INTRODUCING a new series | LUNCH

What is LUNCH ? Well, quite frankly, it's a visual exploration of tasty, simple, pure food. That's it. Nothing crazy. Nothing complicated. Nothing lengthy and drawn out. Just a video. Something relaxing, pretty and hopefully inspiring for you to cook for yourself at home. Not to get too hung up on complicated, 'fast' or 'easy' recipes. You know what is easiest, and fastest? No, not a 30-minute-meals cookbook. Not a drive-through. And no, nothing that comes from a deep freeze...
Its a few unadulterated ingredients, some fresh produce, perhaps a little cheese, or a simple piece of chicken, or fish. When all else fails, K.I.S.S. [that's right, keep it simple stupid] and you can't fail, I promise.

So today is the introduction. The premiere. The first of what will be a a series of videos. The series is called LUNCH. All about 2 minutes in length. No directions. No instructions. No difficult procedures, or bizarre ingredients. Just watch, and enjoy.

Today's LUNCH | Spinach salad, with scallion vinaigrette and piave vecchio
Enjoy

LUNCH part I from Becky Reams on Vimeo.

Yo slow cooker, you're kinda cool

It's no mystery that many a seasoned chefs and food know-it-all's may turn their respectively well seasoned noses up at such a device as the humble slow cooker. Ah yes, the counter-space hogging contraction screams housewife, lame, technique lacking, amateur...Well I say unto them, hogwash!! These little bad-boys give you a serious edge int he cooking department. Its like your ringer in the game, your invisible sous chef, your secret weapon! Yes, its true, I perhaps seem a bit overenthusiastic in my praise for such a simple (and by no means new) kitchen appliance- But dang it, its crazy not to have one. Ashamed as I am, I only within the last year finally purchased one and cannot get over how easy and fun they are. Yes its horrifying, I have been cooking all these years without such a clutch appliance. The horror... the HORROR...!!! (literary reference probably unneeded, but how could I resist..??)
Okay, back on topic. There are 4 main reason so bu a slow cooker. Really only 2, but I'll elaborate just for you.
.1. They are surprisingly inexpensive. Sure, you can get one that will put you back several hundred dollars, and look like a Russian space station sitting next to your toaster-- but who needs their slow cooker to detonate a nuclear missile into space anyway? I mean, mine has like two buttons, and it works just fine.

.2. Its essentially the slowest most perfect braising machine, which requires ZERO action on your part after loading it up, and hitting start.

.3. Its creates the beautiful depth of flavor that you only get from long oven braises, or stove-top braises, or simmers, or roasts... And you can do it while you sleep, with no electric sucking oven!

.4. They. ARE. EASY. Like, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, easy. And you can make huge meals on the cheap (again, Housewives cheap) because inexpensive tough cuts of meat are no match to the 4-8 hour cook time you're about to put them through.

You put some stuff in, add some liquid, start it. Go. Come back, add some fresh herbs and citrus perhaps, of jalapenos, or whatever, and dinner is served. Or breakfast in my case. Because I do it over night, and when I wake up, its all I can do to haul my sleepy butt into the kitchen, and start eating straight from the cooking pot. Yeah, that's how much willpower I have, its just too much of an inconvenience to get a plate. Plates are for suckers. Or people with kids, spouses, relatives...boyfriends... Um, okay moving on.

My latest creation was BBQ pork. Now, I've made BBQ pork before, the real way. And I gotta say, yeah, it was batter. BUT--that also required an 8 hour jaunt in my smoker, a fair amount of mesquite wood, very little sleep, and a lovely hate letter from my upstairs neighbor, declaring her fear for her life due to the 'billowing black smoke.' Excuse me madam, if that was 'billowing' then those cigarette-smoking kids in alley must be slowing putting you in your deathbed... Ahem. Grouch-
SO, in conclusion, the slow cooker is a nifty alternative that will satiate your hankering form some soulful 'que, AND keep your neighbors happily ignorant to your cunning cookery.

Like magic.
For this braised pork loin recipe-- I will say, it is important to sear your meat in a big skillet first, and saute the aromatics in the rendered droppings, all before adding to the pot. Doing some initial cooking this way, ahead of time, gives you the caramelization that the slow cooker can't really,. Plus it provides textural contrast. A little stove-top cooking first, then you're home free.

Doing the onions

So tender and unctuous. Plus after you skim off any excess fat (or not, your gluttonous choice) The pork is quite lean.


