Blueberry Pancakes; Korean Pub Food; Corn Smut; Decadent Desserts

Guest Interview

Market Report ()

Brandon Boudet is the chef/owner of Little Dom's and Dominick's.  He is shopping for blueberries at the farmers market that he uses for ricotta pancakes. 

2 ​​cups​​ all purpose flour
¼​​ cup ​​sugar
1 Tablespoon + 1 t ​​baking soda
2 ​​tsp ​​kosher salt
2​​ cups​​ whole milk
6​​ oz unsalted butter, melted
4 ​​large​​ eggs, separated
2​​ tsp vanilla extract
12​​ oz ​​ricotta cheese, broken up into small pieces
2​​ pints​​ fresh blueberries 

1. Measure dry ingredients and place in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

2. In a separate bowl, combine milk, melted butter, egg yolks, vanilla extract and ricotta cheese. Mix well.

3. With a rubber spatula, fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Combine, but do not over mix (lumps of dry mixture are ok).

4. Place egg whites in a kitchen-aid bowl and whisk on medium speed until foamy. Switch speed to high and whisk until stiff but no dry peaks form. With a rubber spatula, fold whites into batter in thirds.

5. Heat cast iron skillet on medium heat. Add 1 T butter and scoop pancake batter into skillet.

6. Add a handful of blueberries to each pancake on the griddle.

7. Cook 2 1/2 minutes on each side serve. Serve with butter and real maple syrup.

Cheryl Gaines of It Began in the Garden grows herbs for teas.  She also grows and dries stevia, which is an alternative sweetener. 

Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan of Rustic Canyon and Huckleberry in Santa Monica are holding a fundraising dinner and silent auction for Project Lemon-aid. Money raised will go to hiring back teachers that have been let go because of budget cuts.  The silent auction items will be online August 6-13.

The Santa Monica Farmers Market quarterly panel will be moderated by Evan Kleiman.  It's August 12 at 7 pm and is free and open to the public.  The topic is meat and sustainability.

Guest Interview

Fair Trade, Direct, Organic, Shade Grown ()

Kevin Sinnott is the Author of CoffeeCompanion.com and The Art and Craft of Coffee.  Today, he defines fair trade, direct trade, shade grown and organic.  He says that, in terms of the farmer, direct trade is the best option.

Music Break: Saturday Night by Billy Strange

Guest Interview

Korean Pub Grub ()

Debbie Lee is the chef/owner of the Ahn-Joo Korean Snack Food truck.  She plans on opening a bricks-and-mortar restaurant later this year.  The truck specializes in Korean pub food like fried chicken.  Debbie first came onto the scene as a contestant on The Next Food Network Star.

Guest Interview

Corn Smut ()

Steve Sando runs Rancho Gordo, a food company specializing in ingredients native to the Americas.  Steve loves huitlacoche or corn smut, a fungus that grows on corn.  It's commonly served on quesadillas.

Quesadillas with Huitlacoche con Queso
From the Food Network

2 cups fresh huitlacoche
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 cup diced onions
2 cups finely ground masa harina
1 1/4 cup cold water
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups queso blanco 

Cut huitlacoche off corncob and dice. Heat a medium saute pan with oil, add onions cook until soft. Add huitlacoche saute until tender, about 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl combine the masa harina, water, and salt and stir until smooth.

The dough should be slightly sticky and form a ball when pressed together. To test, flatten a small ball of dough between your palms. If the edges crack, add water, a tablespoon at a time until a test piece does not crack.

Place a small ball of dough between two pieces of waxed paper and press or roll into a small tortilla.

Folding the raw dough, make a pocket, and fill with a tablespoon each of Sauteed huitlacoche and queso blanco. Seal the edge. Cook on grill for 5 minutes until golden brown.

Music Break: Savitri by Rodrigo y Gabriela

Guest Interview

The Best Desserts in LA ()

Antoinette Bruno is the CEO of StarChefs.com.  She highlights serveral noteworthy pastry chefs in Los Angeles:

• Jordan Kahn, currently at Michael Mina's XIV
• Kei Hasegawa, currently at Sashi in Los Angeles
• Adrian Vasquez, currently at Providence
• Dahlia Narvaez, currently at Mozza
• Zoe Nathan, currently at Huckleberry
• Elizabeth Belkind, currently of Cake Monkey

Guest Interview

Mr. Frozato ()

Tom Kaplan owns Hugo's in West Hollywood and in the San Fernando Valley.  They started 30 years ago as a butcher shop.  Their menu now includes many vegan and gluten-free items.  At their Atwater Village taco stand, they are selling Frozato, which is a soft-serve frozen dessert made with sweet potatoes.

Music Break: Seven and 7 by The Bo-Keys

Guest Interview

Natural Wine ()

Jared Brandt runs A Donkey and a Goat Winery in Berkeley, California, with his wife Tracey.  They specialize in "natural wine."

Guest Interview

Waterloo and City ()