Madi's Vodka Penne Pasta

My friend Madison gave me this recipe.  It is super simple and unbelievably delicious.  You can add shrimp, chicken or sausage to this recipe to add some protein but it is wonderful on it's own too!

1 lb penne pasta
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/3 cup vodka
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
Grated parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta.  While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Add garlic to the olive oil and saute for ~4 minutes (do not let garlic brown).  Add vodka and cayenne pepper (1/4 tsp pepper for kinda spicy, 1/2 tsp pepper for very spicy).  Cook for 3-4 minutes until vodka is reduced by about half.  Add the crushed and diced tomatoes and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Add cream and salt and cook for 3-4 additional minutes.  Drain the pasta and serve sauce over the penne with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Variations:
If adding chicken or sausage-  brown the chicken or sausage and set aside before making the sauce.  Add the chicken or sausage with the cream and salt step of the recipe and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

If adding uncooked shrimp- add in the shrimp with the cream and salt step of the recipe and cook for an additional ~8 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked.

Lucca (Italian deli)

Lucca is an amazing gem of SF!  They handmake fresh raviolis every hour of the day so you are always getting fresh pasta. 

The selection of cheeses and meats imported from Italy is incredible and they do sandwiches to order.  They also have a variety of other imported Italian goodies such as biscotti, sauces and olive oils.  But the most amazing thing is the fresh foccacia, if you try nothing else make sure this is it!  It has been written up several years in a row as one of the top 100 things you need to eat in SF before you die.

Beer-braised carnitas

If you own a crock-pot this recipe is your good friend.  Just throw everything into the crockpot on high for 30 minutes (until boiling) and then reduce to low for 3-4 hours.  Your kitchen will smell insanely good!  I serve this recipe on some warm tortillas, rice, avocado and sometimes with a side of black beans (mixed with a dash of salt, pepper and cumin).

2 dried chile peppers, toasted

3 lbs skinless, boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 2" pieces

12 ounce lager (I used Modelo Especial)

4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed

4 teaspoons kosher salt

 

Stem the toasted chiles and halve lengthwise; discard seeds.

Bring chiles, pork, beer, garlic, salt, and 1 cup water to a boil in same pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pork is fork-tender ~ 3 hours.

Uncover pork; simmer until liquid evaporates and pork begins to brown, 20-25 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pot, until pork is shredded and browned, 10-15 minutes additionally.

DO AHEAD: Carnitas can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool. Cover and chill. Reheat with 1/2 cup water in a covered pot, adding more water if needed to keep pork moist.

 

Chicken with peanut sauce

This recipe easily feeds 4 people.  It is a simple tasty week night dinner.  The peanut sauce will keep in the fridge for a week.

4 chicken breasts, chopped in 1/2" pieces
1 red bell pepper, sliced
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup light cocunut milk
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 Tbsp rice wine
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tsp crushed red pepper

Whisk the last 7 ingredients together in a bowl to create the peanut sauce. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet and brown chicken and red pepper slices together over medium heat until cooked through, adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken and red peppers on top of white rice and drizzle with peanut sauce. The chicken pieces and red peppers can also be placed on a skewer and drizzled with the sauce.

Limoncello

I learned to make Limoncello from an Inn owner in Orvieto, Italy.  I had never even tried this magical liqueur before visiting his Inn.  I am hooked!  It makes the perfect after dinner drink or night cap.  Also, people love recieving bottles of this as gifts!  It takes just over a month to make so plan ahead.

3 lbs. lemons
2 - 3 cups sugar (depending on your taste)
1 quart vodka or everclear
1 quart water
2 large bottles with a cap or cork (old wine or liquor bottles work great)

Rinse and scrub the lemons clean.  Zest all of the lemons into a large sealable container.  Add the vodka or everclear.  Seal the container and shake the zest up.  Store in a dark cabinet or closet and shake the zest up in the container periodically over the next month (once per week is fine, more is even better). 

