Early Morning Curry

RGB curry in the herb garden.

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RGB Wordless Wednesdays are intended to highlight our current RGB edibles. You can view all of our Wordless Wednesday edibles by clicking on the category of the same name.

 

Lunch-Hour Leftovers

We seem to be on a Vietnamese kick lately. After only eating two pieces of our grilled lemongrass ginger chicken from earlier in the week, we tucked the remaining four pieces away in the fridge for a second meal.

 

Enter: a French-Vietnamese Baguette. Usually made with a combination of rice and wheat flour, it’s light, airy and flaky, which makes it the perfect vessel for capturing some leftover meat.

 

Let me be clear. Today’s post is not-at-all intended to represent a true Vietnamese banh-mi; it’s just a poor man’s version that makes use of our leftovers. In fact, our sandwich also included leftover homemade mayonnaise from last week’s moules frites.

But it’s still delicious.

There’s a lot on the internet that’s been written about the Vietnamese banh mi. I don’t have anything intelligent to add, so I’ll just refer you to these peeps; they know what they’re taking about.

Andrea’s History on Banh Mi at Viet World Kitchen

More of Andrea’s Banh Mi comments at Viet World Kitchen

Todd and Diane’s version of Nail Shop  Eats # 4 at White on Rice Couple

Todd and Diane’s Inventory of Banh Mi Shops at Battle of the Banh Mi

Enjoy!

[K]

Have you tried a real banh mi?

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Click here to view a printable version of this recipe. 

Grilled Lemongrass Ginger Chicken Sandwich

~

~ Serves 2 ~

~

~ Ingredients ~

• 2 pieces leftover grilled lemongrass ginger chicken
• ½ Vietnamese-French baguette
• 2 tablespoon house mayonnaise
• Handful cilantro leaves

~

~ Preparation ~

Total Preparation Time: 15 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. Shred chicken.
3. Cut baguette in half; set one half aside for different use. Cut remaining piece in half again. Then slice open.
4. Spread bottom of each baguette with house mayonnaise; then stuff with chicken.
5. Heat in oven for 7-8 minutes; until baguette is golden and hot.
6. Stuff cilantro leaves in sandwich, then serve immediately.

Nutrition content per serving: 678 calories, 18g carbs, 64.5g protein, 36.5g fat, 1g fiber

Cost per serving: $1.38 – $1.62

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

 

P.S. For dessert, a garden-fresh strawberry. Large enough to split in half for the both of us to share. Ground to mouth in about 20 seconds flat.

 

 

 

 

 

World Cup Brunch

When it’s 11 AM on a Sunday and your loved one is 1) wearing yesterday’s shorts, 2) hasn’t budged from the couch and 3) declares today is “World Cup Day,” you make nice and fix him breakfast.

There was one minor issue: I was craving my runny morning egg, and Mr. RGBistro doesn’t do runny eggs.

The solution?

Make ‘em both. And since it’s World Cup time, might as well make it brunch, which obviously means it has to be faaaaaancy.

The eggs for the scramble came from the farmers’ market. What made them extra special were the fresh goat cheese (also from the market) and the garden-fresh chives, straight out of the backyard.

The blueberry peach salad was absolutely killer. Not only is the peach at it’s juicy sweet climax, but it’s dressed in a vinaigrette with a blood orange-infused olive oil from the Temecula Olive Oil company. We picked up this Citrus Reserve Late Harvest Olive Oil on a long date-weekend away awhile ago, and it has been a superstar in our kitchen ever since.  If you can’t get your hands on any, you might have to obtain a fresh blood orange and use both the zest and juice in the vinaigrette.

(Every other ingredient used was a leftover item from last night’s dinner.)

Happy Sunday, folks. Go team!

[K]

Any suggestions on how we could “better” this meal to make it brunch-worthy at The Bistro?

 

Mr. RGBistro’s Scrambled Eggs.

 

Ms. RGBistro’s Blueberry Peach Salad.

