A Sweet and Savory Trip to Surfas

I think I've briefly mentioned Surfas on my blog before. Basically, Surfas is like a Toys "R" Us for serious foodies, cooking/baking enthusiasts, and food business professionals. This store was originally only open to food professionals but eventually began opening its doors to the general public, so this culinary fun house caters to business people and everyday, serious cooks alike.

You'll find: imported cheeses, rices, an expansive selection of high quality chocolates, nut flours, packaging supplies, kitchenware (especially commercial),  unusual and common honeys, various savory condiments, fruit powders, cake decorations, flavor/oil extracts, a huge inventory of bakeware, display cases, chef wear, flatware, a bevvy of ethnic cooking ingredients, books, storage, cooking utensils, bulk spices, tea and coffee blends, pastry dough prep, vinegars and oils and much, much more.

I love Sur la Table, but at Surfas, you can order and buy in bulk and you'll find better prices for bulk purchases. Surfas also features a cute, little, quaint cafe, called Cafe Surfas, that serves organic and local dishes and treats. Local classes and workshops for both savory cooking and baking are held at Surfas weekly.

I also think that every city should have a place equivalent to Surfas in town. If you don't, you're missing out. Many people who visit Surfas, both in and out of town, often look for a place like Surfas in different areas.

Surfas is located in the culinary district of downtown Culver City in Los Angeles county. There's so much to see in this corner supply store, from specialty supplies and ingredients to anything you'd want for both savory and sweet recipes. 

 This is one side of Surfas near the street, where the cafe is

I've wanted to snap some photos of Surfas for a good while, but in my previous visits, I was so busy scouting for supplies and ingredients for my baking and cooking adventures, that I forgot to gather images. I also worried about the legal parameters of taking photos in commercial environments. I am still learning about the ins and outs of food photography, and photography and food writing.

Seems to be OK, unless a no-photo policy is specifically listed on a storefront's premises. I finally got a chance to snap photos yesterday, while on break, during a macarons and financiers workshop (I'll be updating on this soon, too). Keep in mind that the photos I've taken display only a smidgen of what's available in the store.

Now that I think about it, I also wish I snapped some photos of the cafe area, if I could have. Next time, I will, if applicable. Click on any of the photos in the set to see larger versions.

So, there you have it -- many of the photos of I got to take at Surfas. Seriously, if you aren't a West L.A native, if you are ever in town and want to do some shopping for food supplies and items, you have to stop by this shop and take a look for yourself and see how grand it is.

Surfas Restaurant Supply & Gourmet Food

8777 W Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232

The shop used to have a dedicated website, but the owners owners of the supply shop also have a storefront in Arkansas under the name of Culinary District. So Surfas Online now redirects to the website for Culinary District. There is still a placeholder on the URL for Surfas: SurfasOnline.com

Baking Adventure 6: Cotton Candy Cupcakes

So, I finally got around to using the LorAnn cotton candy flavoring I wrote about earlier. I decided to do some cotton candy cupcakes, rather than cotton candy cookies.

For the cotton candy cupcakes I decided to make a white and moist cake batter from scratch with vanilla bean paste and a hint of soft pink food color gel (I use Americolor). I wanted to give the white cake mix batter a very subtle pink hue. Very light and very delicate, like white fluffy clouds that were kissed and slightly made to blush.

For the icing, I used a larger drop of pink food color gel so that I got the perfect cotton candy pink to top each cupcake. I used sparkly, irridescent, pink sanding sugar and a small bit of lavender sanding sugar to top each generous swirl of icing on the cupcakes. I added the cotton candy flavoring to both the white cake batter and the icing (a bit more for the icing so that it developed a true cotton candy flavor). I also used vanilla bean paste to enhance both the look and flavor of the icing.

I formerly wrote in a preview, that the smell of the LorAnn cotton candy flavoring oil reminded me of many diferent scents other than cotton candy and that concerned me, but I have to say, once I incorporated it into the cake batter and icing mixture, the true cotton candy fragrance, that we all recognize from carnival grounds and fairs, and the cotton candy taste, came out beautifully and right on target. The smell of a flavoring product is often very concentrated in the bottle, so it is most likely going to smell different than it does when used in a recipe. Keep this in mind from now on when seeking out flavorings and oils for recipes.

I wholeheartedly recommend the LorAnn flavoring oils for any recipes that require a cotton candy flavoring.

These were absolutely delicious.

Here are the results:

 

Another Day for Savory?

Yesterday was rather a busy day in various respects, so I didn't get to making a curry dish or a stir fry like I had planned. However, I stopped by one of my favorite Indian eateries in Marina del Rey.

The place is called Shershah. The owner is extremely nice and I've been going there for years. He recognizes me each time I come in and I love his hospitality. Tonight I ordered some of my usual. He knows that I am a fan of their chicken tikka masala. So I ordered that and a serving of their chicken korma. Of course, basmati rice was part of the complete purchase. I asked for extra of their mint sauce. It's the tastiest sauce and I eat it with the curry and rice dishes, as well as any of their naan breads, among many of their other dishes. The last item I purchased with the total order was stuffed paratha with paneer. The stuffed paratha can be filled with a choice of potatoes, onions or panner (cheese).

Paneer is an Indian or Desi cheese similar to farmer cheese. It's texture can be compared to firm tofu and sometimes it is chopped into cubes. Other times it might be crumbly. I've had paneer in many Indian spinach-based curries (usually recognized by the word saag or palak in the dish's name), but I prefer it in or with naan breads.

I'm not sure what Shershah makes their mint sauce with other mint, obviously. I've never asked outright , but from the taste, I gather that there's definitely a hint of vinegar in there, some lemon juice and a little salt. Additionally, I think there's certainly some cilantro and garlic but the condiment is mostly mint in flavor - tangy, potent, delicious and slightly spicy (probably from chili powder). It's super yummy and I always get tons of it when I go into any Indian restaurant.

I have a good amount of the food left over from tonight. So lunch is taken care of.

I did manage to make some dough for some more cookies. I felt like I wanted to experiment further with a new chocolate cookie recipe. In these cookies, I added (since I have tons of it) Nutella, rum liquor, valrhona cocoa powder, and a chocolate ganache I made from valrhona dark chocolate fèves and heavy cream. The chocolate cookies will have a milk chocolate center so that when people take a bite, they get a mouthful of gooey and rich chocolate cookie core.

I'll post pictures of these later after they are baked. The dough is still chilling in the fridge. Tomorrow, I will do savory. LOL. I promised it, so I shall do it. Stay tuned...

BTW, how can I forget about Shirley O. Corriher? She's the author of the books BakeWise and CookWise. She's a baker, cook, and food scientist with a biochemistry degree (*yay*) who teaches about the how's and why's of cooking - basically the science behind cooking and the use/function/role of many ingredients in recipes.

I have to put her books on my reading list, especially BakeWise.