JFLinLA

Fairfax is still alive but it ain't what it used to be. There were tons and tons of bakeries on Fairfax and Third -- Canter's, King David, Diamond, and so many more. As LA's Jewish community spread out, other neighborhood develped such as Pico/Robertson but also areas not known as Jewish communities with large enough Jewish populations to warrant their own Jewish eateries. So, you've got Nate & Al's in BH, Mort's in the Palisades, Fromins on Wilshire in West LA, etc. And that's before you even head to the Valley. Heck, I know people who remember when Fairfax was the start up area as LA's Jewish community moved west from Boyle Heights.

So could you just make the toffee without any chocolate, nuts or anything? I never see just the plain stuff. I love crumbling it onto or into ice cream, into cookies, or other things. Actually, here's a technical question for the experts. If caramel is cooked sugar, what is toffee and what is butterscotch?

Born in LA. Grew up eating a variety of food including the great Jewish stuff from the Fairfax area. I suppose Miceli's in Hollywood or on Ventura was my first ethnic food though I never really thought of Italian as ethnic. In terms of what I considered ethnic, that would have to be Chinese food. We moved to SF when I was 10 and I lived there through college -- though the fam moved back to LA while I was an undergrad at Cal (Go Bears). As a teen in SF, we were exposed to all kinds of food. Japanese including sushi before America knew what it was, greater variety of Chinese food including Szechuan before America knew what that was, Central American, Russian bakeries. Mom -- ever the culinary explorer, often found ways to make holidays non-traditional as she preferred cooking new things over traditional. I remember having Asian or Latin inspired Thanksgiving meals for instance. Though, we often stuck to standards for Jewish holidays -- latkes, brisket with Lipton's onion soup mix, etc. Being in the Bay Area in those days, I suppose I was exposed to stuff just in the atmosphere though I never really understood what was going on. I remember when Peet's was just a little coffee house in Berkeley. I never had the money to eat at Chez Panisse when I was there but I suppose those influences were all around. Great bread, great cheese, etc. Coming back to LA to visit the parents while still at college, and then living here as a young adult, I do remember at least once going to the old classics -- Scandia, Le Dome. And then there were the new and emerging classics as the CA culinary scene began to transform -- Citrus, etc. I also spent some time in DC as a young adult where I first had Ethiopian food, in Boston for grad school where I had great New England traditional (and sometimes not so traditional) seafood, and visiting New York where you eat anything and everything. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Rebecca T -- yes, all recipes received. thanks. Much to do over the coming weeks testing these out. If y'all don't mind, I'll report back from time to time and ask for additional input. I'd still like to get some great crunchy biscotti recipes and I'm still searching for an answer to my question about caramel swirl in cheesecake.

I actually love the idea of doing pink marshmallows and using heart shaped cutters.

Again, thank you all. You have given me terrific, terrific ideas and way more options than I will ever be able to use for this event. That said, I have several follow-up comments and questions. So, in no particular order: ** For now (and I reserve the right to change my mind) I am committed to making the following from my standards -- chocolate chip cookies (let's face it, you can't do a kids party without these. I make the AB chewy ones but use great, extra big chips or chunks), J. Torres chocolate almond brownie bites (their ridiculously easy, taste great, look fabulous, include almond paste, and I love almond paste), amaretti, and my coffee blondies with chocolate chips and kahlua glaze. ** I love all the lemon curd ideas but may come back to them. What I'm thinking is to make the lemon layer sheet cake I've made before. It's huge, with each layer made in a half sheet pan with lemon butter cream in between and on top. Then we trim edges and but into pretty bars or squares, place in a pretty wrapper and top with a thin slice of half-lemon. Here's the problem with this recipe -- the G. Gand recipe it's based on never had enough of a lemon zing for my taste. However, in RLB's Cake Bible, her Mousseline Buttercream adds lemon curd if that's the flavor you want. Plus, that buttercream recipe is supposed to hold up longer at room temp. If that gets me to the flavor I want and I can pick up the flavor or the cake, that may be where I want to go. Does anyone have any experience or advice with those RLB recipes? ** Sinclair -- Love the pretzel ideas but need you to give me some more how-to information. As for the bags, that's how I will wrap our party favors -- the decorated torah-shaped cookies. ** Cheesecakes -- Way ahead of you on this one. Rather than cupcake size, I've made before in a square pan, freeze, then cut into bars or squares. I was thinking of doing a caramel swirl cheesecake. What do you all think about that? Also, how would I make my caramel base to ensure it stayed liquid enough to mix into some of the cheesecake batter before swirling into the rest of the batter? ** Blov -- No, the Payard book is one I don't have. Would love to look at the apricot tea cake recipe if you would be so kind. ** Marshmallows -- I love the idea but, while we don't keep kosher and I don't mind serving a dairy dessert after the regular meal, I don't feel right about marshmallows (which contain gelatin) at a Jewish function. ** Pam R -- Pecan Flan? Can you explain more or give a recipe? I love flan and I love pecan but could use some more help. ** Biscotti -- Was already planning to make one or two varieties. I have an orange walnut biscotti that I really like but am looking for other options. What are some or your best? ** Chocolate fountain/fondue -- The fountain is the "in" thing at all the functions this year and I'm sure will have been done to death by June. Besides, in addition to my stuff, and the cappucino cart, we will have a make your own ice cream sundae bar so there will be plenty of opportunities to pour and sprinkle toppings. ** Lime meltaways -- These look phenomenal and I will definitely be giving them a try. One question, if I bake on Tuesday or Wednesday, will the powdered sugar hold up till Saturday? Won't it melt in? ** Mexican Wedding Cookies -- Couldn't get the recipe from the link but there are lots of variations on these around. Besides, I always thought Mexican wedding cookies were the same as Russian tea cakes, were the same as . . . ** Rebecca T -- I like the way you think. I also cut my bars into triangles for prettier presentation. Yes, please send the recipe for your raspberry-macadamia nut cookie. I have a great raspberry bar that I like but I'd love to see this. Also, chocolate mint confection? Please share that as well as I haven't come up with anything mint yet and that would be a nice flavor to add for variety. Anyway, this weekend I've got to be girl scout mom but, next weekend I'll do my first experiment. Probably the lime meltaways. Looking forward to getting more information from all of you.