 

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

 Goat Cheese and Chive Scramble with Blueberry Peach Salad

~

~ Serves 2 ~

~

~ Ingredients ~

• ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon honey
• 1 ½ tablespoon blood-orange infused olive oil
• ½ cup arugula leaves, washed clean and spun dry
• 1 ripe peach
• ¼ cup blueberries
• I handful fresh chives (yield 1 tbsp. chopped)
• 4 slices French baguette, cut diagonally
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 large eggs
• 1 oz. fresh goat cheese
• Grind of salt and pepper, to taste

~

~ Preparation ~

Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes

1. Make vinaigrette: In a 1-quart glass bowl, combine balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard and honey. While vigorously whisking, drizzle in olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Swirl the dressing around the bowl so it coats up the sides of the glass bowl. Add arugula. Set whisk aside to use later.
2. Dice peach and add to bowl. Add blueberries. Toss salad with your bare hands (so you don’t bruise the peach), then divide in half and plate. Wash hands.
3. Chop chives, set aside about 1 tablespoon. Reserve the rest for another use.
4. In a small prep bowl, combine 4 eggs and whisk slightly (using the same whisk from the vinaigrette). Add ½ tablespoon chopped chives, and a grind of salt and pepper.
5. Set out a small working plate. Using a 9” non-stick skillet, melt over medium heat ½ tablespoon of butter. Toast the 4 baguette slices on one side until golden brown. Remove the toasts and set them on the small working plate. With a paper towel, wipe the plan clean and start over with another ½ tablespoon of butter to toast the second side. Once toasts are browned on second side, plate immediately.
6. Wipe pan clean again with another paper towel, then return to heat and add last tablespoon of butter. Once butter foams on the pan, add in whisked eggs and let sit until half-set. Add in half of the fresh goat cheese. With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, gently swirl the eggs until they’re almost set, then divide in half and plate immediately. To the individual plates, add remaining chopped chives and fresh goat cheese. Serve immediately.

Nutrition content per serving: 374 calories, 10g carbs, 14.5g protein, 30.5g fat, 1.5g fiber

Cost per serving: $1.95 – $2.94

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

 

Lemongrass Ginger Chicken

Grilled Lemongrass Ginger Chicken

 

I’m calling this a happy accident.

I screwed up breaking down my whole chicken so my drumstick kind of fell away from the bone. I still have no clue what happened… but I thought it might be a good idea to slide the meat down, clump it into a ball at the end, and marinate it anyway. Note for the Bistro: these chicken sticks might make a mean appetizer / small plate item.

Today’s recipe is a good one. I know because I’ve been eating it most of my life. It’s somewhat of a hand-me-down from my first-generation Vietnamese-American mother, and she knows her lemongrass and ginger!

It’s a beautiful combination of sweet, savory and scent. And it’s even better when you forget you had it marinating, so you don’t grill it until two days later.

RGB Commentary: Buy whole chicken. Then cut it up yourself… and use every piece of it. Not only is it more cost-effective, but it’s a good way to really get your hands on your food and understand where the pieces are coming from. Legs, thighs and wings can go in this recipe. Save the breasts for something else. The neck and back can and should be used for chicken stock. If you have a dog, give them the organs; its good for them. And if you have enough storage space, save the bones from this meal, too. They’ll also be good in chicken stock.

We only ate two pieces of chicken, because it was part of a larger dinner meal. Stay tuned to see what we do with the leftovers!

[K]

P.S. Summertime = more dinners during daylight hours. Woo-hoo!

 

  Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

 Grilled Lemongrass Ginger Chicken

~

~ Makes 6 pieces ~

~

~ Ingredients ~

• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 1 fresh square inch ginger
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 Serrano pepper
• 2 tablespoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 3 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 chicken wings
• 2 chicken thighs
• 2 chicken drumsticks

~

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Passive Time: 1 hour

Grilling Time: 30 minutes

1. Peel outer layers of lemongrass. Cut off top third of stalk, Cut off root end of stalk. Thinly slice stalk crosswise, then finely chop to mince.
2. Cut away outer peel of ginger, then mince. Peel garlic clove and mince. Cut Serrano pepper and mince. Discard seeds for more mild flavor.
3. In a small sauté pan, combine palm sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, canola oil and rice wine vinegar. Slowly heat and stir until palm sugar has dissolved. Then add in lemongrass, ginger, garlic and Serrano pepper. Bring up to simmer until lemongrass is fragrant; then turn off heat and let mixture cool.
4. Once mixture cools completely, pour into zip lock bag, add in chicken, zip up top (squeezing air out) and let marinate in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
5. Remove chicken from marinade and grill over low heat for approximately 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutrition content per piece: 309 calories, 4.5g carbs, 31g protein, 19.5g fat, 0g fiber

Cost per piece: $0.51 – $1.01

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

 

 

What’s your latest happy accident in the kitchen?

