Minted Raspberry & Rose Jam

2 cups fresh or frozen & thawed raspberries
1 cup Elixir of Damascan Rose—This is a non-alcoholic natural floral infusion found in a good liquor store like Barkeeper in Silverlake. You can also boil rose petals with sugar and water, but you’ll have to play around with the amount. Also note, bottled Rose Water will probably not be potent enough to work for this.
2 sprigs of fresh mint
zest from 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pouch liquid pectin

Directions: Bring the Elixir of Damascan Rose, the raspberries, the lemon zest and vanilla extract to a boil. Let simmer over low heat for about 10-15 minutes until the raspberries cook down. Add the mint and let simmer another 10 minutes. Remove the mint. Add the pouch of liquid pectin and bring to a rolling boil while constantly stirring. Stir constantly for one minute. Remove from heat and immediately pour into sterilized jars (this made 2 small jars as pictured). Let cool and refrigerate.

*This is so delicious you can eat it with a spoon out of the jar, but I recommend putting it over vanilla bean ice cream or serve along side something rich and decadent like a molten chocolate cake.

DETAILS:
Damien Hirst: The Complete Spot Paintings
January 12-February 10, 2012
Gagosian
456 North Camden Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Hours: Tues-Sat 10am-6pm
Click here for information on other locations

The menu features classics like the old fashioned, served on a silver tray adorned with an array of colorful accoutrements, proving they are as serious about the drinks as the gorgeous David Collins decor. Though, the standout is surely their iconic martini—ceremoniously presented table side on an art deco trolley, then crafted by a white gloved mixologist.

But, your Bond fantasy ends here. At The Connaught, the martinis are always stirred, never shaken.

NOTE: The Connaught Hotel is a five star ultra luxurious hotel built in 1897 and revamped in 2008. If you are looking for one of the best hotels in London, look no further, but the average nightly rate will run you about $600.

A Mr. & Mrs. Smith recommended property, this hotel has recently undergone a £20m renovation and offers a unique townhouse experience better than even the comforts of home (I was pleasantly surprised to find an American plug in our room). The decor is stunning—fashionable and elegant, a place you wish you could afford to live until the end of time. We experienced two different rooms (they were so kind as to upgrade us the last night) and I highly recommend the Deluxe. While both spoil you with fine linens, bathrobes, complimentary wireless and a modern bathroom, the Superior room was a bit small (my only gripe), while the Deluxe room was ironically, superior. The Afternoon Tea looked sophisticated, booming and was unfortunately booked (make advanced reservations), but we did partake in the “Great British Breakfast,” which, while a bit pricey (with the exchange rate), was the perfect way to begin our first morning. And while you never really need to leave, this is in fact, London. So, take a step out your door, you’re only moments from Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, Knightsbridge and my favorite Indian restaurant ever.

Oh wait, can you hear it? That old familiar sound of London calling. Glad I have a place to stay.

NOTE: I previously wrote about The Cranley hotel in South Kensington, and I still highly recommend it, especially if you need a more affordable option. To compare the two, The Cranley has a more bed & breakfast feel, while The Kensington offers a full hotel experience (i.e. restaurant, bar, concierge, masseuse).

DISCOUNT: Tablet Hotels is offering 20% off The Kensington through February. Click here for the offer.

My friends were right—the jamón imbérico was “to die,” the tomato bread is an affair I will never get over and the people all looked like models minus the LA “tude.” Our hotel, the Murmuri, was everything I had hoped—boutique and luxurious and perfectly located. But, as we re-tell the story, the pièce de résistance, among all things was a tour. Shocking, as I hate tours. Not this one.

I found the private tour company Hi, This is Barcelona in the comments of the travel section of the New York Times online. I was concerned about my flagging relationship with the Spanish language and thought the only way to avoid the utter humiliation of a tour bus, was a one-on-one experience. Hi, This is Barcelona was started by a Californian who moved to Barcelona over a decade ago and offers a completely customizable experience for those looking for a hands-on, throw away the guide book intimacy with this city. I debated on a tapas tour, but confident in my ability to choose great restaurants (even abroad), I looked for something outside my area of expertise, and thus booked the “Undiscovered Corners of the Barrio Gotico” (the Gothic Quarter). If you happened to have an American friend who had lived in Barcelona for years, knew the history inside and out, happily answered all of your questions with patience and humor, then took you to tapas after (“where the locals go”) not because you paid for it, but because she likes you–THIS was that experience and our “friend” was named Nancy. We wondered down the cobblestone streets, inside the La Boqueria Market, feasting our eyes on the most incredible produce I’ve ever seen and stopping for a glass of wine in between history lessons and tapas. €209 got us four hours of the best time we spent in Barcelona.

