blueberry thyme pastry bites

Has this week just dragged on for everyone else?! So excited it's the weekend. I have some fun dinner plans - specifically an outing to Osteria Mozza (!!) that I 'm excited to write about next week.

This recipe is a cinch to make and perfect for a quick platter of food to munch on while you're drinking cocktails with your family and friends this weekend. I made a sweet version (with mascarpone and blueberry preserves), but you could definitely make it savory with onion jam, pancetta, and gruyere or pureed pumpkin and goat cheese. I'm going to attempt a corn, thyme, and mascarpone version tonight when our friend Mike visits.  

blueberry thyme pastry bites

(makes 16 bites)

1 sheet puff pastry

1/2 cup of mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup blueberry preserves

1 bunch of thyme

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray miniature muffin pan with cooking spray.

Defrost a sheet of puff pastry. Roll the pastry out to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 16 equal squares. (It's easiest to do this by cutting the dough halfway horizontally then again vertically. Then cut each half into another half. Voila! You have 16 equal pieces.)

Place the squares into the pan and lightly press the dough down into each cupcake cup, while leaving the edges above the cup. Fill the dough with 1/2 tablespoon of mascarpone, 1/2 tablespoon of blueberry preserves, and a large pinch of thyme.

Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool approximately 3-5 minutes. Enjoy!

dreaming of homemade ice cream

You know when you go to restaurants and people say are you a "fruit dessert person" or a "chocolate dessert person"? Well, I'm a neither. I'm an ice cream dessert person. I'd rather have a scoop of simple ice cream over any cake, cookie, fancy molten chocolate thing - you get the idea.

We purchased an ice cream maker so I can make homemade batches. You know...to get my fix every now and then. I posted about an awesome guinness ice cream recipe that we had for a while. I also made a chocolate banana batch. But other than that, we've hardly used it. It's really a shame. It's the easiest ice cream machine ever.

We hired Coolhaus to make ice cream sandwiches for our wedding. Their flavors are so outlandish and amazing (balsamic fig and mascarpone and brown butter with candied bacon are two of my favorites), and I'm newly inspired to whip up some ice cream.

...basic recipes...

(vanilla ice cream via david lebovitz)

(strawberry ice cream via the faux martha)

(chocolate ice cream via forty cakes)

(mint chip ice cream via david lebovitz)

...decadent recipes...

(oatmeal cookie chunk ice cream via dinner or dessert)

(pumpkin ice cream via williams-sonoma)

(reeses peanut butter cup ice cream via recipe girl)

(no cook fig mint ice cream via southern living)

...unusually delicious recipes...

(chunky elvis ice cream via snappy gourmet)

(sweet corn ice cream with salted caramel sauce via taste and tell)

(buttermilk ice cream via smitten kitchen)

(cherry bourbon ice cream via southern living)

(salted caramel and candied bacon ice cream via spoon fork bacon)

...my personal favorite...

(cookies and cream ice cream via a little bite of everything)

mini chocolate souffles

So Josh walks in last Friday and announces that by the end of the year, he hopes to master the souffle. A little back story on Josh - he loves to learn everything possible about one thing, whatever that one thing happens to be at the moment. I always joke that his favorite hobby is becoming an expert at something. No big deal. There was the whiskey phase, the poached egg phase, the swimming phase (this one has been around since birth and I don't think it's ending anytime soon), and now we're apparently in the souffle phase. But, given my love for all things sweet and baked, I'm in.

It should only be appropriate that we tore through all of my cookbooks and scoured the internet for chocolate souffle recipes. There was even a (slightly) heated debate over which one we would ultimately pick for our first try. The recipe below was perfect for beginners. We ended up with rich and fluffy souffles. If you use the recipe below, I recommend adding a creme anglaise sauce. Or, simply melt some vanilla ice cream and pour a few tablespoons on top.

mini chocolate souffles

(recipe adapted from Bake Me Blush)
4 servings, using 4 - 3 1/2" ramekins

Butter and granulated sugar for the molds
7 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (we used Guittard)
2 tablespoons prepared espresso
5 eggs, separated
1/2 cup white sugar
A pinch of salt

Let butter and eggs come to room temperature - set on counter at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and sugar the four ramekins. Cover each ramekin with a bit of plastic wrap and shake so that the sugar is evenly dispersed.

Melt chocolate in top of double boiler. Let cool.

Separate eggs.

Whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until mixture is a light lemon yellow.

