Mo-CHiCa Los Angeles

This summer has flown by. I've spent almost as much time on the road as I've spent in NY.  My last trip was a two week stretch in Los Angeles.  I was not that impressed with most of what I ate out there but I did encounter a few gems.  The lovely Peruvian restaurant Mo-CHiCa was a pleasant surprise after days of bland eats.  Mrs. C and I met up after work and decided to wander 7th street until we came across something desirable. The menu looked promising so we took a chance. The restaurant was well decorated and had a laid back breezy feel.  We were famished so we quickly decided what we wanted to try.  We started with the Causa de Cangrejo.

A refreshing blend of aji amarillo mashed potatoes, fresh crab and avocado.  Although the flavors were lively and bold, I was disappointed the the mashed potatoes were cold.  The Ceviche Carretillero was fantastic!

The fresh slices of sea bass were swirled with leche de tigre, red onion and yuzo.  As our meal went on, each dish was better than the last.  When the Arroz con mariscos arrived, the aroma alone made me salivate.

The Peruvian seafood paella was flavorful, spicy and pretty much perfect.  The rice was cooked just right and although it looked soggy, I was pleasantly surprised. It tasted even better when you mixed in the red onions.  Our last dish was the Paiche.

This Amazonian fish from Peru is served on top of a bed of ajiaco de arroz and cherry tomato escabeche. It had a lot more spice than the paella. The fish was firm so it didn't crumble but it was still tender.  The rice tasted different than the paella, it was more like a spicy stewed rice.  Although we were truly satisfied with everything we ate, we couldn't resist dessert.

The Alfajores were fantastic!  These Peruvian cookies are shortbread cookies sandwiched around dulce de leche.  The other sandwich was made of chocolate ganache. They were dusted with powdered sugar.  Amazing!! The cookies were rich and just what we needed to end the meal.

Mo-Chica was a delicious experience. Each dish was perfectly flavored and they built on each other as each dish arrived.  I wish I could have gone back again to try some of the other dishes that caught my eye.  No worries, I'll be back in LA soon enough.

Hungry yet?

Twiks Bars

To close out our fantabulous dinner spectacular, we made dessert! Earlier in the week, Bestie sent this recipe for Twiks bars. My mouth instantly began to water.  The recipe is really quite brilliant and for the most part easy to execute.  

Ingredients

For the shortbread crust:

12 ounces (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced, plus more for greasing the baking dish

15 ounces all-purpose flour

3 ounces sugar

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

For the caramel layer:

10 ounces sugar

4 ounces water

3 ounces heavy cream

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

For the chocolate layer:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 ounces unsalted (¾ stick) butter, diced

We started by making the shortbread crust…which we actually made before the Thai Mussels. First, preheat the oven to 350˚F. And line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and knead the ingredients until the dough comes together. (The original recipe suggests a paddle attachment mixer, but since I don’t bake often I don’t have one. Turns out my hands work just fine!)  

Transfer the dough to the baking dish and press into an even layer. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.

The most challenging part was making the caramel layer. Combine the sugar and water in a small, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil for 11 to 13 minutes, or until caramelized. The sugar will be fragrant and a deep amber color when it is caramelized. Remove the pan from the heat and dip the bottom into an ice water bath for a second or two.  Literally, only for a second or two.  Bestie and I got a little eager so we put it in the water again which was a mistake.  The caramel was all of a sudden hard and we had to take some time to heat it up again so it would melt.

After dipping it in water for a second, slowly stir in the cream and butter and then stir in the rock salt. Pour the caramel over the shortbread and spread evenly. Let cool to room temperature. I have to say I looooved licking the extra caramel out of the pot. I could eat caramel all day!

The last step, making the chocolate layer was pretty easy. I melt chocolate all the time; I could probably do it in my sleep.  Combine the chocolate and butter in a bowl and place the bowl over a small pan of simmering water.  Keep stirring until the chocolate melts. Pour the chocolate mixture over the caramel layer and spread evenly. Let cool for a couple of hours, or until set.  Okay I lied the caramel wasn’t the hardest part.  Waiting for it to set took forever!!

Once they were finally set, we lifted the parchment paper onto a cutting board. Cutting the bars was easy using a hot knife.

OMG the bars tasted amaaaazing! Everything from the shortbread to the caramel and the chocolate. It was the perfect combination! Actually, and this is tough to say, but I liked it more than the real Twix bars!  Hats off to Hungry Cravings for this special treat and a big thanks to my Bestie for bring so much cheer that weekend :)

Hungry yet?