EARLY FALL BOUNTY, PART I

Hachiya Persimmons

There are two types of persimmons: the round firm ready-to-eat ones, and the soft, water balloon squishy, hearts shaped ones. Hachiya persimmons are the latter.  If you bite into one of these suckers before they're ready, they'll slap you with a purse full of tannins and call you a cad.  They should not, and don't want to be, eaten before their time.  If you're one of the unfortunate people who've had an under ripe persimmon (and who could blame you, since they can be squishy to the touch and still not be ready) you've probably sworn off of them for life.  Their bitterness and mouth feel is overwhelming and unpalatable. However, when they are entirely a deep orange hue and shockingly squishy, they're delicate and lovely to eat.  Subtly sweet and mildly fruity, they add a bit of exoticism to any cheese platter.  Enjoy!  

Le Gariotin

This luscious goat cheese is named and modeled after the small stone huts that once sheltered shepherds in the Quercy region of France. It's not too acidic and not too salty, but the perfect partner for the mild flavor and sweetness of this season's persimmons.  Pair them together with some speck and arugula, and you've got yourself a delicious salad, or just gnaw on the adorable wrinkled mound of cheese on its own.  It's perfect for four or a very hungry two.  Andrew from Andrew's Cheese Shopin Santa Monica recommended it for my farmer's market hoard, and it's a spot on pairing.  Thanks, Andrew!

KITCHY SUPPLIES

Sequin Fruit

My mom has had a small collection of these handmade fruit from the 1950s next to her vintage salt and pepper shakers, tea pots, and those gorgeous betty lou vases since I was a little girl.  They were the ubiquitous centerpiece of the family card table, and I never noticed them until I had my own table lacking its own ubiquitous centerpiece.  I went out on a mission for this...jeweled fruit? Sequin fruit? Beaded fruit? For some reason no name turned up any answers on ebay.  Fortunately, luck struck me twice at the flea market, and between the two trips I was fully stocked on my pretend glitter fruit.  Fortunately for you, ebay now sells them under the moniker "sequin fruit." The pieces are sculpted from styrofoam, painted, and covered in sequins or beads with pins.  My favorite is the orange, whose hue is almost copper and employs both sequins and beads.  It looks good enough to eat! Well, almost.

HONEY PEANUT BUTTER SEA SALT ICE CREAM WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

I don't like peanut butter.  I know I've lost half of you reading this already, but seriously, I don't.  For me, the flavor is as overwhelming as the texture, and I can usually only handle it as a flavoring agent, such as in dressings or sauces. So, what am I to do when I am specifically requested to make a peanut butter dessert for a party? Should I skulk away from it? Like some  peanut butter fearing animal? No! I should seize it by the reins and own it.  The lovely Remy from Passionfruit Butter and I have been discussing Jeffrey Steingarten's rules about unlearning your food phobias, and I guess peanut butter is top of the list for me.  So I started with Honey Peanut Butter Sea Salt Ice Cream.  Two out of three isn't bad, and it's the profile for one of Compartes' most popular truffles.  Topped with a fresh caramel sauce, this treat evangelizes the peanut butter unbelievers, myself included.  I can't put down the sweet-salty-nutty dessert, so if you actually like peanut butter, this is a must try.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2-3 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup honey roasted peanut butter (if you only have regular, add 2 tablespoons of honey)

2 tablespoons honey

Pinch of sea salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Caramel Sauce:

1 cup white sugar

4 oz unsalted butter

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Heat one cup of the heavy cream in a sauce pan until simmering.  Add the sugar to melt.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks.  Add a little of the hot cream and whisk to combine.  Add a little more, then pour the contents of the bowl into the pan and stir until thickened (or 165 F). Off the heat, add the peanut butter, sea salt, honey, and vanilla, stirring to combine.  Taste and add more sea salt or honey to taste.  Chill in your fridge, whisk in the additional cream and milk (tasting to adjust the salt and honey), then stir in your ice cream machine as recommended. 

For the caramel sauce, Heat the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, until the sugar turns golden.  Stir until all of the sugar is dissolved and just starting to turn a lovely amber color.  Remove from heat and add the butter, and stir to combine.  Careful, it'll foam up. Then add the heavy cream and vanilla extract, stirring to combine.  Pour the caramel into a glass jar and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.  Pour over everything and anything!

LATE SUMMER BOUNTY III

Seckel Pears

Don't these belong in a Flemish still life?  With a lobster or a rabbit lingering in the corner, and a vase filled to the brim with tulips.  They fit perfectly in your palm and their blush of red tells you they're ripe. They're absolutely succulent, or should I say seckelulent? 

Muscat de Hamburg and Muscat de Alexandria Grapes

These grapes were my farmer's market equivalent to the "Christmas closet."  When I saw grapes clinging to the stalls a few weeks ago it flipped the same switch that twinkle lights getting put up on the palm trees does for me, and "It's the most wonderful Time of the Year" started playing in my head.  I skipped from stall to stall, anticipating that elusive, almost floral sweetness of muscat grapes. I picked up a bunch covetously and asked the cashier, "Muscats?" 

