The Sweeter Side

Cowabunga Dude!

I was recently given the opportunity to make a cake for one of my employee’s 22nd Birthday. He is a major TMNT fan… For those who dont get the referance that stands for Teanage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Being a child of the 80’s myself I have a common fondness for these guys, so I jumped at the challenge.

His favorite turtle is Michelangelo, so I knew I wanted him to be the main focus. But How??? Well it was a pizza party so I started with my base, a pizza pan and the party dude’s favorite: Pepperoni Pizza. I figured having Mikey scoping in out the scene from the manhole cover was a good spot for his cake likeness, and sitting him on top of the big apple seemed like the right setting.

Above is what I ended up creating and I had an awesome time dude’s. The cake was flavored to theme as well and that was quite a hit as well.

Cowabunga Dude Cake - Vanilla cake with confetti sprinkles in the colors of the 4 turtles:

1. Leonardo - Blue
2. Raphael - Red
3. Michelangelo - Orange
4. Donatello - Purple

Next dropletts of Chocolate cake helped to create the cow spots of the COWabunga saying. The cake was layered with secret ooze filling (from the 2nd movie installment) and this consisted of a citrus pastry cream that was colored neon green. 

Enjoy righteous Dudes and Dudettes!

I love teaching!

Another Cake for Juliet & Shaun McNally!

This past Saturday I had the honor of not only attending this beautiful wedding but was chosen as the cake artist and baker for 3 wedding cakes and an array of desserts chosen by the couple. I Had a great time meeting with and compliling ideas and recipes dreamed up by the bride, groom and myself. This cake was a definite stand out!

Juliet and Shaun are big comic book fans and when we discussed incorporating comic book elements into the finnished cakes my wheels began to spin on overdrive!!! How was I to incorporate these ideas yet kepep the cakes as elegant and refined as the rest of the wedding and venue?

Inverting the tiers on this Kenneth Rocafort inspired cake was a huge help in excecuting this design. It kept it fun and modern while tying in the sharp Kenneth Smoke patern. I went with an ivory base instead of pure white and this also helped to keep the smoke as a focal point yet not making it so stark and prominent. The color also helped to “Marry” the ribbon wrapped china mum laying on top.

Flavor: Orange Creamsicle. Orange vanilla cake with a vanilla bean buttercream and orange curd.

Wedding cake for Juliet & Shaun McNally! Theme: Comic Book Chic… Inspiration from Graphic Novel Artist Jack Kirby and his Kirby Dots/ Kirby Crackle.

Thank you online tutorial www.drawcomics.net/how-to-make-kirby-dots.html

Flavor: Carrot in the style of Morton’s with a white chocolate cream cheese filling.

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma! This cake Traveled 500 Miles in 12 hrs all for the celebration of my Grandmother Marge’s 80th Birthday!

With #DineLa coming to an end today here are some of the favorites I’ve had!

• Frozen Chocolate Soufflé - Caulfields
• Fresh Buratta with Roasted Winter Vegetables - Scarpetta
• Carrot Fritters with Pistachio - Bazaar
• Roasted Beet salad with Carrots and Raw Beets - Caulfields
• Seared Ahi Tuna with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes - Asia De Cuba

To start the evening off we ordered a couple cocktails:

• Classic Mojito (served in a mason jar)
• Bourbon Spice (a bourbon lemon and blackberry cocktail)

For our shared appetizer we had the Honey Rum Pork Belly that melted in yor mouth and was cooked to perfection.

Next we had Palomillo Of Beef with sofrito and orange oil and Pan Seared Ahi Tuna with wasabi mashed potato’s (which in my opoinion is how mashed potato’s should always be served). The tuna paired with mashed potato’s was a major stand out of the night. The sofrito Was very flavorful and nice with the beef although the cut itself was a bit tough but had a good flavor. The Plantain Fried Rice with Avocado Salsa was to die for and just as good as it sounds.

For Dessert we enjoyed Mexican Doughnuts with toffee sauce and Molten Chocolate Cake with vanilla ice cream and plantain chips. In my opinion molten chocolate cake needs to come off of every menu although I have to say Asia De Cuba did it well, maybe the best I’ve had since its debut back in the early 90’s! The addition of the plantain chips was very smart and paired greatly with the rich chocolate.

