Cheddary Corn Chowder:Recipe

Oh how I look forward to Wednesdays! It's not just the middle-of-the-week mark, it's also the day that most major newspapers publish their food sections, and the day my organic produce box is delivered. So why do most newspapers publish a sports section every day and a food section only once a week? Another unsolved mystery of the universe. After all, eating on a daily basis is fairly typical so a daily food section makes perfect sense...

This week the produce delivery signaled that summer is surely on the way in. The box included lots of summer "sweeties" like cherries, peaches, strawberries and corn. When corn is fresh it can be one of the sweetest vegetables around. It also has vitamin C and trace amounts of beta carotene. Unfortunately it can lose up to 40% of its sugar content after as little as six hours of room temperature storage, so if you buy it freshly picked cook it as soon as you can. If you don't, it's likely to turn starchy.

Though I grew up eating boiled corn on the cob with butter, I now prefer it grilled like you find in the streets of Mexico served with a wedge of lime and a sprinkle of chile powder. Off the cob it's good in a salsa or soup. If you want to oven-roast it, here's how: Peel back the corn husk and rip out the corn silk. Fold the husk back over the corn and place in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. If you like the corn slightly charred, let it cool enough to handle then pull back the husks and hold over an open flame until charred to taste. There not much to do with the corn cobs, except perhaps save them up and build yourself a corn palace and give the folks in Mitchell, South Dakota a little competition.

Cheddary Corn Chowder
2-4 servings

3 ears of corn, cut kernels from cob and save the cobs
2 small potatoes, or one large one sliced into thin slices
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, chopped or diced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 thick slice of bacon or 2 thin slices, diced (optional)
1-2 Tablespoons oil
1 can (14 oz) chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (14 oz) water
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup milk
1 Tablespoon flour
1/4 cup or so shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil and bacon in a medium soup pot. When it starts to sizzle, add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Saute until soft, but not brown. Add the corn and saute another couple of minutes. Add the broth and water and potatoes and the corn cobs. Cook until the potato is cooked through, about 5-10 minutes. Add the smoked paprika and the milk mixed with the flour. Cook another 5 minutes. Remove the corn cobs. Using a hand blender, puree about half the soup or put half the soup in a blender and puree. Mix, heat through then turn the stove off and stir in the cheddar cheese. Taste and add salt and pepper (it will need several large pinches of salt) If you like grill seasoning or any other flavored pepper you can use that.

Enjoy!

On experimentation, and an unexpected ice cream float

Experimentation is not my strong suit. On the one hand, this means that I’m every D.A.R.E. mom’s dream child, but when it comes to the kitchen, it means that I’m, well, often not so daring.In my defense, I come by it naturally. Not only was I an oddly fearful kid—you wouldn’t find me within a 10-foot radius of a worm, much less eating one—but I’m also a baker by nature, precise, obedient, and

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

My first good sweet-potato-fry experience was in a diner near my hometown, which actually only served sweet potato fries, and no other fry-variety.  They had a consistent and messy appearance: long,  flimsy wedges that could easily break apart when lifted, but which tasted fantastic and were delightfully squishy between the fingers and on the tongue.  Served with a small cup of sweet and tangy honey mustard dip, these fries were dangerously good, and I was always happy to return for another serving.

Naturally, I decided that I'd like to try my hand at making them, completely unaware of their charming simplicity.  Since these potatoes have so much sweetness (hence the name), very little preparation is needed to make the taste go a long way.  When roasted, they soften and caramelize slightly, while retaining an excellent crunch, courtesy of the sweet potato skin.

Two quick things:  I personally like to keep the skin on and eat my fries with a little crunch; if you'd like to do the same, I advise scrubbing the potato very well to get as much dirt off as possible.  Alternatively, you can peel the potato, and not subjet yourself to the ordeal mentioned above.

Lastly, please serve these with some honey mustard, sour cream, honey, or anything else that suits your fancy!

Sweet Potato Oven Fries - serves 1

1 medium-to-large sweet potato (patate douce, or yam)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
1.  Wash, scrub, and peel (optional) the potato.
2. Cut off the ends of the potato, then cut it in half length-wise.  Cut each half into 4 wedges.
3.  Pour oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl;  add the sweet potatoes, and toss to combine, until all the wedges are evenly coated with oil.
4.  Roast potatoes on an un-lined baking dish until they're tender and slightly caramelized, about 45 minutes.  Flip wedges over once halfway through cooking.
5.  Let cool slightly before serving.

Photos du Jour

Today is the first day of autumn. Obviously so!
The nights have turned chilly and it drizzled almost all day yesterday.


Hard to believe I was swimming exactly one week ago.

Caught in my own trap

Once I told you all that last week's "mystery dish" was actually a classic dish and that the recipe was from a famous cookbook, a lot more guesses came in -- all wrong, of course, but who can blame the guessers?

