Orange County Food Blog

cobalt @ flickr.com CC BY-NC 2.0

​There are two kinds of people in the world: people who serve cranberry sauce slipped out of the can and sliced with the ridges still in evidence, and people who serve cranberry relish. If you're a fan of the former, it's the easiest dish to prepare for Thanksgiving. The hardest part is getting the cylinder out of the can with the ridges intact.

For those of you who would like to be in the other camp but have been burned by puckeringly tart relishes (naming no names, I've seen people on TV buzz cranberries, a whole orange and a tiny spoonful of sugar in a blender), here's a middle-of-the-road recipe for cranberry-orange relish that is nearly as quick as opening the can.

strata @ flickr.com CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

​By now it should not be news that the U.S. is facing a severe shortage of canned pumpkin. News sites and blogs everywhere are talking about the effect on our Thanksgiving pumpkin pies.

If you're depending on canned pumpkin to make your holiday pumpkin pie and you find you can't get any, never fear! Kabocha squash (also known as Japanese pumpkins) are plentiful at Southern California farmers markets. Knobbly and dark green on the outside, they're the same yellow-orange color on the inside, a very similar flavor and quite cheap; you can usually get a large pumpkin, about the size of an adult's head, for under $5.

The hard-skinned, knobby squashes of fall and winter can be a bit confusing to shop for. A variety of names--the exotic-sounding delicata and kabocha, the more tame and familiar butternut and acorn--different colors and various molted patterns make it seem like cooking each variety might be as different and particular as their appearances. Not to say that there aren't differences in taste, but these winter squashes are largely interchangeable in recipes. The important to thing to consider though is ripeness when picking out a squash, a factor that is easy to over look when facing these sometimes bludgeon-like vegetables. The tell-tale sign of a ripe squash is a well-developed ground spot, the name given to the small bumps--easily mistaken for imperfections--that form on the bottom side of a squash from sitting on the ground long enough to fully mature. So the perfectly smooth squash, with no knobby "blemishes" on one side is in fact the unripe squash.

cpt_obvious/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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Squash season coincides with the decidedly less delicious decorative gourd season, which McSweeny's can give you a tip or two on for taking advantage of.

 

Available year-round from Mexican panaderias across Orange County, champurrado--the Mexican corn-thickened, spiced chocolate drink--is a beverage that seems tailor made for the fall and early winter, its spices reminiscent of the holiday flavors of Thanksgiving and Christmas. We're already past one of champurrado's biggest days of the year, el Dia de Los Muertos, but considering how easy it is to make at home, try mixing up a batch when hot chocolate might otherwise be served, or as a less-caffeinated substitute for coffee.

jeremybrooks/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

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Made with Mexican chocolate flavored with cinnamon, champurrado doesn't require much beyond a steady whisking hand to keep the drink smooth a little bit of patience. Sweetened with piloncillo, Mexican-style raw sugar, the chocolate's spices augmented with some clove, anise or any other warming spice you want to throw in--nutmeg or allspice would work well--the drink has a full-bodied texture and unique flavor from the masa harina combining with the other flavorings.

With the sky dark before 6:00 PM and fog hanging heavy in the early mornings, fall is definitely upon us, with winter on its way. At the farmers' markets around Orange County the varied bounty of summer is beginning to fade, the tomatoes and stone fruits giving way to apples, root vegetables and winter greens. Apples are the undeniable kings of the fall fruit crop, persimmons the patient eaters reward. Quince, however, are under appreciated if not forgotten altogether. With its green, downy flesh, looking like a squashed, slightly gnarled pear, quince don't have the appetizing look of a glossy apple or a perfectly ripe pear. And in their raw form, other than a delightful floral scent, they make for terrible eating--intensely astringent and very hard. When cooked though, quince transforms both in appearance and flavor, its off-white flesh turning a beautiful deep red, the flavor loosing its raw bite and moving towards a taste that the whole fruit's scent promises.

Willy Blackmore

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ingernet @ flickr.com CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Truly a woman after my own heart.

​You bought the pumpkin, you carved it, the doorbell rang a hundred million times, and you gave out enough candy to fund an army of dentists for the next year.

Now it's the day after Halloween and the jack o' lantern is headed for the trash--or is it?

