Sweets For My Sweetheart and His Sweet Tooth.

My pyro of a boyfriend decided to buy a torch one day, so that we could make crème brulée; a French dessert of custard and caramelized sugar, topped with fruit of choice. I don't typically crave dessert, but he can't go a day without having something sugary.

Since crème brulée takes about half a day to make, David made the custard and refrigerated it overnight. All we had to do after was cover it with a coat of sugar, and, as I always say, the more the better!

Thanks to our handy-dandy torch, we were well-equipped for the grueling task of caramelizing sugar! 

I thought the process was going to be daunting and complicated, but in actuality it was rather fun!

You can caramelize and personalize your crème brulée any way you want. Here are some views of the finished products:

It was fun to see the marble-like caramelization the torch naturally creates, but I wanted to see if I could attempt a shape. See my heart below <3

We were so excited, we forgot to put the cut-up strawberries on top until after the dishes were washed.

People say that you're either a baker or a cook. I say that's a load of crockpot! You'll see why in my next post :o)

Tip: Invest in a crème brulée torch and some dishes. You can make a simple custard AMAZING just by adding some fire. Oh, and don't forget the garnishments!

I Got It From My Mama

Wednesday nights are typically dedicated to catching up with some of the best women in my life: my cousins. We usually try to get on a conference call as business hours come to a close, during which time we're all either driving home or preparing dinner. Last week, I was doing the latter.

Making lemon chicken out of the breast, lemons, salt and pepper I already had stored in my refrigerator while talking on the phone was no easy task, but somehow I managed just fine :o)

Originally I had planned to make just regular chicken soup, but decided to spice things up a bit and try a recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup from Orange County Fare, a cookbook I'd recently purchased from the Junior League of Orange County.

So, with the house phone on speaker (yes, I have a LAND line) and chicken defrosting in the microwave, I engaged in the wonderfully theraputic multi-task of mingling and mixing. What came of it was nothing short of spectacular:

When Mom got home, she made ground beef and taco mix to go with our soup :o) It was delish!

Overall, chicken tortilla soup is an easy recipe. All you really need is chicken stock, crushed red tomatoes, and whatever veggies you'd like to add. I ended up finding the crushed red tomatoes and "whatever veggies you'd like to add" in our refrigerator, so I was spared a trip to the market. 


In honor of the chicken tortilla soup I had at It's All About the Cake, I decided to make mine a little spicier (or as my Dad would say, "Give it a little KICK"), by chopping up two Chipotle Adobo Peppers with the seeds and throwing them into the pot.


Then, I put my shredded lemon chicken in the soup, crushed up some corn tortilla chips from Los Golondrinas since I already had them, sliced fresh avocado, and laid it all on top of my bowl o' soup.

Tip: Work with what you've got. There's nothing wrong with substituting ingredients to a recipe, in order to save a trip to the grocery store!

La Cuisine D'Arbour: Très Belle. Très Chic. Très Délicieuse.

After my post, It's Certainly not ALL About the Cake, my beautiful, French-Canadian friend, Michelle, was determined to show me what a true Croque Monsieur looks and tastes like. The description alone was enough to get me to her pad in Los Feliz!


The night started off with a couple bottles of Cabernet and a slice of brie cheese to spread on tiny bread. (The brie and bread were short-lived. Michelle took it away from us so we would have room for the feast at hand.)

As we were enjoying our GNI (Girls' Night In) with inappropriate banter and the slight influence of fermented grapes, Michelle was piling gruyère onto bowls of French Onion Soup. I took a couple shots of the soup going into the oven. Here is the before: 

And after... :)

As the Croque was a'cookin, the four of us migrated to the dining table to enjoy can you guess?... More cheese! We delicately (and by delicately I mean voraciously) devoured our French Onion soup while dipping small pieces of bread in home-made cheese fondue!

Wine was graciously poured by our hostess.

Needless to say, the French Onion soup did not last long. 

The guest of honor? Monsieur Croque. Michelle had explained to me that a true French Croque Monsieur is a sandwich made with sliced bread spread with dijon mustard, some folded smoked ham, a TON of gruyère cheese, toasted to melted perfection and topped with a fried egg, salt and black pepper. 
Ummm YES PLEASE? It's not that expensive to make either. Check out her masterpiece below:

And what meal would be complete without the greens? After all, something had to break up all that cheese! I had told Michelle that the only thing needed to break up cheese is wine, but of course, she already had something else in mind. With our Croque Monsieur came an amazing salad with arugula, thinly sliced pears, onions, avocado, and champagne vinaigrette dressing (made from scratch, of course).

Finally, staying true to French custom, we enjoyed some pressed croissants with nutella and strawberries. Jo and I had bought an assortment of pastries from Il Tramezzino, an Italian cafe in the heart of Beverly Hills. Below is just a portion of the desserts we savored:

Chocolate Cannoli and Tiramisu

Classic Cannoli with Strawberries and Cream

So, while I stick to my guns about the Croque Monsieur du Jour at What a Dish, I will take my girl's home-made cooking ANY DAY.

Tip: French food can be fun, inexpensive, and easy to make. All you really need is cheese, bread, spread, and any protein you want! Oh, and a (cheap) bottle of wine.

The Mission

I don't know how my Dad does it, but he can cook ANYTHING in the span of oh... ten minutes! My mission? Learn how to do it. Today I came home for lunch, and he had this feast waiting on the table. I know it didn't take him long because there are perpetually five different sports shows recording on our DVR for his viewing pleasure. Check out what he "whipped up" for us:

Medium Rare Top Sirloin

Pan-friend Sea Bass and Jumbo Shrimp with Cilantro

Butter-Roasted Corn and Green Beans

RIGHT?!

The food was quite phenomenal. I kept thinking, how much would this cost at a restaurant? More than I could afford for an everyday lunch that's for sure. These times call for buck-stretching and penny-pinching for even the most major necessities: food, clothing, and shelter. So, I'm determined to find the best opportunities out there when it comes to all of the above. (Oh, and I may sprinkle in some not-so inexpensive things every now and then. Hey, I'm still an OC girl at heart!)


Tip: Let Dad cook you lunch once in awhile! He'll get ten minutes of exercise an you'll save ten bucks :)