Spice Dish

We Are Family.....

My father brought me a gift last week. He brought me 3 cast iron skillets that my grandmother has had since the 30’s. In order to use them in the manner to which they are accustomed… he also brought me a book. Not just any book. This book is like a family album and time-capsule. There are recipes tucked in between the pages written from my mother, my father, my grandmother, my grandfather. They are written on yellowed sheets of notepaper, index cards and later… post-its.

Perfectly Seasoned

When she was married in 1942 (2 weeks after meeting my grandfather) my grandmother received a book many new brides were gifted: the Woman’s Home Companion Cookbook.

This book is well loved and used. There are check marks next to “Chicken Rolls” and “Dried Beef Balls” in the appetizer section. Check marks on the 10 pages of biscuit recipes (although by the time I was a kid my grandmother had done what millions of American women had; gone in for the ease and convenience of pre made biscuit dough).

There are stained pages and pages of ice cream recipes (and it’s all David’s fault that I own a new ice cream maker—so I’ll be digging into these ASAP). There are amazing cake recipes in there too. My grandfather was renowned for his pineapple upside dawn cake recipe—he didn’t go for the recipe in the book however—but his 12 page handwritten recipe was tucked inside the back cover much to my delight.

Recipe for Cajun Beans

I love this book for so many reasons. Beyond the huge collection of recipes that I know my grandmother cooked there is the ‘sense’ of the book. It begins with a “Wartime Postscript.” It begins: As this edition goes to press out country is still at war. Rationing is in force and shortages of many foods have developed. In a fine spirit of patriotism American homemakers have adapted themselves to the changes. It goes on to acknowledge that the cook most likely won’t be able to make many recipes in the book until the war is over but it offers hope that once the war is over she will be able to dive into those with gusto, as well as have learned to improvise when need be. It’s comforting, hopeful and tells me a lot about my grandmother.

Julep ya'll

In honor of my grandparents I wanted to pick a particularly southern recipe to start with (it also happened to be derby day – so a mint julep was a natural choice). I also wanted to give a nod to my grandfather…. so I chose a pineapple version.

Pineapple Mint Julep

Fresh mint, 6 sprigs
Sugar, ¾ cup
Lemon juice, ¾ cup
Pineapple juice, unsweetened, 3 cups
Ginger ale, 3 cups

Wash mint leaves; bruise with spoon; cover with sugar. Add lemon juice; let stand about 15 minutes; add pineapple juice. Pour over ice in pitcher or tall glasses; add ginger ale. Garnish with sprigs of mint. Makes about 8 servings.

***Now you may notice that the recipe doesn’t call for bourbon. I went right on ahead and added a healthy dose. My grandpa would have been ok with that.



Enjoy!


Erin

Chimichurri Mayo

Oh mayo. I think I may have created the best. invention. ever. It came to me a few weeks ago, as most things do, as a mistake/necessity. I had made some fresh chimichurri to accompany the steak I was prepping for dinner and there was more than I needed but not really enough to do anything with. I had planned on using some fresh mayo as a dip for the asparagus I roasted to accompany said steak. And yes, mayo is lovely... but I didn't want to just toss the remaining chimichurri. Brash decision time. I mixed the two together. Heaven. Absolute heaven. The extra olive oil makes the mayo into a rich aioli basically, and the herbs....? Oh the glory.

As for the chimichurri,  I love it. I mean I really, really love it. I make it all the time and put it on absolutely everything. There are a million versions of this. I basically start with the version below and if I have leftover herbs of another type… I throw ‘em in.

Chimichurri

• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice
• 2 medium shallots
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes     
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Put parsley, shallots & garlic in food processor. Blitz. Put mixture in bowl, add remaining ingredients. Whisk all ingredients together.

So simple. So tasty.

Now unlike Molly… the doyenne of homemade mayo… I do not make my own generally. But I promise, you won’t be disappointed making this with store bought.


Enjoy!

Erin

How do you say Ole?

 
Patatas Bravas. Bravo!
 

