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Restaurant Review: Briganti, South Pasadena

South Pasadena. Quaint and lovely, with beautiful houses and tree-lined streets, a charming little train station and Mission Street- the sort of “main” street that is filled with charming shops and eateries. Although it’s only five minutes from our house, I can’t say that we’ve dined in South Pasadena too often. We do like to ride our bicycles to Buster’s for a veggie sandwich and a cup of coffee once in awhile, but we’ve given Heirloom Bakery a few tries and given up, visited the newish Mike & Anne’s for both brunch and dinner and been disappointed…..there just doesn’t seem to be enough restaurants in the area. I mean, South Pasadena is so likeable….we WANT more places to go to so we don’t have to deal with the crush of Old Town (which is seriously lacking in good dining lately as well!) but there are few choices. Sure, Maison Akira and Shiro are close but I don’t need to fork over an arm and a leg every time we want to make a quick trip out to eat. Firefly Bistro is a slam dunk for brunch but just not succeeding in the dinner department, and why should we hit Bistro de la Gare when Beaujolais in Eagle Rock is a far superior version of the French bistro?

Well, my South Pas-lovin’ friends, there’s a new kid in town, and, after three visits, I know it’s here to stay. Meet Brignati- a small-ish, Italian restaurant located on Mission. I was excited to read about it the LA Weekly and thrilled when J and my first visit ended up being such a success. He devoured his butternut squash soup while I noshed on a fresh, crisp tricolore salad, then we both dove into his entree of spaghetti with lobster and fresh tomatoes and my hand made pappardelle with a proscuitto bolognese. In short, we were happy. On our second visit he got the marghertia pizza which was thin, cheesy and delicious while I ordered a special of linguine with sea urchin sauce topped with bottarga. We were, once again, happy.

This past Saturday I once again made the 5 minute drive to what is bound to become my new favorite local restaurant, this time accompanied by my sister and our friend S. We walked in, were greeted warmly by the staff and settled in for the night. We ordered a bottle of barbera and a plate of beef carpaccio while we continued to peruse the menu. Once the wine came, we toasted our good fortune (of health and happiness…..and good food!) and placed our orders to our very knowledgeable and down-to-earth waitress.

Beef carpaccio topped with parmesan….

We happily noshed on the foccacia and soft bread-sticks (made from pizza dough, no doubt) and shared the carpaccio. It was beautifully presented, with thin rounds of beef placed in a circular pattern on a bed of arugula, then topped with a drizzle of dark, green basil oil and finished off with shaved parmesan and capers. It was utterly delicious and I only wished we’d ordered more. Just when I was about to consider going for seconds, our main entrees arrived.

Pappardelle with wild mushrooms

My sister ordered the Rigatoni Amatriciana- a rigatoni dish with tomato sauce, onions and pancetta. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and there was just the right amount of sauce which was seasoned just right. The onions really stood out and sweetened the whole dish in such a pleasant way. My friend S was completely satisfied with his pappardelle with wild mushrooms in a light tomato sauce, and I loved my pappardelle in bolognese. Although it isn’t on the menu, the waitress happily complied with my request to have the bolognese with the hand made pappardelle instead of the fettuccine listed on the menu.

Rigatoni Amatriciana

Pappardelle in bolognese

We ended our night by sharing a light, airy and delicious tiramisu which was resting on a pool of strawberry sauce- it was divine.

Couldn’t wait to take a bite…then remembered to snap a photo!

I am not saying that Briganti is the new Angelini Osteria, but it has quality food that is carefully made and extremely well-seasoned. The service is bright, helpful, amusing but non-invasive, and the ambience is that of a neighborhood trattoria. There is an outdoor patio with heat lamps and just an overall, warm and friendly vibe. I told my sister “I think this will become our Italian Beaujolais” referring to our beloved French bistro in Eagle Rock that is the epitome of a neighborhood restaurant with great food, great service and is only a short drive away.

