I feel inspired again.
The vendange is in full swing and that means the vineyard leaves are slowly turning shades of orange, crimson, yellow.
I am so ready for autumn to arrive.
Autumn's Arrival
The intense, blinding heat of summer is over. My mental cobwebs have cleared.
I feel inspired again.
The vendange is in full swing and that means the vineyard leaves are slowly turning shades of orange, crimson, yellow.
I am so ready for autumn to arrive.
I feel inspired again.
The vendange is in full swing and that means the vineyard leaves are slowly turning shades of orange, crimson, yellow.
I am so ready for autumn to arrive.
Roasted Beets and Onions w/ Feta and Almonds
Ok, I've been on a mission to find an easy and delicious recipe for roasted beets, and I have finally found it. While I was in Burgundy I was thinking about what cheese I could pair beets with; I initially thought goat cheese, but then I realized that something a little more pungent like feta cheese could add a saltier and deeper dimension which would make the flavors of the dish a little stronger.
This recipe is so easy, healthy, and rich - the salty feta flavor pairs nicely with the pungent and sweet flavor of beets. The toasted almonds provide a nutty and creamy element, while the slowly caramelized onions add a silky texture that makes you want to dip your fork in right away for seconds!
So please try this dish if you're looking for something to do with beets, but you're not sure what. This is such an easy dish, it probably requires about ten minutes of work in the kitchen - the oven does the rest!
Roasted Beets and Onions w/ Feta and Almonds - serves 1
1 fresh beet
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 handful almonds or walnuts
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Roasted Beets and Onions w/ Feta and Almonds - serves 1
1 fresh beet
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 handful almonds or walnuts
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread the onions on it. Sprinkle the onions with salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of olive oil, and mix together to spread everything evenly.
2. Next, wrap your beet in tin foil, push the onions to one side of the dish, and place the beet next to the onions. Cook the beet and onions for about 1- 1 1/4 hours, or until the onions are golden and shiny.
3. Once they are ready, take the onions and beets out of the oven and let them cool for about ten minutes.
4. In the meantime, put the almonds in a small baking dish (the same one works too) and cook them in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until golden.
5. When your beet has cooled down, peel it, and slice it into 1/2-inch thick rounds.
3. Once they are ready, take the onions and beets out of the oven and let them cool for about ten minutes.
4. In the meantime, put the almonds in a small baking dish (the same one works too) and cook them in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until golden.
5. When your beet has cooled down, peel it, and slice it into 1/2-inch thick rounds.
6. Lay the onions on a plate, then place the beets over them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, the toasted almonds, and the feta cheese.
Enjoy with some fresh bread. Merci, à très bientôt !
Le Timbre, a Parisian restaurant
My good friend Daniele knows many restuarants, book shops, and hidden places in the 6th district where she lived as a student. She invited me Chez Marcel and not long ago, and recently treated me to le Timbre an intimate restuarant (12 tables) at 3 rue Sainte Beuve, very close to Luxembourg Gardens. 
The traditional cuisine carte is written on a blackboard and placed outside de restaurant; here you can have an excellent three course meal for 32 Euros (appetizer, 8 Euros, main course 17 Euros, dessert 7 Euros). All the dishes are prepared by Christopher, the owner, in the rather small kitchen. 
Following Daniele's advice, I chose an Hure de Joues de Porc as an appetizer; it was served warm with a light capres sauce. This choice would not have been the one I'd had done alone! I'd said ... mmm... pork cheek .. not for me. However, I must say it was really delicious! 
The main course was boudin our blood sausage, served over three Spanish style red peppers (pimiento piquillo), duly peeled, roasted, and stuffed with home made mashed potatoes. 
Dessert, which had to be light after such a meal, was a delicious abricot and peach compote with a home made crumble on top, served on a verrine. I have made this dessert many times since and have had great success!
Coffee was served with a home made biscuit.
I mean it
I would like to sit down here today and write as though everything were normal, as though I were actually capable of forming complete sentences. But the truth is, I am an absolute maniac. Tomorrow is the official release date for my book, a day that I never really trusted would come, and I feel alternately so ecstatic and so freaked out that I can’t decide whether I need to run around the block
Luna Park:Restaurant
When friends come in from out of town, it can be challenging to pick a restaurant. Not because there aren't any good ones, but rather because there are too many. Mainly I want the place to be consistently good, have lots of options for all kinds of eaters (light, meat and potatoes, vegetarians, dessert fanatics) be fun and also give a good sense of what being in San Francisco is all about. If possible, convenient parking near by is nice to have too.
One restaurant I return to time and again is Luna Park on the very hip part of Valencia Street in San Francisco's Mission District. In addition to all of the aforementioned--choices, fun, etc., it has the added bonus that the prices are quite reasonable. The only down side is the noise level, though if you go with a group of no more than 4 or 5 people you can sit in a cozy booth and having a conversation is less of a challenge.
Luna Park offers a number of interesting appetizers that are great to nibble on with drinks or while everyone is deciding what they want. This past weekend we indulged in the Warm Goat Cheese Fondue with Grilled Bread and Sliced Apples which was delicious. The menu this past visit had a couple of fish and seafood choices, a couple of vegetarian options including Fontina Stuffed Ravioli with Mushrooms, Spinach and Truffle Oil and Winter Vegetable Risotto with Parsnips, Rutabaga, Butternut Squash, Black Kale and Cambozola Cheese. In addition to bistro favorites of Moules Frites, Salad Nicoise and Flat Iron Steak, there were also no fewer than 5 different salad options. I had the Oven Roasted Sea Bass with Garlic, Potatoes, Broccoli Rabe and Chile and at $15.50 it was about the most expensive thing on the menu. It was presented nicely, perfectly cooked and very satisfying.
Luna Park is also known for its desserts, especially the Make Your Own S'mores: Molten Marshmallow and Bittersweet Chocolate, with House Made Graham Cookies but this time our party chose to order several orders of the Apple Huckleberry Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream, and the Coconut Cream Pie which I can say without hesitation is the best I've had in recent memory. It was a huge slice and it had a perfectly fresh crisp crust, a light custardy cream, mounds of whipped cream and was covered in super large toasted ribbony flakes of coconut. If your idea of San Francisco is fun, decadently delicious and accessable--Luna Park is just the place to enjoy it with friends.
Luna Park
694 Valencia Street (at 18th)
San Francisco
Tel: 415.553.8584
Lunch: Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Brunch: Saturday & Sunday Brunch 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Dinner and Desserts: Monday-Thursday 5:30-10:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 5:30-11:30 p.m.; Sunday 5:30-10:00p.m
A safe bet
I thought it was over. I really did. After the disappointment of that coconut pie, it would have only been fair. With all the work that thing took – not to mention the woe that came with eating it – I figured I’d more than filled my monthly quota of culinary downers. Unfortunately, I was wrong. It was only the start of what turned out to be a very, very sub-par week. I don’t usually like to
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)