My version of osso bucco from The New Basics Cookbook was hardly respectful of the Rosso and Lukins recipe, nor of osso bucco recipes in general.

Where are the round veal shanks generally associated with the dish?

Well, my butcher didn't really have the proper cut on hand, so I improvised by slicing the veal meat off the end of a shank that he had sold me for a good price...

Why so many vegetables, especially zucchini, when the recipe usually only calls for onions?

Because I had them on hand...and vegetables are good for you, right? In France, we're being overrun with posters telling us to eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day, so my osso bucco modification was a healthy one!

But I can definitely see why no one got the right call on the recipe! It simply looks nothing like the usual photos of the dish, and probably didn't really deserve to bear its name.

Thanks for trying...

Too Many Cookbooks?

An article in this month's issue of Elle à Table suggests that too many cookbooks are being published in France. A new book about food or wine is published every day, and the market is saturated, especially for inexpensive books focusing on a single type of food. I have indeed noticed a proliferation of attractive cookbooks in the 7 to 10 euro ($8.50-$12.00) range, such as the excellent titles by the Marabout publishing house. According to Elle à Table, though, the new trend is huge, comprehensive tomes such as Cochon & Fils, which exists in a luxury edition that weighs in at a porky 5 kilograms (11 pounds) and costs around 70 euros ($85.00.) I'm not sure I'll be making the investment.

Spaghetti Salad: Recipe

I think you can argue that it isn't really Summer until tomatoes are juice-down-your-chin ripe. When a tomato is at it's sweet peak, I'm not alone in believing it should be eaten raw. In countries where tomatoes are grown, there are lots of great recipes for using fresh, uncooked tomatoes--Italians make Insalata Caprese, Spaniards make Gazpacho, Americans make tomato sandwiches, etc.

Around twenty years ago I remember a potluck dinner where someone who was a restauranteur brought a bowl of pasta tossed with a fresh uncooked tomato sauce. It was a revelation to me that something so basic could be so delicious. It wasn't until I lived in Italy that I learned such simple fresh ingredients are really what Italian cuisine is all about.

In Italy a sauce of uncooked tomatoes is called "salsa cruda", but in English that sounds just horrid. So I'm taking the liberty of calling this "Spaghetti Salad" instead. It makes a great weeknight dinner or a terrific potluck dish because you serve it at room temperature. You can add more herbs like parsley to this, or red pepper flakes, olives, capers, anything that appeals to you. I like it basic because when tomatoes are at their best, anything else is just a distraction.

Note: Only make this recipe with super delicious ripe juicy tomatoes.

Spaghetti Salad
serves 2-4 depending if this is a first or main course

1/2 lb spaghetti or angel hair pasta
4 tomatoes, fresh, ripe, about 2 cups finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, smashed
4 large leaves fresh basil, roughly torn
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (a fruity or peppery one is good)
salt & pepper to taste

Trim the stem off the tomatoes and chop finely. Do not drain the tomatoes! Save the juice, it will get absorbed by the pasta. Smash a large clove of garlic and place it in your serving bowl along with the olive oil, basil and tomatoes. Cook the pasta in salted water just until al dente. Toss the drained pasta with the sauce and let it sit and absorb the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Walnut-Pomegranate Spread with Feta

 

My inspiration for this spread comes from a Persian dish I grew up eating (khoresht fesenjan) that features a stew of walnuts, pomegranate, and braised chicken which is traditionally served with steaming white rice, and which is, in my humble opinion, finger-licking good.  This recipe calls for pomegranate paste, which is a syrup made from the seeds of a tart member of the pomegranate family. 

I'm not completely sure if you can find pomegranate syrup at a gourmet grocer; you should ask in any case.  However, you can definitely find it in middle eastern/persian spice markets in your town.  You may want to look here if you live in:

Paris

New York City

Boston

San Francisco

Los Angeles - Walk out your door, you will likely find a Persian grocery store within a 200-foot radius.

As for the taste:  rich, nutty, sweet, slightly tart, and very delicious.  As you see in the top photo, I enjoy eating this spread with feta and crusty sourdough bread, but how you eat it is up to you.  I imagine it could go very well with goat cheese - if you have any other suggestions please let me know!

Walnut-Pomegranate Spread w/ Feta - makes about 2 cups spread
This spread can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.

2 cups walnuts

1 tablespoon flour

1/4-cup pomegranate Molasses

2 tablespoons sugar

crumbled feta cheese

1.  Toast the walnuts in your oven or on the stove; 350 degrees for ten minutes in the oven, medium heat for 10 minutes on the stove.

2.  Once they have cooled to room temperature, chop them up roughly, then transfer to a food processor and grind to a powder, about 10 seconds in the processor.

3.  Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat; add the flour, and toast lightly, 2-3 minutes.