I’m looking forward to many future dining experiences at Briganti!

Briganti Restaurant
1423 Mission St
South Pasadena, CA 91030
(626) 441-4663

South Pasadena restaurants

Dinner For One #6: The Quick & Easy

I’m solo once more as my dear J is somewhere on the East Coast, probably enjoying the change in seasons while we’re all baking in the 90 degree weather out here. The smell of Autumn that was here just one week ago has been replaced by glaring sun, dry air and blue skies. Although blue skies are hardly worth complaining about, I must admit I miss the crispness in the air that Autumn is supposed to bring.

Since it’s been so warm, I haven’t been in much of a mood to cook anything too complicated. That said, I do enjoy the simple, thrown-together meals that I’ve had for the last few days. One of my all-time great loves in life is the flour tortilla. Yes, I do love the corn counterparts but I’m a sucker for the soft chew of the white, flour ones. If I have a package of those in the fridge, I know I can toss together a great little supper because tortillas pretty much go with everything.

I had quite a bit of grilled tuna leftover from a family dinner, so I decided to make a wrap. I just chopped the tuna roughly, tossed it with some leftover saffron rouille, also from the same meal. After adding some fresh arugula and sliced green onions, I wrapped it all up in a flour tortilla, added some wheat crackers to the plate and hunkered down on the sofa with my 2 minute meal (take that, Rachel Ray!!! And no, I can’t link Rachel Ray to her site because I cannot, in any way, contribute to her).

Yummy 2-minute supper

The next night I found a lowly little avocado in the basket on my counter, so I decided to whip up a quesadilla- another favorite, quick meal of mine. Diced chicken, jack cheese, green onions and blackened corn all folded between two crisped flour tortillas topped with sliced avocado….what on earth could be better?!?! Dipped in some Embasa Salsa Mexicana (in a can, my friends- it is so good) it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Sometimes eating for one doesn’t have to be complicated to be good. I have to say I enjoyed both of these meals just as much as I would have enjoyed a more time consuming dish.

I heart tortillas.

“Oreo” Cookies

Oh, I do love to bake. For someone without much of a sweet tooth, I just adore baking and I love piping icing, rolling dough or forming a tart shell…..it’s somehow so rewarding. I think, if I remember correctly, that I’ve been baking longer than I’ve been cooking. My dad used to request chocolate chip cookies, which my sister and I would happily whip together with the recipe on the back of the Nestle Chocolate Chip bag. I remember one Christmas, my parents got us ceramic pie plates that had a lemon meringue pie recipe printed on it (subtle hint, no?)- another “regular” dessert that we’d make, although I hated having to stir the lemon curd until it thickened. It seemed like it took forever in my 10-year old brain!

Ready to make a trip into the oven…..

To keep up with my love of baking, I’m always looking for new recipes to try. I read on bakingsheet that Land O Lakes has quite the recipe archive on their website, so, while bored at work (or just NOT working, haha) I clicked onto it and discovered the literally hundreds of recipes they offer. Cookies, bar cookies, cakes, tarts, muffins- you name it, they have it. With photos!!! I think most food bloggers would agree that we’re all suckers for recipes accompanied by a big ‘ol color photo.

Icing piped onto each half……..

After a few minutes (well ok, HOURS) perusing the site, I came across Chocolate Sandwich Cookies. Although I was never a huge Oreo fan, I thought it’d be a fun thing to make for my co-workers. I do like Oreos, but when I think of cookies from my childhood, I have fond memories of Fig Newtons (my mom always packed them in our lunches), Fudge Stripes and Iced Oatmeal. Anyway, I loved the idea of trying to make a more gourmet version of such a beloved cookie, so I set to work on making these homemade “Oreos.”

