Cooking with Amy: A Food Blog

Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child Book Giveaway

2013-05-20T13:10:00.001-07:00

If you’re a fan of Julia Child, it’s really worth reading Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child, the biography written by Bob Spitz. It covers a lot of territory, starting with her family history and fills in gaps, sharing much more than you'll find in previously written books about her. Because Child was an avid letter writer, there’s a lot of source material. But there are also wonderful anecdotes from those who knew her best--from her editor Judith Jones to her TV director Russ Morash and many other colleagues, relatives and friends. It’s an entertaining book, and has the kind of “playful romp” feel to it that typified Julia Child as well.

An average student, with a funny voice and not much of a career track, Julia Child found her calling later in life, first in cooking school and later on television. Her story is tremendously romantic, because it was her husband who not only supported her but encouraged her in everything she did. You may be surprised to learn about the causes she supported or the prejudices she held, but it’s hard not to admire her and feel even more affection for “Our lady of the ladle” as Time magazine called her.

I’ve got 3 copies of this massive tome to give away. It clocks in at over 500 pages and over 2 pounds; it’s a great read to take to the pool or the beach. I fully expect her risqué humor will have you giggling and her can do attitude will inspire you in your career or perhaps in the kitchen.

Let me know your favorite Julia Child recipe in the comments or a story you have about her for a chance to win. This giveaway ends at midnight PST on May 27, 2013. One entry per person, please. I will draw a winner at random on May 28. Open to US residents only. You must leave a comment and register your email to win. Please note that when you register your comment with your email, only I will see your email.

Disclaimer: I was provided the book by the publisher to giveaway. I bought a digital copy of this book myself. This post contains an Amazon affiliate link.

ProCook Enameled Cast Iron Cookware

2013-05-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

I love my enameled cast iron cookware. Nothing can really beat enameled cast iron for stews and braises. It holds the heat well, and is easy to clean. It is compatible with every type of range (gas, electric and induction) and is ovenproof up to 500 degrees. It's heavy, so I leave some pieces on the stove all the time. I mostly have Le Creuset, because that's what I registered for when I got married and I have bought some for friends too. But Le Creuset is terribly expensive so I have a hard time recommending it.

Late last year I wrote about the Martha Stewart line of enameled cast iron. It was much less expensive than Le Creuset and definitely performed as well. The colors and shapes were a bit different from Le Creuset, but the price made up for any differences. Now I've got an even better recommendation, the ProCook line of enameled cast iron.

Take a look at how the ProCook in aubergine compares to my Le Creuset in white (and ignore the crumbs on the stove). The ProCook casserole is a bit larger at 4.2 quarts versus the Le Creuset 3.5 quarts.

The lid on the ProCook actually is a bit better in my opinion, because it has those braising ridges that help baste.

I cooked onions in both and they performed equally well.

But when it comes to price, there is no comparison. The Le Creuset is $235 and the ProCook, only $52! On sale the Martha Stewart 5 quart oval is $99, almost twice the price of the ProCook piece. I have no idea how they can produce these pieces so inexpensively. Even better, they offer free shipping for any online purchase over $50. The range of colors includes black, red, cream and aubergine. The colors, shape of the pieces and the handles are all very attractive.

ProCook is a family owned company from England, though I imagine the pieces are manufactured in China. I had never heard of them, but found they get very good customer reviews online. They have only two retail shops in the US in New Hampshire and Maine, but sell everything online. They also have great prices on other types of casseroles and cookware, an "Atlas" style pasta maker for only $27, box graters for $5. Whether your are setting up your own kitchen or buying a gift, ProCook is well worth a closer look.

Disclaimer: ProCook provided me with a piece of cookware for review purposes. I was not paid for this or any other post.

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market Turns 20

2013-05-13T22:15:00.002-07:00

The Center for Urban Education and Sustainable Agriculture, aka CUESA is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Ferry Plaza farmers market. It's one of the best farmers market in America, and for good reason. In addition to being a showcase for some of the finest local produce, it's also been a model for building community and reestablishing the urban connection to farms.

Thanks to CUESA and the Ferry Plaza farmers market, the farmers market movement as whole has grown, with somewhere around 20 markets in San Francisco alone. Beyond helping to grow the farmer's market movement CUESA has supported chefs, created educational programs, and regularly holds events that engage the public in a variety of ways.

The Ferry Plaza farmers market is a showcase for gorgeous produce, but in some ways the very success of the market has chased me away. While I have friends who still shop there religiously, I've grown tired of the hustle and bustle of tourists and chefs, and when the bus stop was removed from in front of the market, I pretty much stopped shopping there on Saturdays.

Thankfully the market is much less crazy during the week. If I'm downtown, I will swing by on a Tuesday or Thursday to pick up a few items. like these amazing strawberries from Dirty Girl Produce. They taste better than just about any other strawberries I've ever had.

Whether you shop there frequently or not, I hope you'll consider supporting CUESA and attending one or more of the upcoming celebratory events.

Birthday Party: Cocktails of the Farmers Market, this is the signature seasonal cocktail events featuring top mixologists and chefs. Inspired by the seasonal bounty of the market they create tasty bites and top-notch cocktails. Wednesday May, 15, 5:30 pm – 8 pm

Birthday Bash! Extravagant Shortcakes and Outrageous Mimosa & Juice Bar, Farmers Market Treasure Hunt, Presentation with Local Luminaries (11 am). Saturday, May 18, 2013 – 9 am to 1 pm

Summer Celebration a lavish walk-around tasting reception in the Ferry Building Marketplace. Sunday, July 14, 6 pm - 9 pm

Sunday Supper a whole-beast, four course feast prepared by San Francisco’s best chefs in the elegant Ferry Building Grand Hall. Sunday, October 20, 6 pm-10 pm

Read more about the history of the market:

Ferry Plaza Market cultivates revolution by Tara Duggan

Starting a farmers' market by Patricia Unterman

Grocery Outlet Wine Bargains

2013-05-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

Robaire showing off one his wine picks at Grocery Outlet in Berkeley

I've been buying wine at Grocery Outlet for a long time and I've always been curious about Robaire, the manager in the store who picks the wine. At Grocery Outlet you won't find a lot of "shelf talkers" or ratings and descriptions of the wines, but sometimes you will see "Robaire recommends" at the Berkeley store or a sheet with details on the wine that Robaire has printed out.

When Robaire took over the wine department at the store he was a cognac and scotch drinker. He told me he thought a lot wine was "just hideous." But he started reading about it and tasting and over the course of about six months, he became something of a wine lover. Today he recommends wines he thinks his customers will enjoy and not just the ones he prefers. Likewise Andy, the wine buyer at Grocery Outlet says he never buys for his palate.

The wines at Grocery Outlet all have stories. Not just the story of how they came to be, but also, how they came to end up at Grocery Outlet. Grocery Outlet choses wine based on value. According to the Andy, up to 40% are purchased below cost. How can they do that? I'd say it's because the wine business is very complicated and risky. The slightest little changes can mean a producer ends up with wine they cannot sell. Here are just some of the reasons why:

Uh oh...

