Redirected: Recipes

Bowled Over

By Lindsay Nader — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock

Nothing says “My home is your home” (not to mention “Yes, you can tolerate a table full of family”) like a beautiful holiday punch. Named after the American painter Norman Rockwell, my favorite Thanksgiving punch is—like the artist’s work—festive, warm, and sure to make your guests feel fuzzy all over.

The Norman Rockwell
In a large punch bowl combine 25 ounces Maker’s Mark bourbon, 25 ounces cognac, 18.75 ounces orgeat, 18.75 ounces fresh lemon juice, 12.5 ounces fresh orange juice, 6.25 ounces honey, and 2 ounces allspice dram.

Place the bowl in the refrigerator until it’s well chilled. Before serving, top the mixture with a half liter of ginger beer and add two scoops of large ice cubes. Garnish with star anise and orange slices.

Lindsay Nader is the founder of Elysium Craft Cocktail Services and runs the food and drink blog The N.A.D.E.R.

Butternut Squash Kimchi

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 02:06:00 GMT

Photograph by Sara Remington

“Gangnam-Style” rapper PSY’s videos get millions of hits, K-Pop blares from car windows, Kogi trucks still draw lines, and “bulgogi-style” steak is now for sale at Fresh & Easy. Korean culture and cuisine have clearly gone mainstream, so the timing seems perfect for the release of Lauryn Chun’s The Kimchi Cookbook (Ten Speed Press, $20), which highlights the versatility of Korea’s omnipresent spicy fermented vegetable dish. “People think that it’s only cabbage,” says the L.A.-raised writer, who runs Mother-in-Law’s Kimchi out of New York and whose mom still operates a Korean restaurant in Garden Grove. “But you can make it with all kinds of seasonal vegetables.” That includes butternut squash, which Chun ferments for two to three days to bring out a tangy new flavor in the autumn staple.

Hobak Kimchi with Kale and Pine Nuts
(Serves 4 to 6)

1½ pounds butternut squash,peeled, cored, quartered, andcut into ⅛-inch-thick slices
4½ cups water
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus 2¼ teaspoons
2 cups finely chopped Lacinato kale
2 tablespoons Korean chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
½ teaspoon peeled, finely grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions: In bowl mix squash with 4 cups water and 2 tablespoons salt. Set aside for 40 minutes. Drain and let squash dry. Meanwhile, in medium colander toss kale with 2 teaspoons salt and set aside for 15 minutes. Rinse off excess salt and set colander over a bowl to allow remaining water to drain. Reserve water. In another bowl toss squash and kale with chili pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, and pine nuts until well incorporated. Place mixture into quart-size container with tight lid. Swirl water that drained off the kale and add ½ cup water, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Ladle mixture into container until one-third of the contents are covered. Allow mixture to ferment at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Refrigerate and eat within 1 month.

Blueberry LemonDrop Cupcakes

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:05:00 GMT

Yes, we know, it’s Halloween. (Boo!) But if you—like us—are too old to go trick-or-treating, there’s yet another event this week worth dressing up for. The Breeders’ Cup World Championships take place this weekend, where some of the fastest thoroughbreads alive will speed around the track at Arcadia’s Santa Anita Park. Even if you can’t see the bets, hats, and hooves flying in person, you can still catch the equestrian action on TV while whipping up a batch of the Breeders’ Cup official cupcakes. That’s right, for the third year in a row, Cup organizers have commissioned a signature pastry, and 2012’s featured flavor is tangy Blueberry LemonDrop. Created by Annette Starbuck of Glendale’s Goodie Girls bake shop, the purple cake uses real blueberries and fresh lemon juice for a frosting-capped treat that tastes of victory! (Oh, and cake.)

For the Blueberry Cupcakes:

Yields: 16--‐18

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

Violet purple food coloring

2 ½ cups flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cups milk

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with desired liners.

Put butter in mixer and beat at medium speed until creamy. Pour in sugar and beat well. Add 2 eggs. Mix well. Add vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, and purple food coloring and mix to incorporate.

Note: make sure to scrape down sides of bowl and mix again.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl and whisk together. Add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture alternating until all is added. Mix to incorporate but do not overmix or cupcakes will become dense. From here, remove from stand mixer and fold in 1 cup of blueberries. Scoop batter into individual baking cups, until they are about 2/3 full (we use a standard ice cream scoop to make it easy and to get exact amounts in each liner). Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.