Now I have to confess, I did not use Land O Lakes butter since I usually buy my butter at Trader Joe’s. The dough was a cinch to put together- I used good, bittersweet chocolate instead of the semisweet chips that the recipe called for. I wanted all of the cookies to be the same size so I used a level teaspoon to drop the dough onto the cookie sheets. The melted butter on the dough makes it nice and slick so the dough doesn’t stick to the inside of the spoon- it pops right out in perfect domes. A quick bake in the oven (6 minutes) later, they came out perfectly round, bumpy and smelling of sweet chocolate.

The icing is a simple mixture of confectioners sugar, milk and softened butter. I simply piped it onto a cookie and pressed down with another cookie to form the sandwich. One batch of this dough made 77 sandwich cookies!! Even though I wasn’t the biggest Oreo fan, I have to say this version made the most scrumptious, chewy and chocolately cookies!!! They were a hit at work, and I have to say these are the type of cookies that taste even better the next day- the richness and chewiness increase over time….if you can keep them around long enough to find that out.

Cookies

Sunday Suppers at Lucques: “Pumpkin” Cake with Pecan Streusel Topping

It’s nice to have a sweet ending to a meal. Although I never like anything too super sweet and usually prefer a cheese plate, I really enjoy making desserts and am constantly looking for different recipes to try. Since I had made my entire meal out of recipes in the Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook, I wanted to stick with the theme and chose the “Pumpkin” Cake with Pecan Streusel Topping to end the meal last Saturday night.

The kabocha after baking

The quotes on the pumpkin are there because the cake is made with kabocha squash- a Japanese variety that I grew up eating. Sliced kabocha is very popular and delicious as a tempura, and chunks of it stewed in a sweet soy and bonito stock is another winter favorite. Suzanne Goin (could a chef BE any more Audrey-Hepburn-esque??!!) states that she prefers to use a butternut or kabocha squash in this cake because regular pumpkin contains too much water. I was intrigued and picked up a fat kabocha at the Farmer’s Market, ready to try my hand at baking the cake.

Dry meets wet ingredients

I first sliced the kabocha in half (which takes quite a bit of strength, I must admit!) and roasted it, covered, in the oven for one hour. After it’d cooled a bit, I simply scooped out the seeds (which Goin recommends leaving in while roasting for extra flavor) and then the soft flesh. And what did I do with the soft flesh? Well, dear readers, this is when I broke a Cardinal Rule Of Cooking. I know so much better than to do this, but I was not thinking. The book says to put the kabocha in a ricer or food mill. Although I do not own a ricer (and I’ve been meaning to get one!!) I do have a food mill, but I was feeling lazy. Or stupid. Or both. Because I did do the one thing that you should never do………I put the flesh of the kabocha in the food processor. NO! SAY IT ISN’T SO! Now all of you fellow cooks know what happens when you try to mash potatoes in the food processor- they get gummy. And my kabocha did the same thing. The worst part is, I knew it would- I just had a momentary lapse of brain function. After I scraped the gummy mass of kabocha out of my Cuisinart, I tried in vain to mix it in with the liquid components. It just wouldn’t blend together at all, so I poured the entire thing through a fine-meshed strainer and pushed all of the kabocha gumminess through the sieve. That worked and a nice, brown liquid resulted which I mixed in with the dry ingredients, poured into the pan and popped in the oven. Phew. Disaster averted.

Crunchy, salty, sweet, crumbly

After 20 minutes in the oven, I took the cake out, per instructions, and sprinkled the pecan streusel on top and put it back in the oven. The whole house smelled of roasted pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg- all the lovely scents of Autumn! I took the cake out, let it cool and made a batch of brown sugar whipped cream to serve alongside each slice.

I have to say, the cake was very good- the flavor of the kabocha is pronounced and you can definitely tell the difference between that and a regular pumpkin. The topping was my favorite part since the pecans are tossed in grapeseed oil and then with sea salt- the sweet/salty combo was absolutely addictive. I do think that my Cuisinart misstep resulted in a tougher crumb than I would have liked. Although the cake was very moist, it just had a slightly tough texture that made it more of a breakfast type cake than a dessert one. Next time I will definitely use my food mill so that the kabocha turns out nice and fluffy.

