Come check out THE HAPPY MOUTH!

Hi Everyone,
I've started another blog that will be more of a publication with multiple contributors from LA, NYC, London, San Francisco, and Dallas! I'd love for you to check us out!

THE HAPPY MOUTH 

Thanks so much!
Erin

Mastering The Art of Chocolate

This weekend I have a very special birthday engagement to attend. Our dear friend Ashley is turning 24 and we'll be celebrating her big day in style tomorrow night with a night on the town. For this very special friend of ours, I thought I'd try my hand at baking a cake from scratch. But Betty Crocker makes a delicious cake mix that tastes homemade! you say. However, a little extra love goes into making a cake from scratch, so that's what I did.

A couple of crazy things I did when baking this cake:
1. I made the meringue by hand. (I seriously needed that KitchenAid mixer tonight).My right bicep got some serious work.
2. I cooked on my desk and counter because I have so little room in my kitchen (eek!)
3. I only have one mixing bowl, so I had to move my contents around between the mixing bowl and smaller bowls. (Oy!)

Ok, so what I made tonight was a recipe out of Mastering The Art of French Cooking. In fact, it was the very first time I used my new cookbook. Her recipe calls for rum or coffee mixed in with the ganache but I opted not to use them, to keep the chocolate and almond flavor simple and authentic.

Reine de Saba (Chocolate and Almond Cake)

Ingredients:
4 oz semi sweet chocolate
1/4 lb. softened butter
2/3 c. granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 tbsp vanilla or almond extract
1tb. granulated sugar (for the meringue)
1/3 c. pulverized almonds
1/2 c. cake flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F

Butter and flour the cake pan. Set the chocolate in a small pan, cover, and place (off heat) in a larger pan of almost simmering water; let melt while you proceed with the recipe. (* My chocolate melted very quickly so I opted to melt it after I made the Meringue*)

Measure out the rest of the ingredients. Cream the butter and sugar together for several minutes until they form a pale yellow, fluffy mixture. Beat in the egg yolks until well blended.

Beat the egg whites and salt in a separate bowl until soft peaks are formed; sprinkle on the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed. (*This part took about 8 mins by hand and my right bicep will be far more defined than my left one tomorrow. I chose to melt my chocolate after this step was completed.*)

With a rubber spatula, blend the melted chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture, then stir in almonds, and almond extract. Immediately stir one fourth of the beaten egg whites to lighten the batter. Delicately fold in a third of the remaining whites and when partially blended, sift on one third of the flour and continue folding. Alternate rapidly with more egg whites and more flour until all egg whites and flour are incorporated.

Turn the batter into the cake pan, pushing the batter up to its rim with a rubber spatula. Bake in middle level of preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Cake is done when it has puffed, and 2-1/2 to 3 inches around the circumference are set so that a needle plunged into that area comes out clean; the center should move slightly if the pan is shaken, and a needle comes out oily.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run knife around the edge of the pan, and reverse cake on the rack. Allow it to cool for an hour or two; it must be thoroughly cold if it is to be iced.

Icing:
2 oz. semi sweet chocolate melted.
6 oz. softened butter

Place the chocolate in the small pan, cover, and set in the larger pan of almost simmering water. Remove pans from heat and let chocolate melt for 5 minutes or so, until perfectly smooth. Lift chocolate pan out of the hot water, and beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time. Then beat over a bowl of ice and water until chocolate mixture has cooled to spreading consistency. At once spread it over your cake with spatula or knife, and press a design of almonds over the icing.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASH!

Kid Food

There is no excuse not to feed a child as you would an adult. I remember growing up being fed extra plain, "dumb downed" versions of adult food, or a Kid Cuizine TV Dinner. Now most kids will happily accept a plate of chicken fingers and corn off the cob, but I think their culinary intelligence is much higher than that. I often wish that my parents had exposed us to ethnic food such as Thai, Indian and Japanese at a younger age. But never you mind, that is all just curry under the bridge.

Most of you don't know this but Monday-Friday after school I care for a couple of awesome Westside kids. They are incredibly smart and very well spoken 8 and 9 year old's. I knew I liked them the first time we met when I used sarcasm on them, and they got it! It was a match made in babysitting heaven.

