My Cheating Thanksgiving Menu . . .

Ok, I copped out & shortcutted my way through Thanksgiving, grabbing a store-bought holiday dinner to bring to my folks' place (with my only from-scratch contribution being the coffee-nut brownies). However, my heat 'n serve dinner from Wild Oats is one of the best and fastest I've ever had -- going from bag to table in less than 90 minutes. The Petit Dinner (for 2-3) included:

~ 3 pounds Plainville Farms all-natural boneless turkey breast (which I roasted with apples)
~ 6 sweet diamond dinner rolls
~ 1 pound garlic mashed potatoes
~ mushroom gravy
~ mushroom & wild rice stuffing
~ garlic roasted brussel sprouts that I sauteed with extra black pepper
~ cranberry relish
~ lattice-top apple pie, surprisingly not-too-sweet and garnered my Mom's (i.e. "That's TOO sweet!") approval.

And even after the 3 of us had our fill, there was PLENTY of leftovers -- so this weekend I'll most likely simmer a lean turkey noodle soup on a crock-pot that I can dish out whenevers and enjoy with leftover stuffing and a glass of wine. Here's to hoping this weekend will be a chilly one.

Recipe Time #3: Coffee Nut Brownies with Cafe Au Lait Ganache Glaze

A wonderful recipe I've adapted from Bon Appetit's Jamaican Coffee Brownie (a magazine I subscribe to and read almost religiously)- it's fairly easy and good enough to make anyone swear off making brownies from a boxed mix - particularly for those who are sticklers about ingredient quality. And a little slice of heaven for me, a combination chocoholic & caffeine addict; the intensity of this treat is like eating a cafe mocha (the version with full-fat milk and real chocolate.)

The below recipe is for a 13x9 pan -- which can be cut into 8 to 16 decent pieces. Of course, for different sized pans, adjust ingredients proportionally and/or the cooking time.

Coffee Nut Brownie Ingredients:
15 tablespoons unsalted butter (chopped into small cubes/pats)
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Valrhona)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-4 tablespoons finely ground coffee (at least espresso fine)
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
about 1 cup walnut pieces

Cafe au Lait Ganache Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup bittersweet/semisweet chocolate chips (I used Callebaut's 56% semisweet)
1/3 cup strong, freshly-brewed coffee (or re-heated to simmering)
a splash of heavy cream

Optional toppings:
Walnut halves (1 for every piece of brownie)
Chocolate covered coffee beans (ditto)

First, heat a saucepan of water till simmering, and put butter, cocoa, sugar & coffee in a large bowl. As you can tell from below, my butter cubes aren't particularly small, which meant more elbow grease work later . . .
Stir the ingredients over the saucepan of boiling water ~ a process made much easier with smaller butter pieces and if brought to room temperature. Be sure to also scrape the sides frequently to make sure everything is well-mixed.

Even when properly combined, it should be very thick and gritty.

Remove from heat and let it cool down (so that the eggs they won't instantly cook when mixed in) ~ meanwhile preheat the oven to 350. When the mixture is lukewarm, stir in eggs and vanilla extract. After blending that in, sift the flour into the batter and whisk away.

It should be a thick batter-like consistency by now, so throw in the walnut pieces, give it a few quick whiskings.

Afterwards, spread it on a 13x9 pan and pop it in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes. (Of course, employ the toothpick test to see if it's done ~ poke it in the center of the brownie and see if it comes out pretty clean.)

While the brownies are baking, you can clean up the prep area and also begin making the simple Cafe au Lait ganache glaze. Alternatively, you can make this glaze a day ahead of time.

Simply throw in the semisweet chips, hot coffee & the splash of heavy cream in a small bowl. I advise using a fairly strong brew of coffee so the flavor really comes through.

Then mix until smooth.

Then set aside or chill. You can heat this up (gently, over a saucepan of simmering water) for spreading.

When the brownies are done, remove from oven and let it rest for an hour:

As you can see, not the prettiest baked good on the block -- which is where the glaze comes in! Be liberal, there's plenty to cover the whole thing (and even some extras for you to lick off the spoon.)

Afterwards, put in fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the glaze settle a little, then chop it up. If so desired, add a few decorative & tasting toppings (I opted for a walnut half and a chocolate-covered espresso bean). And of course, everyone's favorite part - eating it all up!

Just like the magazine that inspired this dish - Bon Appetit!

Recipe Time #2: Spiced Brown Butter Sauce

Brown butter sauce seems to be all the rave as of late, and I agree it is quite the bomb, for tastebuds as well as hardening arteries. It's got great toasty, nutty flavors, a hint of caramelization, and a great conduit for whatever herbs & spices that are thrown in. And a little goes a long way.