 

Misty Morning Cob

 

RGB yellow corn near the main vegetable garden.

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RGB Wordless Wednesdays are intended to highlight our current RGB edibles. You can view all of our Wordless Wednesday edibles by clicking on the category of the same name.

 

Church & State Bistro: Moules Marinière

Self-portrait in front of Church and State Bistro, Los Angeles.

  

1925 National Biscuit Company, with Church and State Bistro occupying the first floor.

   

Romance in Los Angeles?

To paint the picture: It’s early Wednesday evening. We’re in downtown Los Angeles, and we need to eventually get home. Instead of sitting in two hours + of stop-and-go rush-hour traffic on the I-5 freeway, we opt to wait it out by having a nice dinner in the Industrial District of L.A.

Dinner is inside the 1925 National Biscuit Company building (Nabisco). Specifically, we’re seated at a two-top along one of the four loading docks. We’re under piazza lights. Every table is seated. The kitchen is open to the floor (and open to the street). The dining room has three solid walls; the fourth is a series of panel windows. Outside the windows: a film crew. There’s a film crew filming a scene where some cute young couple have to flirt and make out on the stoops. Lights everywhere. Movement everywhere. Energy everywhere. And we watch the scene around us over two cocktails, a glass of wine, a bottle of wine, moules marinière, tarte flambée, salade de mesclun, et d’agneau. Then, because it’s “date nite,” we go all out with a cheese platter and two more drinks.

Then we went back to suburbia.

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Sunday Shout-Out: Church and State Bistro

Sometimes, when the atmosphere, food and ambiance are just-so, magic happens. On Wednesday, on our little two-top, we were inspired. We spent much of the evening fantasizing about our own future Bistro: what it might look like, what it might feel like and what it might be like.

Stay tuned for future announcements about the Bistro.

In the meantime, please take a look at the below links to get a better sense of where we were. Unfortunately, we don’t have any more pictures from this evening because I’m not gutsy enough to take pictures of my food when I’m dining out.

L.A. Weekly post from earlier this year.

Lots of photos from "My Last Bite’s" visit last year.

L.A. Times Restaurant Review.

The Architect behind the restaurant.

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Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, yes?

–

Dear Church and State Bistro,

We lost our socks sampling your moules marinière, so we had to ask you what the key to your version was. You said: French vermouth. You winked, then also said: believe it or not, there’s no cream in here; it’s just butter.

A-ha.

So this weekend, when we found a fresh supply of mussels from our farmers’ market, we bought a pound an entire pound. We also picked up a dozen cage-free eggs and a russet potato. Supplementing with parsley from the backyard, vegetable oil from the pantry and vermouth from the fridge, we set ourselves up to make an entire batch to accompany our viewing of the World Cup.

It was delicious.

Thanks for the inspiration,

Sincerely, Mr. and Mrs. RGBistro

[K]

P.S. The fine folks at Serious Eats wrote an article on the added value of French vermouth to steamed mussels. We can’t explain it any better, so please go there to see what they have to say.

 

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

 

Church and State Bistro

Moules Marinière • Pommes Frites • Aioli

~

~ Serves 2 ~

~

~ Ingredients ~

• ¼ cup house mayonnaise
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 lemon
• Handful fresh parsley (yield ½ teaspoon minced)
• 1 russet potato
• 1 pound mussels
• 1 shallot
• 1 medium garlic clove
• ¼ cup dry French vermouth
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 quart vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Grind of kosher salt

~

~ RGB Notes ~

• Buy mussels the day you use them. Pick them out yourself, if you can. Look for the smaller, tightly closed ones.
• Use French vermouth. Recommended: Noilly Prat.