So over the last two and half years, I have been caring for them, helping with homework and cooking the occasional dinner. They have the most beautiful kitchen with so much counter space! It's amazing even boiling water there! Ah!  Tonight we had pre-made Pat La Frieda burger patties for dinner and Ms. 8 year old is not a burger fan. So we decided to transform the burger patty into mini meatballs marinara a top some spaghetti. I used sauce from the pantry and cooked the meatballs in it to add a nice rich flavor with the meat drippings, plus salt and pepper and dried oregano.  Boiled some spaghetti and sprinkled the top of the dish with mozzarella cheese. Now this is a very basic Italian meal, but I think far beyond a plain burger patty with American cheese on top. She also ate a mini Caesar salad and some pellegrino so I thought the experience was very grown up! She concluded the meal was a success and uttered after her first bite "This is delicious!"

Lesson learned here: when cooking for a kid, never underestimate their palate. They might surprise you!

Where Are You Eating This Weekend?

One of my favorite things about living in New York City is that a vast majority of restaurants here in the Big Apple support local grocers and farmers. Living in a city that is less than 100 miles south of lush orchards, less than 100 miles west of vibrant farms,  and right on the ocean, means fresh ingredients galore! If you visit your local New York City farmers market on weekends during the warm months, you will find fresh vegetables, artisan made cheeses and delicious baked goods, all grown, crafted and baked within the tri-state area.

So here is a dining spot that seems to exist on this very concept: Support your local grocer. Or in the case of this restaurant, we're supporting our local grocer, who resides next door to our cafe. The motto of Eataly New York is "We sell what we cook, we cook what we sell". Ya know what that says to me? Fresh ingredients, people!

Eataly is an Italian Marketplace and Eatery in the Flat Iron District of Manhattan. They sell fresh produce, hand-crafted cheeses, fresh Italian meats, freshly made pasta and more! Not only can you buy all of these fresh ingredients and tote them home to cook yourself an Italian feast, you can let chefs there do it for you! With ten restaurants on site, preparing both sweet and savory delights, you'll leave with a happy heart and full stomach.

If you're a foodie like me and you crave unique, and finely prepared food, but your on a bit of a mid 20's budget, this is a great spot for a date night. Bring your loved one to this eclectic food-lovers arena where you can wander around and teach them all about different cheeses and pastas. Then watch as those freshly prepared ingredients magically transform into your delicious dinner, pared with a sexy glass of Chianti. (Yes!)  I mean let's face it, Lady and The Tramp did prove one very important life lesson: nothing says romance like sharing a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.

Ciao!

Eataly New York is open daily from 10am-11pm and is located at 200 Fifth Ave. New York, NY 10010 *  212-229-2560

A Little Snack With The Ladies

What better way to spend a cold night in NYC than in your living room with a couple of close girlfriends and a bottle of vino. On this particular Wednesday, my girls Ashley and Maria came over to drink some wine and have some snacks. I decided tonight was a great night to try my luck at Bruschetta. I've never made the dish before, but always enjoy a nice crunchy piece of toasted bread with a warm, flavorful tomato mixture, so off I went on my culinary adventure! Italian food is comfort food, and this seemed like a simple, comforting snack that I could make pretty quickly.

I chopped a combination of heirloom tomatoes and tomatillos and put it in a saute pan with olive oil and minced garlic. I would have loved to have topped this with some fresh basil, but alas, the basil in my fridge had gone bad. So we worked solely with tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and bread. Either way it turned out yum-my! We chowed down, drank some vino and in true "girl time" fashion talked about our lives, had some laughs and shed a few tears. All in all, a lovely Wednesday night!

bread and tomatoes saute-ing away!

