NOTE: Due to technical issues at KLAA, the majority of hour two was not recorded and we don’t have podcast segments for segments 6-8. The SoCal Restaurant Show apologizes for the inconvenience.
“Acclaimed cookbook author Joan Nathan is the authority on Jewish cooking, heralded as the “queen of American Jewish cooking” (Houston Chronicle) and “the grande dame of Jewish cooking” by the New Yorker.” New books for her this year are a memoir, My Life in Recipes, and A Sweet Year.
“My Life in Recipes (Knopf, April 9, 2024) is Joan’s memoir told through food and the recipes that have defined her life. She looks back at her family’s history and shares stories of her childhood in postwar New York and Rhode Island; her years in Paris, New York, Israel, and Washington, DC. Joan has spent decades discovering Jewish cuisine from around the world and redefining Jewish cooking in America—here, she recounts her career as a food writer, as well as her marriage, motherhood, and family celebrations, all told with accompanying recipes to share the nourishment, flavors, and community around food that Joan has cultivated in her life.”
“A Sweet Year (Knopf, November 19, 2024) is an updated version of Joan’s 1987 book The Children’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen, with new recipes, photos, and more, for Joan’s grandchildren’s generation. It covers nine Jewish holidays and includes step-by-step instructions for kids and their families to prepare accessible feasts for celebrating and marking the special occasions. Recipes also specify the ingredients, equipment, and steps suitable for children to do by themselves or with adults.”
To show how the times change, when I first went to Palm Springs, in the early 2000s, I discovered a date shake, something I hadn’t ever tasted on the East Coast. Of course, I knew shakes but not date shakes. Today there is every kind of sweet and savory shake for breakfast and throughout the day. Clio, my editor Lexy’s daughter, is a huge fan of date, tahini, and banana shakes, as are my grandchildren.
This is a great milk drink for Shavuot or a healthy vegan snack at any time of the year. It is also a wonderful way to use up the overripe bananas; peel them, then throw them in the freezer.
Makes 4 shakes
Ingredients
2 whole bananas, fresh or frozen
4 medjool dates, pitted, and chopped a bit if too big
¼ cup tahini
1 to 2 cups ice cubes
1½ cups unsweetened almond or regular milk
¼ teaspoon plus 4 pinches of ground cinnamon
Equipment
Knife
Blender
4 glasses
Child with Adult: Cut the bananas in four pieces, and throw them into the blender with the dates (making sure to remove the pits), tahini, 1 cup of the ice cubes, the almond or regular milk, and the ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon. Turn the blender on, and purée until the shake is smooth and creamy. Add more ice if you want it less creamy.
Child: Pour the shake into four glasses and top each with a pinch of additional cinnamon.
Note: When the banana peels start to brown, I peel the bananas and throw them into containers in the freezer, so I always have them ready for shakes, pancakes (page 106), or banana bread.
Golda Meir was born in Kiev, Ukraine, and came to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at eighteen. She later decided to live on a kibbutz in Israel, where she eventually became the prime minister and a heroine to women around the world. Even while she led her country, she entertained friends and visitors in her simple kitchen. One of her favorite foods, linking America and Israel, was chocolate chip cookies, which she varied by adding Jaffa orange juice to the classic recipe she had learned in Wisconsin.
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, vegan spread, or coconut oil
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange juice
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
Equipment
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Mixing bowls
Wooden spoon
Stand mixer
2 baking sheets
Parchment paper
Pancake turner
Cooling rack
Adult: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Child with Adult: Using a wooden spoon or a stand mixer, cream together the butter, vegan spread, or coconut oil and the two sugars. Child: In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar, stir in the eggs and orange juice, and beat or mix until everything is smooth and well combined. (If you beat by hand, take turns at it—it’s fun.) Stir in the chocolate chips. Child: Drop the dough by tablespoonsful onto the baking sheets, and flatten them slightly with your palm. Keep them about 3 inches apart. Adult: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden. Remove them from the oven, and let them sit a few minutes to cool slightly. Child: When they’re ready, transfer with a pancake turner to a rack to cool.
NOTE: Due to technical issues at KLAA, the majority of hour two was not recorded and we don’t have podcast segments for segments 6-8. The SoCal Restaurant Show apologizes for the inconvenience.
Andy Harris, Executive Producer and Co-host previews the show.
