The Great American Bakery Hunt

Baked goods in nature at The Sea Ranch

2011-11-25T23:26:00.000-08:00

After a trip to Monterey Bay for my first half marathon, I had the chance to visit Sea Ranch, a beachside community in Sonoma County, California. Just a quick stop at the San Francisco Airport to drop off my running buddy April and then I was driving solo, onward towards my destination. Just a woman, a Toyota with good mileage, and a love affair with the coastline. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in the late afternoon, I was lucky to make it before dark to the windy stretch of Highway 1 that would lead me towards Sea Ranch. Along this route, cows graze with a killer view, sometimes in dangerously close proximity to the road.

Approaching Sea Ranch, you must take care to watch for deer and wild turkeys crossing the street.

Plus, there are seal pups!

While this drive is not for the faint of heart, it's entirely worth it if you're a fan of the beautiful surroundings. Plus, there's the unexpected baked goods.

When I arrived to visit family renting a house in the area, an apricot windowpane from Two Fish Baking Company was waiting for me.

While sometimes my bakery destinations are planned months or even years ahead of time, some of the best finds are the surprise spots that loved ones lead me to. That night, we nibbled on the crumbly apricot windowpane beside a roaring fire with the promise of more baked goods to come on Wednesday. This bakery has limited hours, so you must strategically plan your visit. Luckily for me, I found out about Two Fish upon my arrival and just in time for their specially adjusted hours (designated for Thanksgiving treat pick-ups.) The friendly owners, Margaret and Hilla, greeted us warmly upon our arrival and were cheerful despite the fact that Thanksgiving prep is a busy, grueling work week in the baking profession. Hilla's enthusiastic sweet tooth even prompted her to pull out her Iphone and share a donut shop discovery from her last visit to Brooklyn, displaying a picture of the blood orange glazed variety from Dough Donuts. I was pretty pleased that the owners' kindred spirit bakery hunting tendencies were strong enough to prompt Iphone photo shares with complete strangers like myself. I drove away with a morning bun, a sticky bun, and a cappuccino to enjoy over the course of the long trek homeward (plus a mental note to book a flight to New York and get a donut from Dough.) The Two Fish morning bun was soft, fresh, doughy, and delicious, and in the interest of full disclosure, I devoured it in a matter of seconds.

The sticky bun was a different story: also delicious, but so rich that it lasted me miles of enjoyment until the very last rest stop.

With a newly sticky steering wheel, I happily made my journey with a full belly and the perfect sweet to snack on with a cup of joe. But as it turns out, this sticky bun pairs well with other beverages too. I squeezed this trip in right before Thanksgiving and planned to drive the majority of the way home the day before the holiday. Notorious as one of the worst traffic days, I had visions of Carmageddon taking over all southbound lanes in a hellish rush of turkey travelers. In preparation, I booked a hotel room so I could get some good rest in before the final hours of my drive. As it turned out, this stop was serendipitous: before settling into my hotel room, I bought a Telegraph Stock Porter, a beer brewed locally in Santa Barbara. I considered this beer my reward for completing a long, safe drive, but then discovered it was the perfect companion for my remaining pieces of my sticky bun. If you weren't aware you could enjoy such decadence in a highway adjacent Best Western, now you know. Don't miss a trip to the Two Fish Baking Company during your travels up or down the coast: grab a morning bun--best eaten on the beach, but also suitable for the car if you're in a rush. Either way, it's perfect for nibbling on during your next seaside adventure!

13.1 miles until the Big Sur Bakery

2011-11-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

Back in April, I registered to run the Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay. As a Southern California native, my pattern is to hug the coast for most of my workouts. I'll admit, training is way more enjoyable when you have a beautiful ocean view and (mostly) perfect weather. My friend April, who also signed up to run, is from Maui and has a similar appreciation of the coast.

Running a half-marathon has been on my bucket list for awhile, but beyond achieving this goal, I had one very big ulterior motive: a visit to the Big Sur Bakery and Restaurant. While I consider myself an athlete, I am first and foremost a culinary adventurer. So before setting out upon my journey, I emailed the restaurant my confession. The following is an excerpt:

Subject: Looking forward to seeing your cookbook come to life this weekend

Dear Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant,

I am writing in anticipation of fulfilling a dinner reservation at your restaurant this Sunday. For quite awhile now, I've admired what you all do from reading the pages of your cookbook. Many months ago, I registered to run the Big Sur Half Marathon and I confess that approximately 85% of my motivation had to do with the fact that it would give me the excuse to eat at your restaurant (the remaining percentage accounting for my enjoyment of running and my desire to discover the beauty of Big Sur!) I've been looking at your cookbook in anticipation of the trip and noticed that one of your goals was that the Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant be a destination restaurant-- not just a place where people pass through by happenstance. After reading this, I thought you might enjoy learning about the true motives behind my half-marathon commitment. Since registering for the race in April, I have been met with enthusiastic encouragement from friends. "Good for you," they say. "What a great goal." Little do they know that my motives are driven largely by culinary obsession.

Our race day preparations started at 5 am, but I suspect the day's baked goods were heating up in Big Sur Bakery's wood-fired oven long before that. My race day breakfast was a plain bagel with a packet of Justin's honey peanut butter. This simple meal fueled me through the race so I could experience the culinary reward of a perfect dinner in the restaurant's cozy 1930's house along Highway 1.

Around 7 am, we began to run the beautiful stretch of coast along Monterey Bay. After much anticipation and training, our half-marathon was finally here. Just 13.1 miles until that meal would be ours at Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant. (In reality, it turned out to be about 15.1 miles because we walked to our hotel after the race. But who's counting?) Our legs pounded the pavement and rainy weather sprinkled down on us. After crossing the finish line, I discovered that I ran a faster pace compared with my training runs. Coincidence, or speed driven by culinary inspiration? I'd like to think it was the latter. On the way to dinner, we took our time driving through Big Sur, stopping at just about every scenic turnout to take photos.

While I was a little weary from the race schedule, nothing keeps me going like the promise of an outstanding meal. In the end, Michelle Rizzolo (baker) and Phillip Wojtowicz (chef) not only delivered some very delicious food to our eager stomaches, but also graciously agreed to sign my cookbook.

We enjoyed a lovely, laid-back fireside dinner-- the perfect setting to wrap up an epic, adventurous day. I ate every last bite of my sea bass, which was married with roasted fennel, beets, carrots, and bok choy. I sipped on a Speakeasy Prohibition Ale and felt thankful I declined the free, non-craft beer at the race's finish line. Like visiting this beautiful stretch of the California coast, this beer, and this meal, were both worth waiting for.

During the dark drive home, the picturesque seaside views of the half-marathon were gone, but the night was not over yet. We left the bakery with two brown bags of bread and pastries from the morning's selection. Matt Glazer, the friendly General Manager, was very helpful in setting our desired pastries aside, making our pastry plot through the woods a great success.

Our bellies were full, but not too full to celebrate our run a bit more with a pumpkin strudel and a chocolate chip macadamia nut cookie from the bakery. The next day, we skipped our complimentary hotel breakfast in favor of our bounty from Highway 1. We would not be swayed by a hotel omelet bar, absolutely not! We would snag a few butter patties from the buffet bar and break fresh, crusty bread from the Big Sur Bakery up in our room, because it was the right thing to do. And no one would be the wiser.

A special thanks goes out to April for being a great friend willing to be in cahoots with me on yet another elaborate bakery hunting plan, thanks to April's mom Janice for treating us to a delicious dinner, and thanks to my lovely mom for placing our pastry order and treating us to our Highway 1 wood-fired bounty! And finally, thank you so much to the whole crew at the Big Sur Bakery and Restaurant for the many bites worth traveling for. We'll be back!

Macaroons and more at IFBC Santa Monica

2011-11-16T23:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I attended the International Food Blogger Conference in Santa Monica. Just hours into the weekend-long conference, I ended up behind the kitchen counter assisting Clemence, a teacher at the Gourmandise School of Cooking. It only took one call for volunteers and my hand quickly shot up, much like an overly eager school kid unable to sit still in the audience of a magic show. I was determined to get my hands in that macaroon recipe.

Thanks to Garlic Girl for snapping this photo of me in action at IFBC! This cooking class took place at the after hours event at Santa Monica Place's Gourmandise School of Cooking.

Best of all, I could wear my enthusiasm proudly because I was in a room full of food fanatics. When Clemence warned me she would put me to work, I was thrilled. (I've been not so secretly obsessing about staging in a bakery for way too long. I haven't made it happen just yet, unless you count a short post-college stint selling a local baker's cakes at the Laguna Beach Farmer's Market.) With such a busy work schedule lately, this opportunity for macaroon making was a golden one.

This was my third time attending an IFBC conference, so the experience of transitioning from informative sessions tapping away at my laptop to an activity like sifting flour seemed normal. Perhaps it takes a crowd of bloggers to fully appreciate this dance of thinking and writing about food, then getting into the kitchen. We spend a lot of time transitioning between the virtual space and our kitchen base. As much as we're addicted to internet gastronomy, we're not afraid to get our hands dirty: we follow food editors on Twitter and we peruse recipe sites, but we also willingly and bravely jump into the kitchen ready to try to gain another and then another morsel of knowledge or skill.

At the conference, the crowd is an interesting mix, with terms like search engine optimization and fois gras peppering the conversation in equal measure-- and I wouldn't have it any other way. I am thankful I had the chance to go to IFBC, and felt at home surrounded by a huge group of people, hungry for food and for the opportunity to learn about this delicious niche. Thanks to the folks at Foodista for a great conference, and thanks to Clemence for letting me lend a hand in the kitchen!

Fall Empanada Night

2011-11-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Karin, friend of The Great American Bakery Hunt, for whipping up this from-scratch-batch of fresh empanadas. These empanadas are inspired by her Argentinian host mother's recipe, a recipe she brought to her Los Angeles kitchen after studying abroad. If you don't have an Argentinian host mom, don't worry. If you're willing to get your hands a little dirty, you too can create some empanada dough of your own!

My recent Po Boy Marathon in New Orleans, Louisiana

2011-10-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

While the title of my blog confirms my respect for baked goods, I have a reverence for baking and cooking alike. I also have a deep respect for the construction of a good sandwich, so much so that I will travel to different destinations to taste the best local ingredients stuffed between two slices of bread. My recent travels to New Orleans provided the perfect opportunity to indulge in great sandwiches, more specifically great po boys. When you travel to New Orleans, eating local food is as valid an exploration of the city's history as stepping inside a museum: and po boys are the perfect example of this. Some say the the legendary po boy sandwich originated during the New Orleans streetcar strike of the late 1920's, when restauranteurs Bennie & Clovis Martin fed strikers their hearty sandwiches as an act of support. For me, an independent, thoughtfully executed sandwich shop is more than a place to get a no-frills, hearty lunch. These shops tell the stories of a city's food traditions, treasured recipes, and community.

Any sandwich lover in any American city has their favorite hometown sandwich shop. For my family, it's Giuliano's in Gardena, maker of Italian deli sandwiches that were as much a part of my California childhood as days spent boogie boarding in the Pacific Ocean. To this day, we still nibble on their sandwiches with satisfaction-- though, only after dunking the edge of our bread in their signature oil and vinegar mixture so each bite is transformed into a juicy explosion of dressing and meat and spices. This shop became a part of my family's history when my grandpa's contracting business led him to create the woodworking of the original Guiliano's location-- and my family has enjoyed their sandwiches ever since.

New Orleans is a city where sandwich history is especially honored, local mom and pop businesses are treasured culinary gems, and down-to-earth food and service will fill you up to the brim. But especially since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the kitchens that re-opened and continue to cook up New Orleans cuisine are a symbol of the city's resilience. According to the book Gumbo Tales by Sara Roahen, New Orleans locals "continue to pitch in elbow grease to help their favorite food businesses reopen."

This city honors its local recipes and food traditions as an essential part of its cultural landscape, arguably more so than any American city. Our visit to the Southern Museum of Food and Beverage highlighted this reverence for food culture throughout its exhibits. A quote featured by Judy Walker, Food Editor of local paper Times Picayune and author of Cooking up a Storm, examined the communal recipe recovery project initiated after Hurricane Katrina: "Restoring recipes after so many were lost in the floodwaters following Katrina was an educational process for me. I came to wonder if this project would have been necessary anywhere else in the United States. If 80 percent of another major American city was destroyed, would there have been a need to re-locate the recipes that the citizens held dear? I tend to think not." And if you need more evidence, take a look at these entertaining posters (photographed in the Southern Museum of Food and Beverage.) The posters advertise the Po Boy Preservation Festival, dedicated to the sandwich born in New Orleans.

