Cornell Winery & Tasting Room

As we headed toward Malibu to the beach over the weekend , we had every intention of lying on the sand taking in the rays. But, as we drove along the PCH without any luck finding parking and noticed the overwhelmingly large number of people who also had the same idea, crowding the usual calm sands- we quickly diverted onto Kanan Rd. to see what else the day had in store for us. We considered heading to Malibu Family Wines to enjoy a relaxing glass (bottle) of wine among the vineyards, but again we were not the only ones who thought this might be fun, and found another crowd and still no parking. We continued down Kanan considering our options in Agoura when we spotted a small sign reading "wine tasting" just minutes away. We had stumbled onto the recently opened Cornell Winery and Tasting Room in the Malibu hills, tucked just off Kanan on Mulholland and resembling a set from an old western film. Inside, the tasting room has a gothic feel and looks like it could have been an old church. Works from local artists adorne the walls and the winery fearures all local wines. The friendly staff greets you with a warm welcome the minute you walk through the door, though we were already greeted by the neighborhood peacock the moment we stepped from the car. It was such a beautiful day that we opted out of the tasting and purchased a bottle of the Republic of Malibu 2007 "Pink Lady" Rose, a semi-dry fruity rose made from Syrah that we thoroughly enjoyed on the patio with our new friend (and newly named, by us) "Coop". The staff gave us peanuts for him and he was our new best friend.

We also sampled some locally brewed beers inside and finally splurged and split a mini-tasting. We left with a bottle of the Republic of Malibu 2006 "La Mano Poderosa", which was our favorite of the tasting. A full bodied cabernet/syrah blend, this wine was the heaviest and boldest, rich and complex with a fruity nose and balanced tannins. We couldn't wait, it paired very well with the chicken liver crostini I made later that night!

Coupa Cafe, Beverly Hills

I've been craving arepas for a while, since Andrew's mom and I were talking about them in Palm Springs a few weeks ago. They are crusty little South American breads resembling a thin bun and originally made with cooked ground corn meal (or now with special corn flour, called harina pan) that can be stuffed with anything and eaten any time of day- but are best about 2am after a long night on the town. His mom, Maryse, though born in France lived in Venezuela when she was growing up and makes delicious homemade arepas. Coincidently, I heard a piece on Good Food a few weeks ago talking about a little cafe in Beverly Hills called Coupa Cafe which serves a variety of Venezulan dishes, Venezuelan coffee, and Arepas. We've been before for breakfast, but I totally forgot about this place.
So Saturday morning we headed to Coupa Cafe for breakfast. The place is cute, the patio is colorful and has a rain forest vibe. Inside is cute with a long display of beautiful pastries, coffee, and some grab-n-go items, cozy tables and a tall fireplace in the back. It was a beautiful California day and Peanut came with us so we sat on the patio. There were maybe 10-12 tables inside, but we were the only ones outside until 3 more tables joined us as we were dining. I ordered the spicy hot chocolate since it was a late breakfast and I had already had my morning latte, and I was hoping the heat from the spices would help cool me off. It was creamy and chocolatey with a nice kick of chiles, but not overwhelming or mouth-burning, and a nice thin foam on top. For the entree I chose the Special Arepa with carne mechada (shredded stewed beef), black beans and a heaping amount of "white cheese" that was sort of like a soft south american mozzarella with a mild tang. This with the crispy crust of the arepa was delicious, and perfect for a touch of a morning hangover! Served with a nothing-fancy mixed green salad you got the taste of Venezuelan street food in formal Beverly Hills for around $10/person. The service was lacking, we had to wait over 5 minutes for the server to return with our credit card, but the manager was very friendly and hard working and you could tell he really cared about the place. It's casual so no big deal, we'll be back for the food alone, which it's what it's really all about.

Peanut Butter Cookies!

Mmmmmmmmm, peanut butter. I've been craving pb cookies since one of the chefs at work made them and gave me a selfishly small sample. OK actually, it was two cookies with carmelized banana ice cream that was a little taste of heaven, but I still didn't get my fix. So I thought I'd whip up a batch myself. I woke up Sunday morning to the buzzing sound of a mosquito at 4:30am and couldn't go back to sleep. I finally got out of bed at 5:30 and thought this the perfect opportunity. Everything i've tried so far from Cindy Mushet's 'The Art and Soul of Baking' has been a success, so I used her recipe as the basis for these.

I did stray from the original replacing organic all natural peanut butter for the commercial brand (against her warnings), but tried to make up for it with a little extra butter, salt, and sugar. I scooped out the batter, made the essential crosshatch with a fork, popped these bad boys in the oven and voila!


And she said it couldn't be done! OK, actually she just advised against it, warning that the cookies may be dry from the lack of hydrogenated oil and sugar, which they were slightly from my blatant disregard. But, hey, sometimes you gotta sacrifice something for organics. I prefer the taste of the earthy, peanutty flavor of the all natural to the sugary, oily commercial stuff and I think that flavor was accentuated in these yummy little cookies. After they cooled I dipped the little square plateaus on top in dark chocolate (because the only thing I like better than peanut butter is peanut butter with chocolate) to make these "New Love American Style" Peanut Butter Cookies. I gave some away and have been nibbling on the rest ever since. Nothing is better than a cookie right from the oven, nothing, but I think these have actually gotten better over the last couple days as they've hardened, call me crazy. I froze some of the leftover dough in little balls to be enjoyed again.

