Bonne Bouche

Wild for wild boar

Oh wow. I have a new favorite as far as meat is concerned...wild boar. If you can get your hands on some at a restaurant, get some.
Or better yet, if you can find it fresh and cook it at home, I promise you will have a new favorite too!
We were lucky enough to be gifted with 10 pounds of it as a wedding gift in the form of boneless tenderloins and today I made a dish that Matt declared to be a favorite of his.
I made a Cumin Spice Crusted Tenderloin served with Oyster Mushroom & Shallot gravy over Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
Here is a picture of the final result and then I will tell you how I made it-

Wild Boar Tenderloin ( if you don't have any wild boar, pork can be substituted of course) with Cumin Crust:

Start with 1 1/2 pounds of fresh meat and salt and pepper on both sides then coat with cumin as a dry rub of sorts.

If using wild boar, remember that boar is much leaner than regular pork and will cook much faster so you must adjust for cooking times going under rather than over. Also, boar is more "steaky" and can be cooked to medium rare whereas pork cannot.

I then browned the meat on both sides in a dutch oven over a medium-low flame in a bit of olive oil and thinly sliced garlic (3 cloves). Because it is boar and not pork, I did about 4 minutes on each side.
Then I placed the dutch oven in the oven to cook through at a preheated 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.
When the meat came out, I removed it to a plate and covered it so the juices would seal in.

I then made the Oyster Mushroom & Shallot Gravy building it right in the boar scrapings left in the dutch oven.
I got the oyster mushrooms at a farmer's market choosing them because they looked so nice but if you need to substitute any wild mushroom would be nice like Shitake or Cremini.
I used a flat's worth (approx. 12 oz.) and sliced them coarsely along with 4 more cloves of garlic and a whole shallot bulb.

To the pan drippings over a low flame, I added 4 Tbs. unsalted butter then the garlic for about 30 seconds and then added the shallots. After another minute, I added the mushrooms in.
Once softened, I stirred in a Tbs. of brown sugar, a tsp. of soy sauce, 2 tsp. of white wine vinegar and let this reduce a bit.
Once thickened, I added in a tsp. of finely chopped cilantro, a tsp. of cumin, a tsp. of cayenne pepper, 2 Tbs. of water and a tsp. of Olive Oil.

I had started and worked on the Garlic Mashed Potatoes earlier but here is what I did for tasty potatoes.

I used this recipe from Earthbound Farms' website and only changed a few things.

These just might be the best mashed potatoes you'll ever eat. Chef Cal Stamenov of Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley infuses cream with garlic, then reduces the mixture to sweeten and concentrate the flavor. Choose the freshest new potatoes you can find for this dish: red Bliss, baby Yukon Golds, or fingerlings. Waxy-fleshed potatoes work better than starchy varieties (like Russets) for this recipe.

Serves 4

1/4 cup fresh garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 cup plus 1/4 cup heavy cream

1 pound Earthbound Farm organic potatoes

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Place the garlic in a heavy-bottomed, medium saucepan. Cover with 3 inches of cold water and bring to a boil. Drain and rinse with cold water. Repeat this process 2 more times. Chop the garlic coarsely and return it to the saucepan with the first 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, and simmer gently until reduced by half or to a thick sauce-like consistency, stirring occasionally. Let cool.

Place the potatoes in a medium pan. Cover with cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes.

Roughly chop the potatoes. Set a large-holed sieve or colander over a saucepan and mash the potatoes thoroughly, using a large mallet and an up-and-down motion, forcing the potatoes through the sieve.

Add the rest of the heavy cream to garlic cream and reheat until warm, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes over medium-high heat and stir with a wooden spatula until the potatoes are warm and dried out. Add the butter, several pieces at a time. Add the warm garlic cream in a slow stream while stirring, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mound mashed potatoes in individual molds or spoon out onto four plates with an entree. Serve immediately.

As pictured below, you can see I used baby red bliss new potatoes I got from the farmer's market and I chose to not peel them. We prefer a more rustic presentation and like the skins. I also did not sieve them but used a masher which allowed for a slightly chunky mash.

I also added even more cream in at the very end to give it more smoothness.

the garlic cream reducing down

Then before plating, I sliced the boar tenderloin against the grain in inch thick slices.

This I plated leaning the tenderloin slices on the garlic mashed potatoes and then drizzled with the oyster mushroom & shallot gravy.

A few more shots of the final dish...

The final result was spicy and so melt-in-your-mouth tasty if I say so myself.

