Millions of Peaches...

Peaches for me! Just kidding, these are for the family.

$2 a pound at the Galleria Farmers' Market--a whole dollar less per pound than anywhere at the Ferry Building! It's not what I'd call a steal, but I think it's worth the price. All of the peaches were bigger than my fist, extra fuzzy (meaning they haven't been refrigerated or out of the orchard too long), and noticeably fragrant. I also got some nectarines and plums.

These two were the prettiest, I think. My favorite peaches are any variety of the dark fuzzy ones with orange flesh. The yellow ones can be good, but I like the tanginess and honey-sweet combination of the orange fleshed peaches.

Hot Wings!

I've been having the worst hot wing cravings for months now, so I finally caved in and
made myself a big batch of them. Nothing could be easier. I just followed the instructions on a bottle of Frank's Original Hot Sauce and cut up some celery sticks. Blue cheese dressing optional.

Ferry Building Breakfast

An ACME cheese wheel, fresh peach, Blue Bottle copy, a copy of The Chronicle, and a view of the Bay. It's nice to be home.

Mission Pie

A homey, delicious walnut tart with fresh whipped cream and a steaming cup of fair trade coffee: $3. Knowing it's all for a good cause is a bonus!

Vanille Patisserie

Tutti Frutti

The frozen yogurt craze has hit Hacienda Heights. The latest twist is a self serve bar with sixteen flavors and dozens of toppings. My favorite? Lychee frozen yogurt with passion fruit jelly and mochi toppings.

Musings...

I'm not religious, but I think people like this deserve sainthood. This is a woman who realized that she should use her privileged position in society to go out into the world and help others. With the heartbreakingly simple idea of providing free livestock to impoverished families, she's prevented over 3,000 girls from being sold into slavery by parents who can't feed their families. Instead, her organization is paying for the girls' schooling and ensuring that the next generation of Nepalese women will fare better than the last.

We live in a self-absorbed society; I'm as guilty of selfishness as any other inhabitant of a First World country. I really applaud Ms. Murray for realizing that although the fate of Nepalese women can in no way affect her personal life, our global society does matter, and the traditionally downtrodden deserve as much a chance at happiness as the rest of us. As my friend C reminded me recently (in a conversation tangentially related to this excellent article about Michelle Obama), a rising tide lifts all boats.

Phoenix (Yes! Plaza, Rowland Heights)

Mmm, delicious Cantonese dessert creations. As usual, I got black glutinous rice, young coconut pieces, and coconut milk. My sister was adventurous and tried something new: mango, tapioca, and soy custard. It needed a little sugar or ginger syrup, but it was good.

Jinsu Mr. Tofu

Okay, silly photo aside, Jinsu is a sullongtang (beef bone soup) place and is pretty sood. They have common Korean dishes like grilled ribs and tofu soup, but there are about six variations on beef soup: tendon, brisket, tail, knuckle, etc. Great panchan selection too: the perfect stomach soothing food after a long day of not eating right.

Things I won't eat

I pride myself on being willing to eat almost anything, at least from time to time. However, there are two things I won't eat if I can help it, but the reasons have nothing to do with my being picky. The first thing is honeydew: it makes my throat itch. The other is JELL-O. I don't know why but it makes my head throb. Not figuratively--i get full on migraines. Does anyone else have to avoid mundane foods for bizarre reasons?

Mr. Tofu (Jinsu)

Seriously. Only in LA.

Newsroom Cafe

One LA standard that you just don't see in SF:: an overabundance of quality juice bars. The Newsroom was awesome for a stellar chicken sandwich and exceptionally fresh salads, but the juice bar next to the bar bar was what was stunningly impressive. It's not for everyone, but I do enjoy the dizzying combination possibilities.

LA

Ah, so dirty. Lemme breathe it all in.

Kyochon Chicken

Today is a good food day.

Life Plaza

Yum.

Bye Bye SF

I'm sorry to say I'll be away from my computer for awhile. But this time, I've figured out how to use Mobile Blogger! So do check in, I hope to keep you posted while I am away.