At the end of the month, combine the sugar  (2 cups for less sweet and up to 3 cups for more sweet) and water together in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and a thin syrup is created.  Allow the syrup to cool completely.  Add the syrup to the container with the zest and vodka.  Let it sit for 3 additional days. 

Clean the bottles completely with soap and hot water. Strain the zest out of the limoncello and fill the bottles with the limoncello.  Serve the limoncello chilled in shot or dessert glasses.  The Italians often dip almond biscottti into this drink, the flavors are a great combination. 

Note:  You will end up with many lemons after the zesting and you are probably wondering what the hell you will do with all of them.  I suggest making some lemonade or lemon curd!

Lemonade

This recipe is a great way to use up your lemons!  I made this after making a batch of my limoncello...it's a great use of all of those lemons that are leftover after the zesting is done.

11-12 medium-sized lemons
3 1/2 cups cold water
1/4 cup agave nectar (more to taste)

Juice all of the lemons into a juice container.  Add the cold water and agave nectar, stir well and serve over ice.  If you like your lemonade a little sweeter, add some additional agave nectar to taste.

Keys Cafe (South Lake Tahoe)

The Keys Cafe is hands down the best place to grab breakfast in South Lake Tahoe.  They make the most wonderful breakfast sandwiches and smoothies.  Most importantly, they have good coffee.  Yesterday I rolled out of there with an enormous egg, bacon, swiss and avocado sandwich on a warm toasted soft roll, which I washed down with a raspberry smoothie and a large coffee. I was ready for the mountain after that! The cafe also has a complete menu of fresh sandwiches for you to take on the go when you are heading to the mountain. To top it off, the staff at the Keys Cafe are laid back and extremely friendly.

Short ribs braised in red wine

This is the perfect Sunday evening dinner.  You can put it on in the early afternoon and let the amazing scent of cooking herbs, red wine and meat fill your house for hours.  By the time you actually sit down for dinner you are ready to devour this dish!  The meat is very tender and melts as you chew.  I served this dish over my garlic peppery mashed potatoes.  It could also be served with plain noodles or rice if you prefer. 

10 fresh parsley sprigs
3.5 lbs boneless beef shortribs
1 large onion, chopped
4 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 750 ml bottle of full-bodied red wine
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Pull the parsley leaves off of the stems. Chop the leaves and set aside. Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper.  In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, at the olive oil and brown the ribs on all sides (cooking for about 12-15 minutes).  Remove the ribs from the pot and set on a plate.  Add the carrots and onion to the pot.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Cook for about 10 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the wine and bring to a simmer.  Return the ribs to the pot, along with any juices. Add the parsley stems, oregano and bay leaves.  Add enough water to barely cover the ribs.  Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and cook the ribs for 4-5 hours (even longer is fine), turning the ribs occasionally while cooking. In the last hour, check the sauce, it should be reduced by half. If it is reducing too slowly, remove the cover entirely for the remainder of the cooking time. When the ribs are done, remove the bay leaves and parsley stems. Stir in the chopped parsley leaves and adjust seasonings as needed (more salt/pepper if desired). Serve over potatoes, noodles or rice.

Lolinda (Argentinian)

Argentinian steak is just about as close to heaven as it gets for me. Phil and I traveled down to Argentina a couple of years back and we still talk about the huge, wonderfully lean hunks of perfect beef that we ate (every single night) there.  We spent most of our days happily suffering the "meat sweats" while drunk on amazing $8 bottles of Malbec. So...Lolinda had alot to live up to for us!  I am happy to say that we were not disappointed. We started with beef empanadas which were flaky on the outside and filled with warm beef, olives, cheese and potatoes on the inside.  Then came our hearts of palm salad with a creamy lime dressing (yum yum yum).  We shared a flank steak which was appropriately served with chimichurri and a side of croquettes, which were simply little nuggets of cheese and potato served with a spicy aioli.  Of course all of this was washed down with a bottle of deliciously spicy Malbec.  Ok, it wasn't $8, but it also was not terribly overpriced...by SF standards.  We will be back to Lolinda again very soon!

