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ummertime is here, welcoming you to the next edition of La Brea Bakery's Bread Basket! This time of year is all about making the most of lazy days and leisure time with family and friends. In avoiding the hot kitchen, we shift to alfresco dining—picnics and barbeques—and casual, impromptu meals with friends and neighbors. As our motto goes, “Great Bread is Just the Beginning,” and this couldn’t be truer than during the summer. A delicious bread can make all the difference in picnic sandwiches, and the right rolls take burgers on the grill from ordinary to the very best you’ve had all season. A baguette, a bit of cheese and some wine on a blanket under starry skies becomes a memorable summer evening among friends.... We’re clearly feeling the spirit of summer’s easy living, and we’d love to hear what this time of year means to you. Please join us on the website, www.labreabakery.com/traditions to share your summertime recipes, stories and traditions!
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We are pleased to announce that La Brea Bakery has been included in Los Angeles Magazine’s Top 8 Greatest Things In
L.A. list! This is a reader’s choice poll that began as the Top 64 Greatest Things a few months ago, and has been narrowed down in each of the magazine’s subsequent issues. We are counted among things as grand and all encompassing as “The Weather,” “Grauman’s Chinese” and “Chateau Marmont,” so we feel quite honored, and in great company!
You can see the complete Top 64 Greatest Things In L.A. list on the magazine’s site: http://www.lamag.com.
 La Brea Bakery also congratulates our founder, Nancy Silverton, as well as Mario Batali, Chef Matt Molina and the rest of the Osteria Mozza team for their James Beard Foundation nomination for Best New Restaurant in the U.S.! Matt Molina was also honored with a nomination for “Rising Star Chef of the Year.” The awards, which encompass everything in the food and beverage world from books and journalism to restaurants, chefs and lifetime achievement, are considered the pinnacle of culinary excellence and achievement. The theme of this year’s reception is Artisanal America, celebrating the advent of a true American cuisine. Not only are the nominations an incredible honor, but such a perfect honor for Nancy, who set out with an artisanal spirit to create authentic hearth-baked bread when she began La Brea Bakery in 1989. Congratulations, Osteria Mozza!
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Busy moms are continually looking for ways to entertain and educate their kids. What about cooking? Kids are thrilled by the idea of getting involved and doing as adults do in the kitchen! How do kids cook while keeping it simple, healthy, safe and delicious? I’ve discovered the delectable flavors, ease and healthy benefits of Wisconsin’s famous fresh cheddar cheese curds.
We gave youngsters a bowl of cheddar cheese curds in different flavors – Fresh, Garlic, Taco, Cajun, and Ranch as a start to making their Cheesy Kabobs. This is ultra easy as the curds come in bite-sized pieces and you simply open the bag and pour them into a bowl. We then cut up grilled or toasted La Brea Bakery bread cubes, fresh fruit and all kinds of fresh vegetables. You can include a variety of bread cubes for the kids to enjoy like Olive Oval, Pecan Raisin Oval or French Baguette. Now stack a plate with wooden kabob sticks and your kids are ready to assemble and create.
I like to include an extra virgin olive oil like California Olive Ranch’s  Arbequina for the savory kabobs. And honey for the sweet option. Once kabobs have been made, the kids can drizzle either condiment for added fun.
It’s a joy to see the sense of accomplishment in the kids’ eyes when they proudly display their own creations. Cheddar cheese curds also have so many benefits. First, they are delicious, with a cheesy and fresh milky taste that’s not too strong for a child’s palate. They also have zero carbs, zero sugars and zero trans fats. With 20% calcium for growing bones, these cheese curds are a healthy alternative to the junk food you want them to avoid.
To purchase cheddar cheese curds: Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, www.ellsworthcheesecurds.com.
For more information on The Cheese Impresario: www.thecheeseimpresario.com.
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t La Brea Bakery, we feel lucky to have a true sense of community among the people who buy our breads, pastry and dry goods. Many passionate fans communicate with us regularly through the website, contributing valuable insight, ideas and recipes. This month we thought it would be nice to share with Bread Basket readers some of the great correspondence we’ve had, by featuring excerpts from three loyal La Brea Bakery customers.
Some of the products mentioned may currently be exclusive to The Original La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles; these items may be available in your local grocery store in the upcoming future.
Harvey Shotz, La Brea Bakery fan since 1993:
“La Brea Bakery [Toasted Granola Original Recipe] is the core food around which I build my daily breakfast.
The granola dish I prepare is accompanied by a variety of fresh berries, a fig, a date, slices of banana and fresh mango, all added to the granola, then layered with cold, organic, non-fat yogurt or 2% milk.”
