Midnight supper

MAYBE you went straight from the office to the concert at REDCAT or Disney Hall. Maybe you burned a lot of energy on the dance floor. Maybe the late movie triggered a conversation so intense that it’s still going. For whatever reason, it’s midnight and you’re famished.

Do you dare invite your friends over for a late-night bite? Take a mental inventory. There’s that lovely bottle of wine tucked away from your last trip to wine country -- that’s a good start. But the fridge is bare except for the basics -- eggs, a little yogurt, some ground beef, some cheese and mushrooms. And in the cupboard? The usual pantry staples -- macaroni, spices, garlic and shallots.

Relax. Supper’s in the bag. According to chefs around town known for their late-night menus, a midnight nosh isn’t about complicated flavors or showboating. What satisfies are simple, fun dishes done well.

What do people want to eat late at night?

“I’m not sure you can pick something specifically for late night,” says Jean-Pierre Bosc of Cafe des Artistes and Mimosa. “For some people, it’s the meal you take when you’ve done something different that day. To me, it’s another meal. Because of the way I work, I have dinner and wine and it’s midnight.”

So Bosc’s late-night menu at Cafe des Artistes has something for every circadian rhythm: a grilled hanger steak, a couple of salads, a few pastas, French onion soup.

Late-night diners’ cravings vary widely, agrees Christopher Blobaum of the new Santa Monica restaurant Wilshire -- a full meal, just dessert or an appetizer-sized snack with a nightcap.

At Augustine’s, a jazz, blues and gospel supper club in Leimert Park, owner Dale Baker says of his customers: “They think they’re just going to have appetizers, then the people next to them order the blackened salmon or the jambalaya or the peach cobbler and it looks and smells good -- and it’s a domino effect.” At Boe, the restaurant at the Crescent Hotel in Beverly Hills, “most people want something savory late at night,” says co-executive chef Erik Ritter.

But when they’re cooking for themselves after hours, chefs say, they always keep it simple.

“We look in the fridge and we’re always able to cook something from nothing,” says Bosc.

“Mac ‘n’ cheese is a perfect example. Everybody has a piece of cheese in the refrigerator. You only need two or three ingredients.” Bosc’s macaroni and cheese is tender on the inside with a cheesy crust on top; each spoonful of firm-tender pasta is surrounded by soft, creamy curds. He spikes the dish with a bit of prosciutto.

Cheese is popular way after dark. Many restaurants offer cheese plates on bar and late-night menus, and several of the chefs we spoke to said their late-night snack choice was cheese and a glass of wine. At Boe, Ritter says quesadillas and cheesy dips are popular with folks lounging in front of the fireplace for a few drinks.

But salads and seafood are in demand too. And, like most hotel chefs, Ritter tries to accommodate time-zone-challenged travelers by honoring requests for menu items at whatever time of day the diner craves them. So one of Boe’s appetizers, mini curry burgers, sneaks into the late-night lineup from time to time.

These bite-sized babies make a delicious, super-easy supper. Assemble the elements before you go out -- cumin-spiced ground beef, a simple yogurt sauce, store-bought chutney, some pita bread -- and quickly cook up a batch when you get home. In less than 10 minutes, you’ll have a plate piled high with tiny burgers that hit all the right notes: savory, sweet, hearty and smooth.

When chef David Lentz set out to create a restaurant, one of the things he had in mind was his own late-night supper. “I always wished there was a place I could stop by and get a beer and a glass of Champagne and some oysters,” he says. You can do that at the raw bar at Hungry Cat, Lentz’s Hollywood restaurant where not only fresh oysters but also oyster stew and plates of peel-your-own shrimp are popular.

“You want food that’s fun, that doesn’t take itself too seriously, that you can mix and match. We try to put together less fancy stuff, the kind of food that’s accessible -- but still keeping integrity and using the best ingredients,” Lentz says. And taking the time to do the simplest thing correctly makes a big difference, he adds. That principle applies to the home cook too.

Eggs are a natural for late night, Lentz says. For one thing, they’re a comfort food -- and besides, he adds, “at our house, we never have anything else in the refrigerator anyway.”

But forget omelets. “An omelet has to be perfect or it’s really not that good,” Lentz says. So unless you’ve it down pat, make a frittata instead. It’s more forgiving -- and more flexible.

“A frittata’s just easier to cook. We do them for staff meals right before service. You can wrap it up and it’s good a few hours later. Or you can eat it cold. You could make one late at night and have leftovers for lunch the next day.”

Lentz’s frittata is made with mushrooms -- any mix of wild and domestic will do -- and a generous dose of thinly sliced shallots and garlic. Once you’ve sliced the mushrooms and shallots, it comes together and cooks in minutes. Pecorino cheese and a bit of creme fraiche provide just enough body to hold the eggs and vegetables in a rustic pie shape.

Cut into wedges and served with a glass of white wine, it’s just the thing -- homey enough to soothe the soul after the bright lights and big deals of the day, sophisticated enough to send your guests home feeling beautifully taken care of.

*

Mini curry burgers with chutney and dipping sauce

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6 (makes 12 burgers)

Note: From Boe at the Crescent

Hotel. Sumac is available at Indian and Middle Eastern markets.

Yogurt dipping sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seed

1 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ketchup

Small pinch sumac

1. Toast the mustard seed in a small skillet over low heat, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

2. Mix together the yogurt, lemon, ketchup and sumac, then add the warm seeds. Chill before serving.

Curry burgers and assembly

1/4 yellow onion, chopped

1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped

3 to 4 tablespoons cilantro leaves

1 pound ground beef (80% lean)

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons mango, apple or other fruit chutney

12 small mint leaves

3 pita breads

Yogurt dipping sauce

1. In a food processor, add the onion, jalapeno and cilantro and pulse a couple of times.

2. Place the ground beef in a bowl and add the onion mixture. Add the curry powder, cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg and salt. Mix completely. Divide into 12 patties. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.

3. Grill the burgers to desired doneness, about 2 minutes per side for medium.

4. Place each burger on a slightly toasted round of pita bread cut out with a 2 1/4 -inch cookie cutter. Top with a spoonful of chutney and a mint leaf. Top with a second piece of bread and pass the dipping sauce.

Each serving: 287 calories; 18 grams protein; 29 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 11 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 47 mg. cholesterol; 430 mg. sodium.

*

Macaroni and cheese

Total time: 35 minutes

Servings: 6

Note: From Jean-Pierre Bosc of

Cafe des Artistes and Mimosa

1/2 pound elbow macaroni

1/4 cup (2 ounces) thinly sliced prosciutto

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups milk

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Salt, pepper

1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

1. Cook the macaroni in plenty of salted water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and cool.

2. Mix together the prosciutto, cream, milk, Parmesan and nutmeg. Add the macaroni and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Spoon into a 11- by 7 1/2 -inch baking dish. Sprinkle grated Swiss cheese over the top.

4. Bake at 400 degrees until the cheese is lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. For a crustier top, place the dish under a broiler for a few minutes.

Each serving: 385 calories; 14 grams protein; 32 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 23 grams fat; 23 grams saturated fat; 82 mg. cholesterol; 299 mg. sodium.

*

Wild mushroom frittata

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Note: From David Lentz at the Hungry Cat

12 eggs

3/4 cup creme fraiche, divided

1 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups thinly sliced shallots (about 5 to 6)

6 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 cups cleaned, sliced

mushrooms, wild if available, such as chanterelles or

morels (cultivated types such as cremini may be combined or substituted)

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon chopped chives

Sea salt

1. Whisk together the eggs, one-fourth cup creme fraiche and the cheese until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter and heat until the butter bubbles but is not yet turning brown. Add the shallots and garlic and cook over medium to medium-low heat until tender and beginning to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Stir the egg mixture to recombine, then pour it over the mushroom mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Use a rubber spatula to even out and distribute the mushroom-shallot mixture. Cook until the bottom is set and the edges begin to shrink a little, about 5 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, set the oven rack at least 6 inches away from the broiler and heat the broiler.

5. When the bottom is set, finish the frittata by broiling briefly until the top is just set, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not brown.

6. Remove the frittata from the oven and loosen it from the pan with a spatula. To serve, cut into wedges and top each with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped chives and sea salt.

Each of 6 servings: 378 calories; 24 grams protein; 14 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 26 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 461 mg. cholesterol; 504 mg. sodium.