Desserts
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Eagle Rock: A Cream Puff Confession à la Ruby Bakery
Apr 04 2012
Uh, what just happened?
All I know is that my friend Mari came over with a pink box from Ruby Bakery in Eagle Rock. Inside, were two plump and precious cream puffs.
When I laid eyes on them, I told myself I’d just take a bite and save the rest for after dinner. No big deal.
Coconut Tapioca: Pudding’s Time Has Come
Feb 24 2012
I have to admit, I’m a big fan of the everything-old-is-new-again food trends. You know what I mean—like when restaurants start offering cookies and milk for dessert or their own version of Ho-Hos. It’s silly, but whatever, I’m not immune to the charms of such things.
Now I’m lobbying for another classic to have its day: I’m thinking it’s pudding’s time to shine. Specifically, tapioca pudding, so I offer a new take on the cafeteria favorite: coconut tapioca pudding. I say this knowing full well that there are a lot of detractors to tapioca. I get it. Those little beads can be a freaky, but I think the spark that coconut milk adds might help stem your fears.
I was really surprised at how easy tapioca pudding is to make from scratch, and how creamy, luscious and pretty the results were.
Here’s how I did it:
(See ingredients list at the bottom of this post.)
Step 1: Boil 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Once things get rolling, add tapioca beads and reduce to a simmer. Constant stirring is a must because the tapioca tends to stick to the bottom of the pan. Just keep things moving for about 10 minutes.
Highland Park: Oasis Makes the Ice Cream (and Frozen Yogurt) You’ve Been Waiting for
Feb 17 2012
If you live in the Northeast corner of Los Angeles (and you’re like me), you’ve probably been jonesing for some serious ice cream. It seems to be one of the glaring omissions in the area—if you live in or around Highland Park, and you’re in need of a scoop, you’re pretty much stuck at Rite Aid.
Not that I have anything against Thrifty Ice Cream. I grew up on Chocolate Malted Crunch, and I still crave it now and again, but a drugstore is not an ice cream parlor. For that experience, I usually trek out to Alhambra for a Fosselman’s fix because nothing really fills that niche around here.
Or so I thought…and then I found Oasis Ice Cream.
Eastside Goes to Bell: Brunch at La Casita Mexicana
Feb 07 2012
I’ve never had a bad—or even just okay—meal at La Casita Mexicana. The small South LA restaurant, clad in vibrant colors, giant paper mâché produce and an Our Lady of Guadalupe painting, has become a legend in the 14 years it’s been around and for good reason.
Created by Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu, La Casita is different by design. The goal of the two mustachioed chefs, who both hail from Jalisco, Mexico, is to challenge the Angelino perception of Mexican food by moving far beyond the standard combination plate.
The result is a large menu of imaginative dishes that draw from their “ancestral food heritage” and the recipes of their grandmothers. Regulars gush over their moles, chiles en nogada (a cream and pomegranate topped poblano pepper stuffed with spiced meat, nuts and fruits), and rather lovely seafood dishes. Not to mention their lemonade chia seeds—a must!
Devotees also go on and on about La Casita’s chilaquiles, and I felt so left out because I’d never tried them…until a recent sunday.
Now that I’ve had them, they’ve stamped my mind, much like those mole chilaquiles I had a few months back at CaCao in Eagle Rock. La Casita’s version come in few different variations: red, green, mole poblano, red or green pepian style (made with pumpkin seed, peanuts and chiles), and chipotle.
Eat at Home: Delicious Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies. No Kidding.
Feb 01 2012
First off, nobody is saying this is a healthy cookie. It’s neither low-fat nor low-calorie nor low-sugar. None of that is the point.
“What is the point?,” you ask. Well, part of it is that there’s some actual nutrition involved, and even more crucial is that these guys are delicious. They’re crisp, grainy in a good way, and a little salty with an appeal similar to that of McVities Digestives.
Perfect for the texture obsessed.
Being a big fan of whole grains, I’m always scouting for promising whole wheat cookie recipe, but almost all of them take a half-and-half approach—equal parts white and whole wheat flour—which seems gutless to me. I mean if you’re going to do it, then just do it. And that’s what this recipe does.
No pussyfootin’ around with the complex carbs here. I’m talking 100% whole wheat flour, baby.
