SPICE SKULLS

I have no idea what the backstory is, all I know is that each skull is completely made from a different spice and that I really really want one.

MILLET

LEMON GRASS

BLACK SESAME SEED

MIKE'S HOT HONEY

This little cub is not your average bear, which helps to explain why I am obsessed with Mike's Hot Honey.  About three weeks ago I was grabbing some dinner at Paulie Gee's with my honey (get it?...get it?..), but when I asked for some crushed red pepper, they said that this little concoction was a much better choice.  I've always been more savory than sweet, so this spicy honey just about knocked my socks right off.  From kale to vanilla ice cream and everything in between, this hot honey gives just the right amount of kick and at $8 a bottle, we can all afford to spice up our lives a little bit.  

MIKE'S HOT HONEY

FRÜUTE

I've never been a cupcake kind of girl, nor an eclair kind of woman. I can always resist a slice of cake and I find brownies to be a poor excuse for a chocolate pastry.  In my life, there has been only one temptation in the pastry display and that has always been the fruit tart.  Never in my mind did I think that someone could maintain a business just by selling these petite little treats (because believe me if I thought so I would have tried), but someone has finally done it and damn did they do it right.  


Located in West Hollywood, FRÜUTE whips up mini tartlet's ranging in flavor from wasabi and black pepper to classics like tiramisu and crème brûlée.  All of the petite pastries are made from scratch using all organic and pure ingredients.  Lastly, and maybe the best part, these tartlet's are tiny (we mean tiny!) so you can try a few without feeling the post-dessert guilt. 


Below are some photos of these magnificent little creations.

8951 Santa Monica Blvd Suite A

West Hollywood, CA 90069

FRÜUTE

Photo of the Day: Exploding Chinese watermelons

By Michael J.W. Stickings

The Guardian:

The flying pips, shattered shells and wet shrapnel still haunt farmer Liu Mingsuo after an effort to chemically boost his fruit crop went spectacularly wrong.

Um, yeah.

PREPPING FOR PASSOVER

Guess who's in charge of dessert...?

This girl. 

AMBROSIA MACAROONS

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel

3 large eggs

24 ounces sweetened flaked coconut (about 6 cups firmly packed)

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 3 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and salt; beat until blended. Beat in orange peel, then eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in coconut. Drop batter onto sheets by tablespoonfuls, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake macaroons, 1 sheet at a time, until golden on bottom and browned in spots, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely on sheets.

Using fork, drizzle chocolate over macaroons. Chill on sheets until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE-WALNUT COOKIES

Parchment paper

2 1/2 cups walnut halves

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 egg whites

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Position 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds of oven. Heat oven to 350°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place walnuts on a work surface and finely chop. Transfer to a separate large baking sheet and toast until fragrant, about 9 minutes. Let cool. Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Stir in walnuts. Add egg whites and vanilla; beat with a fork or electric mixer on medium until batter is just moistened. (Do not overbeat batter or it will stiffen.) Drop batter by the teaspoonful onto baking sheets in evenly spaced mounds. Bake cookies until tops are lightly cracked and glossy, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

ALMOND-LEMON TORTE WITH FRESH STRAWBERRIES

Cake:

Mild olive oil (not extra-virgin) for brushing pan plus 6 tablespoons

4 tablespoons unsalted matzo meal, divided

2 cups almond flour or almond meal*

1 cup sugar, divided

6 large eggs, separated

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange juice

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Sauce and berries:

5 cups sliced stemmed strawberries (about 2 pounds), divided

1 tablespoon (or more) sugar

For cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush 10-inch-diameter springform pan with oil. Line bottom with parchment paper round. Brush paper with oil. Place 2 tablespoons matzo meal in pan and shake to coat; tap out excess.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons matzo meal, almond flour, and 1/3 cup sugar in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Place egg yolks in large bowl; place egg whites in another large bowl. Add 1/3 cup sugar to yolks. Using electric mixer, beat yolk mixture until thick and fluffy. Beat in 6 tablespoons olive oil, then lemon juice, orange juice, and lemon peel. Mix in dry ingredients. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to whites; using clean dry beaters, beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into yolk mixture in 3 additions. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Sprinkle almonds over.

Bake cake until golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Place pan on rack; cool cake completely in pan. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover cake pan with foil and let stand at room temperature.

For sauce and berries:

Combine 2 cups sliced strawberries and 1 tablespoon sugar in processor; blend until smooth. Sweeten sauce with more sugar, if desired; transfer to small bowl. do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Cut around cake; release pan sides. Cut cake into wedges. Serve with sauce and remaining sliced strawberries.

BRANDIED PEACH COMPOTE CAKE

Vanilla Sugar

1 2/3 cups sugar

1 vanilla bean, chopped

Compote

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup brandy (kosher for Passover)

1 tablespoon peach or apricot preserves

6 fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries (optional)

1 1/4 pounds frozen unsweetened sliced peaches (about 5 cups), thawed

Cake

1/2 cup matzo cake meal

1/2 cup potato starch

5 large eggs, separated

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted pareve margarine, melted

1/3 cup liquid nondairy creamer

1 tablespoon brandy (kosher for Passover)

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

For Vanilla Sugar:

Combine sugar and vanilla bean in processor. Blend 2 minutes. Sift to remove vanilla pieces. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store airtight.)

For Compote:

Combine 1/4 cup vanilla sugar, water, brandy, preserves and raspberries, if using in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Add peaches. Bring to boil; reduce heat and cook until peaches are barely tender, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer peaches to strainer set over bowl. Boil syrup until very thick and reduced to scant 1/3 cup, adding any juices that continue to drain from peaches, about 13 minutes. Strain syrup into small bowl; mix in peaches. Cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

For Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom of 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Combine cake meal and potato starch in small bowl; whisk to blend. Beat egg yolks and 1/2 cup vanilla sugar in large bowl until thick, about 2 minutes. Beat in margarine, then nondairy creamer and brandy. Beat in dry ingredients. Using clean dry beaters, beat whites and salt in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup vanilla sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into yolks mixture in 3 additions. Transfer 1 cup batter to small bowl. Cover; chill. Pour remaining batter into prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Spoon reserved 1 cup batter in 1-inch band around edge of cake. Arrange peaches close together in spoke pattern in center, pressing ends into batter at edge. Spoon 2 tablespoons peach juices over fruit. Bake until band at edge is firm, about 35 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack; let stand up to 8 hours.

Cut around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides. Garnish with fresh raspberries, if desired.

ALL RECIPIES FROM EPICURIOUS.COM

MY FIRST TASTE OF UNI

Eating the uni at Bohemian is a life changing experience.   The melt in your mouth sea urchin roe is perched on top of a crispy mushroom croquette and the juxtaposition of both texture and flavor has been giving me impure thoughts for days.   Unfortunately, you'll probably never be able to try it because there's a password, secret knock and sexual favor you must provide just to get into the door.  Just kidding- you'll have just as much trouble finding the door as you will gaining entrance.  

If you'd like to apply to eat at Bohemian, please go to their website, fill out this form and wait to be rejected.  

SATURDAY BRUNCH

PHOTO CREDIT: HIP HOSTESS

$trawberry fields forever

By Distributorcap

In these tough economic times, many families are forced to watch every penny they spend. Most of the money the average lower- or middle-class family earns today is spent on just the basic necessities -- food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. Whatever is left over (and often that is not very much) is either saved or spent on some minor "luxuries" like a car, education, a movie, or perhaps even a night out for entertainment.

We all know what happened to the affordable housing. When the country (led by benevolent banks and magical Wall St. financial tricks) went on a manic spree of morphing the basic need of shelter into another form of Texas Hold 'em, America almost ended up as a nation of 300,000,000 Tom Joads. Affordable basic medical care remains unavailable to a large swath of the country. But what if food becomes the next problem for the lower and middle classes? Not because of greedy banks or crooked insurance companies but because the cost of growing and harvesting makes the price of basics like lettuce, milk, and potatoes out of reach to all but the rich.

If the Teabaggers and others on the right have their way, it could. After all, $30 per head of lettuce is a small price to pay when you can feel so warm and fuzzy knowing that all the illegal migrant farm workers have been kicked out of the country.

The government estimates that 80% of all crop workers (the people who pick fruits and vegetables we find so easily in Whole Foods or other rip-off markets) are Hispanic and that half of them are illegal aliens. Other organizations that work directly with migrant workers claim that 90% of farm labor is illegal. Whichever is correct, it almost doesn't matter. No illegal aliens picking limes, no frozen margaritas for the pool party.

Not much has changed since John Steinbeck published The Grapes of Wrath in 1939, only the language.