Thanks to Chef Chang Sivilay for a wonderful meal. Fusion is still alive and well at Asia De Cuba at the Mondrian Hotel.

Ba.zaar (buh-zahr)

noun: is a permanent enclosed merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. 

Can be confused: bazaar, bizarre… and all for understanding reasons when dining out at The Bazaar at SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. 

I had the opportunity to experience a whimsical meal from Bazaar this evening and it’s one I soon won”t forget. Being a “foodie” and trying to keep up with the Los Angeles food scene I had of course heard of Bazaar, but I just have to say that the actual dining experience completely smashed all thoughts, ideas and expectations I had.

From the moment I walked in I was completely transported to a far away place. The giant single room partitioned off with walls, high back couches and stalls adorned with curtains made me feel like I truly was in a swap meet of sorts. It could have easily fallen into an intimidating feel of a snooty BH restaurant, but that was wiped clean by the relaxed and funky atmosphere. The wait staff helped to carry of the down to earth vibe as they were attentive, informative and passionate without being pushy.

We started off the night with a couple cocktails; A Manhattan* and a Dirty Martini*. The Manhattan had a liquid cherry in it and the Martini an olive. Both are created with a technique called sphereification.  They were very fun and showy drinks, but this did not sacrifice quality whatsoever.

Next we had some little starters the Beluga Caviar Cone and the Philly Cheese Steak. The cheese steak is served on an air-bread filled with liquid cheddar and topped with wagyu beef. This was the perfect way to enjoy a couple bites of flavor packed food, only to leave you wanting more. The Jamon Serrano and some Queso* with tomato bread came next and sealed the deal for the Tapas style meal. The Serrano was some of the best I’ve ever eaten. 

Pimenton Mussels, Carrot Fritters, and the Japanese Eel Taco’s were next and tantalized our palettes to excitement. Finally it came time for the Wagyu Beef Cheeks and Brussels Sprout Salad with grapes and Lemon Air. Both so clean and executed to perfection. We were informed that the beef cheeks are cooked with a method called SousVide for 48 hours. They were amazing to say the least!

If Bazaar wasn’t already re-inventive enough, after dinner they escort you to a separate section of the restaurant for dessert. An area called the “Patisserie” is where you have any after dinner drinks, dessert/ candy and settle your bill. Well the patisserie is filled with jars, cake plates, boxes and domes all to showcase their divine confections. As a pastry chef myself this was a dream! A restaurant that is putting such focus on dessert is a rarity. We had some amazing coffee*, Spanish Flan, Pan con Chocolate and a variety of Pate   De Fruits*. I could have been in the dessert area for hours as the feel was calm and relaxed and the sweets delightful and abundant.

Jose Andres has managed to remove us from Los Angeles for a moment with his whimsically created dining experience. I came to Bazaar for DineLA but will most certainly return when Dining in LA!

* Items not part of the DineLA menu.

Tonight My friend and fellow Foodie Lisette Galeas and I enjoyed a delectable dineLA meal from Scarpetta in Beverly Hills.

Alex Stratta is a very humbled and talented Chef. Making it a point to meet with his tables makes the experience that much more exciting for the diner and we were both honored to meet and chat with him. 

We started with a glass of prosecco to cheers the evening thanks to Chef Stratta followed by DISTEFANO’S BURRATA, CREAMY POLENTA and TUNA ‘SUSCI’ (which is not on the dineLA menu, but so worth the addition to your meal). We added the CLASSICO WINE FLIGHT so paired our appetizers with a 3 oz selection of the house pinot grigio. 

We both chose the SHORT RIB AGNOLOTTI for our main dish which is suggested with the house red that totally compliments the smokiness in the short rib filling. Hazelnuts and brown butter round out the Agnolotti and the slight punch of horseradish helps to keep each bite fresh and clean.

To finish off the evening we had a glass of moscato, coffee, and espresso all to compliment our dolci. The CHOCOLATE CAKE with burnt orange-caramel gelato and VANILLA CARAMEL BUDINO with chocolate sable cookies are the dineLA choices. Both were well executed not to mention the portions are larger then most sweet offerings this week. 

As long as Chef Alex Stratta is at the wheel Scarpetta at the Montage in Beverly Hills is not going to disappoint. Scott Conant can rest assure that his vision is being upheld with the utmost fines. Weather your dining this week or next Scarpetta is a great choice when in Los Angeles.