While it's true that most pumpkins of a size suitable for jack o' lanterns (jacks o' lantern?) are not bred for their flavor, all pumpkins are edible. Roasting the pumpkin usually helps concentrate whatever sugars are present and makes it tastier. Just please make sure you cut off any dripped wax from the candle, okay?

A bonus "Five Great..." list awaits you behind the jump:

Dave Lieberman

​Quick, what's better than crème brûlée?

How about crème brûlée in an edible bowl?

The Catalans, those famously free-thinking denizens of northeastern Spain, Andorra and the adjacent part of France, claim to have pioneered crème brûlée. In a burst of national pride, they call it crema catalana, and some culinary savant in Catalunya decided to put the resulting custard in baked apples and then burn some sugar on top.

In-geeeeeee-nious! And so this week, just past the jump, we bring you the outstanding recipe from Colman Andrews' Catalan Cuisine, pomes farcides amb crema catalana. You might not be able to pronounce it, but your taste buds won't care.

Anaheim Street in Long Beach has a heavily Khmer-script-signed, mile-long stretch that is the epicenter of one of the largest Cambodian expat populations in the world. Approach the neighborhood from the west and you can quickly traverse a broad swath of the city's history, crossing Junipero Avenue into Little Phnom Penh--contemporary, International City Long Beach--just blocks after passing one its most old school, Iowa-by-the-Sea landmarks, the beloved Joe Jost's.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/durbanator/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Pickled Eggs at Joe Jost's

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Opened in 1924 during those long, dry years of Prohibition as a barber shop/pool hall (the original barber shop license still hangs on the wall), Joe Jost's has more than eighty years of history to back its reputation as a local institution. And even if beer wasn't served there in the beginning, the quintessential eating and drinking experience at the bar involves three things: a schooner of the coldest beer imaginable, a special sandwich and a few pickled eggs served on a bed of pretzels and chiles, dusted with black pepper and twisted up in a square of deli paper. You'd be hard pressed to chill a beer at home as expertly as they do at Joe Jost's, hovering just north of slightly frozen, but mixing up a batch of their pickled eggs in your kitchen is easy to do. Recipe after the jump!

​Stick a Fork In It always runs its recipes on a Wednesday, and sometimes that coincides with a yummy national food day. Today, however, is an exception: October 14 is National Chocolate-Covered Insects Day.

Yikes!

​According to general manager Ahmed Labbate, the once-a-month wine sell-off, whereby 50 wines are reduced in price by 50 percent, proved so popular that they're now running it every other weekend, from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. The savings are pretty good, whether you're looking at the higher or lower end of the scale.

​Courtesy of Vincent Muraco and Joyce Goldstein at Huntington Beach's Zimzala restaurant (within the Shorebreak Hotel), this is a gorgeous, easy-to-assemble salad that you can get away with for another month or so, while the weather's still warm enough.

Apparently also known as emmer wheat (although I'd never heard that term), farro makes a toothsome change from deathly-dull pasta or potato salad.

And, as an extra bonus, it looks mighty pretty in the bowl.

​Can't afford that Hawaiian vacation just yet? Well, here's the next best thing. Maybe.

Roger Stettler, Executive Chef of DUO restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, is going to be at Bloomingdale's, Fashion Island, on Thursday, October 1.

Among the dishes he'll be demonstrating are Miso Yaki Seabass and Big Island Hearts of Palm Salad. Sounds delish!

Steak is also a speciality of DUO, but that's just boooooring.

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​Yes, today really is National Guacamole Day!

And where better to get an authentic recipe for the dip than the California Avocado Commission?

The voiceover for the atmospheric video clip on the website's home page actually ends with the clichéd phrase: "Insist on California avocados."

This version is so authentic, in fact, it's even called Guacamole Auténtico!

And, even better, it's over and done with in ten minutes (bar the eating, which is bound to take even less time).

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​Did you know there are more than 600 varieties of peaches, plums and nectarines in California alone? That's according to the Eat California Fruit website, which is crammed with facts both interesting and not-so-interesting about the three stone fruits.

It's also the source of the following quick, lovely and delish recipe, which is a great way of using up peaches that are on the turn (from soft to mushy, that is--not moldy).


The recipe serves four. Or, rather, it makes four popsicles, but seeing as they're fat free and contain only 40 calories each, there's no reason why you can't scarf the whole lot.