And, though they couldn’t pull off the impossible—dinner reservations at Tickets, Ferran Adria’s latest and greatest, they did book us a table at a hidden and quaint “hole in the wall gem” called Montiel in the Born neighborhood. ¡Salud!

CROSBY BAR: I’m in LOVE with Firmdale hotels. They represent everything I want to be—sophisticated, charming and fabulously British. Until two years ago, you had to travel to London to spend the night in such luxury, so when the Crosby Street Hotel opened in New York, I had to visit.  Sadly, it has continued to be about $250 more per night than many of the other upscale boutique hotels. Though I could not justify the price of their rooms, we stopped by for a nightcap at The Crosby Bar to see what all the fuss is about. We made fast friends with the mixologist, sipping our carefully crafted “Tigers Eye” and “Devils Advocate,” taking in the whimsical design by Kit Kemp. The perfect place for romance or a secret rendezvous, it was every bit as stylish as I had hoped.

EATALY: It’s been rumored for a while now that Los Angeles is getting an Eataly, Mario Batali’s monstrosity of a marketplace that opened less than a year ago in New York (we’re waiting…). This is a one stop shop for all your Italian cooking needs and cravings that includes restaurants, groceries, gelateria, imported meats and cheeses, beer and wine and so much more.  We ate Neapolitan pizza at La Pizza, and while it was amazing, the surprising standout was the shaved asparagus with fava bean, pecorino and mint. And, just like everyone else in New York, yes, they deliver. How’s that for having the world at your fingertips?

DBGB KITCHEN: If you want to have the Daniel Boulud experience with a more relaxed vibe, head over to his downtown brasserie, where you can nosh on a variety of 14  house made sausages, but still be wowed by more refined dishes like the Asparagus and Fried Egg Salad with Duck Cracklins and Mustard Egg Dressing, Sauteed Burgundy Snails or Escalope of Chatham Cod. The place is packed on Friday night, only adding to the notion that you are out on the town. Use the waiting time to peruse the culinary quotes on the wall, while you sip a craft beer or Pear Sidecar.

DOUBLE CROWN: Though it opened in 2008, I have to give props to the restaurant where my food loving sister-in-law moonlights as a waitress. The fare is British Empire fused with Southeast Asian, which means you can expect to find Steamed Mussels in a Coconut Broth, Miso Glazed Bone Marrow with orange-olive marmalade, and an Apple, Lotus and Lily Bulb Salad. The Sunday Nonya dinner is a must—a progressive 7 course family style tasting menu that celebrates a sampling of all the menu flavors. Don’t have quite that big an appetite? Stop by for cocktails and appetizers—it’s equally as fabulous.

Alexander McQueen was known for many things in the fashion industry—among them, being unapologetic for his passion. I had not studied his collections nor had I read a single word about his life, but from the moment I stepped into the first room of “his house,” I was transported…sad, even, that I had not appreciated this young, brilliant talent before he took his own life.

As I moved from room to room, I started to realize that his inspiration wasn’t just some “out there” attempt at getting attention, but rather a much deeper, mad genius take on historical events, nature and above all, finding the beautiful in the ugly.  At one point, the score from Schindler’s List began against a video installation and the air became haunted and melancholy. Sure, his costumes were breathtaking, but bravo to the Met for a brilliant job of setting the perfect mood. Now, if only I could afford that Sarabande dress from spring/summer 2007 decked out in silk and fresh flowers…

“There is no way back for me now. I am going to take you on journeys you’ve never dreamed were possible.” -Alexander McQueen

NOTE: Alexander McQueen, Savage Beauty is now showing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and was recently extended through August 7, 2011. If you can’t make the exhibit, you can still purchase the book.

TIP—if you go on a weekend, prepare to stand in line for tickets. You can avoid lines by becoming a member, which only cost $20 more than 2 tickets. Support the arts, avoid the lines-nuff said.

Part work; part pleasure, I had one week in New York City, and plenty of time to experience some of the newer places I’d heard so much about. But, let’s start at the beginning. The hotel, the hotel!

Luxury boutique hotel living has become a lifestyle. So much so that there’s even a new home furnishing line out to help you create the same feel at home—see Hotel Maison. My point? Hotel decor is important. And the Mondrian Soho has done everything right.

