Making Waffles on the Stovetop?

I just opened up an email from Williams-Sonoma advertising a new product, and it did what it was supposed to do! Caught my attention! What is this Nordic Ware Waffle Pancake Pan all about?

It seems like a great idea since pulling out the waffle maker can be a pain in the rear, not to mention cleaning it afterward. But does the pan really replace tried and true waffles made in a waffle maker? A stack of these breakfast goods made in the pan sort of resemble pancakes, and they're certainly cooked similarly, that is, on the stovetop, but maybe they magically taste like waffles instead. I am interested to find out!

The pan is $39.95 and you can make 7 mini waffles at a time. I was reading a 5-star review of the product by a Williams-Sonoma customer who tested out the pan, and she nicknamed the edibles "paffles." That is just genius. Paffles they are!

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After

Why You Need a Microplane

The short answer is: Because Gourmet Magazine says so.

Long Answer: At the very least, you should know what a microplane is. Avoid embarrassing yourself at a dinner party and get familiar. But let's put aside the issue of protecting your fragile reputation. A microplane is a very handy kitchen tool. It grates or peels your fruits, vegetables, cheeses, roots, etc... all with ease! It's easy to clean and store. I swear by it when a recipe calls for the zest of a lemon, or grated fresh ginger, or even shaved chocolate. You can get one for under $15.


But what's really interesting to me is that Gourmet Magazine would have you think the microplane has gone mainstream. I was reading the old Thanksgiving 2007 issue the other day, and I found a recipe with an ingredients list that called for something to be grated on a microplane. Gourmet just assumes you know what it is as they go about their business of sharing the recipe. They don't pause for a second to help you poor unfortunate (naive, ignorant, uneducated) souls who aren't familiar with the term. Or maybe they figure it's fine to say microplane in the ingredients list because you'll look it up in the dictionary. And speaking of the dictionary, it's not officially added, though it does have an entry in Wikipedia and it's been reviewed all over the internet including on non-food sites, to rave reviews.

It's basically the Kleenex of graters, the only one with a household name. I mean, who asks for a face tissue when you could ask for Kleenex instead?

Xooro: The First Gourmet Churro Bakery

Chocolate and chopped nut covered peanut butter filled churro

Churros are close to my heart. Not because I frequent Costco and get those large great-value ones from the hot food concession stand, but because I have lived in Spain twice, and churros are something I remember fondly. A night out might go like this: I'd be with my friends at a discoteca, sometimes till 6 or 7 in the morning, and we would finish the night (morning, really) at a churro shop, where we'd dine on churros dunked in a mug of thick hot chocolate. This habitual act is famously known as churros con chocolate.


But it's been a couple of years since I've had this, and so when I received the July 11th Daily Candy for Los Angeles and realized churros could be had in my own metropolis, I first did a double take, and then forwarded the newsletter to a bunch of friends.


Xooro is a gourmet churro bakery that just opened in Santa Monica. While its flavor options are far from anything you'll ever see at a churreria in Spain, that is no complaint from me. In fact, I am thrilled to have this place open in my area. Last night, I finally had a chance to experience the goods with some pals, and our sentiments were unanimous: we love Xooro. Here's why...

Original cinnamon-covered churro with dulce de leche filling

First, the owners are an adorable couple from Bilbao, Spain. They are filled with enthusiasm and warmth. I am so happy to see that an authentic Spanish team is running the shop, not some venture capitalists or other ambitious businessmen who know nothing about churros. And these owners are great listeners. They want to see their place thrive and they paid attention to our thoughts, flavor requests, and expressions. I wouldn't be surprised if one of my flavor requests ended up on the menu in the near future.

Original cinnamon-covered churro with vanilla filling

Second, the flavor options are spectacular. There is plenty of variety, and so much creativity. Because I went with three friends, I had a chance to taste a couple of flavors. One was The Mississippi, a peanut butter filled, chocolate and chopped nut covered churro. Fabulous! Another was filled with dulce de leche and covered with goat's milk. Also amazing. If you don't want the fanciness of one of their pre-designed flavor combos, you can build your own, taking an Original (cinnamon covered) and requesting the filling of your choice. There are a lot of fillings, including hazelnut, cappuccino, vanilla, pistachio, chocolate, dulce de leche, and more.