For the LemonDrop Frosting:

1-cup large egg whites (must be from whole eggs, substitutes will not work)

2 cups granulated sugar

2 ½ cups of unsalted butter, softened but cool, cut into cubes

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Lemon yellow food coloring

Add egg whites and sugar to your stand mixer bowl (make sure it is free of any grease residue). Simmer the eggs/sugar over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches

140 degrees F, or until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot (you can feel a drop in between your fingers to ensure no granules).

Take off of stove, and place bowl back on electric mixer with whisk attachment and begin to whip until the mixture thickens like a merengue. Continue to whisk until outside of bowl becomes neutral to room temperature when you touch it. Switch over to paddle attachment. Mix on low speed continuously, add butter one cube at a time until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (It will curdle!! KEEP MIXING! It will come together!). Add lemon juice, food coloring, vanilla and salt, mix well. If buttercream is too runny, the butter was possibly too soft–place into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, then beat again. If still too runny, add a few more cubes of butter and keep beating until it reaches a soft fluffy frosting.

Assembly

Allow cupcakes to cool completely and top with a generous amount of the Lemontini frosting. We use a large star tip and piping bag for our Official Cupcake. Garnish with lemontini rimming sugar crystals (found at BevMo) a fondant purple daisy as us, or get creative and top however you would like!! Most of all ENJOY!!!

Baja Clams with Cerveza and Epazote

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:54:00 GMT

We asked three chefs to incorporate an ingredient from this month's "Food Lovers Guide: An Encyclopedia of Good Taste" into a delicious signature recipe. Here, chef John Sedlar of Playa restaurant incorporates epazote into a vibrant dish of Baja-style steamed clams with black beans.

Serves 1 to 2

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon garlic, peeled and minced

2 thyme sprigs

2 tablespoons huitlacoche (preferably frozen and thawed)

½ cup black beans (fresh cooked or canned)

½ cup pale ale beer

1 ½ tablespoons xnipek salsa (salsa negro)

12 epazote leaves

7 Manila clams, washed

½ cup chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Red amaranth blossoms (as needed for garnish)

Micro-cilantro (as needed for garnish)

Purple tomatillos (as needed for garnish)

Fried epazote leaves (as needed for garnish)

Directions:

1. Heat med. size pot. Add butter and melt. Add onion, season with salt, pepper and cook till translucent. Add garlic, beans and huitlacoche. Cook till garlic is aromatic. Add beer, thyme, xnipek, stock and 6 epazote leaves. Simmer for 3 min.

2. Add clams and cover. As the clams open, remove from the pot and place them into a separate plate. Continue to simmer till the broth is nappe (liquid is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon). Check seasoning. The flavor should have an equal balance of salt and spice.

3. Once the broth is nappe (thickened) and flavorful, place the clams into a bowl and pour over the broth. Garnish with fried epazote and cielo verde herbs.

Quinoa Fritters with Avocado and Tomatillo Dipping Sauce

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:19:00 GMT

We asked three chefs to incorporate an ingredient from this month's "Food Lovers Guide: An Encyclopedia of Good Taste" into a delicious signature recipe. Here, Susan Feniger of STREET restaurant makes cooked quinoa (a supergrain!) into crunchy fritters.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2/3 cup white or black quinoa, rinsed and well drained (if necessary)
1 1/3 cups water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grated cotija or feta cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 green onions, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
1/2 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup canola or grape seed oil, for frying
Avocado Tomatillo Dipping Sauce (see recipe below), for serving

Directions:
Place a small, dry saucepan over high heat. Add quinoa and toast for about 5 minutes, shaking and stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Transfer to a large saucepan and add water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, flour, cheese, and salt. Add onions, parsley, egg, and yolk. Stir thoroughly with a spoon until the mixture has the consistency of soft dough.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Using two soup spoons, press batter into egg-shaped ovals and gently slide into the hot oil or use a small ice cream scoop. Fry until the bottoms are golden and brown, less than a minute. Turn and fry the second side until golden, less than a minute. Drain on paper towels and serve warm, topped with Avocado Tomatillo Dipping Sauce.

Avocado Tomatillo Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
1 pound tomatillos, husked, washed, and cut into quarters (about 8 to 10 tomatillos)
2 to 4 large jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded if desired, and roughly chopped
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 to 4 scallions, white and light green portions only, chopped
1 large bunch cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
2 medium avocados, halved, seeded, and peeled
Honey

Directions:
Place the tomatillos, jalapenos, and orange juice in a blender. Puree just until chunky. Add remaining ingredients and puree about 2 minutes more, or until smooth.