Atwater Village: Sandwich & Cake at Proof Bakery
Jan 18 2012
I’ve heard great things about Proof Bakery but never the pleasure, so when a friend suggested lunch there, I said “Oooh! Sure.” I don’t get to see Atwater Village on weekdays or by sunlight too often, but since I started working from home (no more east-to-west commute!), I’ve been trying to squeeze in local lunch spots.
Proof Bakery doesn’t bowl you over on sight. The small, unassuming space is all clean lines, modern airiness and marble tables. The dessert case/counter doesn’t have Marie Antoinette-esque decadence of many bakeries these days, so there aren’t the stacks and piles of cakes and cobblers of, say, Huckleberry in Santa Monica. That said, the restrained set of offerings does hit the right sweet and savory notes—think chocolate chip cookies, cheese and chive biscuits, croissants, tarts and morning buns.
There are piles of sandwiches, however, because that’s the way Proof showcases their daily options. When I was there, there were three plates of as many varieties: prosciutto, bacon and beet. If I had it my way, I would have had the prosciutto, but pregnancy rules make it a no-no, especially since it had been sitting around at room temperature. I played it safe with the beet sandwich, but don’t feel sad for me.
Happy Halloween: Dulce De Leche & Chocolate Cupcakes
Oct 31 2011
I had big plans. First, I was going to make werewolf cupcakes, then mummy cupcakes all Martha Stewart style. Then, I came to my senses and remembered that I’m not so good with the frosting details and decided to take the easy way out.
The easy way to Halloween up your favorite confection is to add some candy corn. For the right cupcake, I headed over to Joy the Baker for her Dulce de Leche recipe. Then, I used a trusty chocolate buttercream frosting recipe on the back of a Ghirardelli Cocoa canister. The two work together rather spooktacularly.
Not elaborate, but still pretty Halloweenee.
-Valentina
Downtown LA: The Pie Hole is (Deservedly) the Talk of the Town
Oct 26 2011
Everywhere I turn, The Pie Hole is in my face—food blogs, Facebook posts, IMs, texts, whispers in the hall. Okay, there are no whispers in the hall, but it does seem like everyone’s gabbing about Downtown’s latest dessert haven. And this is just its second week in business.
Intrigued and nearby, I made my way over last weekend to see what all the hype was about. I found the Pie Hole cinched into a smallish space in the Arts District, right across the street from Wurstkuche. The décor is simple and homey with a few communal picnic tables and some two-seaters, a menu handwritten on butcher paper and a small case of available treats.
The menu is small but sufficient. Listed are pies both sweet and savory, including the expected apple crumb and lemon meringue along with the more inventive peanut butter pretzel and carnitas with queso fresco. They also have a full coffee program, plus an obligatory supply of Mexican Coke.
Mexican Bread is Fashionable: Xochico makes Pan Dulce Accessories & Home Décor
Oct 24 2011
I can’t believe in all the time I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve never done a post on California-based company Xochico, makers of pan dulce accessories and home furnishings. They even make pan dulce fuzzies (a Mexican bread play on fuzzy dice), which I bought at last year’s Taste of East LA and hang with pride from my rear view mirror.
Almost too good to be true, right?
Now 6 months pregnant, I’m currently working on a nursery, and I think the concha cushions pictured above are a must have. I mean, look at them! They come in chocolate, strawberry and vanilla, and I’m going to have trouble deciding.
photo by Laura Byrnes
Xochico also sells coin purses (including one in the likeness of a niño envuelto, the coconut jelly roll), key chains and even a churro shaped makeup bag. They’re kind of the perfect symbol of LA pride—and so much more practical than a Dodger tattoo.
-Valentina
Autumn Is in the Air: I Want Pie
Sep 30 2011
The worst thing about LA is the summer. There I said it. I know that’s not a popular sentiment, but summer is 5-month affair here. Sure, it starts out mild, but sweater weather ends in late May and the heat drags on ‘til Halloween. I just want to sleep with the windows closed already.
The one reprieve is that right about now, we start to get subtle hints of fall—a slight chill in the night air, an overcast day, butternut squash soup popping up on menus. It’s a hopeful feeling, and honestly, it makes me want pie.
So, in honor of the coming season (and in hope that it can be beckoned), I thought I’d post a photo of some scrumptious All Jarred Up pies I took last November. There they are, baking to crusty perfection in the oven, back when you could turn on the oven any time of day without sweating up a storm.
Ah, a storm, that would be so nice!
-Valentina