Goat's milk covered churro with dulce de leche filling

A look inside of the goat's milk covered churro with dulce de leche filling

My friend Tzviah leaving evidence behind

Third, the quality and value proposition are there. For $4.20, you get a churro that's probably about 6 inches long, thick, filled with gooey goodness, and drenched in a coating of chocolate. I read a lot of really mean, and frankly outrageous reviews of Xooro on Yelp. Many Yelpers complain of the high price tag for a small churro. But at a restaurant, you could easily pay $8 for a dessert of this kind and caliber. At Xooro, if you order a hot chocolate with your churro, your entire bill is still under $8. And let's not forget, you just got a taste of Spain brought to you by actual Spaniards. As far as the churro being too small, what a ridiculous claim. Just because it's not Costco-size doesn't mean it's small, and honestly, you wouldn't want more than what they give you because it's rich, and you should fill up on their amazing Mexican hot chocolate, not another 6 inches of churro. I thought we had all learned our lesson from Super Size Me. Go rent it again.

Mexican hot chocolate

I'll admit, Xooro could work a little on the ambiance since the space is a bit plain for gussied up L.A., and I'd appreciate it if they pumped the smell of churros into the room so that I'm drooling over my churro long before I place my order. But these are small sacrifices to make for the honor of living near churros con chocolate of the most gourmet kind, I dare say, in the world? Where else can you get chocolate and chopped nut covered peanut butter churros? Now if Madrid could just hear that and open a gourmet churreria, I don't think the 6 a.m. rush would be exclusively post-discoteca partiers anymore.


Xooro
125 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90401
between 2nd Street and Ocean Avenue
(310) 260-2919

Antique Sweets

No, that's not a statement about the maturity of these candies, cuz let me tell you, chocolate doesn't age like wine. Antique Sweets is the name of a candy shop in Madison, Georgia. I was in Atlanta two weekends ago to see my brother graduate from Emory. We took a day trip to Madison, an historic, beautiful Civil War town a short drive from the ATL. And in a small town with a small downtown, it's impossible to miss the only candy shop. We stopped in...

The storefront

Reasons for entering

You might already be familiar with pralines, a classic candy of the South made with sugar, cream, and often-but-not-always butter. Antique Sweets makes great ones. But here's something they do that I have not seen anywhere else: chocolate-covered pralines. And what really puts this shop over the top is their invention of Bulldog Bites, similar to a turtle, with a caramel-nut layer and milk chocolate over the caramel, and perfectly named for the beloved bulldog all Georgian sports fans proudly don on their shirts, cars, houses, and even underwear.

The candy shop is run by a husband and wife team who seem to love what they do. We studied the cases before deciding to buy out the entire remainder of their chocolate-covered pralines and have them packaged up to fly back with us to California. It wasn't cheap, but we aren't often in The South. Throw in a couple of regular pralines and Bulldog Bites and we were a well-stocked tourist pantry.

L to R: Bulldog Bites, Pralines, Chocolate-Covered Pralines

If you're headed to Atlanta, carve out some time to drive to the Civil War towns of Madison and Social Circle. The homes are beautiful, the roads scenic, and there are chocolate-covered pralines, for goodness sake.

One of the many Civil War era homes just blocks from the candy shop

Where it's happening:
Antique Sweets
132 East Washington Street
Madison, Georgia 30650
(706) 342-0034

Foodie Fight: A Trivia Game

I need this. A trivia game designed just for foodies. You see, I play Trivial Pursuit on occasion, mostly when there's arm twisting involved (my arm). That's because the only questions I can really answer in Trivial Pursuit are food-related. Otherwise, I stink.

So imagine how my eyes bugged out (see below pic) when I heard about Foodie Fight! It's a deck of cards with over 1,000 foodie questions. Topics include culinary science, celebrity chefs, food history, exotic cuisine, and more. Check. Check. Check. Check. And check. I can handle all that.

My eyes bugging out

Now for the fun part...
Let's try a card. Answer these:


Now check your answers. How'd you do?

I did (surprise surprise) well. 5/6 and the one I missed was the SNL question, which obviously belongs more in Trivial Pursuit. This is my kind of game.

Nathan's Open for Passover

Matzah everywhere! As a centerpiece for the fast-food table, sprinkled into my soup, probably sprinkled into my hair, too, and best of all, strewn across the floor. Yes, it was a messy evening at Nathan's, the only Kosher restaurant (I know of) open for Passover.

Hoards of people and long lines

Of that entire Kosher strip on Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles, Nathan's is all we've got? Yep. And that means dozens upon dozens of Passover-keeping patrons crowding the place, making it the filthy mess it was, clogging the lines, and ordering up all the meatballs. By the time my friends and I got there (at a normal dinner hour, mind you), the menu was cut in half. All we had left to choose from were chicken plates, or deli plates, or soup.