Garlic peppery mashed potatoes

An old basic that never disappoints, tonight I served these mashed potatoes with a roasted chicken.  I love adding loads of pepper to this recipe but the peppery flavor isn't for everyone so definitely add the pepper to your taste!

Serves 2-4

4 large yukon potatoes, peeled and cut in half
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
2 - 4 tsp ground black pepper (to taste)

Boil the potatoes in a medium sauce pan with salted water until they feel very soft when pierced (~15 minutes).  Drain the potatoes and using either a hand-held potato masher or an electric mixer, mash the potatoes.  Add the butter, cream (or milk), garlic, salt and pepper to the potatoes.  Mash all ingredients together until smooth and creamy.  

Sorry I didn't take a photo of this recipe...let's be honest, mashed potatoes are pretty boring to look at (but lovely in their own way :-))

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Winter-y weather always makes me want to stay in my cozy apartment baking all day!  I had the luxury of doing that today so I decided to make an old favorite, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream the butter with the brown and white sugar together until creamy (~4 minutes).  Add the egg and vanilla, and mix on low speed until incorporated.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add the flour mix to the butter mixture and mix well.  Sitr in the oats, chocolate chips and walnuts (if using). Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2" apart.  Bake for about 12 minutes.

About me

My name is Emily (Em) Mirro. I have lived in San Francisco for the past 16 years and am currently living with my husband Phil in the Potrero Hill neighborhood. I have been in love with cooking and eating from a very young age. My favorite thing to do is cook an obscenely gigantic dinner for my family/friends and then spend hours eating and drinking together until everyone is stuffed blind (and very drunk). I am like a big old Italian grandmother crammed into the body of a thirty...seven year old.

I started this blog as a way to share my SF restaurant recommendations, recipes and kitchen adventures because I love to talk about food, alot.

Now mangiamo! (let's eat)

 

Pistachio crusted salmon

If you love salmon you have to try this recipe.  The spicy sweet mixture of the glaze mixed with the crunchy pistachio crust is out of this world!   The amounts below will be enough for 4 salmon fillets.

4, 5 oz salmon fillets
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp butter, melted
4 tsp honey
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup pistachios
2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place on a greased, foil-lined pan, skin-side down.  Mix the mustard, butter and honey together and brush on top of the salmon.  Combine the bread crumbs, pistachios and cilantro in a small food processor until thoroughly blended.  Sprinke the mixture on top of the fillets.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until salmon is opaque in the center and begins to flake; be careful not to overbake.  Serve immediately.

Broccolini with garlic and red pepper flakes

This is a simple, healthy side dish that takes about 12 minutes total to make. 

12 stalks of broccolini
1 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less depending on the level of spice you like)
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Boil salted water in a medium saucepan. Add the broccolini and cook until just soft (about 8 minutes).  Drain the water and add the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes to the saucepan.  Cook for about 3 minutes.  Add the brocollini back into the saucepan and toss with the olive oil to cook.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

The Bomboloni Guy

My Italian teacher told me to seek out Bomboloni during my trip to Italy a few years back.  She told me to get up early because these gorgeous warm doughnuts will be sold out at every bakery by 9am!  She was right, the only time I was able to buy bomboloni was when I was up at the crack of dawn but it was always worth it.  A bombolone (singular) is not too different from a sugar doughnut with custard or chocolate filling that you might find in the states but the dough seems a bit lighter and they are often served warm.  Since my trip (and bomboloni overdose) I have an crazy craving for them every so often and head down to the ferry building to get one or six of them. They sell them in front of the Boriana italian food specialty store with a custard or nutella filling.  They are so popular that on the weekends they have a seperate station set up in the ferry building and the "bomboloni guy" (as named by me) is standing out there surrounded by boxes and boxes of delicious fried dough!  I am going to try to make bomboloni on my own soon so will post the recipe and my experience.  I am usually a huge failure when it comes to frying things so it may be awhile before I have a success story and recipe worthy of posting!  In the meantime, head down to the ferry building for one!

Bloody Mary

I have to give my friend Jen all the credit for this recipe.  Before I met her, I was always just mixing Mrs. T's spicy mix with some vodka. I will not knock Mrs. T as her mix is awesome.  But Jen always makes her bloodys from scratch and she recently shared this kick-ass recipe which is listed below.  I made them this morning and think I will definitely have to form the habit of making them from scratch (I already have the habit of drinking them too often).

5 lemons
1 cup vodka
1 tbsp horseradish (I use a bit more because I love it)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp tobasco sauce
3 cups tomato juice
Celery sticks, olives, pepperoncinis and whatever else you like for garnish

Cut 1 lemon into slices and squeese juice from the other 4.  Add to the tomato juice- mix in other ingredients and stir well.  Pour over ice, garnish to your liking!

Basil Pesto

My basil plants are growing like a weed this summer so it's time to make a big batch of pesto.  I stick this goodness on just about anything- pasta, potatoes, grilled bread, chicken, beef, fish...you name it.  It's a great condiment to have sitting in the fridge.  I have kept this recipe for up to 2 weeks in the fridge and it still taste great.


2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed cups)
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste




Put everything into a food processor and puree until smooth.


Note:  I have omitted the pine nuts before because I have some friends with nut allergies and it still tastes great.  If you do this, only add 3/4 cup olive oil and a little bit more parm.

Orchiette with Kale and Pancetta

I love the freshness of the kale in this dish and it makes me feel like I am getting some vitamins with my pasta (even if this is far from a healthy dish). The red pepper flakes adds a hint of spice without being overwhelming.

1 lb orchiette pasta
4 oz pancetta, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 stems of kale, de-stemmed and chopped into 1/4" pieces
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup heavy cream

Boil a pot of water with the salt.  Once the water is boiling, add the kale for 5 minutes and drain the kale out of the water, leaving the water boiling on the stove.  Add the orchiette to the boiling water.  

Meanwhile, add the olive oil, pancetta and garlic to a skillet over medium heat until the pancetta is brown.  Add the butter to the skillet until melted and then add the bread crumbs and red pepper flakes. Toast the bread crumbs for 2 minutes and remove from heat.

Drain the pasta, reserving one cup of the pasta water.  Toss the pasta in a bowl with the kale, bread crumb mixture, 1/2 cup of the pasta water, cream and parmesean.  If the pasta seems to dry, add the remaining pasta water.

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Herbed Chicken

I made this recipe up with the ingredients we had in the fridge and it turned out great so I had to add it to the blog. The tangy lemon and creamy goat cheese work well together. I made this dish for two.

2 chicken breasts
1 small log of goat cheese
1 lemon
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons thyme, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Butterfly the chicken breasts and marinate them for 1 hour in the garlic, herbs, olive oil, salt, pepper and the juice of the lemon.  Brown the butterflied chicken breasts on both sides in a skillet over medium heat.  Once the chicken is brown on both sides, turn the heat down to low.  Place two 1/4" slices of the goat cheese on one side of each of the chicken breasts.  Fold the other half of the chicken breast on top of the goat cheese.  Cook until the cheese becomes melted and creamy. 

Focaccia

This recipe takes a bit of time to prepare but the instructions are simple and you can't beat having a freshly baked loaf of bread to serve with dinner!  If your apartment is cold (like mine) it will take longer for the dough to rise.  Try placing the dough near some sort of heat source to speed things up.  I try to place mine near the kitchen heater.  Don't place directly on/over a heat source though or you will start to cook your dough.