Lorin Adolf, private chef, La Brea Bakery fan since 1998:
“I buy a Plain Brioche Loaf and have it sliced. Then I take a six-ounce ramekin and cut a circle out of each slice to perfectly match the diameter of the ramekin. I dip each piece in brown butter and place one piece on the bottom of each mold. I mix strawberries with homemade ricotta (I make my own, but you can always buy a good quality version) and June Taylor Meyer Lemon Marmalade. I top the mixture off with another round of brioche dipped in the butter and then weigh the ramekins down [cover them] with a sheet pan. I bake them in a 400-degree oven for about 25 minutes, remove the sheet pan and bake them until the tops are golden. Once they cool a bit, I unmold them, and serve them with June Taylor Strawberry Rhubarb Conserve. They are best served warm, for an easy, quick dessert.” June Taylor products are available at The Original La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles, or online, at http://www.junetaylorjams.com.
Rachel Neff, kindergarten special needs teacher, La Brea Bakery fan since 2001:
“Bagels are my favorite of all the breads available,
with perhaps the exception of the Chocolate Sour Cherry [Round]. I usually bring one of the Chocolate Sour Cherry [Rounds] to a monthly event I attend, and it’s a huge hit when I do. But I come by [The Original La Brea Bakery] almost every Saturday for my Seeded Bagels. George (I adore George!) grills one for me on the panini grill and then slathers it with butter or cream cheese. I take some home and pop them in the freezer for during the week.”
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WHAT: 101 Cookbooks, created by Heidi Swanson, is a food blog and recipe website flush with inspiring and enticing recipes for farmers’ market fresh summer produce. Heidi’s diverse background as a dot com entrepreneur, cookbook author, journalist and photographer make for a very well organized, informative site, highlighted with entertaining personal anecdotes and stunning photos.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
The recipes are fresh and natural, often centered on seasonal farmers’ market delights, and the site’s newsletter serves as a great reminder of what ingredients are at their peak right now. Heidi notes—and we agree—that “everyone needs a good crisp recipe in their summertime repertoire.” Her Plum and Peach Crisp deliciously fills that void. And she gave us appetizing suggestions on how to utilize abundant  summer tomatoes and basil. Her Fourth of July Roasted Tomato Salsa, she describes as an “entirely different beast” from salsa fresca, due
to “the deep, caramelized flavors of the roasted tomatoes and onions alongside the smokiness of the chipotle.” My Favorite Pesto, which she learned to make from her favorite Italian grandmother, is “a hand-chopped basil recipe worth every ounce of elbow grease you put into it.” Served with a selection of sliced, toasted La Brea Bakery breads, these recipes would make a healthy, delicious snack, or perfect appetizers for a summer barbeque.
WHERE:
Look for these great recipes, plus simple cooking tips and gorgeous photos on Heidi’s site: http://www.101cookbooks.com.
WHAT: Founded by former advertising and film producer Laura Howard, Laloo’s is dedicated to producing rich,
decadent goat’s milk ice creams that are good for the body as well as the earth.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
Laloo’s goats roam and graze on 350 acres of rolling green hills in Petaluma, CA. As the company notes, “It’s the good life, which results in magical ice cream.” This goat’s milk ice cream is indeed a breed
apart. It boasts many health benefits, such as less lactose—great for those who are
intolerant— and half the fat of traditional cow’s milk ice cream. The texture is very
creamy and the flavor is robust and much different from cow’s milk ice cream. The
distinctive flavor profile combined with high-quality fresh ingredients yields such
tempting varieties as Black Mission Fig, Molasses Tipsycake, Capraccino and Strawberry
Darling. The Vanilla Snowflake, which has a very rich, but delicate texture and flavor,
would be a lovely addition to your favorite bread pudding recipe made with La Brea Bakery’s French Loaf or Pecan Raisin Oval.
WHERE:
See the website for additional flavors and store listings: http://www.goatmilkicecream.com.
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Place the eggs in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water is at a rolling boil, put the lid on the pot and turn the flame off. Let the eggs sit in the pot with the water for 15 minutes. Drain the eggs from the hot water and plunge them into a large bowl of ice water for a minute or so. Take them out as soon as they’re cool. Peel the eggs and tear them into pieces.
In a bowl, carefully mix together the eggs, mayonnaise, garlic, salt and pepper. Lay out the bread slices making sure they are of similar width and height. Place the egg salad on one slice of bread. Place the radishes evenly over the egg salad and sprinkle with chives. Then, add the watercress. Cover the sandwich with the other slice of bread. Slice in half.
Makes 1 sandwich
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In 1989, The Original La Brea Bakery opened its doors on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, California. What was then the
vision of renowned pastry chef Nancy Silverton, is now the leading U.S. producer of partially baked artisan breads supplied
to restaurants and food stores throughout the world. It is Nancy’s original recipe, creativity, passion and dedication to quality
that continues to set La Brea Bakery apart as the authority on artisan bread.
Our bread is always fresh, crusty and delicious because our standards never vary. This is the old way. To us, it’s the only way.
 Our mission is to bring a loaf of La Brea Bakery bread to every table. Our flagship store-front bakery still
thrives on La Brea Avenue and to this day, enthusiasts continue to line up outside the bakery for our
delectable creations. La Brea Bakery’s breads can also be found at the La Brea Bakery Café in Anaheim,
California, and your favorite restaurants and grocery stores across the country. La Brea Bakery is part of the
IAWS Group.
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