4.  Add 1 cup water, and stir until flour and water are just combined.

5.  Add walnuts, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and oil rises to the top, about 20 minutes.

6.  Add pomegranate paste and sugar, sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper, and cook until mixture thickens to a spread-like consistency, about 5 minutes longer.  Serve as is or add more pomegranate paste, salt, and pepper to taste.

7.  Let cool to room temperature; spread on a slice of bread and top with crumbled feta.

Curry Deviled Eggs: Recipe

Despite my aversion to Christmas, I have always loved Easter. My experience of it was never religious, but purely secular. Growing up, Easter meant a celebration of Spring, egg hunts, fluffy bunnies and chicks, dyeing eggs with onion skins and flowers, and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. For several years I got to work in a gourmet store in the weeks leading up to Easter. The only thing better than taking home broken chocolate Santas had to have been taking home broken chocolate bunnies

My other favorite memories of Easter include the ones spent in Italy where I saw the spectacular exploding carriage ritual in Florence known as Lo Scoppio del Carro. Of course there was also food, including those lovely hollow Perugina eggs filled with toys and the traditional dove-shaped sweet bread called La Colomba.

How much do I love Easter? I even love deviled eggs. That's the featured recipe today over at the Dannon Kitchen. Read my post about angel food and devil's food. It's tricky to take pictures of deviled eggs, but this photo is one of my favorites from the project.

Curry Deviled Eggs

6 hard-boiled eggs, sliced in half, lengthwise
1/4 cup, drained Dannon® All Natural Plain Yogurt (see note)
2 tsp. Dijon-style mustard
1 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. hot sauce (or more to taste)
2 tsp. green onion, minced
1 Tbsp. celery, minced
1/8 tsp. salt, or to taste

1. Carefully remove egg yolk from eggs and place in mixing bowl and mash.

2. To the yolks, add Dannon® All Natural Plain Yogurt, mustard, curry powder, hot sauce, green onion and celery. Mash together and mix well. Taste filling and add salt to taste. Add more hot sauce, if desired, for spicier eggs.

3. Use a spoon or pastry bag to fill egg whites with yolk mixture.
Note: Spoon one cup yogurt into a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Place a bowl under strainer to catch liquid (whey) that drains from yogurt. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours. Discard liquid.

Yield: 6 servings

Enjoy!

FOOD

Photo du Jour

A tunnel through the old rempart walls. I love these! They feel like secret passageways.

Potluck Posts 12/2

Since my last post I've been to Miami where I snacked on a fabulous medianoche sandwich. I made appetizers and Emily Luchetti's Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Upside Down Cake for Thanksgiving and am now heading off again, this time to Montreal for the weekend.

Over on the Frommer's website, on the Amy & Amy Between Bites blog you'll find a post that features an interview with Dorie Greenspan. I got her thoughts on cooking at home and in Paris and bunch of great recommendations plus a recipe. You'll also find an interview with Vanessa Barrington where she shares tips for making food to take when you travel, plus a recipe from her book, DIY Delicious.

On the Epicurious blog, EpiLog are posts on intriguing flavor combinations. Read about the combination of Peppermint & Mocha, Pecans & Pumpkin Pie Spice, including a recipe for roasted pumpkin pie spice pecans, Cranberries & Camembert, and a post on Savory Oatmeal ideas.

Next week I hope to have some more cookbook recommendations, and a new recipe. I've been working on a number of recipes for clients and as soon as those go online I will let you know.

Win the Baker's Delight/Menu for Hope

Once a year food and wine bloggers put together prizes for the Menu for Hope raffle, with the proceeds going to charity. For every $10 donated, you earn one virtual raffle ticket to bid on a prize of your choice. At the end of the two-week campaign, the raffle tickets are drawn and the results announced on Chez Pim. 

This year I am offering the Baker's Delight (prize code UW18) a fabulous baking kit designed for a home baker or professional pastry chef with brand new cookbooks, a selection of artisanal American chocolate and a set of silicone spatulas.

The package contains four of the years' best baking books:

* Chocolate Epiphany: Exceptional Cookies, Cakes, and Confections for Everyone by French pastry chef extraordinaire Francois Payard

* Baking for All Occasions by much loved author Flo Braker

* The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread: Cakes, Cookies, Bars, Pastries and More from New York City's Favorite Bakery, your source for bakery treats like Amy's signature scones, White Chocolate Cherry Chunker Cookies, Definitely Devil's Food Cake, Soft Brioche Rolls with Melting Chocolate Centers, etc.

* The Pastry Chef's Companion: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for the Pastry Professional, an excellent reference guide for every kitchen cookbook shelf

It also includes four pounds of E. Guittard chocolate wafers, a top choice of professional bakers and chefs:

* One pound E.Guittard 72% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate, this super-dark chocolate has a smooth mouthfeel and provides intense chocolate flavor. It’s the perfect choice when a dessert is unequivocally about chocolate – flourless cakes, molten chocolate mini-cakes or an unforgettable chocolate fondue.

