A New Twist on an Old Classic

Some flavors were just made for each other. We’re talking chocolate and sea salt, crusty French bread and sweet cream butter, cheese and…well, cheese and just about anything. And somewhere near the top of that list is meat and potatoes. It’s a perfect pairing that just never gets old.

Meat and potatoes have been a dinnertime staple for generations. It’s a simple dish that’s always satisfying, and you’ll never go wrong when you prepare it just like grandma did. But if you’re looking for a modern take on this traditional meal, we’ve got just the thing.

The recipe we’re featuring today was created for an HGTV Fantasy Wedding in a Week special (you can see us in action here). The bride and groom had traditional “meat and potatoes” taste, but we put our own spin on this classic flavor combination.

While the typical meat and potatoes dish will fill an entire plate, these filet mignon bites in potato nests fit into the palm of your hand, making them the perfect appetizer for a dinner party, and a tasty accompaniment to a classic cocktail (martinis, anyone?). They also get a fresh new flavor update with a punch of lemon aioli and a dusting of parmesan cheese. It’s our bite-sized version of the quintessential all-American meal—with a twist.

Photo by Bobbi Fabian

Filet mignon, potato nests, lemon aioli, watercress
yields 48 pieces

Ingredients:

3 lbs. potatoes, peeled and grated
juice of 2 lemons
6 eggs
4 oz. melted butter
1 tablespoon salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 lb. beef tenderloin
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tsps. salt
1 tsp. pepper
3 oz. parmesan cheese, grated
4 oz. watercress leaves

Lemon Aioli:

2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 egg yolk
1 cup olive oil
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Combine garlic cloves, salt, egg yolk, and lemon juice into a food processor and puree until all garlic is finely minced and ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Mince garlic and hand whisk ingredients if food processor blade is too tall to properly puree everything. Slowly and in a small stream, add in the olive oil. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Put aioli into a squeeze bottle and refrigerate.

Method:

Combine grated potatoes, lemon juice, melted butter, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Take a tablespoon of potato mixture and squeeze out excess liquid. Place in well-oiled/buttered mini muffin tins and form a basket/nest. Dust inside bottom of basket with parmesan cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until browned and firm.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees and heat a medium skillet on high. Season tenderloin with salt and pepper. Add canola oil and sear meat on all sides until browned. Finish cooking tenderloin in the oven until it reaches 140 degrees, about 10 minutes. Remove and rest for 10 minutes. Slice into paper thin rounds and reserve.

Roll beef slices around index finger and place into potato basket. Squeeze small amount of aioli inside the beef. Garnish with watercress leaf and serve warm.

A Taste of Summer

Ahhh, summertime. The livin’ is easy, the weather is warm, and the berries are ripe for picking. Especially the strawberries.

Although strawberries are available year-round, we can’t get enough of them in the warmer months. Seriously, what would a June picnic or 4^th of July spread be without them? Strawberries just taste like summer, and we can’t imagine the season without them.

Ripe strawberries

Photo by Brian Prechtel

The majority of North American strawberries are grown right here in sunny California (aren’t we lucky?), and some of our favorite varieties are sold by the basket at local farmers markets. Harry’s Berries is famous for their super sweet, full-flavored Gaviota strawberries. Just try to make it home without reaching into the bag for a bite. These berries are delicate and perishable, so they’re best used right away. But they’re about as delicious as a strawberry gets. Absolute perfection.

Albion strawberries are another favorite. Not quite as sweet as Gaviotas, these babies have a beautifully balanced flavor and are perfect in desserts since they don’t bruise as easily as other varieties. We use these strawberries quite a bit in the Taste of Pace kitchen and have bought some of the best from Tamai Farms.

Mixed Berry Cobbler A Photo by Ben Gibbs

Chandler strawberries are easy to find at most supermarkets, and while they’re not quite equal in taste to the Gaviota and Albion, they’re easier to transport and to store, and also more affordable. When choosing yours, look for a deep red color and follow your nose—the sweetest smelling berries are typically the best tasting.

Strawberries are a member of the lusciously fragrant rose family and the only fruit with seeds on the outside. They’re also packed with vitamin C, fairly high in fiber, and loaded with free-radical fighting compounds, making them something of a superfruit. But what we really, really love about strawberries is the fact that they’re just so delicious, even unadorned. And when you dip them into fresh whipped cream, drizzle them with balsamic vinegar, or bake them into a pie, it’s culinary magic.