Menudo and Tamales

I guess it's pretty obvious that it's been quite the Mexican culinary weekend around here.

J wanted menudo, I wanted tamales, so we took a walk in the Mission and loaded up on ingredients for both. We ended up making fresh tomato salsa and a red tamale sauce as well, but I think the most creative thing we did was pour menudo over hot tamales for what I guess would be called tamales suizo ("wet" tamales) in a restaurant.


A closeup of the inside, along with the tripe and hominy in the menudo. I won't say our attempts are as good as the best Mexican restaurants because there's definitely room for improvement, but I think in a blind taste test they'd hold their own against most middle of the road mom and pops. Proving, as always, that good eats transcend cultural boundaries.


And yes, more reading. I'm really on a roll lately. I think reading 200 page books with reasonably sized print is really good for my ego. Ian McEwan (author of Atonement) is one of the darkest writers I've read. And, because I'm ornery, I like depressing novels. McEwan has a way of describing unexpected social situations in a way that makes me cringe while being entirely unable to tear my eyes away from the page, and somehow understanding exactly where the characters are coming from. On Chesil Beach is bitter-but-sweetly-told story about the follies of impatient youths and the effects of a repressive society, but foremost it's a cautionary tale about how a moment of silence and miscommunication can shatter a lifetime.

Sundays, Lazy Sundays

I expect to be very busy very soon, so it was a real treat to just sit at home all day and worry about nothing beyond whether my tamales would turn out well. We slept in, and then I set to work in the kitchen while J worked from home in the living room.

The corn husks were soaked in hot water for two hours, and then drained but kept damp. The beef was chopped well and mixed with a little broth. The maseca ratio is surprisingly simple: two pounds of maseca corn flour, two quarts of broth from cooking the meat, two cups of corn oil (or lard), and two heaping tablespoons of salt. It took me about an hour, working slowly and taking breaks, to make a mountain of tamales. I didn't count, but there were probably thirty or more medium sized tamales.

We rewarded ourselves with or respective mornings of hard work with two tacos, a beer, and an afternoon movie. The Music Within, for those who haven't seen it, is a great movie. It has a serious message but is actually a lighthearted, fast-paced, at times sharp-witted movie that can be enjoyed by everyone, not just people who like "serious films." And, since I've been on a reading rampage this week, a naughty food poem for y'all. Bonus points for naming the author.

Forbidden Fruit a flavor has
That lawful Orchards mocks--
How luscious lies within the Pod
The Pea that Duty locks--

Lengua Tacos

It's been a busy few weekends, visiting friends and going to parties, so this weekend we've cloistered ourselves from the world in order to tackle a couple of relatively complicated cooking projects. We're making menudo and tamales, but halfway there I realized we had everything we needed for a soft taco.

We woke up early today and took a Zipcar out. It's amazing what you can get done in three hours when traffic doesn't get in the way. We wandered through the Alemany farmers' market, stopped by 99 Ranch, got gas, went to a Belmar Meat Market in the Mission, ate lunch, and made a quick stop at the library. And salmonella scare be damned, there's nothing like fresh homemade salsa. Stay tuned tomorrow for more Mexican goodies!

Kyocera Revolution Series Ceramic Knives

This is probably not the kind of thing I should be admitting, but who am I kidding? You all know this about me--buying sharp objects cheers me up.

I present to you, two products from the Kyocera Revolution line of ceramic knives. Kyocera claims the blade is almost as hard as diamonds and doesn't need to be sharpened for about five years. They also sharpen them free of charge; you just pay shipping to the factory. Both knives are very lightweight and have a nice grip to them.

My $10 for 3 paring knives have gotten impossibly dull, so I treated myself to a new one. I don't know how they'll perform in the long run, but Sur La Table's promise to replace any broken ceramic knife, no questions asked, was enough assurance to convince me to try.

My other selection was a Nakiri, or Japanese vegetable cleaver. It's a shape I don't currently own, and it's the style preferred by little old Asian ladies who do a lot of fine vegetable slicing. I can't wait to try this one out.

