder, clean my cooking supplies and enjoyed a beer.)

5. Take the chilled ganache of the fridge and use a spoon to pop out teaspoon-sized dollops, use your hands to mold them into sphere-ish truffles (the warmth from your palms and fingers will instantly make the ganache rather pliable), then roll in cocoa powder.

6. Serve or store in fridge (I prefer eating them just a touch colder than room temp.)

No. 209: Venison Fair @ Chaya Venice

In LA, it's a rather tricky affair when restaurants decide to put game meats on the menu. Sometimes it gets so buried with other flavors and texture you wonder why even bother with an exotic meat, and at the opposite end of the spectrum there are dishes that so unapologetically, unctuous and gnarly you kinda regret ordering a whole entreé size portion of it. Basically, you would feel jipped for that premium price.

So I was quite pleased to report back from a media dinner @ Chaya Venice that their Venison Fair (going on until Dec. 11) have something for every palate on the foodventurous-ness spectrum, from innocently curious to the full "Game On!" 

As such, I'll start with the most innocuous dish and go progressively wilder, so hold on to your palates.

Of the four dishes featured in this fair, the mildest one is definitely the venison meatballs with marinara sauce with pappardelle & shaved parmesan. I would've guessed veal if I tasted these meatballs blind, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, considering the herbs & spices in the meatballs themselves and the vibrant tomato sauce. And overall, this was a hearty and satisfying course, but if you are looking for more of an "Oh, deer!" factor - I'd vye for one of the three below.

Such as the venison chili con carne - given how spice-heavy this was I thought the venison-ness of this would be pretty mellow too, but the meat's gamey flavor and leaner texture does shine through here since venison steak chunks (as opposed to grounded up in the meatballs) is used. While the menu disclaimed this was 'spicy' - for me it was totally tolerable amount of heat, more of a 4 or 5 on a 1 to 10 scale.

If you are looking for a distinct venison flavor, go for the Texas-spiced venison burger. Yes, the meat is grounded up, but it's a whole big solid patty of it that really let its flavor and texture (that I place as a hybrid of bison & lamb) shine through. Of course, you can always pick apart the burger to taste the venison alone, but I personally loved its accompaniments of peppery, crunchy arugula, mildly-hot pepper jack cheese, the sweet-and-hot combo of spicy mayo and red pepper chutney, and of course, the crispy fattiness of thick-cut bacon. (Note that these were special slider versions served at this particular media dinner, on a regular order it would just be one normal-sized burger.)

And for those gung-ho about tasting deer in all its glory, go for the roasted venison tenderloin with blueberry peppercorn sauce. If you don't care for fruity sauces on your meat dishes, you might want to ask for it on the side, but I had no problem with it drizzled on top, the berries and peppers added a playful complexity and balance to the venison slices. Combine that with the haricots verts, mushrooms and chestnut puree and you got quite a forest-themed main course on your plate.

And at the server's suggestion, for all these deery dishes we shared "The Ball Buster", a 2009 Australian Red Blend from Tait Wines that proved to bold enough to hold up to more spice-heavy courses, but with a fruit-forwardness and soft-enough tannins that makes it sippable on its own too.

Also surprising is the number of "hard coffee" drinks they have on their menu (always a fond reminder of my days on the East Coast, where these are more prominent -- presumably so people can warm up and get buzzed in two different ways!) The Cafe L'Orange I got was just citrusy & liquored enough to add a delightful zing to the coffee without compromising its smoothness (unlike say... poorly made Irish coffees that just uber-bitter and burns going down the throat.)

Finally, no worries if deer isn't your thing -- their regular menu is still available for your dining pleasure. If nothing else, their all-night happy hour is worth a checkout too.

For other takes on the Venison Fair, check out the posts by my dining compadres that evening: TreasureLA & Savory Hunter. 