_D307066 Photo by Ben Gibbs

Strawberries take center stage in this mixed berry cobbler, but the beauty of this recipe is the fact that you can use any fruit you choose. Eat it on the patio, or even better, a picnic blanket. Summer is here.

cobbler 3 Photo by Ben Gibbs

Mixed Berry Cobbler
serves 8

Ingredients for Filling:

3 tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons (or 1.5 oz) unsalted butter

Combine dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl and stir through. Toss in fruit mixture. Dot with butter.

Ingredients for Topping:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 oz. unsalted butter
1/4 cup milk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Cut butter into 1 inch cubes. Cut into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.
Add milk and egg to the flour mixture until just combined. Drop by tablespoon over fruit mixture.Place dish on a baking sheet to catch any fruit juices from overflowing. Bake 35-45 minutes or until juices bubbling and crust golden.

Vanilla Chantilly

Ingredients:

heavy whipping cream
confectioners sugar
vanilla extract

Method:

Pour whipping cream into stainless mixing bowl and whisk by hand. Half way through, add sugar and vanilla extract.

Lick your chops pork chops

Is there anything better than a thick, juicy, succulent cut of meat? No. No, there is not… and pork chops are right up there next to steak and short ribs.

Pork. Photo Credit, Scott Clark

There is so much you can do with pork chops to get that amazing, mouth watering flavor. One of our favorite ways is to brine them in a simple water, sugar, salt, pepper mixture. Leave the chops in the brine overnight, then sear on both sides the next day. Those suckers will be packed with so much flavor you won’t believe it was so easy to do!

Another reason pork chops are so great is that they are so versatile. For those of you that know me, I rarely do poultry. Unless it’s fried chicken, or our amazing lavender herb crusted airline chicken breast, you’ll mostly see me hanging out with the red meats. Pork is a fun in-between– which I love– because you can pair them with lighter, fruitier notes than you can with red meat, without the sacrifice of juiciness that you make with poultry.

I’m sure you’ve seen a few variations on how to prepare pork chops with fruitier flavors, like prunes or apples, but the Taste of Pace favorite is pairing them with roasted grapes. Not only does it make for a gorgeous presentation, but the caramelization of the grapes paired with the savory caramelization of the sugars from the brine in the chops makes for an insanely good flavor.

That’s one good lookin’ piece of meat. Photo Credit: Scott Clark

The key to success in our recipes (or any recipes for that matter) is having the highest quality ingredients. Having quality meat is one of the biggest factors in having a quality meal– so if you want the best meat in town, we highly suggest Harvey’s Guss Meats. The higher quality the meat, the less you have to do with it. Harvey has been in the butcher business for more years than I’ve been alive, and really knows quality meat. He’s is a dear friend and a hoot and a half– Harvey is like Santa Claus, your grandpa, and your uncle who makes inappropriate jokes at Thanksgiving, all rolled into one. Yea, he’s just that great.

So next time you’re in the mood for the other white meat, give Harvey a visit a day before so you can get those puppies in the brine overnight. Want more suggestions on how to prepare meats and more? Why not check out one of our cooking classes! They’re offered out of our tasting kitchen in the DTLA Arts District and are perfect for date night, girls’ night out, colleague camaraderie, or your next private party. We’ll give you all our tips and tricks to give you the juiciest, tastiest meats you’ve ever cooked!

Citrus

During the months of heavy stews, rich comfort foods, and red meats, nature provides us with the perfect produce to brighten up and balance those hefty winter flavors. Citrus runs rampant in the depths of winter– and if having these easy-access delicious vitamin-packed doses wasn’t enough, they are a delightfully unexpected surprise to accompany any of your winter dishes.

Citrus is yet another variation of produce where you’ll find if you go to a farmers’ market, you will discover a number of sweeter variations that you just won’t see in your mainstream supermarkets. Navel oranges whose juices drip down your face with every bite, cara cara oranges (my personal favorite) whose bright coral hues add a punch of color to every plate, and blood oranges whose crimson reds add drama to every dish are overflowing at the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market, so it’s no surprise that we’ve been trying to incorporate them into our dishes as much as possible.

