Foodie Girls Lunch Brigade - Episode 27: Bonus Bakery Visit

Don't be silly.  Of course we had dessert.

Episode 27:  Bonus Bakery Visit - Our take on Short Cake
Ready?  Here it is. Burgers, schmurgers.  Short Cake rocks!

Located a quick turn around the corner from Short Order, this cheerful market stall is exactly as it should be.  There are colorful painted bundt cake pans on the walls, eye-catching beakers of coffee beans,  and tattooed barristas smiling as they work. 

If I drank coffee, I imagine that all of this would be blowing my mind.  As is, I find it to be a lovely decorative accent for the cake.

There are piles of cookies in a basket at the counter, and glass cases full of gorgeous goodies. It made me happy just to look at the place bustling away.

The overwhelming sense is that you are about to get an after school treat from someone's mom who happens to be the best baker in the neighborhood. Partially it's the handwritten signs nestled into the case, or the visibly moist crumbs on the Brunette slices. It's also the homey mix of offerings. Crumbles and cookies, scones and muffins, bread pudding made with chocolate buns. Breakfast cereal, buttermilk and jam as ingredients, along with the unexpected savory notes of curry in a raisin scone, cardamom cream in a chocolate layer cake, feta cheese in a muffin and thyme and pine nuts topping that dense brunette. And why hasn't anyone invented cashew butter cookies before?

Full as we were on spuds, we lined up at the counter and went a little nuts.  

The brownie was almost too dense and fudge-y for some of us, heavy with coffee flavor, and intensely chocolate.  Others loved it.

The texture of the breakfast cereal cookie was fantastic.  It was crunchy on the outside, but buttery and soft the minute you bit into it.  Bits of dried wild blueberries and the light dusting of sugar and spice made this humble-looking cookie a standout.   

This, though, was our favorite.  The buttermilk tart.  Five bucks gets you a straight shot to heaven.  The crust is simply awesome, first of all.  Buttery and sweet and a tiny bit salty, it should be pictured in the dictionary next to "shortbread crust".  The custard is bright and tangy and sweet and creamy all at once.  Cool to the tongue, smooth and silky, the luscious texture makes it taste that much better.  The top was clearly sprinkled with just a hint of cinnamon before baking.  This tart, my friends, is what great baking is all about.  Nothing fancy...there are probably five or six ingredients in the whole thing... just simple, pure magic.

We were also big fans of the genevieve, a dark, crumbly shortbread made with walnuts and sea salt,  I took home snickerdoodles and gingersnaps to my family, and let's just say that people were quite happy with me when I arrived.  FG6 does advise avoiding the twice-baked brioche with the almond topping. It looked lovely, but was super dry.  Just goes to show you, nobody's perfect!

FG Final Verdict:  Go. NOW!
Treats: $2.50-$7

You can also bake up a treat at home for yourself...

Recipe for their cashew butter cookies is here.
Recipe for their orange chiffon cake is here.

Curry Raisin Scones
Inspired by the one I ate at Short Cake, I adapted my go-to scone recipe.  The results were so positive that I went and made Curry Oatmeal Raisin Cookies*, too.

For the scones:
2 1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
zest of one orange (optional)
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, cold and diced
1/2 c. golden raisins
1/2 c. plus 3 Tbs. buttermilk

For glazing:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp curry powder
2 Tbs. raw sugar

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, curry powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and zest, if using.  Scatter the cold butter dice on top, then cut into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or two knives, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.   Stir in the raisins.  Add the buttermilk, and combine carefully, using your hands or a wooden spoon, just until dough comes together loosely.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface, and knead gently a few time until smooth.  Roll or pat out into a rough rectangle, about 3/4 of an inch high.   Cut scones out using a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter, and place onto a cookie sheet.   Gather dough scraps, pat out again, and continue cutting scones.  You should get about 12-15 scones all together, depending on the size of your cutter.

Brush the tops of the scones lightly with beaten egg.  Using a mortar and pestle, or a spice grinder, crush the curry powder and raw sugar together to combine, and sprinkle the tops of the scones with a little of the curry sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until light golden brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature, with clotted cream and apricot jam, or all by themselves with a smidge of butter.

Click to print this recipe!

* Make the dough for Barnaby Day Cookies.  Add 1 1/4 c. quick cooking oats and 2 tsp. curry powder along with the dry ingredients, then stir in 1 c. of golden raisins.  Bake for 12 minutes at 350.

Foodie Girls Lunch Brigade - Episode 27

Phrases commonly associated with January:

I'd love to, but I'm cleansing.
I'm enrolled in three different Boot Camps, Zumba and the unlimited plan at Pilates - It's kind of an emergency.
I'll have the water, with a small side of lettuce.
No, I'm not expecting again.  I had house guests over the holidays.
God, how do people watch this show sober?
Let me just pop that kale into the blender for you.
Oven?  What oven?
I have to stay home.  If I go out, I might accidentally run into some French fries at the bar.
I'm never eating a cookie again.