So I bet you're wondering: where do you go to eat a po boy in the city that champions the sandwich as a historical artifact?

Since this was our first trip to New Orleans, we had a lot of ground to cover and only three meals a day. Among other dishes we set out to conquer, a po boy marathon commenced. It was a whirlwhind of carbohydrates, meat, and seafood, one that still makes me salivate as I recall the adventure. Let it be known that we said goodbye to our California ways for the duration of our trip: there would be no sushi bars, no salads adorned with avocado, no salmon tacos, no artichokes. We would certainly not disgrace our palates with any meal we might have access to at home. A slice of pizza or a quesadilla? These were poison to our cause. Low-carb, low-fat, vegetarian, we abandoned each category with zeal! We would eat only local decadence for a week and a half, washing down each meal with local cocktail specialties and beers in equal measure.

Our first two stops were suggested to us through Gumbo Tales, which is a must-read for anyone desiring an eating tour of the city-- particularly if you're the type of person who appreciates the small business owners, restauranteurs, and chefs within communities near and far. I suggest finishing her book before you go so your taste buds are fully prepared to appreciate (and likely fall in love with) the gems of the New Orleans food scene. At her suggestion, we started off the trip at Liuzza's by the Track in pursuit of the BBQ shrimp po boy that in her opinion, would "change our life." She even goes so far as to draw the comparison between New Orleans residents taking visitors to Liuzza's just as New York dwellers take their out-of-town guests to the Statue of Liberty. (She clearly appreciates a good po boy.)

It's important to note that BBQ shrimp in New Orleans takes on a style all it's own, and at Liuzza's this special version of BBQ shrimp is their signature dish. Imagine a mountain of shrimp, stuffed into a French bread pistolette, and you can start to picture the feast at Liuzza's (the sandwich made even more famous when John Goodman devoured an order on HBO's Treme.)

My mom and I ordered one bbq shrimp po boy, and one oyster po boy, splitting them in half so we could each try each version. For the record, the perfect travel partner is the one you can share po boy halves with, thus you can take full advantage of the food varieties at your fingertips. Similar to most of our meals in New Orleans, we enjoyed this one washed down by goblet-sized Abita beers.

We also shared a bowl of gumbo at Liuzza's, just for good measure. The menu warns you to taste before you season this bowl, filled with "a savory New Orleans standard stock with sausage, chicken, and a cornucopia of seasonings." In case you're in doubt, the menu will tell you that Liuzza's sautees fresh shrimp "right before we send it to your taste buds." We were grateful for the love and care put into this meal, and for their attention to our experience. Being at Liuzza's by the Track felt immediately like being a part of the neighborhood. We ran into friendly folks whose regular status afforded them the honor of having their names "practically carved into the bar stools." Rather than treat us like tourists, they welcomed us as one of their own and gave us advice on the best local food we should eat next. When I went outside for the food papperazi stage of the meal, a man who I believe was the owner spotted me taking exterior shots of the restaurant.

"Are you looking to buy the place or are you just hoping to remember a good meal?"

"The second one, " I said, with a smile. "But you never know." Whether he was the owner or just another local with a sense of humor about life, we may never know.

After eating at Liuzza's by the Track, we were in the mood for a ferry ride and hopped across to Algiers, a historic neighborhood that was spared from Katrina's floodwaters. A pleasant walk led us to take in the quaint sites of this area: charming houses, flower gardens, outdoor ceiling fans on balconies-- this felt like a good place to call home.

On our way back to the ferry, we came across a pub, and ever the curious beer-drinker I stopped inside to see what was on tap. After explaining to the bartender that we were on our way to catch the ferry and just wanted to take a look inside, she offered that we could take a to-go cup. It's easy to forget the to-go cup courtesy of the Big Easy when you're a couple of Californians recently unchained from the strict public consumption laws of your home state. And if not before, it was then that we felt the freedom of life in Louisiana: the most European of American cities, indeed.

After our ferry beer journey, we went on to have more po boy adventures throughout our trip. Out of any place we went to, the next po boy establishment on the marathon tour, Domilise's, really went out of their way to condone my sandwich seeking nerdery. "Do you want to get a shot from behind the counter?" my sandwich creator asked, as I timidly snapped photos of my po-boy in progress.

He even went so far as to relocate bags of Leidenheimer's bread (loaves famous for their airy po boy quality) that were blocking my shot of the Domilise's menu. "Everyone gets their sandwich dressed with catsup," he guided us, knowing that we were out-of-towners yet in pursuit of the local's experience. And just when I thought our warm welcome couldn't get any warmer, they offered us the extra oysters from the freshly fried batch, the surplus that couldn't quite fit into our po-boy "There's some extra oysters. Would you like them?"

Since we're not the kind of people who say no to questions like that, an entire plate of oysters was plopped down next to us.

From the moment I stepped foot in Domilise's, I felt so at home-- the only problem was that I wasn't. So while I left with a happy and full belly, I also left feeling sorry I couldn't patronize their business more frequently. Luckily, I can show my support over here on the West Coast by wearing my Domilise's t-shirt, a definite favorite souvenir of the trip (I wholeheartedly confess, I'm also hoping I might meet some po boy loving kindred spirits by sporting this tee. Any Louisiana transplants out here on the West Coast? Because I've got a fryer and I know how to use it!)

Hurricane season brought some stormy weather to our po boy marathon, but we persisted. During some heavier rains, we hung around the French Quarter, took in some museum visits, and landed at Stanley's, home of a soft-shell crab po boy that I still see in my dreams. We've got great food in California, we sure do-- but we don't have this:

Unless Hollywood starts up a soft-shell crab fad diet, I fear Los Angeles will never see the likes of such a beautiful boy. Seeking shelter from the rain, we devoured this beast of a cornmeal-crusted soft-shell crab with cole slaw, spicy remoulade, and creole cocktail sauces on toasted french bread. There may have been some french fries ordered on the side, but we'll never tell. Inside Stanley's, we spied on visitors braving the rain, sporting Bud Light ponchos and contemplating their next move: I imagine they were trying to figure out whether drinking a giant frozen daiquiri in the rain was the right decision.

We also landed at Johnny's in the French Quarter, a no-nonsense little shop that served up po boys and lunch specials (and whose shrimp and grits is only served at breakfast, which I regrettably missed out on.)

While we devoured po boys here, I daydreamed about being a local and stopping for my morning coffee and shrimp and grits. Does anything sound better than waking up to local seafood at your fingertips for three meals a day and walking down the street to the beat of live jazz on your way to work? No doubt there is a Los Angeles food truck somewhere with shrimp and grits, but there's no tuba in your face reminding you to love your life and your city. I love Los Angeles, but New Orleans has us beat in this way: we can't compete-- their city moves to a beat.

And now, some historical facts for you: In the 1930's, a 20-inch half-loaf po boy sandwich cost 15 cents. In 2011, po boys might cost anywhere from $6 to $15. Perhaps a "po boy" no more according to its price-- but every bit as delicious. I strongly encourage you to get to New Orleans now and embark on your own po boy marathon-- whether in the name of history, or just in the name of a good sandwich, you owe it to yourself.

Thank you:
Southern Museum of Food and Beverage
Author of Gumbo Tales, Sara Roahen
Poboyfest.com, Source: http://www.poboyfest.com/files/History_of_the_Po-Boy_web.pdf
And...All the lovely folks who made me po boys throughout my travels!

Liuzza's by the Track.

1518 N. Lopez

New Orleans, LA 70119

Domilise's
5240 Annunciation St
New Orleans LA
**Note: Domilise's is right down the street from legendary Hansen's Sno-Bliz, which you MUST make a priority during your New Orleans visit. And since Hansen's is getting its own separate blog post, that's all I can say for now. I just wouldn't want you to miss this gem if you hop on a flight to New Orleans tomorrow.
Stanley's
547 St Ann Street
New Orleans, LA
www.stanleyrestaurant.com
Johnny's
511 St. Louis Street
New Orleans, LA
http://johnnyspoboys.com/

I left my powdered sugar footprints at Café Du Monde

2011-09-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

Some places are touristy for a reason. In the case of Café Du Monde in New Orleans, it's because the café produces happiness in the form of fried dough with heaps of powdered sugar on top. Their famous beignets are served 24 hours a day, and one order comes with three of the freshly made, warm pieces of pillowy donut perfection.

For me, the inability to order just one beignet is Café Du Monde's unspoken way of communicating that your self-restraint is better left at home. Some call New Orleans "the city that care forgot"-- and what better way to celebrate this than by indulging in this sweet treat during any of the 24 hours in your day, whichever one happens to strike your fancy.

Plates of beignets are famously accompanied by café au lait, served New Orleans style: the hot milk and coffee are mixed with chicory (root of endive plant.) With the taste of powdered sugar ever-present on your tongue, there's no need to sweeten your coffee in this setting. Beyond your tongue, the powdered sugar is, in fact, everywhere: dusting the floor, forming a cloud around customers noshing on beignets, settling into a white dust on your shoes, your clothes, your wallet. It's best to avoid wearing the color black in New Orleans, because you never know when you might end up here, and every hotel doorman, cab driver, and concierge in New Orleans knows the telltale dust of Café Du Monde. Though I don't think they place any judgment on multiple visits: in this city, you feel encouraged to enjoy every bite, every sip, and every note of jazz music you encounter with abandon.

After visiting the city's Southern Food and Beverage Museum, this became even clearer. (It was my first museum visit ever where one of the employees casually mentioned that I could bring in a cocktail to imbibe while exploring the historical exhibits.) At the museum, I realized the coffee culture of this city and the 24 hour nature of Café Du Monde are extensions of this philosophy. The exhibit quoted Lyle Saxon's 1928 book Fabulous New Orleans: "it is a very little thing perhaps, this drinking of coffee at odd times, but it is very characteristic of the city itself. Men in New Orleans give more thought to the business of living than men in other American cities."

My great-grandmother used to live in New Orleans, and though I never asked her, I would like to think that she took the time to enjoy 'the business of living,' to nibble on beignets and drink café au lait when the mood struck. When their family later moved to Los Angeles, her daughter (my grandmother) would go to a downtown LA spice shop to retrieve the family's chicory coffee supply. She still recalls the order: the French drip with two and a half ounces of chicory. I wonder how many other former New Orleanians did the same so they could have a taste of home.

Since Café Du Monde had an undeniable magnetic force, we could not stop ourselves from going there four times during our stay in the city-- the lack of a 5th visit being our minor concession to health consciousness. Underneath that green and white awning, we satisfied our sweet tooth, sought refuge from the tropical storm, and plotted our next destinations to explore. During our best visits, we enjoyed the soundtrack of the city as jazz musicians played for tips. While Los Angeles has some talented street musicians, few listening experiences compared to our time here. Lucky is the only way to feel when you have the opportunity to hear so much classic jazz flow through the open air in such a concentrated period of time. Even on one rainy day visit, the musicians were still there, playing strong and loud.

Captured in the pictures below are the scenes of my mom and I slurping coffee and soaking up the carefree nature of Café Du Monde. Beignet orders used to cost 25 cents each back in the days when my great-grandmother was around, but even with slightly more modern prices, coming here is still like being transported to another time. Servers wear old-school paper hats and songs fill the air that you may not otherwise ever hear live. I may be only one tourist in a procession of visitors leaving behind powdered sugar footprints, but somehow every moment here still feels special.

Follow the man searching for a Hubig's Pie...

2011-08-29T23:23:00.000-07:00

Hubig's pies are a local favorite: for more history on the pie, click here.