Kansas City Style (of course!) BBQ Pork Loin
(typically butt is better, but the loin was cheap, so I just ran with it. I'm a rebel that way. Use whatever cut you want)

3-4 lb pork cut- no bone, with a large fat side. Don't remove all of it, just trimmed of sinew and little membranes
red pepper flakes - 1 T or to taste
beef stock - 2-3 cups
several dashes Worcestershire
several dashes liquid smoke
1/2 cup-ish apple cider vinegar
1/2-1 cup your favorite BBQ sauce. Please lord, actually seek out a good product. This is not the place to cut corners and buy generic. Or if you do, don't tell me. Seriously.
1 jalapeno sliced
1 large, or 2 medium onions, sliced
BBQ seasoning premixed rub, or a combo of cumin, cayenne, black pepper, ground coriander, oregano, smoked paprika, salt & pepper. (I used a blend I love, from back home...)

Rub meat liberally with seasoning. Get aggressive, massage that baby goooood. In a hot pan, add olive oil, and sear meat really well, all around. Remove and set aside. Add more oil to the pan if necessary and add onion. Brown and caramelize, coking for about 5-10 minutes. Add a bit of salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes. Once they are caramelized, slightly, and getting soft, remove from heat. Put half the onions in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the meat on top of that. Add the rest of the onions and the jalapenos. Mix all the remaining ingredients together (the BBQ sauce, the cider vinegar, the Worcestershire, the liquid smoke-- and pour into the slow cooker. Add a cup or two more chicken stock, if the liquid level is below half full. You want the liquids to come at least half way up the side of the cooking bowl-- to prevent burning. Put on the lid, and set it to low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-5 hours.
Voila!!!!!!
Go party, sleep, shop, whatever you want. Come back, and dish up. I think I ate mine with fork, in a huge bowl and that is all... Actually, probably with some brioche, or any other soft soak-up-all-the-juices bread... But you can get fancy ad serve it with some lovely garlic mashed potatoes, parsnip puree, grilled asparagus (which is just coming into season here in CA)...whatever you want. Also, any leftovers are to DIE for in a spicy pork chili.. as per the way my mom always uses it. Mmmmmm
Enjoy y'all! And long live the 'Que

Restaurant Review time! Post & Beam in Baldwin Hills

Oh sweet sweet Baldwin Hills, how you've searched and yearned for newness, modernity...dare I say Good Eats. Well, the wait is over. As I will not be the first to say, the freshly opened Post & Beam more than fits the bill. A welcome addition to the otherwise ho hum community. Post & Beam brings a fresh, modern twist to the gastronomic community, a gastropub, oozing with some serious swagger thanks to a couple big hitters on the scene, Govind Armstrong and Brad Johnson. These guys know what's up. They know what people want, and they deliver. Stylish, smart, and utterly delectable, Post and Beam is basically the place you want to call your neighborhood joint. Small-ish [in a good cozy, I wanna-snuggle-some-swanky-sexy-guy kind of way] exposed kitchen, massive flaming wood burning oven, some spunky servers bouncing around, and a pretty awesome unpretentious clientele. When I arrived with my friend, I was beyond frazzled, erratic and in much need of a libation. Despite my eccentricity, the warm host seated us, and jovially (if not slightly sarcastically) offered me a drink to calm my nerves [I like this girl already]. My friend and I started with some beers. Local, of course, thanks to the limited yet well tailored drink menu. Hefe for her, IPA for me.
Our server was delightfully cute in his overambitious, meticulous description of the menu, which truth be told, I appreciate, and give him props for. After all, how could he know that I know my salsa verde's from my gremolatas, or that a supreme tallegio is a far cry from a fontina.

Okay, the food: Now, before you judge me, I know I only tried four dishes #fail. Trust me, I originally intended on four guests, therefore increasing my total Govind inventions significantly, so yeah, my bad, but what I did eat was phenomenal.
We had the charred broccolini, the meatball pizza, grilled octopus, and buttermilk panna cotta.

And I already have my list of items I'm ordering next week, when I inevitably go back. The pizza was perfectly charred on the bottom, kissed with a sweet tomato sauce (arguably the best Ive ever had #suckitmozza) and topped with a myriad of cheeses and chunks of soft sweet turkey meatballs, and dusted with fennel pollen. To my surprise, the fennel flavor was bold and noticeable. Not in a bad smack-you-over-the-head-way, but in a bright, wow-that's-unexpectedly-delicious way. The broccolini was charred within an inch of its life (again, not at all a bad thing), yet still retained a slight crunch, and flavored with a hint of garlic, and alleged chili. Delicious in its own right, however I feel could still use a bit more spicy ass chili kick. The octopus is what really excited me. This octopus was super tender, a delicious charred caramelized exterior, and soft succulent center. Accented by bright preserved lemon shards, fresh parsley leaves, and chickpeas, prepared two ways. A little olive oil perhaps, and I'm sure a dozen other delicious ingredients. It was the perfect dish. The menu is super smart. The ambiance is soft, yet modern, and cozy, but contemporary. At the end of our meal, the front of house manager treated us to the buttermilk panna cotta, which was both unexpected and incredibly kind. Let me tell you friends, it was unbelievable. I was totally trying to be 'good' and skip the dessert, in favor of a particularly snug pair of J Brands, that are sitting in my closet, staring me down... I digress... However, this little plate of sweet, slightly tart, orange-y, vanilla-y lusciousness was worth the extra couple miles on the treadmill tomorrow. A perfect panna cotta, topped with candied orange peel. Jay Rayner once said that "...a properly set panna cotta should move like a woman’s breasts..." Well, not that I'm an expert, but I think this buttermilk, orange version pretty much perfected it.

