Mediterranean Food of The Sun

I am always pleased and grateful that the number one influence on my palate and cooking are the flavors and ingredients of the Mediterranean.  Having lived overseas as a child on the Med and then returned again and again throughout my lifetime, it's no surprise that this style of cooking and subsequent dishes are what I consider comfort food.  Give me vine-ripened tomatoes, olives, garlic, olive oil, fresh basil and a goat or feta cheese and I can make you a week of dishes you won't recognize twice. 

Given this confidence factor I was a trace surprised when I sat down to come up with a menu for debut communal dinner at Big Red Sun on the 9th of July and had nothing. Bupkus.  Other than jamon and Manchego.  This most definitely wouldn't suffice. 

http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=137b87228663d67c8b34c9575&id=aba75ab228&e=%5bUNIQID%5d click here for more information.  Since we're partnering with a Tequila company I wanted to make the food more Costa del Sol less Mexican.  We live in LA.  There are a lot of great Mexican restaurants and our dinners are meant to promote something more experiential so I went hunting for recipes that piqued my interest in preparing them and promised my guests a goreous dinner.

I was soon overwhelmed by the websites and the tactile stimulation one misses when online.  I wanted a great big beautiful cookbook replete with glossy photos to peruse that would point me in the right direction.  I didn't have the right one.  And then I remembered the box of cookbooks my mother had given which belonged to my beloved brother, David, who died in February.  For obvious reasons, I had not been able to look through the box yet as it broke my heart thinking about how much my brother loved to cook and what an inspired chef he was.  I decided today was the day and asked him for a little encouragement on the way.

What I found was a cookbook that is so perfect and rich with recipes and photos that I had to call my mom right away and explain, "David just saved my dinner."  The book in question is called "Mediterranean Food of The Sun" by Jacqueline Clark and Joanna Farrow published by Hermes House.  It's a big hardbound colorful extravaganza that showcases recipes from every region of the Mediterranean highlighting Middle Eastern and European dishes.  This has become my favorite cookbook and in so many ways completely refreshing and original in a day and age when cookbooks have become manuals for making the most quotidian recipes like mashed potatoes, sandwiches, and soups.  How many times do you need to see these i print? 

So with the highest recommendation possible and if you are a lover of all things Mediterranean I suggest you check out this beautiful book.   The bonus on my end is that I've got my brother in the kitchen again and over 500 pages of recipes to enjoy with him as I plan to make each and every one in homage to his memory. 

Cheers,

Lisa

Sunday Brunch

Last Sunday started out as a glorious morning replete with big fluffy white clouds and a sapphire sea roiling with white caps. And then an icy Nordic wind blew in making the deck less inviting than it looked.  I don't know if this was the cause of the communal intimacy that ensued but I'm sure that it contributed as we all stayed indoors and ate gathered around comfy sofas and chairs.  Or maybe it was Sunday morning in general and everyone was ready for a long lazy meal and chat with new friends.  No matter what the reason, I was overjoyed to watch my guests go back for seconds and thirds, nibble on Katie Lou's phenomenal cookies and baked goods while sipping bloodies and Mimosas and really get to know their fellow guests.  Afterward I had a thought that my parties were becoming less about food and more about people being able to connect with each other in a social forum that was as I always say, better than hanging out in a restaurant where the only thing you leave with is a receipt of the bill. 

One of the other asides to the day was the shop factor a few of my female guests were privy to... greeted by the ever delightful, cheery and fiercely comedic Karin Rogers, who is in the couture business, and noted their stunning ensembles, they were invited to check out a Chanel this and Prada that.  Off they went to Karin's stuido below where they tried on shoes and clothes and left with some fancy additions to their wardrobes. 

I was also so happy to see many of my friends attend this brunch as guests so by the end of the day they were gathered with my new "friends" around island while I washed dishes and told stories as aided and abetted by my sidekick, Karin.  This was truly less work and more entertaining.  I apologized at one point and said we were formerly a more serious business but had morped into a casual homey meet and greet for this one day only! 

Menu was simple and delicious: scrambled eggs atop turkey sausage rounds on muffins with sage and caramelized onion gravy (next time I will assemble on freshly baked biscuits); roasted asparagus with crisped prosciutto; roasted new potatoes, roasted beet and lentil salad with mire poix and goat cheese; smoked salmon with capers, Bermuda onion on rustic bread and creamy butter;  fresh fruit, cookies, muffins, breads.  Bloodies were the best.   I pureed ginger, garlic, carrots and celery in the cuisinart and added this to tomato juice.  Added salt, pepper, lime and lemon juice, worcestershire sauce and horseradish and it was a meal unto itself.  

I can't wait until the next brunch... and I do hope you'll join us!

My Protege

Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than watching a child develop an interest in food and cooking.  My humble beginnings in the kitchen were inspired by my uniquely perfect Jammies later called affectionaly by all of her grandchildren as Grammies. She was my father's mother, hailed from Texas and was not only the most amazing cook but her baked goods were singularly divine.  When I was around six I pulled my stepstool up to her side at the kitchen counter while she rolled out the flakiest pie crust and said, "teach me."  I still don't bake as well as she did but the rest is history and from that day forward I learned to cook from her. 

So it gives me great pleasure that my dear friend, Wendy Plumb's dautghter, Vienna, who at the tender age of four has fallen in love with cooking.  She's a very powerful little girl already and a great beauty with the kind of spunk that reminds me of me at her age.  Since I am always in the kitchen and often cooking for my extended family, the Plumbs, she has taken to showing up, maneuvering a barstool over to the kitchen island and insisting to help with dinner.  She has amazning hand-to-eye coordination and can deftly handle the tasks I give her.  She's a big lover of fresh basil and last Friday night kept pulling leaves from the fresh plant on the counter, shredding them into bits and walking around to each guest saying, "sprinkle, sprinkle."  So cute I almost cried.  She loves making vinaigrette at this point and is an expert at dipping one teeny finger into the dressing and sayiing, "Ummmm good."  She learned the word, "emulsify" recently and I actually believe she knows what it means! 

I told her mum she's going to be a phenomenal cook by the time she's seven.  It's going to be so much fun teaching her and bartering for kisses in exchange for time as my protege.  Vienna, this one's for you!

Love your Auntie Lisa! 

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.