Archive for the 'Products I Love' Category

Valentine’s Day Sweets For Your Sweetie: Le Bon Garçon, Cutie Pie That!, Magnolia Bakery

Published by Gastronomer on February 3, 2012 in Dessert, Los Angeles and Products I Love. 1 Comment

I was sold on Valentine’s Day back in middle school when my crush* gifted me a heart-shaped box filled with chocolates between first and second period. No matter that the drugstore batch tasted like Halloween leftovers or that the “relationship” lasted barely a week—I was totally smitten and as far as I was concerned, Valentine’s Day ruled.

While the good ‘ol days of pastel-colored conversation hearts and flimsy perforated cards are over, I can still appreciate honoring February 14 with something sweet for my sweetie. Here are a trio of locally made desserts that will charm the pants off just about anyone. You’ll see…

Justin Chao of Le Bon Garçon crafts the most brilliant caramels I have ever tasted. Every batch is made from scratch using the best ingredients and no preservatives, which results in a soft and silky caramel that is truly like no other. It’s quality you can really sink your teeth into.

For Valentine’s Day, Le Bon Garçon has created a limited-run blood orange-infused caramel called Caramour, as well as beautiful packaging to go with it.

Other flavors available include classic salted caramel, passion fruit, and macadamia nut. Make sure to place your orders by February 7 in order to ensure delivery by Valentine’s Day.

Continue reading ‘Valentine’s Day Sweets For Your Sweetie: Le Bon Garçon, Cutie Pie That!, Magnolia Bakery’

Le Bon Garçon Gourmet Caramels

Published by Gastronomer on April 24, 2011 in Dessert, Los Angeles and Products I Love. 7 Comments

Le Bon Garçon came into my life serendipitously earlier this month. After dropping off my bacon almond brittle at the Bake Sale For Japan, I perused the treats lining the tables to procure a stash to bring home. I picked up a jar of Meyer Lemon and Meyers Rum jam from Mothercluck, a Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tart and a Peanut Butter Crispy Bar from Tuna Toast, and on a whim, I snatched up a box of salted caramels from Le Bon Garçon.

While I was familiar with the former two contributors, Le Bon Garçon was completely new to me. I love cute packaging and adore salted caramels even more, so I figured that I couldn’t really go wrong.

I held off on trying the caramels until the following Monday afternoon. My intention was to only eat one and save the rest for later, but once I tasted how amazing they were, there was no turning back. All three caramels were down my gullet in five minutes flat. No joke. They were truly the best caramels I’d ever eaten.

What made Le Bon Garçon’s product incredibly special was its silky texture. The caramels were pleasingly chewy without being overly sticky. My molars were left caramel-free in the aftermath of my binge, which is quite a feat in the world of soft candies. In addition to its superior texture, the caramel’s flavor was rich, buttery, well-balanced, and just salty enough.

After polishing off my supply much too quickly, I went online to learn more about the talented pastry chef behind Le Bon Garçon. Justin Chao launched the gourmet caramel company after studying pastry arts at Bellouet Conseil in Paris and 3-star Michelin Le Meurice. He founded Le Bon Garçon in 2010 upon returning home to Los Angeles.

The time Chef Chao spent in France greatly influenced his craft. All of Le Bon Garçon’s caramels are made from scratch using the best ingredients and no preservatives. Every batch is painstakingly stirred by hand and meticulously wrapped. It’s quality you can really sink your teeth into.

Continue reading ‘Le Bon Garçon Gourmet Caramels’

Bigmista’s Pig Candy

Published by Gastronomer on April 10, 2011 in Atwater Village, BBQ, Los Angeles and Products I Love. 8 Comments

A lengthy wait for a table at Canele prompted the Astronomer and me to stroll over to the Atwater Village Farmers Market to kill some time. After skipping along the aisles and nabbing samples of oranges, apples, and strawberries, we stumbled upon a man with a giant-ass smoker and a long-ass line. It turns out that Bigmista’s Barbecue is a big draw here on Sunday mornings.

Neil and Phyllis Strawder, also known as Bigmista and Mrs. Mista, launched the roving barbecue operation in 2008. They started vending at the Watts farmers market, but have since moved on to the Atwater farmers market (Sunday), the Torrance farmers market (Tuesday and Saturday), the El Segundo farmers market (Thursday), and the Echo Park farmers market (Friday).

