Material developed in San Francisco
I am currently immersed in the San Francisco International Film Festival, as well as learning my way around a new iMac and related software. I’ve hardly had time to eat, let alone write about it. I’ll be back in a week or so.
Marcus
The picture is from The Song of Sparrows by Iranian director Majid Majidi.
Winter Walk, Waldo County (Maine) Independent, 1992
With five-hour goat on my mind, I bought a 3 1/4 pound Goat Leg at the Saturday Farmers Market from Marin Sun Farms [$26]. I’d been looking since the Five-Hour Goat story appeared in the New York Times the first of April.
Monday, I took the fine looking goat leg out of the refrigerator at 12:30 and, still wrapped, checked to see if it would fit in one of my Dutch ovens; wouldn’t. The leg had a four-inch Frenched bone protruding out of the meat. What to do? I could take it to Whole Food and have the butcher there whack off the bone. That would be uncool. Better idea… go to Cole Hardware and buy a small hacksaw.
The Palestinian convenience store is a few doors down from Cole; intimidated by the 26 cloves of garlic, I walked over and bought two heads, just in case. Six bucks for the hacksaw, two bucks for the garlic, $26 for the leg; enough for two or three meals, pretty good.
I sawed off the bone and the leg fit nicely in my blue oval Le Creuset pot. Continue reading
Healdsburg is a bit of a trip from San Francisco, but we needed
to go to Simi Winery to pick up our Wine Club shipment. You know how the wine clubs work… you join, they ship two or three bottles of wine to you each quarter and in exchange, a you get a big discount – 25 to 30% – on any wine purchased. At Simi, I had signed up for pick-up only; that saves on shipping and makes a good excuse to go to the wine country from time to time.
Of course, by the time we got to Healdsburg, we were ready for lunch. Barndiva is a restaurant that Carol and I had visited a number of times and always enjoyed. We sat outside in the garden and delighted, still, in the spring day as we ordered Tempura Beer Battered Shrimp to start.
Barndiva garden
After bringing wine, the waiter returned with a plate of unexpected goodies: “We’re out of shrimp, so the chef whipped up a little something in its stead – Tempura Beer Battered Cod with a celeriac remoulade for dipping, and Tempura Beer Battered goat cheese with honey for dipping.”
Oh my… I’m glad they were out of shrimp. The cod was light and moist in a tender batter, the remoulade lending a nice tangy complement. The cheese ball dipped in honey exploded in my mouth with warm creamy sweet and salty goodness. Yum. Continue reading
I’m a fairly regular subscriber to the Mariquita Mystery Box and it’s all my wife and I can do to use it up in two weeks. We ate out a couple times, so I recently had a plethora of carrots from two installments of the Mystery Box. I needed something to use up a LOT of carrots.
Janet Fletcher did a piece on Simple Spring Soups for the Chronicle a few springs ago (2006) including Carrot, Fennel & Potato Soup. I made that soup a couple of times, but thought, while good enough, it needed some oomph. I decided curry might do the trick so I modified her recipe to suit my taste thoughts.
Curried Carrot and Fennel Soup
Based on Janet Fletcher’s Carrot, Fennel & Potato Soup
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 yellow onion, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons good curry powder
3 to 4 medium carrots, peeled, in large dice
1/2 large bulb fennel, cored and chopped
1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, in large dice
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, plus more if needed
Heavy cream or half-and-half, optional
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Well, judging from what I had on hand in my onion basket and vegetable drawer – the Mystery Box again – here’s what I actually put together: Continue reading
Panel on the Art of the Butcher
The Society for Agriculture and Food Ecology (SAFE) and Meatpaper present a panel discussion highlighting the stark contrast between animals delivered from local slaughterhouses and plastic-wrapped grocery store steak. They will talk about the retail component of the local meat system and how this can change the relationships that chefs, home cooks, and diners have with their meat. “We want to show how animals can be part of a vibrant and diverse agricultural system and some part of our diet as responsible omnivores.” The discussion will be followed by a demonstration by Chef Ryan Farr on how a whole carcass is broken down into cuts of meat. 7:00pm, 105 North Gate Hall, UC Berkeley Campus.