Update from New Orleans: We've had a busy schedule of exploring the city, so I haven't had much time to blog. I'll leave you with this anecdote for now. We stopped by the corner pharmacy to buy some streetcar passes and I noticed a man asking the cashier where to find some Hubig's pies. "Aisle 4," she replied. I followed the man to aisle 4 out of curiosity-- and there he stood with a disappointed look on his face. The display was totally empty. "You know," I mentioned, "there are a few Hubig's apple pies in the display up by the cash register." "I know," he said. "But I'm looking for a different flavor." I couldn't help but insert myself into this situation by asking him his favorite (missing) flavor. As it turns out, it's coconut. Even though I was sympathetic to his misfortune, all I could think was: JACKPOT. This man was looking for a particular pie craving, and I knew that where pie-cravings exist, so too might exist kindred spirits who could guide me towards the best bakery in town. I quickly asked the searcher of coconut Hubig's pie where I should go for a delicious baked good. And even with an unsatisfied craving on his hands, this man patiently and kindly told me that his favorite bakery is Haydel's. Clutching a liter of soda that undoubtedly would have been his dream pairing to the elusive coconut Hubig's, he seemed to acknowledge with his kind eyes that he understood my quest-- plus, with further conversation, I discovered his wife happens to be a pastry chef. The lesson in all of this? Let your instincts guide you towards hunting great bakeries, and you too will cross paths with pastry chef spouses, or maybe even chefs themselves. Never stop hunting!

Visiting New Orleans for the International Food Blogger Conference

2011-08-26T21:49:00.000-07:00

This is a trip I've been dreaming of for a long time now. My grandparents were born in Louisiana before their families moved to California, one of the results of the move being me, a California-born granddaughter whose culinary upbringing included red beans and rice and Cajun food in equal proportions to avocados, guacamole, and local Mexican food. Growing up with so many gastronomic options have left my taste buds and stomach grateful, but with a certain sense of identity confusion. While my great-grandmother was known for whipping up a mean batch of okra, my mom's best known dish is her signature guacamole. With the International Food Blogging Conference in town, I have found the perfect excuse to explore the city that is so near and dear to my heart, despite the fact that I am visiting for the first time. My mom has made the trip along with me, and we're planning to eat as many meals as reasonably possible to re-connect with our food memories.

I have known for awhile now that a trip to New Orleans would help me to make more sense of my family's food culture, and I have to say that I already feel at home in this city-- like I am meant to eat many more meals here if only geography, time, and finances will allow. After all, a city that features recipes on a large percentage of its souvenir items is a city after my heart-- they are everywhere: on postcards, magnets, and keychains with recipes for gumbo, jambalaya, okra, red snapper, and the list goes on. This is a city for cooks, for eaters, for music lovers, and for anyone who has enjoyed good food as a result of someone vigilantly stirring a roux with love and elbow grease. Luckily, I am a proud member of all of the aforementioned categories, so this city and I are going to get along.

The schedule of the conference will surely keep me busy this weekend, so instead of trying to complete a mega-recap at the end of this trip, I'm going to do my best at posting pictures & observations as we go along. Here are a few highlights:

Arrival to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport: the statue of Louis Armstrong stands strong against the backdrop of a vibrant mural.

Our first dinner in New Orleans was at Galatoire's, an institution here in the city, known for maintaining traditions in their food preparations and service. After reading Sara Roahen's description of her ideal meal at Galatoire's in her book Gumbo Tales, I knew we had to eat here. Upon entering Galatoire's they ask you if you have a waiter preference in mind, as the standing tradition for locals is to request their favorite waiter. Since this was our first time, we requested the server who "most loves food" and left it up to the host's good judgement. We were rewarded with a friendly, entertaining, and most importantly, food-loving waiter named Peter. We ordered Sazeracs immediately.

A big crusty loaf of french bread (perfect for dipping into sauces) and two butter patties came to our table, leading me to conclude: This is where I belong-- a city seemingly free from low-carb diets.

Lovely mom with a lovely dish

The Galatoire's Dining Room: we lingered for a long time here, and most tables had cleared out by the time we had finished. We like to linger over good food-- each dish is a special event!

Here's the damage we did: Crabmeat maison and shrimp rémoulade to start. For entries, we ordered the fried soft shell crab with meunière amandine and shrimp etouffée. This was a great introduction to the city, my favorite part being the meunière amandine sauce. As far as sauces go, this is one I would return to again and again, try to replicate, and probably crave until my next visit to Galatoire's. For the record, if possible to design a piece of carry-on luggage to safely transport small supplies of this to California from New Orleans, this might also be something I would consider.

A special thanks goes out to our waiter Peter, who was very kind in answering our many menu questions and walking us through the impossible decision of choosing among so many decadent dishes.

The Yeti: dessert in a bottle

2011-08-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

If I had to pick a beer that reminded me of dessert, it would definitely be the Yeti by the Great Divide Brewing Company. The chocolate oak aged stout and the espresso oak aged stout need no dessert pairing to accompany them-- either of these beers are sip-worthy desserts-- a dessert in itself, barrel-aged with love and care. Get your hands (and your lips) on these if you can!

The Great American Bakery Hunt receives some "yummies" from Tokyo

2011-06-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the lovely Kim Wu for sending me some delicious sweets directly from Asia, the first person ever to do so in the history of The Great American Bakery Hunt.

Kim is now representing the Tokyo chapter of the hunt, and describes her new surroundings as an ultimate bakery hunting territory where there's "almost a bakery poppin' out piping hot yummies on every block." So I'm left wondering, how soon can I get there?

This package not only had a delicate, elegantly wrapped sweet cake and delicious little bite-sized cookies, it also had a few cookie cutters in the shape of traditional Swedish dala horses! It's enough to make a girl hop on a plane to Japan to see what other discoveries are around the corner.

You can follow Kim's adventures in Japan through her blog-- and you are sure to see the curious, adventurous, beautiful and delicious nature of daily life in Japan through her wanderings. Thank you Kim Wu! You're a gem, at home and abroad!!

Adventures as a result of a Magnolia Bakery craving (including a toaster oven baking experiment)

2011-06-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

I recently visited LA's Magnolia Bakery to buy some treats for the road on my way out of town for work. It was my last stop after a few days off visiting LA, and I needed a taste of home.

Los Angeles was cruel to me that night, because it took me more than a half an hour to find a parking spot. My refusal to valet for a 10 minute bakery visit combined with my unwillingness to risk a car towing left me driving the streets, unwilling to give up what I felt the city owed to me. In town for two days, I just wanted a few sugary sweet Magnolia cupcakes and an iced molasses cookie--but first, the little matter of parking my vehicle.

Once inside, I let the Magnolia Bakery folks know how dedicated I was to patronizing their business, despite the parking woes that befall their location. I am certain they are more than sick of parking complaints due to their home on busy West Third-- but I wanted them to take my struggles as a compliment. I probably would have waited longer...

I saw a group of girls who parked their car in a questionable spot, in a neighborhood adjacent to the bakery storefront. Exiting their vehicle, they looked around nervously, and you could see it in their eyes: if we get caught, it's worth it. I won't lie, City of Los Angeles, I thought about it-- but never one to live on the edge, I waited patiently for my delicious carbohydrate loot. Of course, my patient waiting also involved me cursing my overly responsible sensibilities. But refusal to valet has its unexpected advantages-- if not for the many instances I have searched LA streets for free parking, I would never have experienced exploring new neighborhoods on foot. And in a city where most of our time is spent driving and relying on Ira Glass podcasts to entertain us (awesome as they are), we know that the act of exploring new neighborhoods as a pedestrian can feel like a rare activity to treasure.

After a long drive back to my out of town office, I decided one molasses cookie for the road wasn't enough. Luckily, I own the Magnolia Bakery cookbooks and we have a handy dandy toaster oven in our work apartment, perfect for spontaneous molasses cookie projects. Summertime is the busiest season at work (did I mention I am living here?), so my summertime baking is minimal-- but the toaster oven is always here for me when time allows and inspiration strikes.

Sweets from Maui, delivered to the Great American Bakery Hunt

2011-05-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

April, friend to The Great American Bakery Hunt, was kind enough to fly this fresh-made-daily peanut butter and chocolate mochi to California, delivered direct from her home state of Hawaii after a recent trip. Straight from Maui, just a little hop and a skip of a trip over the ocean, and this mochi was waiting on my desk in Santa Monica along with chocolates and a Marukai membership. As if the mochi wasn't enough, now I can do all the shopping I want in my local Marukai grocery store and get members only prices! April is always thinking of others. Thank you buddy!

And while we're on the topic, she's also an excellent friend to eat late night ramen with-- here she is during a recent trip to Sawtelle, a great west LA street for ramen hunters.

She had the beef. I had the spicy pork broth with bok choy and fried garlic! That's the stuff!

Meyer Lemon and Blackberry tart: I hope we meet again

2011-05-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Meyer Lemon and Blackberry tart from Huckleberry. It was a pleasure to meet you.

If you'd like an introduction to Meyer Lemons, check out these articles:

LA Times: 100 things to do with a Meyer lemon

The Splendid Table: Fruit detective David Karp and Lynn Rosetto Kasper of The Splendid Table

Planning for some culinary exploration in New Orleans for IFBC 2011

2011-05-18T00:31:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I've been looking forward to my trip to New Orleans for the International Food Bloggers conference.

Below, a typical trip-planning session with my mom, who will be attending the conference with me (picture taken at La Maison Du Pain on West Pico, Los Angeles.)

This year marks my second time attending this conference and my first time visiting New Orleans. I've always felt a connection to this city, not just because of its reputation for food, but because my New Orleans born grandparents served this food at my family table long before I understood its origins. At the same time, as a Southern California kid, I grew up eating Mexican food in equal proportions, a child raised on avocados and spicy Serrano chillies.

Californian as I may be, I am fiercely connected to Louisiana, a state I have never been to but already love. And I know you're thinking that all these travel books are leading to my New Orleans infatuation, but I assure you, this is the real deal. The proof is in a rather morbid exercise that food lovers engage in: the last meal question. The last meal question is a question that any chef or gastronomic fanatic has asked themselves at one point or another. If you could plan your last meal on earth, what would it be? And my answer remains the same-- my most comforting, delicious, and soulful meal, my last meal, would be red beans and rice, cooked with ham hock, served with tabasco on the side, a slab of homemade cornbread, and accompanied by a cold bottle of beer in my hand. So you see, I was born ready to embrace everything New Orleans has to offer.

We have decided the trip's main emphasis is exploring Louisiana through our stomachs, but we're also pretty thrilled to learn all we can about the culture of our destinations. We'll explore New Orleans as well as a few surrounding Cajun country spots, a 13 day culinary tour where we also plan to check out local music, local swamps, and maintain a strict policy of a one-Sazerac-a-day-minimum. We'd love to learn more about our family's connection to the city, and even with the humidity, we're convinced it's going to be epic. After all, it's a city known for gumbo-- enough said.

We have certainly been doing our research: from just about every travel book written about New Orleans, to chamber of commerce websites, to studying each episode of the series Tremé. Additionally, I treasure every page of the book Gumbo Tales, a food inspired account of New Orleans written by Sarah Roahen. I have fallen even more in love with the city through her eyes, whether through the personal stories of the local business owners, mouth-watering descriptions of her ideal meal at Galatoire's and many other places, her habit of "craning from a barstool to observe the kitchen" in destinations such as Liuzza's by the Track, or her affection for mirlitons (Roahen says she is "forever drawn to the underdog-- in love, automobiles, sports, and vegetables.") In return for this gift, I would happily share with her a bowl of any gumbo in my possession. I'm also listening closely to what my grandparents have to say about this big adventure. While they spent the majority of their lives in California, they're still full of anecdotes about swimming in Lake Pontchartrain, Mardi Gras through a child's eyes, and best of all, the way cooking was done in their families. My other blog project, Pâté Birthday which focuses on family food culture, will also have updates about this New Orleans trip, so stay tuned.

Below, another planning session takes place with mom. French's pastry, in Costa Mesa, proves to be a great meeting spot for nibbling on a cookie or cupcake or two, then washing your sweets down with some espresso at the Starbucks, just a few retail spaces down. French's doesn't serve coffee, and with limited time to plan our journey, this is a combination that gets the job done.

Special delivery!

2011-04-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

Special Birthday Delivery: Tulips from the Santa Monica Farmer's market & mini chocolate bundt cake filled with strawberries! I had a lot of fun making this birthday treat. A special thanks goes out to the lovely Sur La Table staff for helping me choose the best bundt pan for the job!

Some people count sheep if they can't fall asleep. I count loaves of AFrame's hot and crusty 5-grain pan de sal...