Chaya Venice 
110 Navy Street (cross: Main St)
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 396-1179
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Recipe 28: Autumnal Apples & Pears Mulled Wine

A lighter and more autumn-y take than my spicier & more robust mulled wine from last year, I concocted this version for a friend's pre-Thanksgiving/housewarming potluck celebration this past weekend - partly because it was going to be rainy (warm cocktail would be a major plus) and there were more than a dozen attendees (so I'd much rather do a batched cocktail rather than making individual ones) and because I was late to RSVP, and almost all the other appropriate food dishes (from appetizers to sides to desserts) have already been spoken for, but no one took the cocktail slot. What better way to show off my amateurish mixing abilities, or how much of a lush I am.

And, actually I'd consider a "new & improved" version of the mulled wine. It still has the bite of the sweet spices (maybe even a little more so, since I used fresh ginger this time,) balanced with the breezy fruitiness of apples and pears (which I kicked up another notch with apple juice & pear liqueur.) Plus, being a slow cooker recipe, it's one you can have simmering throughout the party and just have guests ladle away.

So without further ado...

Apples & Pears Slow Cooker Mulled Wine

Ingredients (for approx. 15 5 oz. servings)

1 cup water

1 cup apple juice

1 cup pear brandy or liqueur (I used Mathilde's Poire), separated in 2 half-cup portions

1.5 cups sugar

2 medium apples (I used Jonagolds), 

2 medium pears (I used Boscs)

1 medium lemon

3-inch piece of fresh ginger root, rinsed and cut to 1/8-inch thick pieces

4 star anise pods

3 cinnamon sticks

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

2 bottles of light, dry white wine (I used Fresh & Easy's Ora Pinot Grigio, discounted @ $3.99 a bottle when I bought it)

Directions

Preparing the apple n pear spiced syrup (can be done night ahead)

1. Combine apple juice and water in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a gentle boil.

2. Add sugar and stir vigorously until combined, then add ginger slices, star anise pods, cinnamon sticks, ground allspice and nutmeg.

3. Reduce heat to low and allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes.

4. Turn off heat and add half a cup of pear liqueur. Proceed to making mulled wine or store in the fridge.

Making the mulled wine

1. In a six-quart (or larger) slow cooker, combine spiced syrup, 2 bottles of wine and the juice of 1 lemon. Set the slow cooker to a low setting, which is usually just below alcohol's boiling point. (if you want, you can strain out the spices from the syrup at this time, but I left them in to amp up the spiciness & fragrance as the slow cooker heats it up...)

2. While the mulled wine is heating up, rinse, core and chop the apples and pears into thin pieces/slices/wedges. Add to slow cooker, cover it and allow to heat for approximately an hour.

3. Add the remaining half-cup of pear liqueur just before serving. You can leave it on the low setting, or dial it down to the "keep warm" setting, for the duration of serving.

No. 208: Brunching at Cecconi's (West Hollywood)

When I first received the invite to try out Cecconi's Ricotta Pancakes, I'll concede my first reaction was an indifferent "Ok, well good for them." I mean, I love ricotta pancakes and their airy-light, creamy-rich and slightly chewy texture, but they are kinda all over town.

However, upon closer inspection of PR pitch and realizing that these are actually cheese-stuffed pancakes with "ricotta oozing out," my curiosity got piqued and so I went there for a hosted sampling with The Minty and Dishing Up Delights.

Of course, this blogger meetup turned out to be more than just a pancake tasting . . . it was a boozy brunch feast that left all of us rolling in satisfaction.

Our meal started out with an assortment of Cecconi's cicchetti, traditionally Italian snacky bites though here 2-3 orders would be substantial enough for a meal, especially given how hearty they were (such as Cubano-esque porchetta & fontina sliders, quail eggs with tonnata sauce and marinara-smothered, goat cheese-stuffed squash blossoms.)

But being carb-fiend that I am, my favorite small plate was definitely the gnocchi [alla] romana with gorgonzola. The fluffy, oversized dumplings went wonderfully with the stretchy, rich and ever-so-mildly-bluey cheese sauce, the baked-on sage added a nice aroma to boot. And actually I think it's a smart move to keep this at a manageable cicchetti size, 'cause as indulgent as these things were, I don't think I can handle even a primi portion of it.