Dammit. I just wrote a really long reply with lots of comments and follow-up questions and my computer ate it before it posted. Gotta run now but will try again later tonight or probably tomorrow night. Keep the great suggestions and ideas coming.

You guys and eG are the best! Keep the ideas coming. In addition, please provide recipes or let me know where I can find them. I've got most of the books. For instance -- which Nick M brownies were great . . . or should I turn to Baking with Julia for babas . . . or pretzels, hmm, that's a concept I hadn't thought of . . . or truffles -- where is that caramel truffle recipe from that class I took? I'm already planning my baking experiments now!!

Ooh, I love lemon curd. I'd have to fill Friday morning at the absolute latest. Wouldn't they be soggy by Saturday night?

I've been planning this post for months in my head and now it's time. In June we will celebrate my daughter's Bat Mitzvah. Three years ago, at my son's Bar Mitzvah, I "accidentally" backed into making everything for the dessert bar. Now, with some forethought and planning, I want to do the same thing for my daughter. Let's be clear. As lovely as many people think this is, it's also at least in part me being selfish. As a non-pro and home baker, I don't often get the opportunity to do this sort of thing and this is a chance for me to try some new things. Here are some of the important things to know: 1. We don't keep kosher so real butter and other dairy products are fine (even if we haven't nailed down the final menu yet). 2. I will be baking everything for both the Friday night "oneg" (refreshments after the Friday service), as well as for her Saturday night party. There can be some overlap in the goodies as only the closest family will likely be at both. 3. The more I can make ahead and freeze, or partially make-ahead and finish up closer to the actual time, the better. I do have a regular job and need to work around that. Though I will be taking the week off prior to the actual event. 4. In addition to these items, I will also be making 2 large challahs for the Saturday night party and torah-shaped cookies decorated with royal icing as party favors. 5. Pretty much everything needs to be done by Wednesday. Thursday morning I will make the challah dough and refrigerate for baking on Friday. Thursday afternoon is rehearsal. Friday morning, my mom, aunt and a few friends will descend on the temple kitchen where I will braid and bake the challah, we will arrange the goodies for that night, and leave the rest of the stuff for the caterer for Saturday. 6. Any advice on storing things and preserving taste and texture would also be appreciated. 7. I want to do bite-size things that people can pick up with their hands. My plan is to try out new recipes over the next few months and then, as soon as Passover finishes, I will start getting things ready. I have family and friends clearing freezer space for me as we speak. Here's an idea of what I did last time: Bars were made ahead, wrapped in multiple layers and frozen whole. Defrosted Thursday night and cut Friday morning. These included chocolate brownies with white chocolate chunks, coffee blondies with kahlua and chocolate chips, & raspberry bars. Drop cookie dough was made ahead, scooped and frozen and then baked a few days ahead. These were chocolate chunk cookies and toffee chip cookies. There was another crispy type wafer where the dough was frozen as a block then sliced and baked a few days ahead. Almond macaroons were made a few days ahead. Bite-size almond brownies (J. Torres recipe) made a few days ahead. Lemon-layer sheet cake (G. Gand recipe) -- cake made one day, butter cream the next and then refrigerated. Cut into petit-four sizes and put in pretty paper Friday morning and then back in the fridge for the caterer on Saturday. There were probably one or two more things but I really don't remember. I think you get the idea. Further, I know that everyone loves the cookies and bars and they are good but I really want to try and do a few things that are different. Oh, two more things -- there will be an ice cream sundae bar and a cappucino cart (I probably should make one or two kinds of biscotti.) Anyway, I'm pretty fearless in the kitchen and willing to try almost anything. I have taken a variety of classes over the years. Please pass along your thoughts. Thanks so much.