Semler Tasting Competition!

Andrew, Shannon, and I visited Malibu Family Wines for the Semler Blind Tasting & Competition a few weeks ago and had a blast. We checked in and they gave you a glass and a plate of cheese, crackers and grapes and your packet for the blind tasting. They started by pouring the Semler Chardonnay, the only white of the evening and the only wine that you knew what you were drinking- and they weren't stingy either, our glasses were never empty!
After everyone arrived they started with the blind tasting, pouring reds from brown paper bags into our glasses while we filled out the tasting notes and were asked to guess the varietal and vintage for each wine as well as other tasting notes. The heavy handed staff were friendly and interactive, they would stop by each table and chat and make sure we had enough wine to come to a proper conclusion.

The wines were tasty, each notably different with characteristics of their respective varietal. The "winner" for the evening, the crowd favorite, was the 2005 Cabernet, a fruity, medium-bodied cab with notes of cherries and blackberries. My personal favorite was the 2002 Cabernet, a heavier cab with chewy tannins, fruity, earthy, and much more complex than the '05. Well, yours truly brought home the gold and was awarded a bottle of each of the wines in the blind tasting. An overall fun and fantastic evening spent in the Malibu hills with good wine and great company!

Too Many Apples...

This was the first year that our apple tree in Palm Springs produced fruit, I'm not sure what kind of apples they are but they taste like a mix between Granny Smith and Golden Delicious. Well, the tree was full of these yellow-green apples ready for the pickin' so we brought probably ten pounds home, not yet sure what to do with them. Their texture was a bit too mealy for eating alone, and they were not going to hold their shape for a gallette. So, I got out some of my cookbooks for inspiration and came across a recipe for Apple Paste from Alice Waters' 'The Art of Simple Food'. I made two batches of the paste, which is pretty simple and just involves cooking the apples until soft, straining and passig through a food mill, and cooking with a cup of sugar and juice from one lemon for every 3 pounds or so, then letting it set and dry. A little time consuming, but well worth the effort. You can use it any place you would membrillo (quince paste), I'm thinking it will mainly go on a cheese board, but stuffing poached fruit or dates would be nice as well. I made quite a bit so I am thinking some will be gift wrapped and given to a chosen few (cross your fingers!). As you can see from the picture this project barely phased the mound of apples, so I made the rest into apple sauce, which I had for breakfast this morning with some plain yogurt and honey.

Jose Andres' cheap eats...

NPR was airing a series 'How Low Can You Go' on recession friendly meals for four for $10 or less from some notable chefs, I happened to catch this one on my way home from work a few weeks ago. It's a recipe from Jose Andres for garbanzo y spinaca. A simple dish of, well, garbanzo beans, spinach, paprika, and garlic. I threw in a few shrimp just for fun. I'm a big fan of simple rustic dishes with great flavor, and the price on this one couldn't be beat. When shopping at a local market in Palm Springs last week and came across dried garbanzos in the bulk aisle, this dish came to mind. It was pretty simple, cheap, and tasty. Leslie joined us and brought her $40 stew, equally delicious, but not quite as frugal. We had a great meal of hearty, peasant dishes and great company. Ironic that such a simple, budget-minded recipe came from Jose, who's new restaurant here in LA is known for emptying your wallet and leaving you hungry. Luckily, this dish did just the opposite.

Caneles!

So I've had a strange obsession with caneles (cannelles, cannelles) over the past few months. I can't explain the fascination with these crusty, chewy, custardy cakes from Bordeaux, it must just be my Francophilia kicking in. I finally splurged ,yes a $20 expenditure, for the silicone mold the Friday before last on Amazon (I couldn't afford the traditional copper molds with a ticket price of $20 each, that's what I call an HTI- high ticket item.) I bought all the ingredients for two different recipes and made the batter last Thursday in a classic case of putting the cart before the horse. See, I expected the mold to come on Friday and the batter needs to rest 24 hours prior to baking, so I thought I would be fully prepared when the mold came in and pop them in the oven.
However..... the mold did not arrive until the following Tuesday! Hoping the batter would still be useable (it was), I baked the first batch after midnight last night when I got home from work and finished the batter this morning.Lo and behold my first attempt at caneles! They were delicious. Carmelized and crusty on the outside and moist and custardy on the inside- not too sweet and bursting with vanilla and hints of dark rum, perfect with our morning coffee. Both recipes came out pretty good and tasted similar, though the Martha Stewart took about an hour longer to bake they held their shape a little better. Here is the Martha Stewart recipe from Lottie and Doof, and here is the Joann Coffino recipe I used from Chowhound, there are a few other recipes out there I'll have to try next. I have satisfied my fix for these Bordeaux delights for now, but will definitely be making these again soon!