June 14. Steamed Artichokes with Garlic Aioli. Guacamole. Penne with zucchini, garlic and roasted tomatoes. Plum Tart.

Last week in my grand spree at the 99¢ store, I'd bought a two pound bag of plums.  They were not particularly juicy or aromatic, but I thought they'd probably cook up perfectly.  I'm not much of a baker, but I do know that baked fruit desserts with toppings of sugar, butter, flour, etc. are almost fool-proof.  I'd found several recipes, and decided to start with  Ina Garten's.  It is straightforward and simple, and I had all the ingredients.  I also wanted to steam the two giant artichokes I'd bought and was thinking about utilizing my new mayonnaise skills for a garlic aioli.
These were all good food meditations, but I didn't have any other eaters lined up.  It did seem a lot to tackle by myself.  But perhaps I am making progress in the cook-it-and-they-will-come department.  Well, not even cook-it--in this case, these dishes were just thoughts.  Nonetheless, waiting in my in-box was a note from Sarah telling me that her friend Sammy, with her husband Justin, and baby Si were in the process of moving in to a house in my Venice neighborhood and might be happy to come by for a snack or a meal.  Hooray!  I dashed off a note--turns out they were hoping for just such an invite--and dinner was on.
I had a clear idea of appetizers (artichokes with aioli and guacamole) and dessert (the aforementioned plum tart).  I had enough vegetables and pasta to come up with something for the middle--so no need to shop.
The artichokes--just did a little trimming--put them in a steamer basket (is that what it's called--that little folding aluminum item?), and they were ready to go before I knew it.

This time I made a garlic mayonnaise aioli--now that I'd read through the times article, I improved upon my previous version.

GARLIC AIOLI

1 large egg yolk at room temperature 

Two teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cold water

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup canola oil

2 plump garlic cloves 

Steamed artichokes with their aioli

Mash or finely chop the garlic cloves with the salt in a medium bowl.  Whisk in the egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard, and water until frothy (very bubbly).  Then, very slowly, initially drop by drop, and a bit quicker as the mixture thickens, dribble in the oil until you have a thick emulsion of mayonnaise. 

I then made guacamole--quick and simple--quantities infinitely flexible::

GUACAMOLE

Avocados

Lime Juice

Garlic

Cilantro

Chipotle Peppers in adobe sauce

Salt

Pepper

On to the plum tart.  The plums were harder than I'd expected to pit.   I was a bit confused about the ultimate look of the tart--so was more concerned than need be about the perfection of the slices (as it turns out, the plums are completely covered with the topping--it's like a plum sandwich on sugar/walnut/butter bread.  Here's the recipe, more or less as I made it:

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup light brown sugar
12 tablespoons diced cold unsalted butter (I diced the butter--then returned it to the fridge so it was firm to begin with)
1 egg yolk
2 pounds plums, pitted and sliced (most plum tart recipes call for Italian prune plums.  The ordinary red plums I used were fine).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine flour, walnuts (I'd chopped them in the blender) and sugar in large bowl.  Add butter and egg yolk.  Mix by hand (or electric mixer) until crumbly.

plum tart after some incursions

Press 1/2 of the crumb mixture in an even layer into the bottom of a 9 1/2 inch tart pan.  (If you put more of the crumbs on the bottom--say 1 1/2 cups, you will have less to sprinkle on top--and will have less of a "sandwich" and more of tartie looking item.  Arrange the plums to form a flower pattern, beginning at the outside and working your way in.  Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the plums. Bake the tart for 40-50 minutes, until it's lightly browned and the juices are bubbling. Cook a bit and for best effect, serve with vanilla ice-cream.

Sammy, Justin and Si arrived 6-ish.  The tart (in complete form) was on display, the artichokes, mayo and guacamole happily consumed.  The entree was scarcely necessary.  Nevertheless, I made penne with a quick sauce of Zucchini, roasted tomatoes, parsley, basil and garlic.  The penne was a big hit with baby Si--it was, I have to admit, a bit on the dull side for me, but we livened it up with a few dabs of aioli and it was a good enough prelude to the plum tart.

July 7th. Dinner Artichokes with aioli, Guacamole. Penne with asparagus and portobello mushrooms. Ice cream with strawberries and caramel nut sauce.

Dan, Andrea and Sam are coming for dinner.

Big vegetarian menu.For starters-- the artichokes were already steamed (I'd scarcely made a dent at lunch) , but I did have to make a fresh round of aioli.

All the avocados were guacamole ready, and I even had a bag of chips--and there was still a bit of Fourth of July corn salad.

These were all old stand-bys, but the main course--penne with portobello mushrooms and asparagus was completely new and refrigerator inspired.