For one loaf:
2, 7g packaget of instant rise yeast
650ml warm water
1 kg white bread flour
2 tablespoons of fine salt
Olive oil
Flaky sea salt
1 handful of fresh rosemary

In a large bowl, mix the yeast into the water and whisk until the yeast is dissolved.  Add half of the bread flour and use a whisk to beat until smooth.  At this stage, your mixture will be very wet, like pancake batter.  Mentally mark the "tide line" of the batter on the side of the bowl.  Leave, covered with plastic wrap, until the mixture has risen and starts to fall again (about 1 hour in a warm kitchen, 30+ minutes longer in a cool one).  Knead in the other 500g of bread flour and the salt.  Work everything together until there are no lumps.

Transfer the dough to a warm, oiled, clean bowl and leave it to rise for at least 1 more hour.  Knock the dough back down and let it rise one more time.  It can be baked now or refrigerated overnight.

Oil your hands and a parchment-lined baking tray.  Take the dough and manipulate it into a long, 1.5-2" high oval shape on the baking tray. Smear olive oil  over the top and cover with plastc wrap.  Leave it in a warm place to rise.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees farenheit.  When the dough has risen by one third, remove the plastic wrap, oil your hands and lightly press your fingers into the dough to leave dimples on the surface. Scatter the flaky sea salt and rosemary over the top, pressing the rosemary into the surface.

Bake the dough until golden brownl  To test the bread's doneness, tap it on the bottom, it should sound hollow.

Chocolate cream cheese cupcakes

This is another hit from Epicurious.  The chocolate cake is very rich but the creamy cheesecake-like filling cuts the richness of the chocolate. They are an amazing combination!

Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 large egg
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips 

Cupcakes:
1 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, melted, warm
1/2 cup whole milk 

For filling:
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in medium bowl. Add egg, sugar, salt, and vanilla and beat until almost smooth. Fold in chocolate chips. 

For cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Stir in vanilla and chocolate; beat at high speed 5 seconds. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk. Beat on high for 5 seconds to blend. Divide batter among cups, filling 1/3 full. Using tablespoon, hollow out center of each cupcake. Place 1 heaping tablespoonful cream cheese filling in each center.

Bake cupcakes until toothpick inserted into center (but not cream cheese filling) comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan; cool completely on rack.

Red Curry

This a great weekday dish, it takes about 30 minutes total and makes a hearty dinner that can be eaten in one bowl.  This can be made with beef, chicken, fish or tofu-- I made it with shrimp tonight.  If you make this with beef or chicken, I would recommend browning the meat after the shallots, bell pepper and ginger are sauteed but before adding the broth and coconut milk.  If you use fish or tofu, it can be made as instructed below.

15 uncooked, deveined shrimp
4 tablespoons red curry paste
1 13-oz can coconut milk
3 cups chicken broth
3 red potatoes, cut into 1/2" chunks
2 shallots chopped
1.5" piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 limes
1/3 cup basil, chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1 package rice noodles or 1 cup of rice

Add 2 glugs of olive oil to a large heavy-bottom saucepan and saute the shallots, bell pepper and ginger for 5 minutes.  Add the potatoes, chicken broth, coconut milk, red curry paste and a dash of salt and pepper.  Zest the limes into the saucepan and squeeze all of the juice into the saucepan as well.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.  In the meantime, cook and drain the rice noodles.  Add the cilantro, basil and shrimp to the curry for 5 minutes, just long enough to cook the shrimp.  Serve the curry over the rice or rice noodles.

Salty Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I found this recipe on Epicurious and absolutely had to try them.  Whoever thought to put dark chocolate and salt together was an absolute genius, I will eat anything with the combo!  These cookies have the perfect amount of salt, not overwhelming but just enough to let you know it's there.  Of course, you can always sprinkle on as much/little of the salt as you prefer.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
Maldon or other flaky sea salt

Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 375°F. Whisk flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, sugar, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add egg yolks, egg, and vanilla. Beat, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until mixture is pale and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low; slowly add dry ingredients, mixing just to blend. Using a spatula, fold in chocolate.

Spoon rounded tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing 1" apart. Sprinkle cookies with sea salt.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until just golden brown around the edges, 10-12 minutes (the cookies will firm up as they cool). Let cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks; let cool completely. DO AHEAD: Cookies can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Mariposa Bakery

I stumbled upon this gem today while drying off from the rain at the ferry building farmer's market.  Mariposa Bakery caught my attention with loads of free samples of gooey cinnamon buns, sour cream coffee cake, brownies and focaccia. 

It is really hard to believe that everything in the bakery is completely gluten free.  My husband is gluten intolerant (not great for him since he is married to a pasta-holic) so  I picked him up some sandwich rolls and focaccia.  The rolls are nice and doughy soft with the perfect hint of rosemary.  I think we will be back for more soon!  They also ship if you don't live in SF.

Grape and Champagne Sobet

I made this for my New Years Day brunch.  I thought it was festive with the champagne.  You can't really taste too much of the Champagne, it is more grape-flavored but it is awesome all the same.

4 seedless red grapes
3/4 cup Champagne
1/2 sugar
1/4 cup frozen Concord grape juice concentrate, thawed
Additional seedless red grapes

Puree the grapes in a food processor.  Mix the champagne, sugar and juice concentrate in a bowl.  Blend all things together and put into a ice cream maker.  Mix until sorbet-like and then freeze for at least 3 hours.  Garnish with additional grapes.

Bloody Mary

No one helps you recover from the terrible decisions (at least drinking decisions) made the night before than good old Bloody Mary!  We hosted a New Years Eve brunch today and made sure everyone had plenty to drink.  You can make this recipe as spicy/tame as you want by adding more or less of the Tabasco sauce and pepper.  All of the garnish items are optional but it definitely makes things even better!

Per drink (fits in pint glass size):

1 cup tomato juice
2 shots vodka
About 1 cup ice cubes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon freshly grated horseradish
3-5 dashes hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
1 pinch salt
1-3 dashes freshly ground black pepperJuice of one lemon

1 stalk celery (optional garnish)
1 lemon wedge (optional garnish)
Olives (optional garnish)
Pepporoncini (optional garnish)
Pickled green beans (optional garnish)

Mix together the first 9 ingredients in a pint glass.  Garnish to your taste.  Drink one and repeat until hangover is all gone.

Crunch Bars

I found this recipe in Bon Appetit - they were perfect for handing out at work over the holidays.  I used sea salt and peanut butter chips as my toppings and everyone seemed to love these. The chocolate and salt mixed with the crunchy, almost toffee-like bottom is a delicious combo.

 

Cookie Base

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for dish

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

 

Topping

6 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate or high-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped

1-1 1/2cupsassorted toppings, such as cocoa nibs, crushed candy, toasted chopped almonds and pistachios, lightly toasted coconut or Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)_______________________

Cookie Base

Arrange a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Line the bottom and sides of a 13x9x2 inches metal or glass baking dish with foil, allowing 2 inches overhang on either side; butter foil in dish.

 

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat 1 cup butter in a large bowl until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add both sugars and salt; continue to beat until mixture is light and creamy, about 3 minutes longer. Beat in vanilla, then slowly mix in flour, beating until entirely incorporated (dough will be wet and sticky).

Scrape dough into prepared dish. Using your fingertips, spread into a thin, even layer. 

Bake cookie base until it is golden brown and has begun to puff and crack, about 22 minutes. DO AHEAD: Base can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool completely and store airtight at room temperature.

 

Topping

Preheat oven to 375°. Scatter chopped chocolate evenly over cookie base and bake just until chocolate is soft and has begun to melt, about 2 minutes. Immediately spread chocolate in an even layer over base.

 

Scatter toppings over warm chocolate; lightly but firmly press into chocolate. Sprinkle with salt. Let cool in dish on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift cookie from dish. Place on rack; let cool until chocolate is set, about 2 hours.

 

Carefully remove foil from cookie and slide onto a cutting board. Cut into bars. DO AHEAD: Crunch Bars can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

The Cheese School of San Francisco

I took a class at the Cheese School of San Francisco a couple of weeks ago and have to recommend it to others. 