2011-04-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

On March 21, 2011 I sank my teeth into AFrame's loaf of hot and crusty 5-grain pan de sal as I sat with 5 friends for dinner at the Culver City establishment. I've thought about it more than a few times since. Now, I was already in a jolly state from the outstanding cocktail they created for me while I was waiting for a table. And while I generally love the experience of a picnic style meal, I could have devoured that little loaf all on my own. So warm and so perfectly paired with a slab of butter, I enjoyed every bite I could get my hands on (but yes, I did the right thing and shared.) Thanks to the fine folks at AFrame for such a great overall experience.

A perfect morning of west side wandering in Santa Monica

2011-04-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

I recently took this picture during what I would consider to be a perfect morning of wandering here, there, and everywhere in Santa Monica. First, a stop by the farmer's market for daisies and beets. Next, a quick stop to find a baguette to nibble on. And lastly, a trip to the west side's Spice Station to buy some teas for my Danish host mom to try during her visit in town (although I could spend hours in that store just for cooking inspiration alone.) I'll be posting more on my host mom's visit soon!

The definition of good fortune at The Great American Bakery Hunt

2011-04-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

The definition of good fortune at The Great American Bakery Hunt is having great people in your life who spontaneously deliver pastries to you from bakeries outside your own city. On several occasions, friends have blessed me with caring tastes, treats, or nibbles from a delicious travel-worthy bakery, either one they are visiting as a destination or perhaps one from their current residence, bringing me a brownie, tart slice, or whoopie pie as they pass through California.

There was the time Alexis brought me a massive oatmeal cookie from Levain Bakery in New York. April, a frequent contributor to the hunt, has contributed with deliveries from San Diego, San Francisco, and even Maui. Meera sent 'cupcakes in a jar' and cheesecake through the mail! And Justin sent homemade graham crackers via the good old USPS. So many people have contributed to the hunt that there are too many highlights to mention, although I have been grateful for each and every bite.

Most recently, friend of the hunt Lindsay stopped at Andersen's in Santa Barbara and left me a surprise pastry, waiting on my desk at work. My heart belongs to this Andersen's pastry, and Lindsay knows this-- it's a version of a Danish dessert I can't seem to find anywhere else in the US, so there has been a constant yearning for it since the day I left my study abroad program in Denmark. My Danish host mother, Lone, associates me with this pastry to such an extent that every time she sees one, she says she thinks of me (she's a baker by profession.) My love for this pastry is so great that Lindsay might as well have left a million dollars on my desk. Lindsay is also a fan of sending pastries through the USPS-- so you never know when a box of whoopie pies may arrive in the mail with her famous loopy handwriting urging you to enjoy their decadence.

Then there was a recent special delivery from Alex-- which she packed on her flight from Washington to California and hand-carried to my office from Seattle's Macrina bakery. Sadly, these treats never made the journey into my stomach, but her actions were still heroic in the eyes of The Great American Bakery Hunt. Long story short, Alex traveled to California to volunteer, thought she was going to see me for a work event, and didn't know I was away for a series of days off. Her enthusiasm for pastry travels can be clearly seen in the photo below, where both Alex's smile and the box of pastries light up the room. When she arrived at my office, this photo text message arrived from fellow bakery hunter April:

"Do you know what this box says? Macrina. Alex brought them for you. Sorry you're not here but we'll take care of business and eat them for you. With love from Alex."

Thanks to Alex for being so incredibly thoughtful and bringing this lovely box of pastries to California. While I'm sorry I could not be there to enjoy them, I am happy that good people who appreciated pastries were around to get the job done.

And I had to appreciate the follow up text message with a snapshot inventory of all the goods: "A peek from the inside. Chocolate macaroons, vanilla macaroons, fruit bar, pecan bar, toffee brownie, plum roll. Believe it. True story. About to eat them all." Thank you to Alex for bringing the joy of the hunt, all the way from Seattle to California. And thanks to all of my friends who think of me when they're within smelling distance of a bakery. You are all gems and I am lucky to have you.

The Peanut Flour Experiments: Part 1

2011-03-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

Here at The Great American Bakery Hunt, we have a love for nut products-- so much so that I recently purchased two types of almond butter in one visit to Trader Joe's (and resisted the urge to buy a third variety in the same visit.) And did I mention I also purchased almond meal during the same trip? While it might seem excessive, I enjoy having a variety of ingredients on hand so I can spontaneously bake just about anything. If inspiration strikes, the pantry must be ready! So when I received a generous sample of Trader Joe's peanut flour to play around with, I was thrilled to have the chance to experiment. There's something inherently exciting about receiving an ingredient in the mail, and this delivery was no exception-- it's even better than when the Netflix red envelope arrives. Beyond my enthusiasm for nut products, peanut flour intrigues me because it's an ingredient option if you're cooking for people with gluten free diets or other food allergies. Since some of my fellow bakery hunting friends have food allergies, I try to stay informed about choices for them.

I have never cooked with peanut flour before, so I took to the internet modern detective style in order to find a recipe. I discovered that the ingredient is adored by the health blogging community, and I came across a Banana Peanut Flour muffin recipe that incorporated both the flour as well as a combination of greek yogurt, ripe bananas (think banana bread style), eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, whole wheat flour, milk, baking soda, and salt. You may have noticed that butter is not included in the list. Now, I'm used to baking with a lot of butter because that's usually how we roll here at The Great American Bakery Hunt. However, this recipe had none since I found it on a health-focused blog, but I decided to give it a chance anyway. It seemed healthy without being healthy in the "so healthy it tastes like health food" type of way. Plus, since I really dig Greek yogurt, this part of the recipe finalized the decision to do some sans-butter baking. And as a bonus, I had some bananas around already since I always seem to buy a few more than I need and then "accidentally" end up "needing to" make banana bread.

The muffins were a good morning snack for work-- and as it turns out, a good afternoon snack as well, according to a random sampling of hungry coworkers who wandered by, gazed curiously at the bag of muffins, consumed some, and gave them the official hungry coworker stamp of approval.

Peanut flour banana muffins: 5 out of 5 hungry coworkers recommend these muffins

I would definitely make them again! I'm also planning to continue researching peanut flour and different ways to use its peanut power. Trader Joe's suggests you can use it as a soup thickener, which immediately triggered a food memory of a peanut butter flavored ramen I had in a strip mall in Torrance. Now I'm not a ramen expert, but I think you could recreate this particular ramen using peanut flour if you had the inclination-- I'm sure that Jonathan Gold will probably master this and write an essay about it before I have the chance to. If you're curious, go to Torrance, eat some ramen, and try to hunt down the peanut influence in one of the local bowls! Or, if you're looking for something healthier, maybe a peanut flour- based salad dressing could be in your future.

But most importantly, let's go back to our dessert discussion. I particularly love the idea of developing a really good peanut flour shortbread and spotted a few other bloggers who have started experimenting with this. If you can't find a shortbread recipe with peanut flour, I noticed that shortbread recipes with almond flour are in abundance. Therefore, I assert that we should all get a little crazy and mix in some peanut flour for a change. Live a little bakery hunters, and join the peanut flour revolution. (Perhaps try these peanut flour pancakes, which seem like a delicious idea!)

Thanks to the folks at the National Peanut Board for giving me the opportunity to experiment with Trader Joe's peanut flour-- I sincerely look forward to using more peanut flour by the boatload!

The Great American Bakery Hunt is attending IFBC New Orleans!

2011-03-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

I can hardly wait to feast on New Orleans food culture while embracing an adventure through topics in the blogosphere! New Orleans, watch out-- I have a list of food destinations to conquer and it's not short.

Celebrate Valentine's Day with a Sour Cherry Linzer Tart

2011-02-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

Whether you're part of a couple or going through a lonely hearts phase, this sour cherry linzer tart is the perfect Valentine's day treat. You can find this recipe in Sur La Table's cookbook " The Art & Soul of Baking," although it's your lucky day because it looks like Sur La Table posted it online as well. Now before we talk tart construction, I should start out by giving a shout out to the incredibly helpful Sur La Table staff in Santa Monica. I've just started experimenting with piping bags and they went out of their way to help me navigate piping bag options for this recipe.

This particular recipe is great for a holiday or special event, because in theory there are a lot of steps you can take care of ahead of time. However, I waited until the day of my tart deadline and finished with moments to spare. Like so many recipes, this one starts with the step of creaming together butter and sugar. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, one of the things I love most about baking is that you can start out with such simple ingredients and make a huge variety of creations. Thus, I remain in awe of butter in particular and revere dairy farmers for making my experimentation possible.

Another thing I love about this recipe is the opportunity to zest. This orange and lemon zest will eventually make it's way into the tart dough. I've always said that if I had to pick a favorite kitchen tool, the zester would be it. However, I have a Valentine's Day confession: my heart has been stolen away by this microplaner, a giveaway I received in my gift bag from the International Food Blogging Conference in 2010. I am sure that somewhere in the food blogosphere, some blogger has published an op-ed about the benefits of zesting vs. microplaning. While I am curious about the difference, I have not read this op-ed and I prefer to live in ignorant bliss, microplane in hand.

Above, the orange and lemon zest are added to the

butter, sugar & egg mixture. After that,

vanilla extract joins the crew

Next comes the fun part: blending the flour, nut. and spice mixture in your food processor! I would call my food processor a "baby" food processor. It's just big enough to blend a mixture like this one, or to make a small batch of hummus. And while I won't deny that I've lusted after bigger, grander, food processors, I've always been inspired by Mark Bittman's philosophy that you don't have to own every cooking tool in order to execute magnificent food. Yes, on this Valentine's Day, I'm also toasting to all of you studio apartment chefs out there. For all of you living in big cities in little apartments, Bittman should certainly be your culinary muse if he isn't yet. Note: this mixture includes whole hazelnuts, which can be a little bit harder to find in your average supermarket. I found some at Whole Foods after a bit of searching.

Like so many doughs, this dough needs chilling before you work it into the tart pan. I like to use the dough chilling time to clean up in the kitchen a bit, but this is also an excellent time to have a snack since you've been hard at work preparing your tart. (Snacking while cooking? An essential step of the process.)

Above, part of the dough is placed into a piping bag

and kept at room temperature.

This dough will later turn into the tart's lattice top!

Dried cherries, cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, cherry juice and sugar are simmered together to form the base of the filling, which is later thickened with corn starch. Below, the cherries are separated from the juice before the corn starch is added to the liquid (the thickening step.)

Above, I don't own a fine mesh strainer,

so I strained the filling using a colander and some cheesecloth.

Again, I'm always inspired my Bittman to improvise according to the situation!

For more "food hacks" & improvisations, I would also suggest

checking out Lifehacker's food and drink hacks.

Above, the final thickened juices are combined with cherries

and rest atop a bowl of ice water for faster chilling.

The filling must cool before it is added to the tart pan.

Now that the dough is chilled, it's ready to press into the tart pan. I would highly recommend this recipe for a first-time tart maker since it's a little less intimidating than tarts that involve rolling out the dough. (That being said, the rolling pin is your friend! Do not be afraid to embrace a recipe that involves rolling some dough. What's the worst that can happen?)

Once the filling is finally cool, add it to the tart dough.

Now we're cookin'!

With the filling in place, now it's time to pipe on the lattice top and then let the oven do the work! While I'm no piping expert, I made it work and I think practice makes perfect when it comes to this part. Most importantly, this tart was fun to make, delicious to taste, and Valentine-approved. Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Dorie Greenspan's delightful goat cheese puffs from "Around My French Table" (and how I will use almost any excuse to justify another cookbook purchase)

2011-02-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

One could probably devote an entire blog just to Dorie Greenspan's recipes. During a recent Amazon order, I justified purchasing her book "Around My French Table" because I "had to" spend a few dollars more to get free shipping. Never mind that by the time I purchase another item, it's much more than shipping would have been in the first place-- however, it was the perfect excuse I was waiting for to buy this gem of a book. Although I'm trying to save money these days, I think books like this are an investment. This is a book with pages that will fill my belly and the bellies of those I love for years to come, pages that will weather with use over many meals, holidays, potlucks and celebrations. Therefore, if I calculate the cost of the book measured by feasts over time, I'm practically stealing it from Amazon. The book arrived on Friday and I didn't waste any time getting to work in the kitchen. Some friends were gathering to catch up and have a "girl's night in" and the occasion seemed perfect for DG's goat-cheese mini puffs recipe.