Kudos and welcome to RJWong for stepping up to the plate and taking on the weekly digest of the LA Times Food section. He even went back and provided the missing week's digests which I think is above and beyond the call. Well done!

I think what you will get here over NYC and many other parts of the country is cuisine from Central American countries, Mexican food that's not what most Americans think of, and if you're able/willing to travel east to the San Gabriel Valley, more varieties of amazing Chinese food than you every knew existed. Lot's of folks here can give you their personal favorites.

This place keeps coming up! The Recipe SOS column in today's LA Times Food section provided the recipe for the delicious black cod I mentioned in my first post on this place. Here it is. You can make it yourself but I still think the place is worth a visit.

Lemon curd and anything with lemon curd in it!

I just read JSChyun's post about Boule and it reminded me that the LA Times Food section had profiled this new place recently. My point is that somebody please (or a few somebodies) need to step up and do the Digest on eG for our wonderful food section in the weekly LA Times. I'd love to take it back on but really can't make the commitment now for the reasons I stopped doing it a while back. JSChyun stepped in and has been great. Food Zealot helped out a bit too. Once you get the hang of it, it really doesn't take very long. I think it was about 30-60 minutes/week which included skimming the articles in the paper. Plus, think of the glory!

Hate to say it but I'm not much of a donut fan. That said, Stan's Donuts in Westwood Village near UCLA is a classic that lots and lots of people swear by.

I've been very successful with freezing unbaked dough -- of course it depends on the kind of dough it is. With buttery, drop cookies -- like chocolate chip -- I scoop the dough and freeze the unbaked lumps on a sheet with parchment or a silpat, then put in a freezer bag. I bake directly from the frozen state in a hot oven -- it only adds a minute or two to the overall baking time. For slice and bake cookies, I freeze the dough in whatever the shape calls for and then only defrost as much as necessary to bake. Obviously, you wouldn't do this for something like macaroons.

Yes, Surfas is probably your one stop shopping place but here are a few more suggestions: The LA Times Food section 2 weeks back had a great article evaluating caviar. I think they had some problems with the stuff they got at Surfas (maybe it wasn't stored properly) so I would check their web site for info on that. I would also check the LA Times Food section (or check the digests here on eG). They did an evaluation of the various cheese shops around LA including the Beverly Hills Cheese Store and the Silverlake Cheese Store. For cheeses, however, you can usually do quite well at a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. We just had lunch at Le Marmiton on Montana in Santa Monica today and they had a nice selection of different pates behind their counter to go. By the way, some of the best fresh mozzarella I've ever gotten in town was at Sorrento (mentioned above). That said, I'd start with Surfas.

Hey did y'all see? The new LA Magazine ranks Cafe Beacon as their #1 restaurant in LA in their new issue with the cover story on the top 25 in town.

And one more thing -- I happen to think that Sorrento in Culver City is the best Italian deli and market in town. Aside from great stuff behind the counter, there are all kinds of wonderful treats on the overflowing shelves and freezer cases. BTW, it's on the other end of Culver City from Surfas.

Perhaps you could specify what kinds of items you are looking for. There is really such an array here. Are you looking for produce? Seafood? Things to ship? Other? For a lot of things, Trader Joe's can be the best place in town and they are all over. For other things, the various ethnic groceries may be the best place to go. Let us know and we'll help you out.

Congratulations, Mazel Tov & Happy New Year.

I bake challah alot and tend to agree with Jackal as far as I can follow. I sort of understand the percentage thing but as I've not done that kind of baking very much, it makes my head hurt a little. While Jackal recommends adjusting the liquid to the flour, I do the opposite. I get all my liquids and then start adding the flour. Once I get to about 75% or 80% of what the recipe calls for, I start checking closely adding additional flour in smaller increments. Often I will add more than the printed recipe calls for, and sometimes I never get to the full amount. I know what the dough should look and feel like. It just takes a little practice.

well, then, merci beaucoup, 'cuz that's where i picked it up! ← Well, you're welcome, I guess. However, the thanks really goes to the LA Times Food Section where I learned about the stuff first. Russ, was it you? Or perhaps one of the other great staff.

Jacques Torres bite-sized almond brownies from the Food TV web site. I LOVE Mandelin products. Surfas carries it because I told them about the stuff. Yum!!