Sunday Suppers at Lucques

Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Grilled Tuna and Potato-Tomato Gratin and Rouille

There are few people I’d rather dine with than my family (unfortunately J is on the road again so we missed him) – we all LOVE food, LOVE wine, and LOVE Dotchi No Ryori Show. You’re probably wondering what that last one is. It’s a Japanese game show based around food- it’s a battle of food, actually. Each episode focuses on two foods that are kind of similar- the game show contestants (half celebs, half normal people) have to watch two chefs prepare the most gourmet version of these two foods and then choose which one they want to eat. The majority wins- so if you’re in the minority, you have to watch the majority chow down while you sit there, starving. It’s on every Saturday night on channel 18 and we watch it every chance we get.

Anyway, back to the point. My family came over on Saturday for dinner, ready for a night of food and TV! Initially I wanted to make stuffed eggplant but a trip to the Farmer’s Market last Thursday made me change the menu completely. There wasn’t a single eggplant in sight, so I decided to go with a Fall menu from the Sunday Suppers at Lucuqes cookbook- Grilled Tuna and Potato-Tomato Gratin and Rouille. Despite the fact that it’s mid-October, tomatoes are still in abundance at the Farmer’s Market so I picked up a few juicy ones along with a bag of yukon golds. Another fabulous find- the best, most peppery arugula which was so fragrant that it actually made my car smell like the leafy greens.

Uncooked gratin………

Cooked gratin……..

One of the things I love best about the Lucques cookbook is the notes on which parts of each dish you can make ahead. It’s nice to hang out with your dinner guests and sip wine before a meal instead of sweating in the kitchen. Since the book stated that the gratin could be assembled ahead of time, I did just that. After slicing the potatoes with my mandoline, I soaked them in a mixture of cream, salt, pepper and thyme. I sliced 1 1/2 pounds of yellow onions (and cried like a baby!) and caramelized them until they turned a rich, golden brown. The gratin is made by simply layering the onions, tomato and potato slices and pouring the cream over the entire dish. After a sprinkle of salt, pepper and olive oil, the whole thing is garnished with julienned basil, covered, then baked.

I had purchased four beautiful ahi tuna steaks at How’s Market and rubbed them in a mixture of grated lemon zest, chopped parsley and sliced chile de arbol and put them in the fridge. Now it was time to make the rouille, which is a mayonnaisey type of sauce. Here is where I made my mistake. I could swear that I’ve seen many a TV chef put their egg yolks in the food processor, turned it on, then poured a slow, steady stream of oil to make their mayonnaise. It works every time (at least on TV). Well, even though the cookbook said to put the egg yolk in a stainless steel bowl and whisk constantly while pouring in the oil, I decided to take a short cut and use the Cuisinart. Big mistake. I guess the blades cutting through the mixture instead of whisking it resulted in an oily liquid- it didn’t look a thing like the mayonnaise-type sauce it was supposed to me. I had to chuck the whole thing and start over- this time following instructions. Sure enough, my hand-whisking created a nice, thick sauce. I’ll never make that mistake again!!

The beginnings of the rouille- garlic, saffron & salt

About an hour before my family arrived, I popped the gratin into the oven and brought the tuna steaks up to room temperature. After brushing them with olive oil, I put them for a quick sear in the grill pan and everything was ready! The tuna and rouille went together beautifully but the real winner was the gratin. Who would have thought that tomatoes, potatoes and caramelized onions would go so well together? Tender, creamy and mellow…..and boy- did it make the house smell great while it was baking. I think it’d make a great vegetarian main course.

Tuna rubbed with herbs……..

The finished tuna steaks…….

