WARM ROASTED NUTS WITH TRUFFLE OIL AND SEA SALT

I love these. Fresh roasted almonds and filberts. Great snack. Healthy. Rich in protein. Good on salads, sprinkled on top of pasta or on pan seared chicken.

You can't get that fresh taste buying them already roasted. You have to do it yourself.

Buy raw nuts -- whatever kind floats your boat -- and keep them tightly sealed and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. In a 325-350 oven, roast for around 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown inside, as seen below. I like to use the sliced almonds, and they cook faster than the filberts do obviously.

When done, while still warm - drizzle with a little of your favorite flavored oil (truffle oil, chili oil, garlic oil) and then sprinkle with flakey sea salt and toss to coat.

FRIED ARTICHOKES

I was going to grill the artichokes. Then, changed my mind. How about fried?

I was at the Vietnamese market on Sunday and found these very nice, small artichokes. Most of their produce is grown locally, and it's all very fresh - these artichokes were small, but very nice. When looking for fresh artichokes, picked at the right time, look for ones with the leaves snug like this (below). Not that the ones with the leaves spiked out aren't good, but these are what you'd pick, if you had the choice between the two.

Anyone who is familiar with artichokes knows they take a little while to cook. You can't just toss them on the grill for 10 minutes and then serve 'em up. And artichokes are one of the few vegetables that just do not taste good raw. Or even half raw. So you gotta cook them all the way through. What I like to do is trim then tough leaves off, then put them in the pressure cooker for a bit to steam, this speeds up the process quite a bit.

Another thing that speeds cooking, and makes them a little nicer to eat, is trimming off the tough outer leaves. The tender part remains -- but the yucky outside leaves are gone. A sharp knife is needed - my vintage Wusthof carver works perfect; the small, stiff carbon steel blade easily cuts through the tough leaves.

The ones last night were smaller, tender leaved artichokes, but with the larger ones I also trim off the tops (below). This way you don't get pricked with the thorns!

Now, the cooking part.

Into the pressure cooker. Once it starts steaming, I let them cook until I am able to smell them. This is a good indication they are ready to remove. It goes fast though, so pay attention or you could end up with mush. As soon as you smell the artichokes - turn off the heat and let the steam out. I love my pressure cooker. I prefer the European models, like this SEB. I like the safety top and the design of the lid.

Out of the water, they are cooked through but still a little firm so I can cut them. Starting at the bottom, I cut through quickly with a sharp knife. A thin flexible blade works best here... and another one of my favorites, my vintage Pernot carbon steel slicer. Goes through anything like it was butter.

Once cut in half, you can leave as-is, or cut again into quarters, which is what I did. In a large fry pan, coat the bottom with about 1/4" olive or vegetable oil. When hot, gently put the pieces in and cook on med/high until crisp and golden. Remove from pan, drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

I also made a quick dipping sauce:

2 parts mayo

2 parts ketchup

1 part yellow mustard

1 part water - to thin it

fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Stir until creamy.

Serve family style, as an appetizer.

A REALLY, REALLY GOOD BURGER

I didn't make it. But it was so good and so awesome looking, I just had to post it!

There is a new burger place in downtown Huntington Beach, and although it's a casual spot, the food is totally gourmet. Completely caught me off guard!

You choose everything for your burger: from the toppings to the cheese to the sauces, and then your preferred doneness. I had thick crispy bacon, american cheese, tarragon remoulade, fresh tomato and baby arugula. On a brioche bun. It was, INSANE.

TWENTY FIVE DEGREES - 412 Walnut, HB, Ca. 92648 ~ 714.960.2525

COCKTAIL HOUR ~ FRESH BLUEBERRY MARTINI

No blueberry flavored vodka here. Nope. Just a big handful of fresh blueberries.

For 1 martini: In a shaker, put a handful of blueberries (about 1/3 cup). Add sugar, about 2 teaspoons (or more if you like.) Next, add 2 shots of vodka, a splash of Hendricks Gin, and the juice from 1/2 of a lime.

Using a hand mixer (easier than pulling out the blender!) blend the contents for about 30 seconds.

I really love this hand mixer. They're made by Braun and I consider it a kitchen must have. They're only about $15, and it also comes with a small attachment bowl -- like a little mini food processor -- which I find perfect for making things like quick salad dressings. This is faster than even getting out your muddler. When done, you simply rinse it clean with hot water.

Anyway. Once blended, add ice and shake well until chilled. Strain and serve!

Julia Child: Gratin of Potatoes a la Lyonnaise

All the Julia Child talk lately has made me crave French food, so I got my JC cookbooks out, dusted them off, and decided that the first page I opened to would be what I'd make. It was Gratin of Potatoes a la Savoyarde. Potatoes Lyonnaise.

That's perfect. I have all the ingredients, and since I was planning on steak for dinner, this is the perfect side. And, it's super easy.

The potatoes and onions are sliced thin - I use a mandolin (I love that thing!) The recipe called for boiling potatoes. I had red potatoes, and russet baking potatoes, so I used those. And I don't peel mine. The skins are so full of nutrients, and I happen to love them. But the recipe calls for them to be peeled. Which, is totally French. They peel all their vegetables.

Butter of course. The onions were sauteed in the butter until, as they say, translucent.

Swiss cheese, or something similar, is the preferred cheese for this. I had Provolone. Perfect. It's light, like Swiss, but a tad more flavorful. I blitzed it in the food processor for a few seconds.

To assemble, all you do is butter the bottom of a pan, then you will do 3 layers: Potatoes first. Then onion. Then cheese. Lightly season layers with salt & pepper.

After the layers are done, add the chicken broth. Add only enough to come halfway up the potatoes. Then, of course, a little more butter :) A few pats on the top.

While the oven was heating to 425, it says to put the pan on the stove over medium heat and bring the broth to a simmer. So, I did. It was of course an oven safe dish - but I still felt nervous putting it over an open flame like this. I crossed my fingers that it wouldn't break the dish! And it didn't.

30-40 minutes in the oven, and it looks like this. I let it set up for about 20 minutes and the liquid absorbed nicely. What I loved about this, is that the broth mixes with the butter (which wasn't a huge amount of butter) and it makes it so creamy and rich. It tastes much more rich than it is. It's not soupy at all -- and shouldn't be -- it's just creamy.

Perfect with our steaks, which were simply prepared by pan frying with olive oil, salt & pepper.

Serving for 6

INGREDIENTS

several Tb of butter

2-3 cups thinly sliced onions

12-16 medium "boiling" potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups coarsely grated swiss cheese

2-3 cups chicken stock

I miss cooking. I haven't done a lot of it lately because I just haven't had time. This was totally simple though, and it reminded me that cooking doesn't have to be a lot of work and a huge production. I have 3 Julia Child cookbooks, so I'll be making more recipes. Stay tuned!

I ACCIDENTALLY MADE A SOUFFLE

I've never made a souffle before, not because I don't like it or because it seems difficult, I just haven't gotten around to it. But today I made my first one. By accident. So there you go... in case anyone was wondering whether or not it's difficult. Apparently, it's not.

It was lunch time. My 2 year old was running around like a mad man, screaming her head off, and I was just trying to make food... fast. I cracked 3 eggs into a stainless bowl. I was going to do like baked eggs, only scrambled. In the bowl I also added a splash of milk, salt, pepper, a handful of shredded cheddar, a dash of parmesan, a pinch of thyme, and a pat of butter. The bowl was too small to use my whisk without making a mess, so I grabbed my little Braun hand mixer and gave the eggs a good whipping. They got a bit frothy, but nothing huge. I then just poured the mess into a oven dish and tossed it in to the oven -- and since I was in a hurry, I jacked the heat up to 450. I checked it after a few minutes, and it just looked like eggs. 5 minutes later though - it was HUGE. After being out of the oven for a minute or 2, it did go down a bit, I should have taken the picture of it when we first got it out. It was huge and airy and delicate and creamy... and I must say, it doesn't get much easier than this.

I know I didn't do it anything close to the way it should be done, but hey, for a crazy Thursday, it was a nice treat, without any effort at all.

The one I'd like to try is Ina Garten's Blue Cheese Souffle. It looks delicious

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup scalded milk
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• 4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 3 ounces good Roquefort cheese, chopped
• 5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter the inside of an 8-cup souffle dish (7 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 1/4 inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.

Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.

Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don't peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

Lemon & Garlic Barbecued Shrimp

My first post after a long pause of course had to be something quick & easy! Because that's how lazy I am these days.

BBQ Shrimp. Delicious. Super easy. Super fast.

