30 SECOND RECIPE

Grilled Figs with Ice Cream

A simple, delicious end of season dessert. A touch of brown sugar, pungent balsamic vinegar, and fruity olive oil give a bit of sophistication to this rustic dish.





1 pint figs, halved

1/4 cup brown sugar

olive oil

good balsamic vinegar

vanilla ice cream

To make, just rub a little brown sugar into the figs and grill them over high heat until caramelized and they have grill marks (about 2-3 minutes). Serve on top of vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of fruity olive oil (rather than a sharp, grassy variety) and some good balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!

I TALK MEAT WITH RAHM FAMA FROM FOOD NETWORK'S MEAT AND POTATOES

With all of the controversy surrounding the agricultural industrial complex and the methodology of factory farm raised meat, you would think a show dedicated to meat might run into the ill advised KFC "double down" arena, but chef Rahm Fama takes his show Meat and Potatoes into the realm of the unexpected. Raised on a ranch, Rahm's passion for meat begins long before it reaches his plate. In my interview with him we discuss the rise of the local butcher, how he relates to his vegetarian friends, and what sets his new show apart from the rest. Tune in tonight, September 24th at 10pm to watch Meat and Potatoes on the Food Network.

Why a show on meat? How did you come up with developing a show unapologetically and uninhibitedly about the love of meat?

Rahm: Well, you know I wanted to do it on cats, but Bugs Bunny would have been my biggest fan. Just kidding. I was just trying to make some sense of humor here. I think that meat is just at a culinary stand point it’s so culinary and it’s culinary fun. It’s still fun, it’s knowledgeable, it’s serious and I just think there’s just so much to it; and its complex but yet so easy. There’s just so much to it. It’s kind of like the jewel of cooking I think. And it’s a lot of different cuisines from Spanish to Italian to French to, even you know, to the American hamburger. It is widely used and we have to be culinary, constantly changing or we will get bored. And there are always changes. BBQ has evolved from one thing to another but it’s still around. It’s very competitive. Steak houses are still to this day one of America’s favorite restaurants. They are still thriving and you know there are different variations of steak houses and I just think there is just so much to it that I like and I would like to learn more and more about it everyday.

In L.A there has been this movement towards the boutique butcher shop and charcuterie, with shops like McCalls and house made salami at restaurants popping up, do you see something emerging in our food culture, returning to buying meat from by your local butcher?

Rahm: Absolutely. You know I think you just answered that question yourself. I’m telling you that I remember but I don’t remember the days. And I would love to remember the days, but I hate to say it but I remember the days when there were butchers. Do you remember the day maybe of the grey haired butcher that stood over the counter and everything was wrapped in the butcher paper? And he’d ask you what you were cooking that day, and you’d say I’m going to be making this. And he picked out the best cut and then he would kind of look at his fingers to make sure his fingers were all there, because it is very dangerous, and kind of a creepy job. But it was that fun butcher that I wish we had in every grocery store, rather then just cellophane wrapped packaging and you’re going ‘Ugh, what do I do with this? When do I do this?’ You have the butcher to kind of guide you. This is stew meat, your going to want to take this home for stew. You don’t know how many times I bet there is somebody going to buy tenderloin because it’s the most expensive and not cooking it properly because you just don’t know. I would love to see more butcher shops, I would love to see more charcuterie. Charcuterie is so fascinating and what I'm reading about now is the art of charcuterie. And the fact that the restaurants are doing it now themselves is absolutely amazing.

Will you ever get the opportunity to cover these butchers and the more obscure cuts of meat that they tend to lead towards? Out in L.A you can order game meat like rabbit, and venison. These cuts of meat are delicious but people don’t really cook them that much anymore because it’s not so readily available unless it’s a regional thing.

Rahm: Yes, I would hope to cover all that stuff in the future of my show. Everything from dry- aging, to not only meats, but charcuteries and headcheese and the different cuts that people have never seen before. And get into game, and get into a lot of different areas of beef that or meat in general that people haven’t seen. Not so much exotic, but on an interesting level. You know, I want the ‘wow’ factor.

Definitely, and America has such an amazing history of regional produce, it would be great to cover. My last question is do you have any vegetarian friends left? And if so what do they think of the show?

Rahm: Yeah, I have a lot. One, they are very proud of me. Two, I’m not a man that is just into the slaughtering of many animals as I can and cooking them, I know and appreciate. Being a rancher, my mom is a third generation rancher. I was raised on a ranch and I know what it takes to get from point A to point B and I appreciate that fact, and there is a reason why it comes out in my sleep so much is the fact that I am so passionate because I do know what it takes. And I express that to all my vegetarian friends because I am very passionate and very caring from where the food does come from. And how it gets to the table and what it takes to get to the table. And you know a lot of my friends are vegetarian by choice and a lot of them are vegetarian by health. I still do love and adore vegetables, it just happens that I just love the history the energy and the time it takes to put meat on the table.