* One pound E.Guittard 61% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate, the super-rich chocolate flavors last and last, with a refreshing chocolate finish. This chocolate is extremely popular with pastry chefs, and makes a great eating chocolate as well.

* One pound E.Guittard 38% Cacao Milk Chocolate, enjoy bold, rich, milk chocolate flavors with caramel accents, fresh dairy notes and a signature hint of cinnamon that set this milk chocolate apart from all the others. It’s an extremely versatile blend that can be used in recipes ranging from crème brulée to ganache.

* One pound E.Guittard 31% Cacao White Chocolate, this French-style white chocolate has a sweet, fresh cream flavor with nutty undertones and lingering hints of citrus and vanilla. It adds a balanced dairy flavor to any recipe, and stands alone as an extraordinarily smooth white chocolate with rich cocoa butter taste.

To use with your next recipe:

* A set of four silicone spatulas, perfect for mixing, scraping and folding, they won’t chip or crack and can be used can be used to stir extremely hot mixtures

The Baker's Delight prize package is worth nearly $200! A big thanks to Guittard for the chocolate, and to Clarkson Potter, Chronicle Books, and Wiley for the books.

Where does the money go?
The funds raised by Menu for Hope this year will got to a school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa. Providing food for the children helps keeps them in school so that they learn the skills to feed themselves and their families in the future. The program in Lesotho is a model program in local procurement - buying food locally to support local farmers and the local economy. Instead of shipping surplus corn across the ocean, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is buying directly from local subsistent farmers who practice conservation farming methods in Lesotho to feed needy children.

To win this or other fabulous prizes:
1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from our Menu for Hope at Pim's site, the Baker's Delight prize is UW18
2. Go to the donation site or click on the Menu for Hope logo below, to make a donation.
3. Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xEU01, 3xEU02
4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
5. Please allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone and no one but us will be able to see it.

Click here to donate:

For the US West Coast prizes specifically, please visit Matt at Matt Bites, the West Coast host (and food photographer extraordinaire.)

Photos du Jour

I took these photos in Saint Guilhem le Désert last week. The shell motif, a symbol of the pilgrimage route, is next to a water source outside the Abbey, which was founded at the beginning of the 9th century. The Abbey was an important stop on one of the Santiago de Compostela routes through France.

FallFest & Cal-Italia

This weekend there will be Fleet week and Columbus day activities happening around the City. But more importantly, there will be food events.



Saturday there are two promising events. One is FallFest, from 11-4 p.m. at Justin Herman Plaza in front of the SF Ferry Building. This event features a European-style marketplace and food sampling from over sixty purveyors. Many excellent restaurants will be represented such as Aqua, Destino, Fifth Floor, Globe, Quince and Piperade. There will also be wine tastings, and small panel discussions. A fundraiser for Meals on Wheels, tickets are $75.



The other event, is the Cal-Italia Wine & Food Tasting. This event takes place from 2- 6 p.m. at Washington Square Park in North Beach. Winemakers such as Bonny Doon Vineyard, Estancia Estate, Frey Vineyards, and Pietra Santa will be participating. The food will have a definite Italian flair with purveyors including Mozzarella Fresca, AG Ferrari, Liguria Focaccia, Etruria Gourmet products and Gelato Classico. This event is also a fundraiser, benefitting The Salesian School of Historic Saints Peter & Paul Church, and tickets are $35. I find it hard to pass up any event that features salami tasting, so I will be there, fork in hand.

La Fête du Fromage - Brebis du Larzac

The Causse du Larzac - Larzac Plateau - in the Aveyron in central France, is home to many sheep, many cheesemakers and many serious cheeses.
Roquefort AOC, Pérail du Larzac, Bleu des Causses and Laguiole AOC are all produced in this here, as is my most recent discovery, Brebis du Larzac.



This week I picked up this little wedge of Brebis du Larzac from a cheese vendor who comes down from the Aveyron from time to time to sell his cheese at the Olonzac market.

What a discovery!

Brebis du Larzac has a natural, moldy exterior and melt-in-your mouth texture that develops after 6-8 weeks of affinage in humid conditions on the farm.



Soft, floral and honey flavors tickle your tongue as you savor each bite of this meaty, richly textured cheese. It has an elegant, round aroma, full of herbs and grass, that reminded me of Italian Pecorino.

A glass of robust, Minervois red paired perfectly with Brebis du Larzac.



Next time, I'm buying a bigger piece!

Photo du Jour

South of France still life.

Photo du Jour

Ah...California.
The beach today was amazing! So sunny and warm. I couldn't have asked for a better day on my birthday.