But, as my kids know, I'm always running a little late.  So you might hear me saying a few of these things in February*.  Far be it from me to put my need to fit into my pants ahead of the FG's need for a highly caloric lunch outing.

With fries.
And some cookies.

Episode 27:  We make short work of Short Order
The pre-opening buzz about Short Order, Nancy Silverton and Amy Pressman's new burger joint in the Farmer's Market was nothing short of giddy.  Nancy's recipe six years ago in the LA Times about the perfect backyard burger was revelatory (at least to me), and the Mozza worship would be ridiculous, except that the pizza is really, really good.  Reviews on Yelp have been mixed, with some raves and several feeling the prices are far too steep and the burgers were nothing special.  Controversy? Burgers? Giddy press?  Time for the FG's to check this place out.

It was a brisk, bright, breezy day in LA, and at just before noon on a Friday, we had our choice of sitting upstairs in the cozy restaurant or on the small downstairs patio with sleek wooden picnic tables.  We choose the patio.  Menus were rolled up with napkins in mason jars on the tables, and the very friendly server came over quickly to give us their "burger temperature guide" to review while we decided.

The menu inaccurately said that their more exotic burgers (lamb, pork, tuna) were only available upstairs, but we soon zeroed in our our lunch plan.   There was universal agreement on trying the Market Spuds ("With truffle salt?" "Ooh, of course!!") and the Corn Pups ("I LOVE corn dogs!" "Me, too!") to start, followed by Nancy's Backyard Burger, the Short Order Burger, and a Tuna Niciose raft.  FG6 and FG17 like their burgers well done, so we asked for one that way, and the other medium.  The tuna we ordered medium rare.  An appalling dearth of Diet Coke (but plenty of water in mismatched glass jars) led me to branch out and order a ginger soda.  I have to admit, it was awesome.

After we ordered, a couple of us walked around to peek in to see the kitchen at work.  There's a huge woodpile next to the wall, apparently fueling the busy grill.  Burgers are quickly covered with metal tins, to seal in the smoke as they cook.

The first slight sign of trouble was our burgers arriving well ahead of our pups and spuds.  So much for making this a two course lunch.   But the food looked so good we collectively forgave the service error on the spot.  Here's what we ate:

The Backyard Burger.  Not a huge fan of the guacamole in there in place of the advertised avocado, but you really can't go wrong when there's that much bacon involved.  The red onions were also notably more pungent than some people liked.  The homemade spicy mayo was marvelous, though.

The burger came out well done, although we'd asked for medium, but we let it go so everyone could have a taste. The buns were absolutely delicious, golden, lightly toasted and just slightly sweet, quality one would expect from a team with this pedigree.  The beef was excellent, too, full of meaty flavor and with a slightly coarse texture that lets you know it's been freshly ground.    The lettuce was light and crisp, exactly the way lettuce on a burger should be. But somehow, in this instance, the whole was not quite as good as the sum of the parts, we agreed.  It was a very, very nice burger, but not amazing.

The Short Order Burger, with grass-fed beef, griddled mushrooms, morbier cheese, lettuce and mustardy mayo, well done on purpose.  I actually liked this burger better, maybe because I was put off by that guac.  I could taste the beef more, and the mustardy mayo was full of whole-grain mustard seeds and had a tang that went really well with the rich cheese and bun. The mushrooms were also very tasty.  The consensus?  We liked it.  Quite a bit.  But we weren't going to go on and on about it.

The Corn Pups, when they came, were just bland.  We were all sorry we'd ordered them.  I let the group know about the corn dogs at Disneyland for future reference.

The Tuna Nicoise Raft on the other hand?  Anything but bland.  It was literally breathtaking.  A toasted bun, topped with a hand-formed patty of loosely chopped albacore tuna, with a glorious mix of frisee, baby heirloom tomatoes, crisp haricot vert and briny olives in a garlic-y mustard vinaigrette, with a perfectly fried egg on top.  Smashing! As FG14 said so well, "Anything with a fried egg on it makes me happy." 

It was a bit of a nightmare to get a workable bite off of the tower, but so worth the effort.  This, far more than the burgers, seemed to have Nancy Silverton's style and flair for flavor written all over it.  At $17, it's the most expensive thing on the menu, but this dish would command far more than that if it weren't being served on a burger joint patio.

And then, there were our new favorite things.  The Market Spuds.  In the words of our server, "They take a baked potato.  They shred it into little pieces.  And then they fry it."  Nuff said.

She'd told us she often makes a meal out of the spuds and the special dipping sauce (bacon bits, sour cream with a little lemon, and scallions), and at $6 for the combo, every one of us would go back and do the same in a heartbeat.  Not only are these piping hot little nuggets pretty much the only way I want to eat potatoes from now on, the portion very generously served four of us.  Although we were kind of all fighting over the last little bits at the bottom.

