Mother's Day 2010

Two weekends ago, I went home to surprise my mom for Mother's Day. It's difficult shopping for a present for your mom, so I figured the best thing I could do for her was cook her a nice meal. My mom requested food with Thai flavors so I drew some inspiration from Thai food that I've had recently in LA. I can't claim that these are authentic Thai dishes--in fact, they may be far from it--so I will just call them "Thai-Inspired."

I started planning the menu two days before Mother's Day and it only took me an afternoon of prep work to put out this "four-course" dinner on Sunday for my mom, my brother, and myself. Thankfully, everything worked out and as far as I could tell, my mom enjoyed everything. Although she is my mom so she might be a little biased ;) I will say one thing though--it's nearly impossibly to cook and sit down to eat at the same time.

Mother's Day 2010

Thai-Inspired Menu

Red Curry Mussels

New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussels, Red Curry, Coconut

Our local Whole Foods always has beautiful mussels, and if my mom and I see them when we go grocery shopping, we have to buy some. Usually I do them in a simple lemongrass broth, but this time I wanted to do something different and a little spicy. I added some red curry paste to the fish stock I made earlier that day, and it created the perfect broth for the mussels. It was definitely a nice spicy appetizer.

Thai Beef Salad

Grilled Flank Steak, Cucumber, Carrot, Red Onion, Cherry Tomatoes, Cabbage, Cilantro, Chili Lime Garlic Dressing

I drew inspiration from Jitlada for this salad. I remembered seeing a Jitlada recipe online for a Thai Beef Salad and I adapted the recipe for this dish. I marinated the flank steak in a mixture of oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and black pepper before grilling it to medium rare. A salad of fresh vegetables dressed in a spicy dressing of mortar-and-pestled garlic and chili, fish sauce, lime and honey provided the perfect complement to the slices of steak. I soaked the raw red onions in cold water to make them milder, created strips of carrot with a peeler, and cut half-moons of a seeded cucumber. It was nice and light--a salad that would be perfect for summer.

Seafood Tom Yum

Lobster, Shrimp, Halibut, Oyster Mushrooms, Shiitake Mushrooms, with Lemongrass, Lime, Ginger, Cilantro, Roasted Red Chili Paste

For this soup, I drew inspiration from a recent trip to Nakkara. I decided to pour the soup into the bowl tableside just like they did at the restaurant. I cooked each protein individually in the broth because of their different cooking times. I made a fish stock earlier in the day out of halibut bones I got from Whole Foods for $0.99/lb. I flavored the stock with some Thai flavors, and I think it turned out pretty well for my first try at Tom Yum soup although next time, I might add a little more acidity.

Chocolate Molleux

Valhrona Guanaja Chocolate, Coconut Chantilly

Finally, a chocolate dessert. My mom's favorite desserts always involve chocolate so this was perfect. It really doesn't get any more chocolate-y than this. Using high quality Valhrona chocolate made this molten chocolate cake even more indulgent. It was my first time using this Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipe, and it worked pretty well. However, next time I would bake them just a little while longer--they were still a little too unset. Not a problem though--it just made them more "molten."

Minnie wanted a bite too ;)

French Breakfast Radish Tartines

When I was younger, I used to tend to a little vegetable garden in our backyard. I was pretty successful and would always have tender sugar snap peas to harvest during winter and juicy cherry tomatoes during the summer. I would also grow radishes. They were easy to tend to--they didn't have tendrils or vines to support with cumbersome structures--and it was fun plucking them out of the dirt. However, I used to only be able to appreciate radishes for their beauty. I would bring in bunches of bright pink radishes and no one in our family would eat them. I didn't enjoy the spicy flavor of radishes, and we had absolutely no idea what to do with them.

Almost 10 years later, I have finally discovered my love for the flavor of radishes. I still find them to be one of the most visually appealing vegetables, but now I can gladly give into the lure of vibrantly colored radishes. These radish tartines (open-faced sandwiches) are perfect for tea time. Dainty and beautiful, they elegant yet incredibly easy to assemble. And they're très français ;) My mom and I enjoyed them with some wine between lunch and dinner. It was lovely.

A thin slice of whole grain bread from La Brea, some good french butter, a sprinkling of coarse sea salt and chopped parsley is all you need to complement these beautiful French breakfast radishes. The slices of radishes provide a peppery kick and satisfying crunch that is refreshing and addicting. Next time I plan on making an herb butter to bring an extra layer of flavor.

French Breakfast Radish Tartines

1 bunch French breakfast radishes

1 loaf whole grain La Bread bread

french unsalted butter, room temperature

coarse sea salt

parsley

1. cut bread into 1/2 inch slices (I didn't toast the bread)

2. slice radishes as thinly as possible

3. spread a layer of butter on the bread and arrange the radish slices on top

4. sprinkle with coarse sea salt and chopped parsley

5. enjoy with a cool glass of white wine

It's amazing how something so simple can have such delicious flavors.