For anyone wondering, wild boar is not gamy per say but is reminiscent of venison somehow but cleaner/leaner in flavor. It is very steak-like and has a tighter grain than regular pork.

To order some online from where David got ours (it was Fed Exed to us overnight on ice) go to Marxfood.com

Thank you David!

Pie in the Sky

Recently we were traveling up in the Sierras and had the chance to eat some simply delicious pies. The first pie we sampled was deep inside the Devil's Postpile National Monument's Red's Meadow.

If you are ever up this way and have just hiked 5 miles in flip flops at 8 months of being pregnant, please reward yourself with a nice slice of freshly made boysenberry pie a la mode at the Mulehouse Cafe.

A picture of Ronald Reagan up here with Red and the boys from way back when. Now that was a solid and freshly made slab of pie. Yes indeed BUT the best pie hands-down is up a twisting and winding road into the Sierras further south. A trek and definitely off the beaten path but so worth it.

The next day upon multiple recommendations, we headed down towards Convict Lake to Rock Creek Lakes Resort Cafe to get what is deemed the best pie in the Sierras.

Seriously.

We were told about this place by 3 different people- all locals- 2 in Mammoth Lakes and 1 being the lady who ran the Mulehouse Cafe in Devil's Postpile. We took this to be the truth as Rock Creek Lakes is nearly an hour's drive away but it was on our way south back home so we determined to try this pie in the sky.

We were also told to get there by 10:30 am at the latest or don't bother as the pies sell out.

They sell these pies which are baked fresh each morning at a teeny lunch counter with only 7 stools and one table in a the smallest of cafes up a winding road into the mountains.

It could be very easy to miss and we had a bit of trouble finding the right turn off but eventually got it right (partly due to the fact that everyone for miles around knows this place and helped to point us in the right way).

We were told to turn right at the old wagon.

On a sidebar, the campsites up in this part of the Sierras is fantastically gorgeous and we determined to come back when we can and do some camping.

I was crushed to see my favorite pie ever- Rhubarb- was already sold out. A super nice gal sitting to my right got the last slice and she graciously offered me her last few bites. I know that sounds crazy but that is how it is up there. I took her up on it and man, oh man, was it ever delectable. While we sat, a few more pies sold out.

We got a slice each of the Loganberry and the Chocolate Chip Pecan. The Cheddar Pear wasn't ready (set) yet.

Look at these slices and prepare to drool:

We would have gotten a whole pie to take home to LA but they only sell by the slice due to high demand. No wonder Sunset Magazine wrote them up and even gave a recipe for their Peach Pie. I may have to try to make this. The crust is amazingly delicious. Both Matt and I gobbled our slices down.

Best pie ever.

1 Rock Creek Rd.; (760) 935-4311

Season Premiere Tonight...do not miss this!

Anthony Bourdain No Reservations Tours The Country Of Laos

July 6, 2008 04:19:27 by Joe Reality

 

Anthony Bourdain No Reservations is returning for a brand new season on the Travel Channel. In this season’s premiere episode, Anthony Bourdain visits Laos. Laos is known for its beautiful landscapes, exotic cuisines, and mysterious history.

Bourdain will try such Laotian delicacies as dried cured buffalo skin and ant eggs. He will also drink shots at “Whiskey Village.” If that wasn’t enough, fans can also look forward to seeing Bourdain riding on the back of an elephant.

In future episodes, Bourdain will visit Columbia, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Tokyo, Spain, Egypt, and the southwestern United Sates. Bourdain will also entertain some very unusual celebrity guests, such as Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, and Tokyo’s Chef Morimoto.

Anthony Bourdain No Reservations premieres on Monday, July 7 at 10 PM ET.  The new season will run through September.

Secret pizza delivery- shhh!

Okay so over the past year, we have become obsessed with pizza making and getting the dough for thin perfect crust just right. We began to love our handiwork and somehow this evolved into us eating our from-scratch pizza 2-3 times a week. We had some neighbors that asked us about being able to buy a pizza. That got us thinking. Well, finally, two weeks ago, we got some pizza boxes and made up some little menus and started up our in-building pizza delivery service!
I must admit, we are pretty proud of the quality and especially the dough itself. Now we are spoiled for pizza and only want our own. heehee
The pizzas are made with all organic ingredients- from the flour to the sauces & cheese and of course the toppings like uncured pepperoni with no nitrates.
I imagine one day we will tire of pizza but that day will not be coming very soon.
Here are some of our pies for your perusal...

