Teriyaki Memories

Though I made this terikyaki Orange Roughy for lunch two days ago, the soy/ginger/sesame smell still lingers in my house. I know your immediate reaction is, "Ewwww! Get some Febreeze already!" but I actually kind of like it. It smells like...home.

When I was growing up, my parents often made teriyaki chicken, beef and fish for dinner. It's one of the easiest (and most delicious) Japanese marinades to make and utilizes the basic ingredients found in every Asian pantry: soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, red chili flakes and sake. Just throw it all together in a Tupperware and let your fish/chicken/beef/tofu/tempe marinate for at least 2 hours....wait, I'm being entirely distracted by my neighbor's head bobbing up and down by the fence the separates our patios...oh, it's a trampoline. Weird. So yes, it's an easy thing to make and it turns the cheapest fish into a delectable meal. In my case it was the wild caught frozen Orange Roughy from Trader Joe's, which cost me all of $7 for 2 large fillets.

As for the amount of each ingredient, that's really up to you. I would start with two parts soy sauce to one part rice wine vinegar, then leave the rest to your taste buds. Enjoy!

Leftover Soup in a Snap

I got this idea from the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten. Take leftover vegetables - in my case it was some sauteed sugar snap peas with onions and bell peppers, and a small bit of spring mix salad - and throw them in a blender.

Add hot chicken stock or broth and puree away...

...like so...

...strain through a sieve to get out any fibers/weird chunks. Then add whatever spices you want (for me: salt, white pepper, curry powder, cumin).

And, just like that, it's soup time. I added a drizzle of good olive oil and a tiny bit of non-fat yogurt to the top. And no, I wasn't trying to make a smiley face with the yogurt. It just turned out that way.

A Quick Break...

...to show you these amazing flowers I bought at Whole Foods recently (they were only $4.99 per bunch; this is two bunches). I could stare at them all day.

Chateau Marmont

Though I've eaten at the Chateau Marmont restaurant (not to be confused with the Bar Marmont) dozens of times, I've never taken any photos of the food as cameras are generally frowned upon at this celeb-favorite hangout. But I feel I owe it to both my readers and the restaurant to write about it, because it really is a wonderful place for a nice, long, slow dinner.

So on my most recent visit, I managed to snap a few shots (sans flash). My friend Cat was in town, and because the Chateau is such a legendary LA spot, I had to take her there during her short visit. The four of us shared a few appetizers: the braised short-rib ravioli, which is essentially one, large ravioli stuffed with beautifully braised rib meat (fabulous), the fried risotto balls (uh, what's not to like??) and the fresh mozzarella with prosciutto and arugula (creamy, fresh, amazing). But, I forgot to take photos of our apps because I had already drunk a few glasses of the Hollis Pinot Noir and was feeling forgetful and silly. Suffice it to say, all three were excellent and I would highly recommend any/all of them.

For dinner, Cat had the duck breast entree. It comes with a crepe, also filled with duck meat, and a small salad. The duck was perfectly cooked and very tender. The crepe was also delicious, though a duck-filled crepe with a duck breast is a lot of duck for one person. Steve had the spaghetti bolognese, which was the favorite of the evening. For a restaurant that doesn't specialize in any particular cuisine, the Chateau knows how to do a fantastic bolognese. It's obviously made with veal, and the sauce is bold and creamy and incredibly luscious. If this was competition, Steve won.

Tawny went for the eggplant lasagna, but the photo I took of it was too dark so you won't see it here. It was just OK; too much cheese and not enough flavor. However, my potato-crusted halibut was delectable with its thin, crispy potato crust and tender, juicy halibut flesh. Really, really lovely.

The restaurant at the Chateau Marmont isn't exactly a foodie paradise, but it provides a wonderful atmosphere, fantastic service (the staff is friendly, courteous and helpful) and a wide variety of good, simple food. The cocktails, including a good number of old school favorites like the Pimm's Cup and the classic French 75, are perfect (as my cocktail-crazy friend Tawny would attest). It's just a lovely place all around, and one that I frequent for business dinners or just to chill out mid-week to break up the monotony.

The Art of the Dinner Party

When it comes to a great dinner party, my biggest influences (besides my parents, who have always had fantastic gatherings) are Ina Garten and Michael Chiarello. I love how they both stress the importance of planning ahead, so that the host can also enjoy the party instead of being stuck in the kitchen all night. I've also learned a great deal from Ina's various designer friends on place settings, floral arrangements and the like.

For the dinner I hosted this past weekend, I printed place cards that matched my red napkins (you can find templates for place cards on Microsoft Word). And, per Ina's suggestion, I separated the couples and arranged the seating to encourage those who didn't know each other as well to talk. As for the flowers, I did a small a simple arrangement of white mums.

