Rolling it Back

I know I was in LA for only a week, but I had a chance to visit some favorite old places and new places, such as the bar pictured above. Tammy met me here for a beer and I was seriously worried when I pulled up to the parking lot. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in. The bar was cozy and warm, with dark, leather benches and intimate booths. They had 4 beers on tap. I tried the Norwood ale, very similar to an IPA. Since it was ladies night, the $3 12-oz beers, cozy atmosphere, and great company made me happy I made the trip.
So, it's almost a ritual when we come home. We take a trip to Glendale and visit Porto's Bakery. It's a Cuban bakery that makes a guava cheese streudel that is so flaky and delicious, it was actually mentioned on a Six Feet Under episode! But really, it all started because I read an article that Andy Garcia comes to Porto's for a ritual cheese roll daily. I've yet to see him, but a girl can dream, can't she....



Since we visited LA, we went by our old house on Sanborn. The neighborhood changed drastically since we left the area in 1976. It's hard to believe that all 7 of us fit in this tiny house. With the color change and exaggerated attic, the house looks almost whimsical.

We also stopped to check out Vivian, Techie and Gerry's old high school, Marshall High. Did you know that Grease was filmed at Marshall's football field? I think we impressed the kids with useless trivia! Remember, you're the one that I love, woohoo hooo!

On our last night, Vivian hosted a Silpada jewelry party.
So many of our good friends came to visit, we had a great time and the food..fabulous! We decided on an all appetizer menu, it was a hit!




It's been a lengthy post, but here's the real reason I wrote it. I wanted to share this recipe with you. It's a great appetizer, and so simple to prepare. There's a myriad of possibilities too, if you want to exchange some of the ingredients in the recipe. Next time, I was thinking of exchanging the asparagus for spinach and adding some kind of protein,maybe ham? Sorry, Stiroh!

I followed the recipe pretty well, except I sauteed the asparagus with some diced onions for a few minutes before adding it to the mushroom mixture. I also used lemon zest instead of the peel, and a little extra to boot. Lastly, we made 9 small square tarts out of each puff pastry sheet, but I think next time, I may opt to stretching that to 12. It will be a perfect 2-biter tart!

Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts
By Betty Rosbottom, Bon Appetit April 2009

1 17.3-ounce package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
12 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1/2 cup crème fraîche
1/2 cup (packed) coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 2 ounces)
Fresh thyme sprigs (for garnish)
*Sold at most supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

Roll out each pastry sheet on work surface to 10-inch square. Cut each into 4 squares. Using small knife, score 1/2-inch border (do not cut through pastry) around inside edges of each square. Arrange squares on 2 rimmed baking sheets. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sauté until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to large bowl; cool 15 minutes. Add asparagus, chopped thyme, lemon peel, 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to mushrooms. Mix in crème fraîche and cheese. DO AHEAD Filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Mound filling atop pastry squares, leaving 1/2-inch plain border.

Bake tarts 12 minutes. Reverse sheets. Continue to bake tarts until crusts are puffed and golden and filling is cooked through, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer to plates; garnish with thyme sprigs.

Camera, Lights, Action!

When I was a teenager, my friends and I used to go to Hollywood to watch movie premieres and hang out at the Grauman's Chinese Theater. Thanks to Techie, this past week, I again had a chance to hang out in Hollywood. Wow, what a difference! Adjacent to the Grauman's is the Kodak Theater and the Hollywood & Highland Center, a shopping center with high-end stores and eateries. Outside on the street, amongst the famous stars on the sidewalks, are costumed characters. $2 got us several pictures of Taylor with a couple of Star Wars fighters, bargain! The Spiderman guy was looking pretty ratty, we stayed away from him.




But wait..that's not even the main event! I had a chance to have lunch at Susan Feniger's new restaurant, Street, on Highland and Melrose. Jason is the sous chef at this fabulous establishment, and the food was fantastic. I'm a big fan of tapas-type food, and this falls under that category as each dish was meant to be shared. Vivian, Jacqui and I ordered several dishes to get a global feel of the menu and we were not disappointed. We started with the Cuban stuffed potato cake with spiced beef, raisins, and capers. The cake was sitting atop a tomato mint salsa and poblano crema, which I think really made the dish.
Next, we had the paani puri. They were delicious little morsels, a crispy dough filled with spiced potatoes and sprouted peas with a tamarind chutney, yum!
Let's move on to the Middle East, we had the lamb kofta skewer. This was one of my favorite dishes. The perfectly seasoned spiced lamb was served on a flatbread with beans, harissa eggs, tomato jam, spinach and Lebni yogurt. I guess it doesn't sound too good listed here, but it was an explosion of flavors in my mouth!
I am notorious in forgetting to take pictures before consuming it, so you'll just have to visit the restaurant and experience it for yourself. The other items we tried were: Saigon chicken salad, the dressing was of chili and lime, it was delicious! Another favorite was the saag paneer, a spinach dish with homemade cheese, spices, and served with dried plum dal and yogurt rice. We finished our meal with Turkish doughnuts. They're small pastries fried and simmered in cardamom rose syrup and served with rosehip jam.

I would definitely go back to this place to experience more food. The bar menu looks interesting as well, I'll have to try an exotic drink next time. Make a reservation today and feel like you've traveled the world!

Street Restaurant
742 No. Highland Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90038
www.eatatstreet.com

Monkey Around

The last few days in Seattle has been sunny and amazingly gorgeous. All the flowers are blooming, and our bulbs are starting to come up. We planted some trees; asian pear, rainier and bing cherries, and a honeycrisp apple, and they too, are looking like they're going to make it. After all that rain, we celebrated by using the much neglected grill.

But today, it is again overcast and rainy. I didn't want to be dismayed by the quirky weather, so I took advantage of the situation and turned on the oven to warm up the place, and it gave me an excuse to make banana bread.

Now, this is no ordinary banana bread. It's very delicious, crispy on the top, and chewy in the middle. This bread is a cross between banana bread and coffee cake. Maybe it's because of the addition of honey and cinnamon in the cake and also on the topping. It can probably be a forgiving recipe, although I haven't experimented much and kept to the original recipe by Bakesale Betty's Alison Barakat.
I think the topping is the best part of the bread. When I mixed the topping ingredients, I thought for sure there was too much for one loaf, but it made a beautiful crust and tasted even better. The picture below doesn't look that great, but it is fabulous. This is a foolproof recipe, so what are you waiting for? Go bananas!

Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping

Recipe from Bakesale Betty

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9x5x3-inch metal baking pan. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk next 5 ingredients in large bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients; stir to blend. Transfer batter to pan. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and brown sugar; sprinkle over batter.

Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool bread in pan 30 minutes. Turn pan on its side; slide out bread, being careful not to dislodge topping. Turn bread right side up and cool completely.