I wish that every time someone complained about the quality of the shows on the Food Network that they would be required to cap it off with, “Watch KLCS on Saturday aftenoons instead!”

I’ve been watching it for a while (though many of the shows are currently in reruns), but I just got super-excited by the sight of José Andrés hosting his own show, “Made in Spain.” I remember that he was one of the more fun — and amazingly talented — Iron Chef America winners. I have one of this cookbooks. I read it from cover to cover and made some dishes, and now I get to watch him on TV.

There are also shows w/ Mark Bittman, Cook’s Illustrated, Lidia Bastianich, a Scandinavian cooking show whose name escapes me, Rick Bayless, Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie, Ming Tsai, and others. Though they all have their own look and style, they all stress the importance of good ingredients and technique, and also share a sense of place and conviviality in regards to food. It’s real cooking and people, and it’s fun to watch.

I get KLCS as channel 3 on my TV in LA. I’m not sure if other PBS stations carry the same programming… at the same time… but I hope so.

Off to make chocolates….

It’s hard to believe that BonBonBar has been in business for over 4 months now. The weeks go by so quickly, and before I know it, I’m off to the kitchen again on weekends to cook sugar, make ganache, temper chocolate, and everything else besides. Thankfully, I’m getting used to the production routine –and it’s becoming a routine in a good way, in that I can make everything almost by instinct, and if I or the ingredients stray, I just feel that something is off and I can usually figure out what it is.

Sales are becoming somewhat more consistent, too, but the seasonality of chocolate is always a concern. If unprotected in the summer, it simply melts; and it’s not too soon for me to deal with this — it was 85F in LA this past weekend (I survived it, and was grudgingly grateful for the practice run in heat with little pressure). I’ll be able to ship Ground and USPS in the summer in Southern California b/c it takes 1 day, but for other areas of the country, it’ll have to go overnight, which will cut down on sales given the expense. All boxes will contain ice packs and insulation, too, which I am researching now.

Also, the summer holidays aren’t exactly chocolate-friendly — few traditionally have truffles for 4th of July… Or marshmallows for Labor Day.

But it occurred to me that people often make their own very special holidays in the summer that chocolate and confections can fit very well into — and that would be weddings.

I think that handmade candy bars and marshmallows could make for fantastic wedding favors — they’re unique and tasty; people tend to get excited about them, and that would be a great way end the wedding day. The labels could be customized with the couple’s names and colors. And for some bars, I can do them as “fun-size” as well as of full size. As long as the reception is indoors, they should be fine. I also want to introduce products like wrapped caramels for the summer that aren’t as sensitive to heat as chocolate.  I could make different shapes for marshmallows, too, if clients want.

My confections could also work as favors for baby showers, dinner parties, or any other type of party for that matter.

Now, my question is, does anyone have any leads for how to get exposure for this, especially in Southern California? I think it would rely on word of mouth to an extent, but I am thinking about who to contact with samples to reach more people — wedding planners? bridal shops? who else? And who specifically?  Or where to post about it online, or maybe advertise online?  I can send samples in to bridal magazines, but the turnaround time, if I make it in at all, will be much longer.  I don’t have much experience with weddings or their resources — Martha Stewart and TheKnot are the extent of it.

If anyone has any contacts, ideas, or leads about anything having to do with wedding and party favors, please email me at nina[at]bonbonbar.com or leave a comment. Thank you!

Cybele over at Candy Blog has written a wonderful write up of the Malt Bar and the Scotch Bar — it’s the first review of the Scotch Bar online!

