Cabbage Cravin'.

I've tooted the horns of Molly Wizenberg and Matthew Amster-Burton's radio program, Spilled Milk. The topic of the last episode was spouseless eating and Molly mentioned that she braises a lot of veggies, and cabbage is one her favorites. And while I'm temporarily spouseless, I thought I'd give this recipe a whirl. I adore braising, it's so effortless and all it requires is good ingredients.

Braised Cabbage with Apples and Caraway Seeds is a super simple recipe - red cabbage, diced red onion, shredded tart apple, apple cider vinegar, salt, honey and caraway seeds. Braise for an hour and voila, something sweet and a lil' zingy too. So good solo, but Molly recommended serving it with pork chops or a grilled cheese with sharp cheddar. I think it would also be a great side dish along with a farro salad.

Fall....a misnomer in L.A.

We haven't exactly had fall weather here in Los Angeles. We experienced one of the most mild summers and by default, we've had a sizzling heat wave entering the "fall" season, however my palette is definitely yearning for some fall favorites.

I'm back on the cookbook hunt for cookbooks devoted to seasonality. I'm becoming more and more interested in cooking and eating seasonally, however it can be intimidating. I mean, where does one begin?? Sure, it's a good idea to start strolling through farmer's markets, but for some (including me), it can be slightly daunting. You will find hidden treasures, troves of hearty vegetables coming into season and you will find the last fruits of summer hanging on for dear life, but like many, one can easily become overwhelmed when it comes to preparing meals involving these beautiful ingredients.

That's where a book like Earth to Table comes into play. I recommend you curl up on your couch, accompanied by your favorite glass of wine, while perusing this well-loved cookbook. It's easy to see where and how inspirations rears its playful little head throughout this book. Seasonal cooking is about allowing the ingredients to shine, letting them take center stage and show off their best. Perhaps even allow them to take a solo or perform a classic monologue. Either way, seasonal cooking shouldn't be about racking your brain, but taking the time to step back and let the ingredients speak for themselves.

This braised short rib dish was no joke. Gently simmering in beef stock, a hearty red wine, herbs and mirepoix, these short ribs were singin' for MY supper. What's great about a dish like this is that while it takes time, it doesn't take alot of "active" time. In fact, while the short ribs were having a party in my Le Creuset dutch oven, I was busy preparing a side dish to accompany the short ribs. Trusting the authors behind Earth to Table, I made a parsnip and apple puree, which to the common eyeball looks like another mound of creamy mashed potatoes, but you would be surprised. It was a first for me and I was pleasantly surprised, the juicy apple made a handsome couple with the rooty tooty parsnip. Creamy, slightly sweet with a lil' tang, the puree complimented the braised short ribs without overpowering them.

Braised Endive with Prosciutto.

I recently borrowed a copy of Molly Steven's All About Braising from the library. I've had this book on my wish list for a while and I've also been doing alot of braising as a result. Braising isn't complicated, as Molly claims, in fact the technique never changes. Braising is reliable, all throughout the year and I highly recommend giving this book a peek if you're interested in braising.

Most people are familiar with meat dishes that are braised, but Molly has dedicated an entire section to braising vegetables. So I decided to try the braised endive with prosciutto recipe. In about an hour, the endive softened as it slowly cooked in a little chicken broth and finished off with a little cream. The endive was tasty and the prosciutto added a subtle smoky and salty contrast. To make it a complete meal, Molly suggested fried eggs and toast, which really complimented the braised endive. Satisfying, this is an easy weeknight meal.

Home Sweet Home

Two weekends ago marked the beginning of naking treats in my very own kitchen. In the midst of running errands and figuring out window treatments for my new pad, I made my go-to recipe for Gateau Au Chocolat (imagine me saying it with a faux French accent, oui oui). Just another fancy name, but this dense and rich flourless chocolate cake remains a staple in my repertoire. You can jazz it up with a dusting of confectioner's sugar, drizzle some caramel sauce or top it off with fresh raspberries. Either way you're guaranteed to make friends for life, at least that's been my experience.

Gateau Au Chocolat

• 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped (use a serrated knife)
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 5 1/3 oz. unsalted butter
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1/3 c. flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 inch cake pan and cut a piece of parchment paper to fit inside the pan. Butter the top of the parchment paper. Set aside.

In a double boiler, over simmering water, melt together the sugar, butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Whisk egg yolks into the chocolate mixture. Then whisk the flour in the chocolate mixture.

Using a handheld mixer or standup mixer, beat egg whites until they form firm peaks. Whisk 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Slowly fold the remaining egg whites into the batter until fully incorporated. Patience is a virture in this case. Be careful not to overmix but be sure there are no traces of white streaks in the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is springy and firm, 30-40 minutes (depending on your oven, mine leans towards the 30 minute mark). Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before unmolding.

