ARO-Latin

Ten Top Surprising Must-Try Ethnic Desserts

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) These local Ten to try local desserts are the best in the world, full of fascinating flavors and textures — and even shapes. Even if you are not a dessert lover, these might change your mind; they did change mine. Pictured above is our original list. The Mont Blanc and Praline Bar from Susina Bakery and the Merengue Chip at Le Pain De Quotidien (top left), and the Chocolate Meringue Stick Cake second from bottom, right column, are still superb but no longer available!

(1) Bouchon

This little bouncy, lump of a flourless chocolate cake was introduced to me as “the best chocolate thing you ever ate” at the Culver City Farmers Market. And it is! I went back for more, and also ordered from the bakery nearby.

Pastry school graduates, Sylvia and Sam, a Parisian couple, who moved to LA in 2015 have been the bakers (and company staff) from the beginning. Sam graduated from Ferrandi school in France and honed his experience at places famous for deserts, such as Spago Restaurant and Bottega Louie. When Sam is not in the kitchen experimenting, shares their culture and passion for gastronomy at the farmers markets. And Kathy (below)is the smiling presence at the farmers market counters when Sam is in the kitchen.

Jean DELVIGNE, her beloved baker grandfather, inspired them. To honor his name they use a traditional recipe with seasonal ingredients from California and a grass-fed butter from France.

This and their other delectable pastries, breads and croissants are at the Culver City Farmers Market on Tuesdays and at the Studio City Market on Sundays. Details for orders and pick-ups on Saturday in Culver City bakery are on the website: //www.delvignecroissant.com

The “best chocolate thing ever” from Delvigne Bakery (Kathy above)
A clost-up of The “best chocolate thing ever” from Delvigne Bakery

(2) Canales

Canales at Proof, Atwater are so popular that no matter how many they make, they sell out by 10 in the morning. French Tart Magazine described them at “magical French bakery confections, little fluted cakes with a rich rum and vanilla interior enclosed by a thin caramelized shell. One day they may rival crème brulee.”

Canales are baked in special, difficult to find, tin-lined copper molds. The brilliant recipe was developed long ago by an anonymous Bordeaux cook and then refined the next 300 years. Glossy and dark brown, almost black at first sight, bittersweet at first bite, the crunchy burnt sugar canale-shell makes an exquisite contract to the smooth, sweet filling.

In Gironde, a southern region of French, alone consumed over 4.5 million canals annually as long ago as 1992. They are popular at the internationally famous Laduree and Pierre Herme in Paris. And now at the Laduree in Beverly Hills.

Proof, Atwater 3156 Brand Avenue, Glendale. For details: //www.proofbakery.com Laduree Beverly Hills 311 N Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 For current details:please see //www.laduree.fr/en/laduree-beverly-hillls


(3) Chocolate and Classic Olive oil cake

This textured, light cake has a hint of orange and the cornmeal that is made of gives it a slightly crunchy texture. The olive oil makes it moist without being greasy.   The pastry chef at Saddlepeak serves it with drops of lemon curd, buttermilk ice cream and fresh strawberry slices. Little Dom’s has it in their to-go selection of desserts as well as in the restaurant menu on occasion. The Commissary serves it in mini-brick slices.

The Commissary, locations across LA //www.Thecommissaryla.com and Little Dom’s in Silverlake (www.dominick’s.com)

The best olive oil cake ever still at Little Dom’s in Silverlake
Olive oil makes the chocolate shine in a chocolate olive oil cake

(4)Marino ristorante Ricotta Cheesecake

The Ricotta cheesecake looks “sorta” like the NY version but it is made in-house from a family recipe with freshly made ricotta, that lends it a more rustic and substantial feel, and dotted with dried citrus fruit.   It has two pages on Google devoted to it. Enough said.

Marino ristorante Ricotta Cheesecake

Marino Ristorante, 6001 Melrose Avenue, East Hollywood, Avalilable in the restaurant and for takeaway. Please see //(www.marinorestaurant.com)

(5) Traditional Moroccan Almond Macaron

They look like a winsome, round, cracked piece of clay. They are just big enough for one or two bites, almost stepping in for one layer of the Marjolaine with the snap and the uniquely satisfying taste of almond paste, just enough of the chewy quality of a cookie and the zing of a hint of lemon.