Matzah on the floor - what a mess!

And let's talk about the menu for a second. Nathan's, which is normally cheapo fast-food Kosher, where for $10, you could feed a starving burly lumberman, is price-gouging for Passover. Don't expect to pay $10 for anything, except a drink, or the $4 cup of vegetable soup. Well, ok, the meatballs are $10, but they were sold out. Everything else starts at $13, and the prize winner is a rack of 5 ribs for $30 buckaroos.

Over-priced everything

Here's the entire Passover menu:

Char grilled chicken platter - $14.95
Meatballs - $9.95
Crispy chicken platter - $14.95
Nathan's Famous 14 oz. rib steak - 21.95
Roast Chicken - 15.95
Ribs rack of 5 - $29.95
Deli Platter - $14.95
Deli Turkey - $12.95
Deli Roast Beef - $14.95
Deli Bologna - $12.95
Vegetable Soup - $3.99
Soda - $1.85

Char grilled chicken platter for $15 bucks!

Deli platter for $15 bucks!

Vegetable soup for $4

The verdict:
Still, despite price-gouging, filth, long lines, and only half a menu of options, there was something really cool about being in the only place open for Passover, surrounded by a bunch of other people who all had the same idea as you for dinner tonight. We had fun sitting around chatting as our feet literally stuck to the floor, and the food was surprisingly tasty. The trip was worth it!

But my friends and I couldn't help but joke that for the price we paid, not only had we better eat every last diced tomato off our plate, but we should take home the box of matzah on the table, too. After all, isn't there a serious nationwide matzah shortage?


Nathan's Famous
9216 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 273-0303

Introducing the Kosher Category on Yelp!

It is about dang time. I have been sending Yelp email requests for MONTHS.

Here's the backstory:
Last month, if you read and/or wrote a restaurant review on Yelp, you could not categorize the restaurant as Kosher. Thai, Mexican, Sushi Bars, Pizza, Diners, Seafood, American, yes. Even lesser known categories like Creole, Halal, Taiwanese, Singaporean, and Raw Food, yes. Raw Food! But Kosher, no.

Why is that so wrong? Because people who keep Kosher (and there are many) and turn to Yelp for information on restaurants where they can dine, well, they are left [BEEP] out of luck.

Until now! Maybe it was my consistent harassing to their Feedback Department and uncompromising loyalty to the Kosher-keeping folks out there. I'd love to think that I singlehandedly moved Yelp Headquarters to action, but I'm sure there were other frustrated Yelp users longing for this same category and also informed Yelp.


Now that Yelp recognizes Kosher as a type of cuisine, as it should, I need your help! Next time you see a Kosher restaurant listed on Yelp, please edit the categories to include Kosher. A lot of Kosher places are still missing their label. We've got to work backwards to make up for lost time!

Better late than never, but really, Guys at Yelp Headquarters, sooner would have been nice. Not to worry, I still love Yelp. Maybe I'll buy a t-shirt. No hard feelings. XOXO

When the Cookie's Name is Enough

Is there anything wrong with having a hankering for a cookie merely because of its brand name? I mean, Keebler is a cute name, but I don't yearn for a fudge stripe cuz of the Keebler name. Pepperidge Farm is another example - fine name, but not the reason I want an orange chocolate milano.

I pose the question because I was reading the latest email newsletter from Food 411 and shockingly, what caught my eye more than any of the email content was the skyscraper ad on the right hand side. The ad was for Marnee's Cookies. A couple of thoughts immediately entered my mind:

1. Oh my gosh! My name on a cookie!
2. What a strange spelling for my name.
3. If my name's on it, these better taste good, dammit!

After spending a fair amount of time on their website, my hunch is I'll be plenty satisfied and my name safely untarnished. The first cookie on the list to try will be Marnee's Destiny, concocted of cinnamon, sugar, toffee, and walnuts. Yum. Then I'll go for Marnee's Xanadu, a cookie comprised of semi-sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, and walnuts. Their store, called Marnee's Cookie Bistro, is located in Bath, Maine, but you can order all the goodies from the website, too.

Marnee's Cookie Bistro in Bath, Maine

I have yet to make the trek to Bath or order them online, but I really really really really want a Marnee cookie!

Honk if You Want Dessert from a Truck

Photo by Richard J. Velasco

My coworker sent me a link to Ed Levine's post today about a dessert truck at the corner of 8th Street and University Place in NYC. A dessert truck. Did you hear that? A DESSERT TRUCK!