For this recipe, you start out by creating cream puff dough, also known as pâte à choux. As Greenspan explains in her book, this dough is rather magical in its transformation. First you cook the ingredient's of the dough on the stove, then you stir vigorously, then the dough is later baked into expanding "puffs" on a cookie sheet.

Gratuitous ingredients close-up shot

Butter, water, milk, and salt
slowly turn to magic dough

It's almost time to add the flour...

Flour is added and the dough comes together...just remember to stir it like you mean it!

Now it's time to add the eggs to the dough...and of course I had to include a token shot of DG's beautiful book. Don't worry, I didn't leave it on the table while mixing-- lest the pages get splashed with egg!

And now for the filling: a mixture of herbed goat cheese, cream cheese, cream, salt & pepper.

The goat cheese mixture is spooned into a piping bag and into the "puffs" it goes-- into a hopefully inconspicuous hole in the puff's side! DG says you can also cut the tops off of the puffs to fill them, but this piping bag part is perhaps the most fun of all-- it's like performing surgery on a baked good.

Et voila! Goat cheese puffs!

This recipe is one that I'm planning to keep in my back pocket for many a-gathering. My compliments to Dorie Greenspan for yet another lovely recipe.

Baker Death Match

2011-01-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

Any bakery hunter is sure to love Office Depot's new commercial. The ad features a disorganized baker and business woman who aspires to go on a faux TV show "Baker Battles" to compete in the "Baker Death Match." With the help of some organizational supplies from Office Depot, Beth ends up rediscovering a secret recipe, winning the battle, and achieving great success. With my love for office supplies rivaling that of my love for small bakery businesses, I wonder if I was the target demographic their marketing folks were hoping to reach. Office Depot, are you listening? It worked.

Kitchen comforts of 2011

2011-01-23T00:48:00.000-08:00

Kitchen comforts of 2011: Taking the time to light some candles. Late night chocolate chip cookie baking. Receiving FCK soccer fan paraphernalia sent from Denmark to California, with love from my host mom (see wristband above that also doubles as a napkin ring!)

My semester abroad in Denmark opened up a world of pastries, but it also introduced me to European soccer culture. Almost as soon as I stepped off the plane, my host sister convinced me that her favorite team FCK had to be my team as well, especially since her brothers were fans of FCK's rival team. Years later, I'm still nostalgic for our fan club of two and the memories of my second home.

Editor's note: If you're in the mood for a little Scandinavian culture, check out the Swedish film "Simple Simon." It's not only a great Scandinavian film, but one of the best films I have seen in a long time and an Oscar entry for Sweden! Thanks to the annual Scandinavian film festival in LA for giving me the opportunity to watch this incredible film.

Year of the pie? Make some room for tart.

2011-01-22T23:46:00.000-08:00

You may have heard all the discussion out there recently about how 2011 is going to be "the year of the pie." While I see no reason the cupcake and the pie can't exist harmoniously, I am glad to hear pie is getting some well-deserved time in the spotlight.

But let's not forget pie's delicious cousin, the tart. Tarts may not be as widespread or accessible as the all American pie slice, but tarts are every bit as artful and delicious. My 2011 kickoff tart was a fresh cranberry tart with a crumble topping from a recipe found in Sur La Table's The Art and Soul of Baking. You will want to keep in mind that this particular tart falls into the category of quite tart tarts. I prefer enjoying the bold bite of the cranberries on their own, but you can also top a slice of this tart with some ice cream.

What does your ideal cookbook bookshelf look like?

2011-01-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

Jane Mount's "Ideal Bookshelf"series features a print for cookbook lovers based on favorites often included in home cook collections. If you're a cookbook addict like myself, you will really appreciate this print.

Top photo: Jane Mount's ideal bookshelf 102: Cooking (mounted on a bulletin board for viewing purposes)

Bottom photos: Some of my actual bookshelves (confession: many more cookbooks are in my possession but not featured in this post)

Coolhaus: a satisfyingly sticky treat to share

2010-12-26T13:55:00.000-08:00

It's practically impossible to resist the Coolhaus truck during a night congregating at Santa Monica's Main Street food truck lot.

The architechturally-themed ice cream sandwich truck empowers eaters to choose their own cookie flavor, then sandwich in flavors such as brown butter with candied bacon or balsamic fig with mascarpone. I selected the oatmeal cookie to devour, but not before breaking off a few messy dripping pieces for my friends to taste. From structurally sound to destroyed for consumption in less than 30 seconds, our hands ended up chilled and sticky but it was well worth it. It's not exactly a food you can share gracefully, but it's too good to finish alone.

The Santa Monica food truck lot happens here on Tuesdays:

View Larger Map

Delicious cause marketing from Yummy Cupcakes

2010-12-26T02:01:00.000-08:00

The Great American Bakery Hunt would like to give a shout out to Santa Monica's Yummy Cupcakes for participating in the "Season of Wishes" campaign to benefit the Make a Wish Foundation. From November 23 to December 23, Yummy donated 50% of their proceeds to the organization from every Make a Wish cupcake purchased. Make a Wish does great work granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Ever the fan of bakeries who combine supporting worthwhile causes with delicious treats, I enjoyed a Make a Wish cupcake to join in the effort. This definitely falls under the category of delicious cause marketing.

A pizza and pastry marriage at Olio Pizzeria

2010-11-30T22:01:00.000-08:00

This pastry and pizza dough hybrid pictured above is a nice change from heavier pastries and comes from the belly of a wood-fired oven. You can find these "wood fired danish" treats at Olio Pizzeria, located among the West Third street business district. With nearby neighbors such as Magnolia Bakery, Joan's on Third, Doughboys, and the Little Next Door, this area is fast becoming a bakery hunting destination. (Although beware West Third Street, Santa Monica's Montana Avenue is right behind you with the recent soft opening of Sweet Lady Jane's 2nd location, the arrival of Via Dolce, and new kid on the block Everything Bundt the Cake opening next door to Cafe Luxxe.)

It's helpful to note that while Olio only serves these pastries on weekends, they will let you order a few ahead of time if you call the day before. Best of all, they're good for sharing with a friend over coffee!

365 days of service launches!

2010-11-29T09:43:00.000-08:00

We interrupt all bakery hunting for a brief announcement:
Fellow bakery hunter April Uyehara has started a blog called 365 days of service, a blog based on service, volunteerism, and all-around good deeds. I was able to write a contributing article for her about a recent volunteer experience. You can read the article here. Also, consider submitting a post about an act of kindness you have done to 365daysofservice@gmail.com.
Onward bakery hunters!

The authors of "Bite Me" take a bite out of Santa Monica with The Great American Bakery Hunt

2010-11-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

Last week, the authors of "Bite Me", also known as the saucy sisters, joined The Great American Bakery Hunt for lunch in Santa Monica. After a morning preparing the last touches of their cooking demo, Lisa Gnat and Julie Albert took a break from a busy day of bringing the flavorful pages of their cookbook to life in LA.

If you visit the "Bite Me" website, you will notice the sisters described as Lisa "whisk girl" Gnat (the chef) and Julie "ink-slinger" Albert (the writer). But beyond their technical backgrounds, it's undeniable that both sisters bring a sense of carefree fun, humor, and wit to the table. When I met Julie and Lisa, it was no surprise that just like their cookbook, the sisters were full of life and food-related witticisms.

In "Bite Me," clever pop culture references peppered throughout the pages combine with music playlists to rock out to while cooking. This gives readers the opportunity to question conventional cooking habits, for example: who says you can't air guitar while in an apron? While I adore cookbooks of all sorts, this is a unique question that not many in the food writing genre would stir up. Fresh and original, Lisa and Julie are like the Chuck Klosterman of the food world, giving you nibbles of pop culture and morsels of music to snack on even as you focus on the main recipe.

Best of all, with featured quotes ranging from TV-series How I Met Your Mother lines to Bill Cosby sound bites, this book is approachable to members of whatever generation happen to be in the kitchen that day. Julie commented that the sisters have received feedback from parents who have used "Bite Me" to reconnect with their teenagers through cooking. But beyond the hip appeal of the book's fresh design, their philosophy is all about creating tasty but approachable food, which lends itself well to teaching cooks of all ages about how to make great meals.

Wanting to give one of the recipes a try before our lunch, I whipped up the cinnamon swirl breakfast bread (page 224) and proceeded to consume it for both dessert and breakfast. This comforting recipe is perfect with a piping hot cup of coffee and I am sure to have it in my back pocket for many years to come. Best of all, most of the ingredients in the bread are probably in your cupboard already, so it's quite simple to make if unexpected guests come into town.

Since the sisters hail from Canada, I quizzed them on where I could find a good Nanaimo bar. I assumed these originated in Canada ever since a 3rd grade report I did on the country in which I had to make a regional recipe, and my Canadian neighbor gave me her written version of this layered bar dessert. However, I have since learned that the Nanaimo bar's origins are forever under historical dispute. Despite the Nanaimo mystery remaining unsolved, Julie and Lisa enlightened me about their culinary philosophy and reminded me why fun is an important part of the kitchen. (My belief in this philosophy probably explains why I own things like this guitar spatula. One can't resist a little rock and roll twist in a spatula design!)

Perhaps one of my favorite anecdotes from lunch was when Julie handed me a sticker with a recipe for their chunky white chocolate cranberry cookies. She said that when offering them to others, such as the postman for example, she will ask them if they bake. And if they don't bake themselves, she'll suggest "Well give it to the little woman!" Lisa charmed me with her approach to chocolate chip cookies, deeming herself a "chocolate chip cookie purist." Anyone who takes chocolate chip cookies seriously is a friend of mine. Generous in spirit, fun, and chocolate chip cookie philosophies, Julie and Lisa were a pleasure to meet and I hope the rest of their travels leave them with some time to take a bite out of life!

Little Tokyo honorable mention

2010-11-17T19:32:00.000-08:00

The best place to do some soul searching in LA? Do some wandering around Little Tokyo, where you'll find delicious bowls of ramen and $1 mochi ice cream. It may be the best and most satisfying dollar ever spent. (I know it's not technically a baked good but it's worth an GABH honorable mention.)

Cornbread is highly underrated

2010-11-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

I question why one can't obtain reliably tasty and fresh cornbread at cafes and bakeries. Cornbread is not only delicious on its own, but it's the perfect accompaniment to soups and dishes like red beans and rice, not to mention gumbos. Maybe we're just not eating enough gumbo. Maybe that's it. I made this recipe from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking From My Home to Yours" cookbook. I'll continue in my quest to keep fresh cornbread on America's table. It deserves our love just as much as any fancy yeast bread.

Tips for living alone and combating cheddar cheese apple pie crust skepticism

2010-11-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

If living alone leaves you feeling like you've got no good treats to come home to, then I guess you've never tried this apple pie with cheddar crust recipe. This all started when I was about to go out of town for work and didn't have enough time to complete all the steps of my recipe. My empty suitcase awaited packing and the necessity of a good night's sleep beckoned me to my pillow.

Into the freezer went my two disks of dough as I begrudgingly abandoned my original intentions to bake my second pie of the night. This was not the first time my overly ambitious culinary nature led me to stop mid-recipe. If it's possible for an individual to be too inspired to cook and bake, this is definitely my predicament. Like many passionate food loving folks, my love for all things culinary borderlines on the obsessive, and my drive to create is blind to the realities of time management. I'm a student of such philosophies as "Why buy ____ when you can just make your own from scratch?" So I find myself spending a lot of time on cooking projects that others (who care less about what they eat) would probably find mundane.

Lack of time is no friend to a woman trying to master a plethora of baking recipes. But on the upside, freezing the dough left me with a pie crust that was waiting for me after a busy weekend of hard work. Not only was the dough easier to work with as a result of its stay in the freezer, but with only the filling to make, the hard part was over and I was ready to reap my reward.

Of course, friends and skeptics alike questioned the idea of cheddar cheese in a pie crust, but I held my ground and the results filled my belly wonderfully. And there started the chain of pie slice giveaways to neighbors, friends, and loved ones, because as satisfying as it was to fill my own belly, it's even more satisfying to sway the opinion of a cheddar cheese pie crust skeptic. There's a lot of them out there and I've been called to duty to bake for them.