Got Kosher Takeaway, Next door to Harissa Restaurant, 8916 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035. For details please see //www.gotkosherinc.com

(6) Pan de Muerto

Master Baker, Alex Peña’s Dia de los Muertos holiday bread, Pan de Muerto, may look like dough but it literally looks like a cloud in his hands.   And it feels like a cloud when you taste it. So it is considered an honor to be gifted with this confection. The bread is elaborate, decorated with skulls and bones, and sprinkled with sugar or covered in sesame seeds depending on region home, on the ofrendas or alter, along with the statuettes of life and death, one on each side.  Peña’s  would be on the altar.  His is the best.

These days Master Baker Alex is head of research at Bellarise. You can still purchase the pan de los Muertos at Latino bakeries and supermarkets, such as Northgate. Alex may even have been a consultant to make them stay fresher longer!

Master Baker Alex Pena’s sesame-covered Pan de Muerto.  Toppings, such as sesame seeds or sugar, differ in the regions of Mexico or Latin America

(7) Vanilla Bean Trio of Triangle Scones at Starbucks

Corporate tried to take them off the menu but popular demand brings them back. The actual specs of bean in the vanilla glaze was what first attracted me to them in the first place, the refined, slightly sweet bisquity texture under the delicate gaze keeps me coming back.  

(www.starbucks.com)

(8) Lemon Hazelnut Torte

The Torte is a pared down, more elegant California version of the Marjolaine, which has for me every single ingredient makes a cake perfect: layers of crunchy praline,  ground nuts and marshmallowy meringue with the added surprise of citrus.  How can you not love anything so labor intensive and difficult as its small layers with fillings of praline, buttercream, vanilla-rum buttercream and chocolate buttercream. The Lemon Hazelnut has instead lemon curd and buttercream, the better to contrast flavors as well as textures, my dear.  

The Annenberg Beach House, 415 Pacific Coast Hwy, Santa Monica, CA 90402 //www.annenbergbeachhouse.com Il Forno, Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA, 2901 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica, CA //www.ilfornocaffe.com

IMG_1239
Lemon Hazelnut Torte at the Il Forno on Ocean Avenue
A Lemon Hazelnut Torte to enjoy overlooking the ocean at Annenberg Beach House

(9) Danish Farm -inspired Chocolate chip cookie

No ordinary chocolate cookie, Danish born and bred chef Leni Houck perfected it in the past 15 years. The secret of this lacy, chewy and still crisp cookie is the speckles of semi- dried cherries along with the chocolate chips. We were headed to this Danish food shop after our writer friend @tableconversation was lamenting last Christmas that a continuation of Scandinavian goodies are much needed since Olson’s left. And lo and behold, Chef Lene Houck’s name came up with Open Face Food Shop, which she operates with husband Mark, who is experienced the hospitality industry. This means building not only the sandwiches from scratch, and this toothsome chocolate chip cookie you can also eat on counters and chairs or benches that runs all around the corner building they renovated from a 1959 hot dog stand.

Open Face Food Shop 5577 W. Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016 //www.openfacefoodshop.com

Open Face Food Shop’s lacy, chewy, crisp chocolate chip cookie with semi- dried cherry speckles

(10) Spoonful of Comfort Cookies

Another chocolate chip and also oatmeal cookie that stands out in our mind are the ones from Spoonful of Comfort. And these were even mailed in a box!

s//spoonfulofcomfort.com

New Latin-Inspired CowLESS Burgers!

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) A new choice on the market for meatless eating is the CowLESS vegan burger option in South Pasadena, made with a grilled Beyond Meat patty, shredded lettuce, a fat tomato slice, vegan cheese, housemade chipotle and mayo for richness and a pillowy brioche bun. The burger is so popular there are now plans to add more locations in Pasadena and Los Angeles.

New for meatless eating is the CowLESS vegan burger option in South Pasadena.

The burger is $11 for a single patty and $14 for a double burger. My vegan friends went wild over the burger.   It is absolutely delicious and textured and it tastes like beef for those who have never had beef.  And in a generation or two down the line there will probably be so many more of these diners!  A pile of long, thin, crispy fries ($4) pair perfectly with the burger. Both, along with more vegetarian sides, are currently available for outside dining, pick-up and delivery.

