Vive la France; Wine Bars; Church and State; Ice Cream Architecture

Guest Interview

Market Report ()

David Karp found some very rare purple raspberries at Pudwill Farms. They are available now. Hard to grow, these deliver a sweet, grape-like flavor.  Find them only at the Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers Market.  You'll need to get their early to get your hands on some.

Hans Rockenwagner owns Rockenwagner Bakery on Arizona near 4th Street and 3 Square Bakery on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice. This time of year Hans loves to make a simple tomato salad of raw, sliced Japanese and heirloom tomatoes. Add some chopped shallots and sherry vinegar with some extra virgin olive oil to taste. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper.  Hans recommends not using Balsamic vinegar since it's too sweet. A good acid balance will highlight the flavor of the tomatoes.  

Hans also turns stale bread into bread crumbs. Just take your stale bread and grate it against a large-holed box grater.  The crumbs will store in an airtight container for a long time. 

For a simple dessert, get some fresh Blenheim apricots and some store-bought puff pastry.  Roll out the puff pastry, add some bread crumbs then lay down the sliced and pitted apricots.  Bake in a hot oven until the apricots are soft and the pastry browns.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy.

Flavor King pluots are in season. These have a purplish skin and yellow flesh. Their flavor is delicious and very sweet. They are a seasonal favorite of market manager Laura Avery.  Watch the video.

Music Break: The Word by The Harvey Averne Dozen

Guest Interview

French Food Idioms ()

Clotilde Dusoulier writes the blog Chocolate and Zucchini, where she's been cataloging French food idioms.  Here are some favorites:

Boire du petit-lait / Drinking whey = Basking in praise or flattery
Couper la poire en deux / Cutting the pear in two = Reaching a compromise
Vouloir le beurre et l'argent du beurre / Wanting the butter and the money for the butter = Wanting it all
Cracher dans la soupe / Spitting in the soup = Being ungrateful
Ne pas savoir si c'est du lard ou du cochon / Not knowing whether it's lard or pork = Being puzzled, not knowing where to stand
Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez / Having mustard rise up to one's nose = Losing one's temper
Presser le citron à quelqu'un / Squeezing someone's lemon = Taking advantage of someone

Guest Interview

Au Revoir to All That ()

Michael Steinberger is the wine writer for Slate.com.  His latest book is Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine and the End of France.

Music Break: Witness This by Mains Ignition

Guest Interview

The Sweet Life in Paris ()

David Lebovitz is a pastry chef and food blogger living in Paris.  His latest book is The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City.  According to David, good brownies are hard to find in Paris.  He makes these with dulce de leche.

Dulce de Leche Brownies

12 brownies

8 Tablespoons salted or unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 cup Dulce de Leche (or Cajeta)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 8-inch square pan with a long sheet of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and reaches up the sides. If it doesn't reach all the way up and over all four sides, cross another sheet of foil over it, making a large cross with edges that overhang the sides. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil with a bit of butter or non-stick spray.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate pieces and stir constantly over very low heat until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sugar, vanilla, then the flour. Mix in the nuts, if using.
Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan. Here comes the fun part.
Drop one-third of the Dulce de Leche, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter, then drag a knife through to swirl it slightly. Spread the remaining brownie batter over, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining Dulce de Leche in dollops over the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl the Dulce de Leche slightly.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The brownies are done when the center feels just-slightly firm. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Storage:These brownies actually become better the second day, and will keep well for up to 3 days.

Music Break: The Whap-A-Dang by The City Champs

Guest Interview

The Etiquette of Ogling Food ()

Helena Echlin writes the Table Manners column for Chow.com.

Music Break: Tubby by Los Straitjackets

Guest Interview

Wine Bars in L.A. ()

Lesley Balla is the Los Angeles editor for Tasting Table, an email newsletter.  She recommends several wine bars that have opened recently in L.A.:

Barbrix (Silverlake)
2442 Hyperion Avenue
los angeles, CA 90027
(323) 662-2442

Pourtal (Santa Monica)
104 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 393-7693

BottleRock (Downtown)
1050 Flower Street # 167
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 747-1100

Ugo Wine Bar (Culver City)
3865 Cardiff Ave
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 204-1222

Corkbar (Downtown)
403 W. 12th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 746-0050

Guest Interview

Church & State ()

Jonathan Gold is the Pulitzer-prize winning food critic for the L.A. Weekly.  This week he reviews Church & State, a bistro in Downtown L.A. 

Church & State
1850 Industrial St
Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 405-1434

Find all the restaurants Jonathan Gold mentioned on the Good Food Restaurant Map:

Guest Interview

Ice Cream Architecture ()

Freya Estreller and Natasha Case own Coolhaus Ice Cream.  They sell ice cream sandwiches inspired by well-known architects.

Some of their popular flavors include Richard Meyer Lemon Ginger, Frank Behry, and Oatmeal Cinnamoneo.  View the complete menu and follow Coolhaus on Twitter.

Music Break: Time Will Tell by The Lafayette Afro Rock Band

Guest Interview

The Gamble House ()

The Gamble House in Pasadena was designed by Charles and Henry Green in 1908 for David and Mary Gamble.  It's one of the premier examples of Arts and Crafts style architecture.

The kitchen at the Gamble House was designed primarily for the use of the Gamble's servants.   Many of the recipes in the book The Gamble House Cookbook were handwritten by Mary Gamble.  Mark Peel, chef/owner of Campanile, interpreted the recipes for today's kitchens.  Barbara Harris Cury is a docent at the museum.