almond cherry cake

the last time we were in los angeles, i took a little excursion to one of my favorite stores in culver city - surfas! it's a very dangerous place because i can't leave without spending under $100 and it takes at least an hour to wander around the aisles looking at all the great supplies and ingredients, tasting cheeses and grabbing lunch. i discovered a great almond paste made in CA by these guys and even though i had nothing in mind to bake, i knew i had to get it. this recipe is adapted from the almond pound cake recipe on their website - i love the rich moist flavor almond paste adds to pastries and thought it would pair nicely with sweet ripe cherries. a slice of this cake would be an especially sweet treat with a pot of coffee for breakfast - enjoy!

Almond Cherry Cake

5 tbs unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

16 oz natural almond paste

zest of 2 lemons

5 large eggs

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup cherries, pitted and cut in half

confectioner's sugar for dusting

preheat oven to 325 degrees F. with an electric mixer, beat together butter, olive oil and sugar until fluffy and combined. add almond paste and lemon zest and beat until smooth. beat in the eggs one at a time. add flour and baking powder and mix until just combined. fold in cherries. pour batter into a greased 9-inch round cake pan and bake 40-45 minutes or until center is set. cool in pan for 20 minutes, remove and cool completely on wire rack. dust with confectioner's sugar to serve.

hippie salad

today we are taking a healthy turn with a little hippie salad. quinoa has been gaining popularity and is a very beneficial grain but can sometimes be a little boring. in this easy salad we've added tons of flavor and fresh summer vegetables to liven things up. we rarely call for store bought products in our recipes but this salad utilizes trader joe's roasted garlic hummus to create a quick "dressing" - feel free to make your own hummus if you're feeling adventurous! and throw in whatever summer veggies and herbs you happen to have on hand. enjoy!

Quinoa & Carrot Salad

3/4 cup cooked quinoa

2 carrots, peeled and made into ribbons

2 medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 ripe avocado, pitted and cut into chunks

3 tbs roasted garlic hummus

3 tbs fresh basil, chopped

1 tbs olive oil

1 lime, juiced

salt & pepper to taste

in a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and stir well to coat evenly.

pictures & pickles

our post today is inspired by many different sources - momofuku ssam bar, farmer's market and old magazines. on our recent trip to nyc, we had a great plate of pickled vegetables at ssam bar and tasted some ingredients i'd never think of pickling! farmer's market on sunday was beautiful but all i could think of was which vegetables could bath in vinegar, salt and sugar when we got home. we've also been going through years of old magazines to recycle and ripping out loads of recipes and photo inspiration - food & wine, gourmet, domino, the list goes on and on. but i found a fun recipe for david chang's sweet & sour pickles in an issue of Food & Wine from 2007 and adapted it for this recipe. the brine works for almost any veggies you'd like to pickle. enjoy!

Pickled Veg

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1/8 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

2 cups daikon root, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick

1 cup carrot, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 pickling cucumbers, sliced 1/-inch thick

combine water, sugar, salt and vinegars in a pot and bring to a boil. simmer until sugar and salt are dissolved and remove from heat. arrange prepared vegetables in clean glass jars and cover with hot liquid. let cool to room temperature, seal and refrigerate overnight or up to two weeks.

crab & corn

as promised, here's a little appetizer that will go perfectly with our pretty in pink cocktail! sweet corn is nice and ripe right now and a great friend to big lumps of crab, a squeeze of lime and a hint of spice in these crab & corn cakes. serve them as an appetizer with some homemade meyer lemon aioli or make it a light refreshing meal with two cakes and a little salad of mache, avocado and grapefruit. 

Crab & Corn Cakes

makes 10 cakes

1 lb lump crab

3 ears corn, white or yellow

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

3 green onions, chopped

1 egg

juice of 1 lime, plus wedges for garnish

2 tbs fresh chopped cilantro

1 tbs dijon mustard

2 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp sambal chili garlic paste

olive oil for frying

drain crab well and place in a large bowl. cut kernels of corn off cob carefully. use the back of the knife to scrape some of the "milk" and bits left on the cob and combine with crab. add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. form 2 1/2-inch patties with your hands and place on a sheet pan. refrigerate for 20 minutes. heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and carefully add a few cakes, not overcrowding the pan. lightly pan fry cakes for 2-3 minutes per side or until nicely browned. remove any corn kernels that fall out from the pan while frying, as they will jump and pop. let rest on paper towels, repeat with remaining cakes and serve immediately. enjoy!

pretty in pink

here's a bright refreshing cocktail for you since the weather seems to be warm everywhere now. this drink is inspired by something similar we had before dinner here and is kind of a ramped up greyhound proper, one of our favorite go-to beverages. a splash of aperol gives it a unique flavor. it's an italian aperitif we've been seeing more of lately and is also a great addition to a glass of champagne. enjoy this cocktail on a sunny patio or rooftop deck with friends and check out a crab & corn appetizer recipe here on friday that would go perfectly. cheers!

Pretty in Pink

5 oz fresh grapefruit juice

2 oz gin

1.5 oz aperol

5 drops bitters

combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. pour over ice into a highball glass and serve.

the big apple

back from a busy but great week in nyc! we had a little rain, a little sun and a lot of great meals. we had a fabulous lunch at momofuku ssam bar which included steamed pork buns (of course!) and amazing pork scrapple with thick cut bacon, a perfectly poached egg and a little salad of frisee and mizuna on top - unreal!! another great lunch was had sitting at the bar of gramercy tavern for a late afternoon cocktail and delicious pulled pork sandwich. we had an amazing dinner at locanda verde in the greenwich hotel - the garlicky fava bean crostini and homemade ravioli were great but the best part of the meal was dessert - a scoop each of malted milk chocolate and rice custard gelato. another highlight of the meal was meeting jeffrey steingarten, food critic and author, and his lovely wife at the bar after dinner. can't wait to go back again for more foodie adventures!

natural beauty

we are having a very busy week but wanted to say hi and leave you with something pretty to look at! the two polariods are from this trip to napa & sonoma last fall, when persimmons were growing and leaves were changing color. remember this sneak peek? well, the berry recipes i developed are in the latest issue of Vegetarian Times as well as a beautiful beach picnic article i styled and this lovely lady shot - check it out & have a happy holiday weekend!