Could these blood oranges get anymore gorgeous? Photo Credit: Scott Clark

Delightfully peachy cara caras. Photo Credit: Scott Clark

We love our microplanes to zest the skins for strong punch, juices for light notes, and the combination of the two with a splash of Cointreau for a funky twist. Whether you’re making an arctic char with citrus sauce, a citrus polenta cake, or a winter recipe of your own that needs a little sprucing, venture to your neighborhood farmers’ market for the juiciest variations of citrus to add a fun and bright burst of flavor!

A Night at the Broad Stage…

Taste of Pace has been full force at The Broad Stage! After a brief hiatus for the holidays, the Broad Stage and Taste of Pace are back in action for their most recent show, “Freud’s Last Session”. Taste of Pace was working hard behind the scenes for the amazing guest list of talented stage actors. The show stars award winning actor Judd Hirsch from the popular show “Taxi”, and primetime TV and Broadway actor Tom Cavanagh, and their guest list included big names like Hal Holbrook, Eric McCormack, and David Krumholtz, so we had some impressive mouths to feed. Not to mention food gurus Laurie David and Amelia Saltzman…

Judd Hirsch and Tom Cavanagh, photo credit: Ben Gibbs

Eric McCormack– very exciting, Photo Credit: Ben Gibbs

From left to right, Dale, the Artistic Director for the Broad, Laurie David, Amelia Saltzman, and Pace, photo credit: Ben Gibbs

Ain’t no thang for this team though! We did both the pre and post party, and served up gorgeous mouth-watering bites from our seasonal menu. For the pre-party, beet leek risotto cakes with ricotta salata and mint, olive grilled cheese with white cheddar and parsley, beet and mozzarella skewers drizzled in truffle oil, and chicken liver mousse on pan de mie with a port reduction were all passed.

beet leek risotto cakes with ricotta salata and mint, photo credit: Ben Gibbs

olive grilled cheese with white cheddar and parsley, photo credit: Ben Gibbs

beet and mozzarella skewers drizzled in truffle oil, photo credit: Ben Gibbs

chicken liver mousse on pan de mie with a port reduction, photo credit: Ben Gibbs

For the post party, we did a custom anti-pasti platter with marinated cheese, olives, roasted cauliflower, an assortment of flat breads, coupled with, miso sapporo short rib, pickled ginger, micro shiso open faced baguettes, miniature salads with butter lettuce, roasted grape, asian greens, shaved radish, and pistachio, and lastly crostini with white bean rosemary spread, extra virgin olive oil, radicchio, and balsamico.

miso sapporo short rib, pickled ginger, micro shiso open faced baguettes, photo credit: Ben Gibbs

crostini with white bean rosemary spread, extra virgin olive oil, radicchio, and balsamico, photo credit: Ben Gibbs

Finally, for the piece de resistance, we incorporated the most beautiful Viennese desserts. Mini apple streusels, raspberry linzer cookies, and chocolate truffles… oh my! Let’s all just be grateful I was working the event as opposed to being in attendance– I would have been “that girl” just chillin’ by the dessert display.

Absolutely gorgeous! Photo credit: Ben Gibbs

Decor was inspired by the production, utilizing deep carmine florals to accent our academia props.

We loved these florals! photo credit: Ben Gibbs

All in all, it was another fabulous event to add to our repertoire, as well as the Broad’s. We are so excited about this partnership with the Broad Stage and all the fabulous culture events and amazing people it has brought our way!

Just Beet it

The theme for this delicious cocktail recipe was originally planned to be the perfect New Years Eve cocktail… and while it still is, I am going to shift gears after having spent a solid five days at home with the family, I’m going just going to call it “The Survival Drink”.

It’s a survival drink for a number of reasons. First, just dealing with family. God knows I love ‘em, but dear lordy does it bring out the best and the worst in people and make you want a stiff drink (my suggestion, start with straight bourbon on the rocks to take the edge off– I just discovered an amazing brand recommended to me by Sam over at Santa Monica Liquor called Lexington.)

Second, I can’t remember the last meal I had that didn’t have some variation of saturated fat in it. Even our veggies have butter in them. My body is just craving any kind of goodness, both veggies and copious amounts of alcohol. Enter this wonderful concoction with all of the above.