Strawberry Tarts

I had a dream last night that Ina Garten invited me to her house for a cocktail party. Oddly enough, her house in my dream looked nothing like her bright and airy heaven-on-earth abode in the Hamptons. It was oddly modern, yet dark, and not at all Ina Garten-esque. Also, she wasn't warm and fuzzy like I imagine her to be. In fact, the whole situation was a little awkward...

However, it reminded me of the strawberry tarts I made a few weekends ago. While I enjoy watching Barefoot Contessa (it's one of the only cooking shows I can still stand to watch on the Food Network without cringing), this is only the second recipe of Ina's that I've followed word for word. I have to say, they turned out pretty well. The pasty cream filling is ridiculously easy to make and just as good as I was hoping it to be. Next time, I'd splurge and add in some vanilla bean instead of only "good vanilla" extract ;) I also didn't have any cognac on hand so I had to omit it from the recipe. The crust, was only satisfactory. There wasn't enough of a deep, rich, buttery flavor. However, it was very flaky. Once assembled, I noticed that some refrigeration actually helped the crust and pastry cream mingle a little more--resulting in more of the usual tart crust texture.

I got this recipe off of Food Network's website and it worked perfectly. The only thing I changed was the sugar content in the pastry cream. I usually reduce the amount of sugar in any recipe--especially if it's an American recipe. Americans have such a severe sweet tooth it's a little ridiculous. Also, since I don't own a large enough food processor, I made the dough for the tart shells in a stand mixer instead.

Strawberry Tarts

adapted from Ina Garten, Barefoot in Paris

makes 4 (4 1/2 inch) tarts

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt (I used a little less than 1/4 tsp table salt)

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

2 tbsp cold shortening (recommended: Crisco, I used some weird organic palm/coconut shortening from Whole Foods and it still turned out fine)

1/4 cup ice cold water

2 cups Pastry Cream, recipe follows

strawberries

shelled pistachio halves

1. combine flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer and place in freezer for 30 mins

2. add butter and shortening to flour mixer and mix in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachments until the butter is the size of peas--do not over mix or else the crust will not be flaky

3. add ice water and mix until the dough starts coming together

4. dump on a well-floured board and work the dough together to form a disk. wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes

5. preheat oven to 375F

6. divide the dough into four pieces and roll each out to fit into 4 (4 1/2 inch) tart pans with removable sides. take care not to stretch the dough when placing it into the pans or it will shrink (mine shrunk a little but they were still fine)

7. place a piece of butter aluminum foil (butter side down) on top of the filled tart pans and fill with dried beans or rice. bake or 10 minutes. remove beans and foil, prick bottom of shells all over with a fork, and bake for another 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. set aside to cool.

8. before serving, fill tart shells with pastry cream and arrange berries decoratively on top of the cream. sprinkle with pistachios.

Pastry Cream

yields 2 cups

5 extra large egg yolks, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar (I used a little less than 1/2 cup)

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 cups scalded milk

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp Cognac (did not use, but will try next time)

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp heavy cream

1. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick. reduce speed to low and add the cornstarch (the cornstarch keeps the eggs from curdling later on)

2. with the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture. mix.

3. transfer mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes.

4. when the custard comes to a boil and appears to curdle, switch to a whisk and begin beating vigorously. continue cooking and whisking for 2 minutes until the custard comes together and becomes thick like pudding.

5. stir in vanilla, cognac, butter, and heavy cream

6. pour custard through a sieve into a bowl

7. place plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold.

some other points:

*I loved that the pastry cream used so many egg yolks..because then I have plenty of egg whites for making macarons :)

*the tart shells can definitely be made in advance

*I thought the pistachios didn't really add anything to the tart (they were only good for looks)

*after making two tarts with only strawberries, I decided to make the other two with a mix of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries--even better

*the original recipe said to glaze the fruit on top with some warmed jam, but my strawberries were already so ripe and sweet, they were perfect naked ;)

Au Revoir, Sona

On May 15th, after the last mignardises went out, Sona closed its doors to reopen at a new location sometime next year. There are rumors abound as to the reason for this closing--ranging from the team needing time for some creative researching to severe financial problems in the David Meyers restaurant empire. I suspect it was a combination of things. One thing is clear--Sona went out strong.

Sona caught my eye during my early researching of Los Angeles restaurants--before I even started blogging. There is an apparent Japanese influence in the delicate and intricate preparation and presentation of Sona's creations--perhaps a result of Sona's Chef de Cuisine, Kuniko Yagi's Japanese background--that appeals to me. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to visit Sona for their tasting menu. And once they had announced they were closing, I thought it was too late.