At the risk of sounding like a Semi-Ho, it wouldn't be a proper brunch without a some libations. But unlike Semi-Ho, our cocktails were actually respectable sippers - all leaning on the breezy and refreshing side, such as classic Moscow Mule and Queen's Park Swizzle. I opted for a more modern Rye whiskey-based Peach Smash, a simple-yet-effective summery cocktail that's equal-parts spicy, spritzy and fruity [without being too sweet.] Alas, with peaches going outta season looks like I'll have to wait till next year to re-embrace this particular drink.

Next up came our savory entrees; while I did enjoy my wood-baked frittata with pancetta & mushrooms, the clear standout is definitely their potato rösti topped with a sunny-side-up duck egg and black truffle shavings. It's a seductress of a morning dish that tempts all the senses, with its more-orange-than-yellow yolk, intoxicating truffle perfume, and clearly audible crisp with each cut & bite of the rösti. You can only imagine how it feels & tastes . . .

And then, the dish we were all looking forward to - the ricotta-filled hotcakes with blueberry compote. Consider my curiosity & palate thoroughly satisfied . . . these were amazing-tasting lovechildren of cheese blintzes and ricotta pancakes. In fact, I'd even say they one-upped their parents, since I've never cared much for blintzes (too much cheese for the thin crepey pancake) and as tasty as standard ricotta pancakes are, the back of my mind is always wondering "Ok, where is the actual cheese?" The compote here is solid stuff too, vibrant with blueberry flavor and adorned with lots of succulent berries too!

Finally, even though we thought we just had dessert with the hotcakes, the Chef sent out a sweets sampler platter with all sorts of fun bite-sized sugary treats. Since I'm already on a ricotta kick, I loved the mini canoli and light-than-usual cheesecake best. (Tip: I was also informed that this can be ordered as an off-the-menu special.) Oh, if only people can hand these out instead of waxy, bland, [not so] fun-sized candies during Halloween . . .

But all in all, color me a convert of brunch @ Cecconi's. The price is a tad upscale, but the premium is well worth it particularly for a special occasion brunch. The food was solid and the service impeccable (not just for us blogger folks, I've been observing our dining neighbors too...) and the patio setting, surrounded by high hedges and topped with a frosted skylight, made for a great respite from its noisy, urban surroundings.

And you can definitely count on me to return for that gnocchi, rösti and hotcake!

What Do Others Say?
- In a two-star review, LA Times' S. Irene Virbila noted that "with the possibility of half-portions, thin-crusted pizza and moderate prices, I'm betting this user-friendly Italian will have legs."
- Gayot declared it a top 10 Italian & celeb-spotting restaurant for 2011, adding that "far from the molecular-minded trends of today's dining scene, Cecconi's feels classic and timeless."
- In the write-up to accompany its now-expired deal, Gilt City L.A. says it "is one of the city’s most glamorous Italian restaurants, reprising the original Cecconi’s London that hosted royalty throughout the ’80s. The L.A. version caters to more modern aristocracy."
- Deep End Dining got an alien autopsy/squid ink extraction experience here, then enjoyed a "truly exceptional" squid ink risotto with clams.

Cecconi's
8764 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 432-2000
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Dr Chocolate w Trader Joe's, Fearless & Moonstruck

Anyone following me on twitter knows that I go to therapy once a day, therapy with #DrChocolate - a quick respite from the hum-drums of the workday, usually in mid-afternoon. Just a quick bite of a bar, or occasionally a few truffles, is enough to bring balance & peace into my life. And it inoculates me from diving face first into a six-layer, molten lava cake with hot fudge sauce...

But alas, not all Dr Chocolates are alike, and I figured it'll be fun every now and again to blog about my recent therapy sessions, if they were worthwhile and whether I'll book another appointment again.