Leg of Lamb with Za'atar

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:58:00 GMT

We asked three chefs to incorporate an ingredient from the November issue's "Encyclopedia of Good Taste" into a delicious signature recipe. Here, FarmShop's Jeffrey Cerciello rubbed a lamb-leg with fragrant za'atar and served it with cured olives.

Ingredients:

1 leg of lamb, aitch-bone removed, shank attached, about 8-10 pounds
1 1/2 cups za'atar
4 tablespoons Chinese hot mustard powder
2 lemons, juiced
4 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons garlic, mashed to a paste
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoons crushed red pepper flake
1 bunch marjoram or oregano
1 1/2 cups oil-cured black olives (black beldi), rinsed under hot water and drained
1/2 cup roughly chopped preserved lemon (quick recipe to follow)

Directions:

1. Have your butcher truss the lamb straight, so that the shank bone is parallel with the leg bones; pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix the za'atar, mustard powder, garlic, salt, red pepper flake & salt together in a medium bowl. Fold in the honey, olive oil, lemon juice & just enough water to form a thin paste. Reserve about 1/3 of this mixture off the side.

3. Liberally spread the marinade over the leg of lamb. You can let this sit as long as overnight or as little as one hour.

4. Place the marinated lamb on a rack set in a roasting pan. Liberally spread the
marjoram branches over the lamb. Place in the oven and leave to roast for 1 hour.

5. Add some additional water to the remaining marinade. At a few intervals throughout the roast, baste the lamb with this mixture.

6. Mix the olives and preserved lemon.

7. After an hour, check the internal temperature of the leg in the thickest part of the muscle (not too close to the bone). When the temperature reaches about 115 degrees, pack the olive/ lemon mixture on top of the lamb.

8. Continue roasting until the lamb reaches an internal temperature of between
125-130 degrees. This should carryover to high medium-rare to medium.

9. Let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

Quick Preserved Lemon:

Ingredients:

3 lemons, sliced as thinly as possible into rounds and seeded
3 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
Olive oil as needed

Directions:

Mix the salt and sugar together. Sprinkle a layer of this mixture on the bottom of a glass or plastic dish. Place a single layer of the sliced lemon on top of this, and then sprinkle more of the salt/sugar mixture. Repeat using all of the lemon and salt/sugar mix. Press this down with your hand as much as possible. Cover in olive oil and leave out at room temperature overnight. Rinse off all the salt prior to use.

Smoked Salmon Frittata

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 18:02:00 GMT

The workday lunch is a tricky balancing act for any restaurant. Make it quick, while still allowing us the break we all deserve. Serve something satisfying, but not so much so that we need a nap by 3 p.m. The freshly overhauled lunch menu at Drago Centro—located smack dab in the heart of downtown’s suit-and-tie district—aims to hit the lunchtime sweet spot with fare for those who want a filling Italian feast (pappardelle with pheasant, veal Milanese, a prosciutto and gorgonzola panino with fries) and those craving a lighter bite (an Italian chopped salad, salmon with orzo). Into the latter category falls this elegant smoked salmon frittata, which has enough protein to keep you going till dinner, but won’t slow you down should you need to shout, “Buy! Sell! Buy! Sell!” with extra vigor. (Can you tell we’ve never worked in the finance industry?) It also happens to make a simple Sunday brunch at home. Because that’s what we’re all working for anyway, right?

Courtesy of chef Ian Gresik

Ingredients

4 Large Eggs
1/2 Ounces Clarified Butter
1 Tomato Diced
5 Pearl Onions (Blanched)
2 Ounces Smoked Salmon
2 Ounces Mascarpone Cheese
2 Ounces Creme Fraiche
Salt and Pepper
Fennel Fronds for Garnish

Directions

1. Wisk together all the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the clarified butter in a large non-stick pan over medium heat.
3. Add the eggs to the pan and distribute the tomatoes and pearl onions evenly around the pan.
4. Cook in a 350F oven for 3-5 minutes or until set.
5. While in the oven, mix together the Mascarpone cheese and the Creme Fraiche. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Remove from the oven and top with the smoked salmon, a few dollops of the mascarpone cheese mixture, and the fennel fronds.

Scallops a la Walken

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:35:00 GMT

Oscar Winner. New Yorker. Dancer. Psychopath. These are qualities Christopher Walken is best known for—particularly as his latest flick, Seven Psychopaths by In Bruges director Martin McDonagh, hits select theaters today. But Walken is also an excellent cook. In fact, his culinary skills have become renowned enough that what was once seen as a recurring gag—a Christopher Walken cooking show!—could be a bonafide Food Network hit. In an interview with Los Angeles magazine, Walken shared the secrets of one of the signature dishes he's been known to whip up at his home-away-from-home, the Chateau Marmont.