Passover Nut Brittle: Recipe

Imagine walking into your local supermarket and finding a display of Easter candy at Christmas time. Or better yet a display of chocolate during Lent. That's what it feels like when looking for Jewish holiday foods. It's as if grocers think to themselves, "well, it's Jewish and it's a holiday, let's just put out what we've got!"

This year, as usual, there were so few products available the week before Passover that I just snagged whatever I could find. The matzah meal wasn't kosher for Passover, but it was that or nothing. Surprisingly they had a couple boxes of matzah farfel and I picked one up with no clue as to what I would do with it. This can actually be my favorite form of grocery shopping, picking up a mystery item and challenging myself to do something with it.

Matzah farfel is basically little chips of matzah that you can use for stuffing or in place of soup noodles. Or you can get extremely creative and make brittle. I found a recipe for Matzo Almond Brittle on Epicurious and made some changes based on my preferences and reader comments.

Many Passover desserts require loads of eggs, but this doesn't use any. It makes a nice treat to go with Toffee Matzah Crunch, a chocolate covered confection. The hardest part of the recipe is cooking the sugar until it caramelizes, it takes some time to reach the right stage. Also once you mix in the farfel and nuts you have to move quickly and spread the mixture as thinly as you can or you end up with a jaw-breaking candy rather than a deliciously light crispy brittle.

Passover Nut Brittle
makes about 1 1/2 pounds

2 cups matzo farfel (you can substitute little chips of matzah)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons salted butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups chopped mixed nuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread matzo farfel and nuts on a large shallow baking pan (1/2 to 1 inch deep) and toast, until golden, stirring every five minutes. total baking time should be about 15 to 20 minutes. If using some toasted nuts, do not toast them again, but add them to the toasted farfel. Transfer to a bowl, then line pan with a Silpat mat or with foil (shiny side down). If using foil, grease the surface or spray well with cooking oil.

Bring sugar, water, vanilla and salt to a boil in a deep 2- to 2 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring slowly until sugar is dissolved. Boil gently, without stirring until syrup begins to turn golden. Resist the urge to stir, and continue to boil, swirling pan occasionally. The sugar will clump up and get white, before melting into a golden caramel syrup.

When the caramel begins to turn a deep golden color, immediately remove pan from heat and carefully stir in butter with a wooden spoon (mixture will rise up and bubble vigorously). When bubbling begins to subside, immediately stir in toasted farfel and nuts, when combined, quickly pour onto baking pan, spreading and smoothing with back of spoon or heat resistant spatula, before mixture hardens. Spread the mixture as thin as you can, it's fine if there are some holes in the surface.

Transfer baking pan to a rack. If using a foil-lined pan, when cool enough to handle peel off foil and transfer brittle to rack to cool completely. Break brittle into bite-size piece.

Enjoy!

FOOD + PASSOVER

All About Pears

Summer is fruit season. But one special fruit is in all it's glory in the wintertime--pears.



Pears are one of the world's oldest cultivated fruits. They probably originated in Asia but they have been cultivated in Europe since at least 2000 BC. In France, Louis XIV popularized pears by proclaiming them his favorite fruit. The pear was later introduced into the New World by the colonists.



There are thousands of varieties of pears. Pear trees are can last 50 to 75 years, and anyone who has grown a pear tree knows that the fruit only ripens off the tree.



Doyenne du Comice means "top of show" and has gained the reputation as the best tasting pear. It was first produced in France in 1849. It is a pale green-yellow fruit with pinkish-red flushing. It it juicy, sweet and almost buttery flavored. It must be cross pollinated with a Bosc or Bartlett.



The largest varieties of Comice are often sold at Christmas time. We got a box of them from some friends and have been enjoying them for dessert. Harry and David call their Doyenne du Comice the "Royal Riviera" .



The best ways to eat Comice pears are:



* Sliced in green salads



* Cut into chunks in fruit salad



* Serve raw grated into muesli with yogurt



* With blue cheese such as Gorgonzola or Stilton



* With creamy cheeses such as Camembert or Brie



* Thinly sliced added to a grilled cheese and ham sandwich

FareStart!

I can't keep it to myself. FareStart is a Seattle nonprofit organization that “transforms lives by empowering homeless and disadvantaged men, women, and families to achieve self-sufficiency through life skills, job training, and employment in the food service industry.” And through this admirable program, FareStart gives me a reason to feel even better than usual about treating myself to a

"There is no need for this dream-compelled narration; the rhythm will keep me awake, changing"

It is a sleepy afternoon. I am sleepy. It is sleepy.

Last night I dreamt that I was on some sort of a quest--the phrase "vision quest" was running through my head when I woke up--alone in the semi-wilderness. I was sent out on my own into a not-too-wooded-but-dark-and-shadowy place, and I was supposed to find my way to some mystic destination I now can’t recall. I would have to keep warm, sleep

An Italian Soirée in the South of France

Saturday night we gathered again, this time to celebrate the cuisine of Italy.
It was supposed to be a Japanese evening, but three of the eight of us don't eat sushi and some of the ingredients for Japanese food are understandably difficult to source in the south of France. As much as we like a bit of a challenge, this is also a night for us to enjoy each other's company, so we opted for an easier cuisine.