INGREDIENTS
One bunch asparagus
Four portobello mushrooms
3 shallots
4 cloves garlic
1 cup vegetable broth
lemon juice
1/2 cup parsley
parmesan cheese

Steam the asparagus for just a few minutes--barely tender--then cut into pieces about the size of the penne and set aside.
Slice the mushrooms, saute in butter and olive oil--when the mushrooms are nicely browned,  add finely chopped shallots and garlic and cook for another minute or so.  Add vegetable broth (you could also use wine, or chicken broth--you just want to add enough liquid to make a bit of a sauce.  

Cook Pasta.  Toss pasta with mushrooms, asparagus, finely chopped parsley and cheese (I used parmesan, but many possibilities here as well).

I'd forgotten the cheese, so before dessert we had a mini-course of burrata--it was amazingly fresh and delicious-- with roasted tomatoes.
Last week, I'd made a very delicious salted caramel sauce, but tonight I made a caramel nut sauce from Deborah Madison.
CARAMEL NUT SAUCE
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup cream
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Toast the nuts for about five minutes in the oven pre-heated to 350°.  Combine sugar, corn syrup and cream in heavy saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Add salt and cook for another five minutes or so--it will thicken a bit--but won't be really thick until it cools.  Stir in vanilla and nuts.

mini-portion of ice cream with caramel nut sauce and strawberries

I served it over ice-cream, strawberries and raspberries, along with the tiny bit of left-over salted caramel sauce for comparison. High marks all around--the salted caramel,  containing cream and butter was perhaps richer, but both were very delicious indeed.  

July 8. Sunday. Antipasto spread at Linda's.

Reprised the burrata and roasted tomatoes for breakfast before bike ride to Armand Hammer with Robin to see the chock full and often exciting Made in LA show.

Artichokes, aioli, snack for a late lunch.  Early dinner at Linda's--a splendid antipasto spread, prosciutto, many cheeses, peppers, and salads.

I'd brought my caramel nut sauce and strawberries which we ate with vanilla Ben and Jerry's supplied by Linda, before heading to Culver City to see Mike's band--the Standards play an excellent set at the Cinema Bar on Sepulveda--time-warped and completely enjoyable--setting, music, company and all.

July 3rd. Left-overs again. Caramelized Tofu with Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower

The last of the frittata and the last artichoke for lunch.  My intention to whip up another batch of aioli came to naught.  Instead, I spiced up a little Best Foods mayo with lemon juice and a little hoisin sauce--worked on both the artichoke and frittata.  And there was still a bit of ice cream and raspberries for dessert--this time with a slightly aging butterscotch brownie crumbled on top.

Uh-oh--not so unusual --discovered that the expiration date on box of tofu (months after purchase--so doesn't usually come around) was two weeks ago.  But--as is so often the case with expiration dates--warning was premature.  Opened the box, pressed and drained the tofu in anticipation of a soon-to-be-cooked meal.

Caramelized Tofu

Instead of early dinner, did the most tedious task of jury duty orientation on line (according to promise on web-site--this chore will enable me to report for jury duty several hours later on first reporting day--let us hope).  That task completed, I quickly cooked up a pan of  caramelized tofu, to which I added the roasted brussels sprouts and cauliflower and then, unexpectedly biked to a story-telling show where Bill Ratner was reading at the Talking Stick on Lincoln Boulevard.  It was a complete surprise and a total treat.

July 13th. Hosteria del Piccolo, Venice Beach Biennale, Police Carnival

Post yoga at 10...then....lunch with Natasha--birthday lunch as it happened at Hosteria del Piccolo...I had thought we were just going to meet for a quick snack, but Natasha had intended this to be a belated birthday lunch.   It was a complete treat and surprise for me.  The restaurant is less formal, less expensive than it's parent, Piccolo on Dudley in Venice.  We ate on the patio--shared three dishes--the first--a bean and tomato salad--Foglia Seinza with white means, shallots, heirloom tomatoes and tuna on a pizza crust.  A bit heartier than a regular salad--followed by linguine with clams--and for dessert--profiteroles with a salted caramel sauce.  One treat after another.    

After lunch, Natasha was planning to stop by to borrow The Hare With Amber Eyes.  She parked (never so easy in my neighborhood) so we could check out the Venice Beach Biennale--an arts event organized by the Armand Hammer Museum--pretty goofy--regular artists(i.e. artists invited by the Hammer, I'd guess)  selling some of their wares alongside the regular Venice artists--invited by no-one.    Quite a scene.
And that was just part of the Venice madness.  Biking to the library after Natasha left, I discovered that Windward Circle was packed with carnival rides, midway games, and many roving cops.   Not many visitors--I thought it might be a movie set, or yet another art project, but one of the many officers of the law told me that it was in fact a real fund-raising carnival put on by the Police Department to raise money for their youth projects.


