Thursday, March 4, 2010
The famous Chez Panisse Cafe serves up a delicious Little Gems Salad.
Cameron Mitchell’s marquee restaurant, "M", featured it's signature Little Gems Salad at a Tastecasting sampling event. Wish I was invited.
Who is Cameron Mitchell? He's the famous American director best known for Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus. He owns several upscale restruants around the country with his marquee restaurant being "M" in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Tastecasting.com recently commented. "Dining at M, is definitely a feast for the senses. From the enchanting ambience, to the colorful lighting, eclectic interior, and extraordinary views, M is the perfect place for a romantic dinner. Tastecasters recently sampled some dishes from its new menu, featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients, rich flavors; and all artistically presented." (http://www.tastecasting.com/profiles/uncategorized/m-restaurant)
Little Gems becomes part of Coi's famous Taste and Scent extravaganza.
Daniel Patterson's Coi isn't just a restuarant, it's a flavor and scent mind trip. The New York Times writes:
"With the first course came an unusual instruction: I was told to dab some perfume on my wrist. Not perfume exactly, but an oil made with pink grapefruit, tarragon, ginger and black pepper, all ingredients in the appetizer before me, which I would experience first as a scent and then as a taste, the sequence underscoring the way these senses work in tandem...There’s a lingering appreciation — at times, reverence — for the meticulousness with which the chef, Daniel Patterson, approaches his cooking, the ambition he lavishes on it."
Food Snob Blog writes: "Plat Principal 3: Bellweather Farm baby lamb; English peas, spring onions, little gems, flowering thyme. Slow-roasted with mirepoix and thyme, the tenderloin and neck from a baby lamb, were served, each upon a slip of pea purée, drizzled with lamb jus vinaigrette and teamed with little gem lettuce, spring onions and more peas. The loin, layered with a little juicy fat atop, was succulent and toothsome, but the leaner cut of neck was unfortunately a tad dry and chewy. The vegetables were all well-cooked: the moist lettuce, crispy; sweet peas, crunchy; and the spring onion shells, firm to bite. Thyme-flavoured jus had a nice spicy twang to it." Click here to see the other dishes. http://foodsnobblog.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/coi-san-francisco/ This really looks like magic for the mouth.
Little Gems Chargrilled chicken Salad with roasted tomatoes, avocado, peas and mint By Delicious Magazine
Little Gems Chargrilled chicken Salad with roasted tomatoes, avocado, peas and mint
Serves 4 | Takes 30 minutes to make, plus marinating | Rating 5 Stars
Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
11/2 tsp lime juice
500g skinless chicken breasts
200g cherry tomatoes on the vine
100g frozen or freshly-shelled peas
4 Little Gem lettuce hearts, leaves separated
30g wild rocket
Handful fresh mint leaves
4 spring onions, very thinly sliced
1 small, ripe but firm avocado
For the dressing
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Good pinch of caster sugar
Method
1. Whisk the oil, lime juice and some seasoning together in a shallow dish. Add the chicken breasts, turn to coat, then leave to marinate for 15-30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Roast the tomatoes in a non-stick roasting tin for 4-5 minutes, until the skins just burst. Remove from the oven and cut into small sprigs. Set aside.
3. Drop the peas into a pan of salted boiling water, bring back to the boil, then drain. Refresh under cold water and drain well. Set aside.
4. Scatter the lettuce, rocket, mint and spring onions over 4 plates.
5. Heat a non-stick griddle or frying pan over a high heat until smoking hot, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook the chicken for 6-8 minutes each side, until cooked through. Slice and place on the salad.
6. Halve, stone and peel the avocado, then slice over the salad. Add the tomatoes and scatter with the peas.
7. Whisk the dressing ingredients together, season and spoon over the salad. Serve immediately.
Wine Recommendation
Choose a fairly ripe, rich French Chablis.
Little Gems Salads become part of a fancy LA wine tasting event.
"Our first course from the set menu was an absolutely of-the-moment salad of sweet shrimp, lump crab meat, fresh-cut avocado and little gem lettuces treated judiciously with buttermilk dressing.