Frustratingly, the batteries in my camera up and died shortly after snapping what turned out to be a super blurry shot of the Farro and Chickpea soup that I brought. (I'll post the recipe later this week)
Thankfully a borrowed camera saved the day, so I do have a few photos to share of our fantastic meal.

after the soup came a gratin of Belgian endive, Parmesan, garlic and loads of butter with super garlicky garlic bread - just the way I like it!


then steaming, savory prosciutto, wild mushrooms and herbs in parchment paper and grilled cherry tomatoes

The photo of the main course, Pasticcio, was blurry as well. Merde!

dessert of the most amazing, boozy, orange zest infused tiramisu

We love our World Food evenings! Next time...
South Africa!

Photo du Jour - New Dawn

Happy New Year!

For ever and ever

I have wanted this caramel corn recipe for a very long time.Which is weird, because I am not, in general, a caramel corn person. No matter where it comes from, it’s usually a little sticky, a little cloying, a little heavy, a little stale. But I’m crazy about this caramel corn. I saw Twilight for the first time last weekend, and basically, I am to this caramel corn as Edward Cullen is to Bella

All About Apples:Cookbook

How would you like a free cookbook? Ok, it's an electronic book, but it's really beautifully written and has gorgeous photographs. Unlike most cookbooks, this one is based on a single tasting menu--the only one I've ever seen that focuses on Washington state apples.



Washington state is famous for apples. More than half of all eating apples grown in the US come from orchards in Washington state. The harvest goes on for almost three months (August-November) and apples are available just about year-round so there is plenty of opportunity not just to eat them out of hand, but also to cook with them.



Award-winning Seattle-based blog Tasting Menu has published the cookbook called All About Apples, a tasting menu from Scott Carsberg of Lampreia. It features eight dishes and a variety of different Washington state apple varieties. A labor of love, this cookbook is a tribute to the impressive creative skills of chef Scott Carlsberg of Lampreia restaurant, writer Hillel Cooperman and photographer Peyman Oreizy.



Already mentioned in a column by Mark Bittman in the New York Times (free to access but registration is required) All About Apples is now being offered free of charge, so do visit the site and download a copy for yourself.

Zante's Pizza : Restaurant Review

Dungeness crabs, sourdough bread, a wide choice of cuisines--especially Asian. We are so blessed in the Bay Area with great food. But something else particular to San Francisco may be Indian pizza. Yup, you heard right, Indian pizza and I'm pleased to report the one place making it, Zante's in Bernal Heights, delivers citywide.

Ever since I tried this pizza a few weeks ago I have been positively obsessed with it. There are several things that make this pizza addictive--but the most important is probably the sauce and the unique toppings. Now I know what you're thinking, pizza is all about the crust, but in this case it's not. They use Sag paneer, a cheesy pureed spinach that works perfectly as a base. On top of it they add eggplant, cauliflower, ginger, green onions, cilantro, garlic, cheese and if you like, tandoori chicken or lamb. The crust is a chewy and crisp thick pizza dough, good but not the greatest. The whole thing is baked in a tandoori oven. Luscious spicy flavors of India explode in your mouth from the first bite. I know it sounds weird, but surprisingly it's not.

If you're not in the mood for pizza Zante's also serves Indian food, though I haven't tried it. Around since the mid 1980's it's been garnering attention from various publications since it opened. Until just recently it has never really been on my radar, probably because I didn't realize they deliver...

Zante's owner has roots in India and yet learned to make pizza in New York. Exactly how this happy mix of pizza and Indian food happened, I'm not sure, but I'm ever so grateful!

Zante's pizza and Indian Cuisine
3489 Mission St @ 30th Street.
San Francisco
Open daily 11-3 and 5-11 pm
415.821.3949

Blue at 11:00

No, this isn't going to be about late night dirty movies (I hope you're not too disappointed!) "Blue at eleven o'clock" was the initial instruction given to those of us attending a French cheese tasting a couple of weeks ago. Before trying each cheese a cheesemaker spoke about it, explaining where it came from, how it was made and various other details. On our plate were six cheeses and "blue at eleven" was to make sure we tasted in the correct order.

This was the first formal cheese tasting I ever attended and rather than give you a blow by blow or rather bite by bite account, I have compiled some of what I learned into a mini quiz for your entertainment and edification. Answers are in the first comment.

