Gjelina Restaurant

It is autumn in Los Angeles.  The intense blue sky was crystal clear and particulate free courtesy of the hot Santa Anna Winds.  Although summer has clearly passed and the days are becoming very short, this day was quite hot, in the high 90’s.
I made dinner reservations at Gjelina some 3-4 weeks ago, highly recommended unless you want to take your chances at one of two large communal tables that are always full, based on the buzz from some of my foodie friends.
Located on the artsy, restaurant studded Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, Gjelina is so happening, there is no name or address numbers posted on the outside of the building.  I let my instincts or ‘the force’ if you will guide me to the right doorway.  The accommodating hostess led us through the packed interior including an open appetizer prep bar, out back to a private walled patio with banquets, small tables and a fire pit.
It was an eclectic crowd, peppered with art gallery types, young couples, and celebratory groups.  The menu of appealing choices is for sharing.  Gjelina ascribes to a philosophy of using as much sustainable, local, and organic food as possible, so the produce is seasonally appropriate.
We ordered:
Rocket (wild arugula) with sweet corn, cherry tomato, endive, lemon, and pecorino
Haricots Verts with charred tomato, feta, mint, and sesame
Wood roasted cauliflower with garlic, chili, parsley, and vinegar
Mushroom, goat cheese, and truffle oil Pizza
Artichoke and goat cheese ravioli with leeks, brown butter, balsamic, and parmesan
Brewed mint iced tea
Strawberry, rhubarb crisp with cornmeal topping, served with house made vegan coconut sorbet
Coffee
I thought every dish was seasoned well, not overly salty like so many trendy places.  The vegetable dishes all had a balance of acid with the green fresh flavors, and some oil to smooth the palate.  Wood roasted cauliflower was a fantastic choice for an autumn dinner by a fire pit.  The pizza was irresistible with just enough mild flavored goat cheese and earthy truffle oil.  I like to order ravioli  when we eat out, when someone other then I has made them.
We decided not to order wine, since we were getting up early the next morning, although this menu could have taken on a red or white.  Buttery, with the right balance of acid and sweet, corn meal topped strawberry rhubarb crisp was so good I came home and made some myself.  Try this recipe it is yummy and easy.  I think several of the other menu items could also made easily at home

Individual Strawberry Rhubarb Crisps
Filling
¾ cup sugar
2 pints of fresh strawberries
2 large stalks of rhubarb (about two cups sliced)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons corn starch
Zest from the lemon
Topping
¾ cup corn meal
½ cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose unbleached flour
Zest grated from one orange
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
Wash and hull the strawberries, lay them on a towel to dry and then slice them in half.  Wash the rhubarb stalks and slice them in half lengthwise and then in half inch dice.  Combine the fruit with the sugar in a frying pan.  Place the pan on low heat and as the sugar melts, add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and cornstarch.  Gently stir the fruit occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble and thicken.  This only takes a few moments.  Remove from the heat.
Divide this filling evenly amongst 5 large ramekins. 
In a medium bowl, combine all the topping ingredients except the butter.  Cube the butter into ½ inch squares and add it to the bowl.  Cut in the butter until the mixture is sticking together a bit, but still course.   Distribute the topping evenly over the tops of the ramekins.
Place the ramekins on a large baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated 400º oven.  Remove the strawberry rhubarb crisp from the oven when the filling is beginning to bubble up around the nicely browned topping.  Serve the crisps plain, with ice cream, or sorbet.