I’m a little biased to blue and white…it’s calm and orderly, the antithesis of my
life lately. Add to it crystal water glasses (so much chicer than a paper cup), the
inspirational quote on the bed, the Help Remedies, the iPad at your service, and it made leaving one of the more depressing days of my life. If that wasn’t enough, floor to ceiling windows covered the entire front wall, capturing a view that leaves you breathless and in love with one of the greatest cities in the world.

And that view expanded into the bathroom, where you can shower as you watch passersby stroll in and out of Derek Lam across the street. Can they see me? Oh, who cares! This is New York!

Mondrian Soho.  9 Crosby Street.  New York, NY 10013.  212-389-1000

First things first. You must always have the right outfit, or in this case, be outfitted with
the right barware. Case in point— Cocktail Cups by Charles Schumann. I bought six.

If you are going to make me a [insert gin,vodka] tonic, please make it with Fever-Tree Tonic Water. Seriously, it really is the only tonic worth drinking.

Bitters makes everything better, and Bar Keeper has the biggest and best selection—which you will definitely need if you try to attempt any of these cocktail recipes .

I need a lesson from Marcos Tello, the mixologist behind some of LA’s finest bars i.e. The Edison, First & Hope. Pictured here, my special request at First & Hope for a drink similar to their former Blackberry Cobbler. This one was infused with rosemary—spectacular!

And finally, it’s five o’clock somewhere. Cheers, people!

Suzanne Griswold and Rachael Narins have made quite a splash within the food circles of LA. They are Chicks with Knives. Not only are they the creative force behind some of the city’s best secret dinners and cooking classes, but they specialize in pickles, often popping up in off beaten locations to blanket our town with their perishable canned goods (see also bacon jam—sinful).

It was a Sunday morning at Surfas, and I was ready to soak up as much info as I could, with visions of my perfectly packaged jars of pickles (à la Martha Stewart) ready to hand out to neighbors next Christmas. Well, the first hour alone was worth any price hesitation. Rachael gave us a very thorough run down of methods, common misconceptions (you shouldn’t pickle with your own homemade vinegar, and to think that was next on my list), and her favorite resources (The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich).

We partnered off and each got to make at least two different recipes, though we got to take home some of everything. My partner and I tried Classic Garlic-Dill Pickles and Spicy Mexican-Style Pickled Carrots & Jalapeño. Not only did we leave with new-found skills and seven jars of pickles, we also got a goodie bag filled with a canning kit, pickling spice and all the recipes. For more info on Chicks with Knives and to find out about their next pickling class, sign up for their newsletter. Here is a little peak:

Always start any recipe with beautiful fresh produce-preferably when someone else has done the shopping!

Pickling spice can be purchased or you can make your own (my preferred method)–luckily we got to take some home in our goodie bag.

We made quick, refrigerator pickles, which is very different and way less complicated than fermented pickles. Who knew! *See below for recipe courtesy of Chicks with Knives

I’m fast friends with anybody who understands the joy of pretty packaging and labeling!

The gorgeous goods: Spicky Mexican-Style Pickled Carrots & Jalapeño—Traditionally served as a condiment with Mexican food, but try chopping and adding to a green salad with sliced zucchini and crumbled feta cheese.

Kimchi-all I can say is WOW. A-mazing. And…a very clever tip, add in cold chicken stock, carrots and bean sprouts and serve as a chilled soup. Yes, I think I will.

Classic Garlic-Dill Pickles (Courtesy of Chicks with Knives)
Yields: 6 cups

1 pounds Kirby cucumbers
1 pound onions, sliced thin
2 tbsp salt
2 cups white sugar
6 each garlic clove
2 tsp pickling spice
2 tsp dill seed
4 cups white vinegar (1 liter)
1 cup dill weed sprigs

Slice the cucumbers thin. Layer in to a colander with the onions and sprinkle each layer with salt. Let stand for one to three hours (Note-we only let them stand about 15 minutes in the class and they still turned out great).

Rinse well.

Place the sugar, garlic, spices and vinegar in to a large non-reactive pan (such as stainless steel). Do NOT add the fresh dill. Bring to a boil. Add the cucumbers. Return to a boil and turn off the heat.

Pack the vegetables and fresh dill in to sterilized jars. Top with vinegar. Cool and seal.

Will be ready to eat in one or two days, but best about a week later. Will keep for a month in the fridge.