A few simple steps delivered my welcome home pie after an out of town trip. After rolling out the dough, the filling ingredients were tossed together and nestled into the pie dish

With the the top layer of crust placed atop the filling, it just takes a brush of milk (below) to prepare the pie for the oven. Don't forget to add some slits to allow the steam to escape!

Voila! The welcome home pie is ready!

Find this recipe in Epicurious.com, originally from Gourmet magazine.

Friendship through the lens of a pear tart, kindred spirits, and my first of many Dorie Greenspan recipes

2010-11-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

One of the very joyful parts of having good friends is that they encourage your passions. Such was the case when my friend gave me the gift of Dorie Greenspan's "Baking From My Home to Yours" cookbook. Dorie herself feels like she could be a friend because we are kindred spirits when it comes to our love for baking, cooking, Paris, and French food culture. Her book "Paris Sweets", which explores the city's best pastry shops, is definitely in the spirit of The Great American Bakery Hunt. Ever since discovering it I have had a bit of heartache over the fact that I did not have it as a resource years ago during any of my Paris trips. Luckily, now I own three of her books ("Baking with Julia" being the 3rd) and I'm sure all of her writing will eventually find its way to my shelves.

With my love of food, I've become a bit of a cookbook addict. When I received "Baking From My Home to Yours," it sat sadly on my shelf for awhile because I received it during an incredibly busy time at work. Since returning to a more normal schedule, I have recently taken advantage of a reunion with my tiny but well-loved studio apartment kitchen. A potluck invitation was all it took to allow Dorie G's recipe to finally reach its destiny at my table.

After searching around its pages, I chose the French pear tart. I believe that creating a simple fruit tart is an art. Even with such basic ingredients, fruit tarts have an elegance that transforms dessert into more than sweet tooth satisfaction and adds to the feeling that the last course is indeed a special conclusion.

This tart was perfect for preparing most steps ahead of time since the recipe prompts you to partially bake the pậte sablée dough in the tart pan and prepare the almond cream and fruit topping before the final hour of baking. It was the perfect situation for carefully transporting the tart across a few west LA neighborhoods before its final stage of transformation, though beware this might be a disaster during peak traffic times.

Before being placed atop the tart, the pears are poached in a syrup of lemon juice, water, and sugar , then brought to room temperature

Blanched almonds are prepared for the almond cream that will form a delicious foundation under the pears

Once I arrived at the potluck, we put the tart into the oven to bake for the remaining hour as we enjoyed our dinner. While not necessary, I think this created a nice effect of additional anticipation as the scent of the tart wafted through my friend's house during the savory portion of our feast.

While I have not yet made every dessert in existence, I am going to state right now that fruit tarts will always be among my favorite treats to share at gatherings. A special sidenote of thanks goes out to my lovely friend who gifted me Dorie's cookbook. There's a pear tart waiting for you with your name on it the next time you're in California.

Nick Malgieri sits down with The Great American Bakery Hunt in Santa Monica

2010-10-22T02:05:00.000-07:00

Imagine my delight when I was recently contacted to arrange a meeting with Nick Malgieri, a legendary American baker who is currently visiting Los Angeles to teach some local classes and spread the word about his latest book Bake!. We met for lunch at Huckleberry during an uncharacteristically rainy Wednesday in Santa Monica. While Santa Monica's outdoor exercise and tanning enthusiasts might protest this sentiment, I appreciate that the weather gods provided the perfect setting for enjoying a cozy cafe lunch between two baked good devotees.

One thing I truly appreciate about Malgieri is that he encourages readers to ignore the intimidation factor associated with various doughs, baking techniques, and kitchen tools. Whether you put on a chef's coat every day or not, you should feel empowered to craft food that is elegant, delicious, and special-- and his writing really speaks to that. And while there are many times when my passion for baked goods has led me to consider studying pastry professionally, I also love the idea that each day in my studio apartment kitchen is an opportunity to learn. And this explains my immediate connection to Malgieri's newest book, as the title "Bake!" is imploring me to do so. Good baking takes commitment, and Malgieri's advocacy for the home baker and his willingness to teach us quality baking is just the encouragement we need.

In our convenience-driven society, many people turn away from baking either due to the time involved or the techniques, which they may assume are too complex. Malgieri hopes to ease the worries of home bakers who sometimes "pick up their rolling pin as if it were a grenade." Bake! features beautiful step-by-step photography to confront any inklings of this pastry-related apprehension. Bake! also offers handy tips including how to store your creations, which is an incredibly helpful bonus if you're serious about leftovers.

One standout recipe is definitely his quick version of homemade puff pastry, something I hope will start somewhat of a puff pastry paradigm shift. This recipe is particularly symbolic, since frozen puff pastry has become such a standard in American recipes. "No one makes their own puff pastry," you always hear people say. And perhaps that will always be mostly true, but it's another frustrating reflection of our convenience-obsessed society and lowered expectations when it comes to baked goods. As one more example, consider that it is rare to find a coffee house or cafe that serves a non-appalling version of a scone-- more often than not, they are dry, soulless, and attempting to mask their lack of freshness with an icing drizzle. In Bake!, Malgieri similarly laments the commercially made muffins sold in airports, and provides alternatives for us via much more fulfilling recipes. In Malgieri's earlier book, "A Baker's Tour", he will tell you that scones of the less- than- fresh variety are not acceptable for serving to guests. Therefore, The Great American Bakery Hunt asserts that such scones should be illegal to sell to the public. The man has standards, and we should too.

Aside from our mutual reverence for fresh scones and our passion for baking, I also learn that Malgieri and I have another thing in common: an avid cookbook collector, he has over 9,000 cookbooks in his apartment. While my collection falls short of 9,000, I love cooking and baking so much that this amount is in no way excessive to me. In fact, all I can think to myself is that I should strive to someday call my own an absolute minimum of 9,000 cookbooks. Like Malgieri, I hope to travel enough so that I too can interpret my cooking texts in many languages beyond English. As he advised, knowing just a few basic words opens up new worlds in baking and cooking, and these are worlds I believe I am destined for.

Among everything else, we discussed with excitement a Danish meatball recipe I've been craving ever since 2005. This topic naturally came up since I was eating lunch with an author and chef known for pursuing recipes all over the world and incorporating these into his food writing. While Malgieri travels to Switzerland most frequently, he has an enviable list of culinary experiences from his many travels across the globe. In my personal travels, I experienced the perfect meatball, a meatball made so lovingly in a Danish family kitchen that it's worth writing about and hopefully one day, recreating. Since studying abroad in Copenhagen and living with a host mom who is an outstanding chef, her frikadeller (meatball) recipe is one I have ached for ever since my now 5 year absence from Scandinavia. And with Malgieri being an advocate of savory baking as much as sweet, who knows if he might one day translate such a recipe into a savory tart-- a Los Angeles bakery blogger can dream. (Note: If this meat and pastry combination appeals to you, make sure to reference the empanada recipe he includes in Bake! using leftover puff pastry.)

Bake! is truly a wealth of recipes I look forward to experimenting with and it was a true pleasure to meet the man behind so many great recipes and compelling food writing. If you're lucky, perhaps you'll catch this modern baker in your own city as he spreads the word of Bake! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some baking to do...

Everyone should be so lucky...

2010-10-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

Everyone should be so lucky as to have coworkers who bring in slices of homemade fresh peach pie to share, ever-so-carefully transported to the office in a tupperware. Thanks April, friend, coworker, and longtime supporter of The Great American Bakery Hunt! We salute you!

This pie is a recent apple number that April whipped up...

The moral of the story: gifts of ingredients will surely result in more rides to the airport

2010-10-18T23:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I ventured out to LAX to pick up my friend Bryan from the airport. While a lot of people hate airports, I find perfection in them. Being around people from all over the world and experiencing the rush of travel is exciting-- and waiting time during travel is the perfect time to catch up on old newspaper articles, podcasts, and food writing. You have no obligation to be anywhere other than on your plane at the required boarding time, so you can enjoy whatever media you want. And if reading doesn't entertain you, the people watching might. Now I'm not saying I'm perfectly patient 100% of the time-- but I do think I have an unusual appreciation for airports. Needless to say, I envied all of the travelers at LAX tonight, and wondered where they were coming from or going to, where they would settle for the night, and naturally, the meals they would eat when they got there.

When I finally waved down Bryan in the line of passengers at Terminal 5, he said he had a surprise for me. As you can see, I was gifted some Kentucky Chocolate Nut Pie mix in return for converting my Toyota into a temporary airport taxi for his departure and arrival. This gift was incredibly thoughtful and brings me to the moral of the story: while I am always willing take a friend to the airport, gifts of ingredients bind me via the laws of food blogging to guarantee more future airport rides. Thanks Bryan!

Farmer's market nostalgia

2010-10-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

When you're a food lover, sometimes a craving strikes and the rest is history. You convince other people that the item you're craving is one they should desire as well, sometimes persuading them with a fervor misunderstood by more moderate food seekers. Such was the case this Saturday when I forced my body out of slumber mode and went to the Santa Monica Saturday farmer's market in search of one thing: the alligator. Now, it's been months since I have sought joy from the Bread Man's alligator pastry, which in the past I have savored while walking sleepily through the market. On a day where you want to explore, go breakfasting in your flip flops, and swill coffee, the alligator is the perfect treat. And this was the experience I wanted for others to whom I had promised a sublime breakfast experience. But sadly, when I arrived to the market this Saturday, the Bread Man was nowhere to be found. I had definitely heard news of some farmer's market vendor reshuffling, but I know now I was in denial. I learned the hard way that rolling out of bed and sacrificing groomed hair to get my hands on one of the often sold-out alligators is no longer an option for me on Saturdays. I'm planning on showing up to Bread Man's other markets with hope in my heart and a little bit sleepier eyes since now it will require long distance travel to hunt the alligator.

This Saturday, since I was left lacking alligator, with bad bed head and an increasingly growly stomach, I was happy to try the new kid on the market block, Valerie Confections. After picking up a few bunches of cilantro, I nibbled on their strawberry hand pie, both pictured below. Delicious, and buttery, this tasty morsel lasted just long enough to comfort me during my defeated exit to the parking lot. Don't get me wrong, not all change is bad. I was excited to see Valerie Confections at the market--their galettes and hand pies are beautiful, and I'll be visiting their storefront soon. But it's definitely the end of an era, and the alligator and I, we had a lot of great times.

The pâté that launched a thousand words...

2010-10-06T00:15:00.000-07:00

We interrupt the typical bakery hunting news for a brief announcement about a new food blogging project! The inspiration for this project was born long ago, with a sudden culinary spark at the age of 9 years, way before the food blogosphere existed in our collective vocabulary.

In preparation for my tenth birthday, my parents invited friends and family for an afternoon at the local roller rink. In planning for this momentous double digit celebration, my mother asked me: "What should I make to eat?"

While most kids in 1990's America would have demanded pizza, I exclaimed "pâté"! At the time, I didn't think anything of requesting pâté to serve to a cluster of middle school children alongside blueberry slushies, popcorn, and other roller rink fare: I doubt any of them noticed it or dared to seek out a taste. Nevertheless, my mom's lovingly crafted pâté was how I chose to celebrate, my pâté birthday if you will. Years before the blog frenzy of the internet age, this was the pâté that would later launch a thousand words. I'm certain I wouldn't be the food blogging, baking, and cooking fanatic I am today without it. As you can see below, this recipe was recently enjoyed in the present day at my grandfather's birthday celebration, albeit this time with more age-appropriate beverages (the blueberry slushy pairing was not missed.)

The passion for food my family instilled in me was heightened with the opportunity to live abroad in Denmark and travel throughout Europe. From the wonderfully stinky fromage shops of Paris, to the bakeries of Copenhagen, to the cafes around every corner of the maze-like Seville streets, I discovered a reverence for food and an enthusiasm for the art of culinary travel. Wherever I am in the world, my brain is wired to hunt down the best local food my surroundings might hold. Rather than simply consuming this food, my aim is always to celebrate and savor it, in the true spirit of Pâté Birthday.

My travels sparked the idea for this blog, The Great American Bakery Hunt, a blog I have dedicated to the aggressive pursuit of bakeries. And while this blog focuses on using my killer sweet tooth to hunt bakeries around the world, I have an appreciation and commitment to all food. Fascinated by learning how to work with new ingredients and explore cooking techniques, I plan to leave no stove top unturned in life's cooking explorations. And to help document this journey, I am launching a sister blog, Pâté Birthday, where I will focus on exploring as many recipes as possible, particularly ones that connect to family food traditions from all different cultures.

