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