Good Food
Chocolate, Last Minute Gifts, and Cookies that Don't Crumble
Pastry chef David Lebovitz tells us why chocolate is better than sex. Dr. Lona Sandon explains why chocolate is actually good for you and also why women crave it more than men.
By Evan Kleiman • • 1h 0m ListenRecipes and Resources from today's Good Food:
David Lebovitz is the author of The Great Book of Chocolate, published by Ten Speed Press. His website offers lists and links to his favorite web chocolate sources.
Wittamer Hot Chocolate
About 4 Mugs
This recipe is from Michael Lewis-Anderson, the chocolatier at Wittamer chocolate shop in Belgium, one of my favorite chocolate shops in the world. Michael is a true master of chocolate and sports a terrific and rather wicked sense of humor: he once created a life-sized replica of Cher out of pure dark chocolate for the window of their chocolate boutique, which stunned and amused the staid patrons of Brussels. Michael contributed this recipe for The Great Book of Chocolate.
Although Belgians like their chocolate rich, if you prefer you can use whole milk instead of the half-and-half. And to ward off any winter chills, I suspect few adults would object to sneaking in a few drops of vanilla extract or a warming shot of dark rum or cognac.
1 quart half-and-half (or whole milk)
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 ounces top-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a saucepan, heat 1 cup of half-and-half (or milk) with the dark and milk chocolates. Stir until melted. Add the remaining 3 cups of half-and-half and the cinnamon and heat.
Stir briskly with a whisk or use an immersion blender to make the hot chocolate completely smooth.
At Wittamer, this hot chocolate is spooned into mugs and served with a swirl of whipped cream and lacy chocolate curls. I take the all-American route (or that of a noted Miss, who is Swiss) and float a few marshmallows on top.
Lona Sandon is an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
Cabaret Chocolates can now be found online at the following Whole Foods: Pasadena, Glendale, West LA (at National), Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, Woodland Hills, and 3rd and Fairfax.
Shirley Corriher is a food scientist and the author of Cookwise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Cooking, published by Morrow.
For cookies that won't break up into crumbs when you send them in the mail, add 1 tablespoon of water into your flour and stir, when you're making your cookie dough. This will make little lumps but don't worry. This will produce cookies that won't crumble.
To secret to keeping moist cookies moist is to use brown sugar. All sugars absorb water out of the air. Brown sugar and honey absorb more water out of the air than white sugar. You can substitute light brown sugar equal parts for white sugar.
This is the best sugar cookie recipe, according to Shirley.
Mary's Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
Granulated sugar
Mix together sugar and butter.
Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract; mix well.
Blend in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar.
Cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours.
Heat oven to 375F.
Divide dough in half, and roll each half 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered board.
Cut into desired shapes; sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Place on lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown on edges.
Note: Source: This recipe was found in an out-of-print cookbook called Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, printed in 1963. A similar recipe is also on Betty Crocker's website.
Teri Gelber is a co-producer of Good Food. Here are her suggestions of food shops around town, perfect for last minute gifts.
Eastside:
921 Meridian Ave #B (on the corner of El Centro)
South Pasadena
Bake-at-home frozen croissants, cheeses; puff pastry and sweet short crust and savory short crust
950 E Colorado (at Mentor)
Pasadena
626-577-1828
Yule logs, Christmas cookie trays, chocolate biscotti, chocolate cherry bread, gingerbread man cookies, delicious baked goods, lemon bars and breads -- also the best egg salad sandwich in LA
2649 Mission St
San Marino
626-441-2299
Deli/restaurant; spiced pumpkin cheesecakes, blackberry polenta bread pudding; can also pick up your entire holiday meal.
2800 Hyperion
Silverlake
323-655-0545
10% off gourmet cheeses with your KCRW Fringe Benefits card
3360 W 1st Street
Los Angeles
213-252-8722
Chocolates, baked goods. Baskets available with tea and chocolates and pastas.
2395 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles
323-662-9024
3926-28 W Sunset Blvd
Silverlake
323-644-7511
10% off with your KCRW Fringe Benefits card
Mid-City:
624 S La Brea
Los Angeles
323-939-6813
Individually wrapped tea breads, spiced pig-shaped cookies (mom and runt tied together with twine); holiday flavored ice creams.
8350 W 3rd St
Los Angeles
323-655-2285
Gourmet deli in the style of Dean & Deluca; homemade fudge (maple walnut, peanut butter and traditional chocolate); handmade caramels, small cupcakes
10% off gourmet prepared foods, specialty food products & cafe fare; excludes catering with your KCRW Fringe Benefits card
Larchmont Wines & Spirits
223 N Larchmont
Los Angeles
323-856-8699
540 N San Vicente (at Melrose)
West Hollywood
310-855-1161
Wood crates ready for filling with selections of wines; go for dessert wines or liqueurs
10% off purchases over $40 with your KCRW Fringe Benefits card
7122 Beverly Blvd. (near La Brea)
Los Angeles
323-934-7900
Mandlebrot, almond tarts, Hannukah cookies; lots of minature sweets
Little John's Candy Kitchen
6333 W 3rd St
Los Angeles
323-936-5379
323-660-6025 Beautifully crafted small desserts that are delicious and look beautiful.
Boule (hopefully opening December 20th)
420 N La Cienega (near Melrose)
Los Angeles
310-289-9977
French patisserie including ice creams and confections plus baked goods.
Westside:
419 N. Beverly Drive
310-278-2855
10% off with your KCRW Fringe Benefits card
401 N Canon Drive
Beverly Hills
310-273-3759
Lots of gift packages with teas and tea cups
315 N Beverly Drive
310-273-0817
Also1260 Bison Ave
Newport Beach
949-644-0393
Sorrento Market 5518 Sepulveda Blvd
Culver City
310-391-7654
Italian deli, gourmet items. Pastas, olives, oils, deli items
10% off many items with your KCRW Fringe Benefits card
8825 National Blvd
Culver City
310-559-4770
All kinds of gourmet food products and cooking supplies; cheeses, butters, fine chocolates, knives, etc
KCRW Fringe Benefits provider. Check for discounts
1751 Ensley Ave
West Los Angeles
310-552-1080
Shaker boxes to fill with their cookies and baked goods plus old-fashioned candies. Breakfast pastry baskets available.
Venice:
1202 Abbot Kinney
Venice
310-399-8801
Beautiful chocolates, artisinal. Look like little gems.
Handcrafted caramels, sea salt, lemon and nut; handmade marshmallows -- great $6 gifts
Malcolm's Munchies
310-382-4692
malcomsmunchies@yahoo.com Venice
Delicious and giant cookies, brownies, bars, all made with organic ingredients
5% off gourmet organic cookies, brownies, cakes & pastries with your KCRW Fringe Benefits card
Market Gourmet
1800 Abbot Kinney #A
Venice
310-305-9800
Baked goods, etc
Long Beach:
Olive's
3510 E Broadway
Long Beach
562-439-7758
Gourmet food shop with cheeses and, of course, olives
Jonathan Gold is the food critic for the LA Weekly and restaurant writer for Gourmet magazine. He spoke about Dai Ho Kitchen at 9148 Las Tunas Drive in Temple City, (626) 291-2295. The restaurant is open only for lunch Tuesdays through Sundays. Closed Monday. The specialty of the house is spicy beef noodle soup. (It's always served spicy. If you ask for it to not be spicy Mr. Ku will pay you a visit and give a very stern look.)
