Food Truck War; Bakery Crawl; Pop Up Restaurants; The Gravenstein

Guest Interview

Market Report ()

Zoe Nathan is the pastry chef at Rustic Canyon and at Huckleberry Cafe in Santa Monica. She is buying small pears from Sea Canyon and poaching them.  Make a simple syrup with 1:1 water and sugar.  Add vanilla bean and the pears and slowly cook in the oven.  She puts parchment paper over the lid of the pot.  Here is a recipe from David Lebovitz:

David Lebovitz's Poached Pears

1 quart (1l) water
1 1/3 cup (265 g) sugar
4 Bosc pears; peeled, cored, and quartered

Additions: One cinnamon stick, 2 teaspoons whole cloves, black peppercorns or allspice berries, one lemon half, one split vanilla bean, 2-3 star anise, 6-8 fresh ginger slices

1. In a large saucepan, heat the water and sugar until warm and the sugar is dissolved. Add any of the additions that you wish.

2. Slide in the pears and cover with a round of parchment paper, with a small hole cut in the center.

3. Keep the liquid at a very low boil and simmer the pears until cooked through, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the pears.

4. Remove from heat and let the pears cool in their liquid.

Optional: After poaching the pears, while the liquid is still warm, add approximately 1/2 cup (120 g) dried sour cherries, cranberries, raisins, or dried currants and let them plump.

Alvaro Bautista from Mecca, CA is an organic date farmer.  He sells Barhi and Halawi dates that can be eaten fresh, when they are crunchy.  He also sells Khadrawi and Medjool dates that are dried and soft.

Guest Interview

Gravenstein Apples ()

David Karp is a pomologist and a frequent guest on Good Food.  Today, he talks about the Gravenstein apple, a variety that flourishes in Northern California.  It's under protection by Slow Food, which added the Sebastopol Gravenstein to its Ark of Taste.  You can buy Gravensteins via mail order from two Northern California growers.

Music Break: La Cova by The New Mastersounds

Guest Interview

Food Truck War ()

Elina Shatkin is the West Coast editor for Toque, an online food magazine.  There is a political fight happening in Los Angeles over regulation of food trucks.  Many bricks-and-mortar restaurants are upset that the trucks are taking business from them.  Parking and trash has been an issue.  One solution are food truck lots, which have just been approved in Santa Monica.

Music Break: La mer by Biréli Lagrène

Guest Interview

Gatsby-Style Pop Up Restaurant ()

Eddie Lin writes the blog Deep End Dining and he frequently contributes to Good Food.  He recently attended a pop-up dinner presented by A Razor, A Shiny Knife.  Michael Cirino and his crew put on elaborate dinners that are part performance art, part cooking lesson.  Guests are encourage to participate in the meal preparation.

Music Break: Primavera by Esquivel

Guest Interview

Armenian Food in Studio City ()

Jonathan Gold writes the Counter Intelligence column for the LA Weekly, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize.  He recommends Mantee Cafe in Studio City for Armenian food (via Lebanon).  

Jonathan likes soujuk, the mantee, and their fattouch, among others.

Mantee Cafe
10962 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604-3340
(818) 761-6565

Music Break: Last Whisky by Eddie Warner

Guest Interview

Hungry Town ()

Tom Fitzmorris' book is Hungry Town.  He is a food critic, radio host and has a widely read newsletter and website.

Tom Fitzmorris’ Oysters Rockefeller

Serves 8

2 cups celery, chopped

1 1/2 cups green onion tops, chopped

2 cups parsley, chopped with stems removed

1 cup fresh fennel, chopped

1 cup watercress, chopped

1/2 tsp fresh garlic, chopped

3 anchovy fillets

Liquor from four dozen oysters plus enough water to make 2 cups

1 tsp sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 t. worcestershire sauce

2 dashes peychaud’s bitters

2 drops green food coloring (optional, but authentic)

2 sticks butter

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups very fine fresh bread crumbs

Four dozen oysters

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

1.    Combine the vegetables and the anchovies in small batches, and chop to a near-puree in a food processor, using just enough of the oyster water to help things along.

2.    Combine this green slurry and the rest of the water in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring every now and then until the excess water is gone but the greens remain very moist.  Add sugar, ketchup, salt, white pepper, cayenne, Worcestershire, bitters, and food coloring.

3.    Make a blond roux with the butter and flour.  Blend well into the greens, until the sauce takes on a different, lighter texture.  Then mix in the bread crumbs.

4.    Place large, fresh oysters into oyster shells, small ovenproof ramekins or small au gratin dishes.  Top each oyster with a generous tablespoon of sauce (or more, if you like).  Bake 15 minutes, or until the top of the sauce has barely begun to brown.  Serve immediately.

NOTE:  If you bake oysters using oyster shells, serve on a bed of rock salt or a napkin to keep the shells from rocking.

Music Break: OJ, Beignet & Cafe Au Lait by David Kleinbart

Guest Interview

USDA & DOJ Workshops for Farmers ()

Patty Lovera is the Assistant Director for Food and Water Watch, an advocacy group in Northern California.  They've been closely watching a series of hearings hosted by the USDA and the Department of Justice.  The workshops are meant for the agriculture sector to voice concerns about price fixing and competition.

Music Break: Let The Spirit by Roots Manuva

Guest Interview

Bakery Crawl ()

Sara Tatsch, Julia Mestas, Chrystal Baker, Quyen Gin

Chrystal Baker writes the blog Duo Dishes.  Recently, she went on a bakery crawl with three other LA food bloggers: Sara Tatsch, Our Private Kitchen, Julia Mestas, Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body, and Quyen Gin, Kitchen Runway.  They went to:

Huckleberry - 1014 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, (310) 451-2311

Susie Cakes - 11708 San Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles, (310) 442-2253

- 912 South Barrington Avenue Los Angeles, (310) 826-3380

Huckleberry Cafe's Rasberry Butter Cake

Susie Cake's Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwich

Cake at Jin Patisserie

Chocolate from Compartes
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Guest Interview

Donut Art ()

Eric Joyner is an artist who frequently uses images of donuts in his work.  His current show at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City runs through September 1.