I’m very excited to have Cybele write about BonBonBars. I’ve been reading her blog for a long time now, and I have great respect for her tastes and the quality of writing.  I also admire the fairness — and enthusiasm — with which she critiques candies ranging from the most mass-market to the most artisan.  Every candy is objectively taken on its own merit, with wit (hehe) and understanding.  Ever since I launched my company, I’ve wondered if and when my confections would be featured on the site, and how they would be rated (woohoo!  the Malt Bars and Scotch Bars got a 9 out 10, which equals Yummy!).  So, I blushed when I revealed in my last post that I love stirring caramel, and I blushed again when I read her post…

I’m giving Santa Barbara Spot Prawns co-billing b/c they deserve at least as much attention as Osteria Mozza, and I consider this post something of a PSA — I have to spread the word about Santa Barbara Spot Prawns. I hadn’t known about them before yesterday afternoon, when I happened upon them in Suzanne Goin’s cookbook. Happily, two hours laters, I found them offered “al diavolo” during an impromptu first trip to Osteria Mozza. In short, they’re wildly delicious. Very sweet with a strikingly soft texture. The flavor has notes of lobster, but I’m inclined to claim that, in terms of pungency, they out-lobster lobster. Look out for them. And read more about them here.

Combined with a spicy tomato sauce and fresh cranberry beans (I believe), it was the dish to beat last night. And that’s saying a lot. Chad’s Beef Brasato with Polenta and Horseradish Gremolata was a wonderful rendition of braised beef short ribs. It may be more of a winter dish, but who would be foolish enough to turn down meltingly soft meat just because it’s a little warm outside? Once my fork sank into the meat, I could tell it was in a league of its own. And sure, braised short ribs seem to be everywhere in restaurants these days, but this dish was full of life, bolstered by a richly flavored sauce and sprightly garnishing vegetables, such as porcini mushrooms and caperberries. And the polenta was creamy without being bland or gloppy.

Chad thought that the Burrata with Escarole, Bacon, and Caramelized Shallots from the cheese bar was “amazing,” but I thought that flavors aside, the greens and bread were too oily. I still ate it all.

I was smitten by the Bombolini with Lemon Mascarpone and “Fruit of the Woods” Sorbet (mixed berry). Well-orchestrated classic flavors. The sorbet was silky.  I liked that you could dip bits of fried dough into the mascarpone at will, so that every bite was like a custom-made stuffed donut. And there was a ricotta fritter amidst the bombolini, which was a clever touch.

As for the restaurant itself, it’s a bit fancier than Pizzeria Mozza, but nowhere near the operatic pretensions of Del Posto. It’s comfortable and stylish, with a rock ‘n roll soundtrack. We showed up at 7pm last night (Friday) and had a 10 minute wait for two seats at the marble cheese bar, manned by Nancy Silverton. I couldn’t imagine a better seat in the house. In fact, I’m sure that a satisfying meal could be cobbled together by the cheese-focused small plates. I ordered the burrata b/c I’d first had it served to me by Silverton herself at a Mozzarella Monday at Jar a couple years ago and I was feeling sentimental, but there were many cheeses that I was unfamiliar with that I would have loved to try. I would also be tempted by the starters, such as crispy pig’s trotter and testa (head cheese). Frankly, the main courses are a little staid in comparison, but as our’s showed, they do deliver nicely.

My main criticism of Osteria Mozza would be the profusion of Italian words on the menu. I can understand using the original Italian words for un-translatable proper nouns, but too many dishes had at least one wild-card word. And since it was so busy, no matter how friendly and helpful our waiter was, it took a long time before we could order — he suddenly stepped away halfway through our first  round of simple questions to tend to get grappa for other guests. Then we waited… and waited… for him to come back. And then we had to quickly make our decision based on what we learned during the second round so that we wouldn’t have to wait yet again to order. We’re reasonably well-informed and low-maintenance diners, so I think it’s an unnecessary flourish on their part. They could keep the phrases if they also print a description in the menu. Perhaps they want to encourage a dialogue btw the diners and the wait staff, but administering pop quiz is hardly my idea of a meaningful relationship or a perfect night out.

Anyway, I’d go back to Osteria Mozza, but the real question is, would I rather go to Pizzeria Mozza or Osteria Mozza? A craving for pizza aside, it would be a hard choice, since their sensibility is so similar. I guess I’ll have to visit them more — much more — to decide that.

Heirloom Cherry Tomato Tart: Peeled Organic Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Organic Opal Basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano Chips, and Organic Ricotta on Toasted Plum-Streaked Brioche.

I haven’t had many tomatoes yet this season, and I think that plums are to blame. I’m tired of eating skins for now.

So, at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market on Wednesday, I bought a punnet of colorful heirloom cherry tomatoes more out of duty than craving. It wasn’t until I got home that I remembered the glistening rainbow of peeled cherry tomatoes in The French Laundry cookbook, so I gave it a shot.

The result: peeled cherry tomatoes are my newest form of tomato perfection. These luscious orbs melt away with the freshest tomato flavor and optimum tomato texture. It’s almost like spherified tomato sauce, akin to an El Bulli trick.

I usually shy away from dealing with the peeling-by-blanching method b/c it takes a lot of time-heat-dishes-water-ice (I’m talking about you, peaches), but since cherry tomatoes are so small, the blanching step is a snap. Not even an ice bath is needed.

You just bring enough lightly salted water to cover the tomatoes to a boil in a saucepan, gently add a few (rinsed, stemmed) cherry tomatoes at time, and after about 5 seconds, remove them with a slotted spoon onto a cutting board; if you notice that certain colors of tomatoes are splitting during poaching (like my yellow ones did), take them out even sooner b/c they probably have thinner skins. With a thin serrated knife, make the smallest possible incision into the skin near the stem end (purely for cosmetic reasons). Gently unwrap the tomato from its skin with your fingers. They will keep for several hours at room temp. I’m guessing that you could also just microwave some water to boiling and work with that.

It takes a little time, but each tomato is its own challenge to peel without nicking or squashing. You appreciate the colorful beauty of each one close up, and feel protective of their sensitive selves, and snack on them.

This tart was inspired by the Salad of Petite Summer Tomatoes with Vine-Ripe Sorbet in The French Laundry Cookbook that featured the peeled tomatoes. I just made it bigger, more casual, and based on what I had on hand. Once the tomatoes are peeled, it’s practically a matter of assembly; and things stick nicely onto their moist surface. Incidentally, for lunches this summer, I’ve gotten into the habit of baking or toasting some sort of bread-y base (puff pastry, pizza dough, bread, etc), and loading it up with toppings once out of the oven. There’s more control, temperature contrast, and crunch that way, and the ind’l flavors keep more integrity (yes, sometimes desirable, sometimes not).

I spread ricotta on the toasted brioche b/c I love it with tomatoes and it’s a good moisture barrier btw the bread and tomatoes.

Instead of making their garlic tuile with a flour-based batter, I grated some parmigiano-reggiano cheese, formed it onto rounds on a silpat, baked them in a 350F oven until bubbly, broke them up, and scattered them over the tomatoes.

I added chopped opal basil b/c it’s pretty and I’d bought some at the market, too.

I used “plum-streaked brioche” b/c I had the leftover plum brioche tart that I froze as the base, but I couldn’t slice away every last fragment of the plums. Luckily, plums and tomatoes go very nicely with each other. There’s something kinetic there, esp w/ the slight sugar factor. Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course has a recipe for Sautee of Tomato and Plums if you want to try a dessert with the combination.

I didn’t make the TFL tomato sorbet, but I bet it’s fantastic the way it would melt over the tomatoes as a sauce and also as a textural counterpoint as a silky sorbet.

I enthusiastically bought a lot more heirloom cherry tomatoes this morning at the Saturday Santa Monica market (which is smaller than the Wednesday one, but is predominantly organic), and now I have the happy challenge of making a lot of dishes with them. Tonight, I think that the peeled cherry tomatoes will be great with pasta. I’ll probably bake the ricotta with eggs, flour, and parmigiano-reggiano cheese so that I can chop it into cubes to toss in; or maybe it’ll be turned into gnocchi. And add basil… and onions… and olives… and whatever else I can find…