House of Bread Berry Bars - from Los Angeles Times SOS Column

House of Bread Berry Bars

As I've mentioned before, I love the Los Angeles Times Food Section's SOS column. Readers write in requesting a recipe from their favorite restaurant, cafe, store or school cafeteria, and the cool people from the LA Times Food Section get the recipe and adapt it for the home kitchen. Win!

This Berry Bar is from the House of Bread in San Luis Obispo. I've never been to the place, but will put it on my long list of places to visit.

Recently, Rene Lynch of the LA Times wrote an article in Daily Dish: 8 blueberry recipes bursting with true blue sweetness. This recipe immediately caught my eye and I had to make it!

It's super duper easy! Mix a butter-based batter together, spread 3/4 in a pan, spread a jar of blueberry jam (or other berry jam) on top and then scoop the rest of the batter on top. How easy is that?!

The recipe calls for a 11 x 7 pan, but I don't have one. I used a 9 x 13 pan and I thought it turned out fine. The cake is light and soft...it's a very nice breakfast treat or afternoon tea cake. And it's super easy to pull together with a lovely presentation.

Recipe:
From the Los Angeles Times SOS Column - House of Bread Berry Bars
Adapted from House of Bread in San Luis Obispo.

3 cups (12.75 ounces) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 ounces berry jam (I used Trader Joe's Blueberry Jam)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line with parchment paper or grease an 11 x 7 inch baking pan. (I didn't have a 11 x 7 pan, and used a 9 x 13 pan. Don't use a smaller pan like a 9 x 9 pan because the cake will be too tall and cook unevenly...just believe me from my first attempt).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer with paddle, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until combined, but don't overmix. You can finish off the mixing with a spatula.
4. Spread three-fourths of the batter into the pan. Spoon the jam on top. Spoon the remaining batter over the jam in random dollops so the jam can still be seen.
5. Bake the bars until golden-brown on top and firm to the touch, about 40 minutes, rotating halfway through for even baking. (Mine took 43 minutes and I forgot to rotate the pan.)
6. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting...although I did sneak a couple pieces warm - still very good.

Looking for another blueberry recipe? Try this one that I also made from the Los Angeles Times - it's delicious! Lemon Blueberry Buckle

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800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria - Westwood, CA

800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria

Westwood, Los Angeles

Pizza in about a minute. And it's not frozen, gooey, or something you got in the dorms. It's really good!

Adam Fleischman, creator of the very popular Umami Burger, came up with this place. You should read Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jonathan Gold's review...by the way, he's a Bruin and will be at UCLA Alumni Day in May. The restaurant had the copy of the review taped to the window. It's a good review and I concur.

Left: I ordered the Pizza Marinara (tomato, garlic, oregano, olive oil - no cheese) $5.15 plus three toppings at $1 each - eggplant, mushrooms, and arugula that is placed on after the pizza is cooked. A big pizza for only $8!

Right: My friend Barbara got the Pizza Margherita (tomato, mozzarella, parm, olive oil and basil) $6.45 plus three toppings at $1 each - mushrooms, sausage, and broccolini that is charred in the wood burning oven then placed on top.

The set up is much like Chipotle...place your order and watch it being made by the staff. The oven is super hot (hum, wonder how they came up with the name ;) and it bakes the pizza in a minute. Sweet. They have a boatload of toppings including pine nuts, caramelized onions, pesto, feta, rosemary ham, bacon, and salame.

I found the pizza really delicious! Barbara enjoyed hers too...we both ate our entire pizza. There are many other topping combos I want to come back and try. The crust is thin and a bit chewy. If you want it more crispy, you can let them know (they have a little sign about it as you enter).

Next time, I'm going to get a salad ($4 - $5) and maybe some LA Creamery Gelato ($2.50). It was a good deal and the line does move pretty fast (especially when the pizza only takes 1 minute to cook!) Barbara and I were in Westwood right after the place opened and we skipped it after seeing the line...however, knowing what I know now, I would totally wait in the line. They also have this crazy awesome soda machine. You can get your Coca Cola with added flavors like Lime and Raspberry. And, they have Mello Yello!

If you are UCLA Bruin, the restaurant is in the former La Salsa and Togo's location. There is a Peet's Coffee next door now, and it's across the street from the Hammer Museum. You can park in the lot on Broxton for 2 hours free (before 6 pm).

After pizza, we went to the new Herb Ritts: L. A. Style exhibition at The Getty Museum. It was a beautiful day in Los Angeles. Postcard pretty and warm. Herb Ritts was such a talented photographer and artist...someone we lost too early to AIDS. When I worked at Project Angel Food, Herb Ritts was gracious enough to create an event photo for our annual fundraiser, Angel Art. I wasn't lucky enough to meet him, but have admired his work for years. If you are in Los Angeles, please go see the captivating works of Herb Ritts at the Getty - now through August 2012. 

800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria

10889 Lindbrook Dr

Los Angeles, CA 90024

More stuff you might want to see and read:

800 Degrees: website with menu

Jonathan Gold's review in the Los Angeles Times

Yelp folks arguing about stuff

LA Weekly sneak peak

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Food Librarian's 15 minutes! Los Angeles Times Food Section Photo

As usual, I woke up this morning and grabbed the paper. It's Thursday so it's Los Angeles Times Food Section day!

And guess what's in it? A great piece on Los Angeles photographer, food blogger and author Matt Armendariz of MattBites. Love his blog and just got his book, On A Stick.

And...my little photo! The Los Angeles Times asks readers to submit photos when they make something from LA Times Test Kitchen. I recently made the yummy Lemon Blueberry Buckle.

Thanks for featuring my photo Los Angeles Times and Rene Lynch!!! You should make the recipe too. Here is the original post with recipe!

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Lemon Blueberry Buckle - Los Angeles Times Food Section

Lemon Blueberry Buckle

Love the Los Angeles Times Food Section! Always yummy recipes, stories, reviews, spotlights on Southern Cal's farmers market and local produce.

This Lemon blueberry buckle appeared in the Los Angeles Times Food Section in May 2009. It is adapted from "Rustic Fruit Desserts" by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson. This is a fruit cake, crumb topping and a lemon glaze on top. Oh yes, crumb topping with lemon glaze. Deliciousness.

The buckle is a simple cake with half the blueberries folded into the batter and the rest sprinkled on top. A crumb mixture tops the batter and then it's baked for 45-50 minutes.

After the cake is removed from the oven, a warm glaze of sugar and lemon juice is poured over the cake. I took the syrup a bit too far and it caramelized a bit so it was a little dark, but it didn't matter.

I brought this into the library and my co-worker did one of those smiling side-to-side sway thank yous. "Oh, it has everything I like. [sway hip to one side] Fruit and that crumbly topping! [sway hip to other side]." I wish I had video. So, make this cake and you'll get people dancing around the office.

Recipe:
Lemon blueberry buckle
Los Angeles Times, Originally published May 27, 2009
Adapted from "Rustic Fruit Desserts" by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson

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Sumo Citrus - Dekopon has finally arrived

The Sumo Citrus. It's long trek to California took years. And it was worth it.

My Thursday morning routine: Get home from a night of clubbing...sorry, I'm just laughing at that one. Okay, my exciting routine is to grab the Los Angeles Times from the driveway and reach for the Food Section. And guess what? As I discovered when buying this lovely piece of citrus, I'm certainly not the only one. Let me take a step back and first tell you a story that includes smuggling, cults, secrets and not drugs...but citrus.

The front page of the LA Times Food Section (Feb 17, 2011) had a beautiful photo of an enormous tangelo-looking citrus and a fantastic story. The Dekopon, developed in the 1970's in Japan, has finally made it to California.

In the first paragraph, author David Karp says, "I've tasted more than 1,000 varieties of citrus, and to me the Dekopon is the most delicious."  

You had me at citrus.

You really have to read the article. David has been searching and lusting after this citrus for 12 years. The development includes smuggling, budwoods cleansed of disease by something called the Citrus Clonal Protection Program, more smuggling and a "farming cult". Seriously, does it get any better that that?!

So, I had to get this citrus. I love, love California citrus. My dad's Meyer Lemon. The lovely, lovely Cara Cara orange. Blood orange drinks. Satsuma tangerines. Grapefruit for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I can eat citrus all day.

The Los Angeles Times lists sellers, including several Japanese markets. After taking my dad to the DMV on Friday to get an ID (in case he gets carded ;), we stopped at a Nijiya Market. As you walk through the doors, there is a big old display of the Sumo/Dekopon! They have the LA Times article posted too! $1.69 EACH or $15.99 a box! Savor these babies. They had samples and we met a woman who read the article and came over to find them too! As my dad and I were leaving with our three Sumos, we saw a man walk out carrying two boxes of them. (Who said the newspaper's dead?!)

Called the Dekopon in Japan, the California growers are marketing them as Sumo Citrus (with the tagline: enormously good to eat!) The article says they rejected the name Tanzilla. I love that name!

And the taste? DELICIOUS. Very sweet. Firm and yet delicate. The membrane is really thin and doesn't get in the way. They are seedless and easy to peel too. I haven't had 1,000 varieties of citrus like David Karp, but darn, these are delicious. And I'm sure they will get better after their rookie season. Can't wait til next year's crop.

Read the article and find sellers here:
LA Times Food Section article (Feb 17, 2011)
Sumo Citrus (Grower's website)
Hear David Karp on my favorite show KCRW's Good Food where he talks about the Dekopon/Sumo.

P.S. Speaking of my love of citrus, next week justjenn and I are having Lemon Week on our blogs! :) Stop on by!

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LA Times Food Section Gals - Sat, April 10th at LAPL

Los Angeles Foodies!

The best thing about waking up isn't the coffee in your cup. On Thursdays, it is running to the end of the driveway for your Los Angeles Times Food Section!!

And while I enjoy reading it online the night before, I'm old school and love reading the newsprint while eating breakfast on Thursday. If you are like me and a devoted reader for years...then this Saturday will be awesome! I remember when the LA Times Food section published their first color photo!

The Culinary Historians of Southern California are presenting a great panel of speakers from the heyday of the LA Times Food section this Saturday. Come out to LAPL's Central Library (with a massive food and cookbook collection) to enjoy this talk!

Betsy Balsley, Donna Deane, Rose Dosti and Barbara Hansen:
The L.A. Times Food Section Gals
speaking on
The Heyday of the Food Section at the Los Angeles Times

Saturday, April 10th, 10:30 am
Los Angeles Public Library Central Branch, Mark Taper Auditorium
630 W. 5th St. Los Angeles

Free and open to the public
Refreshments to follow at 11:30 am

With over 100 work years of combined experience, the team of Betsy Balsley, Donna Deane, Rose Dosti and Barbara Hansen produced the Los Angeles Times Food section in its heyday beginning in the late sixties, into the 1980's. During this era the food section had 40 to 50 pages every week, with popular columns such as Culinary SOS and Borderlines and dozens of original recipes. Recipes were prepared for publication in a magnificent test kitchen. The LA Times Food Gals will reminisce about this extraordinary era of food journalism, the resources they had to produce a great food section.

The Culinary Historians of Southern California (CHSC) is a not-for-profit organization that supports the culinary collections at the Los Angeles Public Library. For more information on the Culinary Historians of Southern California go to http://culinaryhistoriansofsoutherncalifornia.org

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