I have fallen in love with the shrimp that I get at the Asian grocery store. It's dense white color and sweet flavor taste very much like the very expensive sweet shrimp I used to get from my local seafood market. The shells are also quite soft, so we just eat them shells and all!

You can season your shrimp with just about anything you like. I tend to stick to the simple garlic & lemon flavor though, because to me it's absolutely perfect. But, for those who like spice, you can also add cajun spice to your mix and that's awesome as well!

For 2 of us, I had just under a pound of shrimp, with shells on. In a bowl I mixed enough canola oil to nicely coat the shrimp, but not be soupy (it was about 1/8 cup). Add salt and pepper to taste, and a teaspoon of dried granulated garlic/garlic powder. I like garlic powder for the flavor, it stays garlicky and doesn't turn sweet, and it sticks well to the shrimp. Also, fresh garlic will turn bitter if it's burnt, and you do want to cook the shrimp on high heat, so the edges will get dark. Lastly, I add the juice of 1/2 of a good sized lemon. The other half of the lemon I add to the mix right before cooking.

Mix well, like you're making a salad dressing. Toss in shrimp, coat well, and let it sit for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Heat your grill on high to about 450. Grill the shrimp on a smaller mesh piece to keep them from falling through, or you can get all fancy and do it kabob style.

It goes quick! Most medium sized shrimp will take no more than about 2-3 minutes on each side.

The best flavor is when they are slightly charred and crisp on the outside, but still tender on the inside. We eat them simply, over plain white basmati rice.

CLASSIC POUND CAKE

I have been in a total cooking slump lately. Just completely uninspired for some reason, and don't care. Weird how that just comes and goes. Like writer's block or something. Cooking block, I guess?

I really haven't made anything "post-worthy" in a long time and I have no idea when I'll get motivated again, but I didn't want the last post on here to be about stupid butter .... so here's a pretty picture of a super good pound cake I made last weekend - but the only reason I put out the effort was because it was my husband's birthday.

This version is dense and buttery. I like to sprinkle the top with a little bit of sugar before putting it in the oven, then it gets all caramelized and crusty.

Cake batter:

Cream 1/2 lb. of butter in mixer then slowly add 2 Cups of sugar, mixing on low-med speed. Next add 6 whole eggs, one at a time, mixing each in completely before adding the next. Add 1 Tbsp Vanilla to the batter and then stop the mixer. The last step is to fold in 2 Cups of sifted flour by hand. Grease your pan and fill with batter. Cook at 350 for 35-50 min depending on size of pan used. Test with toothpick after 35 min.

HOMEMADE BUTTER

When I was a kid, our babysitter moved out to the country and bought a farm. One weekend we went to go stay with them and I remember being fascinated when she made homemade butter. I didn't know you could make butter. And the taste was incredible. Of course she was using fresh cream from a just-milked cow, and the cream was unpasteurized. But still. You can still make it at home and it'll taste better than what we can get in the American grocery stores. 

You can use a food processor or a mixer. I personally have not used the food processor. I like the mixer. Anyway, you want to use heavy or very heavy "whipping" cream. If you can get "vat-pasteurized" cream, it has a better flavor. If not, you can use the ultra-pasteurized commercial type. 

Since I just grabbed some of the grocery store cream, I like to lightly sweeten it by adding about a teaspoon of simple syrup while mixing. It doesn't make it "sweet," it just gives it a richer taste, and enhances the sweet cream.  I also add a pinch of salt. Go light on the salt! You can always add more later. 

Mix on low-medium. It will first turn into whipped cream...

Then will turn yellow and you'll see the butter separate from the buttermilk.

When it looks like this, you can stop. 

Drain the butter from the milk (the milk is really good too! Sweet, not sour.)

At this point, you can do a couple of things. Eat it right away, or process further for longer term storage. I like to put it in a bag, then knead it to expel the rest of the moisture. If you're not going to eat it right away, then you should also "wash" it, by putting it back into the mixing bowl and mix for a minute with ice water. Drain the water and replace with clean water a few times until water stays clear. 

Washed or unwashed - storage should be air tight. Plastic bag or wax paper is OK. You can also cut into chunks and put them in a jar and cover with clean water and store in the fridge replacing water once in a while. This will allow it to keep it's fresh taste. Can also be frozen. 

Enjoy!