Culinary Muse

SOLD OUT Chocolate Success Story

Our ‘Chocolate Sundays’ at NOE KNIT continue to be a sold-out success. And why not? What could be better than sitting down at a table with a few other folks who share a passion for chocolate? There are so many more chocolate choices than there were just five years ago. With chocolate bars going for $6.00 each I knew that chocolate lovers needed a way to understand why they prefer one chocolate over another. The more information we have the better able we are to make informed decisions. And this goes for chocolate, too. You may know that you prefer dark chocolate but do you know if a 72% cacao content is just too high for you? 60% might be just perfect. How about mouth feel? Silky, quick melting or gritty? And is it time to give milk chocolate a chance?

After a brief explanation of how chocolate gets from the equator to us we learn how to taste five different chocolates using all five of our senses. We look, we touch, we listen, we smell, we chew. And then we discover amazing things. We discover that the chocolate from France is sophisticated and refined. A chocolate from Spain smells like coconut but tastes like brewed American coffee with too much sugar in it. And an American chocolate is not so great to eat out of hand but would probably make killer brownies.

If you would be interested in having the Muse host a chocolate tasting class for you and your friends just contact km@culinarymuse.com. What a great way to entertain guests at your next soiree or shower!

ON THE ROAD IN LOS ANGELES: GRAND CENTRAL MARKET

My friend Otto is repulsed by the displays. But he still wants me to see all of them. He exclaims that he would never eat anything from this place. He cringes as he eagerly searches out the next offal thing to show me: pig’s head, sheep’s head, hooves, claws and a pile of cooked, brown sheep tongues lapping at each other.

The place:GRAND CENTRAL MARKET in downtown Los Angeles. Sawdust on the painted black concrete floor, tall black columns that hold up the high ceilings pierced with skylights. The space soars upward like a cathedral. Each stall is organized to make maximum use of its small space. Wooden bins painted green have bulging sides like the wall of a dam holding back the flow of fruit and vegetables. Ordered chaos.

What Amuses the Muse on Saturday mornings or the Insider’s Guide to Saturday Morning Survival at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market

The best way to enjoy the Ferry Building Farmer's Marketplace on a Saturday morning is to arrive before the tourists awaken and the bridge and tunnel crowd arrive. Once upon a time it was possible to begin shopping before the official opening time of 8:00 a.m. Most of the farmers and vendors were able to pause what they were doing to conduct a sale. No more. Perhaps anticipating the onslaught of the Saturday Maddening Crowd has added a dimension of stress for the sellers that did not exist before. Be forewarned that the world has discovered this farmer’s market. It has morphed from a farmer’s market that brings field and farm to the city to being a tourist attraction. This is not the same farmer’s market that started under a condemned freeway off-ramp. Not a tablecloth or monogrammed apron was in sight back then. Just farmers off-loading wood lugs from the back of beat up pick-up trucks. The shoppers have evolved beyond apartment dwellers and office workers. Limousines now dispense Hollywood stars dressed all in black with big sunglasses. Celebrity Chefs to the glitterati scoop up $7.50 a pound cherries and peaches. And with this new tourist/shopper comes a different set of expectations of what the shopping experience will be. They want smoothies, they want monogrammed aprons and eventually they will want all the stores to stay open until 9:00 p.m. In other words, they want to be at the mall or even better they want to be on Disney’s Main Street, U.S.A.. It’s clean, it’s pretty, it’s America. In the meantime, shuddering at the word ‘mall’, the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market has gone one better by becoming the ultimate in foodie boutique shopping. While this new crowd may want the Galleria in Sherman Oaks it now maintains the feeling of the Galleria in Milan. But for how long?

A suggested Saturday time line:

7:30 Peet's for a large, wet cappuccino

7:45 Acme Bread to check out the ‘day old’ shelf to the left of the marble counter. Day old breads are wrapped in plastic and are half-price. Remember that most bread can be revived in a toaster or made into croutons or French Toast.

8:00 Downtown Bakery for the bran muffins. Slightly over baked which makes for a great burnt sugar taste. Buy two as they are small.

8:05 Marin Sun Farms for eggs

8:15 Sur La Table Check out the clearance section where they often add an additional 25% reduction to merchandise on holiday weekends like Labor Day.

8:30 Prather Ranch to grab a flat iron steak if they aren’t already sold out

8:40 Flee