My Favorite Sparkling Wines- Chandon

The New Year Holiday is vastly approaching and I am certain there will be Sparkling Wine and Champagne at the party. I know most of it is dry and bitter and often times gives a slamming head ache.
However, Chandon is one of my favorite brands and I am starting to see it in stores now. I only used to see it at the winery in Napa but now I am seeing it in the Grocery Store alcohol refrigerator.
The good thing is that its affordable and its tasty, light and crisp.
When you visit their winery they always pair it with Oysters on the half Shell. The winery also has good nightly entertainment.
So if you're ever in Napa, check them out!

Well ladies and gentlemen....

Happy New Year from Jasmine's Kitchen!!!

Merry Christmas!

Hope you all enjoyed Christmas! It was very relaxing to me. It was the first Christmas in years that I took it easy.
I began a new tradition in my household. Having a holiday brunch instead of a dinner. I found it to be less intense than having to make a full course dinner.
However, I did decide to make a Ham and have added one more ingredient to my "Holiday Ham". I added canned peaches which actually sealed the deal. I also made collard greens, potato salad, rolls and cranberry sauce. My brandy infused wine of choice was "Angelica" by V. Sattui. I didn't go all out this year as I usually would but realized that simplicity for the holidays is more joyous!
I watched football and got in a 3 hour nap.
Well I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas as much as I did.

Goat Cheese and Chive Risotto

I made this for Dinner tonight and it was delicious!!!! Enjoy and hope you love the picture.

Ingredients:
2 cups Arborio Rice
2 Shallots minced
4 garlic cloves minced
1 carton Wolfgang Pucks Chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons goat cheese
2 tablespoons fresh chives
1/2 cup Parmesan pecorino cheese
salt to taste

Learn how to make this recipe. Email: jasmineskitchen@gmail.com

La Louisianne in Los Angeles

I apologize that I have no photos for this post YET. My battery died and wasn't able to catch one good photo.
La Louisianne is a Creole Soul Food Restaurant located on the boarder of Culver City and Ladera Heights in Los Angeles.
If you are into old school music such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and The Gap Band or Jazz you are in for a treat. The restaurant has a live band everyday of the week.
I have been visiting this restaurant since I was 15 years old. Since my recent visit I noticed the food is much better and they have added new items to the menu.
On Mondays (during Monday Night Football) you can get red beans and rice and fried chicken for $2.00. I plan to be there before the season ends :)I have missed it every year and I am determined to make it this year.

What to order:
Fried Chicken
Shrimp Etoufee
Fried Oysters
Fried Pork Chops
and
Gumbo

Truffle Tarts by my favorite Tyler Florence

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fine chocolate wafer crumbs (from Oreo cookies or chocolate wafers)
6 tablespoons melted butter
1 recipe Dark Chocolate Truffles, recipe follows, whipped but not shaped into balls
6 fresh raspberries, plus extra for serving
Directions
Use a fork to mix together the chocolate wafer crumbs and butter. Spray the cups of a 6-muffin tin with a vegetable spray. Line the cups with strips of parchment or waxed paper, cut so that they are as wide as the diameter of each cup and long enough to overhang the sides (you'll need this overhang to remove the tarts). Use the bottom of a small glass to press the crumbs over the bottom and sides of the muffin cups, building the sides up to only about 1 1/2 inches. Place a raspberry in the center of each crust and with a pastry bag or small plastic bag with the corner snipped off, fill the tarts with the truffle mixture. Smooth the tops and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

Dark Chocolate Truffles:
1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces good-quality (70 percent) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup cocoa powder, for dusting


In a saucepan, bring the cream just to a simmer over low heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate in a bowl and let stand about 10 minutes to melt the chocolate. Add the vanilla and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Then beat the chocolate at medium speed until it gets thick and light colored. Spread over the bottom of a baking dish and smooth the top. Refrigerate about 2 hours, until firm.


Pour the cocoa powder onto a deep plate or shallow bowl. Use a melon baller or small ice cream scoop to scoop out balls of chocolate; place them on the plate with the cocoa powder and roll between 2 forks to completely coat with the cocoa powder. Then use the forks to carefully transfer them to a parchment or waxed lined baking sheet.