Just remember: You need to allow at least four hours to chill. Impossible!

​A dozen of the county's top chefs, all from restaurants participating in Orange County Restaurant Week, will be showcasing their skills at Bloomingdale's Home Store from September 5 to 19. Sadly, due to health codes, no sampling is allowed (boo, hiss!), but you can at least get to see the culinary wizards in action, and there'll be book signings and gift card giveaways.

The full rundown after the jump.

​Warning: This recipe is from Guy Fieri. That sentence alone may lose half of you. But this dish sounds so good I'm going to try it tonight. After all, as the recent return to hot weather confirms, it is still summer. The white pants are staying on for now!

The ingredients should be easy to get hold of; the only tricky part is removing the bird's backbone. Where's Julie Powell when you need her?

The recipe serves up to six people, depending on how hungry you are.

​This is another extremely simple dish to make, provided you can track down the ingredients. Some farmers' markets--including the Saturday one in Irvine--sell fresh edamame, while shichimi is available from specialist stores.

But if you can't get hold of it, simply cook the beans and sprinkle them with salt. This spin on an amuse-bouche, which can be served hot or cold, is on the menu at all Roy's locations, including Anaheim and Newport Beach. As the man himself says, "Edamame is a great way to start a meal so you don't get filled up on bread."

The following recipe serves four.

Ingredients:
½ lb edamame beans, in pods
1 tbsp Roy's Edamame Seasoning

Roy's Edamame Seasoning:
8 oz kosher salt
4 oz shichimi (Japanese red pepper seasoning)
1 oz granulated sugar

Directions:
Boil seven cups of water in a large pan. Wash edamame bean pods well. Add the edamame to boiling water and let boil for 5-10 minutes. Drain and sprinkle the well-blended Roy's Edamame Seasoning over them. Serve.
 

​Continuing our series of easy-to-make, healthy dishes is this appetizer, which is on the lunch menu at Canaletto, Newport Beach. Toast, garlic, tomatoes: What's not to like?

It serves one or two people, depending on how hungry you are.

Ingredients:
2 ½ slices ciabatta
½ clove of garlic
1 ½ tbsp basil olive oil
2 basil leaves, julienned
4 oz Roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
3 Kalamata olives
2 whole basil leaves

Directions:
Grill the ciabatta slices, then cut in half (making five pieces in total). Rub them with the cut side of the garlic clove and arrange in a flower shape on a serving plate. Combine 1 tbsp basil olive oil, julienned basil, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Mix well. Top the ciabatta with the tomato mix. Place the olives in the center of the "flower" and top with the basil leaves. Drizzle the plate with the remainder of the basil olive oil.

Buon appetito!

​This side dish is available at the Cat Cora BBQ counter at Macy's Signature Kitchen, South Coast Plaza. Broccoli slaw, sold in bags at Trader Joe's, isn't everyone's go-to choice, granted, but once combined with the dressing (adapted from Cora's grandma's recipe), it makes this tasty--not to mention healthy--crunchfest. Here's a pic of the chef herself, as she is far more attractive than a plate of slaw*.

The following recipe serves 8

Ingredients:
2 12oz packages broccoli slaw

Dressing:
1/3  cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco
1 tsp celery seeds
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

To make the dressing, in a large bowl, whisk together the mustard and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Gradually add the olive oil and the hot pepper sauce while whisking constantly. Whisk in the celery seeds and season with salt and pepper.

Add the broccoli and mix thoroughly with the dressing. Serve right away or within an hour.

PS Congrats to Cat and her partner, who both gave birth recently (Jennifer in April, and Cat in July).

* Note: This is my opinion and no one else's. As far as I know, no scientific tests have been conducted to determine whether or not Cat Cora is indeed more attractive than a plate of broccoli slaw. If I find any, I'll post a link up here.

 

​This light-as-a-feather dish, on the menu at all Zov's locations, is another summer stunner, easy to make and ultra-healthy. You can prepare all of the chopped ingredients a day ahead, then add the dressing just before serving.

As chef-owner Zov Karamardian explains, "the secret to tabbouleh is to find the right balance between the lemon juice and salt (neither flavor should dominate). A high-quality extra-virgin olive oil is essential."

