Los Angeles
14 Dec 2008

Vegetation Profile: Royal Riviera Pears

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The Comice pear has long been enjoyed by European nobility for its smooth, creamy texture and exquisite flavor. Grown in only a few places in the world, the pear has found the perfect home in Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley, where in 1934 brothers Harry and David Holmes launched their famous gourmet gift business with the premium fruit.

Since the start of Harry and David nearly 70 years ago, millions of Americans have continued to send and receive Harry and David’s pears, called Royal Riviera Pears by the brothers, as holiday gifts. Their rich, creamy texture, succulent juiciness (so juicy you can eat them with a spoon) and large, pound-apiece size make Royal Riviera Pears the ultimate holiday gift.

The Astronomer’s family has been eating Royal Riviera Pears from Harry and David ever since he can remember. Back when we first started dating, he mailed me a box of pears as a gift. I was initially appalled that he shelled out thirty bucks for eight measly pears, but after one bite, it was clear that these pears were really something special. Pears at the grocery store never dribble sweet juices down one’s chin.

The Astronomer’s parents recently mailed us a box of Royal Rivera pears for the holidays, and boy am I glad they did. Consuming five-a-day has been so difficult after the bounty of Vietnam, but these pears make it a little bit easier. And stickier.

Recipe
12 Dec 2008

Apple Crisp

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After a year of eating mangosteens, sugar apples, papayas and pineapples to my heart’s content in Vietnam, the fruits I grew up with have lost their appeal. Over a week ago, I bought a few pounds of apples with the intention of consuming them raw, but found myself avoiding them everyday. Apples go down a lot easier when they’re covered in a sugary and buttery crumble. Problem solved.

For topping

  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose or whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

For filling

  • 3 pounds Granny Smith and Braeburn apples (6 to 8), cored and cut into 1-inch chunks (peel optional)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Make topping

Mix the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt together. Add the butter and toss to coat. Pinch the butter chunks and dry mixture between your fingertips until the mixture looks like crumbly wet sand. Add the nuts and toss to incorporate. Refrigerate the topping for at least 15 minutes before baking.

Make filling

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the apples, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest together and place in an 8-inch-square (2 quart) glass or ceramic baking dish or 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Distribute the chilled topping evenly over the fruit.

Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 4 to 6.

Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

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Restaurant Review
11 Dec 2008

Vanilla Bake Shop – Los Angeles (Santa Monica)

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The cupcake trend, which got rolling with New York City’s Magnolia Bakery a couple years back, is still going strong on the Left Coast (although sadly not as strong as the Pinkberry fro-yo trend). I find cupcakes irresistibly cute and delightful, even though they’re totally overpriced and oftentimes look more delicious than they actually are.

On one very special day at work not too long ago, a colleague surprised the office with an impromptu cupcake party. He brought in a dozen from the Vanilla Bake Shop in Santa Monica. Amy Berman, the shop’s owner, was featured in the New York Times article entitled So, Sweetie, I Quit to Bake Cupcakes two summers ago. She is one of a handful of Angelenos who have left their day jobs to pursue their passion for baking.

During the office cupcake party, I sampled a plethora of Vanilla Bake Shop’s offerings including the Fudgy Brownie (Fudgy Brownie Cake, Vanilla Bean Frosting, Valrhona Cocoa Dust), Southern Red Velvet (Southern Red Velvet Cake, Sweet Cream Cheese Frosting), Pumpkin (Sweet Pumpkin Cake, Cream Cheese Frosting, Dusted with Graham Cracker and Spices), Meyer Lemon Raspberry (Yellow Butter Cake, Lemon Curd Center, Vanilla Bean Frosting & Raspberries) and Mocha Chocolate (Dark Chocolate Cake, Creamy Mocha Frosting, Chocolate Covered Coffee Bean). At $3.25 a pop, these babies are priced on par with the holy grail of L.A.’s cupcakes—Sprinkles.

The Meyer Lemon Raspberry was the tastiest of the bunch, with a cool and tangy curd center. Mmm! The biggest disappointment was the Southern Red Velvet. Even though it was generously topped with a killer cream cheese frosting, the cake was drier than it ought to have been. See: Billy’s Bakery for a flawless Red Velvet.

With the exception of the Red Velvet, Vanilla Bake Shop’s cupcakes are immensely pleasurable. While it would’ve been ideal to consume them on the premises, eating cupcakes in a conference room turned out to be a rather festive affair.

POWER RANKINGS

Sprinkles Cupcakes > Dots Cupcakes > Vanilla Bake Shop > Crumbs Bake Shop > Auntie Em’s Kitchen > Yummy Cupcakes > Violet’s Cakes.

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Vanilla Bake Shop
512 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: 310-458-6644

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Vanilla Bake Shop in Los Angeles