The napkin rings were made by my friend's artist husband, Humberto Carillo (if you are interested in these please email Humberto here). I love the simple design and heavy feel of these, as did everyone else. After dinner, everyone at the table was taking photos of the napkin rings, which my friend Dan stacked up in various formations. There's just something so appealing about these and my friends all fell in love with them.

But on the food! For an appetizer, I made Beluga Lentil Crostini from 101 Cookbooks. It's a simple goat cheese and chive spread topped with plain black lentils. It looks like caviar and tastes earthy and nutty against the tangy goat cheese. I served these with a blood orange and champagne cocktail, which sadly I forgot to take a photo of! Too bad, because the bright red color of the cocktails were spectacular!

For dinner, I made a simple green bean and Dijon vinaigrette salad (which I forgot to take a photo of!), and this skirt steak dish that was inspired by one of my favorite dishes at Vertical Wine Bistro in Pasadena. I braised endives in white wine and olive oil, then drizzled it with balsamic vinegar. I then grilled some skirt steak, put the steaks on top of the braised endives, then topped the steak with Mario Batali's salsa verde and caramelized onions. The sweetness of the onions work perfectly with the spicy, tangy salsa verde. I have to say that it tasted very close to the steak/salsa verde at Vertical.

Dessert, however, was the absolute winner of the evening. Using the recipe from the New York Times, I made Pizzeria Mozza's famous Butterscotch Budino. Though the color of the budino was much lighter than that at Mozza, the flavor was exactly the same: sweet, salty and amazingly creamy. It is incredibly rich, but considering we had a relatively healthy dinner, we didn't feel any guilt indulging in this fabulous treat.

Everyone had a great time, including me! I made the boudino the day before, caramelized the onions in the morning, and made the salsa verde in advance as well. All that I had to do the day of the party was grill the steaks, braise the endives and assemble the appetizer and dessert. It left me with plenty of time to do the little touches, like the place settings and flowers. Thanks Ina and Michael!

Oh the Humanity.

Photo courtesy of Food Network

Just when I thought I'd seen it all, the culinary version of a three-headed monster appeared on "Paula's Home Cooking" this morning. Paula Deen, whose love of butter and all things fattening is very well known (and loved by many), went over the top - even for her - with "The Lady's Brunch Burger." With its ground beef patty, bacon slices and fried egg sandwiched between TWO KRISPY KREME DONUTS, it should be called the "The Lady's ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FLIPPIN' SOUTHERN FRIED MIND??? Burger."

I get the whole sweet & savory bit. Heck, I can actually kind of see how the McDonald's McGriddles would be appealing with its maple-flavored pancake bread and savory sausage - a common combo. But two glazed donuts being used as buns for a burger? What's next? Oreo cookies topped with smoked salmon? Twinkies croutons in a Cesar salad?

But it's not the flavor profile (which, to be fair, I have not tasted myself) that bothers me. It's the ridiculous overuse of empty calories and bad fats in a time where America is fatter than ever. I get Paula's schtick and believe, to a point, that it's genuine; she does come from a very Southern upbringing where fried foods were a staple. It just seems like she's getting out of control, often replacing something that was fine in the first place (like a hamburger bun) with something entirely unhealthy.

A perfect example of this is the another dish she made on today's show: the Baked Garlic Cheese Grits. She cooked up the grits, then proceeded to shove three, large cheese "logs" into the pot of grits. Yes, processed, Velveeta-style logs o' cheese. Why on earth can't you just use grated cheddar? And, more importantly, do you really need a big ol' block of baked cheese grits with your Krispy Kreme burger? Who's coming to brunch? Kobayashi?

I'm not anti-fat. I love crispy toasts spread with oxtail marrow and the occasional slice of homemade chocolate cake. As Ruhlman so eloquently pointed out recently, it's all about having a healthy relationship with food and going for the fresh stuff vs. everything in a box or can. Topping your burger with donuts...well, I can't find anything redeemable about that.

All this said, it's Paula's show and she can do whatever she wants. If it bothers me, I can choose not to make her crazy food or just turn off the television.

On that note, here's a brunch or lunch dish that is hearty, satisfying and healthy. Enjoy!

Salmon & Mushroom Hash

-1/2 white onion, minced

-5-7 cremini mushrooms, diced

-1 teaspoon curry powder

-3 oz. salmon, cooked and cut into small pieces

-3 small white or red-skinned potatoes, cooked and diced

-1/2 bag of fresh baby spinach
-Salt & pepper to taste

In a saute pan sprayed with olive or canola oil spray, cook the onions and mushrooms until the onions are translucent. Add curry powder and cook for an additional minute, allowing the curry to coat the onions and mushrooms. Throw in the salmon and potatoes, and cook until warmed through. Toss in the spinach and cook until spinach is wilted down. Serve hot. Feel free to top with a poached egg if you desire. Serves 1 very hungry person or 2 not-so-hungry people.