I Love Birthday Parties

I'm often asked to cater birthday parties and many times for friends.  When this happens I'm allowed the supreme pleasure of being both caterer and guest.    Last weekend was the ever more gorgeous Donna Livington's birthday and we gathered together in her chic, beautifully appointed and decorated Wilshire Blvd. highrise.  Donna's a decorator and it shows. 

Guests were limited to her closest gal pals and included many of my most favorite ladies. 

We dined on crostini topped with my amazing and easy cecca (cherry tomatoes are my secret ingredient, fresh basil, loads of garlic, great olive oil, sea salt, red pepper flakes and just a dash of red wine vinegar) and then sat down to Arugula Salad with shards of parmesan with my balsamic vinaigrette that everyone swears is the best dressing they have ever tasted (balsamic, olive oil, dijon mustard, sea salt and pepper -- swear to Pete that's it).  Salad was followed by Ahi Tuna and Salmon marinated in "Blazin' Asian Glaze" and the now practically quotidian Israeli Couscous studded with all our favorite ingredients.  I do have an extensive repertoire but what can I say... when my clients request their favorite dishes, I deliver. 

Cake decorations were picked fresh from my garden... the effect was entirely whimsical and fortunately no one was poisoned as a result.  

Happy Birthday Donna -- thanks for letting us serve you!

Malibu Times > Malibu Life > Malibu's best-kept culinary ‘secret'

Malibu Times > Malibu Life > Malibu's best-kept culinary ‘secret'

Kids and Cupcakes

The last couple of weekends were all about kids' parties and cupcakes.  I love making cupcakes and the more homemade they look the better they taste.  I don't think cupcakes should be pristine.  Frosting should be made from the best ingredients like butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, fresh pureed fruit and chocolate and lathered on in a thick and creamy layer.  The cake should be moist and flavorful and if you overcook them, toss them.   There is nothing worse than a dry cupcake no matter how delicious the frosting. 

For this party I made a combination of red velvet and lemon cupcakes with butter cream cheese frosting.  Little girls love pink so I confess to adding food coloring for a super pink treat.  The stand came from Gloria's Cake and Candy Supply and it is a super cute way to create a centerpiece of cupcakes.  



This mad display of cupcakes was for a dear client's daughter's Bat Mitzvah.  I baked over a hundred cupcakes of various flavors from chocolate, white, lemon, and red velvet.  I mixed it up by making minis, regular and giant cupcakes which looked really great when they were put out for the party.  Frosting came in every color of the rainbow with sprinkles and flowers to boot.  My standard butter cream chocolate and butter cream cheese as the base for all.  

Hope this inspires you to get out the cupcake pans and make a batch for your next dessert or just because. They are charming, delicious and so much more fun to eat than your average slice of cake.  

Next up... May calendar of events at our two new venues.   We're excited. 

Cheers,

Lisa

March 26th Communal Dinner -- Next Event April 9th!

view from the deck

It was a very grand evening starting with a view to die for...

... where guests sipped bubbles and  crunched on crostini topped with olive and anchovy tapenade...

... before settling into a three dish starter at two beautifully set tables in the dining room. I'm a particular fan of the artwork.

Starter included slippery peppers topped with Burratta and basil chiffonade, stuffed grape leaves with greek yogurt studded with cucumber and scented with honey and cinnamon and cannelini hummus with pita chips.



slipper peppers with Burratta and basil chiffonade



grape leaves stuffed with rice

Entrees followed and we celebrated a guest's birthday with a double chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting that was mind-blowingly good or at least everyone said so...

I couldn't have managed any of it without my amazing and supportive team:  Ron Pascual, fabulous sous chef; Lisa van Eyssen and Stacie Isabella Turk, extraordinary documentarian and photographer; Tami Orloff, hostess and owner of the venue; Karin Rogers, front of the house and master of ceremonies.  And of course, my guests who make all the effort worthwhile.  As promised to Maria Cozzi... chocolate layer cake recipe follows.

Best Chocolate Layer Cake:

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 3 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 1/3 cups sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups hot coffee (use water if you do not want coffee flavor in your cake)

Frosting:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted (I kept it white for the party so omit unless you want chocolate frosting)
• 1/2 cup cooled coffee (ditto)
• 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Cut 3 circles of waxed paper or parchment paper to fit the bottoms of the pans, then press them in.
In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and eggs and mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, cocoa, baking soda and salt and mix. Add 1/2 of the flour, then 1/2 of the sour cream and mix. Repeat with the remaining flour and sour cream. Drizzle in the hot coffee and mix until smooth. The batter will be thin. Pour into the prepared pans and bake until the tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay), about 35 minutes. Halfway through the baking, quickly rotate the pans in the oven to ensure even baking, but otherwise try not to open the oven. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks and let cool completely before frosting.
Frosting: In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Drizzle in the melted chocolate and mix. Add the coffee and vanilla and mix. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix until well blended and fluffy. To frost the cake, use a spatula to cover 2 of the cake layers with frosting. Stack them together. Flip the third cake layer over and rest it on the top to create a very flat top for the cake. Frost on the sides and top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

March 26th Sold Out!

Congrats to my team on another sold out show!  And a million thanks to Karen and Tami for the vibiest (is that a word?) venue in Los Angeles.   Cocktails on the deck with 180 degree views of the Pacific in the Palisades.  Loft-like interior with gorgeous art, super chic decor and a state-of-the art sound system that will be playing cool tunes from Paris's famed Hotel Costes.   Lisa's dialed in her camera crew so we're good to roll and of course the menu and food will live up to the standards set by Secret Table months ago.  I am the luckiest girl in the world to have so many amazing friends who support this endeavor and are constantly helping me up my game.  My goal is to one day have met every intrepid foodie on my current mailing list as we grow and reach out to so many new clients who of course become just like family and/or friends to Secret Ingredients. 

Now let's just hope for clear skies so we truly can enjoy the sunset from the deck while sipping bubbles and stimulating our palates for the meal ahead.

Cheers,

Lisa

Secret Ingredients Newsletter

I have been blessed with a great new partner in the company -- read all about it in this month's newsletter that highlights upcoming events and our next communal dinner which is right around the corner on the 26th of March.  We're featuring a Mediterranean Mezze in honor of Spring.   Lots of fresh flavors and traditional dishes like tender young Lamb tagine with eggplant, stuffed and rolled grape leaves and tangy roasted red bell peppers with puddles of Buratta.   We're also feating a fun new experience at Secret Table.  We'll be filming upcoming webisodes for our "Cooking with Karma" program.  Don't be camera shy.  See you around the table.    And if you have trouble reading our newsletter please feel free to contact me directly: events@secretingredients.us and I'll shoot you a PDF copy.  

Cheeers,

Lisa