Did you know that the Spanish translation for 'the perfect weekend breakfast' is Picaro? It is. Look it up!

Why is it perfect? Fresh fruit, eggs fried in olive oil, brioche french toast, omelets with Serrano ham and goat cheese... I could go on.... but I haven't mentioned the sangria yet or the mimosa's rimmed with cinnamon. Oh! Oh! Or the absolutely fabulous little back patio that makes you momentarily forget that you're in the middle of the city. This little slice of heaven has dragged me out of bed many a weekend (I've been here every one for the past month.)

Ahhhh sunny space

Every breakfast dish I've had has been fantastic. My guests have been bowled over by the super-friendly staff, the tasty hangover busters (the patatas bravas specifically), and the fact that for 7 bucks you will walk away a happy, rosy cheeked camper.

Big, fluffy and oh so just the thing

It really is a fantastic, not yet discovered, breakfast gem. If you want to try Picaro yourself you can find it at:

3120 16th St (btwn Valencia & Gurerro)

Enjoy!

Erin

Hot in The City, So Hot...

Last Saturday was a hot day. For those of you that don’t know… San Franciscan’s don’t ‘do’ hot. It’s actually hot here maybe five days a year. There is no A/C anywhere and we all tend to look a little frightened when it’s hot enough to potentially get sunburned.

I spent a good portion of the day napping in front of the fan. Could we have gone to the park? Sure. But Dolores park was akin to hipster Woodstock and we wanted no part of that. What did we want? Well not to fire up the oven in our small apartment that’s for sure.

Good thing I had made a reservation at Delfina for that night – two months in advance.

At 9 pm it was still hot in the city. People crowded the streets. The sidewalk in front of Delfina was no exception. A small mob stood outside hoping to get a seat, if not in the main restaurant, at least in the pizzeria; wine glasses in hand, sweat on their brows.

We waded through the throng and made it inside where our table was waiting for us.

Our waiter was new, that was clear, but his small foibles were more than compensated for by his smile and the way the entire staff worked together to ensure our comfort.

Again… it was hot. So hot. The thought of a huge heavy meal all to ourselves was basically unbearable but there were also so many things on the menu we wanted to try. We decided on sharing everything to get a taste of more delectables. Tapas style if you will.

We settled into our cozy corner with a blood orange bellini to start. Way too refreshing for words. Sparkly, sweet, perfect. We quickly agreed on a bottle of rose to follow, the heat deemed it necessary.

For our antipasti? Speck with artichoke fritti which I believe was on dandelion greens. It was salty, it was sweet, it was balanced by the bitter greens.

For our salad? Chilled asparagus with a prosecco zabaglione. The cloyingly sweet sauce was the perfect foil for the piercing green stalks. A bite of the speck piled on top of the asparagus…. heaven.

Our secondi was a Strawberry Mountain Ranch hanger steak and French fries. The steak was so rare it was about blue. The sauce that enrobed it was a sweet and savory concoction that was fruity, salty and had it been appropriate… drinkable. The fries were small, crisp and soaked with the aforementioned sauce. As I made my way through the steak, Mimi noted several times “hey you don’t like your meat rare”…. but my half of the plate was just about licked clean. The steak had the texture of butter and the sauce… oh the sauce.

We sat back, completely satiated. I didn’t think I could go on but Mimi had other plans. We would be ordering the Brachetto -Gatti Piero and the Moscato d'Asti-Sori.

She was right. They were delightful. Both crisp, cool, sweet and refreshing. At this point we just knew that we were not going to be finishing any dessert, but we had to try one…. at least one. For our dolci we decided on the profiteroles with espresso gelato, warm chocolate sauce and sugared almonds.

As we sipped our dessert wines and waited for that dessert we took some joy in people watching. Older gentleman with trophy wife and ‘natural black’ hair? Check. Uncomfortable tourist wanting hot sauce? Check. Young, newly engaged preppy couple both wearing loafers with no socks? Check. Monied man out on a ‘date’ with an obvious escort? Check and mate!