After we finished eating, we watched Dotchi No Ryori show- it was a battle between yakisoba (fried noodles) and takoyaki (egg balls w/ octopus). I know the latter sounds strange to most of you, but it’s a very delicious and popular snack-type food in Japan. Man, after watching all of the close-ups of handmade noodles being fried on a huge griddle with sauce bubbling all around it, we all decided that we need to eat some yakisoba soon. And, in case you’re wondering- yakisoba won!

Ready to eat!

I did make a Lucuqes dessert as well, but we’ll save that for tomorrow’s post!

PS- I’m also back to cooking for one, so I’ll show you a few simple dishes made with the leftover tuna from this meal!

Sunday Suppers at Lucques

The TV Made Me Do It: Sausage, Peppers & Onions

Watching cooking shows on television is a dangerous thing, especially if you’re hungry. I’m sure many of you can relate to this. If I see Tyler Florence making his “ultimate” mac & cheese, then I’ll crave mac & cheese for days….until I finally just break down and make some. Damn him and his “ultimate” dishes! Sometimes I’ll crave things that I never even had a craving for until I saw it on TV.

Peppers and onions……..

This happened to me last week. I was watching Everyday Italian while cleaning the downstairs (I do this often- it makes the work easier!!) and Giada started making what she dubbed “Italian street food.” The deep-fried ravioli looked good enough and I wasn’t much interested in the zeppole, but when she busted out some sausage, peppers and onions, I was hooked. It’s something I have eaten maybe twice in my lifetime, but the rich tomato sauce coating each fat link made me drool, and when she stuffed them along with the onions and peppers into large Italian rolls, I knew I had to have one.

Sausages, nice and browned…….

As you probably have guessed, I try my best to make slightly healthier versions of fatty foods so that I won’t grow a dress size over one meal. I found some smoked chicken sausages at Trader Joe’s and had a few multigrain Roman Meal buns leftover from my last craving (see cheeseburger post). I browned the sausage, sautéed a ton of sliced onions and red bell peppers (I LOVE onions), added some wine and finished it off with garlic, canned tomatoes, tomato paste and fresh herbs. I figured it would be sort of messy to eat so I just topped each half of a bun with the mixture.

It doesn’t win in the looks department, but it sure tasted good!

To go with the open-faced sandwiches, I quickly tossed some chopped cauliflower with olive oil and sea salt and roasted it in the oven at 450 degrees. This is probably my favorite way to eat cauliflower. The high temperature almost caramelizes the cauliflower and gives the edges a nice, golden brown color. I could honestly eat 2 heads of cauliflower in one sitting if it was made this way. I suppose that wouldn’t qualify me as a glutton because it’s a vegetable, right?! A light sprinkling of grated parmesan makes this side dish even better.

Golden brown cauliflower

J and I sat down and pretty much devoured our dinner. The sausage and pepper “sandwiches” were fantastic- it totally filled that craving. Although watching cooking shows when you’re hungry can be dangerous, it is nice to be coerced into making food that you would otherwise not even think about.

Maybe next time I’ll try the fried ravioli………….?

Have a great weekend!

Healthy cooking

J Homecoming Dinner

J came home on Tuesday after three weeks on the road. He almost always wants a Japanese meal when he returns from a tour, so I planned a mini feast of all his favorite foods. Don’t get me wrong- he does manage to eat at a couple of great restaurants on each tour, but generally he lives on backstage catering that isn’t bad, but probably isn’t the best food on earth.

Since he was coming home on a weekday, I made most of the things in advance since there just isn’t enough time after work to prepare everything. I started with some spicy braised eggplant (nasu), which my dad gave me the recipe for years ago and I have it written on the same little piece of paper that is stuck in one of my cookbooks. I tweak it a but by adding less sugar and including some sesame oil and hot chili flakes for a kick. It’s long been one of our favorites- I could probably eat about 6 eggplants if they are prepared this way. They get meltingly soft and are loaded with flavor.

So where’s your serving coz this is all mine!

Next: saya ingen goma-ae (green beans in a sweet sesame paste). This is something my mom always made for us when we were growing up. I love the crunchy freshness of the green beans coated with the sweet, nutty paste. I just grind some toasted sesame seeds in my Japanese mortar & pestle, then add a little bit of miso paste, soy sauce and sugar.

Fuzzy photo of green beans…

I made a quick trip to Bristol Farms to pick up some sashimi since I just didn’t have time to go downtown to Mitsuwa after work. I find that Bristol has a nice selection of single-serving sashimi, and that night they had quite a lot to choose from. I picked up a packet each of salmon, hamachi and maguro. I also noticed that they had the cutest atsuyaki tamago (the thick, fried egg you get at sushi restaurants) complete with a kanji character burned onto each one.

Look at the cute egg!

Since there still wasn’t enough food (ha) I cut up some silken tofu into small cubes, added them to a mixed green salad and tossed the whole thing in some wafu (Japanese) dressing. I love how silken tofu melts in your mouth and I think the creaminess of it goes so well with crisp greens.

No Japanese meal is complete without miso soup and gohan!! I made mugi-gohan (rice with barley) and miso soup with cockles, since the smaller asari (clams) weren’t available. I’d be a happy camper with just these two elements for any meal, any time. Miso soup and rice is just the BEST combination. When I have leftovers, I will heat up the soup, add the remaining rice, then mix in a beaten egg- it makes for a bowl full of comfort, let me tell ya! Maybe sprinkle that with some sichimi powder…..ok, now I am getting off track. I had some stewed daikon left from last week so I served it with some spicy Chinese mustard and dinner was finally complete.

Daikon left over from last week….

We enjoyed all of it- taking a bite of tofu, then reaching for some maguro, oh, then a bite of rice….don’t forget the eggplant. This is why I love Japanese meals like this- you get to eat a bit of this and a bit of that, and all of it is really healthy. There’s so much variety that you really feel like you’re eating a feast, when really it’s comprised mainly of vegetables. One thing- although the Bristol Farms sashimi would do in a pinch, I thought it lacked the flavor of the sashimi I get from Mitsuwa or Marukai.

My side of the table…….

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Japanese food

Dinner For One #5: Sometimes You Just Need A Burger

This is the last installment of my “Dinner For One” series for a little while since J is now home and will be for at least a couple of weeks. I’m glad I stayed in the kitchen even on those nights where I had to nosh alone, because a lot of good eats came out of it! As tempting (time wise, at least) as it is to just heat up a Lean Cuisine pizza, the results just aren’t 1/10 as satisfying as having something homemade.

Speaking of satisfying, I felt the need to satisfy an urge I had the other night for a big, old-fashioned cheeseburger. I don’t eat them nearly as often as I get a craving for one, and it had literally been months since my taste buds had come in contact with anything resembling a burger. Keeping in mind that I try to eat as healthy as possible (to balance out my wine habit!) I took a short trip to Trader Joe’s with the focus of brain surgeon. I knew what I had at home (spicy mustard, ketchup, pickles, lettuce, kewpie mayo – don’t gag..! Mayo in small amounts is good on a burger!) and knew what I had to purchase in order to create my burger. I picked up a 4-pack of already formed “super-lean” ground beef patties, sliced cheese, a pack of bright red tomatoes and a fat, red onion. The only buns available at TJ’s are these massive white ones or the too-sweet honey-wheat ones which I’m not crazy about. A quick stop at Von’s and a pack of Roman Meal Multigrain Buns (I like my buns to be hearty….ha) later, I was home and ready to start my mission!

Whoops, forget the lettuce in this shot…

First, I had to prepare the side dish. What goes best with a cheeseburger, you ask? Well, fries, of course. Unfortunately I was not born with Kate Moss’ metabolism so I decided to have a serving of Fat Free Pringles, which are surprisingly delicious and yes, I am aware of the, er, digestive side effects warning on anything containing olestra products but have never, ever experienced any sort of tummy aches eating these…..but again, probably because I hardly EVER buy them. I think, as with anything, moderation is key. Ahem, back to the topic at hand. What better to top off a meal of cheeseburger and potato chips than a nice big helping of Brussels sprouts, right? I knew that’s what you were thinking. When people think “cheeseburger!” they immediately go to “Brussels sprouts!” Ok, well maybe not but I love me some Brussels sprouts IF they are made properly. My love affair with the little green cabbage-like creatures started at Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena where they come almost BLACK- sautéed to a golden….well, black. The sugars in the Brussels sprouts make a delicious crust if they are sautéed long enough. Over the last year, I’ve learned to make my own version with some onions and a splash of balsamic and it’s been in regular rotation at our house.

Blackened brussels sprouts……

After making a batch of those, I cooked my beef patty to a nice, medium rare and piled on all of the fixins’. This healthier version was just as juicy, delicious and flavorful as any cheeseburger I’d had and filled that NEED for one. It was so good that I actually had the exact same dinner the night after! Now I have two patties left in the freezer and I think I’ll have to treat J to a cheeseburger dinner this week.

Cheeseburger, get in my belly!

Guest cook on Tuna Toast: Dinner at Sister’s House

My sister recently moved into a beautiful, big Pasadena apartment after living in a super cute but small one in Silverlake for a few years. Although the Silverlake pad had an amazing view of the lake (well, reservoir) and the hills, it was too small to really entertain in. Her new place is massive, comfortable, has a gigantic patio and a really sweet pool and jacuzzi so you know where I’m going to be spending a lot of my free time!

In order to break in her new place (and dining table…and dishwasher….and sofa….and bar….) she invited my parents and I to dinner last Saturday. We popped a bottle of champagne and enjoyed a light appetizer of cheese/tomato/basil skewers and crackers while she finished cooking the meal. It smelled great and we were all very happy to be taken care of! Isn’t it nice when you’re invited to someone’s house for a home cooked meal? As much as I absolutely love cooking for others, it’s nice to be treated to someone else’s cooking too.

Wine and appetizers at the bar, anyone?

We sat down to a first course of grilled radicchio salad. The point of grilling the radicchio is to get a slight char and reduce the natural bitterness of the purple leaves. The minute my sister took a bite, she made a face and commented that it was super bitter. After sampling it, we all agreed. It seemed that the grilling made the radicchio MORE bitter than when it was raw. Does anyone out there know if this happens when radicchio is grilled? Anyway, the rest of the salad (especially the cheese!) was great.

Next up: The Main Course! We had roasted rack of lamb with spiced lentils and roasted carrots. The lamb was perfectly pink the the middle and had a light sauce that matched very well with the meat. I love lentils and can pretty much eat them in any preparation and these were fantastic! The biggest surprise, however, were the carrots. I do like carrots but these were just so tender, slightly sweet and very flavorful. A real winner.

Hmmmmm, lamb, lentils and carrots, oh my!

Thanks for a great meal!

Desserts For Family Dinner


My sister had my parents and I over for supper last Saturday, and I wanted to make a light but satisfying dessert since I knew we were having lamb chops as a main course. Since most of my desserts are of the cake or tart variety, I took the opportunity to really break away from what I normally do.

Logs of raw biscotti, ready to go into the oven

As my regular readers know, I am a cookbook, food blog and cooking magazine addict who is always bemoaning the fact that there just isn’t enough time to actually create all of the lovely recipes found in the universe. One blog that I am always drooling over is the brilliant and outrageously gorgeous Kuiadore. I can only daydream about ever becoming as artistic and creative as J but I have kept a few of her creations in the back of my mind with the hopes that one day, I would be able to create such loveliness.

Baked and ready for slicing….