CowLESS South Pasadena offers luscious vegetarian sides like Pan-seared Cauliflower ($9)

Owner Raina’s son, Karin is dedicated to his new culinary tastes, which influences his entire lifestyle.  As Karan reports, “ four, five years ago, my son played quarterback in high school.  They would finish up a game and head over to one of a number of junk food places and eat and eat to their heart’s content.  He was an avid eater all the time though, at the restaurant where he worked for ten years and at home, too.  Karen laughed, “ he never less than half a dozen pieces of bacon at breakfast – and that was just for starters.”

Karin Raina who created the cowLESS Burger (photo courtesy Karin Raina)
Kiran Raina before going vegan (photo courtesy Karin Reina)

In Karin’s own words, “I became a vegetarian a little over five years ago.  I felt like eating animals was wrong.  And that it would be better for my body if I ate non-processed foods.   I also wanted to challenge myself to learn how to cook with healthier food options.  I came across the idea of cowLESS because I wanted to eat something that felt a little more hearty– than the less filling vegetable dishes.  CowLESS was also inspired partially due to my friends thinking traditional vegan food is either tasteless or boring!”

The CowLESS Burger: A beyond Meat patty, shredded lettuce, tomato, vegan cheese, housemade chipotle and mayo made on a sizzling griddle

The CowLESS was developed by Karan’s son, Karin Raina, and Sri Sambangi.

Clorder/Virtual restaurant founder-partner Sridhar (Sri) Sambangi, has always had a passion for cooking Indian cuisine since he was a boy in rural southern India using fresh farm ingredients.  It continued throughout his almost quarter century career as a technology executive and entrepreneur with extensive experience in enterprise cloud applications. 

The idea for Clorder came to Sri when he was involved in an IPO journey from early stage startup phase to IPO at Cornerstone On Demand, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSOD).   The team he managed remembered him organizing wildly popular catered dinners for in-house every Friday, sourcing the highest quality items.  Everyone looked forward the sessions even though work ended at midnight.   

Sri carries this experience and expertise through both in Clorder, a company he created to build branding and marketing platforms for restaurants, and in co-creating menus and operational functions for VR concepts. 

  These days  Chef Javier Estrella from the culinary mecca of Mexico City is in the kitchen making the burgers. Chef Estrella gained local experience working for over two years at La Huasteca near Bell Gardens, voted one of the ten best eating places in the area.  In the works now is a house-made meatless burger.

Chef Javier Estrella makes the new CowLESS burger in South Pasadena

For the CowLESS burger and all eaters there are other vegetarian and vegan options, like Vegan Pasta and Quesadillas ($11). A crunchy braised Brussels sprouts and a creamy, Grilled Cauliflower ($9). The Cauliflower boasts a common Asian “secret” ingredient that makes it surprisingly silky: coconut milk. A delicate pesto folded into the coconut milk makes for a refreshing addition to the slightly crunchy florets.

The creamy, Pan-seared Cauliflower bathed in a pesto and coconut milk sauce at CowLESS
The creamy, Grilled Cauliflower at CowLESS, South Pasadena
Braised Brussels Sprouts offered by cowLESS
Braised Brussels Sprouts developed as a winter root vegetable star, Coles de Bruselas, simply dressed in vinegar and oil.
Candy Garcia and Karan Raina, proud parents of Karin, who created the new CowLESS meatless burger

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How to Find your Favorite Ethnic Bites Anywhere

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) Are you as daring an ethnic food dinner at home as you are when traveling?  According to a recent TopDeck Travel survey, travelers are more and more motivated notably to experience the local cuisine while traveling but to actually travel to seek out the best dish of its kind.

Local food

An Indian picnic with friends and family sharing regional dishes

The same rules sent to us apply at home, even experimenting in your own kitchen at home.  And we have found that the closer to home cooking ethnic can be, the better it tastes.

Here are some of our favorite finds from 2017 with using Topdeck Travel Tips to Experience Authentic Food Culture Around the World (or At Home).

Follow the locals:  Wander away from the touristy areas and find the restaurants where locals eat. If a spot is flooded with locals enjoying each other’s company, it’s likely that this restaurant offers authentic cuisine.