Grahm paired the salad with three different white wines: 2008 Ca’ Del Solo Albarino, which he described as “spare, lean and acoustic,” 2008 Ca’ Del Solo Muscat - “herbal, wilder than Muscat blanc,” and 2007 Le Cigare Blanc a biodynamic wine using 60% Roussanne, 40% Grenache Blanc grapes, from Beeswax Vineyard in Arroyo Seco. The crisp minerality of the Albarino paired especially well with the seafood." (http://www.foodgps.com/tavern-bonny-doon-lunch-–-los-angeles-ca-–-june-9-2009/)
BBC's Good Food Showcases a Simple and Delicious Little Gems Wedge Salad. - "Dressed Little Gems"
4 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar , white or dark
4 Little Gem lettuces , cut into wedges
50g parmesan shaving
Serves 8
Preparation and cooking times
Ready in 10-15 minutes
Pack the lettuce into a plastic food container with ice to keep it fresh. Take the dressing and cheese into smaller containers. Arrange the lettuce on a platter, drizzle with the dressing and scatter with the cheese.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2107/dressed-little-gems
Chef Gwen Talks about Little Gems, her favorite new lettuce, and shares two delicious recipes! :) Great Video.
Sweet Gem "Little Gem" lettuce - Harvest Sensations from J. Kings Food Service on Vimeo.
Wow. I really need to make this! Talk about blowing away your dinner guests with something fancy. Thanks Gwen!
The English Kitchen shows us a Little Gems Salad with a Creamy Basil Dressing
"One of my favourite salad leaves to use, are the baby gems. I love them sliced into quarters and dressed with a simple vinaigrette, or a tasty blue cheese dressing . . . fabulous along with a scattering of sliced spring onion. The little inner leaves make perfect little cups to hold a multitude of fillings, creating wonderful little hors oeuvres. I especially like a chicken caesar salad filling in them. With teeny weeny toasted croutons on top they can be a bit messy to eat, but oh so very fun to eat and quite popular with the guests where I work."
1 cup good quality mayonnaise (I use Hellman's or French)
8 finely chopped spring onions, both the white and the green parts
1 cup of chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
the juice of two lemons
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup creme fraiche
3 large heads of little gem lettuce, halved
a large hand full of cherry tomatoes, halved
Wow, here's another recipe for Little Gem Lettuce and Tabouleh
Ingredients
1 x Al’Fez Tabouleh
2 x ripe tomato
½ x cucumber
2 x spring onions
100g x feta cheese
2 x little gem lettuce
Handful of fresh mint and extra for garnish
Salt and ground pepper for seasoning
Olive oil to drizzle
Method
Prepare Al’Fez Tabouleh as instructed on the carton. Peel, deseed and dice cucumber, chop spring onions, ripe tomatoes. Fold in tomatoes, cucumber, onions and chopped mint into Tabouleh. Add small broken pieces of feta cheese and season. Arrange separated little gem lettuce leaves onto a platter and spoon small moulds of the salad style Tabouleh and feta onto lettuce leaves. Serving Suggestion: Garnish with mint and drizzle with olive oil.
Genius Idea! Video shows how to make delicious Little Gems Lettuce toped with Tabouleh Salad as a very healthy hors d'oeuvre or snack.
The Village Vegan's 5 minute Little Gems Salad
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Little Gems Lettuce featured in Nutrition Unplugged's post: Top Dinning and Restaurant Trends for 2010
BBQ Little Gems. Interesting idea!
Serious Eats' Little Gems Ceviche Recipe: Shrimp and Black Olive Orange and Lime Ceviche in Little Gem Lettuce Cups
Shrimp and Black Olive Orange and Lime Ceviche in Little Gem Lettuce Cups
(http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/black-and-orange-shrimp-and-black-olive-ceviche-halloween-recipe.html)
1/2 pound jumbo shrimp, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
The zest of 1 orange
The juice of 1/4 orange
The juice of 1 small lime
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon very finely diced shallot
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 medium to large pitted black olives, preferably black Cerignola, roughly chopped
2 to 3 heads of little gem lettuce (baby cos), leaves separated
1. Toss the shrimp in a bowl with the zest, citrus juices, olive oil, shallot, and salt and pepper. Cover with plastic, and leave to sit in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours.
2. Just before serving, toss in the black olives. I find that they tend to stain the shrimp, and diminish the orange and black look, if they are allowed to mingle with the shrimp for too long.
3. Separate the large leaves of the baby lettuces, and make cups from 2 of the larger leaves. Then, spoon some of the shrimp into the double-lettuce cups.