Pour cooled melted chocolate into yolks and quickly whisk to combine.

Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold a stiff peak. It is easiest to do this with an electric mixer.

Gently fold a third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

Add the chocolate mixture back into the remaining egg whites. Fold gently to combine.

Divide batter evenly between prepared ramekins. Batter should fill the ramekins to just under the brim.

Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 25-28 minutes. Cakes should still be a little jiggly, but not raw on top. Don't wait until tops are stiff and springy or they will likely be overcooked underneath. Gently removed from baking sheet and place on table, so as not to disturb the structure of the souffle. Serve with creme anglaise or vanilla ice cream.

inspired by bar carts

Josh is quite the collector of whiskeys, glassware, cocktail books, and all things bar related. We bought a large cabinet from Ikea, which has ample storage. We screwed wine glass racks in the top so we can store some stemware. And (!!) we found a home - on a bottom shelf - for his lovely collection of various shot glasses.

Recently I was perusing through the bar and noticed how many beautiful bottles and glasses he's collected over the years. I've decided that these need to be showcased, and I've been inspired to purchase a bar cart.

(barware i adore - a mirrored tray, vintage julep cups, coupes, tiffany's rocks glass, and brass shaker)

Our Downtown LA loft is a mixture of designs. It's obviously got that modern vibe (1 giant room, exposed piping, concrete slabs on the walls), but we've decorated with warm, homey items like leather couches, oversized pillows, and a reclaimed wood dining room table. So for the bar cart, anything goes.

(classic brass and glass cart via everything fabulous)

(vintage oval, metal, and glass bar cart via apartment therapy)

(flea market find - square glass and detailed metal bar cart via ny times)

I love his setup of a mimosa bar with champagne bottles chilling in a punch bowl. So chic and a great way to make use of our punch bowl.

(round glass and metal 3-tiered cart via amazon)

(rectangular metal wood cart via elle decor)

(white foldable tray table via cb2)

(round leather with removable trays cart via z gallerie)

The removable trays are perfect for playing hostess. You can bring the drink refills to your guests.

 (large rectangular wood cart via prz man)

(foldable cart via design press)

(modern glass and metal cart with bar on bottom shelf via mirror mirror)

This could be perfect if we needed to place the bar cart further away from the dining and cooking areas. We could keep the glasses and bottles on the bottom in a festive tray and place candles, cocktail books, and fresh flowers up top. And the structure is fabulous.

a meatless monday

I'm sure most of you are familiar with this movement, but just in case...Meatless Monday is a global initiative to get people to exclude meat from their diets one day a week. The movement hopes to promote health benefits like limiting cancer risk, reducing heart disease, fighting diabetes, and curbing obesity. Meatless Monday also strives to benefit the environment through reducing your carbon footprint, minimizing water usage, and helping reduce fossil fuel dependence. (You can read more here.)

While Josh and I don't follow Meatless Monday as much as we probably should, we've made a concerned effort to cut out meat for dinner at least 1-2 times per week. I made a noodle dish incorporating rice noodles, cabbage, zucchini, and tofu. It was filling, tasty, and super inexpensive - about $1 a serving. And it takes less than 20 minutes to make (including boiling water), so it's a great weeknight option.

zucchini ribbon, cabbage, and tofu noodles
serves 4

8 oz of brown rice noodles
1 package of firm tofu

3 large zucchini
1 small cabbage
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper

For tofu marinade:

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili oil

For noodles sauce:
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Bring a pot of water up to boil. Cut tofu into small squares about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. Place tofu on plate lined with paper towel. Place another paper towel on top and press to remove some of the water in the tofu. I repeated this with new paper towels 3 times.

Add rice noodles to boiling water and following cooking time on the package.

Mix together tofu marinade ingredients and toss tofu in marinade. Spray pan with cooking oil and place tofu on medium high heat. Turn tofu when sides begin to brown. About 3 minutes. Turn off heat when tofu is browned on both sides.

Using a vegetable peeler, shred zucchini in long ribbons. Spray pan with cooking oil and place zucchini on medium heat, stirring every minute or so for about 3 minutes.

Remove outer leaves of cabbage. Cut cabbage into quarters. Cut each quarter into thin pieces. Add cabbage to zucchini and cover with lid. Turn off heat and remove lid when vegetables have started to steam but still retain strong green color and a bit of crunch. About 2-3 minutes.

Drain noodles and mix with vegetables, tofu, and sauce ingredients.