Page 32 November 2011 p j b Dark Chocolate-Dipped Dates & Date-Nut Truf fl es 4-oz. unsweetened baker’s chocolate bar (e.g., Hershey’s, Ghirardelli, Valrhona, or Sharffen Berger), broken or chopped into ½- to 1-inch pieces 1 lb. of date-coconut rolls* 1 cup unsweetened, sul fi te free shredded coconut 1 cup dry toasted or roasted shelled, unsalted pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios, or hazelnuts (you can use two or three different kinds) Line one or more rimmed baking sheets with foil wrappings from the chocolate, unbleached parchment paper, or a nonstick bake liner. Melt chocolate in a double boiler over hot but not boiling water or in a small saucepan over very low heat. If using a gas range and a saucepan, slip a heat de fl ector under the pan to keep heat low. When mostly melted, turn heat to warm. Arrange whole or crushed nuts and coconut in small bowls. Cut date rolls in half. Roll each half into a ball or shape into two small squares. (If you use walnuts or hazelnuts, after toasting, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel and roll the towel back and forth to loosen the bitter skins. Remove the nuts). Add four to six date squares or balls to the melted chocolate. Using two spoons turn the pieces in the chocolate one at a time to coat. Drip excess chocolate back into the pan. For square pieces: Transfer a chocolate- coated date square to the prepared sheet. Press a whole nut or nut half on top or sprinkle with several pine nuts. For round pieces: Transfer a chocolate- coated date ball to a small bowl of coarsely chopped, toasted nuts or unsweetened, fl aked coconut. Using two clean spoons lift the nut meal or coconut over the ball and turn to coat. Transfer to the prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining date-coconut pieces. Refrigerate or freeze until fi rm before serving. Cover when cooled and refrigerate or freeze for up to four months. Freeze for at least 48 hours before packing for gift giving. Transport to parties and events in a cooler with ice packs. *Look for date-coconut rolls in natural foods stores or over the Internet. They’re made from dried, pitted dates put through a grinder twice, rolled in sul fi te-free, unsweetened coconut, and shaped into logs. Or, to make your own date-coconut rolls: Pulverize soft pitted (dried) dates in a food processor, adding warm water a tablespoon at a time as needed to create a cookie dough texture. Add 1/2 cup unsweetened sul fi te-free coconut per half pound of pitted dates. Omit coconut if you’re allergic. Form into 1-oz. logs. Source: The Garden of Eating: A Produce- Dominated Diet & Cookbook Rachel Albert & Don Matesz. Teaching is this cook’s top passion By Jessica Abercrombie Reduced to the most basic ingredients, Rachel Albert’s passion involves spreading her knowledge of food. “I want to save people years of fumbling around trying diets that don’t work,” she said. “I want to be the coach and guide that I would have wanted to have.” Growing up with a busy single mom, Albert perfected the art of serving herself out-of-the-box meals, fostering poor eating habits. “Now, I really crave those family meals where everyone sits down to eat together at 6 o’clock,” she said. “Everybody’s hungry for connection and for me, this is my connection.” Albert, who has lived in Arcadia for eight years, owned her own restaurant in Seattle for a year. She decided, however, that her satisfaction came from sharing the art, science and love of food. “I would rather teach people so they can eat healthy day-to-day rather than have to rely on me in a restaurant setting,” she said. “I get just as much joy out of watching people eat as I do making the food myself.” Albert teaches about 75 cooking classes a year and dons a variety of such food- related titles as chef, cooking instructor and healthy-cooking coach. She said that of all the people she has encountered in the food industry, one of the best taste testers has been her 9-year- old neighbor. “She loves to come over and cook, and she isn’t afraid to try new things,” she said. “Sometimes she pretends we are on a cooking show together. Continued on page 36 Rachel Albert

Page 33 November 2011 Places Continued from page 31 Milan: Where rice became great risotto By Gabe Bertaccini It was in Milan where the rice met its delicious destiny. Milan had been under Spanish rule for almost two centuries (hence the similar evolution of paella in Spain), and rice had become a staple. Slow-cooking also dominated the culinary landscape of the region, with Ossobucco a long-held favorite. Fast-forward to the year 1574. Continued on page 34 salad, fried okra or a chilled bean salad. Desserts stand in the wings waiting to get on stage. Next door DeMarco opened Churn, a homemade ice cream shop and bakery, offering different tastes of ice cream and other marvelous sweet wonders. DeMarco is anxious to see how his customers like each new dish, the new drinks, and the reinvented location. I’d say he’s coming into his own at the Windsor, always with con fi dence and attention to details. He’s quick to see what does or doesn’t work. Windsor is more than just another neighborhood restaurant. Come at 8 p.m. and the dining room may be mostly empty. Later on, it’s larger parties (one guy and seven women?) drinking and dining the night away. The staff is friendly and attentive, full of energy and enthusiasm for the changes taking place. Actresses, maybe, but they also know their stuff. Ordering is fairly free-form. You could just have charcuterie or simply an array of appetizers and stop there. But if you want something more substantial, the main courses are very much in the comfort zone. The Brown Bag Chicken sandwich is one of them. Pulled chicken over dried tomatoes, toasted hazelnuts and herbs topped with avocado, watercress and green-goddess goat cheese. It has a nice crunch, and did I mention it is served cold. A classic pastrami Reuben with sauerkraut, Emmenthaler cheese and Russian dressing on toasted marble rye bun also is on the list. Good, simple and full of fl avor. If you are more of a fi sh person, then you can order the Banh Mi White Fish sandwich, a grilled white fi sh with a honey-soy glaze, carrots, cucumber and cilantro with spicy mayo. 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