More Mario

Wines:
Stefano Farina Barolo 2001
Robert Sinsky Vin Gris of Pinot Noir 2005
Melville 2001 Syrah

In the Babo Cookbook Cathy spotted a recipe for a Goat Cheese Torta. It is made from goat cheese, a pesto made with mint and parsley, and fig jam. It is layered and very good. One great advantage, beyond its delicious taste, is that it lasts for several weeks in the refrigerator. We purchased the Fig Jam at The Cheese Store of Silverlake. It is the best Fig Jam we have ever had; it is imported from France and named: Matin des Pyrenees. Wow!

Bea joined us for dinner. We decided to grill Veal Chops using Mario Batali – The Babbo Cookbook recipe: Veal Chop Joe’s with Chanterelles, Roasted Garlic and Campari. We had never made this recipe before. Chanterelles are available at the Hollywood Farmers Market and it was a perfect fit. I purchased the veal chops from Gus Meats and he sold us the “Spago Chops” which were very thick double cut veal chops! Usually veal has a bland taste, but these chops were fabulous. We even had a couple left over.

Our friends, Joy and Brenda, who live in Napa, had told us of a Fresh Fig Upside-Down Cake from LA Times. Since it is fig season, we decided to make it.
The cake turned out to be great. It keeps well in the refrigerator and is great when it is zapped in the microwave for 1 minute. It was great of them to turn us on to the cake.

Fig Upside-Down Cake

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1/3 cup Melted Butter
1/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
5 – 6 (or more) ripe figs cut lengthwise into ½ inch slices
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
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1 1/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons backing powder
½ teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup softened butter
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 egg

Pour melted butter into bottom of 8-inch-square baking pan.
Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over bottom of pan
Arrange fig slices in single layer over bottom of pan (cut side down!)..
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons pine nuts into spaces around figs pressing into brown sugar.
Set aside.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Add softened butter, milk, vanilla, lemon zest and egg. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes, scraping side of bowl. Stir in remaining pine nuts.
Pour over figs in baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees about 40 minutes or until cake tests done in center.
Cool in pan about 5 minutes.
Loosen cake around edges of pan.
Place serving platter over cake and turn over.
Shake gently, then remove pan.

We modified the recipe by mixing all pine nuts into batter. Also, instead of slicing figs in slices, we simply sliced in half.