About the author: Kerry Saretsky is the creator of French Revolution Food, where she reinvents her family's classic French recipes in a fresh, chic, modern way. She also writes the The Secret Ingredient and the French in a Flash series for Serious Eats.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
San Fransico Salad Envy - Apparently you can find Little Gems everywhere?! Not Fair.
Little gem is a cross between romaine (crispy) and butter lettuce (sweet), and has small leafs on the outside and a crisp heart inside. It's usually served cut in half and presented lengthwise, often accompanied by cheese and/or nuts which complement its taste and texture.
Blue Plate's take on little gems includes pink lady apples, spiced pecans and wisconsin buttermilk blue cheese, and is an excellent representation of what a good chef can do with this ingredient. The Mission's Conduit has had a little gem salad on its menu since opening a little more than a year ago; the original was an amazing version with hazelnuts, shaved radish and a light ranch dressing, and the current incarnation is a tasty twist on a caesar salad.
Other notable San Francisco restaurants that have little gem salads on the menu lately include Boulevard, NOPA and Universal Cafe, and across the bay in Berkeley, Chez Panisse.
The Verdict:
I'm usually not a big restaurant salad person, but I haven't met a little gem I haven't liked so I'm a fan.
Thekitchn.com starts a Little Gems Movement
Dana Velden over at thekitchn.com sister site to the popular apartment therapy website, recently wrote a lovely review of little gems with a call to action for all little gems fans. Keep asking for it! I have a dream that one day ill be able to walk to my local grocery store and find it smiling there at me on the shelf! :)
"Little Gems are a bit hard to find in the grocery store but I’ve had great luck at farmer’s markets. And we all know that if you keep asking for something, eventually someone will catch on and make it available. Trust me, Little Gems lettuce is worth nagging for.
Little Gems look like tiny versions of Romaine lettuce, with a crisp, crunchy texture and a sweet flavor. My favorite way to serve them couldn't be easier: simply cut in half and drizzled with a nice lemon-shallot vinaigrette. Occasionally, I'll sprinkle on some thinly sliced radish or a few capers, but mostly I let them shine straight up. Guests really enjoyed the knife-and-fork experience of being served a whole lettuce and when I could find them in the market, I always bought a few. But this week I tried something new." - Dana Velden
(http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/vegetable/good-eats-little-gems-lettuce-054871)
What Is Little Gems Lettuce?
Here's a great description of Little Gems from Coleman Farms
"Little Gem, is a small lettuce often described as 'a combination of Butter and Romaine'. It is crisp, like Romaine, and sweet, like Butter, but the texture and the flavor are still its own. While Romaine has a heavy very crunchy central stalk and thin crisp leaves, classic Little Gem, as in the photo, has a thinner stalk and thicker leaves which seem juicier and more substantial than any part of Romaine, and are more uniformly crisp. Butter is similarly substantial, but uniformly soft. Butter has a slightly mineral taste with hints of apple, and can have a forward sweetness, while Little Gem tends toward a nutty flavor - walnut in particular - and a sweetness that is more reserved.
Little Gem works well in mixed salads, and in sandwiches. The size and texture of the leaf particularly suit it to the open-faced sandwich. A classic use for this lettuce is cut it in half lengthwise and serve each half, dressed, as a salad. With care, a tight head of Little Gem can be cut into six or eight 'fingers', which would be suitable for dipping; a bowl of separated leaves could also be put out for this purpose: the ruffled texture will pick up any dip or dressing.
The use of lettuce in cooked dishes is often overlooked in the U.S., but Little Gem has a role here too. You might take a head and slice it crosswise at about quarter inch intervals, and add this to a stirr-fry just as it's taken off the heat or float it on a soup at serving, where it's cool crispness will serve as an accent. It could be similarly added to a dish of mixed steamed root vegetables, or to a warm potato salad (steamed or boiled potatoes cut in chunks and given a rudimentary dressing, along with olives, chopped pepper, or whatever strikes the fancy).
Depending on the weather and its degree of maturation Little Gem can vary in appearance from 'I can't believe it's not Butter Lettuce' to 'heart of Romaine'. The texture will change a bit also, with the more Buttery heads having thinner leaves. Heads which are used without separating will have to be really clean, so it's best to wait until after the rains to try these suggestions."
(http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?id=817)