http://www.matchboxkitchen.com/blog

Oh, and the photo above was taken yesterday when I took Zelda out for walk. Sometimes I get embarrassed (cat on a walk?!) but I love it and I think she does too. More photos and details of my outfit at the new blog home!

I had an idea stuck in my head and decided to run with it. Those things you see above are a mash up of morning buns, kouign amann, and brioche. I left them in the oven a tad too long (curse my windowless oven!) and baking them in a dark pan didn’t help, but I’m happy that they turned out just like I’d hoped for! The outside was covered in lightly crisped caramelized sugar while the inside was as soft and supple with a swirl of orange and cinnamon sugar.  And maybe it’s just me, but I love the tiniest hint of burnt flavor in my food. Like, two seconds past caramelized, not bitter or anything.

I debated not sharing these photos because they aren’t the prettiest of baked goods but thought I’d give you a glimpse of what I’ve been up to. Lately I’ve been thinking about the purpose of this blog and realized that I don’t want to be considered a food blogger. I don’t have the desire to consistently share recipes, so if that’s what you’re looking for you’re at the wrong place. Almost every single recipe I’ve been writing  and testing the past few weeks are for my online shop relaunch or catering business. What I do hope for instead is to give you a peek into the person behind the business (me!). The blogs I enjoy reading the most give me a chance to learn about the maker and I hope to do the same.

How’s everyone’s week going so far? LA is in the midst of a 100 degree heat wave (with a few earthquakes thrown in!). Lest you think I’m sitting around doing nothing, I’ve been working on adding some new products to my little shop. The cookies you see up there are a still-in-progress almond toffee crunch cookie: a crispy brown butter base with bits of my special almond toffee crunch. I’ve had many happy taste testers and the final cookie is almost ready to be shipped out! I’m also working on a few more additions like a classic vanilla wafer and some new shortbread sandwich flavors. And on top of these new cookies, my friend Laura is helping me create new packaging. She is a fantastic graphic designer and I can’t wait to share the final product.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to Short Cake to sample some of their offerings, and boy was I in for a treat! Right when Natalie and I arrived the food wouldn’t stop coming. Every single thing we tried was delicious, but my favorites were the tuna salad croissant sandwich, buttercup, and rustic apple pie. In addition to their sandwiches and sweets are a variety of coffees and teas. If you need a jolt of energy go for the shakerato, which includes four (yes, 4!) shots of espresso.

In addition to all these amazing treats, I was introduced to a handful of other food bloggers: Adrianna/A Cozy Kitchen, Lynn/The Actor’s Diet, Kristin/The Cuisinerd, Julie Wolfson, Leah/FreutCake, and the woman who organized it all, Nastassia/Let Me Eat Cake. A big thank you to Nastassia, Hourie, and Short Cake for such a wonderful time.

Short Cake
6333 W. 3rd St. Stall #316
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Growing up, there was a little corner market (Hi Ho Market for those from Monterey Park) down the street from my house where my friends and I would always buy chili mango lollipops. My other favorites were the watermelon lollipops, lime powder, Lucas chili powder, and pulparindo. We might have had an addiction because I can’t remember a time I didn’t have one of those in my pocket. With the powder ones we’d sprinkle a little in the palm of our hands and dip our tongue in it (how sanitary!) and with the lime packets we’d simply dip our finger in.

It must have stuck with me because chili covered mango (fresh and dried) are still one of my favorite snacks. I thought I’d try turning it into a drink and it was just as delicious! Unfortunately my stomach can’t handle all that chili powder anymore so be sure not to add too much unless you want a stomach ache/heartburn.

Chili Lime Mango Smoothie
serves 1

3/4 c frozen mango chunks (I bought mine from Traders Joe’s)
1/2 c lemon/limeade*
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika

In a high speed blender (I love my Vitamix!) combine all ingredients and blend into a smooth puree. If you’re blender can’t smooth out all the chunks feel free to substitute with mango sorbet. Add more pepper if you want it spicier but be careful, the heat builds up as you drink it. This would also taste pretty good as a popsicle or even a bit of yogurt.

* I made lemonade with 1 lemon and 1 lime to make it tangier.

(Photo of me and Chelsea when she visited LA a couple months ago!)

But enough complaining! Today I decided to just go with the flow and came up with a few different puff pastry tarts. My brother recently traveled through Europe and brought me two bags of flour from France. I went with a quick puff pastry to take advantage of its finer texture. There was some brown butter sitting in the fridge and decided to use that as well. And then I raided through the fridge to see what I could top them off with.

Clockwise from top left: peach, tomato + yogurt, pickle + goat cheese, potato + dill, fresh peach + fresh mozzarella.

The puff pastry came out very delicate and flake, while the brown butter added a nice nutty flavor that was a nice canvas for sweet and savory options. This is what I came up with:

Peach: One of my failed ideas earlier this week had to do with peaches. I’ve decided that it’s just plain wrong to cook them. Grill, okay, but bake? No! It breaks my heart knowing it’s delicate flavor and texture are going to waste, turning into mush. Same with this tart.

Tomato: You can’t go wrong with fresh garden tomatoes. I simply topped them off with pepper and maldon sea salt.

Pickle + goat cheese: I was skeptical, but Kate gave me that idea and I ran with it. Surprisingly delicious! Those are my lacto-fermented pickles, by the way. I might have to put a post together because I found it really exciting and fun to make.

Potato + dill: We got these cute little potatoes and I couldn’t resist using them. Added some leftover dill from my pickle experiment.

Fresh peach: Peaches really do shine when they’re uncooked. I baked the pastry with a bit of fresh mozzarella then topped them off with peaches right out of the oven.

By the way, what do you guys think of these photos? Shooting on a dark surface has really piqued my interest in photography again! Excited to see what else I can use this with. (Well, I do have this one that I like to call “Chiaroscuro Kitten“)

Sometimes something as simple as buying a new kitchen tool can make a big difference in the outcome of your baked goods. When I first started out I made use of what I already had, but as soon as I started borrowing tools from Gary (who went to culinary school), the process of baking became much smoother and efficient! Here is just a handful of the tools I use almost every time I’m in the kitchen.

1. Bench Scraper: I have a metal one and also a few plastic ones that can conform to a bowl, but by far I reach for my metal bench scraper the most. It’s great for doing quick cuts of dough (like bread), cleaning up your cutting board in one fell swoop, or gently folding dough onto itself . Mine also has a ruler on the edge which also comes in handy (though I’d still recommend having a full sized ruler).

2. Rubber Spatulas: Confession: I am a chronic bowl scraper. I find it extremely satisfying and am always slightly disappointed when particular recipes should not be scraped up dry. Not only are different sizes handy but it’s important to have separate spatulas for meringue and for everything else due to residual fat and oil.

3. Offset Spatula: Again, I have a variety of metal spatulas both offset and straight, but this little offset is my buddy. It’s the most fun tool to use when finishing off my 6 inch cakes and gives me the most control. I also have one that’s slightly tapered at the tip, but the one pictured above is my favorite.

4. Mini Whisk: I was really surprised about this one. This is one of those tools I adopted from Gary and from the moment it was in my posession I’ve used it for everything! A large whisk is often too unwieldy and a fork just doesn’t do the job right. I love using my 8″ whisk for eggs, fluffing up flour, quickly mixing in liquids, and pretty much whatever else you need a whisk for, except with way more control.

5. Kitchen Scale: If you’ve ever oogled at european baking cookbooks, get a scale now! I have a simple salter brand scale, but the most important feature is to be able to switch from grams to ounces. I promise your pastries will come out better if you weigh your ingredients rather than relying on volume measurements.

6. Fine Mesh Sieve: This is a great too for sifting dry ingredients together, but I really love using it to strain and make everything smoother, such as purees and curds.

What are you favorite kitchen tools?

Really pining for that Claire Nereim calendar

One of my favorite spots of the store was her shelves of magazines. I picked up a copy of Gather Journal but was tempted to buy one of each.

Really wish I could put up a bright pegboard in our little apartment kitchen! My landlord might not be happy with the holes in the wall though.

That mini stove looks just like the one we have at home! And forget animals and cartoon characters, can I get a le creuset pinata for my birthday? / The front of the store with pretty hand writing

Every bit of the store was filled with pretty things.

If you can’t make it to San Francisco there’s also an online shop! Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Drywell Pig Butchery Chart / 2. Gather Journal / 3. Remedy Quarterly / 4. Lemon cutting board / 5. Paper Pastries chef’s pencil set

Pot + Pantry
593 Guerrero Street @ 18th
San Francisco CA 94110
Tel: (415) 206-1134