Bouchees Bistro

(from MP)

My sister and I have been meaning to try this place out for a while due to all its amazing reviews on Yelp, so we hopped in the car with Lauren yesterday at 6 and headed to downtown Long Beach. I'm happy to report that Bouchees Bistro is only open for lunch on Mondays.

I'm not going to lie. OK? Is there some leeway I get for being forthright? I can't believe I'm admitting this. We ended up eating at Hometown Buffet that night.

Yeah.

I could make all these excuses about how it was right next to the meter which we'd just poured all our change into to park. About how the door was open and throngs of happy laughing people were headed inside too, and how the irresistible aroma of fried chicken wafted out through the windows thrown open to let a soft breeze curl in. But I really don't have a good reason. It's enough that we went, and ate, and left.

Anyway, I felt determined to rectify the bad, bad decisions of the last 24 hours. There was no choir rehearsal tonight (even though our concert's on Sunday) so I insisted Kim and I go back today to eat. You know, to the bistro. Not the other place.

We made it in time for happy hour (Tuesday-Friday, 4pm-7pm), so my sister got the slider trio for $9, with an extra $.50 charge for a combo of sweet potato fries in addition to the parmesan herb fries.

Left to right: Ahi tuna and avocado, turkey and shiitake mushroom, and American beef with cheddar cheese

The tuna was good but I found the sauce a little watery and uneventful. The turkey slider was juicy and hot, the mushrooms flavorful. I didn't try the beef, but my sister deemed the tuna the best.

I ordered the regular (read: full) -sized Ahi tuna and avocado burger for $11, which comes with a "spicy chili garlic sauce." When I asked what that might entail I heard the word "mayonnaise" somewhere in there and requested mine with Dijon mustard instead. During happy hour regular burgers come with a side of fries thrown in for free (generally $4), so I ordered the sweet potato/parmesan combo as well.


The burger was excellent: browned on the outside but still nicely tender and pink in the middle. I thought the mustard gave it a nice spicy touch that lent itself well to the mild meatiness of the ahi. The poppy-sesame seed buns were soft and a little salty, which was really interesting. I would have liked the tomatoes to have been less mealy, especially considering heirlooms are currently being hauled into farmers' markets by the truckload, but overall an extremely tasty burger.

Sweet potato fries and parmesan herb fries, served with homemade ketchup.


One thing I'm not really used to is actually getting dessert when I go out. Unless I've prepared for it I never have room at the end of my meal, so I was pleasantly surprised that by the time I'd cleaned off my burger and the fries I felt comfortable enough to order their special: a house-baked cookie ice cream sandwich, $4. Today featured a double chocolate cookie with vanilla bean gelato and strawberry coulis.


The cookies were soft and thick, not overwhelmingly sweet, and the gelato was perfectly creamy and dense. I was expecting more of a dark cookie from the description, but no complaints here:


Service was friendly and accommodating, even when a cup of ketchup got dropped nearby. Luckily no one was splatted. I think I saw the chef for a second but didn't have the nerve to talk to him, otherwise I would have told him how enjoyable our meal was. I would definitely go again just for the dessert, which I found satisfying and very well portioned for two. To be honest I could have ordered and eaten a second one, but I'm on a budget here. It's expensive to keep that food baby of my sister's kicking. Trust me, you wouldn't want a shot of that.

bouchees bistro
515 Long Beach Blvd
Long Beach, CA 90802
562-951-8222
www.bouchees.com

Giada's Lasagna Rolls (10/6)

I haven't had too many successful lasagne runs, so this recipe appealed to me when I first saw Giada make it on her show a few years ago. Instead of layering the components of the dish, this recipe calls for a filling of ricotta, prosciutto and spinach to be spread onto individual lasagna noodles. These are then rolled up before being sandwiched between a béchamel sauce and a simple marinara sauce and baked.

What I love about the dish is its format; having twelve defined sections makes it really easy to pack and reheat. I've made this several times, and though I've yet to perfect the recipe to my liking I think it's pretty acceptable. Usually I just have a problem with the sodium. I remember my human physiology professor telling us to avoid two things in life: salt and stress. So while I never hesitate when it comes to rich, full flavors (whole milk, heavy cream, and oh gods the cheeses) I tend to scrimp on seasoning sometimes.