A couple of weeks ago, I ran across one of Amy Karol's blog posts on Angry Chicken. She featured various concoctions, including this one for Chai Concentrate (which was featured in one of her local Oregonian newspapers). I'm a big fan of chai tea, in fact, do I dare to admit that it's probably my favorite? I don't want to make any other tea leaves cry now. This simple concotion makes a lovely housewarming gift or party favor. Unlike many brands of pre-made chai, this one includes the milk and sweetener. Assembly required and a mug of your favorite black tea.

Chai Concentrate (Makes 1 1/2 c., enough for 28 cups of chai)

• 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  

Empty condensed milk into glass jar or plastic container with tight fitting lid. Stir in the sugar and spices. Store in refrigerator for 6 months.

To use: Brew a cup of strong black tea, such as Assam, then add two heaping teaspoons of concentrate or to your liking. Stir well until concentrate has fully melted.

Being that it was a three day weekend (President's Day), I spent Monday afternoon doing some serious damage at IKEA with a girlfriend. Does anyone know of any IKEA Anonymous meetings in my area?!?! I mean really, that place is like kitchen crack! Before we took off for a day of fun in the sun, I mariniate some lamb shanks I recently purchased from McCalls Meat & Fish Co. in Los Feliz. I pulled a recipe for Braised Lamb Shanks with Green Olives and Apricots from Food Network (pretty sure it was a Tyler Florence recipe). Sorry to say I forgot to take an "a la finished" photo, but trust me when I say that lamb was tender, delicate and robust with flavor. Unlike a lot of lamb shanks I've eaten in my day, these were fairly mellow and worthy of converting you non-lamb eating foodies out there. Stay tuned, I will be posting some more foodie adventures this week!

Oh the weather outside ain't frightful.....

...really, it isn't. I mean, you may not think it's even Christmastime around here, but it is. And it's nearly 77 degrees. Los Angeles, man. What else can I say? And what better way to celebrate the season than to invite friends from The Ripple Effect over for some gaming, some laughing, and of course, some eating.

Tonight, I made a mixed green salad with a dijon balsamic viniagrette for a starter. Simple, yet delicious (it really is all about the dressing, after all). Marinated some minced shallots in a good balsamic vinegar with some salt and pepper. Whisked in a bit of dijon mustard and some finely grated Parmigiana (Grana from TJ's) and added some olive oil. The dress truly is the star in this performance, so I didn't add any further toppings or hoopla.

For the main course, I tried a new recipe - Braised Pork Ribs and Italian Sausage (sweet and hot). Braised with onions, peppers, basil, chili pepper flakes, white wine, whole Italian tomatoes and served over cooked pasta, it seemed to be a crown pleaser. The dish is topped off with crispy pancetta, sliced scallions, and some finely grated Parm. A good choice, say, if you're housebound as a result of a nasty blizzard, or just because in my case, you can't resist the pork.

And for the grand finale, a tribute to all desserts Italian in nature....tiramisu. Quite simply one of the easiest desserts to put together and yet it still has the "wow" factor when dinner guests take that first bite. I substituted Frangelico (hazelnut liquer) for the kahula (some recipes call for rum) and I think it worked out just fine. The only issue I've found with tiramisu recipes is that more often than not, you use more ladyfingers than the recipe calls for and you end up needing more of the espresso/liquer mixture for dipping. I'm glad I bought extra.

I hope you are able to take the time and spend it with loved ones, whether family or not. As the song says, "It's the most wonderful time of the year".....I know, I know, cliche. But it worked!!

biased and braised.

Clever, eh? I admit it, I'm totally biased at the moment. I'm in an "Alice Waters" fixated state and the only other genre of cookbook that can pull me out of this are baking books. Are you sick and tired of me rambling on and on and on about how wonderful Alice Waters is, how she's so cool, fabulous and utterly worthy of culinary knighthood? Well, tough noogies. I recently renewed my "borrowing" of The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters from the library, her ninth cookbook in fact. Over the weekend I opted to try her recipe for Braised Chicken Legs with Tomatoes and Garlic. I served it with fragrant rice to soak up all those lovely juices. Known for her devotion to ingredients and attention to simplicity, Alice Waters exemplifies the essence of cooking, whether your in a professional kitchen and for the home. Braising is such a wonderful cooking technique, not employed by many home cooks during the week as it requires time and above all else, patience. The benefits of such work are definitely worth it though and braising chicken is effortless really. One of the added benefits of braising is that you only require the use of one pot so clean up tends to be minimal. Once you've mastered a few braising techniques, you can pretty much create your own recipe. This is usually the braising protocol:

1. Brown meat in olive oil.

2. Remove meat and saute veggies and aromatics (garlic, herbs, seasonings).

3. Deglaze the pan with either wine or stock.

4. Add meat back to the pan and simmer covered (the chicken took about 45 minutse, but toughter cuts of meat will take longer).

5. Remove meat and reduce stock to a sauce.

These are only the essentials. Another great resource is All About Braising by Molly Stevens, a devout braiser, Molly breaks down the techniques and offers delicious recipes to practice this fine art. This isn't calculus for cooks, it's algebra, folks. And here in Indiana, our first snowfall has already doused us and nothing speaks volumes in the winter than a home-cooked hearty meal.