Yield: 15 to 20 candies, depending on size

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 3 hours

Ease of preparation: Intermediate

Splurge on Luxury Sushi at "Asanebo" in Studio City

I was craving Sushi and since I was in the Valley I decided to google Sushi in Studio City. Asanebo was the first name that appeared. The first thing I did was scroll down to see how many stars the restuarant had.
I read one Yelp review and someone said it was "Rilly Rilly good". For someone to deliberately misspell really, I thought to myself, It must be REALLY REALLY GOOD!
Let me say this first... Asanebo has two Michelin awards
and second... be prepapred to pay $$$$ (Top dolla, baht, Euro, dinero, yen)
As I have mentioned twice on previous blogs that Maru is my favorite sushi in all of California. Well Asanebo has pretty much taken over the reigns.
I don't know about how most people judge their sushi or sushi chefs but I am very critical before I casually eat at a sushi restaurant.
First, the sushi chef has to be Japanese. Second, if I am sitting at the sushi bar and if the sashimi is sloppy or too thick, I won't order from the bar. There is nothing more annoying than chewing a large portion of raw fish. The sashimi must be delicate and the sushi chef must take pride in their food.
Okay... back to my review ( I went on a rant there for a while :0) )

I called to make a reservation and they were completely booked but the sushi bar was open. When I sat down, I sat next to a guy that frequents the restaurant every Friday. He was able to make a few suggestions before paying his bill. He said everything is good and he spends 1/3 of his paycheck here at the restaurant. lol!
Before leaving he gave me a good tip, most of the dishes can be half orders which can save you a lot of money if you plan to try everything on the menu. In my case I can't help it.
If I am visiting a restaurant for the first time I do like to taste a lot of things so I know what to order for my next visit.
Unfortunately everything I tried (which was a lot) was exquisite. When I do return for my second visit I won't know what to settle for.
Asanebo has a lobster and black truffle sushi pairing that is so delicious that you plainly want to luxuriate in it.
I ordered a spinach salad with portabello mushrooms and I really didn't think much of it at first until I tasted the vinaigrette. (Lets just say I learned a little secret to my new dressings). I will no longer use olive oil.
I also tried the Sea bass with a creamy pink peppercorn sauce. I am now a new fan of Pink peppercorn. It explicitly heightens the flavors of any dish. It's almost like a light mint note.
They have also united kumoto oysters with caviar. How could that not be good?

I'm pretty sure by now you realize that this isn't your average sushi restaurant with Philadelphia Rolls, California Rolls or Spider Rolls.
The sushi at Asanebo is lavish, deluxe and rightfully splendid!

5 stars and two thumbs up!

Top Chef All Stars

I'm so excited about the season. Tonight I was able to watch tonights episode and noticed everyone bragged about who had the best season. Hands down Season 6 was the best. I was a little disappointed with season 7 after seeing all of the talent on season 6.
I am rooting for Tiffany, Carla and of course Fabio. Fabio is hilarious. He always makes me laugh because of his brutal honesty. However, the girls went really far and doubted themselves in the end. I hope they can prove their natural skills.
I can't wait to see what this season brings. (Hope they beat Jamie... didn't care for her attitude)
One of my biggest dreams is sit in Padma's seat and be a judge on the show

Hatfield's

My friend Chef Ryan recommended this place several months ago but I wasn't able to fit the visit into my schedule until recently. I also saw the owners of Hatfield's on television last week which really compelled me to check out their establishment.
First and foremost the restaurant itself is simple and beautiful. Its not too small and not too large. The decor is really nice, simple and comfortable. There isn't a bad seat in the house. I love restaurants where you can see into the kitchen and watch everyone cook.
We ordered from the appetizer menu and I really enjoyed the croque madame (yellow tail sashimi, prosciutto, sunny side up quail egg on grilled brioche. The brioche was the most perfect brioche I have had. It was crispy but melted in your mouth. I hope that they keep this on their menu.
For dinner I decided to order from their prix fix menu so that I could enjoy multiple dishes instead of one.
Unfortunately I didn't write down all of the dishes. When I looked on their website I realized that the menu has already changed.

My first course was crab wrapped in a crepe. It was really savory but needed a touch of acid. They paired it with beets (not a personal favorite food of mine) but it seemed to work for the most part.
My next course I wasn't a fan of. I decided to be adventurous and try Skate Wing for the first time. I decided to google it and it looks like its apart of the Sting Ray family. Unfortunately it wasn't done right. I'm uncertain on how they prepared it but it tasted like it was boiled in water. It was overdone and mushy. It lacked texture, acid and flavor. They did however pair it with fried oysters but it didn't work for me. There was too much going on. I noticed it wasn't on the menu tonight. I'm hoping the next time I try Skate Wing that it will be prepared differently.
However, I enjoyed the short ribs. The short ribs were spoon tender and packed a lot of flavor in the entire dish. The potatoes were silky smooth and creamy.
For dessert they had a chocolate and peanut butter crunch. Awww so delicious.

A must try: Passion Fruit Pisco sour with egg white cocktail

Overall I had a great experience my waiter David was awesome. He made a lot of fantastic suggestions for wines and cocktails. He also suggested my appetizer, dessert and main entree. Thumbs up to the David who made my overall experience enjoyable.