Our own Chef Andrew Gruel, the menu-maker behind the full-service Calico Fish House (in the Sunset Beach area of Huntington Beach) provides another timely and informative pre-Holiday “Ask the Chef” segment where he responds to listeners’ thoughtful inquiries. We’re bringing him on a little early…What’s going on with the rising prices of eggs and beef? Chef Andrew shares his thoughts.
Taco Mesita in Tustin is the effort of third generation chef & restauranter Ivan Calderon (Taco Rosa & Taco Mesa) and his son Nico. “A chef-driven fast-food shop with a wood-fired grill serving gourmet Mexican cuisine with house made everything including freshly pressed blue corn tortillas. This gourmet taco shop with a drive-thru and patio seating offers breakfast, rotisserie chicken, and other Mexican dishes in a casual setting.” Stepping away from the wood-fired grill to join us is 4th generation restaurateur Nico Calderon.
One of the early pioneers in the Temecula Valley in growing wine grapes, producing premium wines and offering deluxe accommodations for guests is Jim Carter of Carter Hospitality. His properties in Temecula include South Coast Winery Resort and Spa and Carter Estate Winery and Resort. Today Jim Carter’s son, Jeff, continues the family legacy. South Coast Winery Resort & Spa and Carter Estate Winery and Resort are truly the diamonds of the Temecula Valley producing a broad portfolio of award-winning wines and providing five-star hospitality. Jeff Carter joins us to uncork all that is Carter Hospitality.
Opened in 1977 by Bernie & Leah (Spielberg) Adler, The Milky Way is a storied, family-owned restaurant located in the heart of the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles. Their New American menu is a celebration of California’s bounty of fresh, seasonal produce and sustainably-sourced seafood, carefully selected and thoughtfully prepared. Now under the ownership of the next generation of Spielbergs, The Milky Way continues to be a gathering place for locals and visitors alike, as well as a tribute to the family’s beloved mother Leah, warmly known as LeeLee. Her adventurous spirit and tireless sense of hospitality imbue everything from the décor to the menus to the way The Milky Way treats their guests—as she would—like family.
For Hanukkah The Milky Way is offering Executive Chef Phil Kastel’s Latke To-Go Kits. It’s a dozen latkes with sour cream and house -made apple compote packaged in The Milky Way’s custom blue tulip boxes. Available from December 25th to January 2nd, 2025. Curbside pickup or order via Milky Way’s site or DoorDash. General Manager Stephanie Wilson is our guide to all the Holiday doings at The Milky Way.
“Acclaimed cookbook author Joan Nathan is the authority on Jewish cooking, heralded as the “queen of American Jewish cooking” (Houston Chronicle) and “the grande dame of Jewish cooking” by the New Yorker.” New books for her this year are a memoir, My Life in Recipes, and A Sweet Year.“My Life in Recipes (Knopf, April 9, 2024) is Joan’s memoir told through food and the recipes that have defined her life. She looks back at her family’s history and shares stories of her childhood in postwar New York and Rhode Island; her years in Paris, New York, Israel, and Washington, DC. Joan has spent decades discovering Jewish cuisine from around the world and redefining Jewish cooking in America—here, she recounts her career as a food writer, as well as her marriage, motherhood, and family celebrations, all told with accompanying recipes to share the nourishment, flavors, and community around food that Joan has cultivated in her life. A Sweet Year (Knopf, November 19, 2024 is an updated version of Joan’s 1987 book The Children’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen, with new recipes, photos, and more, for Joan’s grandchildren’s generation. It covers nine Jewish holidays and includes step-by-step instructions for kids and their families to prepare accessible feasts for celebrating and marking the special occasions.” Joan Nathan takes a break from her ongoing, busy book tour to join us.
All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!
Taco Mesita in Tustin is the effort of third generation chef & restauranter Ivan Calderon (Taco Rosa & Taco Mesa) and his son Nico. “A chef-driven fast-food shop with a wood-fired grill serving gourmet Mexican cuisine with house made everything including freshly pressed blue corn tortillas. This gourmet taco shop with a drive-thru and patio seating offers breakfast, rotisserie chicken, and other Mexican dishes in a casual setting.”
“Featured items include Churro Brioche French Toast; Woodfire Roasted Chicken Taco with roasted chicken on a homemade blue corn tortilla topped with charred corn relish, cabbage, tomatillo, red onion, avocado crema and queso fresco; Breakfast Burrito and Woodfired Elote with corn dipped in a butter brine, topped with thyme, mayo parmesan and house made chili powder.”
Taco Mesita opens at 7:00 a.m. daily.