Lime Pound Cake

Sometimes when you mess up royally, things still turn out all right. After the success of the toaster oven for baking zucchini bread, I decided to try a loaf of lime pound cake. Stupidly, I did not notice the oven was set to "broil" until about fifty minutes into the sixy minute bake time. The top was pretty badly scorched and I had to add about ten minutes of real baking time, but actually the flavor of the cake did not suffer at all (after I sliced off the burnt top). It's been two days now, and I think the flavor is actually improving as the cake sits in the fridge.

For one 9x5" loaf pan:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• Finely grated zest of 2 medium limes
• juice of one lime

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour your pan. Cream the butter for four minutes on medium, or until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, cream until light and fluffy again. Add the eggs one at a time. My mix curdled, but I added the juice of one lime at this point any way and plodded ahead.

Whisk together the dry ingredients, then turn your stand mixer to low and add the flour to the butter mixture in two additions. Don't overmix, just leave the mixer long enough to combine everything. Take the bowl out of the mixer, stir in the lime zest, and pour the batter into a pan. Smooth it evenly, or you'll get a cake that rises more on one side than the other.

Bake the cake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for ten minutes, then poke the cake all over with a toothpick and pour the remaining lime juice evenly over the top. Cool the cake completely, wrap well, and store in the refrigerator overnight.

Eat while reading books. Quick book review: After Dark is a very strange book, alternatingly surreal and entirely realistic. But though some parts are implausible or remain a mystery even after I've finished reading, Murakami's skill as a writer kept me interested the entire two hundred pages.

Reading and Eating

It's foggy and cold again in San Francisco, but for much of the day it was to hot to step out. As usual, that meant a lot of eating for me. Must go to the gym...

Pad see ew. I used to follow a precise recipe for pad see ew, but after awhile it's evolved into "Anything noodle" for me. I stir fry whatever vegetables I have, add a few eggs, boil some wide rice noodles, and then generously splash everything with hoisin sauce, thai soy sauce, and fish sauce. A few lime wedges and a dollop of chili sauce and the deed is done.

I actually finished the Vonnegut in a day, so I'm on to the latest Murakami to hit the shelves: After Dark. So far so good; it's amazing to me that as a sixty year old man, Murakami seems to be effortlessly able to keep his fingers on the pulse of Japanese youth culture and combine that knowledge with a writing style that is unquestionably Western. A lot of critics call his writing both surprisingly accessible and undeniably mysterious. That pretty much sums up why I enjoy his books so much.

Summer Meals

I've been eating in this week and trying to keep things light. Here's an example of how vegetarian doesn't need to be boring.

Fresh, sweet summer corn, a cheese quesadilla, and cheaters' salsa. I threw one slice of raw onion, the juice of half a lime, a pinch of salt, and about a cup of cherry tomatoes into the blender and gave it a few pulses. It's not as uniform as hand chopped salsa, and it doesn't have cilantro, and it's kind of weird that it's still frothy, but it really takes the plain quesadilla to the next level.

On the domestic front: I haven't killed our orchid yet! In fact, I took such good care of it that is's blooming a second spray of flowers in one growing season. I know, it doesn't sound like a big deal, but orchid fans will know that doesn't always happen.

And in today's news of the absurd: this is the message I got when I turned on my television today. "No broadcast now," eh? Then what's with the people and the building in the background?

Berries and Vonnegut

Strawberries and Kurt Vonnegut might seem unrelated, but if you think about it the pair is a classic American way to spend a summer afternoon. It's been warm enough that all I want to eat all day is fruit. I'm not complaining, though; the fruit's been good, and compared to the rest of California San Francisco is cool and breezy.

I'm only a chapter in, but so far I'm enjoying Mother Night. I've taken a long time getting around to cracking open my first Vonnegut, but I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy it. Two of my favorite authors, Franz Kafka and Haruki Murakami, are often compared with Vonnegut, so I figured it was time to give him a try.

A closeup of my strawberries. Berries have been good this summer, but this batch is arguably the best so far. I'm still waiting to eat a perfect peach though!

Jack Falstaff

This was quite the eating weekend. Of note was Jack Falstaff. I'm rarely in SOMA, but I have to say that in general I enjoy the vibe, price point, and style of food that I find down there.

The amuse of the night was apple soup. I didn't know how I'd fee about warm fruit puree, but it was quite nice.

The most popular dish at the table was the seared halibut on corn "chowder," a deconstructed mix of corn, saffron, horseradish greens, chive blossoms, and a few other herbs and spices. The "chowder," though not at all soupy, was delicious. The halibut had a perfectly seared crust and was moist on the inside, but I found it much too salty.

I had the Duroc pork, which came ramen style over a bed of spaghetti noodles and topped with an egg over easy, seaweed, daikon batons, green onions, and a slice of bacon. This dish, while brilliant in concept and at times delicious, has room for a lot of improvement. Let's count the ways.

1. The pork was perfect. I would love to have more opportunities to eat pork not just medium rare, but rare rare.
2. The daikon and seaweed were fine but uninspired. Surely something can be done to pump up the presentation.
3. The egg was cooked much too quickly and had rubbery edges and those air pockets that form when you cook an egg impatiently. I expect better at upwards of $30, it was worse than at most divey diners.
4. The "ramen" was overcooked spaghetti. And I love fully cooked pasta, so for me to say it was soggy is saying quite a lot. My friend, who likes pasta harder than al dente, called it disgusting.
5. The bacon was overcooked.
6. The broth was much too salty. One would think the chef would have known to ease up on the salt, considering there was going to be a slice of bacon floating in it.

That's all me being really mean this morning and picking one dish to death. Actually, the food was all quite good and the space very modern and chic. The service was lovely, and we had a great time.

Orson

I finally got to try Orson, a new restaurant opened by the nice folks who brought us Citizen Cake. I've always had mixed feelings about Citizen Cake, but it was love at first taste for me at Orson. And since I was there with six other dessert loving ladies, I got to try each of the eight desserts currently on the menu, along with a few sips of their lovely cocktails.

My cocktail was The Lady from Shanghai: gin, grapefruit juice, and osmanthus foam. Osmanthus tea is very Chinese, and one of my favorites. Think of it as the rich man's jasmine. The foam on top of the cocktail was silky and rich, unexpected but really delicious. My other favorites were the Passionista and Knockout Pisco Punch.

Rosebud Remastered: possibly the most popular dessert at the table, and the only one whose name I remember. This was a free form creme brulee with a rosy pink center, with microherbs, saffron, and pistachio strewn on the plate. Divine.


It got too chaotic for me to really pay attention, but there was not a bad dessert in the bunch. A lot of the desserts were a balance of a creamy gelato-like ice cream, chocolate, and seasonal fruits. The chocolate mousse cake with Rainier cherries (center) was my second favorite of the night.

Our guest of honor was presented with a specially decorated plate. I believe this dish was olive oil cake with pickled rhubarb. I also just realized that this photo is upside down. I told you it was a chaotic evening!

Ferry Building Food Crawl

Every time a friend visits, we go on a food crawl of the Ferry Building. Today's was most satisfying, I must say. The crowds weren't as intense as they are on Saturdays, and the weather was gorgeous.

We started with a coffee and a mocha outside of Peet's coffee, sitting and looking out over they bay. Then we walked over to Lulu and split a spinach quiche while finishing up the coffee. Lulu may make my favorite quiche in the city. It's a very tall version filled with a very soft, jiggly egg custard.

Then we walked over to the newly opened Boccalone.

Admired their meet fridges, which featured a quarter of a pig with a tail sticking out.

We chose a three-sample plate of lonzo, sopresseta, and lardo. Three mini baguettes and a quarter pound of Cowgirl Creamery's lamb chopper cheese later and we were outside on the top deck of the ferry terminal, enjoying our food picnic style with the breathtaking view and gentle sea breeze.

We ended our crawl with a half dozen oysters and two bowls of oyster stew at Hog Island. The bowl on the left is the "traditional" stew, which you have to specifically request. It tasted less creamy and more fishy to me. The new version, which is the default, has more vegetables in it. There are visible bits of carrots and celery, and the chowder tasted like sweet corn. I liked the new version because it was creamier and seemed more rounded to me, but I think both boys liked the more straightforward style of the traditional stew.

Unfortunately, we did not save room for dessert. But the day reminded me how fun it is to just wander through the Ferry Building sometimes, even though we live so close by.

Harrod's for Me!

A friendly little world traveller put this in the mail for me, and it arrived today!

Apple and strawberry black teas in super cute little tins. Happy me! I wish it were easier to get good tea in the states. The package on top is little pastel candies from China. I told you she was a world traveller! London and China and then back to LA, all in under three weeks. Thanks, C!

Zucchini and Orange Marmalade Tea Cake

As promised, here's the recipe for the zucchini bread I baked a few days ago. The recipe is originally from The Tartine Cookbook, which so far has only given me great results. I've added a few ingredients to the original and marked them with an asterisk. The instructions are paraphrased from the original. Happy baking!

• all-purpose flour (1 3/4 cups and 2 tbs)
• baking soda (1/2 tsp)
• baking powder (1/2 tsp)
• ground cinnamon (1 tsp)
• ground cardamom (1 tsp)*
• large eggs (2)
• any kind of vegetable oil (1/2 cup and 2 tbs)
• sugar (3/4 cup)
• orange marmalade (1/2 cup, I used D'Arbo's bitter orange marmalade)
• grated zucchini (2 1/2 cups, about one large zucchini with ends removed)
• grated carrot (1/2 cup, or one medium one)*
• sea salt (1/2 tsp)
• walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped (1 cup)
• sugar for topping (which I skipped)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and lightly oil and flour a 9x5" loaf pan.

What I like about loaf cakes is they rarely require an electric mixer. All I used was a whisk and a wooden spoon. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, sugar, and marmalade until the mixture emulsifies. This will take a little bit of elbow grease, and will result in a thick batter.

Combine the dry and wet mixtures (it doesn't really matter which into which) and stir to incorporate. Add the nuts. There's no need to overmix the batter, just make sure there are no white spots. Transfer the batter into your loaf pan, smooth the top, sprinkle with sugar if you like, and bake for 60-70 minutes. The cookbook says to partially cool the cake, then transfer to a rack for complete cooling. However, I just left the cake in the pan until completely cool and the results were fine. The cake is nice toasted, but I like it even better straight out of the refrigerator: cold, dense, and so moist it can almost be described as juicy.

Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve, 20 Years

Bourbon is usually associated with rednecks and hillbillies, but a recent trip to Bourbon and Branch revealed that there are a few distilleries producing high quality sipping bourbon supeior to many single malt scotches.

Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve is one such bourbon. It's aged for 20 years, a nearly unheard of amount of time in the bourbon world. The resulting product smells intensely of vanilla and butter, and has a smooth rich mouthfeel. Even in alcohol-obsessed San Francisco, it was tough to find two bottles of this bourbon, which is rated #1 in the world.

Tartine Zucchini Marmalade Cake, with some twists

Success! Now I know; the toaster oven is more than adequate for baking loaf cakes, and the bake time landed smack in the middle of what was recommended by the cookbook. I know some people will balk at leaving appliances on while they're not at home, but to me this means I can set the toaster oven and leave the house because it will shut off immediately. Alternatively, if I'm home but completely space out and forget something's in the oven, it won't burn.

The taste test? Excellent. Everything a breakfast cake should be: moist, not too sweet, and full of a few healthy ingredients. In this case, there are eggs, zucchini, carrots, and walnuts. Bitter orange marmalade, cinnamon, and cardamom provide flavor. I wish there were less sugar and oil, but such is the nature of baking if you want bakery-worthy texture. My coffee's ready now, but if anyone's interested leave a note and I'll post the recipe later.