Kime wrote about our pies on her blog The Moldy Doily:

Also this weekend: The Debut of Organic HOMEMADE PIZZA! Delmore-LICIOUS. Viv and Matt have decided that the folks in the building deserve to taste their incredible handmade pies. So for those working and living in the building, we LUCK out! Finally real food delivered to your door/store. Only on the weekends for now. Check out the 4rd FLoor special that Annakim is eating. That's not a typo, my floor was painted way back and they misspelled 4th as 4rd-after the 3rd was done.
This is her reaction when I told her she couldn't eat the whole thing by herself.  She tore into slice after slice

all of these special pizzas are hand tossed up in the air and made with gourmet ingredients- they even come in their own BOXES!

Don't you want a pizza from this happy family?  These lovebirds are tying the knot next month!  Talk about mystic pizza

You can see the original post by going HERE.
Thanks for the pizza plug Kime!

The simplest petrale sole recipe

It being the first week of Spring and with all the lovely weather, seemed a good call to head to the fish market and get some fresh fish for dinner.
The fish guy said it was nearing the end of the season for Petrale Sole and it looked so nice and pink so we got a few fillets.

With fish this light and fresh, its best to keep the recipe simple and let the flavor come through.
This is how I did it:

2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons unsalted clarified butter*
3 teaspoons minced fresh chives or scallion greens
two 6-ounce fillets of sole
seasoned flour for dredging
lemon

In a skillet sauté pine nuts in 1 tablespoon of butter over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden. Remove. Add chives. Remove skillet from heat and transfer mixture with slotted spoon to a dish.

Season sole with salt/fresh pepper/thyme and dredge in flour, shaking off excess.

In the skillet heat remaining tablespoon butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté sole until it just flakes, about 1 minute on each side.

Transfer sole to plates and spoon pine nut mixture over it after adding fresh lemon juice to it.

Before starting the sole, I had popped into the oven- preheated at 450- a pan of asparagus spears to be roasted.  I dressed them in the pan with olive oil, dash of black sesame oil, salt, pepper and squeeze of lemon and let them roast for about 10 minutes.

Here is the end result...

I cannot tell you how light and fresh this fish was...so delicious. This literally took me 30 minutes including prep time.

* Clarified/Browned Butter- I make a small batch of this to cook with a few times a month and keep it in a small Tupperware container in the fridge. The advantage of cooking with this is that it gives you a golden clear fat which can be heated to a higher temperature without burning as opposed to whole butter. Here is how to make it:

Take a stick of unsalted butter and heat in small saucepan past melting until its bubbled up and becomes a darker shade of amber; about 8-10 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth or a paper towel through small strainer into small container. Let cool and then use for cooking. I love to make winter greens like swiss chard, collard greens, mustard greens that are finished with this browned butter. A little goes a long ways.

Valentine's lamb dinner for two

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and Matt asked me if I wanted to go out for dinner but being that we had just returned from a nearly 2 week trip in the mountains where we ate plenty of chef prepared meals, I was not that jazzed on going out.
I wanted to make something that was relatively easy, at home, so we could relax and watch a movie together. I wanted it to be something special though and festive. For me, lamb is a sexy-ish menu item I can scarcely resist and it isn't the run-of-the-mill meal so that seemed the ticket.

Here's what I did...
I got some nice organic sirloin cuts of lamb steak and marinated them for an hour in 
3 Tsp Cream (you can substitute yogurt)
2 Tsp freshly chopped mint leaves
1/2 tsp Allspice
1/4 tsp Cumin
1 clove Garlic peeled & chopped

While the steaks were soaking, I cooked up some Quinoa (1 cup dry grain) in a saucepan and then poured it into a serving bowl and added/mixed:
3 Tsp roasted walnuts chopped
3 Tsp freshly chopped mint
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 Tsp olive oil
Salt, Pepper to taste

I got the oven up to 450 degrees with my frying pan heating up on the center rack.
While the oven warmed, I prepped for the roasted asparagus by washing stalks and snapping the fibrous thick ends off. Next I got a baking pan and placed the stalks so they weren't overlapping and drizzled them with olive oil and freshly ground pepper and salt and made sure all is coated well.
I put the pan of asparagus on bottom rack closest to broiler for about 10 minutes checking a few times and rotating pan.
I took fry pan out of hot oven carefully with mitt and placed on front burner set at med-high and put steaks into pan for a good outer sear.
I like my lamb steak medium rare so cooked on first side for 4 minutes or so then turned to other side for 3 more.
Plates were finished with organic micro greens drizzled with touch of organic goddess dressing.
We sipped on sparkling pomegranate juice (on a detox right now) which went well with the whole meal.
Have to say it was one of the easier things I have ever made and was so delicious.
My sweetie thought so too:)

I sure do love me some Paula Deen y'all!