Thus when it comes to this recipe, which calls for three ounces of prosciutto, I find it can be a bit bland because I underseason. I buy prosciutto di Parma, which is more mild than domestic prosciutto, but I still think, "Well...it's got enough salt." But honestly, that can get lost amid all the components. Just be sure to salt and taste the filling before assembly. For the marinara sauce I use a recipe from Giada's wonderful book "Giada's Family Dinners," which like all her books are full of simple and elegant dishes.



Lasagna Rolls
from Giada de Laurentiis

Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce (recipe follows)
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Quick Marinara Sauce
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes in juice
1 bunch fresh basil, stemmed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over
medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the
milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes
to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt,
pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.

To make the marinara: In a blender, add both cans of tomatoes (mine can only take one can at a time, so I do it in batches) and puree with the basil. Set aside. Heat the oil over medium in a large saucepan. Saute the onions and garlic until very tender, then stir in tomato puree and remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium-high and then reduce the heat to medium. Allow the sauce to bubble until it thickens slightly, about 10 minutes with the occasional stir. Season to taste. Yield: about 6 cups. Freeze the remainder in 1-cup portions to pull out and reheat as needed.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and
pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain.
Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent
them from sticking.

Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce
over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a
work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture
evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a
jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching,
atop the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles
and ricotta mixture.

Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna
rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan
over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated
through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake
until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let
stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in
a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot and serve
alongside.

In which I attempt to impress my coworkers (10/5)

I'm not really the decorating type. I can appreciate a well-topped cake or cookie, but put a piping bag into my hands and I turn into Clumsy Clara. It may have to do with lack of practice, since I hate cleaning out decorating tips and piping bags/frosting can get pretty messy, but it mostly is because I am fairly lacking in the art gene. This is all an attempt to justify this monstrosity I brought in to work:


Allow me to explain.

One of my favorite bosses at work, Richard*, got transferred to another store because that's just what the company does, shifts full-timers around every few years. I made a cake to mourn his passing...you know, to another store. I don't have photos of the inside but the cake is layers of chocolate cake with cookie dough ice cream and an Italian buttercream frosting. It's cracked because I am impatient, the cake was freaking huge and I clearly do not have a sense of aesthetics. But there you have it.

*name changed to protect identity...wait. Shit.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake
adapted from Baking Bites

Note: I've made this cake several times, with various ice cream flavors. The key is making absolutely sure the ice cream layer is firm enough. The great advantage of my work is the giant walk-in freezer where I can store this guy (or any other guys) before serving time, but make sure you have enough room in your freezer! I'm not sure how I can impress upon you the horror that is a gallon of bright green mint chip soup on your counter top. It's not pretty.

Ice Cream Layer
1 gallon high-quality cookie dough ice cream

Line a 10×15-inch cake pan with plastic wrap. Lightly grease.
Soften ice cream until it is easy to scoop, then spread it into an even layer in the prepared pan.
Freeze for at least 6 hours, or until very firm. VERY FIRM.
Once it is firm, the pan can be removed and the layer can be stored in plastic wrap.

Chocolate Cake (make 2)
2 cups sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup hot water

-Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 10×15-inch cake pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Leave some paper overhanging the edges of the pan.
-In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
-In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Pour into flour mixture and stir until just combined.
-Pour hot water (not quite boiling) over batter and stir until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
-Bake for about 25 minutes, until cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
-Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes, then use the parchment paper to transfer cake to a wire rack to cool completely. That means all the way. Not even lukewarm. Do not remove parchment paper.

Repeat recipe to make a second cake.

Real Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Note: don't worry about the raw eggs here. Cooking the sugar and incorporating it into the egg whites at that temperature will effectively cook them to a safe level.

1 lb (2 cups) unsalted butter, softened and cut into one inch pieces
3/4 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
5 large egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 vanilla bean

-In the bowl of a stand mixer, place egg whites, with cream of tartar and 1/4 cup sugar nearby.
-Heat 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high until sugar is dissolved. When sugar reaches 230F on a candy thermometer, turn mixer on medium high.
-When egg whites are frothy, add cream of tartar. Gradually add the 1/4 cup sugar. When egg whites begin to form soft peaks, turn the mixer down to medium low and begin to drizzle in the boiling sugar mixture (which should be at approximately 245-250F, firm ball stage).
-When all of the hot sugar is added, turn the mixer up to medium high and beat until the bowl is no longer warm to the touch. Add the butter one lump at a time and continue beating until mixture is smooth and fluffy, approximately 12-20 minutes. It will look rather like ricotta cheese for a while - just keep beating!
-Once it is smooth, scrape vanilla bean and mix in the vanilla specks (or use 1-2 tsp vanilla extract).
-Keep at room temperature - do not refrigerate before it has been spread on a cake or cupcakes. If you need to refrigerate it then reheat it gently over a bain marie or double boiler until softened, but it should be OK in the open for a few days.