Therefore, when Tsz of Gastrophoria invited me to do the dessert tasting at Sona with her and some of her friends, I immediately accepted. I'd seen pictures of Executive Pastry Chef Ramon Perez's exotic desserts before and could not have been more excited.

So on Thursday night, we went in for a 3 course dessert tasting priced at a very reasonable $30. 4 hours later, we ended up with an amazing, yet ridiculous, 12 courses of dessert--not including madeleines and mignardises! I'm convinced that Tsz's presence--she staged at Sona during the summer--had something to do with the seemingly never-ending flow of desserts, but Tsz told me that Ramon is just generous to a fault. Plate after plate of desserts kept coming out of the kitchen. Just when we thought we were almost done, Ramon would whip up another plate of sugary art. He must've been doing magic back there in the kitchen.

There was no menu printed so some of these names I made up/jotted down on my iPhone when the server described them. My dining companions helped a lot with remembering what some of the components were. Some names I found on kevinEats--he had received a printed dessert tasting menu when he went. On a side note, I haven't been this frustrated with lighting since dining at XIV--clear pictures were nearly impossible. Or maybe I'm just not skilled enough. All I know is, the whole night I had to debate between attempting to take another picture of a plate, or just digging in. So this was the best I could do--they can't even begin to do Ramon's beautiful creations justice.

Sona

401 North La Cienega Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90048

tel: 323-798-1557

Fennel Sphere

Cucumber Apple Juice, Lime Ice, Licorice Root

This spherification had a thicker skin than others I've had before, but the combination of flavors was very pleasant and light on the palate. The cool, crisp, flavors of the cucumber soup, sweetened by apple juice, was very enjoyable with the flavors of fennel, anise, and licorice (all similar flavors) in the aftertaste of the spherification.

Mint Cloud

Yogurt Tapioca, Basil Seed

The spongey mint cloud literally melted in my mouth. It tasted of freshly picked mint, not mint extract. The little tapioca balls were interesting in texture, but didn't provide much in flavor. The powder on the plate had us stumped. Was it dehydrated milk? malt? When we visited the kitchen after the tasting, Ramon told us it was yogurt!

Frozen Coconut

Charred Pineapple, Lime Zest Puree, Yuzu Ice Cream

The frozen coconut milk looked like coconut meat while the edible chocolate shell created a very convincing imitation of a coconut's actual shell. Visually, it was stunning and whimsical. Taste-wise, I thought most of the flavor came from the acidity of the charred pineapple and yuzu ice cream. I love yuzu and this ice cream was deliciously refreshing.

Lemon Crème

Orange Paper, Muscovado Gelee, Pomelo, Ginger Ice Cream

This was my absolute favorite of the night. It was the perfect combination and balance of textures and flavors. The lemon crème was just acidic enough to pack a punch to the palate, while creamy enough to temper the attack. The sweet, crunchy orange "paper" provided a much needed contrast in texture. I love anything encased in candied sugar. The muscovado gelée reminded us of boba and the tiny pomelo segments provided a burst of freshness. I also detected some candied pomelo peel or ginger but I'm not sure. Last but not least, the ginger ice cream was my favorite ice cream of the night. It had the unmistakable heat of ginger that warmed the back of my throat. Amazing.

Garlic Pepper Bread and Ciabatta

Ironically, and appropriately, we had some sea salt dusted butter with bread instead of a traditional sorbet, etc. as a palate cleanser. This interlude of saltiness and carb loaded substance was much needed during our sugary marathon. Tsz kept talking about a black tea bread that was divine but sadly, they didn't have any left. Now I'l never know what that bread tastes like.

Alpine Strawberries

Candied Rhubarb, Rhubarb Chip, Shortbread Crumbs, Celery Meringue, Parmesan Ice Cream

This combination of flavors was one of the only ones that didn't really work for me. The rhubarb chip was sticky, not crunchy like I was expecting it to be. The alpine strawberries were good though--sweet and jam-like. While the meringue was more sponge-like than crunchy and airy, it did give off a strong taste of celery that wasn't at all weird or unpleasant. The Parmesan ice cream wasn't as strongly cheesy as I was expecting it to be. Separately, the components were interesting but together, I was a little lost on how they were supposed to work together.

Raspberry Capsule

Liquor 43, Freeze Dried Raspberry, Shiso Glass, Shiso Ice Cream

I loved the colors--it reminded me of Christmas :) The frozen raspberry tasted just like a frozen fruit bar and it encapsulated a boozy marshmallow liquor that was stronger than I was expecting. The shiso ice cream was a little too intensely bitter when combined with the also strong liquor. Very beautiful, but a little too strong on the flavors for me.