I know I haven't made a post in a long while on here but was just watching Paula Deen's Home Cooking and today's theme was Southern Style. She made Country Ox-Tails and Okra laced Hoe Cakes.
I simply had to run to FN's website to snag the recipes. I adore oxtails and the hoe cakes look positively scrummy so why not share the wealth? As Paula says, the oxtails are "just as tender as your Mother-In-Law's love"- haha- she says this is a Southern saying. Must be a Georgia thang!

Country Ox-Tails

3 pounds oxtails
House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 can beef broth
1 cup red wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
6 cloves garlic, large ones cut in 1/2
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 Vidalia onion, cut into 6 wedges
6 small new red potatoes, cut in 1/2
4 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch lengths
1 pot hot buttered rice
Preheat oven to 300 to 350 degrees F.

Sprinkle the oxtails liberally with House Seasoning on both sides.

Coat the bottom of a heavy oven-proof Dutch oven with the olive oil. Once heated, add the oxtails and sear on all sides. Remove and set aside. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the beef broth, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic cloves. Stir. Add basil, oregano, bay leaves, hot sauce and tomato sauce, stir to combine all ingredients together.

Cover tightly, place in oven, and bake for 2 to 3 hours.

Remove from oven and bring to a simmer on stove top. Add the sweet onion wedges, red potatoes, garlic and carrots to the pot. Cover and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, roughly 15 minutes.

Serve oxtails with the vegetables over hot buttered rice.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Okra Laced Hoecakes

Nonstick butter spray
2 cups all-purpose cornmeal
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sliced, about 1/8-inch, thin rounds okra
Vegetable oil
ButterSpray pan with a nonstick butter spray, heat griddle to medium-high, so it gets hot.

Mix together the cornmeal, water, and salt, and allow mixture to sit for a few minutes. The batter should be very thin. Add sliced okra and stir together.

Reduce heat to no higher than medium. Add 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and pour batter into center of griddle, allowing it to spread to sides. The "lace" will form a crispy edge.

*Cook's Note: Use the "inverted plate on top" technique to flip hoecake.

* When the edges are slightly brown, place a wet glass plate over the hoecake. With a dishcloth, grab the handle of the pan, flip the pan and hoecake onto the plate. Slide the hoecake off the plate back in the pan to cook the other side, until golden brown.

Stir the batter and add oil to the pan before making your next hoecake. Serve with butter.

(recipes from Food Network's website)

comme Ça in review

For my birthday, we got to take in an evening meal at David Myer's new brasserie comme Ça.


I had heard it can get pretty crowded and loud making it hard to hear what your dining partner is saying so we determined to get in early around 6 even though it was a midweek night.
We were unable to get rsvp's so we just showed up and got whisked promptly to a great table near the bar with a view of the cheese station.

The restaurant is gorgeous first-off. Very spare, clean & modern in a French retro-futuristic way with lovely wood floors & pillars. Reminded me of the 60's with the use of black and white. Spanning the length of the front dining room, a pristine creamy white leather banquette just below a black lacquered wall. Vintage mirrors with etched, bevelling hang together everywhere.
Dark cases house the all white dishes and plates and bowls with loads of black chalkboards listing the specials du jour. Going deeper into the restaurant, one finds several smaller dining rooms and a cozy fireplace.
The bathroom features sinks filled halfway with large smooth river rocks of varying colors/sizes and  great mirrors, side tables with lovely environmental music lightly piped in and yes, good lighting which for this girl, is key.
Fresh juices and simple syrup sit atop the bar in modern/"science lab-esque" open glass beakers. The bar itself seemed a popular choice for diners and was full-up with singles & couples eating and imbibing.
The tables themselves are unpretentiously covered in brown butcher paper and the seating modular white chairs.

We started with 1/2 dozen of the fresh oysters (served with mignonette and cocktail sauces) and loved them which for both of us being from New Orleans & Florida respectively does say alot.

Please excuse the glare of my flash.

Our neighbors to the left invited me to take a snap of their fruits de mer plateau

They serve their own filtered water here in carafes and charge a flat service fee for this.
For appetizers, we shared the Frisee aux Lardons which was perfectly composed.
The egg was poached just as I like it- not too runny- and the bacon great.
The photo's flash is high so does not do it proper justice...