These past two weeks my sessions included:

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Bar: Toffee with Walnuts and Pecans

Photo courtesy of Dark Chocolate Diary

Cost of Session: $1.99 for 3 oz. bar

Physician Marketing: "The Caramel Toffee bar is infused with a crunchy, salty toffee, crafted from a third generation recipe. We've added pieces of pecans & walnuts for extra crunch and even more rich flavor. Both of these are artisan-made chocolates for which you might expect to pay art-gallery level prices."

Patient's Notes: A thinly-veiled partnership/copycat of Vosges' Exotic Caramel Toffee Bar (down to the "third-generation" part, Vosges' site noted the toffee is a tribute to the chocolatier's grandmother). 

The major notable difference between the two is cacao content (70% for the TJ bar, versus 45% for Vosges.) Which wound up being my major gripe for this bar--I generally gravitate towards dark chocolate but this is one exception where "deep milk chocolate" worked so much better, with its creamy, subdued character blending harmoniously with the buttery toffee and softly-crunchy nut bits (and I do mean bits, those looking for significant chunks of nuts should find another therapist.) With the dark chocolate, the bold, intense cacao flavor kinda works against the other components of this bar.

However, the major bonus is that this is only a $2 (versus $6-8 for a Vosges bar of the same size.) I can readily overlook the more intense, possibly harsher, taste for that price. And it's probably slightly healthier too, what with all those extra antioxidants in dark chocolate.

Likelihood of Rebooking an Appointment: 9/10, due to the extremely reasonable price

Fearless Chocolate's 70% Matcha Green Tea & Peppermynt

Cost of Session: $5.99 for 2 oz. bar online, I got mine @ a discounted $4.99 at local market

Physician Marketing: "Peppermint cool-kisses the milky mist of Matcha in a rich raw cacao, merging the two most anti-oxidant rich foods on the planet." Also, note that their marketing includes having a "bite" taken out of the chocolate bar to symbolize their charitable commitments.

Patient's Notes: I was skeptical about this bar -- anything with peppermint (or as they preciously called it, peppermynt) can easily go South fast and wound up tasting like toothpaste or chewing gum. But I wound up snapping this bar up because it also had matcha tea added, and because it's made with organic raw cacao, thus devoid of typical additives like soy lecithin or refined sugars (in fact, they even opt out of agave nectar, using rapadura instead as sweetener.)

Unfortunately, when I opened this bar, I discovered that it had bloomed and the texture was definitely less-than-ideal--slightly grainy instead of the expected silky-smooth. Thus this became more a chocolate that I chewed instead of letting it sit on my tongue to melt. But having said that, the flavor is a pleasant surprise, with the cooling mint and roasty green tea coming in delightful wisps and tinges and surprisingly well-synced with the fruity notes of the chocolate itself.

Likelihood of Rebooking an Appointment: 7/10, though might adjust it higher/lower depending on if next bar's bloomed too.

Moonstruck's 68% Chile Variado Bar

Cost of Session: $4.25 for 3 oz. bar online, I got mine @ $3.99 in Portland

Physician Marketing: "A chocolate bar with a kick! We infuse our decadent dark chocolate with Ancho and Chipotle chiles, resulting in a bar that features a finishing hint of spice, just as chocolate was originally enjoyed."

Patient's Notes: I'm a lover of spicy chocolate (be it from chilies, ginger or even wasabi) so I'm always on the lookout for new varieties to try. This particular bar is a great one to try even for the heat-averse, with just a slight, lingery kick and a little roasty smokiness. The chilies also does a great job complementing the chocolate's aroma (strongly advise you rub the bar & have a sniff before taking a bite.) Finally, I love how incredibly smooth this bar is. Just let it sit in your mouth and let the mini-fireworks show commence on your tastebuds.

The only ever-so-minor demerit is that this is one whole bar (as opposed to sectioned off squares like the other two above) that makes portion controlling just a wee bit harder.

Likelihood of Rebooking an Appointment: 8/10, though I got this bar in Portland and doesn't seem likely I'll find it in a store in Southern California.