Here's his recipe for Scallops a la Walken, guaranteed to drive your dinner guests the best kind of crazy:

Scallops
A couple of oranges
A splash of lemon juice
Some salt
Some olive oil

You take a peeler and get a couple of oranges and just take the skin off. Then you put it in a pan with some olive oil and some salt. The oil gets infused, then you take the peels out and you cook the scallops. Scallops cook very quickly, like shrimp. Cook them real hot for a minute, then throw in a little bit of lemon juice and throw a top on, turn the heat off and let it sit for a minute and steam, it's actually very good.

For more from Christopher Walken, see his LA Story in our November issue on newsstands soon.

Bacon Date Scones

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:34:00 GMT

We’re still full from our delicious—and defiantly decadent—dinner at Casey Lane’s new downtown gastropub, the Parish. (Fish and chips, fried chicken, fried olives, and fried oyster poutine do a body good.) Now we hear this: The two-story hotspot is serving breakfast, too! The morning menu launched October 1 and features a series of hearty biscuit sandwiches as well as beignets and pastries such as buttery scones studded with bacon and dates. Pastry chef Brooke Mosley sources super-sweet Medjool dates from the Coachella Valley to set off the salty bits of thick Neuske’s bacon. Indulging in one (or two) of these treats with a cup of coffee will ensure your day is made by 8 a.m.

Ingredients

1/2 pound butter (we use Plugra at The Parish), cold and cubed
1 pound 8 ounces all-purpose flour
8 ounce Sugar in the Raw (we use Demerara Sugar at The Parish)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 ounce baking powder
6 ounces heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1 cup chopped Medjool dates (The Parish sources from Oasis Date Gardens from Thermal, CA)
1 cup crisped bacon, rough chopped (Nueske’s)

Directions

Preheat Oven to 350

Place the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Paddle until pea sized
Whisk together the egg yolks and cream. Pour into mix.
Add the bacon and dates.
The dough will barely start to come together. Stop at this point. If, with your hand, you can squeeze it together, it's ready.
You can either roll the dough and cut it into desired shapes or you can scoop them with an ice cream scoop.
Brush or dip in heavy cream and sprinkle with Demerara Sugar to bake.
350 degrees until golden. Approximately 20 minutes.

**Note: this is a versatile recipe. You can add two cups of just about any garnish. Enjoy!
(Courtesy of Pastry Chef Brooke Mosley)

Kale, Beet, and Watermelon Salad with Smoked Goat Cheese, Toasted Almonds, and Orange Vinaigrette

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 15:00:00 GMT

Aaaaand we’re still hot—really hot. As much as we long to get our soup pots a-bubbling and red meats a-roasting, the 100-plus degree temperatures persist and keep us aboard the salad train. Here, with a recipe that incorporates some of that fall produce into a dish suitable for hot weather is Govind Armstrong, Post & Beam chef and one of Los Angeles magazine’s Chefs of the Year! These days, cavolo nero (also known as Lacinato kale, black kale, or Tuscan kale), is a trendy ingredient year round, but traditionally it’s considered more of a hardy winter green. Pop some torn leaves into this salad of beets, watermelon (it’s still around!), and goat cheese for a summer-in-October dish that’s tailor made for L.A. Armstrong uses a smoked goat cheese for more depth, but any fresh chèvre will do.

Serves 8

Ingredients for the Vinaigrette:

1 Small Orange cut in half
Orange juice to cover (about 1 cup)
1 Diced Shallot
1 tablespoon Whole Grain Mustard
1 tablespoon Honey
¼ cup Sherry Vinegar
½ cup Olive Oil

Directions:

Heat a small sauce-pan to medium add the orange cut side down and allow to caramelize until golden. Add the juice and reduce to a syrup like consistency and cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add all except the oil to a blender and puree until smooth then drizzle in the oil and adjust the seasoning.

Ingredients for the Salad:

2 bunches young Kale (cavolo nero) washed & torn into bite sized pieces
2 bunches mixed baby beets (roasted and quartered)
1 Petite Seedless Watermelon approx 1 cup cut into ¾” dice (tossed in Pickled jalepeno brine)
¼ cup Toasted Almonds
¼ cup Smoked Goat Cheese

Directions:

In a large bowl place all ingredients except the goat cheese, drizzle in desired amount of vinaigrette and gently toss. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, divide into 8 salad bowls, garnish with the smoked goat cheese and serve.