Stepping away from the wood-fired grill to join us is 4th generation restaurateur Nico Calderon.
One of the early pioneers in the Temecula Valley in growing grapes, producing premium wines and later offering deluxe accommodations for guests is Jim Carter of Carter Hospitality. His properties in Temecula include South Coast Winery Resort and Spa and Carter Estate Winery and Resort. Today Jim Carter’s son, Jeff, continues the family legacy. “South Coast Winery Resort & Spa and Carter Estate Winery and Resort are truly the diamonds of the Temecula Valley producing a broad portfolio of award-winning wines and providing five-star hospitality.” Jeff Carter joins us to uncork all that is Carter Hospitality.
“Situated on 63 lush acres of rolling vineyards in Southern California wine country, South Coast Winery Resort & Spa offers an idyllic setting for a weekend getaway, destination wedding or corporate retreat. With breathtaking vineyard views, flexible indoor and outdoor event space, the finest in farm-to-table California cuisine, award winning wines and a full-service spa, the resort was founded by Jim Carter, who purchased his first vineyards in the Temecula Valley more than 20 years ago. Eventually, Carter was inspired to build the area’s very first full-service winery resort, South Coast, which has since emerged as one of the region’s most acclaimed and popular wineries.”
“Situated on 109 pristine acres, Carter Estate Winery and Resort is an ideal wine country retreat in the beautiful Temecula Valley. One of the state’s preeminent méthode champenoise sparkling wine producers, Carter Estate vineyards produces award-winning wines against the bucolic backdrop of Southern California wine country, with rolling hills, verdant vineyards and mountain vistas. The resort features 60 beautifully designed private bungalows and suites, a luxurious swimming pool with cabanas, a poolside restaurant, a working winery, a private tasting room and in-room spa services.”
“Opened in 1977 by Bernie & Leah (Spielberg) Adler, The Milky Way is a storied, family-owned Kosher Dairy restaurant located in the heart of the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles. Their New American menu is a celebration of California’s bounty of fresh, seasonal produce and sustainably-sourced seafood, carefully selected and thoughtfully prepared. Now under the ownership of the next generation of Spielbergs, The Milky Way continues to be a gathering place for locals and visitors alike, as well as a tribute to the family’s beloved mother Leah, warmly known as LeeLee. Her adventurous spirit and tireless sense of hospitality imbue everything from the décor to the menus to the way The Milky Way treats their guests—as she would—like family.”
For Hanukkah The Milky Way is offering Executive Chef Phil Kastel’s Latke To-Go Kits. It’s a dozen latkes with sour cream and house-made apple compote packaged in The Milky Way’s custom blue tulip boxes. Available from December 25th to January 2nd, 2025. Curbside pickup or order via Milky Way’s site or DoorDash.
On Wednesday December 25th at 6:00 p.m. the first night of Hanukkah, The Milky Way is hosting a Lights & Lakes Dinner with a festive Menorah Lighting. The Hanukkah menu specials feature premium Israeli wine, their soon-to-be famous Latkes, Chef Phil’s seasonal specials, and sufganiyot jelly doughnuts.
General Manager Stephanie Wilson is our guide to all the Holiday doings at The Milky Way.
“Acclaimed cookbook author Joan Nathan is the authority on Jewish cooking, heralded as the “queen of American Jewish cooking” (Houston Chronicle) and “the grande dame of Jewish cooking” by the New Yorker.” New books for her this year are a memoir, My Life in Recipes, and A Sweet Year.
“My Life in Recipes (Knopf, April 9, 2024) is Joan’s memoir told through food and the recipes that have defined her life. She looks back at her family’s history and shares stories of her childhood in postwar New York and Rhode Island; her years in Paris, New York, Israel, and Washington, DC. Joan has spent decades discovering Jewish cuisine from around the world and redefining Jewish cooking in America—here, she recounts her career as a food writer, as well as her marriage, motherhood, and family celebrations, all told with accompanying recipes to share the nourishment, flavors, and community around food that Joan has cultivated in her life.”
“A Sweet Year (Knopf, November 19, 2024) is an updated version of Joan’s 1987 book The Children’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen, with new recipes, photos, and more, for Joan’s grandchildren’s generation. It covers nine Jewish holidays and includes step-by-step instructions for kids and their families to prepare accessible feasts for celebrating and marking the special occasions. Recipes also specify the ingredients, equipment, and steps suitable for children to do by themselves or with adults.”