1. "Cheese is the heart beat of France"
A. Mais oui!
B. Non, c'est la folie

2. Ossau-Iraty is:
A. A marriage of two cheeses Ossau and Iraty
B. Named after a famous Basque statesman

3. The best milk for Camembert comes from:
A. Summer
B. Spring or Fall

4. There are 700 producers of Camembert
A. True
B. False

5. Pont l´Evêque is similar to Camembert, but comes in a square box
A. True
B. False

6. "double creme" cheese is:
A. 70% fat
B. 60% fat

7. The blue in Roquefort comes from:
A. An injection into the cheese
B. Loaves of bread

8. Bleu d'Auvergne is older than Roquefort:
A. Non, non, non!
B. Depends on who you talk to
C. Maybe, but who cares? It's so darn good.

FOOD & DRINK + CHEESE + FRANCE

Tasty Events

Delicious reception
March 15, 2009 2 - 6 pm
Studio
1815 Polk St
San Francisco

Studio gallery on Polk St annual show Delicious features art work on the theme of food from 90 local artists. This is always a playful, fun show with paintings, prints, sculpture, drawings, photography and even jewelry. The opening reception is this Sunday March 15th, from 2 - 6 pm and the show runs through April 12th. There are plenty of affordable pieces, like this charming woodprint by Ayu Tomikawa called Nibela reaches for a cake.





White on Rice 5:30 reception, 6:45 film
March 17, 2009
Sundance Kabuki
1881 Post St
San Francisco

The Asian American Film Festival is showing the Japanese film, White on Rice. If the trailer is any indication, it promises to be a quirky, humorous slice of life. Tickets are $11 and there is a free pre-screening reception hosted by lyemon Cha where you can meet the director and cast and enjoy appetizers and of course, green tea. Reception is at 5:30 at the Bar Bistro and the screening is a t 6:45 at the Sundance Kabuki Theater





San Francisco Chocolate Salon
March 21, 2009 10 - 6 pm
Fort Mason
Marina Blvd
San Francisco

Chocolate! This year I am a judge at the San Francisco Chocolate Salon. Come to Fort Mason on March 21st and try chocolate and beverages from over 50 chocolatiers, confectioners, and other producers. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

La Fête du Fromage - Round Up # 2

The second Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event was another great success. Thanks to all of you who joined in my little world-wide cheese tasting party!


Judith from A Shortcut to Mushrooms went all out this month, tasting not just one, but two amazing looking, fruit infused cheeses, a White Stilton with Blueberries and a Wensleydale with Cranberries. She thought they were both lovely, but preferred the sweet, mild flavor and smooth texture of the Stilton over the sharper, crumblier Wensleydale.

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A recipe for Buttery Cheese Crackers made from Brânză de Burduf, a Romanian cheese that Lore at Culinarty describes as tangy, soft and slightly grainy, is her entry this month. Savory, buttery cheese crackers made from soft, salty cheese...sounds absolutely perfect!

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Danielle at Savor Culture offers us Charmoix, a raw cow's milk cheese produced at the Coopératif Fermière de Mean in Belgium. She describes it as a "quiet cheese, with a mild flavor that expresses lemon zest, salted butter, and chalky stone." Danielle recommends tasting the Charmoix with slices of ripe Bartlett pear and peasant bread, with a glass of lambic beer or sparkling wine.

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The King of Italian cheeses, Parmegiano Reggiano, is Nathalie of Spaced Out Ramblings' cheese selection this month. This cheese has many, many impostors, therefore she advises to look for the words Parmegiano Reggiano burned into its crust as the sign of authenticity. Natalie tasted chunks of Parmegiano with some pear and sprinkled with a few drops of aged Balsamic Vinegar. I'm swooning over the thought of this combination!

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Camille at Croque-Camille cooks up a unique twist on the classic French dish, Tartiflette, with some Doré de l’Abbaye cheese, sautéed winter squash, bacon, leeks and little buckwheat pasta squares. The resulting dish looks amazing! I've invited myself to dinner the next time I'm in Paris.
Oh yeah...the cheese....she describes it as having a mild, stinky-cheese flavor and great for melting.

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The final cheese is a creamy, sexy Burrata, tasted by Lauren at I'll Eat You. This fresh Italian cheese is made when "fresh mozzarella is stretched over a mixture of mozzarella curd and cream, so that when it is cut open, a luxurious, creamy, oozy center is revealed." Lauren describes the flavor as fresh and clean. I'm anxious to try Burrata. It looks wonderful!

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My addition to the event is Brie de Melun which I tasted last August. This rich, strong, French cheese from northern France is absolutely fantastic! It has a gorgeous combination of flavors that include mushroom, hazelnuts, salty and fruity.

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Thus wraps up October's Fête du Fromage.
I look forward to seeing what will be tasted in November!


The 15th of every month will be the official day for La Fête du Fromage. Please have your entries to me by the end of the 13th.

Tell us why you chose this particular cheese. Tell us how it tasted. Tell us about its texture and aroma. Did you eat it on its own? Or with something? Did you drink anything special with your chosen cheese? Would you recommend it or not? Is there something unusual or interesting about it?