On my 'to-try' list next time? mussels, sticky ribs, mushroom and nettles pizza, cauliflower with salsa verde, and short-ribs.... Dare I ask... Will there ever be a reincarnation of the undisputed short rib grilled cheese? Hey, a girl's gotta ask.

Go. Eat. Enjoy.

Oh sweet sweet, sweets!

Recently, I was lucky enough to shoot at two delightfully sweet specialty chocolate shops. Chocolatine, in Thousand Oaks, CA, and Trufflehound, in Ventura. If you are ever anywhere near the area (as in within 50 miles) I strongly suggest you stop in. Absolutely delicious.
Additionally, both these fabulous shops were featured in this months issue of Westlake Magazine. So please check out the articles for more information.
Special thanks to Claudia and Fred, and Hugo and Sabrina. Lovely lovely people.

Chocolatine pastry case

amazing cream stuffed rum pastry


Hugo and Sabrina


Sabrina- She's so perfectly French


Trufflehound's pristine truffles

Claudia filling the molds


The most amazingly perfect orange scented couverture

Claudia with her masterpieces

My Friendsgiving Soiree

My FRIENDSgiving celebration was one to go down in history. I could sit here and gab all day about the details, the inside jokes, the small catastrophes ,the raving successes, the missteps, the everythings... but I won't. All that is truly important here was that I had a lovely small group of people who were kind enough to grace me with their presence on what could otherwise be a rather anticlimactic holiday. Yes, I'm talking to you, all you 'lost children' as I like to call you. Those (like myself) who live in cities where the rest of their family does not, therefore, you typically conclude the much hyped social/family surrounded holidays, with the bottom of a bottle of wine, or two...or three... Well, not this year. I like getting all these people together and celebrating with copious about of said wine, but also delicious food, extra helpings of raunchy, perhaps a tad inappropriate humor, and using the time together to forge new relationships with people, and cast new memories to be reveled and savored for the the next years undoubted soiree...


I was delightfully surprised at the great lengths my guests went to, in contributing to the gastronomical celebration. A homemade apple pie (all the way from San Diego, sausage and cheese bites, a richly addictive french silk pie (somewhat reminiscent of this lil beauty made form Thanksgivings past), homemade hot toddy, the undoubtedly most famous of the evenings eatings, the citrus bundt cake, which will go down in history... And you all know how much I love bundt cake, ahem... and of course, the notorious green bean casserole.
In addition to zillions of reasons I'm thankful to the fabulous friends I have, I was especially happy that my little brother came to visit and celebrate this Thanksgiving with me. All the way from wee lil Stilwell, Kansas... Now I would be remiss if not to say I was more that concerned that Los Angeles may prove to be a bit much for him. The crowds, the traffic, the cloths, the fast-talking-social-media-loving people, the hipsters... I can see his wide eyed confusion now, the look of 'What have I gotten myself into..." You can imagine my relief when on Thanksgiving he laughed, joked, socialized, and above all undoubtedly had a genuinely fun time. He embraced my home, my friends, my driving habits... I was so pleased, and it filled my heart with joy to know that he liked my friends. Not liked, loved. He had a blast. And all the while sporting his reptilian clad boots, Chuck Norrisesque wranglers, and big honest Midwestern smile on his face. Its a miracle he didn't get eaten alive in Los Feliz... Actually come to think of it, he was probably idolized. Well, perhaps not idolized, that's why we steered clear of West Hollywood... He really would have been in trouble there...
Special special SPECIAL thank you, from the bottom of my big ol' perpetually hungry heart, to Anais, Dax, Adriane, JP, Benny, and Brian.
You all fill my life with happiness, laughter, calories and JOY! Couldn't do it without you
Love.

