Recipe
12 Feb 2009

Mixed Herb Pesto

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With a plethora of herbs crowding the refrigerator and growing limper by the day, a mixed herb pesto seemed the simplest and most flavorful way to use the bounty.  The end product was delicious—hands down one of the best pestos I’ve ever eaten. The proportions below have been tweaked here and there based on the herbs on hand, so feel free to do the same depending on what’s in your fridge or garden.

  • 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, washed well and spun dry (2.5 ounces)
  • 1 cup packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves, washed well and spun dry
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup walnuts (heaping)
  • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Cook walnuts in a dry skillet on medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Once walnuts are toasted golden brown, set aside to cool.

In a food processor blend together all ingredients with salt and pepper to taste until smooth.

Store pesto covered in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to one week. Serve pesto over gnocchi or your favorite pasta.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Adapted from Gourmet, August 1995. [For Printable Recipe Click Here]

Restaurant Review
11 Feb 2009

Fatburger – Los Angeles (Santa Monica)

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I’ve been on a burger binge lately. First,  Pie ‘n Burger. And now, Fatburger. Which begs the question, does this burger make me look fat? Good thing The Streak is still alive.

The Astronomer and I were kickin’ it in Santa Monica on a gorgeous sunny Saturday when hunger pangs got us searching for suitable grub. We were tempted to hit up the local branch of our favorite fast-food Chinese eatery, but decided on a whim to try Fatburger. Founded in 1952 in Los Angeles, the Fatburger chain is co-owned by Magic Johnson. There are currently 93 outlets worldwide, most of which are in California.

While I didn’t notice it at the time, it appears from the photos I took that Fatburger’s clientele is mostly comprised of dudes. I guess with a name like Fatburger, it’s hard to attract the girly population.

Unafraid of putting on the pounds, The famished Astronomer ordered a half-pound Kingburger ($5.49). All of Fatburger’s burgers come with a choice of mustard, relish, onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce and mayo. One has to fork over extra chedda for some cheese. The Astronomer ordered his Kingburger with only lettuce and onions. Although the Kingburger was better than an average fast-food burger, it was altogether unspectacular.

Not nearly as hungry as my dining companion, I went with the Baby Fat ($2.99), which I ordered with lettuce, grilled onions, tomato, cheese and a straight face. With the meat patty cooked all the way through, the burger bordered on dry and needed a good squirt of ketchup with every bite. The fixins were average; the onions could’ve used more time on the grill. As far as fast-food burgers go, this one was decent enough, but nowhere near as tasty and fresh as the burgers from In-n-Out.

The Astronomer and I love, love onion rings, and Fatburger delivered in this department. The homemade onion rings ($3.29) were lightly battered and well-seasoned.

This is what Santa Monica looks like in the middle of January. We don’t miss the east coast winters one bit!

—

Fatburger
1218 3rd Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: 310-393-7331

Recipe
09 Feb 2009

Root Beer Bundt Cake

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This recipe comes from the clever folks at Baked, an innovative bakery located in Red Hook, Brooklyn. I picked up their cookbook, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, last week and was immediately smitten with the Root Beer Bundt Cake. “We weren’t looking for a hint of root beer,” wrote chefs Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, “We needed an avalanche of root beer.” The Astronomer baked the cake this weekend to celebrate a certain Gastronomer’s 27th. While the cake didn’t quite deliver the landslide of sassafras we were hoping for, it was a solid chocolate cake with an intriguing essence of root beer.

For cake

  • 2 cups of root beer (do not use a diet root beer)
  • 1 cup of dark cocoa powder, like Valrhona
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, chopped into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cups dark brown sugar (packed)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs

Baked Note: If you can find root beer schnapps, substitute 1/2 cup of root beer with root beer schnapps. The root beer flavor will be more pronounced.

For frosting

  • 2 ounces of 60% chocolate (melted and slightly cooled)
  • 4 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup root beer
  • 2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Make cake

Preheat oven to 325º degrees.

Generously grease or spray (with a non stick spray like Pam) and flour your bundt pan to ensure that your bundt cake will slip out easily. Knock out the excess flour.

In a small saucepan, heat root beer, cocoa and butter over medium heat until butter is completely melted. Add both sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove mixture from heat to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk eggs until just beaten, then whisk into cooled cocoa mix until combined.

Gently fold flour mixture into chocolate mixture. Mixture will be slightly lumpy—Do not over-beat which could cause the cake to be tough.

Pour mixture into bundt pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Rotate pan half-way through. A small sharp knife inserted into the bundt should come out clean.

Cool the cake in the pan completely.

Once cooled, gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn out onto a cooling rack. Make sure the cake is cooled completely before adding frosting.

Make this cake the night before serving to let the root beer flavor intensify.

Make frosting

Place all ingredients, chocolate, butter, salt, root beer, butter, and confectioners sugar, in a food processor. Pulse in short burst until fudge frosting is shiny and smooth. Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the crown of the bundt in a thick layer. Let frosting set before serving.

Serve with a big scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream.