Hedonia

The Eatsdropper is a pork-atarian

2009-07-11T19:01:31-07:00

Is it just me, or are the stone fruit off the freaking hook this year? It is summer's greatest gift, and also one of it's greatest poignancies, as the season is all too short, and soon we'll be left with just the sweet, juicy, sticky memories. Thanks to my diligent Eatsdroppers, another ephemeral thing is forever preserved; here's a summer crop. As always, send in your most delectable overheard morsels to eatsdropper-at-seantimberlake-dot-com. Cheers!

Cashier: "That will be $(Price of FroYo). Do you have your loyalty card?"
Customer: "Loyalty card? I'm not even loyal to my wife."
Cashier: " ... "
Customer: *Laughs* *walks out*

- Eatsdropped by Jordan at YoCup

Waspy, middle-aged woman talking to waspy, middle-aged man:
"So there we were at this wedding and Bob Hope was there. And on the other side of the fence they were giving a naked cooking class."

- Eatsdropped by Cranky at the Marin Civic Center Farmers Market

Between two men in line:
"Wait, so your dog is getting raw, organic meat for dinner and you're getting Domino's?"

- Eatsdropped by EB at Jeffrey's Raw Pet Foods

Woman, to her friend:
"Tarian? Yes, I'm a tarian, a pork-atarian"

- Eatsdropped by Elise at a Michael Pollan lecture

Female tourist: "What are you going to order?"
Male tourist: "Macchiato."
Female tourist: "What's in a macchiato?"
Male tourist: "It has caramel."

-Eatsdropped by Mary at Blue Bottle Coffee

Guy at meat department: "You can use this steak for sandwiches or tacos."
Female customer: "Do I look Mexican?!"

- Eatsdropped by Alex at Whole Foods Market

Workman, remodeling a kitchen:
"He brought his trophy wife. And let me tell you, she wasn't winning no contests."

- Eatsdropped by Elise, in said kitchen

Woman to friend helping her move: "There's bacon-topped donuts in the dining room."
Friend: "Oh, that's ... not right."

- Eatsdropped by yours truly in Noe Valley

Clambake!

2009-07-03T14:03:09-07:00

Ah, the Fourth of July, the quintessential summer holiday. For most, this day means sweltering midday sun followed by a balmy night with a spectacular fireworks display; the smell of burgers sizzling on over the coals commingled with the acrid smoke from sparklers.

But here in San Francisco, as with most things, it's different. In nearly 20 years living here, I could count the number of fog-free Fourths on one hand that has lost digits from a temperamental firecracker. I can scarcely remember the last time I actually saw fireworks on the Fourth, as opposed to eerie colorful glowing fog.

But that's okay; I like our quirky, often blustry weather, and wouldn't trade it for the oppressive heat and humidity of the other coast for all the Roman candles made in China. Still, I do find myself occasionally pining for nostalgic tastes of the Northeast. Last year, I finally sated my craving for lobster rolls. This year, on a recent visit to my mother's place in San Diego, we undertook another New England classic, the clambake.

Or at least, a home-ready version of one. True clambakes are typically cooked on the beach, in large pots lined with seaweed over smoldering embers from a bonfire, served by dumping the entire booty across a table covered in newsprint. Gluttony ensues.

So, sure, the stovetop version may lack that rustic charm, but you also get less sand in your teeth this way. It is no less satisfying for a summer supper, and is every bit the crowd pleaser. We took a cue from a relation back east and created individually bundled serving, wrapped in cheesecloth.

The art of the clambake, if you can call it such, is in the layering. You want to put your hardiest ingredients, such as potatoes and carrots, at the bottom, where they will cook directly in boiling liquid; your clams will be at the top, where they can gently steam.

To formalize this with measurements would be like putting on a tux at the beach. Typical ingredients include potatoes, carrots and corn in the vegetable category, some kind of sausage and even chicken, plus lobster, mussels and, of course, clams. We stuck with the basics: new potatoes, corn on the cob, hot Italian sausage, chicken thighs, and littlenecks.

Just get yourself a standard soup bowl. Lay down a large stretch of cheesecloth, folder over to form a two-ply square. Lay on your hardy veggies, followed by the corn, sausage and chicken, and finally the clams. Pull the corners together and tie off to form a neat parcel. Repeat.