For $5, take your pick of:

• Homemade s'mores with homemade vanilla marshmallow and Valrhona dark chocolate
• Homemade deep-fried brioche, dusted with cinnamon and sugar, and filled with vanilla pastry cream
• Chocolate Bread Pudding
• Molten Chocolate Cake
• Slow-Baked Apples and Cinnamon
• Vanilla Creme Brulee
• And more (download the pdf of their menu from the Dessert Truck website)

This is not your run of the mill food truck, like the taco cart outside the public hospital. Pastry Chef Jerome Chang, formerly of Le Cirque, is in the driver seat.

I am so jealous! Maybe if we demand it on Eventful, it will make a road trip to Los Angeles...

New Yorkers out there, have you been?

Bye Bye Cow: Yogurt Has Redeemed Itself

Back in February, you may recall I had a cow over some yogurt. And for good reason. I bought a container from Trader Joe's and then discovered by reading the label that one serving had 16 grams of fat and 10 g saturated.

Well, I'm a grown up. So while the cow I had back in February was completely justified, I readily, and happily, admit that Trader Joe's yogurt has redeemed itself. Take a look at what I found.



0 grams of fat but still creamy delicious. I am a happy yogurt-eating camper again!

Sisters Go Baking

I must say, living 5 minutes from my sister is a really nice thing. It allows me to see her regularly and talk about the mundane. I wouldn't normally advocate mundane anything, but it's the ultimate sign you are keeping up a relationship. Conversation topics aren't, "Wow, I love how you've decorated your place"; they're, "Can I borrow your Anchorman DVD? I'll bring it back tomorrow." My sister Beth and I do a pretty good job with the mundane.

Today was a special sister outing. Completely un-mundane. Beth and I attended a wonderful baking class featuring a traditional Jewish cookie and a traditional Southern treat: Rugelach and Pecan Tassies. The class was taught by Amy Ostrower, who just published a book of recipes and memories called Nana Lena's Kitchen: Recipes for Life. Amy shared endearing stories of her grandmother, some of which made me think Nana Lena and my great grandmother could have been BFFs. Amy even let us use Nana Lena's rolling pin (an heirloom) for our rugelach dough. I thought that was really nice of Amy, but I also thought she was nuts for sharing it!

I wish I could capture in a bottle the smell of rugelach wafting through Amy's house. I actually left the kitchen just so I could walk back in and get a better whiff. But smell, shmell. One taste and you'll be sold. Oh my gawwwwwd. Nana Lena knew her stuff! You really should pick up a copy of Amy's book. And check out her cute website.

I also have to give a little shout out to Brandeis University. This baking class was organized by the Los Angeles alumni group, of which my sister is a part. What a fun alumni event...and the perfect sisterly activity.

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In Pictures

Rugelach dough with raspberry jam, chocolate chips, and chopped walnuts, before the rolling begins...

Apricot-filled rugelach, some rolled in powdered sugar, some sans...

Pecan tassies, the perfect two-bite treat...

Having a Cow over Yogurt

I had a cow a couple of days ago, all because of some yogurt.

This first sentence could go so many ugly ways. No, I didn't take a spoonful and then read the one month old expiration date. No, I didn't take a spoonful and then realize it was garlic-flavored. No, I didn't take a spoonful and then spot a gnat with wings flapping. No, I didn't take a spoonful and then read the receipt that said I was mischarged by two decimal places ($120.00 yogurt is pretty expensive).

Yes, I took a spoonful and then read the nutritional info on the back of the container. That's when I had my cow.

I blame it on a combination of trust and naivete. I put way too much faith in Trader Joe's because they make me happy so often. I also made the silly assumption that, "Hey, it's yogurt, how bad can it be for ya?" Well, read this:


16 grams of fat! 10 saturated! Holy moly! I mean, holy cow! I mean, I'm having a cow!


I will not be buying this yogurt again. I am perfectly happy with Yoplait or Dannon light. I'll save my saturated fat for more worthy causes: chocolate. Or dinner at The French Laundry.

Middle Shmiddle, We Want Edge

I've seen it everywhere, in The Baker's Catalogue, Kitchen Krafts, on Amazon, written about by fellow food bloggers, AND YET, I mention it to my brownie-loving relatives and they've never heard of it. So this goes out to them. They're the ones still fighting over who gets the edge.

BEFORE...


AFTER...