30 SECOND RECIPE

NOLA Iced Coffee

Strong, delicious and oh so easy to make. If you're a coffee lover it's practically a crime that you don't have a jug of this sitting in your fridge right now. The touch of chicory gives the coffee an authentic New Orleans flavor and a lovely roasted, chocolatey kick. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound coarse ground coffee

1 tablespoon roasted and ground chicory

5 cups of cold water

Brown sugar syrup (equal parts brown sugar and water simmered until the sugar is dissolved)

Milk to taste (low fat or whole tastes best)

Ice

Freshly grind the coffee beans and combine with the chicory powder. Place in to bottom of a french press and pour in a third of the water. Stir until you see the grounds form a golden brown foam. Add the rest of the water, place the lid on top (but not pressed) and leave it in the fridge over night (8-12 hours). The next day, to make your coffee, push the press down and pour the coffee into a glass through a strainer. Pour until a third full. Top off with a few teaspoons of the brown sugar syrup and milk to taste (it's a coffee concentrate, so I usually go for a 1:1 ratio). Add some ice and stir. Enjoy!

(Note: the coffee concentrate can last in your fridge for about 4-5 days by itself. Fully mixed with milk and sugar, it's best that day.)

KITCHY EATS

Ricky's Fish Tacos

I recently had an interview with the lovely ladies at Lucky Magazine where they asked me what my favorite fish taco in LA was. Ummmmmm.....

I needed to find a favorite fish taco right quick.

So I scurried to the internet to do a little research. I found Ricky from Ricky's Fish Tacos on his twitter account and immediately assumed he was a food truck, because that's a thing now, twitter +truck, right? Anyway, I see that he's on Virgil and Sunset, up the street from Silver Lake which is my "sliding doors" fantasy neighborhood if I were a dog owning hipster. My boyfriend and I circled the block a few times looking for Ricky's Taco Truck; I refreshed his twitter page, still I couldn't see him. I finally made the obvious choice of going to the address listed and following the smell of bubbling fat. Bingo! Not a taco truck at all, but rather a taco stand, hidden in a small parking lot and shrouded by green tarps. I order one fish, one shrimp, and one agua fresca. The fish and shrimp are fried to order in a mysterious batter. The only ingredients divulged to me were flour and oregano, so I guess I'll have to keep eating fish tacos to figure it out. We drizzle the tacos with a little crema, and a couple of the salsas they have on hand (the chipotle one is the best, yum!). And then we bite. Oh my goodness, I found my favorite fish taco. No need to continue the search. Perfectly seasoned, golden and crisp yet mysteriously light, and perfect with a glass of super sweet agua fresca. I think I made this clear in the prose, but if you can, go here. Ricky is there, his straw fedora tilted jauntily back on his head, ready to serve you up a plate of delicious tacos. The shrimp were my favorite, but the fish is excellent as well. Enjoy!

Would you have recognized this from the street?

Stalker shot of Ricky...

The bif enjoying his agua fresca.

NUT MILK

The first time I heard about almond milk, my immediate thought was, "But how do they milk the almonds?" Ugh. Sometimes I can practically feel the wheels and and cogs grinding together up there. Luckily I didn't mutter this out loud in the market. I instead pondered this miracle of milkable nuts for about 10 more seconds before realizing "milk" was a bit of a misnomer, and the nuts are instead pressed and emulsified with water. It looks milky, is a great replacement for your cereal or vegan baking recipes that call for soy milk, and did I mention it tastes amazing? Inspired by the bourbon spiked pecan milk punch Whitney showed me, I went on a milk making mission. The pecan version is included below, but so is a cocoa hazelnut and honey orange almond one. The hazelnut is an adult version of my favorite chocolate milk through a silly straw after school snack, and the almond honey and orange milk is delicate and, this sounds odd, innocent tasting. Like a lamb running through a pasture of clover, there's something to sweet and light about this almond combination. To be honest, the combinations are endless, so have some fun and experiment; it's as simple as dumping it in a blender and straining. A pistachio rosewater milk will probably be my next attempt. Enjoy!

Note: If you leave this in your fridge, it will separate and look a little scary. Just shake to bring it all together.

Spiced Pecan Milk



1 cup raw pecan pieces
2 cups water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
spoonful coconut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup light agave syrup, depending on how sweet you want it.
a dash of salt

For the pecan milk, combine everything and half the water. Whiz, add the rest of the water, and whiz until frothy. Pour through a mesh strainer and press the left over bits with a spatula. Set aside in the fridge.

Almond Honey Orange Milk



1 cup raw almonds
2 cups water
spoonful coconut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup honey, depending on how sweet you want it.
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
a dash of salt

For the almond milk, combine everything and half the water. Whiz, add the rest of the water, and whiz until frothy. Pour through a mesh strainer and press the left over bits with a spatula. Set aside in the fridge.

Cocoa Hazelnut Milk



1 cup raw hazelnuts
2 cups water
spoonful coconut butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Vahlrona))
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup maple syrup, depending on how sweet you want it.
a dash of salt

For the hazelnut milk, combine everything and half the water. Whiz, add the rest of the water, and whiz until frothy. Pour through a mesh strainer and press the left over bits with a spatula. Set aside in the fridge.

FASHION'S NIGHT OUT DOLLYCAKE BONANZA!

I've been busy with these dollycakes over the past week, so in honor of fashion's night out and the kick off of fashion, here they are, my own home baked runway.

McQueen, F2010





Rodarte, F2010




Proenza Schouler, S2010





Rodarte, F2010