While shooting with Matt from Heirloom LA for this post, he said, "Hey, do you know how to poach an egg in olive oil? It's so good. It's like a fried egg with a poached yolk in the middle." My response? "Um, no, I don't know how, but yes, please teach me! He did, so now I am sharing this simple and amazing little tip with you...
I've always wished I was one of those people who could just whip up some fancy hors d'oeuvres on the fly when friends stop by. If I'm lucky, I might have some cheese and crackers to put out, but otherwise, I've got my guests covered with water and some kind of sweet treat hiding in my cupboard.
However, in my quest to have an easy (but fancy-looking) stash of things to have on hand when friends come over for a playdate or even for pre-dinner bites, I asked my friends at Heirloom LA to help me come up with hors d'oeuvres that are not only easy and delicious, but that include something unexpected. We decided to create fruit and veggie boards—both accented with a touch of dark chocolate.
I love the contrast of rich chocolate with light, fresh fruit, so we made a really simple and delicious chocolate fondue to pair with a fruit board.
Dark Chocolate Fondue Recipe
You'll need:
-1 (16 oz) can coconut cream
-1 (12 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
-3 bars (24 oz) Ghirardelli dark chocolate, chopped
Here's how:
1. Place half the chocolate in a small fondue pot.
2. In a separate pot, bring coconut cream and condensed milk to a simmer, then pour mixture over chopped chocolate in fondue pot.
3. With a spoon or whisk, slowly stir in remaining dark chocolate until smooth.
4. Serve warm, with sliced pineapples, melon, strawberries, orange slices, grapefruit wedges, grapes, or apples. Also, to make a simple but beautiful presentation, think about other parts of the fruit you can use to decorate the board (Matt from Heirloom simply used the head of the pineapple, which adds extra interest). We also added some granola and simple puff pastry (sprinkled with cinnamon sugar) to complement the fruit.
Now, for a veggie version, here's an updated version of crudite that's so, so delicious, thanks to a chipotle cream cheese spread that's topped with dark chocolate.
Continue reading " because chocolate makes everything better... " »
Have you ever tasted something that you felt might have been created just for you? I recently came across a kouign-amann in the pastry section of one of my favorite speciality food shops in L.A., McCall's Meat & Fish Co. Kouign-amann is a speciality of the town of Douarnenez in Finistère (in the west of France), made of bread dough with layers of butter and sugar folded in. It tastes like a cross between a croissant and elephant ears thanks to its buttery, flaky pastry layers and crispy, sweet caramelized edges. It's so light and airy, too, that it fools you into thinking it's okay to have two in a row. Plus, anything caramelized pretty much makes me weak in the knees...
P.S. If you want to try making it yourself, David Lebovitz's got you covered.
{Thanks, Jimin, for the tip! Photo by Oh Joy.}
A couple of my sweet go-to's this week include gourmet versions of childhood treats! Sometimes I just want something decadent and gooey that reminds me of eating candy bars as a kid like these Tallyhos by Liddabit Sweets' (they're like homemade Mallomars). Hello salty chocolate cookies wrapped in marshmallow...yum!
And, carbonated beverages are kind of my guilty pleasure, but I really try to steer away from those with corn syrup or artificial flavors. So when I came across these all natural sodas by Joia at the grocery store with flavors like Pineapple Coconut Nutmeg and Grapefruit Chamomile Cardamom, my taste buds instantly fell in love...
{Photos by Oh Joy}
...a little bit of ricotta cheese, homemade granola, and some pomegranate seeds. These were leftovers from a shoot with Heirloom LA yesterday, and I'm obsessed. The three simple ingredients can all be purchased at the grocery store and recreated so easily. Drizzle a little honey over it, eat with some toast, and yum...
{Photo by Oh Joy}
Since I wake up at Ruby o' clock every day (around 7-7:30 a.m.), I'm always on the hunt for restaurants that open early for breakfast. Most of our favorite brunch places don't open until 10 a.m., and by that time, she's almost ready for a nap! So, I've been on a mission to find some new spots. Here are a few of my favorite breakfast bites around town these days (they open early, too!)...
The trout toast (avocado, smoked trout and pickled onions) and homemade biscuits (buttery pockets of heaven) from The Hart and The Hunter in West Hollywood (shown above).
Vietnamese breakfast (including this delicious chicken meatball) at Viet Noodle Bar in Glendale.
The egg and bacon sandwich (the homemade ketchup and brioche bun are out of this world!) and the coddled eggs over mashed potatoes from the Egg Slut truck.
Do you guys have trouble finding breakfast spots that open early? I swear, L.A. is a town that just starts to get going at 10 a.m.!
{Photos by Oh Joy}
While I certainly love to indulge in not-so-good-for-you things that simply taste delicious, I also find myself craving really fresh, healthy dishes that make use of the amazing produce we have available in L.A. I recently had breakfast at Feed, a new spot in Venice full of tasty and healthy bites.
We enjoyed the açaí fruit bowl (like a fruit smoothie mixed with a parfait) and the Southern Mexican bowl topped with tofu and poached eggs. Feed makes its own hot sauce, which has the best mix of spicy and tangy kick—perfect for a savory breakfast dish. Oh, and I'm a sucker for adult sodas, so Feed's natural soda (I got the blueberry and maple) made for the perfect companion to a light and fresh breakfast.
Feed | 1239 Abbot Kinney Blvd. | Venice, CA 90291 | 310.450.5550
{Photos by Bonnie Tsang}
One of the best parts about having good weather year-round are the pop-up carts and trucks that do business on the streets of Los Angeles. Guerrilla Tacos is a pop-up taco stand in downtown L.A. that serves amazing breakfast tacos a couple times a week. I've had a hard time finding tacos here in L.A. that compare to those in San Diego, but Guerrilla really left an impression on me.
And the prices! Seriously, so reasonable and delicious! $3-$4 for probably the best breakfast tacos I've ever had. The chorizo taco was spicy and savory, the mushroom taco was a great vegetarian option, and the tamale—um, out of this world.
It's amazing to me what can be cooked right on the street without the need for a fancy kitchen and equipment. Street food is probably one of my favorite kinds of food because the people who make it focus on one thing, and usually do it really well.
What kinds of pop-up food carts like this do you guys have where you live?
Guerrilla Tacos (at Handsome Coffee Roasters) | 582 Mateo Street| Los Angeles, CA 90013 | 818.640.3033
{Photos by Bonnie Tsang. My shoes are Crew Cuts.}
My friend Elisa recently told me about this crazy-easy concoction that her son loves. Mix together one ripened banana, one egg, and one tablespoon of peanut butter, and it makes a pancake-like cake full of protein for the little ones.
Ever since, I've been making it for Ruby as an alternative to regular pancakes (for breakfast or lunch) because it has so much more nutritional value. Simply mix together the ingredients above and cook in a pan just like regular pancakes. We don't even have to add syrup because it's naturally sweet from the bananas. It's also a great gluten-free option if you're gluten-intolerant!
P.S. I do like to add half a tablespoon of flour to the mixture to give it more structure, and the riper the bananas the better!
{Photo by Oh Joy}
Every so often, something so simple yet unexpected comes along and blows my mind. This thing, my friends, is the mix of savory cheddar popcorn with sweet caramel popcorn. I randomly picked up G.H. Cretors' Chicago Mix at the grocery store the other day and have since become obsessed. Sometimes you want a sweet little snack, sometimes you want savory...and pow! Here's both, playfully dancing together in a way you wouldn't expect would work, but actually does—really, really well.
{Photos by Oh Joy. Glass egg coddler from Herriott Grace, tea towel from Design Within Reach.}
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