Mother's Day

The week leading up to mother’s day has been filled with all sorts of emotions, confusion and conundrum. My dear mother is in a nursing home and she hasn’t spoken since November, every year that if I was not able to spend Mother’s Day with my mother I always sent a card and flowers. Before my parents moved to the nursing home they lived in a senior building and they loved receiving packages from me for two reasons; one they were from me and the other a little bit of showing off. For every occasion I was not present I sent flowers, candy, fruit and all sorts of things; the Fedx, UPS or FTD truck was always showing up with deliveries for them.

Earlier this week I went into a card shop to buy a sympathy card and was almost paralyzed, you see I lost my father March 1st; I quickly regained my composure and chose a card. Then I noticed that I was surrounded by mother’s day cards so I paused for awhile trying to decide if I should send my mother a card. I knew she couldn’t read it but she is still here on this earth and I could not imagine not sending something to acknowledge mother’s day. I called my sister and she told me that she would read the card to mother, so I sent the card. The next thing I struggled with was sending flowers, I decided against sending flowers for possible health related reasons.

This is all a little difficult for me because I have lived my entire life with the best mother ever! I never had to look beyond my mother for a role model. My mother is kind, loving and giving; she taught me right from wrong, how to give of myself without expecting anything in return, how to accept people for what they are and how to forgive. My mother never expressed disparaging words about anyone and she always saw the good in everyone (I have a little trouble with this one but I am working on it).

Although this mother’s day is a mark difference from mother’s days past I am so very thankful to still have my mother, and for the first time in many years I will be spending mother’s day with my son! So this mother’s day like all of the others will start with me calling my sister and a few close friends to wish them a Happy Mother’s Day. Later in the day when my sister is visiting our mother I will call her again so she can put the phone to my mother’s ear so that I can wish my mother a Happy Mother’s Day and tell her how much I love her - - then I will be ready to enjoy the day with my darling husband and wonderful son!

So to all you awesome mother’s, sons and daughters I wish you a Happy Mother’s Day!

P.S. I will be return to my ‘hungrybroad’ self talking about food next blog, I promise…

Good Friends

Last week we had friends visiting from Chicago by way of Los Angeles, prior to this visit it had been six years since our friends visited us in San Francisco. Before they arrived a lot of my time was happily spent planning activities and the welcome menu for dinner on their arrival night, most importantly the dessert. The entrée ‘Boeuf Bourguignon” and for dessert I baked an Almond Citrus Olive Cake recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentis. I used a mild Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the cake was wonderful and I can’t wait to make this cake again.

Almond Citrus Olive Oil Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted, coarsely crumbled
Powdered sugar, for sifting

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8-inch-diameter cake pan. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, and zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the milk. Gradually beat in the oil. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the almonds. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Place cake pan on baking pan to collect any possible spills. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake and place on serving platter, top side up. Sift powdered sugar over the cake.

We had a ball with our friends; we took them to Sutro Towers the highest peak in San Francisco, Stinson Beach, Point Reyes Station to name a few places. We introduced them to the best ice cream in the world at Bi-Rite Creamery and after their first taste we had to visit the Creamery every day. We had a lovely dinner at Chez Papa and we saw a really bad movie but mostly we just visited with each other and had a good time. We are so fortunate to have such good friends and to live in one of the best cities in the country, life is good!

The End of a Chapter - Not the Book!

Verse 2 – lyrics Nine to Five…..
“They let you dream just to watch them shatter;
You're just a step on the boss man's ladder,
But you've got dreams he'll never take away.”

It’s dream time for me, Wednesday, March 31; I officially became a lady of leisure no more nine-to-five five days a week for me anymore! It is the end of an exciting chapter in my book of life, the next chapter is in the concept stage but it is sure to be fun filled and exciting. Occasions like these have to be marked in a special way so on that monumental day I hosted a small party. It was an intimate gathering with a few very special people; the party was mostly to show my appreciation to three amazing women for their support and strength of character.

The girls love good food and all know their way around the kitchen so the pressure was on to prepare something fitting their culinary agility. The party was early evening so a few appetizers were in order;

The Menu

Salume Platter
Tapenade
Gougeres
Stuffed Mushrooms
Ceviche

Chocolate Covered Strawberries & Walnuts
Lavendar Shortbread

The meats on the platter came from Boccalone http://www.boccalone.com/ in the Ferry Building; I love this place and shop there almost every week, the pancetta is to die for, so is everything else for that matter. I think the girls particularly enjoyed the orange fennel salumi.

Alton Brown is credited for the Tapendade recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/tapenade-recipe/index.html . The recipe called for 2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, I made a mistake and added 2 Tablespoons of blood orange olive oil. What a happy mistake, everyone seemed to like it and I will make the same mistake again!

The recipe for the Gougeres I picked up in Burgandy a couple of years ago but it is really quite simple, see the April 4, 2010 Food Section of the San Francisco Chronicle for a very similar recipe.

Stuffed Mushrooms recipe was courtesy of Giada De Laurentis http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/stuffed-mushrooms-recipe/index.html
They were great and the mint really married well with the other ingredients. I made my own bread crumbs other than that I followed the recipe to the letter.

I used Emeril Lagasse recipe for Ceviche http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/ceviche-recipe2/index.html. I substituted Italian flat parsley for cilantro because my husband was the wine server for the party and he doesn't care for cilantro to much.

Lavender Shortbread came from Miette http://www.miettecakes.com/ in the Ferry Building. I also love their chocolate wafers, I often make ice cream sandwiches with them – yum.

For the chocolate covered strawberries, I bought two or three types of really good chocolate, melted the chocolate in a double boiler and dipped.

My husband was a gem, he stayed with us girls all night and kept the wine flowing – it was nice to have our very own personal garcon!

It was a wonderful evening of laughter, good food and friends; I’m ready for the next chapter and adventure!

Hump Day

Generally Hump Day is Wednesday, the middle of the week, implying that you have to get "over the hump" before you can anticipate the weekend. This past Hump Day took on a special meaning for me. It is not only the anticipation of the weekend it is also anticipation of Wednesday, March 31 my last day on the job! Yes, I am hanging up my suit, closing a chapter and moving on to the next thing whatever it may be.

So Hump Day this week was marked by a lovely lunch at A16 (with one of my favorite people) on Chestnut Street, followed by a visit to the We Olive store next door. When we walked into the restaurant there were people behind the counter/prep station butchering a side of pork. From all appearance A16 uses all of the pig, fascinating to watch! Our lunch was rather early in the day so the dinning room was filled with empty tables. We were seated at the back of the restaurant near the enclosed porch where there was a long communal table being set. Behind me was another long communal table so we assumed that this was going to be a very lively lunch surrounded by large parties.

The room began to fill with a parade of men coming into the restaurant with wine, we later learned that there were two wine merchants’ lunches going on. I saw a familiar face, the bartender from Flour + Water, I buttered him up a little so he would remember me the next time. After a few minutes my lunch companion and I order three dishes to share; Mozzarella burrata with olive oil, sea salt and crostini and prosciutto di Parma; Pork and beef meatballs braised in tomato with basil and grana padano(a house specialty and a favorite of mine), and the Cavatelli with manila clams, calamari, borlotti beans, fennel, basil and tomato. Needless to say we each had a glass of wine to complement our lovely meal. Every morsel was good and so very satisfying. I have never had a bad meal at A16; the food is always fresh, very well seasoned and beautifully prepared in its simplicity.

After leaving the restaurant we were anxious to visit We Olive located a couple of doors down the street. The store was charming, inviting and fragrant, you could taste everything. I needed some olive oil because I was running low; I usually have a variety of olive oils on hand for various preparations. I purchased the blood orange olive oil and an extra virgin for everyday use. Some of the oils are in vats; you fill your bottle and bring your bottle back to be refilled at a discounted price.

Wednesday, March 24, was the best Hump Day Ever!

Flour + Water

flour + water “is a San Francisco Italian restaurant that focuses on seasonal ingredients sourced from the unparalleled and ever abundant California artisans and growers.” flour + water is located on the corner of Harrison Street @ 20th. Before the restaurant opened last year the space was a dilapidated store front. I live in striking distance of the restaurant so I watched for months with anticipation as the renovation began and the storefront evolved into flour + water.

We walked in during the opening week and waited for a long time for a table; the wait seemed a bit unnecessary since there appeared to be empty tables but we attributed the wait to opening week jitters. The food was fresh and tasty enough for us to give it another try. We have dined at flour + water a few times since it has been open and we would probably dine there more often if it wasn’t so difficult to get a table.

One day we noticed that the restaurant had been tagged not by a gang member probably by someone that had made several attempts to get in. The tag read “ F_ _ _ this place!”, I asked my husband if he wrote that, he denied it. Wednesday we decided to make another attempt at getting in. I was a bit reluctant, those of you that know me personally know that I am going through a rough patch, I told my husband that I didn’t know if I could take rejection right now. He was determined so off we went, I told the waiter my rejection story to that he replied “I can seat you in 30 minutes max maybe shorter, will that work?” We were seated in less than 30 minutes and had a lovely evening!

We sat at the bar; while waiting to be seated we perused the menu so we had a good idea what we wanted to order. First we ordered a bottle of Michele Calo, Negroamaro, Salento IGT, Mjere, Puglia 2005; the wine was big and bold with a nice finish.

The bartender/waiter suggested that we start with a pasta dish after we told him our plans. The pasta, seafood (sea bass) stuffed tortellini verde with prosecco, fennel & tarragon. The pasta dish was subtle and very refreshing, a perfect start since our flavor profiles were going to build with each dish.

Pizza was next, osso – roasted bone marrow, fontina, rabe leaves & fresh horseradish. The pizza was very rustic rich, flavorful and the marrow melted in your mouth. This may have been the best pizza I have ever had! The wine pared perfectly with the pizza.

Last, we had roasted chicken breast & stuffed leg with golden turnips, morels, rabe leaves & sherry thyme jus; OMG! The breast was juicy and the stuffed leg was to die for, I don’t often order a chicken dish out but the description of this dish on the menu was tempting and it delivered big time.

We were too full to order dessert, next time.

I highly recommend flour + water for a casual evening when you are in the mood for good food and wine without too much fuss. Make a reservation because they have not quite figured out how to manage walk-ins.

Spring

Saison (french word for spring) http://saisonsf.com/ is this lovely little restaurant in the French tradition tucked away in the back of The Stable Café http://stablecafe.com/ on Folsom Street in the Mission. You enter the restaurant through the industrial kitchen that connects The Stable Café with Saison. The dining room is inviting in the modern farmhouse style; a large communal dinning table in the center of the round surrounded by tables of four; the dining room seats roughly 30 people. The walls are adorned with artwork and the tables all have simple floral arrangements.

It was this past Sunday evening when my husband, a friend and I dinned at Saison. We had a long, leisurely delightful meal and a magical dining experience! We had the wine pairing with our meal, I was a little concern because our friend is Brian Duncan http://www.bin36.com/brian.html wine director at Bin 36 in Chicago http://www.plumtv.com/videos/2009-food-wine-classic-video-bin-36s-wine-director-brian-duncans-grand-tasting-tent-picks/index.html, he know his was around wine and food and Saison delivered! The food is fresh Saison claims “each morning our menu is crafted from scratch. We source all of our ingredients from the surrounding land and our network of small farms, ranches and fisherman” and it taste like it!
The food was so beautiful, simple, clean and precise in its presentation and flavor profile. Every course left us speechless and satisfied beyond belief waiting to experience the next plate. After every course I proclaimed it my favorite; the oyster and egg stood out. Brain said that the dessert was the best he ever had in his life!

Menu
Little leeks, Sweetwater oyster jus, wild caviar
Bailly-Lapierre Cremant de Bourgogne, France

Our farm EGG, smoked butter & golden trout roe

Garden vegetables & herbs cooked various ways
Can Feixes Penedes, Spain 2008

Roots stewed with bonito, caramelized flowering rabes
Domaine Seguinot Bordet Chablis, Burgundy France 2007

Crimson BEET aigre-doux, hibiscus & bone marrow
Poggio Argentiera Morellion de Scansano, Tuscany, Italy 2008

Poularde, whole-roasted with podi spides, almond milk, natural jus
Copani Pinot Noir “ tous ensemble” Mendocino 2007

Point Reyes Inverness, sun-toasted walnuts

Satsuma Creamsicle

Chocolate-walnut crumble, salted caramel ice cream

Saison is so very refreshing like spring, although it is expensive the meal and the experience was worth every cent! Chef Joshua Skenes is a master a shinning star on the culinary scene in San Francisco. I can’t wait until my next experience at Saison!

chef joshua & brian

Chocolate Month

It’s February – Chocolate Month; I was in Chicago for Valentine’s Day (I will muse about that later) so I missed having chocolate for Valentine’s Day. I have been craving chocolate for days so I decided to do something about it. Now in all honesty I have cravings for chocolate and may other things all of the time, I just thought the post Valentine’s Day craving was a nice lead into this blog.

Last night watching Bobby Flay Throw Down on HGTV the challenge was brownies, after watching that show I decided to make brownies would full fill my chocolate fix. Checking the pantry I found that I had almost all of the ingredients and what I didn’t have I could pick up from the store. Gooey fudgy brownies are the only ones for me. This brownie recipe started off as someone else but I have made so many adjustments to the recipe that it is truly mine. Remember the better the ingredients the better the brownie; enjoy this recipe and make your own adjustments if you like!

Johnnie’s Brownies

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (the good stuff, it makes a difference)
4 large eggs
I cup macadamia nuts (or whatever you like)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Sift the flour, 1 cup of sugar and salt together in food processor bowl (you can do this by hand if you want & if so you would put these dry ingredients into a bowl.).
3. Melt the butter and chocolate (not the chocolate chips) in a medium saucepan over very low heat, stirring frequently and keeping a watchful eye on the pot to make certain the chocolate doesn’t scorch. Add 1 cup of the sugar to the mixture and stir for 30 seconds or so, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
4. Little by little, pour chocolate mixture into the food processor bowl alternating adding the eggs, pulse constantly scraping the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
5. Pour and scrape the batter in to a buttered 12-inch glass pan (I prefer a glass pan when baking brownies, I like the chewy bottom) and fold in the nuts & chocolate chips. (I rough chopped some of the nuts and sprinkled them over the top)
6. Bake the brownies for approximately 30 minutes (remember it depends on your oven so use your judgment), during which time they will rise a little and the top will turn dark and dry.
7. Cool the brownies in the pan on a rack.
I made a simple ganache with some of the chocolate chips and a little whipping cream to drizzle over the top of the brownies.