Ingredients:
4 regular heirloom tomatoes
1 tomatilo
6 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 minced garlic cloves
1 large baguette sliced

Recipe:
Dice the tomatoes and tomatillo into rough 1/4 inch pieces. Place in a saute pan with about 3 tbsp of olive oil and 2 large cloves of minced garlic over a medium heat. In the mean time, slice the baguette into approx 5 inch, eatable pieces and then saute in a different pan with an additional 3 tbsp of olive oil with another clove of garlic smashed, to flavor the oil. Saute bread on medium/medium high, until it is golden brown on both sides. Saute tomato garlic mixture until the tomatoes are soft and sauce-like and 1/2 the moisture has reduced. Spoon tomato mixture on top of the golden brown bread. Serve hot with a nice Chianti and a couple of girlfriends.

the finished product!

my gals enjoying some chianti

Some Sweet Culinary Reads

So yesterday in the mail came my very first copy of Mastering The Art of French Cooking by Julia Child and company. I was overjoyed! I immediately found the pages for Coq au Vin and Boeuf Bourguignon and folded them so I'll be able to zip right over next time I make my French favorites. I also found a recipe for a chocolate almond souffle cake that I'll be making for a certain friend's birthday coming up! Very excited to try that! One of the really interesting things about Julia's book which I never knew, (since I'd never read it) is that her ingredients are listed in the margin as you go through the recipe. So it keeps the recipe length very concise. There is no list of ingredients on top followed by a long recipe. She has organized them in columns that line up, which I think is very crafty indeed.

Another interesting foodie book coming in the mail for me is Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton, who is the executive chef and restaurant owner of PRUNE here in New York City. Her book is an autobiography about how she became a chef. According to Hamilton her love of food began growing up in rural Pennsylvania where her family would have a huge lamb roast every summer in their expansive meadow of a yard. (Sounds amazing!) She talks about the collapse of her parents marriage and how that affected her life dramatically. Other highlights of the book include her memories of her first couple if years in New York City, being broke and hungry, living off stolen ketchup packets from McDonalds! Makes me grateful for this Manhattan roof over my head! Anyway the book looks very interesting and it's garnering a lot of support and attention from the foodie community here in NY.  According to an interview I heard on NPR yesterday, Hamilton's restaurant PRUNE has fed some of NYC's top chefs such as Mario Batali, and Daniel Boulud.  Here is an excerpt from the New York Times.


Here's a great blog to check out!

I have to make a personal recommendation here because this author is one of my dearest old friends. Katharine Ballas is a young author who lives in Los Angeles and is the creator of the blog:
"Meal Muse - food related musings of a culinary notice and food enthusiast" 
Her blog is wonderful and really worth a read! 

Do you have any favorite Culinary Reads? Favorite Foodie Books? Memoirs? Cookbooks? Let us know!

It's A Wonderful Night For Oscar!

Here's a little bit about me. In my family, Oscar night was a big freakin' deal! I grew up in Los Angeles and both of my parents worked in the entertainment industry for many years. So any award show, but particularly the Oscars, was a night to celebrate big time. I know that most people watch the Oscars and enjoy it and have parties, so I'm not claiming I'm special. I'm just sayin'... it was a big night for us.

Every year on Oscar night, we would wear cocktail attire, order Italian take out and tune in for the big night. So this year for Oscar night, I thought I'd try an Italian favorite that I've never made before today. Lasagna!

This dish has another bit of nostalgia attached to it because my father, who passed away nearly three years ago, used to make it for our family on Sunday nights. So tonight's culinary endeavor was extra meaningful, and I believe I did it justice.

Here is the recipe I used from Barilla, but I made my own tomato sauce and added Fontina cheese and chiffonade of basil to the ricotta cheese mixture. I also used a blend of Sweet Italian and Hot Sausage for the meat.

beginning the layering process

Ingredients:
1 box of barilla no-boil lasagna noodles
2 eggs whipped
1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
1 lb. of buffalo mozarella cheese
1/2 cup of fontina cheese grated or shredded
1 lb sausage browned
tomato sauce
basil
salt and pepper

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 375*.

she's ready to hit the oven!

In a bowl combine ricotta cheese, eggs whipped, fontina cheese, 8 oz of mozerella cubed and chiffonade of basil. Add 1/2 tsp of ground pepper and 1/2 tsp salt. 
Take your pyrex dish and line the bottom of it with 1 cup of sauce. Then place down four of the lasagna noodles. On top of that spoon or pipe the ricotta mixture (about 1/3) smoothly over the noodles. It doesn't need to be perfect. Then spoon a layer sauce and meat on top of that. Layer again four noodles, ricotta mixture, then sauce and meat. Do this three times and then put a final layer of noodles on top which you will cover with the sliced mozarella cheese. Bake at 375 for 50-60 mins or until the cheese on top is bubbly and golden brown. 

gorgeous!