Practice food customs: Respect is key when visiting a new place. Whenever you travel somewhere new, take the time to learn about local meal etiquette. This will make you a more respectful guest and a less invasive tourist.

Ask for advice: Locals and well-seasoned travelers are the best sources of advice when it comes to finding exceptional food. Ask about the best places to eat and the best dishes to try — your tastebud guide will likely not disappoint.

Attend festivals and events: Food festivals offer an exciting array of local cuisine, and most of the time, you’ll be surrounded by cultural music and crafts as well. These types of events are great to wander with friends or simply get lost in the crowd.

Taste mindful: Once you actually bite into a new dish, slow down and engage all of your senses. Take the time to enjoy the flavors, as it might be a completely new tasting experience. This moment might be among the most memorable of your trip.

Learn what you like: Even the most adventurous foodies don’t like every single food they try. Remember that just because something is popular does not mean that you will like it. Being honest and critical is how you develop a palette.

 

Follow the locals: Explore places where the locals eat instead of touristy areas.  An Asian restaurant filled with Asians is a good indication of its value.
Visitors to Greece in the “old days” used to be invited to weddings and other family occasions by strangers.  Last Summer we trailed along to a party at ARO-LATIN after a food event and found ourselves in the middle of a family graduation-birthday party, eating what the family was eating!

Toasts with a special Havana Club Anejo tequila!

We had all the dishes the family ordered for their special dinner!
And after the meal, even though there was no rug to roll up, the family started line dancing and invited us to join!  A priceless, lifetime memory experience!  

 

Practice food customs:  Respect is key when visiting a new place.  Take the time to learn about local meal etiquette and listen.

This holiday season was invited to an Oaxacan New Year’s Eve feast.  After hesitating because it was in a somewhat dangerous part of town, we went anyway and had the perfect introduction to 2018.  We also were also treated to the extraordinary Mezcal (below).

dessert

Our beautiful hostess prepares a fruit and yogurt dessert

Try a little of everything! Rice, pasta, chicken, pork, and mole.  Everything tastes so different when cooked at home.

My favorite turned out to be pasta, which I rarely eat, with roasted grasshoppers!

Everything is more tasty in a group!

Pasta

Pasta with fried grasshoppers with flavor and a unique crunch! 

Ask for advice: Locals and well-seasoned travelers are often more reliable sources of for finding exceptional food.  And they usually love to share their “finds.”

We discovered a fisherman who owns Fisherman’s Daughter Seafood at a local farmer’s market.  He had just returned from a fishing outing on the Bering Sea (!) and very excited about sharing his catch with us!  He was a wealth of information on wild, fresh and varieties of salmon.

 

Attend festivals and events: Food festivals offer a choice of new and varied ethnic dishes, often in a leisurely atmosphere with cultural music and art and where chefs are happy to chat.


We also invited to a rare experience at a picnic where friends and family shared their timeworn, most popular recipes.
Taste mindful: Once you actually bite into a new dish, slow down and engage all of your senses. Take the time to enjoy the flavors because it might be a completely new tasting experience. This moment might be among the most memorable of all.

Cooking Indian regional dishes for friends and family, even better tasting outdoors.

I add:  Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  I learned the most this year from hearing answers to questions asked by people I thought were experts.

Learn what you like:  Even the most adventurous foodies don’t like every single food they try. Just because something is popular does not mean that you will like it. Being candid and discerning is how you develop a palette.

At the New Year’s Eve dinner, we were offered authentic worm Mezcal La Reserva del Viejo Herradero.  It was extraordinary, brewed with 100% Agave Espadín, in strict accordance with a traditional recipe of Oaxaca.  It is then packed under strict control in the State of Mexico.  

 The wild notes of the Agave Espadín are balanced with the smoked flavor of the traditional production process that incorporates a light caramel that makes it smooth even though it is 40% alcohol by volume.

We learned that the very proper way it to drink it “straight” accompanied by a slice of sour orange seasoned with the worm salt in a little bag that comes with the mezcal. 

That little bag on the side of the bottle contains, the authentic maguey worm and a bag of jute with worm salt.  It’s more classic than the new trendy American TAJÍN, grains of confetti-colored dried lime with world-class chilies and sea salt.

 

 

 

 

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