Pistachio Biscotti with Dried Cherries

PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

That first bite into biscotti is sublime.  These are just sweet enough, with a blend of flavors subtle enough not to interfere with your demitasse of espresso and crisp enough to stand up to dunking in hot tea.  I had an idea to use pistachios, dried cherries, and orange rind.  It is a great taste combination.  If you like pistachio and biscotti, you will love these.
4 extra large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
2 and ½ cups ground pistachios
6-7 cups all purpose unbleached flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered anise
1 cup tart dried cherries chopped into medium pieces
3/4 cup whole pistachios
Preheat oven to 350º.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.  I prefer half sheet aluminum pans.  Dark colored or non stick coated baking sheets lead to different results.
Combine 6 cups of the flour with the baking powder, orange zest, and salt in a bowl and set aside.  Reserve the last cup of flour separately.  Crack the eggs in a glass cup and after checking them for shells or blood spots place them in the bowl of your stand mixer, add the sugar, and beat on medium speed until light in color and thick.  Add the oil to the eggs.  Beat the mixture, starting at the slowest speed, until well combined.  Add the orange juice.  Add the ground nuts and mix.  Next, add your pre-measured flour containing the baking powder salt and orange zest to the mixer.  Start the mixer on the slowest speed.  Lastly add the chopped dried cherries and whole pistachios and mix a little more.  Remove the dough from the mixer.  It may be slightly sticky.  Add some or the entire last cup of flour as you kneed the dough lightly with your hands until it is smooth.  Roll it into a smooth log and separate the dough into 4 equal pieces.  Form four logs about 2 inches in diameter and 10 inches in length.  Place the logs carefully on the silpat lined baking sheet.
Bake until golden in color 25-30 minutes.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven.  Carefully place your rolls on a cutting board without breaking them.  Cut immediately on a sharp diagonal with a long serrated knife or very sharp Santoku knife.  Return the sliced biscotti to clean cookie sheets lined with silpats or parchment paper, being careful not to break them, and spread them so air can circulate all around them.  Toast the biscotti in a 200º oven for two hours.  After you turn the oven off, leave them in the oven another 45 minutes or even overnight.  They should be crisp.  One recipe makes 60 to 80 depending on how thick you slice the biscotti.
These are wonderful for serving with tea, coffee or with fruit as a light desert.  They are also great as part of a desert buffet. 

Sukkot Entertaining

I can breathe a sigh of relief, until next year, Sukkot, Simhat Torah and all the rest of it is finally over with. The New Year has begun, counting down the days yet again.
Every year I approach the building of our Sukkah and the entertaining we do in it with renewed enthusiasm. The Los Angeles area, with its mild climate, lends itself to dining al fresco at night even in September, October. Today I must confess, with impending rain clouds above (strange for this time of year), my helpers and I rushed to take it all down and store it away until next year. The saris hung across the roof, the tacky clustered grape lights that created atmosphere when the sun went down, the wall tapestries, candles, the tables and chairs, finally the palm fronds, and extension cords all dispatched to their cupboards to wait out another four seasons until next September or the trash. I will share a few pictures and the menus for two of the evening’s parties.

Garnet Yam Cake With Brown Sugar Icing

This recipe is an Oldie but Goodie. My son Mitchell’s favorite, this moist bundt cake covered in a thickly drizzled maple flavor icing is beautiful on the cake plate and delicious. It is the perfect dairy-free desert for autumn occasions, from Rosh Hashanah, to Thanksgiving, to Chanukah.

Cake

2 cups of mashed Garnet yam

2 & 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 & 3/4 teaspoons powdered ginger

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 extra large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Margarine or non stick spray for greasing the pan                                                 

12 cup Bundt pan

Icing

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup Rich’s dairy-free whip

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted margarine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla  extract

Wash the Garnet yams and bake in a preheated 400º oven for 2 hours. I choose the fattest, unblemished yams I can find and place them in an aluminum foil tin to catch the oozing sugar droppings from the yams as they bake.  2 to 4 large yams will yield the 2 cups of yam needed for the recipe. You can just eat any left over with dinner. Cool the yams and scoop out the bright orange pulp. Measure the yam and mash with your gloved hands or a potato masher. Place the yams in the bowl of your mixer.

Preheat oven to 325º and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.  Place the mixing bowl in the mixer and beat yams until smooth on medium low speed. Next, add the sugar and oil to the yams, and starting on the lowest setting, beat until smooth.  Add the eggs 2 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture and blend on low speed until just combined. Stir in the vanilla.

Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan, making sure to get the grease into every nook and cranny of the design for an easy release. Fill the prepared pan only 2/3 full. If your Bundt pan is less than 12 cups, (many of the newer designs are not 12 cups) and you have left over batter, you can grease and fill individual small loaf pans with the extra batter. Bake cake until a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 5 minutes or less if your pan is smaller. Cool cake in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Invert and turn cake out onto the rack to finish cooling.

At this point, you can wrap the cake well and freeze it for up to two weeks, then defrost and ice just before your occasion. For the icing, sift the powdered sugar into medium bowl. Stir the brown sugar, Riche’s Whip, and margarine in a small heavy bottomed saucepan over medium low heat until margarine melts and the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium high and bring brown sugar mix to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 3 minutes, occasionally stirring and swirling pan. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the brown sugar syrup over the powdered sugar. Whisk icing until smooth and lightened in color. It will be very liquid. Cool the icing until luke warm, whisking occasionally. It will thicken as it cools. When the icing is not quite cold and  falls like thick ribbons from a spoon,  slowly pour it over the top of the cake very thickly. The icing will drip down the sides in thick rivers. I pour directly from the mixing bowl in a back and forth motion slowly rotating the cake as I go. Let the iced cake stand for at least one hour before serving.  It keeps refrigerated for two days.