The Short Story?  If you're at the Grove and looking for an upscale treat, stop by Short Order, and have the Tuna Raft (if you're splurging) or the Market Spuds (if you're not).  Do you need to run right over there now?  No.  But if you order right, enjoy the sunshine on the patio, and save a little room for dessert (more on that in another post), you'll be glad you came.  If you go, apparently the milkshakes are worth a try.  Have one, and let us know what you think!

FG Final Verdict?
Short Order is ON the list!
Pricing Info:  Burgers $11-17, sandwiches & salads $8-15, sides $3-8, shakes $6, beer and cocktails available.
FG Value Rating:  Fair deal - four of us ate three main courses, the corn dogs, and the spuds for $18 apiece, including tax and tip.

* "It's kind of an emergency" and "No, I'm not expecting again" will almost definitely cross my lips.  But you'll never hear me offer to pop kale into a blender for you.  I mean, get real!

Lemon Bars

The is my lemon tree.

This is my lemon tree, in bars.

Any questions?*

A Listless Best of 2011

At the end of every year, there's always a big flurry of "Best Of" lists.  The Top 10 Movies.  The Notable Books. The Must Read Blogs*.  The Coolest Apps.  The Best Meals.  

I read them all, avidly.
But my year wasn't like that.

There's no list.

My year was little wonderful moments, and big awful ones.  Plus all the ordinary moments in between. Some I'll remember and lots that I've already forgotten.  Very few came from movies, books, blogs, or apps.

But food?  Ah, yes.

Fancy meals with my husband, burgers with my niece, crab cakes with my sister and meatball subs with the FGs.

Teaching friends to bake bread, inventing sorbets from cider, savoring soup on a rainy night in Cusco, finding comfort in a casserole, or making Christmas magic from flour, sugar and a whole lot of butter.

Grilling cheese sandwiches with my daughter and interfering while my son made dinner as a homework assignment.   Folding fortunes for a funeral and celebrating a new job with a pan full of blondies.

Discussing books over salad, arguing with my mom over tuna fish, battling fiercely over bolognese sauce with my carpool.
Fretting over pie crust and my kids being far from home.

Making supper on a chilly weeknight, or brunch on a sunny morning.

Making people smile**.  

The smell of bacon, of a cake in the oven, of the slow cooker bubbling away.  The sound of the grill sizzling or the timer going off in the kitchen.

The taste of warm biscuits with butter and honey.

There's no way to list all of what was best about 2011, without recalling the worst of it, too. It was a turbulent, emotional, roller coaster year. But almost every day had a moment that was made better by the gift of good food.

Here's to a calmer 2012, but one that is quietly, tastily, memorable too.

Quietly Memorable Weeknight Roast Chicken
This recipe comes from Patty, a member of my mah jong crew, who made this for us on a chilly Wednesday night.  Do I remember if I won or lost, or what we talked about or why we were laughing so much?  No.  But boy did I remember her chicken.

1 whole roasting chicken, cut in half
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Dried oregano
Garlic salt (optional)
Paprika (optional)
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter

Crusty bread, for serving and scraping up the pan drippings

Preheat oven to 425.

Rinse the chicken thoroughly in cool water, pat dry, and cut in half along the back bone.  Place chicken in a large bowl, and coat completely with olive oil.  Season liberally with salt and pepper.  If you like, substitute garlic salt for all or a portion of the regular salt.  Place chicken, skin side up, in a large roasting pan.  Sprinkle skin liberally with oregano, and paprika, if using.  Cut butter into large chunks, and place a few on top of each piece of chicken.

Roast for 45 minutes, or until skin is crispy and brown on top, and juices run clear in the thigh when pierced.

Set chicken aside to rest on a platter.   The pan will be full of yummy butter/oil/pan drippings.  Collect a good portion of those into a warm bowl, and serve along with the chicken and a loaf of crusty bread for dipping.

Click to print this recipe!

Equally Memorable Green Salad Dressing
I served the chicken with a simple salad, but even that was out of the ordinary, thanks to the salad dressing recipe that Amy, another of the mah jong ladies, brought for me***.

2 Tbs. each flat leaf parsley, tarragon, and fresh basil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. light sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.

Delicious!!

Click to print this recipe!

* Somehow Cheesy Pennies wasn't listed.  Must have been an oversight.
** Making myself plump in the process.
*** I admit that I'd been stalking her for it ever since she served it at her house one night.  I may have even said something like, "Don't even think of showing up to the next game without it," but that's one of those moments of 2011 that wasn't so memorable for me.

In honor of CES

Perhaps its because I'm in a gadget state of mind here in Vegas, but I loved this.


Created by: MBA Online

BTW, you can follow the fortunes of my new company on facebook, and see a few photos of our first product's big adventures here. The reception for the company has been fantastic, and I'm ahead 200 bucks for the week. So far so good in 2012!