Later that evening, after I'd eaten another unphotographed  salad for dinner, with the last of the aioli and a hard boiled egg and was about to step out for a last look at the setting sun,  Emily called.  She was at the front door with Jake.   Too bad, I'd just finished eating.  I could have whipped up some quick meal, but instead added some triple sec and a very strong chinese alcohol to the left-over mango smoothie--and served them both very strong sunset viewing drinks before they headed off for  dinner in El Segundo
Robin called--she'd bought tickets for the rides at the tiny fair, but they wouldn't let her ride alone.  As Tim refused to join her on the Ferris Wheel, she was hoping I'd do it.  Years ago, we'd had a fine ride on the Ferris Wheel at the Santa Monica PIer, so although I couldn't do it until Sunday--we made a date.   And that was the end of a very socially packed day.  

June 7. Long Sunset Walk. Mayonnaise. Noodles with Peanut Sauce. Artichokes. Rajas. Eggplant. Arugula

A refrigerator full of leftovers and produce.  A perfect set-up for an impromptu meal.  And, wonder of wonders, all the pieces fell into place.  Both Lisa and Patty showed up around 6pm.  Although there were no clear dinner plans, I was confident that my refrigerator would provide.  And not just my refrigerator.   Lisa arrived  bearing a steamed artichoke and the left-over rajas from earlier in the week.  No fear we might end up hungry.
Buoyed by this knowledge, we walked for hours along the beach.  A ridiculously perfect late afternoon.  Surf was high, surfers were abundant, but so were families with tiny children running back and forth into the waves, digging in the sand, tossing balls, and the ever-marveling tourists who had made it past the boardwalk insanity to the miracles at the waters edge.  The sun had set by the time we returned home.  We were three hungry women.   Dishes emerged from refrigerated tupperware like clowns out of a circus car.  Roast Beets.  Artichokes.  noodles with tofu and carrots in peanut sauce.  Rajas con Crema. Eggplant with pomegranate Sauce.  Arugula.  Uh-oh to the arugula said Lisa and Patty, noting that some of the leaves had a slight yellow tinge.  If this has not yet been made clear, let me take the opportunity to state that I tend to use my own personal standards (paying little heed to expiration dates for example) in determining whether a food item is usable or not.  The arugula might not have been spectacular in a salad--but it's expiration date (not that I may much attention to such things) was five days in the future.  I assured my guests it would be fine sauteed with a little garlic and lemon (and of course there were enough other dishes that it wouldn't matter if it didn't work), and they didn't try to stop me.  In addition to the arugula, the only other item I thought we should make was home-made mayonnaise.  Melissa Clarke had recently written a paean on the subject --and our many artichokes provided the perfect occasion to try it out.
Due to our hunger and the speed at which we were preparing things, I didn't read the recipe through to the end--but will record it here in both it's actual and ideal form.

MAYONNAISE
1 large egg yolk at room temperature (uh-oh said I--but Lisa popped an egg into warm water--and there we had it)
Two teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cold water
3/4 cup canola oil
1 plump clove garlic

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard, salt and water until frothy (very bubbly).  Then--and here, it certainly helped to have a well-staffed kitchen--much easier for one person to slowly dribble in the oil, while another keeps whisking vigorously--slowly add the oil--and within minutes you'll have a thick emulsion of mayonnaise.
It looked great--but we were all a bit disappointed with the taste.  Problem solved with the addition of a crushed garlic clove--made it fabulous.  Reading through the recipe after the fact, I discovered that one of the variations is an aioli, made with substituting olive oil for some of the canola oil and smashing the garlic with the salt at the start.  We'll do that next time.  This time, we happily ate the mayonnaise with each of the many courses--and were as happy as can be.

Homemade Garlic Mayonnaise (Lisa Fischer, 2012)

We even had room for a bit of chocolate and coffee ice cream for dessert.

July 9. Pasta with Burrata. Teeny sandwiches with yy aioli, burrata, roasted tomatoes

Jury duty this week--but as is often the case, don't have to report today.  Dropped off necklaces at Huli's to be fixed and picked up repaired chairs (progress in restoration).

Sammy and 14 month old Sy stopped by around 6--we were going to walk to the beach, but snacked instead.

Stuffed refrigerator with many delicious items happily mixed and matched.

Humboldt Fog Center Stage

First course---teeny open-faced sandwiches some with burrata, roasted tomatoes and cherry peppers, others with Humboldt Fog cheese which I'd gotten at my spree at Surfas.
I heated up the left-over penne with portobellos and asparagus with a few cubes of frozen chicken broth--and tossed with a few tablespoons of burrata.  Many cheeses would be fine with this dish (the parmesan was great on Saturday), but the burrata was quite spectacular.  Sy had a half a banana as well before they hurried home for bath and bed.