The owner of the school is very sweet and warmly welcomed us with glass of wine. The school is very clean and has plenty of working space and equipment for students.  And most importantly, the cheeses we made were delicious!

We made formage blanc, ricotta and chevre (goat cheese).  Being the holidays, we festively decorated each cheese nugget with lavender, flowers, dried fruit, etc and then wrapped them in vine or fig leaves into pretty little packages.  I handed these out to a couple of friends as gifts.  The cheese school holds courses almost every week covering a variety of cheese-making methods.  They also hold private parties and do wine pairing events frequently. There is a Parmigiano Reggiano class that I have my eye on next.

Irish coffee

Nothing warms you up on a cold evening like an Irish coffee.  The key to this recipe is to use very fresh whipped cream and strong black coffee that is piping hot (since the alcohol will cool it down).

2 capfulls of Jameson Irish Whiskey
1 cup strong, hot coffee
1/2 cup whipped cream (see whipped cream directions below)

Combine the coffee and whiskey in a coffee mug.  Put a large dollop of whipped cream on top.

Whipped cream:
Place one cup of whipped cream in a mixer bowl and mix on high-speed until cream begins to slightly thicken.  Add 1/4 cup powdered sugar and continue to mix on high-speed until stiff peaks form.  Stop the mixer as soon as you see the stiff peaks!

Grinch cocktail

This cocktail is super easy to make and looks festive.  Serve in martini glasses for the best presentation.

1 cup Midori
1/2 cup Soda water
1 Marchino cherry

Combine the midori and soda in a cocktail shaker with some ice and mix.   Strain into martini glasses and add a cherry.

Stawberry Santas

I am finally getting around to posting a couple of my Christmas creations. This is one I found randomly on Facebook and thought the little Santas were so adorable that I had to try it myself. I made the recipe up just based on how the Santas looked in the photos but it turned out wonderfully!

1 cup cream cheese, softened
2 cups cool whip
1/4 cup sugar
1 pint strawberries
Chocolate sprinkles

Combine the first three ingredients well in a bowl.  Put the strawberries stem-side down and slice the green stem off so that the strawberry can stand up on a flat surface.  Cut the opposite end off 1/2" from the top (this will be the hat).  Stand the bottom half on a flat surface and pipe the cream cheese mixture in between the hat and the bottom half so that the hat will stay upright on top of the cream cheese mixture.  Place two chocolate sprinkles on the cream cheese mixture to create Santa's eyes.  Pipe the cream cheese mixture to create three dots down the front of the strawberry (Santa's buttons), then a bit on the top of the hat. 

Hazel's Kitchen (Sandwiches)

Hazel's Kitchen has been one of my favorites since moving to Potrero Hill.  This warm little kitchen filled with friendly people always cooks up great soups and grilled sandwiches made exactly how you want. Try their Breakfast Burrito, Chicken Melt, BLT or the Avocado, Cucumber, Tomato, Sprouts and Jack sandwich.  Yum!  Perfect filling lunch.  They also have a variety of delicious brownies and cookies- all made locally.

Cheddar biscuits

I made these for a friend's Christmas gift this year.  The gift was a cheese assortment with my homemade herbed goat cheese, some soft white cheeses from the local cheesemonger, a homemade mixed berry compote, some plain crackers, these cheddar biscuits and a cutting board with some cute french cheese knives.  The cheddar biscuits were a hit and were gobbled up before they had even tried any of the cheeses.  The biscuits are rich and buttery with a hint of saltiness from the cheddar.  This recipe makes about 3 dozen biscuits.

2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups Cheddar, grated
kosher salt and black pepper
4 cups flour
1 cup rice cereal

Preheat oven to 350° F. With a mixer, beat the butter, Cheddar, and 4 teaspoons each salt and pepper until combined. Mix in the flour and rice cereal.

 

Form into 4 1½-inch-diameter logs; chill until firm. Slice ¼ inch thick.

 

Bake on two parchment-lined baking sheets until lightly golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Store at room temperature for up to 1 week.