Then for our main course, I could not resist to get a duo of two of the appetizers-Crispy Sweetbreads & the Roasted Beef Marrow w/ Oxtail Marmalade- they are two of my all-time favorite dishes so whenever I see them on a menu anywhere, I have to get them.
Matt opted for the Duck Confit.
So, breaking these down, the sweetbreads came with sauteed romaine, glazed pearl onions and bacon.

The sweetbreads themselves were fried to perfection; lightly crisped and  quite large in size and the portion generous.  I wasn't bowled over by the glaze or the sauteed romaine. It was limply tough and not especially tasty. A bed of mache or some other kind of greens would have worked better in my humble opine.

The marrow and oxtail marmalade was a real winner. I will certainly be back for more of this.

Even though it is sold as an appetizer, the portion size was large and I couldn't even finish it all.
The oxtail marmalade was divine- tangy, homey, rich- much like a comforting ladling of beef bourguignon.
The marrow bones (two of them) were huge and roasted through with the creamy, spreadable deliciousness tucked inside.
My one complaint, if I were to find fault, was that the dish as written on menu came with "toast & fleur de sel" and the dish itself came with artisan bread cut into very thin slices and then baked/grilled until it was served to me as hard as croutons. There was no fleur de sel served alongside and when I asked for it, the waiter eventually just brought me a ramakin of regular table salt.
I think to have this dish reach the heavenly heights for me personally, it should come accompanied by either regular toast points with some of the chewy bready texture still intact or thin slices of lightly grilled French bread and yes, of course, the requisite personal dish of fleur de sel.

The duck confit was the best Matt has ever had- cooked to delicate perfection with no greasiness or overly crisped skin.

It came over a small mound of braised red cabbage and spaetzle.
The only complaint with this dish was the observation on both our parts that the entree portions were smaller than the appetizers. I understand the clean and spare aesthetic of the chef and appreciated the lack of heavy sauces and frivolous garnish and frippery but truly, this dish needed to have more on the plate.
More spaetzle and cabbage would have made Matt's day.

For dessert, we shared the chocolate brioche pudding with vanilla ice cream.

This was so satiating and the perfect finish.
I have read reviews where people found the brioche lacking but we loved it.
It tasted like a moist hybrid of chocolate souffle and french toast and was finished with a bit of chocolate sauce and fresh raspberries. The in-house (made a block away at Myer's bakery Boule) made ice cream was wonderful.

All in all, we had a great time, had wonderful attentive & non-snooty service and we will go back.
I give it an 8 out of 10.

comme Ça
Brasserie, fancy cocktails, cheese
8479 Melrose Avenue West Hollywood
323.782.1104
Nightly; lunch to be added soon.

here is their menu taken from Eater LA:

Spiced Pear & White Chocolate Tiramisu Trifle

I couldn't resist trying to make the delicious pear & white chocolate concoction on the cover of the holiday issue of Bon Appetit.
We have a dinner party to attend tonight for Thanksgiving Day and I will be bringing this along with an oyster dressing.
Here is the results (pre-powdered sugar sift)-

It really was alot of fun to make and if its as tasty as I think it will be, I will make it again!

Here is the White Chocolate/Spiced Pear Tiramisu Trifle recipe for you (courtesy of Epicurious, Bon Appetit's wonderful website)

Spiced Pears:
1 750-ml bottle dry white wine
2 cups pear juice or pear nectar
1 1/4 cups sugar
12 whole green cardamom pods, crushed in resealable plastic bag with mallet
4 1-inch-diameter rounds peeled fresh ginger (each about 1/8 inch thick)
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
5 large firm but ripe Anjou pears (3 to 31/4 pounds), peeled

White Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse:
7 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), finely chopped
1/3 cup poire Williams (clear pear brandy)
1/4 cup water
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 8- to 8.8-ounce container mascarpone cheese*
1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

Trifle Assembly:
3 3-ounce packages soft ladyfingers,** separated
2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger
White chocolate curls
1 tablespoon powdered sugar    

               

       

Preparation

       

For spiced pears:
Combine first 6 ingredients in large saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Add pears and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until pears are just tender when pierced with knife, about 35 minutes. Transfer liquid with pears to large bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours.

Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to plate. Boil poaching liquid in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until slightly thickened and reduced to generous 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Strain into 2-cup measuring cup; discard spices in strainer. Cool. Cover and chill pears and pear syrup until cold.

