Painting Pasta

poster by: quaillanepress

Lunch

photo: Beata Bernina

Another Look at Mc Grath Family Farm

Here you will see that photographers George Simian and Beata Bernina did a site visit at Mc Grath Family Farm to scout for our Farm to Table Dinner where we will be cooking from Phil's organic farm next week with Habit Wine and Bash, Please. It will be a fabulous and beautiful feast!

photos: George Simian + Beata Bernina

Black Betty Hits the Westside

Last Sunday Migs, Peter and I worked the Good Food Fest over in Santa Monica which was so much fun because nobody knew what a Lasagna Cupcake was over on the west side. "Lasagna what? Is it sweet?"

Lasagna Cupcake™, no it is not sweet. It is formed with hand made pasta using organic eggs. If you haven't had one, you must. They're delicious.

The vegetables for the Farmer's Market Salad were from Phil Mc Grath's Farm who did a speech addressing the question, "Can organic farming feed the world?"

"Duh!" says Phil, "It did for only like 10,000 years!"

Love Phil and the synchronicity of serving the produce he takes such pride in growing while watching people waiting to hear him speak. Love how Santa Monica had recycling bins everywhere. Loved being a part of the 30 year celebration of Santa Monica Farmer's Market because we love Santa Monica Farmer's Market and we will be there tomorrow and every Wednesday for the next 30 years.

photos: Beata Bernina

Breakfast Does A Body Good

Tonight for our Monday Night Tasting at Silverlake Wine we will be serving breakfast from 5-9 off our Food Truck, Black Betty. Come drink excellent wine and end your day up right.

The Heirloom LA "Mc Griddle" 

Housemade Pork Sausage + Smokey Frittata sandwiched between Blueberry Maple Pancake Buns

Huevos Rancheros

Organic Sunny Side Up Eggs with Housemade Tortillas, Tongue of Fire Beans, Roasted Salsa + Avocado

Country Fried Potato "Skillet"

Country Fried Potatoes with Soft Scrambled Eggs, Maple Bacon,baby Green + Red Onions, Charred Shishito Peppers + Queso Fresco

Slow Braised Breakfast Hash

Organic Egg with Roasted Potatoes, Fresh Snap Peas, Sweet Corn, Sweet + Sour Onions, Grilled Garlic Toast, + Romesco Sauce

Wet Vegetarian or Housemade Chorizo Breakfast Burrito

Bacon, Egg + Mac-n-Cheese Lasagna Cupcake

Farmer's Market Fruit Salad

Frisee, Chicory, + Little Gem Lettuces, Sliced Asian Pears, Apples, Baked Ricotta, Toasted Sunflower Seeds + Almond Orange Vinaigrette

Strawberry Hand Pies

PBJ Donut

all items available vegetarian

photos: George Simian

Saturday, September 17

Santa Monica Farmer's Market is 30 years old! And to celebrate, they are hosting a Food Festival where illustrious cooking people will be speaking and doing cooking demonstrations. It will be a blast! Our food truck, Black Betty, will be on site selling Lasagna Cupcakes and Salad and Soup from all our favorite farms, oh and trifle! Come by and say hi, I shall be working the window.

Santa Monica High School

601 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica  90405

Coming to a Shelf Near You

Welp, it's not raining strawberries anymore. No, Mc Grath Farms is now sending us their gorgeous organic heirloom tomatoes, and how! Yesterday we got in another 1200 pounds to jar up (wait until you see the beautiful jars Smog designed for us!). Each week we're going to keep getting hit with these guys. Salsas, ketchup, tomato jam, tomato paste, soups, relish, pasta sauce, etc all coming up. Stay tuned!

Soon To Be On A Catering Party Near You

The second Sunday of every month we try our darndest to make it to the granddaddy of all flea markets at The Rose Bowl. We collect all sorts of wood and pewter and copper for our Rental Room. None of those stodgy white porcelain platters and matchy matched stainless steel flatware will do for us. It's a scavenger hunt and the race is on to stock up!

Rainbow Pasta

At long last, after much nagging (by me of course, I'm the nag), the boys in the kitchen have started to color our pasta! There's green (spinach), pink (beet), and orange (tomato). This green one below is a mushroom Lasagna Cupcake™ and fyi, it's delectable. 

Hello Beautiful Late Summer Crostini Drop Off

Mmmmm, what do we have here? 

• Fresh, Seasonal Farmer's Market Fruit

• Roasted Veggies

• House Made Flatbreads

• Pickled Lemon Cucumbers

• Spicy Pepitas, Candied Pecans

• Framani Cured Meats, House Cured Duck Bacon

• Burrata, Goat Cheese, House Made Ricotta

• Olives

• Sweet and Sour Onions

• Grilled Bread (not pictured, but know that it is the stuff of deliciousness)

Crowd Pleaser.

Tad Does Chicken Right

Tad had us with his fried chicken. We tasted it back when he developed it over at Huckleberry and we were hooked. It doesn't have any clever additions like breakfast cereal or spicy flavor packets, it's just straightforward and perfect. It's one of my favorite tray passed appetizers but it's also a sensational entree that is a little more fancy than what Roscoes is doing.

We like to be fancy.

photos: George Simian

Raspberries Are For Tarts

photo: Beata Bernina

1 Blind Baked 10" Pate Sucree Tart Shell


Raspberry Sauce:


4 oz sugar
4 oz orange juice
1 T orange zest
1 rose geranium leaf, wrapped in cheese cloth
pinch salt
8 oz raspberries


• In a stainless steel saucepan, combine + bring to a boil all ingredients except the raspberries.
• Add half the raspberries, lower the heat and simmer 3-4 minutes.
• Cool and strain.