 

Note: I have made this recipe with half cheddar and half grated parmesean before and they turned out just as great!

 

Mixed berry compote

This is a sweet and simple recipe that can be jarred and kept in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. I spread it onto scones, toast, or with goat cheese or a firm white cheese.

1 lb fresh or frozen mix of blueberries, raspberries, cherries and/or blackberries (any mix will work)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Put it all into a saucepot and bring to a boil.  Simmer until the berries start to break down and the compote thickens.  Pour into jars and let cool before sealing.  This recipe makes about 2 cups of compote.

Homemade Nutella

I made homemade nutella for my friends/family as hand-outs this holiday season.  This recipes is very simple and made 4 jars of spread.  I gave them away with fresh crusty loaves of bread so they would have something to immediately spread the goodness on!  I bought the little jars at the Container Store.

2 cups of hazelnuts
1/4 cup sugar
1 lb semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spread hazelnuts out onto a rimmed baking sheet.  Toast the hazelnuts for 13-15 minutes.  Take them out of the oven and cool completely.  Grind the hazelnuts and sugar in a food processor until a paste forms (~ 1 minute). 

Place the chocolate into a medium bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (a double boiler).  Stir until the chocolate is smooth and there are no lumps.  Remove from the heat and add the butter and whisk until completely incorporated.  Whisk in the cream and salt, then the hazelnut paste.  Viola, nutella!  Put paste into jars and let cool completely before closing the jars.  The spread will firm-up and turn the consistency of peanut butter.

Quince (Italian/Californian)

Quince is hands-down my new favorite restaurant in SF.  It is fine dining (read: expensive) but not snobby in the least bit and the food is just downright amazing!  Definitely a good spot to dine if you have something to celebrate.  We took our friends there for an anniversary gift and Quince did a great job of making them feel special on their day with personalized menus, a special dessert and many "congrats" from each of the staff.  We did a 5-course meal and were completely stuffed with goodness at the end of it.  They brought us plenty of goodies on the chef in-between courses as well. 

We started with cocktails.  I got adventurous and went with the "Honey Bee" which is a mixture of honey, tequila and something else usual that I cannot remember the name of (violet water?). 

I started dinner with a Nantucket Bay Scallops dish that was served with porcini mushrooms.  I then moved on to the "Triangoli" which was giant homemade raviolis stuffed with burrata cheese.  I could have eaten dozens of these, it was ravioli perfection!  I am a burrata junkie though.  Then I had a lovely piece of Sea Bass served on a bed of mushrooms, spinach and artichokes.  We decided to go for the cheese course which impressed us more than expected.  They had a good variety of local cheeses, and also from Wisconsin, Vermont, French, Italian, etc.  The waitress made some great suggestions based on our tastes.  The cheese came with a selection of toppings (almonds, honey w/ honeycomb, spicy jelly).  The most impressive thing came out as we were inquiring about the cheeses.  They have a garden and beehives on the roof of the building.  They were serving us honey that was made on the roof!  It is urban gardening at it's finest. 

 We finished up with glasses of vin santo and a chestnut crepe that was served with chocolate sauce, satsumas and milk sherbet.  Yum, I am hungry just thinking about it all again.  A dinner to remember!

Chicken Noodle Soup

It is absolutely freezing out!  (ok, freezing for a Californian)  So we are in the mood for some hearty chicken noodle soup tonight. This recipe is something I have developed over time to my taste, it is pretty lemony so if you prefer less just halve the lemon juice.

3 quarts chicken broth

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled, thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup sliced mushrooms

Juice of 2 lemons

8 ounces pasta (any type)

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Add some olive oil to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Saute the onion, carrot and celery for 10 minutes. Season with salt and petter. Add the chopped chicken and season again with salt and pepper.  Once the chicken is slightly brown, add all of the broth and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, add the mushrooms and butter to a small saute pan.  Saute until lightly golden brown.  Add the mushrooms, pasta, basil and parsley.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Serve with crusty bread.