Taste of Pace recently teamed up with Weiser Family Farms to throw a fabulous event at Local 1205 on Abbot Kinney to showcase both Taste of Pace’s seasonal fare, and all of Alex’s from Weiser Farms’ produce. They are truly the best!!!

weiser family farms, produce, drink, taste of pace, kristina grappo

Pace Webb and Alex Weiser of Weiser Farms Photo Credit: Scott Clark

It was definitely an event to remember, and we had a better turn out than we could have even imagined. Lines around the corner before the event even started!!! Pretty swell night in our book.

Packed house!! Photo Credit: Scott Clark

Among the amazing bites we served up, Jonathon Navasartian, bartender extraordinaire from Church and State, whipped up some truly incredible cocktails using Alex’s produce.

While the original recipes belong to Jon, we loved the idea of using fresh, organic, and wholesome juices while gettin’ your drink on. One of our favorites was one Jonathon made with fresh beet juices, so here is a little variation, while no comparison, to Jon’s amazing beet cocktail:

Beet Drink is front and center. Photo Credit: Scott Clark

1 bottle Death’s Door Vodka
17 ounces fresh beet juice
9 ounces fresh lemon juice
9 ounces honey syrup (3 parts honey/ 1 part water)
12 dashes Aromatic bitters
9 pinches salt (add more to taste)
24 ounces water, cold
Thyme springs (garnish)
Thinly sliced golden beets (garnish)

Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl. Stir to combine. This makes about a punch bowl full, which can vary in servings, depending how rough family time has been. It should make between 12-20 servings, again, depending on stress levels and glass sizes. Or it could just be a drink for one… we’re not judging here.

Enjoy! We hope this brings you health and relaxation in 2013!

Taste of Pace is the new Broad Stage Concessionaire

Taste of Pace has just been named the official concessionaire for The Broad Stage, and we are beyond excited. Last night was our first performance, and it went fabulously! Everything on our menu has been hand crafted either in-house or by one of our favorite local vendors, using the finest ingredients. We wanted to convey two messages with the new concessions; quality and style. Basically, we are not messing around with this menu. Stop by before the show for dinner and join us during intermission for bites and drinks. We can’t wait to see you there!

sandwiches

miso sapporo braised short rib,
pickled ginger, micro shiso, baguette

fried chicken, napa slaw,
sriracha mayo, brioche bun

pesto, seasonal vegetables, ciabatta

salads

asian greens, roasted grape, radish, goat cheese,
white balsamic vinaigrette

seasonal roasted vegetables with lemon aioli

sides

farmers’ market crudites with creamy herb dip

cheese plate
st. andre triple cream brie, humboldt fog, st. nectaire,
spiced almonds, date paste, crostini

desserts

cookie sandwiches

action bars

best-ever chocolate chip cookies

candy

chocolates

mints

Click here to see a full schedule. We look forward to seeing you there!

You needa granita…

Downtown LA has not been sensitive to those of us that are delicate in the heat… and we don’t so much appreciate it. Luckily, this week has cooled down a bit, but come on, cloudy and 97 degrees? I say absolutely not.

Don’t worry, good ol’ TOP is here to the rescue once again! A couple weeks ago the whole gang hopped in my Jeep and drove all the way to Tehachapi. Where is that you might ask? We have no f****** clue either. The boonies– that’s where. What a wonderful town it is though. The Taste of Pace team went to visit Weiser Family Farms– home of some of our favorite produce. Alex, one of the owners, gave us the VIP treatment with a guided tour of the farm, showing us where our beets, potatoes, carrots, and other varieties of produce come from. Among these varieties were melons. So many melons. I hesitate even calling them melons, because they are just so much more. They are candy. Crack. What I want to eat every day of my life.

taste of pace, pace webb, women of taste, bravo

pace webb, grappo, kristina, taste of pace, weiser family farms

Alex opened up three different varieties of melons for us right on the field. After eating them, and having their juices dripping down our faces and hands while all six of us were going “mmm… mmmm…. mmmm…”, I knew that I had to do something with these sweet succulent treats for a supper club.

melons, weiser, taste of pace, pace webb, bravo, women of taste

Well, it’s about that time again, and we have been cooking up all kinds of things in preparation for this month’s supper club on July 29th. I really wanted the dessert to be unique and for lack of a better word, bangin’. Weiser melons immediately came to mind. For those of you that know me, you’ll know baking is not my strong suit, but luckily it’s summer, it’s hot, and it’s bikini season, so no one wants baked goods anyways.