Makes enough to frost one 2 layer, 8, 9 or 10 inch cake.

Assembly
2 cake layers
1 ice cream layer
1 recipe vanilla buttercream frosting

Place one cake layer on a large serving platter or cake board, using parchment paper to help move the cake without breaking it. Peel off parchment once cake is in place.
Top cake with ice cream layer and top ice cream layer with remaining cake layer.
Freeze for at least an hour, until firm and cold.
Meanwhile, make buttercream frosting.
Frost chilled cake with a thin layer of frosting and freeze until ready to serve. I tell you, frosting this cake is a bitch. I haven't figured out a good way to frost the ice cream layer, so the sides are not the prettiest. One day!

Makes 1 cake. Serves about 30.

Golden Vanilla Pound Cake (9/18)

I've loved pound cake ever since my little Vietnamese grandmother kept a foil tin of the Sara Lee stuff in her fridge. It was always kind of odd seeing it there next to the beef stew and fish sauce, just behind the pickled carrots. I'd open the fridge door and hunt for it. When I finally found it I'd peel back the little metal tabs around the edges and pick up the knife left inside, cut myself a thick slice, and eat it cold.

I'd like to think my tastes have evolved since then, but I doubt it.



I made this as an afterthought the same day I made the sugar cookies and forgot to take an after photo! I left the batter covered in the fridge and baked it the next day. It was compact and sweet with a crackly sugar crust from that vanilla glaze.


This is from King Arthur Flour, where I got the recipe.


Golden Vanilla Pound Cake
from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients
Cake
7 ounces(3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 1/2 ounces (1 1/2 cups) sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
5 large eggs, at room temperature*
7 3/4 ounces (1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour

Topping
7/8 ounce (2 tablespoons) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon water

*Note: Bring eggs to room temp by leaving them, unshelled, in a bowl of lukewarm water for 15 minutes.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 5" x 2 3/4" loaf pan, or a 12" x 4" x 4" tea loaf pan. To avoid overflow, be SURE to use the correct size pan! This will also work in a 9" bundt pan, which requires a shorter baking time so start checking after 55 minutes.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter, cream cheese, salt, sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract, and almond extract until well combined.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; the mixture may look slightly curdled/grainy. After you've added the final egg, beat at high speed for 3 minutes. The batter will still look a little curdled, but will have gained a bit of volume.

Sprinkle in the flour gradually, with the mixer going at low speed. Mix just until combined. The batter will be smooth and thick (not pourable). Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, vanilla, and water. Stir till the mixture is syrupy. At first it'll seem very stiff, but will become "drizzlable" as you stir.

Drizzle the topping over the batter.

Set the cake on a baking sheet, for easiest handling and as a precaution against potential overflow (which shouldn't happen if you use the correct size pan). Bake it for 60 to 70 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The center should register at least 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. If you prefer a lighter crust, tent the cake with aluminum foil for the final 10 minutes or so of baking.

Remove the cake from the oven, and after 15 minutes loosen the edges, and turn it out of the pan to cool on a rack.

Serve with strawberries and honey or store in refrigerator and eat by the slice, crouched in the kitchen.

Peach and Ossau-Iraty Grilled Panino (9/5)

This sandwich is freaking delicious. It's sweet and juicy from the peach, gooey and rich with cheese and has a perfect crunch from the wild arugula. I adapted it from a recipe I saw Giada make. She called for taleggio, a soft cow's milk cheese, but I had Ossau-Iraty (a firm sheep's milk cheese) on hand and I would prefer that any day. Substitute whatever dubious looking cheese you might find in the back of the drawer.