It's also an incredibly easy and fast sauce to make, so save yourself the time gussying up for a restaurant (and the money for this oh-so-sophisticated dish) and just whip it up yourself.

Basically, all you need is butter (unsalted is better, so it's more easy to adjust the preferred sodium level) and what ever herbs and spices you want to accent the sauce with. Sage & rosemary are particularly popular for brown butter, for this time around I decided for a dash of garlic salt and a good dose of fresh ground pepper. (and 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of butter is plenty per person - can even get away with less if pasta is tossed well with the sauce.)

To make the sauce, simply melt the pats of butter on a skillet, swirling constantly to prevent burning and to heat evenly. When it gets light to medium brown, take it off the heat source and add your spices / herbs of choice. Swirl a few more times and voila! sauce is ready to drizzle, toss, pour over your favorite pasta.

One tip though, make sure your pasta is thoroughly drained -- helps it cling to the sauce better since, afterall, oil and water don't mix.

In my case - I used my black pepper/garlic brown butter in smoked mozzarella & spinach/ricotta ravioli (both from Surfas) and a good helping of assorted mushrooms, just to make me feel less guilty:

I used a little over 2 tablespoons of butter, and that turned to be way too much, as indicated by this pool of nutty, spicy goodness of liquid fat that collected when I tilt my plate slightly:

And I decided to be healthful and not mop it up (a.k.a. I ran out of bread...) - so down the drain it went :(

Foodventure #17: Il Fornaio (Pasadena)

Yes, Il Fornaio is a chain - but I usually dig their Festa Regionale offerings which, if nothing else, is a great PR & marketing tactic. For those not familiar with Festa Regionale, it's basically a two-week long event focusing on a cuisine specific to one of Italy's regions (Lombardia, Veneto, Toscana, etc.) where they have a limited-time menu utilizing the ingredients and recipes from that region (alongside their regular yearlong menu.) I particularly like this because every month I can go in and have a whole different set of choices to choose from.

On top of that, Festa Regionale diners get a passaporto which rewards them for sampling these regional cuisine (sometimes it's a nice trinket such as wine charms, other times it could be a biscotti or a bread from their bakery.) Have a fully stamped passaporto (six months in a row) and you get a special ceramic plate & an entry for a trip to Italy. Talk about a great way to retain a loyal customer base.

And so, off I went to my local Il Fornaio - in the heart of Old Town Pasadena in the One Colorado Plaza.

Being a mildly cool day, I took a seat in their lovely patio area, which looks out into the rest of the Plaza, where an occasional short artsy flick may play on the giant screen above the Sushi Roku.

Of course, when handed the menu my eyes made a beeline for their regional specialty, this time focusing on the Northern Aosta Valley - known for their mushrooms, truffles & fontina cheese (think Swiss but nuttier and less fat.)

Having my eye on a rather heavy looking dessert, I decided again to go for 2 lighter courses for dinner, first off:

Zuppa con Porcini e Castagne (Porcini & Chestnut Soup), topped with foccacia crouton. If there was ever a soup that was perfectly salted, this would be it, with just enough to add the needed character but not a maddeningly dehydrating bowl of liquid sodium chloride. That being said, I didn't care much for the combo in flavors -- and guess the mushroom-chestnut mix looked better in text than it does in taste. There were chunks of sweet, firm chestnuts and the soup had woodsy-earthy flavors of a porcini, but together it was just kind of unremarkable - as if the two cancelled each other out.

Moving on, I decided upon an appetizer for a main course:

Polenta Alla Boscaiola, basically polenta with chicken breasts, crimini mushrooms, a gravy & white truffle oil. The polenta had a very good texture, like moist fluffy whipped potatoes, except with corn meal. The chicken strips were juicy and soaked up the flavors of the gravy and aromatic white truffle oil really well, and the mushrooms were not bad, could've been more flavorful. But all in all a good dish that didn't fill me up, leaving me room for . . .

Tortino al Cioccolato, flourless chocolate torte on top of a thin biscotti pancake, with raspberries, chocolate syrup and cremé anglaise. So rich I'd swear it had a gravitational pull of its own, with no resistance from my spoon or willpower. Less sweet than its other flourless chocolate cousins, I can actually eat a few bites w/o thinking, "Geez I need coffee/water pronto!" However, it was a bit sticky which, combined with its density, meant I had to literally suck the thing off my dessert spoon.

And of course, I had my passaporto, which meant this time around I got a mini-loaf of their porcini ciabatta bread to take home - crusty and firm, sliced up these made for great soup dunkers!

Of course, now I can't wait to go for my sixth time, where, along with my taste of Umbria's offerings, I'll also get my commemorative plate -- to my ever growing mismatch set of chinaware--Pier 1/Ikea eccentricity without the hefty pricetag.