I took the opportunity to attend The Art of the Butcher on a balmy Thursday evening. Geez Louise, I hadn’t been in a college lecture hall for a long time. North Gate Hall is the Journalism building at Berkeley, an excellent Arts and Crafts building with steps inside meandering up through the building, mirroring the topography outside.
the hall
I entered Room 105 at the top of a stepped hall with loose, “writing-arm” wooden chairs on the risers. I was there for the panel on good meat practices and to see a pig butchered.
The panel, left to right:
Melanie Eisemann (Avedano’s),
David Budworth (Marina Meats, Avedano’s),
moderator Marissa Guggiana (Sonoma Direct, Meatpaper)
Mark Pasternak (Devil’s Gulch Ranch),
Nate Appleman (A16, SPQR, Urbino),
Ryan Farr (Ivy Elegance)
Some notes from the panel discussion –
Butchers David, Nate and Ryan were chosen because they break down whole carcasses at their respective establishments, rather than buy meat by the box. A16 buys two pigs a week on Wednesday, Nate Appleman breaks them down in the restaurant, and they use every bit, including the skin. A16 is “based on Southern Italy, which is based on poverty.” While they serve all the familiar cuts, they also serve those you probably won’t find in your supermarket. Continue reading
A Movable Feast
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Luce at the InterContinental San Francisco
The Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) presented the first installment of the First Annual Movable Feast: Twelve Chefs Celebrate Six Farmers in a Series of Seasonal Suppers. Occurring once a month, the Series is intended to honor the relationships within the chef community and between chefs and farmers all while bringing attention to CUESA’s mission.
Chefs: Dominique Crenn of Luce and Chris Kronner formerly of Slow Club and Serpentine.
Featured Farmer: Louis Iacopi of Iacopi Farm, Half Moon Bay.
About 50 folks gathered for a true feast in the elegant and spacious Luce, where the curved glass windows looked out on the active corner of Howard and Fifth Streets. My wife and I were seated at a banquette on the inside wall. There were no speeches or ceremony, just good food and wine. Those present knew why they had come. Between courses, CUESA Executive Director Dave Stockdale circulated among the guests and introduced farmer Louis Iacopi. The chefs, Dominique and Chris, circulated throughout the evening to answer questions and check on our reaction to the dishes. Wines were paired with each course and served with an explanation of the selection.
The menu was served in courses on large white plates. The portions for each course were small, but by the end of the evening, our bellies were full and our senses heightened.
The menu is presented below, with my comments in italic. I took no food-porn pictures because I thought it inappropriate for the occasion – also, I forgot my camera.
It was a most agreeable and enjoyable evening, and we look forward to others in the series.
Menu
Early Spring Vegetable Garden
A mélange of flavors and textures including a very thin crisp slice of raw carrot, a cooked white carrot, half of a baby turnip, slice of beet with mustard seeds and grainy mustard, and dehydrated basil nestled with a dollop of pureed potato.
Graziano Fontana, Muller Thurgau, Sudtirol, Alto Adige, Italy 2005
Baby Octopus / Cauliflower / Potatoes Fondant
The octopus, served warm, was extremely tender and tasty – I’m guessing it was marinated in a vinegary, briny solution and briefly cooked. The cauliflower was shaved longitudinally through the floweret, served cold and very crisp. Julienne strips of fennel were presented cooked and lightly dressed. The potatoes were balls the size of a large marble. I’m guessing that “fondant” means they were pureed, gelatin or agar agar added, cast into balls and re-cooked. They were very white and served on dry basil and a dollop of mayo. The potatoes themselves were rather bland, but with the basil/mayo were quite tasty.
Iron Horse, Chardonnay, Green Valley, Sonoma, California 2006
Mint English peas / Spring onion /
Slow Roasted Spring Sonoma Lamb
About 12 peas presented in an open pod with a sauce of pureed peas and mint. An eight-inch stalk of grilled spring onion with a crunchy interior complimented two-rib portion of roasted medium rare Frenched lamb chops, suitable for gnawing. Yum
La Spinetta Ca da Pian, Barbera d’Asti, Piedmont, Italy 2004
Gigante Beans Cassoulet
Amazing flavor! Giant butter beans, an Iacopi favorite of mine, served with a rich sauce and topped with a thick scrumptious slice of tender pork belly. Chef Crenn told me that the sauce was a reduction of some of the beans, pureed, with wine and the bean juices.
