Laduree London

Anyone who’s ever visited the oh-so-French Laduree in Paris (I prefer Laduree Place de la Madeleine) has doubtless never forgotten the experience; the elegant dining room where beautifully dressed ladies in pearls, squeezed in like shimmering sardines in a tin,  nibble petite morsels of perfectly executed food between sips of sancerre while pretending not to notice the supermodel who just plucked a succulent maron glacee from a large pile on the counter.  Laduree London, nestled at the rear of Harrod’s (turn left at Krispy Kreme), while not presenting the quite same frappe as it’s Continenental sisters, still delivers an utterly charming experience.  Imagine, sitting in a sun-drenched (Yes, we had sun that day!) window, with a glass of Marsanne, crusty bread, and the quintessential French omelette with morrels or perhaps a delicious sandwich consisting of a chopped salad of arugula (rocket), sun dried tomato, black olive,  parmesan, courgette, aubergine, and olive oil layered between fresh mozzarella on toast with perfect frites stacked like Lincoln logs.  Heaven! 

St. Pancras Station, London

After a long and exhausting plane ride to Heathrow, we finally arrive at St. Pancras Train Station for our voyage to Derbyshire and the Peak District.  St. Pancras has been thouroughly redone (for a cool $100 million)  and is magnificent as the new departure point for the Eurostar.  Many delightful and interesting shops line the interior of the station .  I particularly loved the rustic cheese and produce market that reminded me of Oxbow in Napa.  There, the delighted shopkeep was thrilled that I knew what Stichelton Cheese was.  Having only read of it, this attempt to return to Stilton’s roots via unpasteurized milk was an exciting find.  The flavors are far more complex than Stilton…More earthy, sweet, with a complicated finish that left a distinct taste of the pasture on one’s tongue.  I was blown away.  As eventuallly the jetlag overtook us, we settled in for a plate of creamy, welcoming scrambled eggs, English mushrooms, and whole grain toast washed down with bracing latte.  This was going to be a perfect trip…

Dinner was a Smash Success!

We started dinner at 8:00 and ended at Midnight! It was one of those dreamy evenings where every course was just as I imagined it. But by far the star of the show was the egg ravioli. It was perfect: My homemade pasta, the freshest sheep milk ricotta infused with lemon, lemon thyme, nutmeg, and the egg all glistening with a butter/truffle sauce. Cutting into the ravioli released the unctous yolk which then cooked slightly in the butter sauce to create a gentle custard that begged for a crust of bread to lift it to everyone’s watering mouths. One of the guests, my upstairs neighbor, actually wiped away a tear upon cutting into it, a memory I shall never forget!

Truffle Dinner Tonight

Tonight, we are hosting a dinner for an executive from an investment company and her world-travelling explorer husband.  They always take us out to the best restos on expense,  but insist that they come to our house for dinner because they love the experience.  Tonight we have settled on a truffle dinner focuses around a large, aromatic black truffle from Perigord, France, purchased at Andrew’s Cheese shop on Montana Ave, in Santa Monica.  The menu is as follows:

Goat Cheese and Balsamic Onion Toasts with Champagne

Roast Cauliflower Soup with Truffle

Ravioli with Sheep’s Milk Ricotta and Egg in Truffle Butter

White Salad of Shaved Fennel and Artichoke

Grilled Haloumi and Roast Potatoes

Cheese Course

Deconstructed Black Forest Cake

 

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl5326KuGBc]

Welcome to Toddrickallen!

This blog is about presenting you, the reader, with the finest  in vegetarian living.  Based in Los Angeles, together we will travel the world in search of the absolute best in dining, fashion, and lifestyle.  Offering tips, recipes, addresses, and information, Toddrickallen is your passport to best the world has to offer.