"No, Thompson."

"Damn!"

"Muscat in two weeks."

Hope!  I returned two weeks later, and then three weeks later, and finally four weeks later, to still no muscat grapes.  Each time I'd peek at the stalls, like a child hoping to see wrapped presents stacked one night, and would leave crestfallen.  This week, finally, I found not one, but two varietals of muscat grapes. And I didn't even have to offer the farmer milk and cookies.  The Muscat de Alexandria grapes are bright and crisp, whereas the Muscat de Hamburg grapes have an earthier, almost tannic, flavor.  Both, however, have that honey-kissed, jasmine flavor of dessert wine. Delicious!

KITCHY EATS

Compartes Chocolatier

Anyone who's been following my culinary travails knows that Jonathan and I go way way back. Back when I only knew him as the "chocolate boy" who graced the pages of Los Angeles Magazine, I saw the names of his truffles: Jasmine Tea, Raspberry Rose, Fleur de Sel Caramel and decided, out loud I think, "He must be my friend." So I showed up at his store and kept buying truffles and making small talk until he invited me to a party for his shop. We drank, we chatted, we hung out for real later that week, and now years later I'm the unofficial godmother to his Pomeranian, Samson. Recently Jonathan revamped Compartes' patio to match the beautiful truffles he sells inside, and along with the delicious french press coffee he serves, it's just asking for a book and an empty afternoon to fill.

Though he serves his amazing Love Nuts, dipped fruit, and chocolate bars, it's the truffles he's known for. The truffles are always changing, week to week, so you never know what he's serving up when you enter his shop. I'm pretty sure I've seen a tear shed over passionfruit being out of season, and God knows I gasped a little when I heard smoked sea salt was sold out. Everyone has a favorite: mine is smoked sea salt or candied fennel, Peter's is honey-peanut butter-sea salt, and I'm pretty sure Jonathan's is the classic dark chocolate ganache or when he's feeling adventurous the passionfruit or mango saffron. His handmade truffles are made with the finest dark chocolate, and are usually filled with a dark chocolate ganache, though he sometimes uses white chocolate for fruit based truffles. What marks most people the first time they bite into one of Jonathan's truffles, is how chocolate is the star. They aren't over sugared, they aren't filled with cloying flavors. All of the ingredients are meant to pair with and enhance the chocolate, period. So, if you live in the Los Angeles (or Tokyo) area, stop by Compartes for a coffee and chocolate, but if distance keeps you away, you can always order a box online. Enjoy!

Candied Fennel Seed

Passionfruit
Shichimi (Japanese Seven Spice)
Papaya
Smoked Sea Salt

Cup of Coffee

Classic Ganache
Jasmine Tea
Mexican Hot Chocolate

Classic Ganache, rolled in cocoa powder

RASPBERRY ROSE CAKE

It was Christie's birthday this week, and I had the profound luck of her being in town to celebrate it with me. She was generous enough to cancel our Disneyland plans and instead decided on casual dinner and drinks. To repay her for letting me avoid 10 hours of screaming children and 100 degree heat after a night of helping my brother with his homework until 1 am (damn you, AP EURO!), I baked her a little cake. She turned me on to Mashti Malones and brought back rose water jellies from her trip to Greece for me, so she is entirely to blame for my recent obsession for lavender and rose in my food. Especially dessert. The raspberries are tart and bright, pairing beautifully with the subtle flavor of the rose water. After our night of sausages at Wurstkuche and drinks at the Varnish, this dessert plus tivo'd Project Runway was the perfect capper to a lovely night. Happy Birthday, Christie!




For the Cake

12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons rosewater
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a standing mixer, mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, and the rosewater, until pale and a little frothy. Sift together all of the dry ingredients and in a separate cup, mix together the remaining wet ingredients and zest. Add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients alternatively, on low speed. For one large cake, pour into two 9 inch circular cake tins. For personal cakes, pour the batter into a greased sheet cake pan and bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown on top. When the cake is baked through and slightly cooled, flip the cake onto a counter and using a 4 inch circular cookie cutter, cut circles out of the cake. You will use two layers per personal cake. Cool before frosting.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting with Raspberries

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

1 cup raspberries, plus more for decoration

Directions:

Cream the cream cheese in an electric mixer until light and a little fluffy, add the butter, beating for 1-2 minutes, or until combined. Add the brown sugar, pinch of salt, raspberries, and vanilla extract, and beat until combined. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar and milk alternatively. Turn the mixer on a low speed so it doesn't blow out everywhere. Place the first layer of cake onto a plate or cake stand, and cover the top with one inch of frosting. Add the second layer, and starting from the top, spread the frosting outward and down. Top with raspberries rolled in superfine sugar. Enjoy!