Peach and Ossau-Iraty Panino
adapted from Giada de Laurentiis's Taleggio and Pear Panini

Serves 1 (multiply as needed)

Ingredients
2 slices thick sourdough bread
good-quality olive oil
2 ounces Ossau-Iraty cheese or brie, sliced
1/4 of a peach, sliced thinly
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
pinch salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper
small handful arugula or spinach

Directions
Preheat a panini machine or grill pan. Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and place the bottom-half of the bread in the panini machine or pan. Toast until golden. Continue with the remaining top slice(s) of bread.

While the top slices of the bread are in the panini machine, begin forming the sandwiches. Divide the cheese among the warm bread. Cover the cheese with slices of fruit. Drizzle the fruit with honey. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with a handful of arugula. Place the warmed top half of the bread over the arugula and return the competed sandwich to the panini machine for 1 to 2 minutes more to finish melting the cheese. Remove from the panini machine. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve immediately.

Boston: Day the Last (8/22)

And so we near the end of this epic East Coast journey! Our flight was scheduled for 6 that evening. With almost a full day ahead of us, we chose food.


We walked down Ashley's neighborhood (which was such a pleasant thing to do) to a little place called Cafenation that had shelves of fresh green tea and those tall spindly tables. I got a Caprese-style salad, which I remember being good but I definitely don't remember being worth the $10 I paid for it. It was served alongside a balsamic reduction that was a little too sweet for me.


Lauren chose some apple raisin affair. I ate the red onions and walnuts for her, because I'm a good friend.


Then we split this thing, because we're awesome. Who could turn down a Nutella strawberry crepe?


I can't remember what else we did today, again because I am awesome. So here is a picture of the mushroom soup I got at Au Bon Pain at Logan International:


And with some sweet farewells, we were off!

This is so ripe for Twilight Zone parody. I only wish I were as cool as William F. Shatner.


Los Angeles! How I missed you!


I really did. The first thing we did when we got in the car was pull into In-N-Out. Swoon! Sorry Boston, you can't beat that. But I'll be back, damnit! You'll never escape me! Evil lahahahaugh

New York: taxis, toilets, Trader Joe's (8/20-8/21)

Ashley went back to work the day after Kim left and we three ladies were left wondering what to do. Well, I hadn't stayed idle. I bought three bus tickets to New York, and the next morning we boarded a Megabus at 8:30. About four hours later, we reached our destination: Manhattan!

I can't tell you how unsettling it is to think about the sun setting in a direction opposite that of the nearest ocean.
(by Lily)


We went from Penn Station to Bryant Park to meet my sister's friend (and first love, aww) Carlos, who works nearby and generously offered to house us.
(by Lily)

But first things first.


That is some mozzarella panino thing from Tom Colicchio's 'Wich Craft. Lily got what she calls the best tuna sandwich she's ever had, and Lauren got something similarly delicious.

Later we went to Carlos's imposing building and took a cab with him to his apartment. This is part of his fancy lobby.
(by Lily)

His apartment was pretty high up.


The view:


View of the viewers:
(by Lauren)

And just around the corner, the East River.
(by Lily)

Teeny New York kitchen. (s^ @ u, Smitten Kitchen) The refrigerator was broken.


The bathroom. I'm only showing you this because that bathroom plays a part later.


And because we hadn't done enough sitting that day, we immediately sat down and watched TV. Ah, New York.


See, Carlos works some big important-person job. He popped out to take us to his apartment, give me a key and a quick tour, then left to go back to work. We chatted on the way over, and he told me about how he'd been frazzled that day: he woke up late, then somehow managed to break the curtain rod in the shower and have the toilet overflow at the same time. "Don't worry, though," he promised. "Someone from the building came and fixed the toilet."

Reassured, we sat down and made ourselves comfortable. I pulled out some maps I found there and started studying the subway system. I had a few destinations I wanted to hit, and I didn't want to spend my time on the street unfolding big maps. I familiarized myself as well as I could with our route and we prepared to head out.

"Oh, hold on," Lauren said. "I should pee."

So we grabbed our jackets and sat in the living room. Then we heard a scream.

"THE TOILET!" Lauren shrieked. "It's overflowing!"

Lily and I rushed to the bathroom. It wasn't pretty. Remember in "Look Who's Talking Too" when Mr. Toilet Man, voiced by Mel Brooks, wants Mikey to gimme all your pee-pee and he's spitting all over the place?


It was kind of like that.