Black Sesame Crème

Caramel Popcorn, Black Sesame Praline, Popcorn Ice Cream, Passion Fruit Sorbet

I love anything black sesame and I love anything passion fruit so this was the perfect combination for me--and it worked! The black sesame crème reminded me of black sesame soup you can get from Chinese restaurants--texture and flavor wise. I love passionfruit and enjoyed the sorbet very much--surprisingly the acidity of the passionfruit actually worked with the creamy sesame. The popcorn ice cream was also great...caramel popcorn not so much--not crunchy enough and it stuck to my teeth. I included that last picture because I wanted to show how most of the desserts were plated--on a large white plates with lots of empty space. Each course was seriously like a work of art.

Blancmange

Tarragon Meringue Cylinder, Almond Cream, Young Almonds, Cherries

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Not usually a fan of almond extract, the description for this plate made me apprehensive. Who know it would turn out to be so good! I'd never had young almonds before and they reminded me of some kind of freshly shucked bean. I didn't really get much tarragon in the meringue but the almond cream had that distinct almond flavor and texture that I can't describe right now--though it was NOT the flavor of almond extract. Maybe you guys know what I mean? The blancmange was rich and creamy and just sweet enough--perfect with the tart cherry

Xocophilli

Beet Sponge, Raspberry Foam

I think we found toffee bits in this one, but I'm not sure. I remember the beet sponge being slightly savory while having a sweet syrupy texture. I don't even remember if I tasted the raspberry foam. Was it chocolate mousse or chocolate ice cream? Fail. Which course number is this now?

Orizaba Mousse

Yuzu Gelee, Jasmine Foam, Hazelnut Streusel, Matcha Ice Cream

Now, this one I remember. I was so excited about jasmine foam, but it was not as strong as I was hoping. The hazelnut streusel provided an interesting salty counterpoint to the milk chocolate mousse. The yuzu gelee hidden inside the little bon bon-like mousse was also a great surprise. The matcha ice cream was true to matcha flavor--not overly sweet like most green tea ice creams.

Soft Chocolate

Eggplant Marmalade, Cardamon Marshmallow, Cocoa Nib Ice Cream

I had been looking forward to the chocolate desserts all night long and none of them disappointed. This one was also a favorite. The soft chocolate was deliciously creamy with an eggplant marmalade that almost had a pâté de fruit kind of texture--slightly tart and sweet with a distinct flavor that actually paired so well with the chocolate. I also enjoyed the cocoa nib ice cream on top of actual crunchy nibs. The cardamon marshmallow so intensely cardamon I could still taste it after I finished the dessert.

Chocolate Soufflé

Whisky Bourbon Truffle, Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce

This final course really put us over the top. I was on more than a sugar high. We all joked that we were starting to feel a little diabetic. The server informed us that Ramon only makes this dessert for special occasions--birthdays, etc. Tsz's Sona kitchen knowledge informed me that a truffle in actually placed at the bottom of the ramkein before being topped with souffle batter and baked. Once baked, the truffle melts and adds another layer of liquid chocolate richness to the soufflé. And we're still not done--a long table-side pour of vanilla bean caramel sauce finished off the teacup-sized soufflé. This is definition of decadence. Without a doubt, the BEST chocolate soufflé I've ever had.

Sencha Madeleines

Then along came some warm, miniature madeleines. Who could resist? Obviously not me. I was already ridiculously full from the soufflé but I think I still down at least five of there. There were also some of the best madeleines I've ever had. However, I didn't really get any kind of sencha flavor--just delicious butteriness.

Mignardises

Strawberry-Guava Pâté de fruits, Meyer Lemon Marshmallow, Anise Seed Croustillant, Raspberry Marzipan Cherry, Pistachio Nougat, Guanja Valhrona Macaron, Dehydrated Chocolate Mousse

The plate of little mignardises was seriously like a collection of my favorite sweets and flavors. I loved the strawberry-guava flavor combination in the pâté de fruits. I love marshmallows, although this one was a little too tough and chewy instead of light and airy. I love nougat--I've even attempted to make my own--and obviously I have a serious macaron obsession. I have to say though, not to brag or anything but, Sona's chocolate macarons actually tasted very much like my own :) perhaps it's because we both use the same Valhrona chocolate in the ganache.

Our sugary indulgence ended past midnight. A trip to the kitchen was the perfect ending to the sweet, fantastical night. Every course was a work of art. Every quenelle of ice cream made me want to scream in delight. Every thing was perfectly sweet. After 12 courses of Pastry Chef Ramon's creations, I've come to the conclusion that his greatest achievement in each plate was that every ingredient was true to its flavor. Simply magical.