Way overdue... Strawberry Pineapple Cream Pie

Well, in a perfect world, this post would have happened late August.... And ow its November...the day before Thanksgiving in fact. Wow. I dropped the ball on that one. Life happened, and work happens, and lets skip ahead.... Here I am now, finally posting on the amazing pie that I made what seems like ages ago. This pie is one that apparently has been in my family for years. I say apparently, because I have no memory of ever eating it as a child, but then again, I have scattered food memories as a child. I digress... My mom tells me this is the pie she notoriously would spend 2 hours making and once finished it would disappear in less than two minutes. It was a crowd pleaser, to say the least.
Its not a particularly inventive or unusual pie. No unexpected flavorings, or fancy emulsions, just a simple custard based pie, with a delicious glaze, and as long as you have some juicy, ripe strawberries, you're good to go.
Now, I know its now November, so the prime strawberries season is passed. Boo me :( I apologize. However, if you live in California, you can almost definitely get some berries right this second at the grocery store. And if you can't find any strawberries for less tan 10 bucks a pint (I'm talking to you Midwest), then bookmark this recipe and look forward to next season :) Plus, this has to be a welcome change form the zillions of eye-poppingly fall inspired dishes. If I read one more pumpkin or brussels sprouts recipe, I'll jab my eye balls out with a veggie peeler...
Thanks to my momma for sharing this lil' gem with me. It was quite fun making it from scratch, especially trying to decipher my chicken scratch directions that I wrote down, as my mom rattled off all the directions over the phone, from memory. I kinda hope that by the time I have children, I'll have recipes engraved in my brain that I can recite from memory. Seems like a cooks right of passage. Hmmm Food for thought. Pun intended.

My Mom's Strawberry Cream Pie
As for the pic crust, I always use the classic Betty Crocker recipe. Its tried and true, but if you have a different crust recipe you trust, by all means do it! As you'll see in the picture below, I wasn't quite so successful with my crimping this time around... Its a toss up, sometimes I'm an expert pie-crust crimper, other times, I go down in flames... This was not my greatest showing. However, lesson learned for next time, don't try to get too much height on your crimps, otherwise they'll just flop over, all droopy and sad. 

Pie Crust (thanks to Betty Crocker )

1 cup Gold all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

In medium bowl, mix flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
Gather pastry into a ball. On lightly floured surface, shape dough into flattened round. Wrap pastry in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable.
Heat oven to 425°F. On lightly floured surface, roll pastry with floured rolling pin into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute as desired.
Bake 15 or so minutes, until golden brown, and remove from oven to cool

The Method
In a saucepan, combine 3/4 C sugar, 3 T cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp salt.
Whisk in 2 C milk, and heat over medium until it slightly boils, and whisk continuously, until it thickens. Whisk and cook at a full boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk a small amount of hot mixture into a separate bowl, with 3 egg yolks, to temper the eggs. Then add the tempered eggs back to the hot mixture in the saucepan, and whisk vigorously, over medium heat for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla.
Cool slightly.
Fold in 3/4 C crushed pineapple VERY well drained. I actually wrapped the crushed pineapple in a tea towel and wrung it super tight, to extract all liquid.
Then fold in approximately 1 C whipped cream. I probably added a bit more than that, its not an exact science at this point...
Spread mixture into cooled pie shell and refrigerate.
Slice a pint of strawberries, very prettily, and arrange on top of pie.
Glaze
Crush 1/2 C strawberries and combine in a pan over high heat, with 1/2 C water and cook 2 minutes at a full rolling boil. It will begin to thicken slightly, remove from heat, and strain through a sieve-- press berries slightly, to get any excess liquid. Discard crushed berries, reserving strained liquid. Return liquid to pan, and add 1/4 C sugar, 1 tsp cornstarch, and heat until boiling. Boil for couple minutes until it thickens and clears.
Remove form heat, and set aside to cool (or refrigerate).
When you're ready to serve, brush glaze over berries, and voila!!! All done.
Enjoy
Good luck keeping it around for more than 24 hours...

Savory Maple and Rosemary Custards

Lets say I was feeling especially inventive and spontaneous one evening, and as such, decided to make savory custards... in the actual egg shell.
I've seen it before, at restaurants, or on TV, so I knew it was most definitely within my realm of understanding, and capability. My kitchen looked like a war zone after it was all said and done, but the end result was stunning, and outrageous delicious. Well worth the effort. I also made the bacon chips, and glazed them with even more maple syrup, so that sweet-salty bite was perfect for dipping into the custards.

This would be perfect appetizer to a fall menu... dare I say Thanksgiving? Or on a less stressful day, a lovely intimate dinner party.
The original recipe was one I found through Tasting Table, via Chef Erik Anderson and Josh Habinger of The Catbird Seat in Nashville
Here is the original recipe
I made a couple minor changes. First, I used rosemary instead of thyme, and I omitted the Truffle oil (yuck!...no offense) and the pine oil, because I felt the rosemary was woodsy enough. Additionally, I added more maple syrup to the bacon strips, during their bake time, I just brushed them with a thin layer of syrup, before sandwiching them between the sheet pans and baking.
Check this one out folks, and have fun.