Picking crops (especially strawberries and potatoes) is nothing short of tortuous hard labor in abominable conditions. The workers have to bend over all day and work through intense weather conditions. The tractors ride by all day collecting the harvest, often knocking down the pickers. Forcing one's body into awkward positions for extended periods of time causes intense joint and bone pain. The vines and plants they must touch are covered in pesticides. The air in hotter climes becomes stagnant and heat stroke is not uncommon. To keep their jobs, workers will pick crops even if the have the flu or gastro diseases or even if they are pregnant.

When the harvest is over, they must find another crop or go without work. Grape pickers earn about $8/ hour, without any overtime or benefits. From this meager salary they must pay rent, buy food, get babysitters, buy clothing for the fields, and take care of any medical needs. Since they are mostly "illegals," they live in the shadow of immigration and often don't seek medical attention when necessary. And they cannot protest the conditions or pay to their employers, as they have no rights. To avoid attention, these migrant workers rarely go into public and often do not send their kids (who might be American citizens under the 14th amendment) to school.

Their hell is your $1.99 iceberg lettuce.

And with the passage of SB 1070 in Arizona, hate towards migrant worker has increased dramatically.

With the country in a long economic slump, many Americans feel these illegals (along with the gardeners, pool caretakers, nannies, and others doing low-paying, labor-intensive jobs) are taking jobs away from Americans. To test that theory, the United Farm Workers ran a campaign called "Take Our Jobs" in the summer of 2010 with the goal of targeting "Americans" (read: white American citizens) to work in the fields. In the three months the campaign was active, 3,000,000 people visited the central website to respond.

Like those pesky visitors at home, the visitors to "Take Our Jobs" were beginning to reek of fish.

Of the visitors, over 40% left hate notes and email. Less than 9,000 (0.03%) stated they wanted to work as fruit and vegetable pickers. Of those 9,000, most demanded a certain number of "perks," like higher pay, benefits, education reimbursement, expense accounts, and 401Ks, before they would take the job. When the campaign was over in September, a grand total of seven people (read: non-illegal aliens) were out picking strawberries.

Does this surprise anyone? These are jobs Americans absolutely refuse to do. Do you think that such staunch anti-immigrant politicians as Jon Kyl would ever consider picking grapes or letting any of his children onto the fields? If Jim DeMint, Michele Bachmann, Steve King and other assorted Republicans and Teabaggers are so gung-ho on throwing out all the illegals, are they willing to subsidize the American public when they have to pay $60 for a lb. of Idahos at Publix or Shop-Rite? Do you think Bachmann even has thought of that? (Don't answer that. Bachmann has no thoughts, just evil energy.)

Even if they did subsidize the cost to consumers, I bet you still wouldn't be able to find more than seven Americans willing to pick the fruits and vegetables that will be served at the next Jan Brewer state dinner. But I bet Jan will have plenty of caviar and truffles.

I give you one guess as to who served those epicurean delights at the Brewer soiree.

"If there was a law, they was workin' with maybe we could take it, but it ain't the law. They're workin' away our spirits, tryin' to make us cringe and crawl, takin' away our decency." -- Tom Joad, played by Henry Fonda), in the movie The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

EATALY

Screw Italy, I want to move to EATALY! I'm just kidding, but hey, if I can't have the real thing this is a great second option. Eataly, Mario Batali's latest venture, is a gourmet Italian supermarket that quite literally has everything. Artisan cheese, brick oven pizza, handmade pasta, jams, meats, a fish monger, and fresh produce from local farmers complete with your very own vegetable butcher (not really, you have to share her). And food isn't all that they have. When you shop at Eataly you can buy every ingredient for your perfect meal and you can also pick up the pots, pans, cook wear and plates to serve it on. You're probably thinking, how do they fit all of those amazing things into one space? Well, not only does this near 50,000 square foot market hold every inch of Italian cuisine that you could possibly desire, but it also has an 80 person restaurant and a 300 person beer garden is in the works. So yea, maybe this isn't the equivalent of going to Italy, but if there is a heaven, this is probably what it looks like. Buon Appetito!

PHOTO CREDIT: PSFK

TETRIS TILES

As you know, I am trying to make my blog a bit more "man friendly". Well, I think this is the best compromise I've ever come up with that is equal parts male and female. Tetris tiles for your kitchen backsplash. Colors too girly? Well, they come in just about any color under the sun. I don't know about you, but I think these would make cooking tofu panang curry a lot more fun. And we can only hope that one day they decide to make little pill shaped tiles ala Dr. Mario. Now THAT would be awesome.

PHOTO CREDIT: TETRIS TILES

FOR MORE INFORMATION & TO ORDER GO TO WWW.TETRIS-TILES.COM