The bill:
Porcini/Chestnut Soup: 5.95

Polenta: 8.75

Chocolate Torte: 6.50

Coffee: 2.00

Pre-tax/tip TOTAL: 23.20

The rating:
Ambience/Decor: 4.5/5 (Great atmosphere and nice patio area)
Value: 3.5/5 (Nothing is a particular bargain, but I definitely didn't feel ripped)

Service: 9.5/10 (Exemplary, especially when the staff & manager handled a neighboring table's complaint with marvelous professionalism ~ basically he ripped his jacket on a loose nail on the wall and their first offer was to pay for tailoring fees.)

Food: 15/20 (This particular meal was good, but not a hit - but I never had anything bad here.)

Bonus/Demerit: +1 for constantly rotating menus

TOTAL: 33.5/40 (A ole reliable in my book - decent place to go to when I'm not embarking onto new foodventures.)

Other notes:
- There's a valet on Colorado Blvd. that they validate for, but I've never had trouble finding metered street parking nearby.
- On top of regional foods, they also rotate various Italian wines to go with the food (which I usually get, but opted out of this time.)
- You can also get a passaporto by going to their Web site.

Il Fornaio (Pasadena)
1 West Colorado Blvd.

Pasadena, CA

626-683-9797

www.ilfornaio.com

Special Foodventure #16: 2nd Annual LA Tamale Festival (E. Los Angeles)

Ok, two days have past and I'm still savoring happy taste memories (and take-outs) from the 2nd Annual Los Angeles Tamale Festival, which took place this past weekend (Nov. 10-12) in MacArthur Park (Alvarado & 7th) in the East Los Angeles area. Mama's Hot Tamale Cafe , one of the principal backers of this event, is located on that block.

Being a 3-time goer of the Indio Tamale Festival (a good two hours drive away), I'm glad that finally there's one going on much closer to home (and I'm sure many Angelenos feel the same way.) However, being only in its second year -- the event is still in its infancy and nowhere close to the size and popularity of the Indio Festival (which will be doing it's 15th Annual this year.) Compared to Indio's 50+ tamale vendors covering a few blocks, this one only took one side of a block, and I don't think there are even 10 tamale boothes.

But I figured there are probably masa-coated gems to be had here, so on a foodventure I went. First stop - the store behind it all - Mama's Hot Tamales Cafe!

They were selling a variety of Mexican foods and an interesting selection of tamales, with various regional variations (with their respective chilies, moles and sauces) and some contemporary ones (I recall one made with a guava filling). Being my first tamale of the day, I got something a bit more traditional -

Adobo Beef - with some kickass oregano flavors, juicy beefiness and a spice level that left my tongue tingling with glee. The masa is a bit on the dry side - perhaps inadequately wrapped or a steamer that's low on water? Nonetheless, after tasting I bought more to take home - upon revisiting with my own re-heating, the masa was moist and soaked up all that great beef & adobo marinade flavors.

Second stop, Gourmet Tamales - where I got a slightly-offbeat Pork Verde Tamale:

Even though the masa-to-meat ratio is a bit higher than what I would've preferred, the masa in this sucker is so moist and fluffy, every bite reminiscent of a pillowy gnocchi. The pork was a delightful surprise, evoked the lime-tangy and mildly hot verde sauce - which also made this extra-carb-loaded tamale light-tasting and easy on the stomach.

While looking for a dessert tamale to finish off (pineapple seems to be pre-dominant one here,) I passed by this joint:

Where the lady boasted winning the Tamale Contest for this festival (and a 3rd place winner @ Indio in '04) and that it's a must-try. I took a look at the short and simple ingredient list - which included shortening. OK - I'm sold, and I bought two frozen pork & red chili ones to take home - and boy were they good. The shredded pork practically falls apart without any chewing, and the added fats made this tamale particularly filling. Just one and I'm done!

A finally, a sweet ending - at one of my favorite LA-based tamale vendors: Corn Maiden.

Specializing in Euro-Mex foods, they have a share of traditional-style tamales, but it's their eccentric fusion stuff that I love best from this place - such as sweet yellow corn-cheddar tamales with a tomatillo sauce & lobster with ginger & coconut. And of course, my dessert favorite-

Belgian chocolate with caramelized walnuts & raspberries - every forkful is heavenly - sometimes a chunk of crunchy walnuts, other times the aromatic tang of raspberries, and just subtle-but-noticeable chocolate nuances throughout, a wondrous experience I attribute to the clever design of this tamale with the "filling" being more-or-less distributed throughout the masa.

For a fair that's still starting out, they definitely pick out some winners for their boothes (and a relatively inexpensive foodventure, with everything costing $2-3 a pop) - and even though I will continue hauling my ice chest to the Indio festival, I will definitely add this on my epicurean calendar (and hope that it becomes as vast, popular and tasty.)