Bouchon, Beverly Hills

If you couldn't already tell from the hoards of food bloggers taking pictures of their meals with expensive cameras and the fact that the restaurant is completely booked weeks from now, Bouchon is the latest hot dining spot in L.A.. I was lucky enough to score a reservation for brunch the second week it opened.

Fans of Thomas Keller are die hard, and I had high expectations. I had seen the salmon rilette on the Food Network show "Best Thing I Ever Ate". Tyler Florence (I think it was either him or Bobby Flay) boldly claimed that this was the best thing he ever ate. It's a mixture of smoked salmon and fresh raw salmon mixed with extra virgin olive oil. A coating of clarified butter is poured on top and hardens. The waiter takes the clarified butter off and you can spread it on the bread with the salmon. It was divine.

We also got the frisee salad with lardons and poached egg, the croque madame and the bouchons for dessert. It was all great, but my favorites were the croque madame and the bouchon dessert.

The service was impeccable. Not snooty or pretentious at all, very relaxed and friendly and polite. This was the best service I have ever had in L.A..

Note: Unlike Vegas, they have the same menu for lunch and dinner. No brunch menu or bakery.

Dinner Party: Raclette

Our friends Ron and Fran came over last weekend bringing wine, cheese, meats and a table top grill. We were preparing a traditional French dish called raclette. For those of you who are unfamiliar with raclette, here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:

Raclette is a dish indigenous to parts of Switzerland, Wallonia and France. The Raclette cheese round is heated, either in front of a fire or by a special machine, then scraped onto diners' plates; the term raclette derives from the French racler, meaning "to scrape". Traditionally, it is accompanied by small firm potatoes(Bintje, Charlotte or Raclette varieties), gherkins, pickled onions, dried meat, such as prosciutto and viande des Grisons, sliced peppers, tomato, onion, mushrooms, pears, and dusted with paprika and fresh-ground black pepper...

A modern way of serving raclette involves an electric table-top grill with small pans, known as coupelles, to heat slices of raclette cheese in. Generally the grill is surmounted by a hot plate or griddle. The cheese is brought to the table sliced, accompanied by platters of boiled or steamed potatoes, other vegetables, charcuterie, and perhaps seafood. Diners create their own small packages of food by cooking small amounts of meat, vegetables and seafood on the griddle. These are then mixed with potatoes and topped with cheese in the small, wedge-shaped coupelles that are placed under the grill to melt and brown the cheese. Alternatively, slices of cheese may be melted and simply poured over food on the plate. The accent in raclette dining is on relaxed and sociable eating and drinking, the meal often running to several hours. French and other European supermarkets generally stock both the grill apparatus and ready-sliced cheese and charcuterie selections for use with it. Restaurants also provide raclette evenings for parties of diners.

Cheese, meat and potatoes. How can it not be delicious, right? Here are the ingredients we used:

Boiled small yellow potatoes

Gherkins (miniature pickles)

Assorted cured meats

Raclette cheese (they got theirs from Trader Joes)

White wine

Salad (accompaniment)

Put the cheese in the grill tray and place it in the grill to melt for about 2 minutes. Halve some potatoes and when cheese is melted, pour it over the potatoes. Add cured meat and gherkin and enjoy.

Since the dinner was so heavy, we had fresh fruit for dessert. It was such a delicious meal, and perfect for a cozy wintry evening!

Rudy's BBQ, Austin TX

When in Austin, BBQ is a given. We were treated to some of the best BBQ in Austin at Rudy's BBQ. (We also got our smoked Thanksgiving turkey from there too!). The brisket was just melt in your mouth, perfectly charred, and the ribs were so juicy and flavorful.

There are no plates, so you eat on the paper table mats they give you. Along with their famous BBQ sauce, sweet pickles, white bread and smoky baked beans, there really isn't anything else that could make the meal any better... Oh, except some banana pudding. :)

Pre Feast Munchies

Artichoke Hummus Dip

I forgot to upload these pics with the Thanksgiving post.. Here's an awesome spread that Amy and Ed put out for us before we sat around the table for our Thanksgiving meal. That black cheese is actually a Guinness Cheddar cheese!

Cheese board with Guinness Cheddar

Ed's famous guacamole

The Hula Hut, Austin TX

baby back ribs

The Hula Hut in Austin TX was a first for me; it's a Polynesian-Mexican fusion restaurant! Hey, why not? The fish tacos were light and refreshing (did I just say refreshing while referring to a taco?), and the sweet ribs were out of this world. In fact, Brad even told the waitress that their ribs were "better than Rudy's". That's a big compliment. Hehe.

The Mexican influence is obvious--there are lots of tacos, quesadillas, etc. The Polynesian influence is mainly in the sauces and the use of mango and pineapple. Combined with its fun atmosphere, this restaurant is a definite go-to if you're in Austin!

fish tacos

mahi mahi

Susan's Ginger Snaps

Brad's mother Susan makes the most amazing ginger snaps. They're thin, crisp and perfectly bite sized with a nice ginger kick to them.

Susan brought these over for Thanksgiving, and we took some back with us to L.A. We cannot stop eating them!

1 1/3 sticks butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

3 Tablespoons molasses

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1-2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter, sugar, add the egg and molasses. Then add the dry ingredients. Put the mixture in the refrigerator for about an hr. Then,roll into little balls in your hand and dip into a bowl of sugar.They should be lightly coated with the sugar. I put parchement paper on the cookie sheets. Bake about 10 minutes. Cookies will puff, then crinkle on the top. They should get more crisp as they cool.