Throughout my life, I hope to seize any opportunity to cook or bake up a storm and to continue to widen my understanding of the world through the vehicle of food. I'm certain I'm up for the challenge since after hours at work, I often come home excited to cook, spending hours making fresh soup and from-scratch cornbread, mixing up a new homemade hummus flavor, or crafting a quiche or a tart. Simply, I am driven to blog because food is what I love, and I hope I can share that with others.

My own family's table is shaped by many different cultures, including roots in Louisiana to the farmlands of the Midwest, from gumbo, okra, and red beans and rice, to the hearty history of American meat and potatoes tradition. As a native Southern Californian, I am also fortunate to have grown up on delicious Mexican food throughout my youth. And while I call Los Angeles my home, I am likely to show up in your city one day, toting a baguette from a local bakery and hunting for my next meal.

Settling into the fall routine with flatbreads...

2010-10-05T23:45:00.001-07:00

Onion and fennel flatbread

Zuchinni and red onion flatbread

Cake and Horticulture unite!

2010-09-15T00:15:00.000-07:00

Each year, my family celebrates chocolate cake season, a Friedersdorf family phenomenon I have blogged about in the past.

A fixture at many birthdays, this traditional chocolate cake from French's Bakery arrives in a telltale pink box. The latest recipient? My mom, whose birthday was on September 7th. Happy Birthday Mom!

Since mom has a serious green thumb, she also received a multitude of horticultural gifts to go with her chocolate cake, pictured below.

Los Angeles homecoming is approaching!

2010-09-14T23:55:00.000-07:00

Each summer, I say goodbye to Los Angeles and live in the high desert for around three months for work. During this period, I presume Los Angeles bakers see their sales go down significantly. Perhaps some even think to themselves, "Kristin, you never call, you never write." Well rest assured, after a little vacation, I will be back in Los Angeles soon and ready to taste and blog devotedly about everything you have to offer. I also plan to give some attention to my severely neglected oven, which I have not baked in for far too long.

Before going out of town for my annual September vacation, I got a head start on my approaching homecoming by spending a few days moving my life back to LA. And even more exciting than not living out of a suitcase was my first post-high-desert late night bakery visit: a spontaneous stop at Figaro in Los Feliz.

It turns out that if you're aching to go to Paris (which is most of the time, for me), you can come here to enjoy something buttery while also overhearing real French people charmingly discuss things in their native tongue. And even better, Figaro stays open until 10:30 most days and 11 pm Friday and Saturday. With these hours, The Great American Bakery Hunt can add Figaro to the list of late night LA dessert spots in our ongoing investigation of LA's late night dessert shortage. (If I wanted to be truly sensationalistic, I might even call it a crisis.)

In the picture above, you can see Figaro's powdered sugar-dusted butter cookie with jam in the center. However, instead of enjoying this cookie among the French conversationalists, I enjoyed it back at a cozy LA apartment paired with a Pannepøt, a Belgian beer brewed by De Struise Brouwers.

Nothing says perfect LA homecoming like cookies and craft beer. Readers, have you also had a busy summer? Ring in the new fall by making friends with your oven again. Bake a little, drink a little craft beer, and enjoy the leaves changing-- I've heard rumors that leaves do this in other parts of the world, although I am personally surrounded by palm trees. Whatever your landscape situation, Happy Fall!

The fine art of the premeditated airport meal

2010-09-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

Do you ever find yourself in airports, hungry and bemoaning the purchase of yet another $12 burrito? Travelers often fall victim to overpriced airport foods, abused by a system that coerces captive audience prey into bad economic and culinary decisions. Well, airports, I refuse to play the victim anymore, which is why I practice the fine art of the premeditated airport meal.

On the way home from the International Food Blogger conference, I was toting the perfect premeditated airport meal with the following ingredients:

1) a baguette from Seattle's Columbia city bakery. While I did not go to the bakery itself, I bought the baguette from Sitka and Spruce while exploring the Melrose Market on Capitol Hill. (As an honorable mention, I wish I lived locally so I could cook from ingredients at Rain Shadow Meats, and was charmed by the fact that they had samples of dumplings made with meat from the store.)

2) Truffle salami from our conference “goodie bags.” This was perhaps my favorite item in the bag full of cooking related treats due to the fact that I immediately recognized the potential of this salami for the premeditated airport meal.

3) a wedge of semi soft goat cheese called La Yerbera that I picked up from Delaurenti's, a gourmet food shop in Pike's Place (Delaurenti's friendly fromage expert was very helpful in guiding me towards the right cheese for the occasion. The Great American Bakery Hunt suggests a cheese easy on the stink since you never know when you'll have an extra wedge left over to eat on the flight). This cheese was semi aged goat's milk rubbed in olive oil and covered in Spanish almonds.

Just a few easy steps and then voila! The Great American Bakery hunt has beat the system.

Seattle explorations: hunting coffee and pastries around the city during my IFBC trip

2010-09-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

At the end of August, I stayed in a Seattle neighborhood called lower Queen Anne during my travels to attend the International Food Blogger Conference organized by Foodista and Zephyr Adventures. Queen Anne charmed me immediately due to the fact that the Scandinavian bakery Nielsen’s resides in its quarters.

Rumor has it that among several bakers at Nielsen's, an actual Dane is involved in the business (although he is now semi-retired.) Danish flags hanging over the storefront lured me in with the promise of marzipan.

The Danish symbol for bakeries, an upside down golden pretzel, hangs in Nielsen's like a beacon of soul-satisfying buttery dough, magic, and bakery euphoria. Anyone familiar with Denmark knows what the pretzel means, and it means good things for the passerby.

upside down gold pretzel, the symbol used in Denmark for bakeries

Aside from Hygge in LA and Andersen’s in Santa Barbara, I have yet to visit a bakery in the states that offers some of the same pastries I once enjoyed in Denmark: Napolean’s Hats (a hat shaped cookie with a ball of marzipan in its core and chocolate on outside of the hat), Snitters (a combination of sweet pastry dough layered with custard and white icing), and poppyseed pastries.

Pictured above, Nielsen's poppyseed pastry (left) and the Snitter (right)

Naturally, the theme of any typical Danish bakery visit is wonderful, wonderful marzipan, and Nielsen’s was no exception. I started and ended my tour of Seattle with a stop at this charming little bakery, which left me nostalgic for Copenhagen, a place I have missed ever since I finished my study abroad program five years ago.

Among my personal belongings, I count a Nielsen's pastry box as the most important while en route to the airport. My luggage sits here as I wait at the bus stop for my last ride into downtown, where I will catch the light rail to the SeaTac Airport. Perfect snack for a passenger awaiting flight? Definitely!

Queen Anne also endeared itself to me because it happens to be the name of a tasty brew from a delicious coffee shop Cafe Lladro, named for their first store location (now one of many) in the upper Queen Anne neighborhood. As a die-hard coffee enthusiast, it was essential that I try as many good cups of joe as possible in Seattle, a city proud of its coffee culture. This led me to places including Vivace, and Victrola, where I purchased their Ethiopian Sidama Ardi coffee at the suggestion of the friendly barista. The conference provided a steady flow of Cafe Vita coffee throughout the weekend to add to the constant and wonderful supply of caffeine running through my veins. And though I may have looked a little jittery on the light rail ride to the airport, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Reflections on the 2010 International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle

2010-09-08T02:24:00.000-07:00

As I sit down to reflect on my Seattle food blog conference experience, I remain moments away from Pike's Place Market, in the stage of the night I can only describe as pajama brainstorming. The post conference pajama dress code was necessary after a busy schedule of sessions and a celebratory walk "home" past the market, through the streets between downtown and lower Queen Anne, and back to the apartment complex where I'm staying.

Aside from the locals, most of my other blogging counterparts have since traveled home to their respective origins, but I planned my flight with a one-day cushion so I could absorb some unstructured observations of the city. Luckily for my travel budget, a good college friend Peter has provided me a couch to call my very own in the lower Queen Anne neighborhood. Since tonight Peter is otherwise engaged at an out of town wedding, I sit here in his empty apartment, a tired temporary resident determined to gather my thoughts from conference.

To help me in this endeavor, I am armed with an Itunes library that is not my own, thankful for a large and thoughtful collection of indie, rock, folk, and other musical genres I am certain should help stimulate blogging inspiration (blogspiration, if you will.) No longer able to rely on the steady stream of conference wifi, I struggle to find a local connection and take a few swigs of the Darigold chocolate milk I purchased from the Mercer mini mart during my walk home. My nightcap, adorned with a grinning cartoon cow, stares back at me. Internetless, passwordless, and miles away from the Theo Chocolate Factory (conference headquarters), I take comfort in Andrew Bird's song "Tenousness" appearing on the playlist that is currently the foreign soundtrack of my night. Full of surprises, Peter’s Itunes playlists will serve as my own personal Pandora as I spread out my conference notes, camp out in the living room, and take sips of cold milk in between keyboard approaches. Reassuring in its cheerfulness, the personified Darigold cow has a shockingly red mohawk and wears wraparound sunglasses, both familiar accessories I might see on any given day around the streets of Los Angeles. In a way, the punk rock cartoon cow staring at me in between swigs of moo juice really brings the conference full circle.

On our first night, Morgan Spurlock, most known for his Super Size Me film, spoke about our country's current convenience-driven food paradigm and his goal to bring people back to cooking fresh, unprocessed meals around the family table with their kids. The discussion led to banter within the crowd about using cartoon characters on health food packaging to attract young consumers, much like the manner in which corporations adopt animated mascots to peddle fast food to our nation's youth. Continually more intrigued by the spokescowperson, I slurp up some more moo juice and learn (guided by my Iphone connection and twisted curiosity) that he has a Facebook profile under the name Smooth and that he is “looking for Friendship”. I wonder to myself if Morgan Spurlock would approve of Darigold’s cartoon cow marketing efforts. Could punk rock dairy icons be a part of the solution?

With internet no longer possible, I go back to cavewoman status by simply opening up a word processor document and tapping away at the page. As I sit here wi-fi-less, it is striking how strange it feels to be so disconnected considering that just hours before, I was breaking bread with bloggers from as far away as Canada, Baltimore, Boston, and Philadelphia. Attending the conference was a great opportunity to meet a lot of writers, photographers, and others romanced and captivated by the culinary world. In particular, bloggers from Seattle were well represented and generous in sharing local hole in the wall food finds or suggestions for bakeries I should try. Aside from networking with fellow bloggers, I was able to listen to and learn from a group of tremendous speakers.

James Oseland, Editor-in-Chief of Saveur and self-described food blog addict, told the audience passionate stories of dishes discovered in faraway lands, journeys during which he connected with local food bloggers in order to gain the full culinary experience his destinations had to offer. Oseland said he was a “food blogger before the web” who now uses technology to transform the way he explores the gastronomy of a city. Before traveling someplace, he examines online reviews and blogs to get a richer and more immediate experience. Oseland’s delivery of his culinary adventures felt deeply personal, as if he were sharing travel diaries among old friends sipping wine in his living room. His stories accompanied by exceptionally beautiful and vibrant food photography, he shared with bloggers his appreciation for our world, one where food obsessed people have a platform and support group. And perhaps this is why James Oseland felt like such a kindred spirit, and really, why all of us bloggers ended up sitting together in a room at the Theo Chocolate Factory being moved by his words. James Oseland, with the heart, soul, and travel inclinations of a food writer, is like many of us whose wanderlust seems to naturally revolve around the romance of flavors that await in each city. Oseland understands the thrill of the hunt for the authentic and local meal, each meal an opportunity to discover the way people live. He expressed that blogging should never be a popularity contest, but that writers should respect their material and use their content to bring people together. True, this is a message that could be considered in conflict with the Search Engine Optimization session, a session that emphasized maximizing traffic and using keywords to draw in readers. However, it could also reflect the fact that the conference offered an excellent mix of practical strategies for bloggers combined with pure inspiration. Furthermore, whether you plan to aggressively pursue search engine optimization or simply write for the love of the culinary hunt, it was a rare opportunity for us to gather and appreciate one another as members of a creative community that deeply respects food.