The profiteroles came oozing cold gelato and warm chocolate that was as dark as chocolate gets. We ate, we smiled. It was just a perfect evening.

Now… I share my dining experiences more than ‘review’ eateries but I can say that this is one experience I could in all good faith nudge you to indulge in yourselves. It’s just an amazing neighborhood spot, that happens to be spot on. If you want to give it a try you can reach them at:

621 18th Street

San Francisco, CA

415.552.4055

But be warned… reservations required… early.

Enjoy!

Erin

It's a Date

The assignment was simple.

In order to make “life a little more special and sparkly,” Sarah McColl of Pink of Perfection offered up this project: “take yourself out on a date.”

”Woo” myself? Take myself out on a date? Something worthy of a paramour? I figured there were two ways to look at this. 1- Something I would do for my paramour or 2- something I’d want my paramour to do for me. I mean… the point of a date is to make you feel good right?

Well in the aftermath of working 80+ hours a week (with no end in sight) the concept of getting dressed up to rush to make a dinner reservation to then make it in time for cocktails on the other side of town… seemed like an anti-date. Something that adds stress to my life is not going to woo me anywhere. Ok so what is it I need/want? Quiet stillness. That’s it. That was the best date I could give myself.

Now I’ve never been what you would call a new-age person. I don’t own whale-song cd’s, I don’t burn incense, I don’t even own a yoga mat. But it was clear that I needed some help to acquire this quiet stillness I was searching for.

I pondered for a moment. Meditation? I’ve never done it in the past, but extreme circumstances call for extreme measures. I fired up the computer and poked around a bit. Oh there were the whale songs. No, no, not me. Long sermons by ‘Buddhist masters’ with oddly American names. Nope. Rain forest sounds? Nice… but no. Guided meditation? A soothing voice basically ordering you to relax? CHECK! I decided to download a few.

While I waited for the ipod to sync I toddled to the kitchen to check on provisions (the basic rule is that you must feed/be fed on a date right?) I grabbed a bowl of fresh strawberries out of the huge pallet I had bought close to the farm down in the valley. I nabbed a bottle of cava rose and a champagne flute and on my way out of the kitchen… a block of 70% cocoa chocolate.

The lights were already dim (it was evening after all), so I set some mood lighting (hey I deserve it!), snuggled myself onto the couch with my provisions set out on the coffee table.

Click. Play.

Soothing sounds, soothing voice, complete and utter relaxation? You betcha. I was calm, I was peaceful, I was happy. I was alone, on the couch, smiling. For a brief second I felt guilty about taking the time out to do this. I had so much work to do. I quickly mentally smacked myself and settled back into being relaxed and content.

After my meditation session was done I removed the ear buds and just exhaled. I sat in the darkening room, munched on my treats and just wallowed in the quiet, in the stillness, in the unbelievable comfort of it all.

This was officially one of the best dates I’d been on in a looong time.

What did I discover with this assignment? Besides the fact that Sarah is a genius? Well… “new age” turns out to be very old age, and that I like this meditation thing. I honestly felt more focused, less scattered, less out of control…and happy. I discovered that in truth, while it sounds simple… finding time, and allowing yourself that time is a challenge. But I also found that I really, really needed to woo myself.

Thanks Sarah.

How do you all take time out for yourselves?

Erin

 

Sashimi Ahoy!

You know those Fridays after you’ve already worked 60 hours and you’re looking at about another 20 over the weekend? Those Fridays when you’re exhausted, can’t fathom cooking, NEED a drink and you need to eat… NOW!?

Hot ramen on a cold day.

Around here we refer to those Fridays as “Sushi Boat Fridays”

Warakabune is a neighborhood sushi joint. Not expensive, not fancy, limited menu… and boats. Behind the boats is a sushi chef with a smug grin, a warm welcome and a desire to feed the neighborhood.

The staff is friendly, and come equipped with elephant sized memories. You always order an unfiltered sake and large Sapporo? By your third visit you don’t need to order it anymore. It magically appears before you.

Each time you go, you swear up and down that you won’t eat as much as last time… but the boats. They just keep going round and round carrying little plates of deliciousness. You… of course… eat more than you did last time. You even request something new. Something special. Something inspired and voila… it appears with the chef’s special touch. Perfect.

Cures what ail's ya.

Whenever I get a cold, I toddle over there to have a big steaming bowl of their spicy ramen. And people… spicy means spicy. Hold on to your nose hairs.

The sashimi is cold, fresh and buttery. The ‘special rolls’ are packed tight with flavor and texture. The assorted salads are traditional and tasty. Of course you can also order full entrees of teriyaki, tempura and whatnot but the main attraction is the boats. (One drunken evening a friend and I decided that the boats could be improved by the addition of lego pirate people… but that’s just the sake talking.)

I’m not saying it’s the best sushi I’ve ever eaten in my entire life… but it ranks up there. And for the price it absolutely cannot be beat. It’s fresh, it’s delicious, and it’s made by people who care. What more can you ask for?

sake + camera=bad

There is generally a wait to get a seat at the boats… but that’s ok. You’re welcome to order some sake or a beer to sip while you wait. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been here, and I’ve never once had a disappointing experience. If you’re in the neighborhood, on a Friday night or not, I say stop by. You will be happier for it.

Enjoy!

Erin

Warakabune
307 Church St
(between 15th St & 16th St)
San Francisco, CA 94114

(415) 252-8383 
Wed-Sat 5:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
Sun 5:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

Oooh Sparkly!

So what have I been up to lately you may ask... several things actually. Ghost hunting for one and guest posting for another! There is an institution in San Francisco called The San Francisco Ghost Hunt Tour. A group of us, looking for something different to do, decided to give it a whirl.

Richard Miller of Sparkletack (one of my favorite blogs) is obsessed with San Francisco history and does an amazing job of making it both accessible and entertaining. He also reviews walking tours of SF and I thought he may have a write up about the Ghost Hunt... unfortunately... no go. I emailed to ask if he had been on the tour and he admitted that no, he had not been, but asked that I be a 'Guest Sparkler' and write up my ghost hunting activities.

Jim Fassbinder of the Ghost Hunt Tour

I had a great time on the tour and Richard dutifully posted my review. I highly recommend checking out Richard's site. His podcasts are a must-listen! You can check out my guest post here and the entire Sparkletack site here.

Enjoy!

Erin

With Bold Knife

M. F. K. Fisher in 1942
John Engstead/Look Magazine/From ''Poet of the Appetites''

For those of you not familiar with Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher she is the godmother of food writing. Her first foray into the world of food writing came with Serve it Forth in 1937 Her final book did not come until Home Cooking: An Excerpt from a Letter to Eleanor Friede, December, 1970 published a full 60+ years after her first and 8 after her death.

M.F.K. (as she is known) was born in Albion, Michigan on July 3, 1908. In 1929, while studying at the University of California, she met Alfred Young Fisher. Soon after their wedding they moved to France. While in Dijon, she became interested in food, wine, and cheese.

After moving to California in the early 1930’s M.F.K began delving into food writing. She soon wrote her and published her first book, Serve it Forth in 1937.

Her books do not focus solely on recipes and how-to’s. She most often expressed her belief that enjoying food and cooking is a basic joy of life. Even in wartime. According to the MFK Fisher Foundation, 1942's How to Cook a Wolf was “written to inspire courage in those daunted by wartimes shortages.” Her goal was not to remind women that times were tough, she “knew that the last thing hungry people needed were hints on cutting back and making do. Instead, she gives her readers license to dream, to experiment, to construct adventurous and delicious meals as a bulwark against a dreary, meager present.”

In the 1950’s Fisher moved to St. Helena about an hour’s north of San Francisco, where she spent the rest of her life, surrounded by wineries.