It makes about 75 - 80 cookies.

Huckleberry, Take 2, Santa Monica

Duck Hash

Huckleberry in Santa Monica is fast becoming my favorite brunch spot. I skip the inside seating because it's so crowded and loud in there, and I sit on the outside tables on Wilshire Blvd. This time around we ordered the duck hash, pan au chocolat, brussel sprouts, and the bacon maple biscuit (again!). It was all so good, but the duck hash was my favorite out of the four (with the maple bacon biscuit a close second). The hash had shredded duck with potatoes and various greens. Everything went together so well, and it made for a cozy warm dish perfect for a brisk Saturday afternoon.

Brussel Sprouts

Pan Au Chocolat

Ida's Chocolate Nut Blondies

While in Austin, there was no shortage of delicious sweets. Brad's sister Amy baked these chocolate nut blondies, and we couldn't keep our hands off of them!

Chocolate Nut bars (Ida's Recipe)

2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3 eggs
1 6 oz package chocolate bits
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 c all purpose flour, sifted
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c chopped nuts

Combine butter/margarine and sugar. Cream thoroughly. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Sift together dry ingredients. Gradually add to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add nuts and chocolate bits. Blend thoroughly. Spread evenly over well oiled 10 1/2 x 15 1/2 x 3/4 inch pan. Bake 350 degrees 25-30 minutes. When almost cool, cut in squares. Yield: about 4 dozen 3 x 1 inch bars.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Brad's sister and mother have been cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Here are the recipes of the dishes we will soon feast upon. They're almost all Brad's family recipes. Enjoy!

Granny Kunnes Corn Bread Dressing

1 small onion, cut up
1 cup celery chopped
1/4 cup margarine, butter or chicken fat
1 T parsley (dried)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp poultry season
1/2 tsp thyme
3 slices white bread (toasted) and broken into cubes
2 cups corn bread crumbs
2 cups chicken stock
2 eggs beaten

Saute onions and celery in margarine/butter until limp. In a large bowl, put all the ingredients and mix well. Pour into an oblong pyrex dish, greased and bake about 40 minutes at 350 F

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

1 c water
1 c sugar
1 piece fresh ginger, peeled
1 firm pear diced
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 package fresh or frozen cranberries
2 Tb fresh lemon juice
several pieces crystalized ginger

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in heavy saucepan, stirring constantly; boil 5 minutes. Add pear and lemon rind; return mixture to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in cranberries. Reduce heat and simmer without stirring for 3-5 min until cranberries pop. Remove from heat, cool, cover and chill. Chill sauce for up to 2 days. Stir in lemon juice just before serving.

New Orleans Sweet Potato Casserole

8 or 10 med size sweet potatoes
1 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 T sugar
1/2 stick butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
few dashes nutmeg
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 T orange juice
marshmellows

Wash and boil sweet potatoes in large pot until tender (30 minutes). Heat milk with vanilla, butter, sugar until butter melts. Don't boil. Remove from stove and add remaining ingredients. Peel cooled sweet potatoes and put in a large bowl. Mash. Use hands or mixer. Add the liquid and mix well. Pour into greased casserole dish (a big one) and add marshmellows. If freezing, cook without marshmellows. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until marshmellows are hot and melted.

Squash Casserole

6 lbs yellow squash (small)
1 onion, sliced
1-2 cans chicken broth
2 T butter
1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese
6 saltines crumbled
1 handful low fat cheese-its, crumbled
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
few drops Tobasco
2 egg whites and 1 whole egg
Extra cheese its for topping

Cut squash and partially cover with broth. Bring to boil until squash is tender. Drain very well. Get all the liquid out. Saute onions in olive oil, lighlty browned. Beat eggs and add all ingredients in large bowl. Make sure squash is drained. Do not add extra cheese its yet. Pour into greased casserole dish--2-3 qts. If freezing, bake at 325 till firm for about 30 minutes. Must cool completely before freezing. If getting ready to serve, bake 325 for 45 minutes till golden brown. Add extra cheeses before baking.

Green Beans Slow Cooked with Bacon and Onions (Food Network recipe)

2 Tb extra virgin olive oil
4-6 slices bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 lbs fresh green beans
2 qts chicken stock or water (this might be too much--adjust according to your pot)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add olive oil and bacon and cook till browned. Add onion and cook until the onion is soft, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the green beans and chicken stock; season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook green beans until they are soft but not mushy, about 30-45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Southern Pecan Pie

Beat 3 eggs and add 1/2 c sugar, 1 c dark Karo syrup, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 stick margarine melted, 1 tsp vanilla. Pour in a 9" pie shell uncooked. Sprinkle 1 1/4 cup nuts over filling. Bake 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

"Rescue Gravy"

Brad's mother didn't have any giblets or mushrooms to make the traditional gravy, so she named this a "rescue gravy". It came out perfect!

Ingredients:

Hard boiled egg, chopped

Butter

Flour

Chicken Stock

Worcestershire sauce

Onion flakes

Turkey drippings

Parsley

And some other ingredients that I'm sure I've left out!

Smoked Turkey from Rudy's BBQ

Homemade Pumpkin Pie