• Photos are wonderful, but not necessary
• Entries must contain the words La Fête du Fromage and contain a link to Chez Loulou
• Posts should be written specifically for La Fête du Fromage and not entered in any other food blog event
• Please send the link to your post to louloufrance (at) gmail (dot) com with the words Fête du Fromage in the subject line

Salt Cellar

Reading the autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini in college made me want to live in Florence. It brought the renaissance period to life. Filled with art, crime and intrigue it was gossipy and a great read. The cover featured a photo of one of Cellini's few surviving masterpieces, a gold salt cellar. According to Cellini, the figures that decorate it represent earth and water, although other sources claim they depict Neptune and Amphitrite, additional reclining figures, representing winds and the times of day, are carved into the base. At the time I'd never even heard of a salt cellar. But just like Cellini's writing, it is an over-the-top work of art.



Lately as I've spent more and more time in places like Sur La Table, it dawned on me that I really really needed a salt cellar.



You can't underestimate the importance of salt. Salt makes all the difference in cooking a great meal. Having salt at your fingertips is key so that you can season your food as you cook it. Just seasoning at the table doesn't do the job. In fact, adding salt at the table is most often considered an insult to the chef. If food is properly seasoned while cooking, it shouldn't need any additional salt. For example, pasta. If you don't season the water with salt, your pasta will taste slightly dull. No amount of salt at the table will fix it.



My sister sent me a beautiful white salt cellar for my birthday. I have no idea where she got it. It's not like the Cellini salt cellar, it's a white ceramic one made to sit near your stove and its main feature is accessibility, in fact it's not ornamental in the least. And that Cellini salt cellar? Turns out it was stolen last year from a Viennese art museum. The reward is 70,000 euros. And the value of the piece? Would you believe 58 million dollars? No salt included.

Great Green Gaspacho

Cooking is off to a good start this fall -- thank you for asking!

I haven't gotten back to blogging that much yet, but I have been doing a lot of cooking. I have also been going the extra kilometer to get colorful, fresh ingredients into my kitchen...and that is at least half the battle.

Today I brought starters back to our Saturday afternoon lunch table. They had been absent for many a year...which is a pity. They are my favorite meal course, and I think we don't get enough of them in this household.

Enough introduction. This afternoon, I tried out "Gaspacho Vert" from the August 2007 issue of Elle à Table. This recipe is so simple it's almost ridiculous: two avocadoes, two cucumbers, two limes, a bit of garlic...and blend it all up.

I added a tiny bit of cream because I think it takes the acidity out of this type of soup, and served it just barely cold...a few sprigs of parsley on the top...delicious.

A Little Sunday Reading (and Viewing)

The conversation continues.

Celebrating farmer's markets, gardens and the delights of spring.

A tasty tongue twister.

Wine Tales. From here in the Languedoc and farther afield.

I'm afraid I'm in Twouble too.

An invitation to savor a divine Tuscan Kitchen.

Perfect Paris - Day 3

A good night's sleep helped to revive my aching feet.
Surprisingly only one blister had appeared on my left heel, and this was the first trip I've taken in ages when my lower back wasn't in agony from miles of walking.

Besides, little aches and pains weren't going to stop me from enjoying another gorgeous day.

After a quiet morning of coffee, pain au noix and checking email, I bandaged up my feet, put on my most comfortable shoes and we finally left the apartment.
We agreed that a picnic in the Square des Batignolles with Döner kebabs from my friend's favorite place in the quirky, vibrant Batignolles neighborhood would be an excellent way to kick off the afternoon.

We soaked up some sun in the park and hopped on a bus for a leisurely trip across town to check out the cheese shops on the rue Mouffetard, then on to the Butte aux Cailles neighborhood in the 13th to see Aimée's little jewel of a tea house, l'Oisive Thé, and to meet another blogger, Samantha, for tea.
It was great to connect with these two women and hear about their lives in Paris. (Aimée's delicious, moist, chocolaty, chocolate chips cookies were another reason to stay and hang out)


I spent the late afternoon on my own, window shopping in the Marais, passing some time in a café watching the world go by, and walking past Notre Dame with its dazzling new facade on the Île de la Cité to my destination; a tiny bookshop on a tiny street in the 5th to attend Heather Stimmler-Hall's launch party for her new book, Naughty Paris, a book that every woman living in Paris should own.
There was one familiar face in the crowd, who were all happily drinking wine and enjoying some nibbles outside on the cobblestone street, and a couple of familiar voices; Katia and Kyliemac!

By the time I left the party, I was absolutely exhausted.
My trip home on the very, very busy Metro took two changes and almost an hour of being packed in like a sardine. Not used to this crowded city life, I tell you!

Finally crashing on the couch and taking off my shoes was pure heaven.

Saint Séverin church