Brown Butter Filling:


8 oz butter
1/2 vanilla bean
3 eggs, room temperature
7 1/2 oz sugar
2 oz pastry flour
1 T cream
pinch salt
1/8 t orange zest
1/4 t lemon zest


• In a medium saucepan brown the butter with the vanilla bean. Let cool until lukewarm.
• Sift the flour and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, cream, salt and zests.
• Whisk together the warm butter and egg mixture followed by the flour + salt. Strain.


Assemble the Tart:


• Spread the raspberry filling in the baked tart shell
• Scatter fresh raspberries over the sauce.
• Fill the shell with the brown butter filling 3/4 of the way up.
• (Optional) Top with 3 oz of sliced, lightly toasted almonds.
• Bake at 350 until the filling is set, about 25 minutes.
• Cool on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve room temperature.

Santa Monica Farmer's Market

There was a period, I will admit, that Matt and I found excuses not to make the long trek to Santa Monica on Wednesday mornings. We sent other people or had farmers deliver directly to us in Eagle Rock, thus bypassing the drive and the parking hassle and the crowds who languidly browse through each crate of prime vegetables as if nobody else is in their rear view.

Then some unknown force prompted me to insist we go back a few weeks ago and it was blissful. We ran into people we hadn't seen in awhile and brokered deals for trade and got updated on all the latest news (Roxana + Dan of Ammo opening their own place on Beverly,  Hatfields opening a sister cafe on La Brea and D.J. Olsen of Lou Wine Bar teaming up with farmers on Monday nights for a fixed menu, can't wait until this Monday, September 12th when he will be teaming with Maggie's Farm and making his own chicken sausage). We checked in with Laura Avery who made sure we're participating in the Good Food Festival (Heck, yea!!), and most importantly we connected with the farmers directly to ask what is exploding with flavor and what will be, and tasting and collecting for ourselves. It's the most inspiring atmosphere, like Paris cafes in the 1920's, vibrant and alive with creativity and like-minded people who have their canvas bags bulging with ideas of what they will make, what trends they may start- people who will work for nothing if they have to, because that's how much they love what they do and the pursuit of it. 

It is the most essential place for us to be on Wednesday mornings, and if you live nearby and have the time, you should drop in. It is a mecca of sensations, small and wide, and will nourish more than just your hunger.

2nd and Arizona: 8:30 -1

A Couple of Really Sharp Blades

Last week, exactly when the health department popped in for a surprise visit (we maintained our A people!!!), Matt and I were gifted these glorious knives by a very thoughtful and generous groom who had the most magical wedding in a field (yes, a field) in Ojai. We brought no staff, it was just a drop off of fried chicken, some sides, strawberry + lavender lemonade- it was a picnic for 20 people. Simple and intimate with wild flowers casually placed here and there and every person relaxed and happy filling the crisp air with laughter. We were so honored to be a part of it.

Ah-hem, I finally have a knife (Knives? Must I share?) that holds all the kitchen's envy. They both host double-sided blades with handles that feel as luscious and elegant as the steering wheel of a hand built car. It's thrilling to use them but I haven't much yet.... I  just keep looking at them, so perfect in their design.

Knives by Mcusta

A Trip to Book Soup

There hasn't been much time for reading lately. My Sunday papers are piled up by the bedside some dating back to February. We've been working a lot. 

We did get to steal some quiet time on Labor Day and rather than catch up on old news, we cracked open some new books both of which were relevant to our daily lives and inspiring to our future. These are the types of text books that should be required reading of culinary students for they each define the essential rules of conduct necessary to excel in the cooking world which is basically to keep your mouth shut and your hands moving and never call in sick or complain about the grueling hours unless you've been shot and are immobile and even then your work ethic will be held in question. 

If you happen to find some time to sneak in some pages and have an interest in kitchen culture, Matt and I highly recommend these pages that have been holding our attention and validating our lifestyle of, well, having stacks and stacks of yellowing NY Times waiting to be read in the bedroom, the bathroom, the living room and my car. I'll get to them one of these days.

Pastrami Chicken

Pastrami what? Pastrami Chicken! Chef Tad, he makes chicken all sorts of ways but this time he did a brown sugar herb brine, coated it in a traditional pastrami crust, smoked it for a couple hours and then finished this guy in the oven. Oh delish.

Photos by George Simian

Here She Is

Will you please have a look at our gorgeous new postcard designed by Glen Nakasako of Smog Design? These are the people who made Matt's handwriting into it's own font and who designed our jam labels. They primarily work in music designing records and tabletop books for artists like Beck and Hunter S Thompson and k.d. Lang and The Eagles and Suzanne Vega (and, and, and...); and now they have become part of our Heirloom family which has resulted in many woeful requests on my part for more design work (wait until you see the jars they created for our heirloom tomatoes!). For now, I can't stop staring at this beautiful post card, how it incorporates menu items we've featured on the truck and calls out her name. I just love it and I shall be framing one soon.

P. S. We'll be at Barnsdall tonight! See you there!

Slam Dunk

Sunday Silverlake Wine Tastings is where we got our start. Sundays have become busy full service catering days for us now but whenever we can manage it, we love to go back to our roots like we did last week. Here's what was served: