Gastronomie

Breaking news... Made in France Warehouse Sale

So, I've literally just walked back in from exploring the Made In France/Village Imports warehouse sale.

I won't rehash the details of the sale - you can go to Sam's site, here, for that. Suffice it to say, though, that Friday is definitely the day to go, if you can manage it.

Me, I'm lucky to work in Brisbane, so I finally braved the damn sale, and now I'm sitting here savoring a Mamie Nova Yaourt au Framboises & Mûres.

At any rate, here's what my $125 got me:

• 1.25lb whole Rougie Foie Gras
• 1 package of Petit Suisse (which I can't wait to eat with my yummy Piquant Quince preserves from England, lovingly hand-delivered by Sam)
• Two small tubs of demi-glace (veal & mushroom)
• 2 1-lb blocks of Plugra
• Several packages of Mamie Nova yogurts (including a pistachio one I've never had!) and crèmes
• Several crocks of La Fermière yogurts
• Chestnut paste
• Harissa
• Champagne vinegar
• Several bars of chocolate
• A large round of Valencay
• A tub of Maitres Laitiers du Cotentin cheese
• and finally, a small jar of truffle pieces (I don't have high hopes for this, but it was under $15, so if nothing else, will be fine for finishing dressings, etc.)

Asparagus Israeli Couscous "Risotto"

A couple of months ago, at a lunch at Citizen Cake with Sam, I had my first taste of farro. It got me thinking about "alternative" grains, and the uses for them.

So, when I saw a bag of Israeli couscous at Ratto's last month, I had to pick it up. I spend some time mulling over uses for the stuff, and last week, with two big bunches of asparagus in the fridge, I came up with this simple, delicious and utterly Springtime "risotto".

Meet me at the Shook Bar, or my post for the Barfly event

No, there's really not a place called the Shook Bar. But that's what my English friend Charlie calls Heinolds First & Last Chance saloon*.

Legend has it that Jack London sat at one of the same tables that's still in the bar to write out his notes for Call of the Wild and Sea Wolf.  The place has see a lot -- for example, the floor and bar have a pitch of about 20 degrees courtesy of the 1906 earthquake.  The same clock that hung then hangs now, forever playing witness to the time of the quake - it stopped for that occasion, and never started again.

Anyway. Heinold's is walking distance from our house. And, since they've rearranged the Jack London Square Farmer's Market (Sundays from 9am-1pm), it's conveniently positioned near the food (as opposed to produce) vendors.

A perfect Sunday lunch consists of a spinach Bowlani, garlic cheese spread & spicy carrot preserve from the Afghani vendor, a bockwurst or other sausage from Dibrova, and a couple of pints from Heinolds. Dessert is a Hawaiian-style shaved ice from Jeff - French Vanilla on top of a scoop of vanilla ice cream is our current favorite.

As the weather starts to get balmy again, I encourage you to spend a Sunday exploring the JLS market. It's low-key, friendly and on the waterfront... besides, Oakland is warmer and sunnier than the Ferry Building, by a long shot! Even better, take the ferry, and make a whole day trip of it, if you can.

*What's the etymology of the word "saloon", anyway? Is it how drunk sailors on whaling ships slurred the word "salon"?

Wine's Life, Part 1

My latest piece for KQED's Bay Area Bites is up... it was a very fun interview with Spencer Garrett of Kermit Lynch.

Check it out here.

The six-part series features wine professionals talking about how their passion & love of wine started and grew.

IMBB #14: Orange you glad for orange food?

This month's theme for Is My Blog Burning, hosted by Foodgoat, is Orange-colored Food.

Some might argue that a stew wouldn't qualify as "orange". I disagree. My Beef & Lamb Stew laden with vegetables, lentils and sherry & red wine vinegars was clearly orangey on Day 1, and by Day 2, it was distinctly orange, and not red.

After dinner, I was looking for a sweet bite to eat, and ended up making a 2nd dish: Spicy Mango, Avocado & Orange Fruit Salad. An orange double-whammy, of sorts, you see.

The stew was rich and incredibly delicious, but not particularly heavy, so it was perfect for a rainy spring weekend. As with almost all stews, it tasted better on day two.

The salad was really simple - 1 mango & 1 avocado, diced, plus one orange, supremed. Seasoned simply with a teaspoon of cayenne, the juice from half a lime and a light drizzle of my precious Minus 8 Vinegar. Delicious. Fresh. I would love this for breakfast with some strained Greek yogurt.

For the love of DOG!

You know there is something seriously awry when you won't bake cakes for your husband, but your dog's birthday sends you into a whirlwind of baking activity.