Marquis-Phillips S2, Cabernet Sauvignon, McClaren Vale, Australia 2004
Evolution of Strawberries
Raw, cooked, candied, sorbet, dried, gelato, and foam strawberries were arranged around the plate, each displaying its own color, texture and temperature.
Vinoptima, Late Harvest Gewurztraminer, Gisborne, New Zealand 2002
Bacon Explosion
I got this recipe from the NY Times just in time to make it for my 10th annual Super Bowl Party. When I mentioned to Carol – who sent me the link – that I wanted to make it, she said, “Oh no, the guests will explode!”
“What better time,” I said, “we’ll have 15 people here, the perfect opportunity.”
The Times story, by Damon Darlin, was entitled, “Take Bacon. Add Sausage. Blog.” They did it in a smoker; I don’t have a smoker and Super Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day, so I did it on my Weber Q grill.
So, here’s my story, dedicated to my brother, Tom, who was in Atlanta, weeping. Continue reading
Stuffed Pork Chops
I got so hungry writing the review of Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Cooking that I just had to cook something from that book.As luck would have it, a colleague of Carol’s was coming over for dinner the following Sunday to watch the Academy Awards. Good timing.
I went through the book carefully to find something appropriate. I wasn’t in the mood for fish or seafood, so that limited the possibilities. Pork Chops stuffed with a spiced up sausage-apple mixture looked good. It can be prepped ahead and it spends over an hour in the oven so that once Sarah arrives, the cooking would be virtually completed. I wanted to roast some beets, as well, so they could share the 400-degree oven with the chops.
Saturday at the Farmers Market, I stopped by Golden Gate Meat and got 4 Frenched pork chops. I had the butcher cut a pocket in each for stuffing – not a difficult task, I could do it myself, but he’s a pro. Looking at the chops in the meat case, they didn’t look extra big, so instead of 3 folks, 3 chops, I got four. Besides, the recipe is for six chops and can’t readily be halved… leftovers of any K-Paul dish are good. I got some mild Italian sausages to use as the ground pork ingredient.
Sunday was chilly and rainy, a perfect day for cooking. I started the mise en place mid-afternoon. Once the “meez” (as Anthony Bourdain calls it) is done, the cooking is a breeze, K-Paul writes very explicit instructions. Continue reading
A Birthday Treat
Carol was being very mysterious about my birthday. She kept saying she would take me out, but she said she wouldn’t say where. Then, “The place I wanted to take you closed, but I have another place in mind, but I won’t say where.”
Okay by me… as long as I know I won’t have to cook.
When she got home from work, she said, “I couldn’t get a reservation, but maybe we should just go anyway.”
“It’s your party,” I said. Clearly, she couldn’t wait to surprise me.
“Well… let’s go,” she said, “I’ll drive. It’s someplace we’ve never been before.”
“So we’re driving,” I said, “That rules out about 20 places.”
As she crossed Van Ness, I said, “I smell Fillmore Street.” She grunted. She turned left on Fillmore. Where haven’t we been on Fillmore, I wondered. She drove on. “Hmmm, maybe Yoshi’s?” I said. She said no, but when we got to Yoshi’s, she said to look for parking. A space opened up on the other side of the street. She made a quick left into it, a three-point turn and parked… a very city-like maneuver. In the near corner of the glass Yoshi’s building, we could see a restaurant looking place. No sign, but a big wooden door welcomed us. We went in. Continue reading
I saw some really nice, fennel at the farmers market recently and it reminded me of a fennel cake I’d had in London, so I went to Cheese Plus and asked if they had “Beekswell” cheese (that’s what was in my notes). Ray, the owner, said they had Berkswell, a raw milk sheep cheese from England. I figured that must be it, and bought a wedge of nearly a half-pound.
Fennel and Berkswell Cake at St John Bread and Wine in London
St. John Bread and Wine is Fergus Henderson’s smaller restaurant in the Spitalfields area of London (northeast). We visited last October when we also toured France and Spain. I asked the server how it was made, it seemed so simple. She consulted the kitchen and advised that, “it is sliced fennel, layered with Beekswell goat cheese and baked. To finish, the top was spread with a mixture of milk and cheese and broiled for 2 or 3 minutes to brown.”
They served the cake with pickled walnuts. (After making my cake, I learned that Cheese Plus sells Pickled Walnuts in a can.)
eats for one 