Category: Brunch

No. 596Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Chin Chin’s Classic Chicken Salad

Chin Chin’s Classic Chicken Salad | Bijouxs Little Jewels

THE classic Chinese chicken salad from the Chin Chin restaurant-always a Little Jewel.

CHIN CHIN RESTAURANT

Very hard to believe that Chin Chin began as a counter and to-go eatery in Sunset Plaza years ago about 1983.  In those days as a young girl  I was driving over the hill from the valley to Sunset Plaza to get regular facials at famed spa Ole Henrickson and always stopped in for lunch. Sitting at the tiny counter (wish there were photos) I would order of course the Chicken Salad along with an orders of Chicken Fried Rice and Dumplings to take home for dinner.  All my family members were crazy about the food.

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

Along with sitting at the counter to eat, the-then tiny eatery had shelves with some products, most important were the jar of preserved red ginger, which is key to the salad.  I make the dressing ahead, enough for a few of salads. Fresh ginger and green onion are also elements in the dressing so the dressing must be used with a few days. Shredded poached chicken, iceberg lettuce and fried wonton strips and deep fried rice stix are added for crunch. All the ingredients are tossed in a large bowl with the dressing.

Chin Chin’s Classic Chicken Salad | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Alas, I no longer live near any of the Chin Chin locations and it took a but of searching, but I was happy to find a reasonable duplicate of the salad recipe online. I have been enjoying the salad at home. Here served with some chopsticks I kept from a to-go order a LA friend picked up for me not long ago.

Enjoy Chin Chin’s Little Jewel Salad.

 

No. 594Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Daily Quiche

Daily Quiche | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Daily rotating quiche are served with a side of Shu farms market greens, simple and yet profoundly classic. The Daily Quiche is a perfect example of farm fresh ingredients used from local growers to create the menu at Sqirl Los Angeles. When I moved back to LA this was one of the first restaurants I sought out.

SQIRL RESTAURANT

Opened in 2011, this restaurant has created creative recipes using local ingredients. I loved the food and have enjoyed the cookbook from which this recipe is brought to us. I posed a jam recipe, and I actually had met Jessica very early on when she sold her jams at the Altadena Farmer’s Market. So good, I knew more what destined for her. She can take basic ingredients and make them special, like her thick buttery toast with Seedless Blackberry Cardamom Jam. So good.

DAILY QUICHE

No, you do not need to make this quiche daily, but at the restaurant they do. They mix up the ingredients for variety, however this take with spinach, garlic, shallots, feta cheese in a lush creamy filling is my choice. There is a nice balance of the rich filling to vegetables and herbs. The crust is buttery and substantial. Using local farm raised eggs from a local source is my choice. The eggs are from chicks right down the street from me-perfect.

Daily Quiche | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Daily Quiche: Bijouxs Little Jewels

Daily Quiche | Bijouxs Little Jewels

LOCAL EGGS

Daily Quiche | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Now that I am up in Ventura by the beach, I was so happy to find local eggs, right down the street from me. They are great, roaming free in the back yard.
Contact 805-258-8883 only if you want order, purchase and pickup. Thank you.

 

No. 592Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Roasted Peppers with Boursin & Croutons

Roasted Peppers with Boursin & Croutons | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Roasted sweet baby peppers stuffed with creamy Boursin cheese and crispy croutons are the newest appetizer from Little Jewels from the Bijouxs Recipe Collection.

ROASTED SWEET PEPPERS

I love roasted vegetables and sweet peppers are fanastic simply oven roasted. Here’s how.
Place the prepped peppers in a baking dish, not a sheet pan. Simply season with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sea salt. Bake until brown and blistered about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cool then prep for the recipe.

BOURSIN CHEESE

Stuffed peppers are a classic I updated by using new find Boursin Dairy Free Cheese. It’s acutally good. Soft and creamy, easy for stuffing the peppers, you won’t miss the dairy.

Roasted Peppers with Boursin & Croutons | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Roasted Peppers with Boursin & Croutons | Bijouxs Little Jewels

EASY APPETIZER FOR GUESTS

Roasting the peppers create the perfect vessel for stuffing a dollop of the cheese, top with some crunchy croutons, and serve with crusty bread and extra olive oil. Easy to make and easy to serve. Roasted Peppers with Boursin & Croutons, another Little Jewel Recipe from the Membership Collection. Join for access to over 500 of my best recipes, no annoying pop-ups or tracking. Beautuful Food by Design.

 

No. 584Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

NOLA Bread Pudding

NOLA Bread Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Let’s celebrate Fat Tuesday in real New Orleans style with the big easy New Orleans Bread Pudding. The newest Little Jewel from the Bijouxs Kitchen.

NEW ORLEANS SCHOOL OF COOKING

Starting with my story of this recipe I have to go way back to my young days and daily walks around New Orleans to discover the city. I happened to be there on a movie location, way back-when the world was steady-and you could just cruise around the city on your own.I stumbled on The New Orleans School of Cooking on Conti Street and walked in. I met Joe Cahn who opened the original school in the 80’s. I signed up for a class on New Orleans cuisine which included File’ Gumbo (real deal), Jambalaya, Pralines, and of course Bread Pudding.

‘CRAZY’ JOE

That’s what I fondly called him after my first day of cooking class. I remember him teaching us to make the roux for the gumbo, which you must take to a near-burning-smoking dark chocolate brown color, you must be daring!  This is what gives the gumbo its flavor. I knew I was somewhere special and saved my recipe packet, complete with my notes, which I still have to this day.

NEW ORLEANS BREAD PUDDING

The thing is this is one of the easiest recipes and one of the best from the class. The basic ingredients are all mixed together, then poured into a buttered baking dish. A big easy. After baking a puffed, brown sweet pudding emerges. You of course, must complete the dish with Whiskey Sauce.

NOLA Bread Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewels

NOLA Bread Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewel

 

 

ORIGINAL NEW ORLEANS SCHOOL OF COOKING

I searched and found about Joe, who sadly has passed. He was a key chef in the New Orleans food scene. In my search I found this photo of the original cooking school location. Just as I remember walking in to a a young bride visiting the city. Joe loved the great culinary treasures of the region and shared so we could take them home and make them our own. My memory was prompted by all the Super Bowl Images of New Orleans, a beautiful city.

 

BREAD PUDDING

Every year, about the time of Fat Tuesday, I get the urge to bake up a real New Orleans bread pudding, via Joe’s recipe. Nothing could be easier and better than this recipe. The only tweak I have made is soaking the raisins in whisky prior to baking-adding a boozy-punch to the pudding. Of course I top it with the whiskey sauce, repeating the flavor.

NOLA Bread Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Join me in celebrating Fat Tuesday and the cuisine with New Orleans-Bread Pudding from The Collection.

 

No. 575Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Spiced Winter Oats with Fruits & Nuts

Spiced Winter Oats with Fruits & Nuts | Bijouxs Little Jewels

During the dark days of Winter, which seem to be dragging on endlessly, comes a bowl of Spiced Winter Oats with Fruits & Nuts – the newest Little Jewel Recipe added to the Collection Membership.

WINTER SPICE MIX

I have been circling around the house avoiding the foggy days here on the Central Coast. My comforts included the bowl of Spiced Winter Oats with Fruits & Nuts, enjoyed anytime of day. Begin by make the Warming Winter Spice mix. You will use this for more than these oats, sprinkle on buttered toast, or add to your yogurt bowls. The Spice Mix is inspired from one I purchased long ago in San Francisco from March SF. The store is lovely, do check it out. I set out to recreate this spice and I think I got very close. A blend of cinnamon, allspice, anise and black pepper combine for peppery-warm mix.
Spiced Winter Oats with Fruits & Nuts | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

STEEL CUT OATS

I decided on Steel Cut Oats which are simmered with a touch of tahini and the spice blend. These two ingredients are what make this oatmeal special.  Water is added and the oats are cook to the desired level of creaminess. The oats are spooned into bowls, adding dried fruit such as raisins, and sweet papaya (my personal favorite, feel free to used dried) along with nuts such as pistachios and hazelnuts.
Spiced Winter Oats with Fruits & Nuts | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Spiced Winter Oats with Fruits & Nuts | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Spiced Winter Oats with Fruits & Nuts | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

WARMING BOWL OF OATS

To finish top add a few spoonfuls of warm vanilla almond ‘malk’ and a drizzle of Maple syrup.  The recipe is adaptable, use your favorite nuts and dried fruits. Savor Spiced Winter Oats with Fruits & Nuts, a new winter little Jewel from Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen.

 

Still Hungry?