After checking out Bigmista’s menu of delights, a part of me wanted to ditch our brunching plans and instead dine on some down home goodness. Alas, I was accompanied by The Astronomer’s visiting family from Alabama who eat ‘cue on a regular basis, so only a small bite would do. I guess the ribs, pulled pork, brisket, and Moink balls (bacon-wrapped meatballs) will just have to wait!

I could not resist ordering some Pig Candy ($1.50) even though brunch was moments away. It was comprised of thick slices of bacon, slathered in brown sugar and spices and smoked until the edges caramelized. Initially, it was the smoky sweetness that registered on my tongue. As I savored a little more, an intense heat was unleashed. Small, deliberate bites are the best way to approach this beastly good Pig Candy.

Continue reading ‘Bigmista’s Pig Candy’

Red Boat Fish Sauce

Published by Gastronomer on April 5, 2011 in Phu Quoc, Products I Love and Vietnamese. 24 Comments

When shopping for Vietnamese groceries, I always purchase the brands that my mother and grandmother use in their kitchens. From rice noodles to curry powder to fish sauce, every ingredient found in my pantry has earned my family’s trust for its dependable quality and most satisfactory flavor.

For years I’ve been using the Flying Lion and Squid brands of fish sauce. Both are readily available in Asian supermarkets and are competitively priced. I didn’t think much about the origin of either bottle, or their ingredients for that matter, until I received a sample of artisanal Red Boat Fish Sauce. It turns out there’s a lot more to nước mắm than packing a mean umami punch.

Founded in 2006 by Vietnamese-American Cuong Pham, Red Boat strives to produce the purest fish sauce available on the market. Every bottle is made on the island of Phu Quoc using wild-caught black anchovies (ca com). The fishes are salted within minutes of leaving the ocean water, then aged for more than a year in wooden barrels to achieve the smoothest, richest, and sweetest flavor. Red Boat bottles the first press “extra virgin” fish sauce, so the only ingredients are anchovies and sea salt.

On paper, Red Boat Fish Sauce sounded just about perfect. However, only a blind taste test could convince me that the product was actually different and better than its competitors. In a thoroughly scientific tasting conducted in my kitchen, I pitted “extra-virgin fish sauce” against the standard stuff. Both bottles in my cupboard were produced in Thailand and contained anchovy extract, fructose, and MSG.

After tasting the fish sauces on plain white rice and straight up, the differences between the products were very clear. Whereas standard fish sauce tasted assertive, pungent, and well, fishy, Red Boat’s brew was well-rounded and nuanced. I’ll still reach for Squid and Flying Lion’s fish sauces for noodle soups and braising meats, but for fresh salads and nuoc cham, I’m going with Red Boat.

Continue reading ‘Red Boat Fish Sauce’

Crème Caramel LA

Published by Gastronomer on November 23, 2010 in Dessert, Los Angeles and Products I Love. 9 Comments

The other day, Chef Debbie Lee excitedly tweeted, “Just figured out my dessert for the Eat My Blog holiday bake sale! Can’t wait.” In response, I tweeted back, “I hope it involves BACON and CARAMEL!” She baked individual-sized bacon coffee cakes with almond butterscotch drizzle for this past summer’s sale, and I was hoping for something deliciously similar.

Somewhere in a nearby corner of the Internet, Kristine de la Cruz of Crème Caramel LA heard my prayers and decided that I had to taste her latest creation: Caramelized Bacon and Salted Caramel Bread Pudding. And thus, a new friendship was quickly formed. Twitter has an amazing way of connecting folks in the food community, especially those with slightly unhealthy bacon obsessions.

On Sunday afternoon, Ms. de la Cruz delivered two still-warm-to-the-touch containers filled with freshly baked bread pudding for me to sample. I gotta say, girlfriend hooked me up fat.

As soon as she departed from my doorstep, I quickly snapped these shots and dug into the goods. Based on appearance alone, I knew this was going to be crazy good. The pillowy tufts of brioche (from The Village Bakery & Cafe) were painted with a glossy caramel sheen, while the pieces of Cajun bacon (from Cast Iron Gourmet LA) were sliced nice and thick. Not to mention, the smells emanating from the little paper containers were completely intoxicating.

Continue reading ‘Crème Caramel LA’