In the Middle East, the salad is often spooned down the center of a romaine lettuce leaf and rolled up like a cigar. If you're entertaining, you can arrange the leaves alongside the bowl so guests can roll their own.

Alternatively, turn the salad into an entrée by topping it with grilled fish, shellfish or chicken.

The following serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp fine bulgur
5 plum tomatoes, seeded, finely diced
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and finely diced
2½ cups (about two bunches) chopped fresh Italian parsley
⅔ cup green onions, finely chopped
½ cup fresh mint, chopped
½ cup red onion, finely diced
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp seasoned salt
½ tsp lemon pepper

Garnish:

Red leaf lettuce or romaine lettuce leaves and lemon slices

Place the bulgur in a large bowl. Spoon the tomatoes directly over the bulgur. Spoon the cucumbers, then the parsley, green onions, mint and red onion on top of the salad. Whisk the oil, lemon juice, black pepper, salt, seasoned salt, and lemon pepper in a small bowl to blend. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

Line a large bowl with the lettuce leaves. Spoon the tabbouleh into the bowl and serve.

Note: It's important to layer the diced tomatoes directly over the bulgur, so that the bulgur can absorb the juices. If you do this, you don't need to soak the bulgur to soften it.

Here's a recipe that's more elaborate than others we've featured recently. It's from the Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar in Tustin (where Yvon Goetz is Executive Chef and Partner), so it should come as no surprise that a whole bottle of the drink of the gods is a key ingredient. And if you can get your version to look as good as his, you deserve a second one.

Ingredients (serves four)
 
For the short ribs:

4 1lb short ribs, bone in
1 bottle Zinfandel
1 qt veal stock
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup flour
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup carrots, peeled and diced
¼ cup leek, diced
1 cup onion, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp black peppercorn, crushed
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 each bay leaf





For the pearl couscous and garnish:

1 cup pearl (Israeli) couscous (can be found in well-stocked grocery stores or specialty food stores)
½ cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup white wine
1 cup carrot juice
1 oz butter
1 tsp chives, chopped
salt and pepper
20 green asparagus, blanched
4 slices prosciutto (or bacon)

PREPARATION
For the short ribs:
Debone the short ribs and save four bones. Wrap each short rib around one of the bones and tie with a piece of butcher's string. Season well with salt and pepper and dust with flour, shaking off the excess. In a medium-sized pot sear the short ribs in the vegetable oil until golden brown. Remove the ribs and set aside. Sauté the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in the remaining oil for about four minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for two more minutes, pour the red wine over the vegetables and reduce by two-thirds. Add the veal stock to the vegetable mixture, place the meat in the pot (making sure the meat is covered with the stock) and bring to a quick boil. Add the black peppercorns, bay leaf and fresh thyme sprig and cover with a lid or a sheet of foil. Cook for about 2½ hours or until very tender in a 300ºF oven.
When cooked, remove the meat from the stock, strain the stock in a fine mesh strainer and reduce until the right consistency (syrupy). Set aside.

For the couscous:
Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a medium sauce pot over medium heat, sweat the finely chopped onions and garlic for one minute, then add the couscous, stirring occasionally, for three minutes. Add the carrot juice, salt and pepper and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is still al dente (about 10 minutes). Remove from the heat and add the butter and chopped chives.

For the asparagus:
Peel the bottom part of the asparagus and quickly blanch in salted boiling water for 30 seconds. Cool down in iced water. Wrap five spears of asparagus in the prosciutto slice, place on a baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and bake in a 350ºF oven for five minutes.

To serve:
Arrange the couscous onto the center of the plate, remove the string from the short rib and place on top. Pour some of the hot sauce over it, making sure to cover the meat well. Lean the asparagus against the ribs and finish the presentation with a sprig of fresh thyme.

 
 

Here's another light, summery one, this time from Craig Strong, the new Executive Chef at Studio, at the Montage Laguna Beach.

The recipe serves four and Strong recommends using Dungeness crab.

Ingredients

½ pound crab
2 egg yolks
juice of ½ lemon
1 vanilla bean, scraped, reserving seeds
½ cup grapeseed oil
1 cantaloupe melon
¼ cup honey
¼ cup sherry vinegar
¼ cup grapeseed oil
2 cups micro greens

Mix the egg yolks, lemon juice and vanilla bean seeds in a small mixing bowl. While whisking, constantly drizzle the oil to make mayonnaise. Mix with the crab.

