The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry

The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry
Love, Laughter And Tears In Paris At The World's Most Famous Cooking School
by Kathleen Flinn

A lovely jaunt with Flinn through her culinary training at the renown Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

Flinn's characters are charming and carved from everyday life, like meeting new friends or revisiting old. Flipping through the pages I relived a bit of my culinary training. Techniques that I have put on the back burner, like boning an entire chicken without removing the skin, turning veggies and time involved sauces.

The final exams brought back butterflies. Temperamental chefs fortunately caused laughter instead of tears and "les femmes du Cordon Bleu" flooded in memories of all of my own culinary compatriots.

A delightful read akin to sipping a glass of champagne. Highly recommended for anyone that has ever dreamed of leaving their current job in pursuit of a passion or simply for those who love to cook and enjoy the intricacies of a delicious meal.

Sustainable Burgers

Well as some of you know I'm officially INTO my thirties now.
Travis and I celebrated my birthday with a burger. You must know that the only way I'm going to eat a burger is if the cow was raised humanely, free of antibiotics and growth hormones and preferably grass fed.

I've had my eye on Akasha Richmond's restaurant Akasha in Culver City since it's opening this past February. So it was decided, this was the place to celebrate.

Akasha has dotted her i's and crossed all t's when it comes to sustainability. She not only supports local farmers, family owned ranches, "Clean Fish" and bio-dynamic boutique wineries. Her staff is decked out in both recycled and natural fibers and her customers sit cushy on organic leather seats.

Once Upon A Craving.....

Once a day I crave Dark Chocolate.
Once every few days I crave Ice Cream, Chocolate of course.
Once a week I crave Salmon.
Once a month I crave Pizza Margherita.
Once every 3-6 months I'd say I get a hankering for red meat.


When I was younger, I thought for sure I could easily one day become a vegetarian. Then of course I went to Culinary school, a place where vegetarians are transformed into meat eaters or they begin to bend their rules to entertain the idea of poultry and fish.
It was there at the once quaint CCA that I began my long love affair with the delicious wonders of Pork Belly Fat......
So then I would tell people, if it weren't for bacon & lamb chops then I could easily be a vegetarian. But now I see there is just no way! I love fish and I know that some pesco vegetarians eat fish, but I also LOVE a bit of red meat....meatballs, pasta bolognese and grilled steaks.

So this is my tribute to those now and again red meat eaters. If you are going to eat it then it's worth making something scrumptious out of it!

Bananas & Chocolate....Chocolate & Bananas

I grew up on Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. While other kids had slices of plain banana bread sometimes flecked with nuts, mine was studded with gooey pockets of melting chocolate and sweet tart bits of maraschino cherries.

The bananas in my kitchen are developing brown spots, this is Nature's reminder to get to baking. So I began thumbing through some of my cookbooks and landed upon Dorie Greenspan's Cocoa-Nana Bread from Baking From My Home to Yours.....WARNING...the batter is terribly tempting, luscious notes of dark chocolate mingle with sweet hints of banana....and better yet the scent perfumes the entire house!

Koo Koo for Coconuts

I've realized as of late that I'm a bit Koo Koo for Coconuts! So of course, I thought I should share my craze of this lovely fruity nut or rather nutty fruit.

I've recently stumbled upon a heavenly coconut ice-cream created by Luna & Larry of Coconut Bliss. Their Dark Chocolate cozies up well with coconut milk and coconut water.

It's perfect for T. although he doesn't really like coconuts (which I've never really understood, because he LOVES Thai Green Curry, which sings of Coconut milk). Anyhow it's great for everyone that has a dairy and soy intolerance.

I love it simply because it's made of coconut.

Coconut has all sorts of health benefits. It's high in Antioxidants, Lauric & Caprylic Acid & Manganese. It's also a good source of Essential Amino Acids and Copper. Of course there's no cholesterol (so a superb substitute for butter..although I do love butter!)

Blushing Shrimp

This recipe for Coconut Poached Shrimp is so versatile. Dunk in sauces. Roll with herbs in rice paper. Slather with Thai green curry. Toss with greens. Spoon with broth for soup. Swirl with noodles.

1 liter coconut water, I prefer O.N.E. 2 t sea salt
4 peppercorns
2 shallots, quartered
1 large green onion, green top only
1" nub of ginger, sliced
1 lemongrass stalk, cut in half and smashed
1 lime, 1/2 juiced and 1/2 sliced into rounds
1 handful fresh cilantro sprigs
1 & 1/2 lbs medium shrimp, unpeeled

Fill a large bowl with ice water. Place a smaller bowl inside of the ice bowl. Set aside.

Fill a large pot with the coconut water, salt, peppercorns, shallots, green onion, ginger, lemongrass, lime juice and slices, and cilantro sprigs. To infuse the coconut water, bring this mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and add shrimp. Simmer, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes, once the shrimp blush pink and the tails begin to curl.

Remove the shrimp from the poaching liquid using a slotted spoon or drain using a colander. Place shrimp inside of the smaller bowl set over ice water to chill. Once cooled completely, peel and eat or use as an ingredient. My favorite use is for Spring Rolls!

August Birthdays