~ Preparation ~

Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

1. Optional: Follow recipe for house mayonnaise and place in refrigerator to chill. If not making mayonnaise, skip ahead to step two (congratulations, you just saved 30 minutes).
2. Chop a small garlic clove. Using the flat side of a knife, scrape the garlic pieces together and place in small prep bowl. Cut a lemon and squeeze in about a ½ teaspoon of juice in with the garlic; set bowl aside. Rinse the parsley, snip leaves away from stem with a pair of scissors, then finely chop or mince enough leaves to have ½ teaspoon. Save stems for another use. Scrub russet potato clean. Set mandolin to small julienne setting and slice potato lengthwise to create thin strips.. Rinse potato strips in colander under running water, then let sit immersed in bowl of water. Rinse and scrub mussels under cold, running water. Slice a shallot in half lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. Using your thumb and first two fingers, grab as much of the pile of shallot slices as you can; set that amount aside. Save Instead of a mandolin, you may also cut the potato the old-fashioned way; with a chefs knife the rest of your shallot for another use. Thinly slice a medium clove of garlic crosswise. Add the garlic slices to the pile of shallots. Measure out ¼ cup of dry French vermouth. Set out a shallow bowl with about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt.
3. Make aioli: Add ¼ cup mayonnaise to bowl with minced garlic and lemon juice. Set in small ramekin or other serving vessel.
4. Prepare French fries: Preheat oven to 200˚F. Lay out baking sheet with parchment paper. Take potato slices out of water and set on towel to dry. Pour vegetable oil in large, deep pot. Using candy thermometer, bring oil up to 325˚F. In small batches, fry potatoes for about 3 minutes per batch. Let fries dry on plates lined with paper towel. Using thumb and two fingers, sprinkle a little bit of kosher salt onto the fries. Don’t plan to use all of the kosher salt. Test a fry, and salt to taste. Then sprinkle on some parsley. Transfer to baking sheet to keep warm in oven.
5. Prepare mussels: In another sauté pan, melt butter over low heat. Add shallots and garlic, cook for about 5 minutes until soft, but not browned. Add vermouth and bring up to medium heat. Add mussels, cover and let cook for 5 more minutes. Once mussels are open, remove with slotted spoon and place in serving dish. Taste liquid and salt to taste. Then pour liquid mixture over mussels.
6. Serve mussels immediately with bowl of French fries and aioli.

Nutrition content per serving: 598 calories, 25g carbs, 17g protein, 48g fat, 2g fiber

Cost per serving: $4.30 – $5.25

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

Have you developed a recipe based on something you’ve enjoyed in a restaurant?

 

Lavender Blossoms

RGB chive blossoms in the herb garden.

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RGB Wordless Wednesdays are intended to highlight our current RGB edibles. You can view all of our Wordless Wednesday edibles by clicking on the category of the same name.

 

Barefoot Contessa: Blueberry Streusel Muffins

 Blueberry Streusel Muffins

   

Dear Migraine, you’re on your fourth day. Would you please go away and leave me alone?

Ugh.

So last night, while Mr. RGBistro caught Mystic River on Netflix, (good flick), I caught up on a few books I had checked out from the Tustin Public Library. When we called it a night, I took The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook back to the room with me.

Mr. RGBistro laughed. “On Tuesday, you read Ad Hoc at Home in bed. On Wednesday, you slept with Bon Appétit under your pillow. On Thursday, you went to bed with Anthony Bourdain and on Friday, you woke up with him in your face. And now you’re taking Ina to bed? …but you refuse to read your book-club book?”

My response was something akin to “Shuddup; I’ve had a migraine and these people make me feel better.”

So last night, while Mr. RGBistro plowed through The Girl Who Played with Fire, I reacquainted myself with Ina.

–

Sunday Shout-Out: Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa

Ina has lived the kind of life I want to have: Quit the day job, buy a business, run a shop, re-design a home, make friends with Martha Stewart, and entertain like a champion. If I had a Top Ten list of people I’d like to meet, she’d be on it.

Screw it; I’m making a Top Ten list, and she’s on it.

If and when I ever meet Ina, I’d like to ask her where she got the gumption to quit her day job and buy a business. Because I think about that everyday.

–

So this morning, while everyone else in the house slept in (man, dog, cat # 1 and cat # 2), I got up early to battle the migraine. And since it was Sunday, I pulled out my Back to Basics cookbook from the shelf to make another batch Blueberry Streusel Muffins. According to my margin notes, I usually make five modifications: 1) half the batch, 2) include zest of one whole Meyer lemon from the backyard, 3) only use large-size egg, 4) add extra blueberries, so I can fill up 12 muffin liners, (I feel bad gypping the last two holes when Ina’s 1/2 recipe only makes 10 muffins), and 5) add a touch more kosher salt to the streusel topping.