A “Pitch to Publish” session on Sunday featured practical yet encouraging advice, emphasizing to bloggers that the most important thing to establish is what you want to say to the world and how to say it with excellence and purpose, whether your platform is print, blog publication, or podcast. This session discussed bloggers' relation to the publishing industry, often a very hyped subject in the blogosphere since many writers lust after the blog to book phenomenon. Panelists included Victoria von Biel (Executive Editor of Bon Appétit), Kirsty Melville (President, Book Division at Andrews-McMeel) and Molly Wizenberg (Bon Appétit columnist, Orangette author, and author of A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table.) They offered candid commentary on the relationship of blogs to the print world, a relationship their dialogue helped to demystify for the audience.

There were many other informative conference sessions, such as the Art of Recipe Writing with professionals Kristine Kidd (who just launched a new blog), Dianne Jacob, and Amy Sherman who discussed strategies for recipe writers based on their experience within this industry. Surprisingly, they said a common (but very avoidable) recipe writing mistake was listing ingredients in the needed materials only to forget to include all of them in the recipe's prep or cooking instructions. (A particularly humorous part of their panel included a passionate debate about semicolon use.) The moral of the story: if you're a writer, you should learn to enjoy proofreading, regardless of your semicolon politics. Kathleen Flinn’s session on “Writing with all Five Senses” provided bloggers with interactive writing exercises and a chance to feed off of one another’s creativity, which only brought me closer to the realization that I wish I had about 1,000 more hours in my day to write. These exercises were also a fun way to become familiar with the styles and voices of other bloggers. In another session, Penny de Los Santos of Saveur offered bloggers a vision of food photography so compelling that I was inspired to further develop my photography skills. Though I have always been a writer at heart more than a photographer, Penny certainly made the case for “making pictures” thoughtfully, passionately, and with creative intention, and watching her describe her beautiful photographs was enthralling. Bloggers had access to yet another impressive body of work through Dr. Myhrvold’s presentation on modern cuisine. During this session, we had the opportunity to listen to behind-the-scenes stories about the making of his soon-to-be published 2,400 page food science and modern cookbook, Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking. All I can say is these books look like an epic and fascinating read! There was also a session that featured commentary on specialized diets, including vegan and gluten free. While I do not follow a specialized diet, I was thankful for this session since I have so many people in my life who could benefit from additional culinary resources in this area. As an advocate for people with special needs, I think it is important to bring inclusiveness into the conversation and I appreciated this was a part of the conference dialogue.

Another conference highlight was my tour of the Theo Chocolate Factory, conference headquarters and home to a fair trade, small batch chocolate company.

Exterior of Theo Chocolate Factory, IFBC conference headquarters 2010

Along with other conference attendees, I covered myself with a company mandated powder blue shower cap and was ushered through the factory by an enthusiastic tour guide named Nicole.

Pictured above, a powder blue hat that can only be described as "functional factory tour fashion" at my Theo Chocolate Factory tour. As you can see, I am dressed warmly as I am a Southern California weakling who cannot handle the slightest bit of Seattle chill in the air

While I have never had a chocolate factory tour guide before, I am convinced she might be the most endearing one for all of her passion for Theo Chocolates and their socially responsible company ethos. Championing their fair trade philosophy, she started off the tour with giving “a shout out” to cocoa farmers and explaining how chocolate is made, an explanation that included a variety of delicious samples. After giving an outstanding tour, Nicole explained that after three years working for Theo, her work has inspired her to embark on a travel expedition to explore Central American cocoa farms. With our group of bloggers being one of her last tours, chocolate fans may be able to hear more by reading her blog about sustainable food systems called Our World in Food.

Aside from the conference stimulating dialogue regarding the way we think about food, it also provided food to sample. The tasting aspect of the food blogging conference is arguably what defines it as more enjoyable than any other existing conference one might consider attending. They certainly started things off right by providing breakfast from Bakery Nouveau, with a beautiful spread of pastries. After catching a glimpse of Bakery Nouveau’s blog, it is clear that behind this bakery are people with a passion for food and a sense of community, as they donate cakes each month to different charitable organizations. The last day of the conference featured Top Pot Doughnuts for breakfast, a privately owned local donut chain known for its “hand-forged” doughnuts. While the doughnuts were delicious, they actually make a bear claw so big that even I was defeated in trying to finish the whole beast's fried and frosted paw. (I knew it would be important to save some room for our later meals!)

A longtime street food devotee, I appreciated that one conference lunch was devoted to “Food Trucks of the Northwest.” Among other small bites, we were able to sample several dishes including Skillet’s slider burger, a burger so juicy and delicious that I guiltily went back to their airstream trailer for a second taste. The grass fed beef burger was topped with arugula, their trademark bacon jam, and cambozola cheese resting upon a soft roll. The cambozola cheese, a harmonious hybrid of bleu cheese and creamy brie, may have been what I loved so much about the Skillet experience.

Skillet burger with Bacon jam, stealing my food truck swooning heart one bite at a time

An especially enjoyable addition to our lunchtime was the fact that Pike’s Brewery was on-site to provide some beer tastings, a perfect compliment to our street food fare and a small glimpse into Northwest beer culture during a fairly wine-heavy conference (not that I’m complaining!) Pike’s Brewery offered tastes of their Naughty Nellie golden ale, as well as a seasonal white ale called Dry Wit, but most memorably, a Scotch style ale called Kilt Lifter (easily the tastiest of the three options.) After a tall glass of beer and a few Skillet burgers, I was able to explore the Sunday farmer’s market taking place just feet from the conference. Since finding the local farmer’s markets is a key staple of my travel experiences, I was happy this all worked out so seamlessly during our lunch break!

The conference also included a beautiful dinner featuring a series of dishes from local Washington chefs. Easily my favorite dish at this dinner was the beef cheeks with squash blossoms, along with the dish from a team of two chefs featuring both a gritz and a polenta component as a take on both of their styles. While I enjoy every style of food, my roots always bring me back to comfort foods, foods that I just can’t resist after a hard working day of learning about blogging strategies! While I tried to sample every dish, there was an intimidating amount of food-- so my only regret is not having more room in my stomach.

If I have any criticism of the conference, it would be that most attendees did not stay long enough to enjoy the closing film Today’s Special, a hearfelt story about family and food culture told through the lens of a struggling family-owned Indian restaurant in New York. Certainly, bloggers can find a screening of the film upon its release in their respective cities, but it’s hard to replicate the experience Foodista created (in a genius move) when they arranged for warm trays of Indian food to accompany the screening. I am hoping bloggers everywhere will come together to plot a guerilla marketing campaign where baskets of homemade samosas are smuggled into movie screenings across America (or, try a pot of curry if you like, but this will be decidedly more messy.) Now, it’s not that the movie can’t stand alone, because it is a great film. However, I guarantee you that the overall experience of the movie will be better if you have a warmly waiting samosa resting in your jacket pocket, ready to consume during any one of the many inspiring cooking scenes. (Operation samosa jacket pocket, coming to a city near you wherever Today’s Special is screened.)
Overall, as you can probably tell, the conference was a great experience. There were wines to taste, beers to sample, beef tartare dishes to devour, and tastes of virtually anything you might imagine. I plan on posting separately about some of the food, coffee, and baked goods I was able to explore outside of the conference, so stay tuned! Until then, thanks to Foodista and Zephyr Adventures for organizing such an enjoyable event!

Journeying to Seattle for the International Food Blogger Conference!

2010-08-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

Sitting in LAX, I can hardly keep my mouth from watering when I think about the culinary adventure I am about to experience in the next few days. The time has come for The Great American Bakery Hunt to roam from our Los Angeles headquarters to Seattle for our first ever blogging conference. Tomorrow, around 250 food bloggers will step away from their keyboards and transport themselves to a whole new world of face to face culinary discussion with simultaneous mobile blogging! The results, I anticipate, will be nothing short of extraordinary. Most of all, it will be exciting to learn more about food writing, taste great food while doing it, and be in an environment where it is socially acceptable to talk to a nerdy extent about culinary topics! I'm giving mobile blogging the old college try with my recently purchased iPhone, and I'm crossing my fingers this works out swimmingly. Stay tuned for more updates from the road.

The only thing better than Magnolia Bakery in LA...

2010-08-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

The only thing better than visiting Magnolia Bakery's LA location for the first time: finding a broken parking meter right in front of the shop. Here's to the small victories of LA life!

In lieu of the roux

2010-08-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

Since my grandparents grew up in Louisiana, I have always been enchanted and intrigued by the gumbos, cornbread, and okras that were a part of my childhood during many family dinners. I'm convinced that it is in my genetic makeup to one day to create a respectable roux, and maybe even a few homemade beignets, although I am still figuring out how to dedicate myself to this project while working full time. All I know is that I feel a deep connection to this food-- one that started with my great grandmother cooking up a storm when I was a little girl, and ended with us all gathered around the family table.

My summer work schedule is fairly non-stop, so in lieu of studying my roux, I decided to visit The Gumbo Pot at the original LA Farmer's Market. A temporary substitute to a home-cooked meal on a rare day off from work, The Gumbo Pot was just what I needed. Once there, I warmed my summer up with some spicy gumbo, balanced it with a cold beer, and to top it all off, enjoyed a piece of their chocolate pecan pie.

Magnolia Bakery's legendary goods have arrived to LA-- but where should you eat yours?

2010-07-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

Magnolia Bakery's Los Angeles location is finally open on 3rd Street. This is a big deal for LA bakery hunters who have been eyeing the empty storefront ever since the "Leased" sign went up with the Magnolia Bakery logo hanging in the window.

Now the only question is where to eat your cupcake once you get your hands on one. At Magnolia's Bleecker Street location in New York, there are a few strategically advantageous benches where you can devour your cupcake and even in such a busy city, pause long enough to lick the frosting off your fingers. This being part of the charm of the original Magnolia experience, I wonder how LA cupcake consumers will adjust.

Please send in your suggestions of the best places to strategically enjoy a Magnolia cupcake in LA and we'll show New Yorkers what they're missing!

Bakelab summer school!

2010-07-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

I've never been to Bakelab in Inglewood before, but these classes make summer school sound fun.

Dessert grilled cheese anyone?

2010-07-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

Craving grilled cheese and dessert at the same time? Consider trying my favorite grilled cheese recipe: a mixture of marscapone and gorgonzola cheeses spread on buttered raisin bread with fig jam. My mom found this recipe and we've been enjoying them with champagne ever since! It's like reaping the sweet benefits of baking without actually having to bake.

Love affair with Caffe Luxxe

2010-07-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure I'll ever have enough strength to move too far away from a Caffe Luxxe: talk about a cup of coffee that can really define your coffee and pastry experience. This place really makes live worth living.

Favorite late night meals in LA

2010-07-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, you enjoy a good late night meal followed by some dessert. And while I love LA, LA is no New York when it comes to finding late night eats.

If you're looking for a late night LA meal on the west side, consider wandering over to Santa Monica's Musha. Musha's late night Japanese comfort food is always reliable, served with a smile, and delicious. And if you're lucky, Izzy's deli will still have some black and white cookies for sale when you're ready to hunt down some late night dessert.

Sometimes we go to Porto's and get a little carried away...

2010-07-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

As the title of this blog post suggests, sometimes we go to Porto's and get a little carried away. This is easy to do when the value at Porto's is so incredible, and the pastries are so fresh.

Go at closing time and you might just snag a closing time loaf of bread like the one featured above! And better yet, make some delicious french toast out of your good fortune.

Baked good delivery from Koreatown!

2010-07-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my wonderful friend Hae Jin, who delivered me a birthday sweet potato cake from Koreatown's Paris Baguette. Hae Jin and I studied abroad together in Denmark and have been good buddies ever since. The other day, we caught up over some much needed Tarascos tacos, and then to my surprise, Hae Jin presented me with a raspberry-topped sweet potato cake. You really know who your good friends are when they meet up with you and are toting concealed cake for you to try.

Pictured below is the sweet potato cake we shared over some Intelligentsia coffee. Note: Silver Lake's Intelligentsia not only has great coffee, but happens to be one of the best people watching spots in LA. Sit at the counter opposite the front door and you'll see what we mean.

Other suggested eating locations: Consider following your next Koreatown bakery stop with some K-town karaoke. Add dumplings from your local eatery of choice, a few baked goods and some classic rock songs-- There's really no better combination!