One particularly pretty dessert came to mind when I was trying to choose what to make, and the fact that it was on the lighter side made it a shoe-in. I had seen J’s Espresso Orange Panna Cotta Parfait with Coffee Gelee many times and had always stared at the perfect layers of rich panna cotta and espresso gelee in awe. I googled the name of the dessert and lucky me- the recipe was available online so I printed it out and made my way to Crate and Barrel to buy some small, clear glasses for the panna cotta. I also picked up a few things to make some Chocolate and Pistachio Biscotti, a recipe from Michelle Myers of SONA and Boule fame, to go with the panna cotta. I’d fallen in love with the green on black look of the dark chocolate biscotti when I first saw the photo in the December 2005 issue of Food and Wine and couldn’t wait to try them. Note: I only used 3.5 oz of chopped dark chocolate in the biscotti instead of the 7.5 ounces called for. I honestly think that it works better with the smaller amount- the 7.5 ounces would make it too wet, I believe.

The finished biscotti….all chocolatey and crisp

I found the perfect little European stemless wine glasses, and at less than $2 each, grabbed six of them, extremely satisfied with myself! Yes, I will admit I am the dork who gleefully leaves work and is as happy as a lark at the prospect of shopping for anything kitchen-related. After my successful shopping trip, I gathered all of the ingredients and started. I had to keep in mind that this is the type of recipe that you must focus on- meaning, if you screw up, the whole thing will be ruined, at least looks-wise. While the recipe is quite an easy and simple one, the actual construction is one you must be very careful with.

First layer- espresso panna cotta

I seeped some decaf (since we were having it later at night) espresso in heavy cream, then added the sugar and softened gelatin. I didn’t have any cheesecloth so I just put a coffee filter in my fine-sieve strainer and poured the mixture into that, but the thick cream refused to drip out! I tried a few other methods (paper towels, just the strainer) all to no avail….and losing precious tablespoons of the cream every time I had to try another way. I finally used my single-cup coffee drip thing (WHY didn’t I think of it sooner?!) which strained out the espresso grounds perfectly. Since I had lost a lot of the cream, I made four servings (which is all I needed) instead of the six called for in the recipe. Of course I did put a couple of tablespoons in a separate cup so that I could taste-test it after it solidified…..ya know- quality control!!

Second layer….espresso gelee…..

After very carefully wrapping the glasses in saran wrap and putting them in the refrigerator, I waited about an hour and then started the second layer of espresso gelee. Growing up, we always had coffee jelly which is a very popular dessert in Japan, and this espresso gelee is basically the same thing. People always react strangely when I tell them about coffee jelly, but it’s one of the best desserts ever! Get some coffee jelly, pour some heavy cream and sugar or simple syrup over it and it’s like eating a cup of coffee. Anyway, back to the gelee. After I seeped the espresso in water, added the sugar and gelatin, I let it come to room temperature before very carefully pouring (using the back of a spoon) it over the now-solidified espresso panna cotta layer. I put it all back into the refrigerator and waited….but not before sampling the small amount of espresso panna cotta that I had put in a separate glass. Although it was absolutely delicious, it was very, very rich due to the fact that the base is entirely heavy cream. I thought that maybe having two layers made with just cream would be too heavy, and decided to make the last layer with whole milk instead.

Third layer….orange panna cotta….

I went through the same process making the orange panna cotta as I did the other two layers, using whole milk instead of the cream. I seeped orange zest in the warm milk and once again poured the cooled mixture on top of the other layers. After a couple of hours in the fridge, they were ready.

Finished dessert, all in a row…..

And what a beautiful dessert it was- both in looks and flavor. I was happy that I made the top layer with milk since it did balance out the richness of the espresso panna cotta on the bottom. The recipe really is simple, and a great stepping-stone to many other panna cotta flavor combinations. I’d love to try a strawberry/vanilla/chocolate or a green tea/chocolate/almond combo.

The final product, accompanied by the biscotti

Thanks Kuiadore, for the inspiration!

Stay tuned for my sister’s lovely lamb dinner which will be featured soon!

Dessert, panna cotta