Hopefully, there’ll be some leftovers so I can have them for breakfast everyday this week. Happy Sunday, everyone! [K]

RGBistro Notes: If you don’t have buttermilk, use regular milk and squeeze in a tablespoon of the lemon you used to zest with. Let the milk sit for a few minutes, then add to your wet ingredients.

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RGB Sunday Shout-Outs are intended to highlight the RGB community. We don’t yet have a link love or blogroll, but in the meantime, you can view all of our Sunday Shout-Outs by clicking on the category of the same name.

–

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe. 

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

~

~ makes 12 muffins ~

~

~ Ingredients ~

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cups granulated sugar
• 2¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 Meyer lemon
• 1 large egg
• 6 oz. fresh blueberries
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

~ Preparation ~

Total Preparation Time: 45 minutes

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Zest Meyer lemon; set zest aside and save lemon for another use.
3. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and blend with your hands. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, lemon zest, and eggs. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a fork, mixing just until blended. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Don’t over-mix! With a standard (2¼-inch) ice-cream scoop or large spoon. Scoop the batter into the prepared cups, filling them almost full.
4. For the topping, place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the butter is in very small pieces. Pour into a bowl and rub with your fingers until crumbly. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the streusel on top of each muffin. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Nutrition content per serving: 211 calories, 37g carbs, 3g protein, 6g fat, 0.5g fiber

Cost per serving: $0.27 – $ 0.44

Source: Barefoot Contessa – Back to Basic, Ina Garten, 2008. p. 244-245. Slightly modified above by the Rustic Garden Bistro.

 

Who’s your food icon? If you haven’t already met them, what would you ask them if you did?

 

Summertime Sage

RGB purple sage, amongst the RGB thyme blossoms.

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RGB Wordless Wednesdays are intended to highlight our current RGB edibles. You can view all of our Wordless Wednesday edibles by clicking on the category of the same name.

 

Happy Summer, Y’all!

RGB Caprese Salad

   

Can you believe it’s already summer?!?! Yikes!!!!

While most of you may be looking forward to the warm days and sunny skies, we’ve been dreading this moment. Absolutely dreading it…

Because, my dear friends, we live in Southern California.

Without.

Air conditioning.

To reiterate, we live… in Southern California… without… air conditioning. After last years’ scorchers, I’m amazed we’re still alive.

Mr. RGBistro and I keep talking about a “house remodel (that includes AC installation),” but he hasn’t given up his sailing habit, and I won’t kick my shoe habit. And evidently, as indicated to us by our contractors, we’re told these these things cost money. Harrumph.

So watch out for a lot of summer grill and/or cold food recipes, because we don’t plan to be in the kitchen much. In fact, until we build a new one, I’m justaboutthisclose to boycotting the kitchen altogether.

And in the meantime, please enjoy this sample of “cold food items” we’re serving up this summer. Make sure you find some really fresh burrata and really sweet tomatoes. White balsamic vinegar is good too if you can find it; it makes for prettier presentation.

Stay cool!

[K]

 

RGB basil leaves

 

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe. 

Burrata Caprese Salad

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~ Serves 2 ~

~

~ Ingredients ~

• 1 medium red heirloom tomato
• 1 medium orange heirloom tomato
• 2 oz. burrata cheese, center-cut
• 1 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
• Optional: splash of lemon juice
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• Grind of sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

~ Preparation ~

Total Preparation Time: 15 minutes

1. Prepare salad: Slice tomatoes crosswise to thickness of 1/3”. Place 3-4 slices on each of two plates. (Save the rest of the tomatoes for another use.)
2. Slice burrata cheese in half crosswise; then use one of the halves to cut away a 1 oz. portion of burrata; place on top of plate of tomatoes. Repeat for second plate.
3. Make vinaigrette: Combine in a small glass bowl: white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice (if using), salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil; salt and pepper to taste.
4. With a tablespoon, pour2 tbsp. of vinaigrette over each plate of tomatoes. Garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately.

Nutrition content per serving: 302 calories, 7g carbs, 7g protein, 28g fat, 2g fiber

Cost per serving: $2.14 – $3.14

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

How do you plan to stay cool this summer?