For mousse:
Combine white chocolate, pear brandy, and 1/4 cup water in top of double boiler set over simmering water. Stir until smooth (mixture will be very liquidy). Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; discard bean. Transfer white chocolate mixture to large bowl; gradually add mascarpone, whisking until mixture is smooth. Cool mascarpone mixture until barely lukewarm.

Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture in 4 additions. Cover and chill white chocolate mousse until set, about 3 hours. DO AHEAD: Pears and mousse can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

For trifle assembly:
Cut pears lengthwise in half and remove cores and stems; cut halves lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Arrange ladyfingers, rounded sides down, in single layer in bottom of 12-cup trifle dish (about 8 inches in diameter and 5 inches deep), covering bottom completely (using about 15 ladyfingers). Drizzle 5 tablespoons pear syrup evenly over ladyfingers. Using small offset spatula, spread 1/3 of white chocolate mousse over ladyfingers, making layer slightly thicker around outer edges of dish to allow mousse to be more visible (center of mousse layer will be thin). Starting at outer edges of dish, place pear slices in single layer with curved edges against sides of dish atop mousse, covering completely. Repeat layering of ladyfingers, syrup, mousse, and pears 2 more times. Cover with fourth layer of ladyfingers (some ladyfingers and pear slices may be left over). Drizzle ladyfingers evenly with 5 tablespoons syrup. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate trifle and remaining pear syrup separately.

Using electric mixer, beat 2 cups whipping cream in large bowl until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup pear syrup and beat until stiff peaks form. Working in batches, transfer cream to large pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe rosettes all over top of trifle, mounding slightly in center. Sprinkle with crystallized ginger. Garnish with chocolate curls. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated.

Sift powdered sugar over trifle just before serving.

* Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese; sold at many supermarkets and at Italian markets.
** Available in the bakery or bread section of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

TEST-KITCHEN TIP: To make chocolate curls, place one 3 1/2-ounce bar of high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina) on a plate and microwave on high at 5-second intervals just until slightly softened, but not hot or beginning to melt. Using vegetable peeler and starting at one long edge of the chocolate bar, shave white chocolate into curls. If the shaved chocolate breaks into small shards, it's not soft enough, so place in microwave again for a few seconds. If the chocolate becomes too soft, let it stand at room temperature or chill briefly until it firms up a bit.

My favorite for Japanese Ramen

If you can appreciate freshly made ramen noodles served in heaping bowls where the deep brown hearty homemade broth is slow-cooked all day and served along with sliced pork roast over the top that literally falls apart as you lift it, you must seek out Orochon whenever you are in Los Angeles.

My boyfriend took me to this place, one of his downtown favorites, and I will admit that prior to this introduction, Japanese would not have been my first choice for Asian soup. I usually gravitate to Vietnamese pho soup or Thai soup or super spicy Szechuan fish head soup and when thinking of ramen, I always thought of something that comes freeze-dried in a cup or something thin and not satisfying. I definitely didn't equate with ramen the fresh noodles in a rich homemade broth with melting pork bits you will get here.

Its in a very bland block of 1st street downtown just west of Little Tokyo's main drag on the 2nd floor in a 80's outdoor mini-mall called Weller Plaza located sort of behind the New Otani hotel.

Their thing is heaping gigantic bowls of broth you can select from 3 varieties of- miso, soysauce, salt:

Then you choose the amount of heat you can handle- they go from a mild #7 up to Special #2 which is higher than #2 or #1 if that makes sense.

If you choose to attempt the fiery spice of the Special #2, your efforts should you succeed in finishing the bowl within 30 minutes will go up on their Wall of Bravery (a polaroid of you with your empty bowl and your finishing time and your autograph).

Here is the Wall of Bravery

The next step in ordering is selecting your extras if you want any. The basic ramen comes with noodles, bamboo shoots, some green onions, green peppers, wood ear mushrooms and a small piece of delicious melt-in-your-mouth Cha-Shu (pork).

Its the best thing ever and if you have a cold, this will set you right! Even ordering a #4 spice level which is the average one makes your nose run.
The broth is the star of the dish, slow cooked and so tasty. The noodles are fresh and coupled with the falling apart, tender pork, you will be a happy camper.
The way I usually order is a #4 (or #3 if I am feeling like I want spicy) in salt broth with extra noodles, garlic and we share a side order of Chu-Shu pork to add to our soup along with an order of dumplings and sometimes the rice too.

This is what a #4 looks like with salt broth, extra garlic...

So rich and so homey, I always have left overs.

Matt rubbing his full belly as we left...

They do accept credit cards as well.