Peel the melon, cut into quarters and trim to make a rectangle. Using a Japanese mandolin, slice the melon thinly. Place one teaspoon of crab salad and roll. Use four rolls per person. Purée the scrap offcuts of melon to use as a sauce for the plate.
 
In small saucepan, heat the vinegar and honey. When warm, transfer to a blender and add the oil slowly while mixing.

Decorate the plate with the sauce and toss the greens with the vinaigrette.  Then, place rolls in the center of plate and top with the greens.

This is another light, summery, easy-to-prepare dish, courtesy of chefs Tom Hope and Manny Gonzalez at Taps Fish House & Brewery, Brea. The following quantities serve six as an appetizer.

And if you're really too lazy to try making it yourself, go to the restaurant for the real deal, where it's on the menu as a starter (for both lunch and dinner).

 
For the cocktail:

¾ pound shrimp (preferably rock shrimp), raw, deveined, tails removed

¾ pound fresh bay scallops

2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

½ jalapeño pepper, seeded, deveined, finely diced

1 cup diced tomatoes (skinned and seeded)

1 medium diced cucumber (peeled and seeded)

½ medium red onion, finely diced

1 large Hass avocado, diced

Dash chipotle Tabasco or favorite hot sauce

Pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper

½ cup ketchup

 
For the garnish:

Sprigs fresh cilantro

Fresh tortilla chips
 

Instructions:

Blanche the scallops and shrimp for 60 seconds in boiling water. Drain, cool, then dice them into ¼-inch pieces. Add to a large mixing bowl, cover and marinate in the lemon and orange juice overnight or for a minimum of four hours, stirring occasionally. The seafood will now be "cooked" through by acid of the lemon juice. Drain, but leave some of lemon juice to keep the seafood moist and to serve as a base for a binding sauce. Add the jalapeño, tomato, cucumber, onion and avocado, then a dash of hot sauce, and pinch of salt and pepper. Add the ketchup, and gently mix, just slightly mashing the avocado. Taste for seasoning. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

To serve, mound the mixture in a martini or red wine glass. Garnish with the cilantro and serve with the warm chips.

Voilà! A chic, effortless appetizer that's bound to impress your guests.
 

This stunner, easy to make, is on Lucca's latest menu, served with a port wine reduction, caramelized onions in balsamic vinegar, a corn crème brûlée with sour cherries, and crispy leeks. 


In keeping with the café's "all-natural" ethos, chef-owner Cathy Pavlos uses hormone-, antibiotic- and preservative-free Chairman's Reserve pork from Iowa.
 

Although it's tempting to do so, there's no need to cook the meat to 180 degrees, which tends to dry it out and leech its flavor. As Pavlos points out, there hasn't been a case of trichinosis in the US for over 70 years. At Lucca they cook it to medium rare to medium, and it truly makes a difference.

The following recipe is for a typical pork tenderloin of 1¼ to 2lbs, which should serve three to four people.
 
Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

Pork brine:
¼ cup kosher salt
3 tbsp Turbinado sugar
0.4 tsp black pepper, ground
2 crumbled bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
3 cups water

Soak the tenderloin in the brine for no more than 1½ hours, rinse and pat dry. Next, put the rub on the pork.

Pork rub:
3 tsp cumin seeds, ground
4 tsp coriander seeds, ground
2 tsp black peppercorns, ground
4 tsp fennel seeds, ground
2 tsp green chili powder, medium
2 tsp red chili powder, mild

Toast all the seeds and the peppercorns lightly in a sauté pan until the fragrance is released, then add them to a spice grinder and grind until medium consistency. Then add the chili powders.

Roll the tenderloin in the spice rub, then season with sea salt.

Place the whole tenderloin on the grill, medium heat, and grill, turning often until the internal temperature on the pork reaches 132 degrees.  Set it aside to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

To serve, slice the tenderloin against the grain of the muscle.

Yum!

I've had this dish a few times at the Wolfgang Puck Bistro inside Macy's at South Coast Plaza. At Chinois on Main, Puck's restaurant in Santa Monica, it's been on the menu for over 25 years, such is its popularity. It even includes Colman's mustard, which I blogged about yesterday.