Enter: granitas. Simple, light, cold, and delicious. They are incredibly versatile too, and if I may say again, simple. It’s kind of like a refined snow cone. Granitas originate from Sicily, where the Italians make them with the coarser texture that I prefer. The texture varies from city to city throughout Italy– on the west it is more rough and chunky, whereas on the east they make it so smooth it almost has the same consistency as sorbet (they do this by using a gelato machine). When I lived in Italy, my favorite spot in the summer time was Tazza D’Oro, a fantastic little coffee shop that had coffee granita. Nothing cures Roman summers with no A/C quite like a coffee granita… On Sunday we’ll be serving up a trio of Weiser melon granitas– one combined with pink peppercorns, another with mint, and the last with basil all accompanied by a raspberry coulis and shortbread burst. They have been tested and approved by all members of TOP.

Cantaloupe and Pink Peppercorn Granita

2 Cups of Cantaloupe
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp of pink peppercorns
1/4 water

Freeze and then shave. Yea, it’s that easy.

Unfortunately the supper club is already sold out, but you know there is always more to come at Taste of Pace!

Acai Cocktail: Bring it on 2012

2011 has certainly been an amazing year for Taste of Pace. From catering an event for 500 people for the owners of the Hyatt Hotel, to the intimate cocktail party we did for the new ‘Twilight’ movie “Breaking Dawn”, from Yahoo! to KinEats, we are movin’ on up! We have so much to be thankful for, and so much to look forward to even bigger and better things in 2012!

Tonight is certainly a time to celebrate. And we plan to bring in the New Year right! Our intimate cocktail party for “Breaking Dawn” was the inspiration for our fabulous Acai Cocktail that was featured on the homepage of KinEats last week. It has a beautiful, rich purple color, and since the Acai berry is a super food, the more you drink, the more antioxidants you get! …Right?

Our original recipe is a mix of Acai Juice, Lime Juice, and Champagne. However, given ALL we have to celebrate this year, we suggest adding something a bit harder for this holiday. We suggest adding some VeeV Acai Spirit (can be found at BevMo) , or replacing Champagne with vodka and have it on the rocks– depending on how much celebrating you want to be doing.

Thank you to everyone that has made this year so incredible for us, and make it possible for us to be around for 2012! Bring it on! Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and safe 2012!

Honey Thyme Lace Cookies

With less than one week left until Christmas, Taste of Pace now feels like we should have that song “Holiday Flight” from Home Alone in the background at all times. Between the parties, cooking classes, and camera work, it’s been all hands on deck! We’re sure everyone is starting to feel that way right now. ‘Tis the Season, right?!

Well speaking of ‘Tis the Season, we have yet another video out from our Yahoo! Tis the Season web series we’ve been shooting for the past month. As much as we love the tradition of spending entire days baking Christmas cookies, let’s be honest, most of us just don’t have the time for such shenanigans! Besides, I’m pretty sure even Santa has Type II Diabetes by now… In this episode we tell you how to make quick and easy dessert recipes that will have your guests coming back for seconds and thirds!

Our Christmas Cookie of the Year is awarded to our “Honey Thyme Lace Cookies”. A little secret? We like to sprinkle them with a little freshly cracked black pepper and dust with sugar to look like freshly frosted snow flakes. These cookies are so delicate and elegant, yet so unbelievably delicious, they will be a favorite among friends and family of all ages! We haven’t even mentioned the best part yet. Not ONLY are they super quick to make, but they don’t have a traditional “cookie dough”, making the clean-up super easy (which might or might not be how I choose recipes when cooking in my free time).

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbps unsalted butter

2 tbps brown sugar

2 tbps honey

2 tsp chopped thyme (fresh)

2 tsp orange zest

pinch of salt

couple twists of black pepper

one tsp vanilla

2 tbps flour

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, put aside.

Melt butter, brown sugar and honey in a small pot until bubbling. Turn off heat.

Add thyme, orange zest, salt, and vanilla; stir. Whisk in flour. Spoon the batter onto the baking sheet into nickel-sized circles. Cookies should be three inches apart from each other on the baking sheet. Add one twist of black pepper on top of each cookie.

Bake in oven at 375 degrees for five to six minutes.

Optional: Add colored sugar or granulated sugar before cookies cool.

Let cookies cool before removing from parchment.