Please, don't let your children design your wine label

The label was really awful. The bottle changed. Stores or restaurants want to carry only a newer vintage. It's a brand created for a restaurant. Ownership of the winery changed. A newer vintage got high ratings or reviews. There is no space to store it.

The thrill is finding something really special, that is just too good for the price.

Right now Grocery Outlet has a sale on wine, and everything is additional 20% off through May 12, 2013. So I talked to both Andy and Robaire to get some of their top picks:

Pope Valley Merlot
2008 Napa Valley
$11.99
This wine has the scent of red fruit with spice and violets, it's earthy and has velvety tannins. It generally sells for over twice the price.

Wild Oak by St Francis Winery Syrah

Sonoma 2007
$10.99
The Syrah is a Rhone style, with blueberry and black fruit and a hint of violet, it typically sells for $30 or more.

Swanson Instant Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
2009 Rutherford
$24.99
Swanson is very well respected for their Merlot, and you'd be hard pressed to find a Napa Cab of this quality, this reasonably priced. It's a blend of Cab, Merlot and Petit Verdot, and it includes fruit from Rutherford, near the Mayacamas range in Yountville, Oakville and Oak Knoll.

Three Rivers Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 Washington
$9.99
From Walla Walla Washington, this sells for over twice the price, and got 89 points from Wine Spectator it's a big "chewy" Cab with cherry, vanilla, blackberry and earthier notes of tobacco.

Wilson Daniels Chardonnay
2010 California
$4.99
Known mostly as a negociant, they also bottle some wines under their own label. It sells for about $14
and is from Paso Robles, it's lemony, with melon and tangerine.

Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva magnum
2008 Italy
$22.95
A favorite among chianti lovers and (Wine Spectator), this needs decanting but would be great for a party. Check out this review.

Michel Schlumberger Merlot
California 2011
$6.99
I haven't tried this wine yet, and plan on holding on to it for a bit. This winery is known for particularly elegant wines and
Schlumberger Merlot generally sells for $35 a bottle.

Disclaimer: My thanks to Grocery Outlet for providing me with a gift card so I could buy some wines, they did not pay for me to write this or any other post. I've been a fan of Grocery Outlet for a long, long time and was paid to create some recipes for them in the Fall of 2012.

Mango Mustard Chicken Recipe

2013-05-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Recently I was at a dinner hosted by Maille, an award-winning brand of Dijon style mustard that's been around for 265 years. Mustard was used in everything from cocktails to dessert. Mustard adds complexity and brightness and can be used in the background or front and center, it all depends on the dish. It also seems to balance out sweetness, adding pungency and acidity.

As luck would have it, the National Mango Board sent me a box of luscious mangoes and I was instantly inspired. Mangos and mustard! I'm happy to say this recipe for Mango Mustard Chicken was a smashing success from the very first try. The sauce of mango, sautéed onion, mustard and honey is tangy, sweet, spicy and so good you won't be able to stop eating it! The pungency of the mustard is tempered by the sweetness of the mango and honey. I bet it would be good on a roast pork loin as well.

A few years ago I learned not all Dijon style mustards are the same, some are sharper and some emulsify better than others. I highly recommend you use an imported French variety, such as Maille, because they work best in recipes. Read about my friend Sarah's trip to the Maille shop in Paris then try my recipe.

Note: Different mangos are available throughout the year. To learn about the different varieties, visit www.mango.org.

Mango Mustard Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon oil
1 chicken cut into 8 pieces (do not use the wings)
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup Dijon style mustard, preferably Maille or imported French
1 mango, diced, a firm mango works well such as a Haden or Tommy Atkins

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large skillet, add oil to coat the pan and brown the chicken on all sides. Transfer the chicken to an oven safe baking dish.

Add onion and garlic to the skillet and sauté until transparent. Turn off the heat, then add honey, mustard and mango and stir until combined.

Pour the mango mustard sauce over the chicken pieces. Bake for about 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Transfer pan drippings to a skillet and simmer until reduced, or serve as is.

Enjoy!

A Taste of Bermuda

2013-05-01T07:36:00.001-07:00

Bermuda is pretty pink beaches, dazzling turquoise water, lush vegetation, touches of British style, pastel painted homes and truly friendly people. It’s posh yet casual and while not a bona fide culinary destination, it offers some delicious things to eat and drink that you won’t find elsewhere.
Here are my top picks:

Fish chowder
This scrumptious soup, considered the national dish, was originally poor people’s food, made from fish bones. It’s a rich broth, with vegetables including onions, tomatoes, celery, carrots and a variety of spices and herbs. It's a little bit like Manhattan style chowder but with bits of fish instead of clams, but what makes it most special is the black rum and sherry pepper sauce that’s added to it, often at the table.

Where to find it: I loved it everywhere I had it, and it’s on just about every menu, but I’m told, the best version is sold at the Rubis gas station near the airport (get your taxi driver to take you!). I tried it at Bonefish, Henry VII and Wahoo’s Bistro.

Fresh fish
Grouper has a tender texture and a sweet flavor, similar to sea bass. It’s often served in Bermuda with sautéed bananas. The combination of sweet and savory is very popular on the island. Wahoo is another local fish, but if even slightly overcooked, it can be terribly dry.

Where to find it: I enjoyed tastes of grouper at both Muse and Swizzle Inn, where it was expertly prepared.

Rum cake
Rich buttery cakes doused in rum are popular in Bermuda, as they are in the Caribbean. The best are airy, light, boozy and just a touch moist in the center.

Where to find it: While I had samples at many shops, the best I had was at the luxurious Fairmont Southampton.

Pepper jelly
I never understood the appeal of pepper jelly until I had it in Bermuda. Wow! This spicy sweet jam with chunks of pepper was the perfect foil for a fresh scone slathered with clotted cream. But it’s also great on toast with butter. There are lots of different varieties and brands, some hotter and others sweeter.

Where to find it: The best price I found for it was at the supermarket in Hamilton but you’ll find it at gift shops and in the duty free stores at the airport.

Bailey’s Ice Cream
DJ Donovan, one of the charming taxi drivers and guides on Bermuda told me the best ice cream on the island is at Bailey’s, and I believe it. The rum raisin is made with the Gosling's Black Seal Rum of course.

Where to find it: Bailey's is across the street from the Swizzle Inn, At Wilkinson Ave and Blue Hole Hill (in Bailey's Bay), Hamilton Parish

Gosling's
Gosling’s is the oldest business in Bermuda and makes Bermuda’s only rum. The sugar cane is not grown on Bermuda, and it’s not distilled there either. But the proprietary blend of distillates from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad is blended there and it’s distinctive spicy flavor is the key ingredient in the Dark and Stormy and the Rum Swizzle, both of which you should try while on the island.

The Dark ‘N Stormy, Gosling's trademarked cocktail, is made from Gosling's Black Seal Rum and ginger beer over ice. The recipe for the Rum Swizzle varies, but it often consists of Gosling's Black Seal Rum, and a combination of lime, and orange and pineapple juice and a sweetener such as falernum or grenadine. If you want to try their most premium rum, look for the family reserve.

While you can find Gosling's Black Seal Rum off the island, what you can’t find is Bermuda Gold, a brand owned by Gosling's. It’s a sweet loquat liquor made on the island. It’s fruity and slightly reminiscent of amaretto. It’s great over ice, with orange juice of sparkling wine. It's also perfect over vanilla ice cream.

Gosling's Family Reserve Old Rum is in limited supply and very expensive off the island. A must for rum connoisseurs, this award-winning rum is rich and mellow with spice and fruit.

Where to find it: You can get the cocktails anywhere, buy Bermuda Gold liqueur or the Gosling's Family Reserve Old Rum at the airport in the duty free section, at the gate. The prices there are the best you'll find.

Disclaimer: I was a guest of Bermuda Tourism, However I was not paid for this, or any other post and I paid for some food and drink that is featured in this post.

Mexican Cooking Class with Ruth Alegria

2013-04-30T08:14:00.003-07:00

It's hard to spend time with Ruth Alegria, and not want to jump on the next plane to Mexico City. To say she knows Mexican food would be an understatement. Ruth has lived in Mexico City for almost 10 years and before that studied the cuisine with luminaries including Diana Kennedy and Enrique Olvera. She also opened the first Mexican restaurant in Princeton, N.J., in 1980 and received two stars from the New York Times.

Her culinary tours and cooking classes at Mexico Soul and Essence are not just beloved by her students, but were singled out by Saveur magazine as among the best in all of Mexico. But it's not just the recipes, it's the techniques and insights into shopping, ingredients and the history and culture that make her such a wonderful teacher and guide.

This past Sunday at the lovely Tamarindo Antojeria restaurant in Oakland, proprietor Gloria Dominguez hosted a cooking class with Ruth. We made salsas, agua fresca, a creamy poblano soup, an ensalada with nopales and another with grilled spring onions, cochinita pibil and pollo pibil, fish wrapped in hoja santa and more. I learned so much, it's hard to know where to start! But here are a few tidbits:

* Seek out Mexican oregano, it is much different than the Mediterranean variety, and very fragrant (a bit sweeter I'd say).

* Toast herbs on a comal, in addition to spices and vegetables. A cast iron comal is probably better than non-stick.

* Cook your salsas, if you want them to last longer in the fridge.

* Add chia seeds to agua fresca.

* Cut chayotes in half, then boil them just until a knife will pierce them, not till they are soft!

* If dried chiles are brittle, do not buy them. They should bend, not break.

* After grilling poblano peppers, put them in a paper bag, not a plastic bag, before scrapping off the peel otherwise they will continue to cook.

* Use only Mexican Jamaica flowers in vegetarian dishes, not the Sudanese variety which turns pink after steeping to make agua fresca.

I am looking forward to trying some Ruth's recipes, especially for salsas, and Gloria's recipe for Capirotada, a Mexican style bread pudding (with no eggs!).

Ruth is spending time in the San Francisco Bay Area, to take a class with her or to find out more about her tours and classes in Mexico, visit her Facebook page.

Vegetable Cookbooks

2013-04-29T10:39:00.003-07:00

Is this the year of the vegetable? It sure seems like it! Vegetable centric cookbook are in the spotlight, and it's not one size fits all. There are cookbooks about foraging, using roots, healthy eating and more. In honor of Meatless Monday, here's a round up of some interesting ones I've come across lately.

The Duke's Table is a vegetarian book of Italian food, written in 1930 and now available in English. I learned to love vegetables in Italy where they are never, ever served plain. They are always "dressed" and I find this makes all the difference. Even a little drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice make a dish of vegetables more appealing. This book has a staggering number of recipes, over 1000 and everything from pasta dishes to souffles, egg dishes, soups, ice creams and even some raw dishes (those are a little out there!). Some of the recipes are healthy, some are not, but all are interesting and offer a peek into a fascinating diet of a man of means at the turn of the century (the duke lived from 1879 till 1946). Some of the recipes are fancy, but many are regional dishes like Bucellati, a sweet bread or Torta Napoletana. The vegetarian meatballs and meatloaves are inventive mixtures of mushrooms and walnuts.

My verdict? A fascinating book for Italian food lovers.

I am very excited about Tara Duggan's book Root-to-Stalk Cooking because I am the kind of cook who wonders, can I eat carrot tops? What can I do with squash blossoms other than stuff them? And is there a good use for apple peelings? Fortunately this book answers all those nagging questions and more. It's all about using the whole vegetable and that just makes good sense.

Recipes I've bookmarked include Chard Stalk Relish with Pine Nuts & Sultanas, Pea Pod Pudding, Carrot Top Salsa Verde with Roasted Root Vegetables and Apple Peel Bourbon. Note this book won't be available until August.

My verdict? Great for adventuresome and thrifty cooks, farmer's market shoppers and gardeners who often end up with whole, untrimmed vegetables.

Vegetable Literacy is the latest book from Deborah Madison and the closest thing to a vegetable bible both for cooking and gardening. It's organized by families, such as nightshades, lily, grass, cabbage and sunflower. It really makes you think about vegetables in a new way!

There are recipes for vegetables you use all the time like carrots and squash but also recipes using less common vegetables like burdock, quelites, parsnips and escarole. I have so many recipes bookmarked I don't know where to start, but a few that caught me eye are Young Leeks with Oranges and Pistachios, Corn Simmered in Coconut Milk with Thai Basil and Sweet Potatoes with White Miso Ginger Sauce. I am in awe of Deborah Madison. She's like a national treasure and though no longer living in the Bay Area, she was deeply involved in the restaurants that made a big impact in our local cuisine specifically Chez Panisse and Greens.

My verdict? Buy this book! It is destined to become a classic.

Ripe is written by Cheryl Sternman Rule with stunning photography by Paulette Phlipot. It came out last year but is still making waves! Organized by color, it really does embody passion and excitement. It's written in a slightly cheeky style that's fun to read and each ingredient gets a set of tips for using them and how to combine them with other ingredients.

There are lots of surprises in this book like Swiss Chard stuffed with Polenta (smart!) a juicy salad of Honeydew, Cucumber and Grapes with a poppyseed and lime dressing and show stopping Persimmon, Apple, Radicchio stacks (you can't tell me you've seen that elsewhere).

My verdict? Inspiring recipes, ideas and photos, and a great coffee table book.

The Longevity Kitchen by Rebecca Katz and Mat Edelson focuses on 16 "age busting" foods, they are asparagus, avocado, basil, blueberries, coffee, dark chocolate, garlic, green tea, kale, olive oil, pomegranate, sweet potatoes, thyme, walnuts, wild salmon and yogurt. Let's face it, you are going to get old, no matter what you eat. But the ingredients in this book may help you live a more healthy life.

The photos are good and the book is really jam packed with inspiring recipes for things you probably haven't considered like Nori Rolls stuffed with Avocado and Smoked Salmon, Edamame Wasabi Spread and sardines mixed with loads of herbs and mustard. Many of the recipes, including all of the baked good and desserts are gluten-free, often relying on almond flour. Also Rebecca Katz writes wonderfully informal headnotes with each recipe.

My verdict? Great for anyone wanting to incorporate more healthy foods into their cooking and looking for new ideas.

Backyard Foraging. Yay! Another book on foraging! And this one is not about going far into the wild, but simply into your own backyard. Full color photographs and a guide to seasonality will be helpful to those just starting to forage for food. Did you know you could eat magnolia flowers and buds? I didn't! Watch out foliage, this book is coming after you!

There are instructions for how to prepare the foraged food, but only a few recipes at the end of the book, for things like Dandelion Wine, Dahlia Tuber Bread, Mushroom Ravioli and Rose Hip Soup.

My verdict? Great for budding naturalists living in the suburbs or less urban areas with access to common plants. I fear urban plants growing wild are probably exposed to more pollution and not as suitable for eating, though perhaps I'm wrong about that.

The Passionate Vegetable is a weird name for a cookbook. I mean, what exactly is a passionate vegetable? Written by a health educator, Suzanne Landry the book provides a roadmap for better health through the "flexitarian" style of eating. Perhaps most importantly the recipes are easy to follow.

To be honest, though I do want to try The Passionate Breakfast Cookie, much of the photography is not terribly inspiring in this book and the recipes remind me of the things I cooked when I moved into my first apartment--Mushroom Barley Soup, Black Bean and Corn Salad, Ratatouille over Spaghetti Squash.

My verdict? This book is best for beginning cooks.

Disclaimer: Some of these books were review copies, and this post includes affiliate links.

Rice Paper Salad Rolls Recipe

2013-04-26T08:03:00.001-07:00

Rice paper salad rolls are basically salads wrapped in rice paper. You probably already have plenty of salad ingredients in your fridge, but what about Vietnamese rice paper? It's one of those pantry ingredients I've sometimes bought and used once, and then forgot about. And that's kind of a shame because it has a lot going for it. It's cheap, keeps forever and is easy to use.

Rice paper is traditionally used to make Vietnamese "Summer rolls" but like tortillas, it's extremely versatile and shouldn't be limited to only Vietnamese cuisine. Use it as a wrapper for pretty much whatever you like and you've got a great appetizer, snack or meal. While tortillas are served warm, rice paper rolls are served at room temperature.

I believe eating outdoors is more fun than eating inside, and that eating with your fingers makes everything taste better. So that makes rice paper salad rolls perfect for picnics (or take from home lunches). I have used all kinds of different fillings and this is a combination I really like, but experiment! Try sprouts, shredded chicken, smoked salmon, enoki mushrooms--the possibilities are endless.

Rice Paper Salad Rolls

Makes 2 rolls

Ingredients

4 sheets rice paper

1 English cucumber, peeled

1 small carrot

1 daikon radish
Avocado

1 piece marinated or baked tofu, (or use homemade gluten free baked tofu)

4 lettuce leaves

Peanut sauce

Instructions

Prepare the vegetables by peeling long lengthwise strips of each the cucumber, daikon radish and carrot using a vegetable peeler. The number of slices will vary depending upon the size of the rice paper you have. Then slice each strip into long skinny slivers. Cut the tofu and avocado into thin strips.

Fill a bowl with warm water. Dip two rice paper sheets into the water, making sure the water flows between the sheets. Let the water drip off the rice paper, and then lay it on a flat surface. You want the sheets to be just softened enough so you can roll them.

Lay one lettuce leaf on the double layer of rice paper. Top with thin strips of vegetables and tofu, but don't overstuff. Roll up like a burrito, either tucking the ends in or leaving them open. Serve with peanut sauce

Enjoy!

Nambé CookServ

2013-04-25T07:46:00.002-07:00

Wedding season is coming up and I recommend going off the registry to buy something really special. There are lots of basic items that end up on registry lists, for example, a stock pot or soup pot. You need a big one, but a smaller one is very useful too, especially for households of two people. I use mine for pasta, boiling potatoes, making soup and blanching vegetables.

A soup pot will probably last you a lifetime so it's worth getting the nicest and most pleasing one you can find. To that end, the CookServe line of Nambé cookware fits the bill. Nambé recently sent me a soup pot to try and I really love it. It's so pretty to look at, I don't want to take it off the stove! All of the CookServ line is designed to be oven to table, made from 5 ply stainless steel and is compatible with all ranges including induction. It also has nubs on the interior of the lid to baste. I've found all the handles stay cool when I am cooking on the stove. The design of the cookware is one of the things that makes it so special, the uniquely curved shapes and handles.

I know it's tempting to buy non-stick, but especially for a pot like this, it's really not necessary and most certainly isn't as long lasting. Non-stick is great for things like eggs and crepes, but you'll find alloy pieces much better value in the long run.

Named for an ancient village, Nambé is a company based in Santa Fe, New Mexico and has been designing beautiful cookware, tableware, kitchenware and more since 1951. They work with some very well-known top designers including Karim Rashid, Their beautiful award-winning designs have been in museum collections since the early 1950's.

Nambé is hosting a giveaway of a set of four Nambé CookServ Sauté Pans (8, 10, 12 and 14 inches) with a retail value of $650. Click on the link to enter : a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was given a piece of cookware to try, I was not paid to write this or any other post

Meet the Bloggers

2013-04-22T10:21:00.001-07:00

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It's the people I meet (online and in person) that make food blogging so worthwhile. It's been a long time since I've shared links to blogs that I love. Here are a few to bookmark (from upper left to lower right). Get to know these bloggers, you'll be glad you did.

Joumana Accad
Joumana is a Lebanese American food writer and home cook and the voice of Taste of Beirut. I learn so much from her blog where she shares recipes but also food traditions and ingredients. She offers a peek into a world that I know very little about. Also her photos are lovely. She's top on the list of bloggers I hope to meet in person one day.

Michael Procopio
I've known Michael and his blog, Food for the Thoughtless for ages, since we both blogged for KQED over eight years ago. This year seems to be his moment in the sun with nominations for awards for digital media and humor from IACP and James Beard. And it's about time! His humor is risqué and not for everyone, but it's always original and more often than not, witty. Always thoughtful, he also writes more poignant and provocative pieces.

Alice Medrich
I've been a fan of Alice Medrich since I worked in a gourmet food store as a teenager and got to know her Cocolat line of truffles very, very well. In addition to writing award-winning cookbooks she's now blogging. She's always on to something new--from pioneering low fat baking to working with unusual sugars and flours. You probably know her recipes too, but did you know she has a blog? Thank goodness! Because we need to keep tabs on this woman.

Irvin Lin
Irvin just won an award for best photography at IACP and I'm so pleased! He's not just a talented photographer but a baker, designer and all around nice guy. His blog, Eat The Love is a great place to go to get inspired. He travels, bakes and takes stunning photos.

Do you have some favorite bloggers at the moment? Let me know about them in the comments...

Coach Farm Cheese Naming & Giveaway!

2013-04-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

Would you like a sample of the new aged goat's milk cheese from Coach Farm? I couldn't say no to that offer, and I'm guessing you can't either! The wonderful cheese magazine Culture is hosting a naming contest for the new cheese and invited me to describe it. Head over and read my post, then you can submit your own ideas for names.

"The new cheese reminds me of snow on a spring day, bright and clean quickly dissolving like snowflakes in my mouth. It's mostly crumbly, soft and smooth but has a creamy layer (aka paste) just beneath the rind."

I'm also giving away a special package of Coach Farm's goat cheese! The winner will receive three cheeses: Fresh Farmstead Goat cheese, Triple Cream and a sample of the new aged goat cheese.

Share your favorite way to use goat cheese in the comments section, and one lucky winner will receive the Coach Farm gift package containing three cheeses. This giveaway ends at midnight PST on April 24, 2013. One entry per person, please. I will draw a winner at random on April 25. Open to US residents only. Please note that if you register your comment with your email, only I will see it.

Disclaimer: Culture magazine and Coach Farm's provided me with this cheese, I was not paid for this or any other post.

Eco Friendly Shopping Tips + Contest + Giveaway

2013-04-12T09:18:00.002-07:00

Shopping eco friendly is easier than you might think, even at a bargain focused store like Grocery Outlet. Recently Grocery Outlet gave me a $30 gift card to see what great eco friendly bargains I could find for Earth Day. Here are my top picks:

Eco Friendly Shopping Tips

1. Buy fresh produce

The less processed and less packaged, the better. Grocery Outlet sells some beautiful greens, I found these greens for just 99 cents a bunch.

2. Choose recycled chlorine free paper products

Recycled paper products are better quality than you might think these days and using them is an easy way to go green.

3. Invest in stoneware and ceramic baking dishes

Made from silica or clay and water, not noxious chemicals, they will last a lifetime if cared for properly with no warping or flaking of non-stick coatings. These beautiful pieces were only $4.99 each.

4. Pick reusable products

I found coffee "pods" for use in Keurig coffee makers and water bottles with water filters.

5. Look for products with minimal packaging

Choose staple items that are packaged in recyclable cardboard, rather than plastic.

One of the easiest things you can do to be eco friendly when it comes to shopping is to use your own bag, rather than choosing "paper or plastic."

Design Contest

Grocery Outlet is hosting a contest via Instagram where anyone can design their next eco-frugal reusable grocery bag. Imagine how cool it would be to see people shopping with a bag you designed! So design something amazing! Take a picture and post it to Instagram with the tag @grocery_outlet and the hashtag #GOGreenBag

The deadline to enter is April 17 and the winner will be announced on Earth Day (April 22) The prize is a $100 Grocery Outlet gift certificate, and there are runner up prizes as well.

Gift Card Giveaway

Want to try eco friendly shopping at Grocery Outlet? Share your best tip eco friendly tip in the comments and one winner will receive a $30 Grocery Outlet gift card, courtesy of Grocery Outlet.

This giveaway ends at midnight PST on April 21, 2013. I will draw a winner at random on April 22. Open to US residents only. If you register your comment with your email, only I will see it. Grocery Outlet has stores in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Pennsylvania. To see if there is Grocery Outlet near you, use the Grocery Outlet store locator.

Joshua you are the winner! I have emailed you, please send me your mailing address so I can send you the gift certificate.

Disclaimer: My thanks to Grocery Outlet for providing the gift cards for me and this giveaway

Gulf Coast Seafood

2013-04-11T11:37:00.001-07:00

I started blogging ten years ago and since then, everything has changed. Blogging has changed, my career has changed, my shopping, cooking and eating have all changed. Hands down, the best thing about blogging is not the food, but the people I get to meet. I meet chefs, fishermen, farmers, policy makers, politicians, scientists, nutritionists, artisanal food producers, editors, other food writers, photographers and more. And all of those folks help me to appreciate and learn more about food. I'd like to think I also make more informed choices today than I did ten years ago.

A few years ago I got to attend the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sustainable Foods Institute. Not long after I was invited to New Orleans to learn about seafood in the gulf. Both of those experiences have made me a much more thoughtful consumer of seafood. I believe in the sustainability, safety and deliciousness of gulf seafood. When I buy shrimp, it is always gulf shrimp.

I am very honored to be chosen by Gulf Coast Seafood as one of their Top 100 Bloggers. I hope you will learn about and enjoy gulf seafood too!

Smoky Tomato Soup Recipe

2013-04-08T06:51:00.001-07:00

It's easy to get so caught up in the idea of eating seasonally that we forget that there are certain things that aren't necessarily seasonal, for example vegetables grown in hothouses or greenhouses like Belgian endive, cucumbers and mushrooms, also preserved produce--jams, pickles, chutney, frozen and canned foods. Which brings me to canned tomatoes, which are a great choice for recipes since fresh tomatoes are in season for a fairly short period of time.

While I wouldn't use a canned tomato on a sandwich, they are a must for most tomato based sauces. Lately I've come to appreciate canned fire roasted tomatoes for their lovely smoky flavor. They are great in stew or chili and a sneaky shortcut when making this zippy soup. A nice option in this shoulder season when somedays still feel like Winter, it's something you can make from pantry staples--a few aromatics, cans of tomatoes and broth. Having tried many brands of fire roasted tomatoes, I like Hunt's best and while I prefer homemade, Swanson's is the only canned chicken broth I use.

Another little trick in this soup is the addition of cream cheese. I don't typically keep heavy cream on hand so I am always looking for other ingredients to add creaminess to recipes. In this case a tiny bit of cream cheese adds a lot of richness. But in all honesty this soup is really wonderful even without it.

Smoky Tomato Soup
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 14.5 ounce cans fire roasted tomatoes
2 14.5 ounces chicken broth (or homemade)
2 Tablespoons cream cheese, optional

Instructions

Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring frequently for 8 minutes or until soft and golden, but not brown. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the smoked paprika and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until fairly thick and saucy.

Add the cream cheese if desired. Blend the soup in batches or use a hand blender. When the soup is smooth, it's ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Healthy Deviled Eggs Recipe

2013-04-01T07:28:00.002-07:00

Deviled eggs are a favorite for Easter (and more importantly, the day after!) but really there's no reason not to eat them whenever you want. I was looking for a way to make them a little bit healthier and found an ingredient that is creamy, mimics the texture of hardboiled egg yolks and has a very mild flavor--cannellini beans! I remove 1/3 of the yolks, then puree white beans with the remaining yolks, a little mayo, mustard, horseradish and some hot sauce then I fill the egg whites as usual. You would never know these are "light" deviled eggs, but they have 1/3 less fat yet plenty of protein and some added fiber.

Deviled eggs are fun to make because you can customize them however you like. Someone came up to me after my demo at Macy's this weekend and told me she makes deviled eggs with pesto. I've made them with wasabi and also with curry powder. But the sky is the limit! Another option is just to top them with different garnishes. Some garnishes include fresh dill, smoked salmon, caviar, anchovies, sun dried tomatoes, capers (fresh or fried) and green onions or chives. If you want to use a spice, paprika is traditional but I've also used smoked paprika, Old Bay seasoning and Cajun seasoning instead.

I tried the method of baking eggs, but found they got very dark patches and one burst. I'm sticking with my tried and true method, I add eggs to a pot, cover them with cold water, bring to a simmer, turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Here are some more tips for hard boiling eggs:

1. Use eggs that have been in the refrigerator for a a week or two. Fresh eggs can be much harder to peel.

2. Turn the egg carton on it's side in the refrigerator 24 hours before hard boiling, to help keep the yolks centered.

3. Don't add salt to the boiling water, it can toughen the egg whites.

4. Once cooked, soak the eggs in cold or ice water to prevent that ugly green layer from forming on the yolks

5. Crack and peel the eggs in a bowl of water to help keep shells from sticking.

A couple of tips for deviled eggs:

1. Use a pastry bag (or zip top bag with a corner snipped) to fill the deviled eggs.

2. For round rather than oval deviled eggs, cut the eggs in half longwise and then cut a tiny slice off the bottom and they will stand perfectly.

Healthy Deviled Eggs

Makes a dozen deviled eggs

Ingredients

6 hardboiled eggs

1/4 cup canned white beans, rinsed and drained

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

2 Tablespoons cup mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish

Hot sauce, to taste, optional

Instructions

Slice the hardboiled eggs in half. Remove the yolks, discarding two whole yolks and transferring the rest to a food processor bowl. To the yolks add the white beans, mustard, mayonnaise, horseradish and hot sauce to taste. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Transfer the yolk mixture into a pastry bag, then fill the egg whites with the yolk mixture. Garnish as desired.

Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

2013-03-29T16:03:00.002-07:00

As someone who doesn't celebrate Easter, I have to say, it's one of my favorite holidays. I love Spring--chicks and bunnies, dyeing eggs, Easter egg hunts and deviled eggs. And in Italy I enjoy digging into the dove shaped cake called Colomba di Pasqua and big Perugina chocolate eggs impeccably wrapped.

I'll never forget my first day in Florence, because I got to see the famous "Scoppio del Carro," It's a kind of crazy spectacle with a cart coming into the piazza led by a team of oxen and plenty of pageantry. A wire connects the carriage with the duomo and a mechanical dove travels the distance between the two and when it reaches the duomo the cart explodes with fireworks. After that, it hard to get excited about peeps!

Tomorrow I will be sharing a very cool new recipe I created for deviled eggs with a secret ingredients I will reveal when I demonstrate the recipe at Macy's Union Square at 2 pm. I do hope you can make it! I will share the recipe here on Monday.

In the meantime I was sent the perfect pan for frying eggs from Green Pan. The Green Pan egg expert is an eco-friendly pan and just the right size for one egg! It's also very cute and available for only $9.99.

Happy Easter!

Amy

Coffee Blending & Peet's Anniversary Blend

2013-03-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

To create a recipe you have to know your ingredients and to blend coffee, you have to know your beans. At Peet's Coffee & Tea they don't just taste their coffee once, but three times, once at purchase, once when it ships and finally when it arrives at headquarters they taste it in the coffee tasting room, where they also roast samples of it.

Recently I got to visit that very coffee tasting room, which feels a bit like a cross between a lab and a kitchen with drawers filled with bean samples, multiple kettles, a roaster, espresso machine and timers. I was in the company of a barista and Doug Welsh, coffee buyer and VP of Coffee, who combines beans to create coffee blends at Peet's. At the most basic level blending comes down to three things, says Welsh: Acidity + Aroma + Body

Coffee tasting is also known as "coffee cupping" and it's not the same as just brewing coffee for drinking, in fact, like wine tasting, you spit rather than swallow the coffee. After visually examining the beans they roast the coffee very lightly so the true flavor of the coffee comes through and is not masked by the roasting, since roasting also adds flavor. After roasting and grinding, you smell the coffee grounds, then a few tablespoons of the grounds are placed in a glass and hot water is added. After a couple of minutes the crust of grounds is broken and you smell it again. The coffee is stirred, the foam removed with spoons and then you take a sip, aerating and slurping to get the most flavor. Finally you can spit the coffee out into a spittoon.

Reviewing the beans, the barista preparing the coffee, coffee samples

There are four varieties of beans in the 2013 Anniversary blend, I got a chance to try the beans from Columbia, Ethiopia and Java.

The Columbian beans lend acidity and have bright citrus notes, they comes from Palestina, from the South Central part of Caldas, Columbia.

Ethiopian beans make up 40% of the blend, and have very floral aromas. I also detected some spiciness in the Ethiopian.

The coffee from Java adds body, earthiness and sweetness, maybe even some caramel notes. It has a long finish. While many of the best coffees come from the Eastern part of Java, this coffee in particular came from the West, and has a profile more similar to Sumatra coffee, which is one of the most popular coffees Peet's sells.

The Peet's Philosophy
Do you prefer single varietals of grapes or blends? Single estate chocolate or blends? One really isn't necessarily better than the other.

Welsh explained that at Peet's they believe no coffee is "too good" to blend. They are not trying to cover up defects, but to create something truly unique and greater than the sum of the parts. In trying each component I was able to see how they all add to the final blend, making an even more complex but still harmonious coffee.

The Anniversary blend is seasonal and different each year, based on the supply of beans that they have, and will only be available for about six weeks so if you want to try it, get some soon. In grocery stores it is $9.99-11.99 per pound and $15.99 per pound in Peet's stores and online, with 5% going to a KIMSSA, to support the education of kids in Ethiopia.

Passover Spinach Ricotta Gnudi

2013-03-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

Spinach ricotta gnudi, made with no wheat flour, are my latest recipe, just in time for Passover. This week marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday celebrating the Israelites liberation from Egypt and also Spring, rebirth, renewal, freedom, belonging, ...you get the picture. Since the Israelites had to flee their oppressors quickly they didn't have time to allow bread to rise, so the story goes. To commemorate that time, during Passover Jews eat foods made with matzo meal or matzo cake meal, but not with regular flour. Most other non-wheat flours are also not allowed.

Gnudi are a little larger and plumper than gnocchi but somewhat similar. Some people think of them as "ravioli without the pasta." This recipe is very easy because you use one of those "blocks" of frozen spinach. The secret is getting as much water as possible out of the spinach. You want the dough to be very stiff. Rolling the dumplings in potato starch also helps keep them from falling apart in the water when you boil them. Since I used potato starch instead of flour, these gnudi are also gluten free. I adapted my recipe from the Weelicious recipe for Spinach Gnocchi.

The dumplings are primarily made from ricotta and parmesan cheese, so they are very rich. I like them served simply with brown butter and sage, but you could also serve them with tomato sauce if you prefer, but do cook them in butter before adding sauce. When you brown them they get slightly crisp on the outside, without browning they can seem a little gummy.

Passover Spinach Ricotta Dumplings

Serves 4, makes about 35 small dumplings

Ingredients

10 ounces frozen chopped spinach

1 cup skim milk ricotta cheese

2/3 cup parmesan cheese

1 egg yolk

Pinch fresh grated nutmeg

5 Tablespoons potato starch, divided

1/4 cup unsalted butter

12 fresh sage leaves

3-4 Tablespoons parmesan cheese

Instructions

Cook the spinach according to instructions, let cool then squeeze all the water out of it as possible using your hands and a colander.

Combine the spinach, ricotta, parmesan cheese, egg yolk, nutmeg and 2 tablespoons potato starch in a medium bowl. Mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Use a teaspoon to portion lumps of dough, and roll into balls. Place on a rimmed sheet pan. When all dough is rolled, dust the dumplings with the remaining 3 tablespoons of potato starch and roll them until they are coated on all sides.

Boil a pot of water and add a pinch of salt. Gently place the dumplings in the water and simmer them until they rise to the surface, about 3-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and place on a plate.

Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the sage leaves and the drained dumpling. Cook, rolling to brown lightly. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving.

Enjoy!

More Passover recipes

Hakka Cuisine

2013-03-25T09:19:00.002-07:00

If you want to try Hakka cuisine, head to Hakka Restaurant in San Francisco, or read Linda Lau Anusasananan's book, The Hakka Cookbook. I received a review copy of the book in the Fall, and was lucky enough to dine with the author at Hakka Restaurant recently and fell in love with the hearty robust flavors and comforting rich dishes.

Even if you have other Chinese cookbooks, it's worth getting to know Hakka cuisine, because it's mostly home style cooking, ideal to try in your own kitchen. In the book Anusasananan traces her roots and shares stories from the people she meets on her journey into her past.

Since Hakka people moved all over the world, there are stories about the cuisine from places like Peru, Hawaii and certain cities in the US and Canada. There are classic recipes for Fried Pork Hash Wontons, Salt Baked Chicken (which Anusasananan thinks may have been the creation of a crafty salt salesman) and lots and lots of vegetable dishes including Braised Mountain Mushrooms, Pickled Carrots and Radishes and Stir Fried Iceberg Lettuce and Garlic. Anusasananan was previously a recipe editor at Sunset magazine, so needless to say you won't have trouble with her recipes.

According to Anusasananan, the Hakka are like the "Jews of China," nomads, who migrated from North-Central China to the South in the fourth century. They have their own language, and the name Hakka literally means "guest family." Their cuisine is the food of the working person, robust and sometimes fatty. They use a lot of salt-preserved ingredients such as preserved vegetables, cured meats and soy sauce. The food is related to Cantonese, but more rustic. Famous Hakka classic dishes include Steamed Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens, Stuffed Tofu, and Salt-baked Chicken.

Some highlights of the meal we enjoyed at Hakka Restaurant:

Chinese Bacon with Preserved Greens

This is a very rich dish of pork belly which are somewhat sweet, served with luscious preserved vegetables.

House Special Pan-Fried Tofu

This was one of everyone's favorite dishes. Lighter and with a delicate sauce. Inside the tofu was a mild ground pork filling.

Fried Pumpkin Strips with Salted Egg Yolk

If you've never had salted egg yolk before, I'd describe it as tasting a bit like cheese. It has a strong umami flavor.

Chicken Stuffed with Preserved Greens

The chicken was good, but the gingery preserved green stuffing was particularly delicious/

Stir-fried Chinese Broccoli with Rice Wine

Another unusual dish, this one had a sweet wine sauce.

Clams with Spicy Salt and Black Beans

I'd say the garlic and green onions were the predominant flavors in this dish.

Home-Style Steamed Sea Bass

Another knockout dish, this one had a thin sauce but was loaded with shredded pork, and sour, crunchy and juicy sliced preserved mustard greens.

Hakka Restaurant
4401 Cabrillo St @ 45th Ave
San Francisco
415-876-6898

More:

Linda's Hakka dinner post

Note: This dinner was organized by the San Francisco Professional Food Society and was open to members.

Quinoa Salad with Feta and Dill Recipe

2013-03-21T12:42:00.001-07:00

I've very excited to announce I will be doing a cooking demo during Macy's Flower Show in San Francisco on March 30th at 2 pm. I'll be sharing some recipes for jazzing up your sack lunch. So skip the sandwiches! This fresh and hearty salad is healthy and inexpensive to make and might make your co-workers jealous. Better bring some to share!

Quinoa is kind of like a blank canvas, it doesn't have much flavor or texture. It has protein but to be satisfying I think you need more variety. A little bit of feta and chickpeas add more protein and creamy textures. Originally I was trying to make a Greek inspired salad, but I didn't want to add salty olives and I found it was a little bland. Fresh dill and lemon really add some zest to it. I also used English cucumbers which are available all year round.

I do have a few tips for making this salad, for one, always remember to rinse quinoa before you cook it. It is very bitter otherwise. Also I use less water than the package suggests, I find 1 and 1/2 cups of liquid is plenty for 1 cup of quinoa. Finally serve this salad at room temperature. It keeps well in the refrigerator but doesn't taste quite as delicious when it's chilled so just take it out a half an hour or so before serving it.

Quinoa Salad with Feta and Dill
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup English cucumber, diced
1 cup feta, crumbled
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/3 cup green onions, minced
3-4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Rinse the quinoa under cold water then cook according to package instructions. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let quinoa cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, feta, dill, green onions and lemon juice. Add plenty of fresh ground pepper then taste for seasoning. Serve at room temperature. Keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator

Enjoy!

American Wine & The Art of the Restaurateur

2013-03-12T18:56:00.001-07:00

Did you know that there are more than 7,000 wineries in the US? Clearly American wine deserves its own book. While American wine has been covered before, I'm not sure it has ever been covered quite so comprehensively as it is in American Wine: The Ultimate Companion to the Wines and Wineries of the United States. The book is good for helping to sort through the American viticultural areas (AVA's) and works for wine drinkers, armchair travelers as well as those looking to actually venture into the places in the United States where wine is being produced.

For each region you get history, culture, a bit about the geography and a sense of who the major players are, and some great profiles of winemakers. There are maps and wine labels and glossy photos and the writing is straightforward and not too fussy, as you would expect from two preeminent wine writers, Jancis Robinson of the UK and Linda Murphy the former wine section editor at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Make no mistake, this is a coffee table book, but also a very useful guide for wine lovers. I can see it will be my go-to book when trying to familiarize myself with different American wine regions.

Jancis Robinson will be in the Bay Area this Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

You can meet Jancis Robinson and Linda Murphy for a wine and cheese reception at Raymond Vineyards in Napa on Sunday, March 17, tickets are free of charge.

Attend a Commonwealth Club program with Robinson and Murphy, hosted by Leslie Sbrocco on Monday March 18, ticket prices vary depending upon which reception you attend.

Have your book signed by Jancis Robinson at Zuni Cafe later that evening from 8 - 10 pm and get a chance to meet Nicholas Lander, author of The Art of the Restaurateur. Lander's book will also be available. It features profiles of prominent restaurateurs the world over, and is definitely an "inside baseball" or perhaps inside restaurant book.

While we often hear from chefs, few restaurateurs are in the limelight, sharing their stories and secrets. This book is a bit erudite, especially since the author himself was once a successful restaurateur, but should be required reading for anyone even thinking about getting into the restaurant business. Space is limited, and RSVP is required.

Lunch with Robinson and Murphy on Tuesday March 19 at Quince Restaurant. Tickets include a three course lunch and signed book.

Walnut Mushroom Casserole Recipe

2013-03-11T10:25:00.002-07:00

When I was growing up, my parents took me and my sister to all kinds of restaurants but rarely ones with "kid's menus." We regularly came into San Francisco to eat Chinese food, tried sushi long before it became popular, and celebrated birthdays and school graduation at fancy French restaurants. Unlike many kids who probably longed for Taco Bell or McDonald’s, I enjoyed eating at The Good Earth, a casual restaurant near my house. The menu had a mix of salads and sandwiches and some very unique entrees. It wouldn’t necessarily be considered “health food” by today’s standards but there were quite a number of vegetarian dishes.

At The Good Earth, pretty much anyone could find something they would like to eat, and that made it perfect for dining out with everyone from my teenage girlfriends, to my grandmother. The Good Earth was famous for it’s spicy cinnamon tea which you can buy to this day. Although the restaurant chain was sold and very few restaurants remain, I remain haunted by the memory of Walnut Mushroom Casserole. It was my go to dish.

I like to think of myself as fairly adventurous, but really, when I find one dish I love, I have a hard time straying beyond it on any menu. The Walnut Mushroom Casserole at The Good Earth restaurant was my absolute favorite. It’s still on the menu at just one remaining restaurant in Southern California. Here is the dish description:

Walnut Mushroom Casserole spinach fettuccini tossed with broccoli, mushrooms, onion and water chestnuts, blended with sour cream and sherry sauce. topped with two cheeses, walnuts and scallions

I found a recipe online but it didn't seem right to me, so I adapted it as best I could to fit with my memory of it. I used Al Dente spinach fettuccini and it was perfect. I also tested out Al Dente's bonachia spinach fettuccine, and that worked great too. Note: Do not overcook the pasta!

Walnut Mushroom Casserole

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, cut into quarters and thinly sliced

1/2 lb small button mushroom, halved or quartered into small chunks

3 cups thinly sliced broccoli, stems and bite-sized florets

8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons sherry

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons sour cream

6 ounces dry spinach fettuccini (such as Al Dente brand), cooked until barely tender

1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large skillet over low heat, add walnuts and stir until lightly toasted and fragrant, then remove and reserve the nuts and return the skillet to the stove.

Add one tablespoon oil to the hot skillet and the onions and mushrooms and cook until just beginning to brown, remove with a spoon and reserve. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and the broccoli and sauté until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the reserved onions, mushrooms, water chestnuts, garlic and spinach fettuccini. Remove from heat and add the sherry, soy sauce and sour cream. Stir gently to coat without breaking the noodles

Place mixture in a greased, shallow 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the reserved walnuts and then the cheeses. At this point the casserole can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bake until cheese melts and casserole is heated through, about 15 - 20 minutes.

Note: you can bake the mixture in any type or combination of casserole pans you wish. If you use large individual ramekins, bake only until the casserole is hot and the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Coconut & Chili--Fancy Food Show Trends 2013

2013-03-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

In addition to "chia in everything" two other trends I saw at the Winter 2013 Fancy Food Show were lots of products with coconut and a more sophisticated use of chili.

It was impossible to miss the virtual rivers of coconut water at the show. Interestingly, they don't all taste the same. Some are sweet and others have a funny aftertaste. Some are thin and others are slightly viscous or have chunks of coconut in them. I'm still not a huge fan, but maybe I just haven't tasted the right one yet.

Here were a few of my favorite coconut products.

Why So Good! toasted coconut chips are not yet on the market, but they will be soon. They are an addictive snack, salty and sweet but with a ton of crunch. Never mind potato chips, once you open a bag of these, poof! It's empty. Dang Foods makes a similarly delicious product, also imported from Thailand.

JJ's Sweets Cocomels are nice little caramels that happen to be made with coconut milk. They are creamy, but not dairy so vegans can breathe a sigh of relief.

I'm already a big fan of 479 popcorn, so I look forward to each new flavor. This time around, it's coconut, specifically toasted coconut caramel. And it's as good as it sounds. Not too sweet but kind of nutty flavored.

Brad's raw onion rings are just one product in a line of "raw" chips and snacks. I liked the onion rings best. They are dehydrated and then flavored. "Classy coconut" is one of four flavors, but one of the best.

CHILI

Chili has been a popular ingredient in specialty foods forever, but it used to be more about heat than anything else. Now chili is showing up frequently in sweet foods in a more nuanced way. Here are some of my favorite chile products from the show.

Chili lime chips might seem mundane these days, but Anette's Chocolate brand chili lime tequila tortilla chip brittle is anything but. I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to make brittle out of tortilla chips, but it certainly was and incorporating sour and hot flavors into a sweet product makes it all the more delectable.

Wild Poppy makes a line of interesting juice drinks. I particularly liked the grapefruit ginger and the blood orange chili. The heat in the ginger and chili add an almost refreshing quality to the drink, balancing the sweetness.

Way Better Snacks Sweet Chili tortilla chips are made from sprouted grains and are flecked with sprouted chia, broccoli and daikon radish seeds, definitely a twist on the typical tortilla chip. The chili in these chips is cayenne but not too hot.

Chili mango flats from Pure Indulgent Foods are yet another example of sweet and spicy coming together, this time in a cookie like hazelnut cracker that is a good accompaniment to cheese or charcuterie.

I'll have more favorite discoveries from the Fancy Food Show soon...

Azalina's Malaysian Pop-up Dinner March 10

2013-03-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

Suvir Saran with Azalina Eusope at the SF Street Food Night Market, 2012

There are some chefs who cook with their whole being, with their blood, sweat and tears, with their heart and with their soul. Azalina Eusope is one of those chefs and you can taste her passion in every bite. I am not alone in feeling honored to eat her food.

Azalina’s specialty is Malaysian street food, and it should come as no surprise because she’s a fifth generation street food vendor. Fifth generation. I have no idea what my great grandparents did, let alone my great great grandparents. I know they didn’t eat food nearly as vibrant and textured and layered with flavors as what Azalina cooks. Malaysian street food is not subtle or elegant, it’s in your face, big, bold, exciting, and comforting all at once. It demands your attention and you will be happy to give it.

I could tell you that Azalina is an inspiring role model, a success story, an immigrant, a member of the Mamak tribe renowned for their cooking abilities. But I’d rather just encourage you to eat her food. While she makes regular appearances at Off The Grid Fort Mason (a street food event) most of the year, and her prepared food is showing up in places like Bi-Rite and Whole Foods, there is another way you can enjoy it. There is one more pop-up dinner she will be doing at Wise Sons Deli next Sunday night, March 10th. But I must warn you, it’s a small restaurant and it gets very crowded so...

Come early and prepare to stand in line

Come with a very small group (2-4 people max)

Come prepared to eat!

The a la carte menu changes every week, so you can check Azalina's website if you’d like to know what she’ll be serving. This is what I had this past Sunday night:

Asam Laksa

This sour and tangy tamarind based noodle soup with a healthy dose of spice has mackerel and was topped with slices of cucumber, chile, red onion and pineapple. Asam laksa is very delicious, but don’t just take my word for it, CNN listed it as the #7 most delicious dish in the world in 2011.

Mee rebus

This is another popular street food dish, with yam, potatoes, tomato and spices, hand made noodles, fritters, drenched in a very rich and sweet curry like gravy and garnished with peanuts and herbs and a hard boiled egg. Pure comfort.

Sweet potato dumplings

These chewy dumplings had a dash of coconut cream and some fresh sprouts.

Azalina’s Pop up

Wise Sons Deli

3150 24th St

San Francisco

March 10, 6-9 pm.