You want to make sure all your parcels will make contact with the bottom of your pan to ensure they all cook through evenly; estimate four parcels for each large stockpot. Lay in your parcels, and add water and/or beer to cover about halfway, as well as about 1 Tbsp of salt and one packet of seafood seasoning (a fistful of Old Bay will do very nicely, thank you). If you have extra clams, sprinkle them over the top. Cover and put over high heat until you reach a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a constant steam for about 20 minutes. Crack one of those beers for yourself, serve and enjoy.

Related:

Lydia is all about the Old Bay.

Can't find Old Bay? Make your own.

Lazy? Take the easy way with a clambake from Lobster Gram.

Wordless Wednesday: Tranquility

2009-06-24T06:41:00-07:00

Hillcrest Farmers Market, San Diego

2009-06-21T21:35:51-07:00

A cursory glance through the rambling list of sites in the right sidebar of this site will quickly inform you that I have a very small universe. I have a special focus on fellow Bay Area food bloggers; beyond that, I regularly monitor a handful of others around the world. But by and large, of the bloggers outside my own backyard, I am not terribly concerned with their geography.

The exception to that rule is San Diego. I began paying closer attention to food bloggers there because it's where my mother lives, and hence a place we visit with relative frequency. I became entranced with the vibrancy of the blogger community there. And on a visit down there last week, I reached out to a handful of my favorites (many of whom I had met personally before) to arrange a get-together.

Lucky me, all were available, and a plan was forged, beginning with a pass through the Hillcrest Farmers Market with Alice and Caron, after which we would connect with Kathy, Nicole and Susan for brunch at Farmhouse Café.

When last I visited the farmers market, two-plus years nigh, I was dazzled by the strange and exotic things I saw -- cherimoya! passion fruit! tomatoes in March! This time around, the market felt more familiar, with produce similar to what we're seeing up in NorCal -- although, our artichokes are far more diminutive!

Caron explained some other markets around town: The new Little Italy Mercato that is gaining popularity quickly, and the funky City Heights market, reflective of the neighborhood's remarkable ethnic diversity.

Hillcrest market is not huge, not as large as our main markets, and is more of a blend of produce, craft and prepared food booths. With brunch on our agenda, I didn't want to fill up, though it was difficult to resist the wafting aromas. One thing we could not resist, and in fact were expressly told to have, were at a booth that simply called them "coconut pancakes."

These Thai treats, kanom krok, are not so much pancakes as croquets of coconut milk and sugar. The batter is poured, sizzling and spattering, into the custom pan shown above, and the resulting dome-shaped goodies are turned out in mere seconds.

They're delicious, custardy and gently sweet ... and volcanically hot. At five for a dollar, they made a lovely pre-brunch nibble.

Alice also sent us away with a couple truffles apiece from Guanni Chocolates. The Peruvian chocolatier infuses her confections with unique flavors from her homeland. I swooned for the Cusco, with "Aji Amarillo (yellow hot pepper), candied citrus peels and muña (Andean herb)." I'm a big fan of chile pepper in chocolate, but this really took it to a new level. And the Pisco with currants was not too shabby either.

San Diego's a great city by any metric, but the evolution of its markets and the expression of the bloggers who frequent them puts it on a pedestal.

Related:

Don't forget to visit my San Diego friends:

Susan of Food Blogga
Kathy of Panini Happy
Nicole of Pinch My Salt
Alice of Alice Q Foodie
Caron of San Diego Food Stuff

And don't forget my mom, Sandi of A Little to the Left!

Wordless Wednesday: Flamingo

2009-06-17T09:25:09-07:00

The Eatsdropper wants the full sugar and fat version

2009-06-07T11:48:35-07:00

As I sit here putting together this quick little Eatsdropper, I am watching DPaul systematically shred an 11.5-lb pork shoulder that we slow-roasted in the oven overnight. Neeners! I'll make a deal with you: I'll consider sharing some of our well-gotten goods if you send me some delicious aural satisfaction to eatsdropper-at-seantimberlake-dot-com. Deal?

Man 1: "Oh, that German Chocolate cake. THAT'S what I want right there."
Man 2: "It's vegan, though."
Man 1: "Oh, no! No, no, no. I don't want that vegan stuff. I want the full sugar and fat version."
Man 2: "Just because it's vegan doesn't mean it won't be full of sugar and fat."

- Eatsdropped by Genie at Whole Foods

30-something daughter to 50-something mom, as they peruse the menu:
"You know, I think I'm brioche'd out"

- Eatsdropped by Anita at Dahlia Lounge

Woman smelling spice: "Mmmm ... jerk"

- Eatsdropped by yours truly at Penzeys Spices