Cooking a chicken from scratch might sound a little drastic, but precooked chicken should work in a pinch.



Chinois Chicken Salad

Serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 as an entrée

For the Chinese Mustard Vinaigrette:
2tsp Chinese or English mustard (preferably Colman's)
¼ cup wine vinegar
1tsp soy sauce
2tbsp sesame oil
2tbsp peanut oil (add 1tbsp for four servings)
salt
freshly ground pepper

For the Chicken Salad:
1 3lb chicken, cavity filled with finely diced celery, carrot, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper
2oz salted butter, melted
2 small heads or 1 medium head Napa cabbage
1 cup romaine lettuce, cut into ¼-inch julienne strips
10 snow peas, cut into ¼-inch julienne strips
1tbsp seeds, toasted

Instructions:

1. Place all the vinaigrette ingredients, except peanut oil, in a blender and blend until smooth. Add peanut oil slowly and correct the seasonings.
2. Preheat the oven to 425F.
3. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and baste it with some of the butter. Roast for about 1½ hours, or until just done. (The juices should run clear.) Baste every 15 or 20 minutes with the butter and the drippings.
4. Select 4 to 8 of the best leaves from the Napa cabbage and reserve them. Slice the remaining cabbage into ¼-inch julienne strips.
5. Shred the meat from the breasts and thighs of the chicken.
6. Combine the chicken, cabbage, romaine and snow peas in a bowl and toss with enough vinaigrette to coat the salad nicely. Serve.

Here's a signature from Amar Santana, Executive Chef at Charlie Palmer, South Coast Plaza. Light, healthy and a cinch to make, it's perfect for summer (once the weather perks up, that is).

On the other hand, if you're feeling fancy, you can jazz it up by garnishing it with marinated baby shrimp and avocado, as Santana does.

We couldn't get a photo of the dish itself, but, let's face it: we all know what gazpacho looks like. But not everyone knows what Santana looks like--so here's a cheery pic of him instead. Check out the pearly whites!


Gazpacho

Serves 6 as an appetizer

6    piquillo peppers
5 leaves    basil, washed
3 sprigs    cilantro, washed
3    celery ribs, chopped
15    plum tomatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2    red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1    cucumber, washed and chopped
1   carrot, peeled and grated
½ clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp    sea salt
1 pinch    black pepper, coarsely ground
1 tsp    coriander seed, toasted and coarsely ground
2 tsp    red wine vinegar
¼ cup    good quality olive oil
1 cup    water


1.    Combine all ingredients in a shallow pan, cover with plastic film and refrigerate overnight.
2.    Purée the vegetables smooth in a blender or food processor.  Pass through a china cap (strainer), pressing firmly to extract all juices.  Discard any solids.
3.    Adjust seasoning, then serve.

The Top Chef spinoff starts tonight (10:00pm, Bravo), with 24 chefs duking it out over the ten-show run.

Sources confirm that Suzanne Tracht, of Jar in LA and Tracht's in Long Beach, isn't actually cooking till next week's episode. But that's no excuse not to party, right?

So to mark the start of the series tonight, Tracht's is showing the program and running happy hour specials on food and drink from 4.30pm till close (which might be as late as 1:00am, depending on how many people show up.)

The other local chef taking part is Roy Yamaguchi, of Roy's, while Kelly Choi (NOT Padma Lakshmi!!) hosts and three judges (including the obligatory Brit), er, judge.

Regina Schrambling has an interesting post on Slate about lard, the pig fat that was commonly used as cooking fat, shortening and even spread like butter before saturated-fat nazis deemed it unhealthy.

Over at least the last 15 years, it's repeatedly been given a clean bill of health, and good cooks regularly point out how superior this totally natural fat is for frying and pastries. But that hasn't been enough to keep Americans from recoiling--lard's negative connotations of flowing flesh and vats of grease and epithets like lardass and tub of lard have been absurd hurdles.

Those days are apparently over.

I'm convinced that the redemption of lard is finally at hand because we live in a world where trendiness is next to godliness. And lard hits all the right notes, especially if you euphemize it as rendered pork fat--bacon butter.

Mmmm, bacon butter...

Turns out, Schrambling notes, that shortening and its cousin margarine have worse health effects due to trans fats, while the increasingly popular olive and canola oils do not work for all dishes or especially heavy cooking.