Yesterday was my Stella-Bella's birthday (that's her up there - she's a French Bulldog, and no, she was not hit in the face with a frying pan or run headfirst into a wall!)

Anyway, I found a base recipe I liked, then doctored it dramatically with stuff my guys really love. Frosted it with a banana-cream cheese frosting (tinted pink, of course!), and I had a near-riot on my hands.

Amazingly, this recipe tasted really good - kind of like a very dense, lightly sweet banana-honey-peanut butter scone. I will, in fact, be making this again for the humans in smaller scone-size cakes.

On Mangos

Growing up, I didn't have much of a "thing" for mangos.  In fact, I didn't have much interest in any of the so-called "Exotic Fruits" - papaya, guava, persimmons... the fascination eluded me.

Somewhere along the line, I came to love mangos, though I hated how stringy they can be and how much work there is for such little edible meat.

So when our CSA sent us a few Ataulfo mangos in our box last month, I wasn't particularly thrilled. That sad little mango sat on the kitchen counter, day after day, until one afternoon I came home and said, "Enough!".

I took out my paring knife, and sunk it into the skin of the mango, surprised at how deep it went. As I cut the meat away from the pit, I was in awe of the smooth, buttery texture, and the amount of meat there actually was.

I decided it was time for my favorite "un-recipe recipe" - I got out the cayenne pepper, and cut open a lime. I dusted the mango lightly with the pepper, and squeezed on some lime. As I took my first bite, I marveled at how there were no strings - no fibrous texture to mar my love affair with this spicy, sweet, juicy fruit.

Soon, I was gnawing inelegantly on the pit of the mango... I couldn't get enough of this Ataulfo. Where had it been all my life?

The next night, C was out of town, so I made myself a salad... a beautiful spring salad, and marveled once again at the bounty of nature, and how lucky I am to live in a place where I can get produce like this, delivered to my front door.

SF Wine Auction is approaching!

The 29th Annual San Francisco Wine Auction is happening on Friday, April 29th. To my knowledge, tickets are still available.

The auction is held annually to benefit the Guardsmen General Fund to develop education programs for the Bay Area's at-risk youth. This year's event is being held at the Westin St. Francis with a 3-course dinner developed by Michael Mina.

The participating wineries offer pours (as well as, I believe, auction lots), and there are some veddy, veddy spiffy "Lifestyle Lots" as well.

Winterland Restaurant...

Last night, C & I tried Winterland Restaurant.

The entry into the restaurant is a large but sexy lounge, with orange ottomans, steel art fixtures and bright red walls. The restaurant tables are to the right, with maybe 60 or 70 seats. We were seated promptly, but it took about 10 minutes to get our waiter's attention.

We each ordered a glass of Gruet Blanc de Noirs ($7), which is a lovely sparkling wine. I was kind of put off when our waiter pointedly "corrected" my pronunciation (Groo-ay) and said, "OK, two glasses of the Groo-ett, then?" (He would commit the same faux pas again, when I ordered a bottle of '01 Domaine Joblot Givry ($55) and he would "correct" me to Give-ree.)

As we turned our attention to the menu, C & I both felt that the typeface used made it really hard to read... despite that, the offerings were intriguing, and we settled on a few choices. Our waiter was quite helpful when I was torn between a few dishes, and didn't automatically recommend the most expensive dish.

We were brought an amuse-bouche of Beet Gelee with Golden Beet Puree & Goat Cheese, which we found delightful. First, Winterland is not the type of place you expect amuses and mignardises, but we got both. Second, the flavors were just strong enough to intrigue, without being too overwhelming so early in the meal. The texture of the gelee was softer than I'm used to, in a nice way.

Freaking Moblogging

Can someone explain to me why, when I post something via "moblogging", my RSS feeds don't update, and Food Porn Watch doesn't pick up the edit?

Regardless, I am back from an amazing meal at Frasca, Bobby Stuckey's restaurant. He has brought to Boulder a restaurant of beautifully prepared, organic food; perfect service; a phenomenal wine list...

It's 2am here, and I have a 7am wake-up call, so I'm going to bed now... but tomorrow, you can read all about the amazing dinner including:

• Cannellini bean agnolotti with shaved zucchini & bacon vinaigrette
• House-made country duck pate with onion relish & grilled brioche
• Boulder Pine slow-roasted lamb saddle with caramelized potatoes, black trumpet mushrooms & "sugo naturale"
• Carved grilled beef short ribs with beef marmalade (!!!!), watercress pesto & celeriac puree
• And, the most phenomenal dish of the night... Braised Long Family pork belly with horseradish broth, smoked bacon, chanterelle & apple chutney.

Yeah, I know, I'm a jerk... but you love me.