The other night I pulled my copy of With Bold Knife and Fork off the shelf. From 1969, it’s a collection of her pieces on food, love and life with 140 recipes interspersed. This is such a great book. With narrative that is calming and insightful, she talks about cooking for those you love and the enjoyment of food among many other things. She offers recipes for pumpkin gnocchi, shrimp jambalaya and 138 more. I was in simple mode that night and decided that steak and vegetables was in order. Besides… her recipe for A Sauce for Steak on pg 143 just seemed so… simple and so perfect.

And it was.

M.F.K Fisher’s A Sauce for Steak is:

4 teaspoons prepared mustard
2 or 3 drops Tabasco
Scant teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

Cream all together. Make 3 or 4 gashes in thick, rare steak, fill quickly with dressing, and serve at once.

That. Is. It.

It was creamy with a tinge of vinegary spice. The gashes allowed the sauce to seep into the steak and make it simply delicious.

Mmmmm.... mustard...

If you haven’t read her works yet, I highly suggest you start with, With Bold Knife and Fork. She will comfort you like a kindly, wise grandmother.



Enjoy-

Erin

Why I love California...

I’m sorry it took me so long to get something up here. You see… I finally got away for a weekend. It was, as they say in the movies—loverly. However the second I got home I was slammed with stacks of papers to grade, computer work to do, classes to substitute and on and on…. But back to that oh-so-loverly weekend.

After sleeping in a bit on Sunday morning (it was glorious!), I threw my bathing suit in a bag, threw the bag in the car and we headed up over the Golden Gate Bridge to hot springs country….Calistoga.

The sun was out, the music was up and the drive was fantastic. By early afternoon we pulled into “downtown” Calistoga. It’s one of those mountain towns that has one main street that is the entirety of “downtown.” Fine by us. We pulled right into a parking space…. Downtown… for San Franciscans… this was an actual thrill.

This hills are alive.....

As we walked down the actually “picturesque” main street we passed an abundance of steak & seafood restaurants, wine shops, Harley Davidson “enthusiasts” and the lone Chinese food restaurant. We decided that a light lunch at little Italian bistro with a nice wine list was just the thing… We found what we were looking for at Checkers.

The service was attentive, friendly and very welcoming. We ordered ourselves a few nice glasses of wine and set in to enjoy basically one of every appetizer on the menu. Do you ever have those moments where you just want a taste of everything and a meal of nothing? Garlic shrimp in rich, deep olive oil with crostini? Check. Cheesy, fresh artichoke spread with crostini? Check. Crisp mixed greens with juicy pears, sharp cheese and… crostini? Check. They reaaally like their crostini here. But no complaints from us. It was all delicious and we were perfectly content. We were on vacation after all! It was a momentous red letter event… really.

After lunch we strolled past fantastic old hardware stores, more wine shops and boutiques full of sunglasses, hand lotions and souvenir art pieces. We weren’t looking for souvenir art… booze is more our style. We stopped in at Enoteca wine shop where it really was a challenge to pick out just a few bottles. The owner was lovely, chatty and very proud of her shop… as she should be! The selection was fantastic. We nabbed a couple of already chilled bottles and headed over to Golden Haven Spa.

Golden Haven is not a chi-chi Napa valley day spa. It is an old school mineral/mud bath health and wellness center. No floofy spa robe, no lavender foot bath while you wait… it’s stinky peet mud and sulfur-y mineral bath goodness.

How cute is this place?

Golden Haven looks like an old school motel. It’s fantastic. Our room was big, clean and comfy with an actually bouncy bed! I hate hard hotel beds. No phone, but wine glasses available at the front desk. Love it.

We dumped our bags and headed into the spa for a mineral bath and a massage. Everyone was a bit on the hippy side and really nice. We agreed that the ‘rustic’ nature of the place really was the basis for its charm.

About two hours later we were all rubbed down and stinky smelling, but relaxed. We threw on some clothes and decided to walk downtown to grab some dinner. Brannan’s Grill, one of the few restaurants open after 8 pm, had a dark “boy’s club” type of feel and a menu that featured Italian/California fare.

I told you it was dark!

We ordered some local Hog Island oysters, a seafood stew and a small salad. The oysters were fresh, salty and wonderful. The rich and meaty fish stew (chock full of crab and such) was on top of light, airy pasta. The highlight of our meal though, really? The booze. Chocolate mojitos, pear martinis, citrus-honey flavored muscats… maybe it’s because we sat at the bar… but we really indulged in the cocktails that evening.

As we walked (ok stumbled) back to Golden Haven we passed quite a few cottages offering mineral baths and a bed to sleep in. We passed a tiny high school and a café or two. It really is a great little town.

The next morning I woke up weirdly early. It was cold, but I trundled over to the quiet motel office to grab a towel and headed towards the pool. It was like bathwater. The mineral water Jacuzzi was yellow and stinky, but also hot and wonderful. A more perfect way to start your day? I think not. I felt like a cat after a bath as I dried off by sitting in the sun on the little porch attached to my room, while drinking coffee and reading the last issue of Saveur. I have to make that pound cake now.

 
My fair city

Monday morning was gorgeous. Sunny, warm, and breezy. We decided that we simply had to carry on with the spa inspired serenity (and the foodie goodness of course). On the way back into the city we decided that a Tiburon side trip was in order. We had a specific destination in mind too. Sam’s is a fantastic restaurant right on the water. While basking in the sun you look out over a marina full of boats to see the San Francisco city skyline.

We sat out back on the deck and settled in with champagne and a bloody mary. We ordered ourselves an ahi tuna poke, some more Hog Island oysters and one of the best cheeseburgers I’ve had in a long time. Niman Ranch of course.

Oyster love part II

As we drove over the bridge into the city we realized that we just did not want this weekend to end… and it was St. Patrick’s Day after all. We sent out the alert and threw a last minute backyard bbq in our car-port. Fresh asparagus, fresh sausages, chicken and portabellos + Guinness + good friends= the perfect way to end what was honestly an amazingly perfect weekend.

 

Now back to grading those papers....

Erin

Got A Light?

Now friends, this was a doozy of a find: Benson & Hedges 100’s presents 100 Recipes from 100 of the Greatest Restaurants. This groovy little number from 1978 has trademark 70’s line illustrations and photos that feature a distinct yellow patina. It was put together by Craig Claiborne… yes this Craig Claiborne… the previous year Benson & Hedges had wrangled James Beard into putting together a collection.

There are recipes from such famous restaurants as 21 in New York, London Chop House in Detroit, Gordon’s in Baltimore and India House in San Francisco. Not only is this a ‘comprehensive’ survey of American cuisine, but just to make it extra smoker friendly the book is shaped like a box of Benson & Hedges 100’s. Seriously.

I settled on a Steak Flambe Moutarde recipe on pg 28 from Bacchanal in Las Vegas, Nevada.

I used a Niman Ranch sirloin (yay local!) that I got to bean with a rolling pin…. it was like the home version of Whack-a-Mole. Always good after a long day. I also added mushrooms… because… well… we like mushrooms around these parts. Other than that I stuck to the recipe and I have to say it was a hit! So old school, so steak house.

Steak Flambe Moutarde

4 6 oz pieces sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick
6 tbs butter
salt
pepper
¼ cup brandy
½ cup whipping cream
3 tbs Dijon-style mustard
2 tbs dairy sour cream
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Pound pieces of steak between pieces of waxed paper to ½ inch thickness. In large skillet, heat butter and sauté sirloins for 2 minutes. Turn and season with salt and pepper. Cook to desired degree of doneness (2 minutes each side for rare).

Pour brandy over steaks; ignite.

When flame dies, transfer steaks to warm serving platter. Add whipping cream, mustard, sour cream, and Worcestershire sauce to juices in pan. Cook and stir till heated through. Pour sauce over steaks to serve. Makes 4 servings.

Now can I get a light?

Enjoy!


Erin