Did I also mention Carlos had said, "I need to go grocery shopping. I'm all out of paper towels"? 'Cause he did.

So there we are, panicking, as the water steadily approaches the lip of the doorway. I ran to the kitchen, found a plastic serving spoon and thrust it in Lauren's hand. It was like a triage. "Stop the hemorrhaging!" I yelled. "Stick the spoon under the float!" She waded across, so to speak, and jammed the utensil into the toilet tank as I pointed and shouted instructions. Sirens blared, babies were crying. The water stopped running.

We called Carlos, who called the lobby, who arranged for someone to go repair the toilet again. It turns out that person didn't show up and Carlos ended up mopping everything up when he came home from work that night! What a sweetheart. He didn't even mention it until I asked.

The only thing we could do after that was go shoe shopping.

We took the subway and ended up in Union Square, where Lily bought some shoes. After that we stumbled upon Max Brenner's, a restaurant devoted to chocolate. Need I say more?

Lily's white chocolate shake. The glasses had a cute Alice in Wonderland tag design.


The restaurant was really dark, so we had to rely on taste and feel for most of the meal. That's OK. Under those sprinkles is molten gold. The edible kind. Served with chocolate-covered crunchy things and caramel sauce, also edible.


Dessert waffles! Swoon. With toffeed bananas, vanilla ice cream and a freaking beaker of warm milk chocolate. That crap was so thick we could barely pour it. We clearly needed the extra chocolate, though.


So demolished.


Later we took the subway to Washington Square Park in search of falafel. We found it at Mamoun's: a teeny cash-only affair teeming with hungry locals. The standard is a falafel-filled pita with fresh tomatoes and hummus. It was fabulous. I got the spinach pie.


We finally went back down to lower Manhattan and stumbled into Carlos's apartment near midnight. He came out to ask us how our day had gone, then went into his room to continue working. To continue working! The three of us unfolded the couch and I made them watch "Thirteen Ghosts" (sorry, I meant "Thir13en"). I'm not going to lie, I don't hate that movie. The lawyer gets cut in half, for pete's sake! (Hot dog, not hamburger.) Like in that Tales From the Crypt, only back/front and not left/right. Anyone?

The next day we went in search of some form of food and found it near the apartment, a place called Imperial Pizza. I got some pesto tomato thing.


Look at that grease! That's how you know it's good.


And of course, this wouldn't have been complete without a trip to Trader Joe's. This time I have justification! Two reasons: Lauren's former boss had recently transferred there, so she wanted to go visit him, and Carlos had said he needed groceries, so I wanted to pick some up as a thank-you for letting us stay with him.

When we went there Lauren saw her old boss Jason right away and introduced us. We also met some other full-timers, including a guy who knew some of my coworkers because they all came from a San Francisco store.

The Manhattan store was crazy, needless to say. Some crew members' only tasks were to mark where the lines started for the registers. The store has won Store of the Year for about 3 years now, but the only reason is sales--kind of unfair. They should offer a Nicest Store of the Year Award, at least.

When I asked Tony, the SF full-timer, where the bathroom was he led us inside to the crew members' bathroom. We walked in on three girls gossiping, who stopped dead when they saw three normally-dressed strangers standing there. A quick explanation sufficed, and after we left the bathroom Tony gave us a tour of the back room. Everything is upstairs--meaning milk boxes and all floor pulls need to be brought down a level, every time! What a nightmare. They have to break down pallets right on 14th St., because there isn't enough space anywhere else!

So I waited in that line with supplies I'd noted Carlos needed (including plenty of paper towels) and then we popped in to the wine store to buy him a bottle, which by law in New York has to be separate from the groceries, I guess. The beer was in the main store, and we noticed it was really expensive. Jason explained that it was due to the high alcohol taxes in the state, which really limited the selection NY Trader Joe's offer.

The Manhattan store also delivers! For a fee, of course, and only within a certain radius. We carried our groceries back to Carlos's, left them on the coffee table with a thank you card and his apartment key, and took our things to Penn Station.

Later that night we arrived back in Boston, much to the relief of Lily and Lauren. Throughout the trip they compared New York to Boston pretty unfavorably, but I really enjoyed the city and wanted to spend more time there. The two are so different: New York is just so busy. Boston is more communal. Also there were no toilet incidents in Boston. That may have played a part.