kitchenette!

nice packaging! nice buzz, too -- this place is fully buried amidst the warehouses, and there were all kinds of yuppies and yipsters and their stylish childrenz and babyz standing in line for a sanderson. i guess i was there too, so i shouldn't judge.


here is the kale, fromage blanc and fried peppers baguette. flavors = great. i loved the use of tart, creamy fromage blanc with juicy, savory kale and the prick of the spicy peppers. texture = comme ci, comme ca. yeah, a baguette sounds cool on the menu. but for me, i prefer a more friendly bread in the sandwich context. i mean, i can get whiplash trying to rip a bite off the baguette mothership.


ok, confession: i loved chicharrones as a little angelena, back when they were known less-sexily as pork skins. i am so excited that they are hip to eat now and that artisty people are making kick-ass pork skins from happy, well-loved pigs! these are totally good. (maybe a tad overflavored? no, i'm just being overpicky -- they are totally good.) i am uncomfortably aware that they are available at some bars in san francisco (e.g., elixir) where i might have a hard time showing restraint.

i wouldn't normally bother with the cookie, but i do love ginger cookies and the texture of this one was really lovely: about a quarter-inch of crisp, buttery edge, then soft -- but still thin -- on the inside. not too aggressive on the ginger, either.

fried oyster benedict

this fried oyster benedict from serpentine is exactly as delicious as you want it to be. the cornmeal-battered oysters -- perfectly fried -- provide kind of a clifflike cradle for the eggs -- perfectly poached -- to flop all over.

a few years ago, i saw a tv special about a guy who went all over the u.s., photographing nude folks. one woman he photographed in (i think it was) new york -- across the river from the city, with a bridge in the background. she was posed on these really jagged black rocks, and because she was so lushly, beautifully overweight, all her luminous white skin was sort of softly resting against the rocks, and folding over them, but in a joyous way that didn't look uncomfortable. that contrast was what made the picture so beautiful to me. i wouldn't necessarily elevate this benedict to the order of Art, but do i get a little hint of the same excellent contrast from the egg/fried oyster relationship.

again, i recommend substituting biscuit for the cornbread that the menu offers.

maverick brunch

maverick takes brunch reservations!my doughnut ball was lightly crisp outside and coated with a layer of cinnamon-sugar textured like the earth's crust; then churro-soft and steamy and sweet on the inside. i wish this whole plate had been for me. but it was easter, and i was filled with a kind and benevolent spirit, and i was at brunch with three other people, all of whom i like.
here we have the andouille sausage benedict with crawfish & jalapeno hollandaise. (and homefries, as you can see, but so far the only homefries in sf worth noticing are the ones at mission beach cafe.) note that a biscuit is a far more appropriate sauce-delivery vehicle than the muffin listed on the menu.

peeps for peace

earth day-green farmers' market pasta

the tuesday farmers' market at the ferry building had a lot of awesome springy-summery stuff this week! bonus that it was all super-green in honor of earth day.

ingredients
1 bunch jumbo asparagus, chopped into bite-sized pieces
about a basketball-sized mass of sugar snap peas, shelled
2 shallots, minced
1 medium leek, white and pale green parts only, chopped into thin half-circles
butter
olive oil
salt
pepper
orecchiette pasta
parmesan cheese, grated
pesto (optional)

directions
set salted water to boil.
meanwhile, saute shallots in butter & olive oil (in approx. equal proportions) on medium heat.
add leeks, salt & pepper to taste.
add asparagus.
water should be boiling; add pasta.
about 4 minutes before pasta is done, add peas.
drain pasta and return to pot.
stir in pesto.
add vegetable mix and parmesan cheese.

pizza triplets, plus a stepchild

this pizza set is yet another testament to how versatile and forgiving the A16 dough recipe is! witness: i started the dough on a loose saturday, intending a pizza sunday. ran out of all-purpose flour and had to fill up the last cup with a mix of whole wheat flour and cake flour. i punched the dough down on sunday morning to start the second rise, but sunday came and went, and the only pizzas we ate came from little star. monday also snuck by while i was at the beach. by tuesday, the dough had a tell-tale bubble in the side. over-risen. i made the zas regardless:

exhibit a: sopressata, fresh mozzarella, basil, pesto, parmesan, and killer sauce (made with the first tomatoes from the farmers' market!).exhibit b: roasted asian pears, goat cheese, rosemary, spicy cress (this was the experimental pizza of the evening).exhibit c: thick-cut pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, basil, parmesan, and sauce.overall, the pizzas were pretty unaffected by the over-rise, i think. there wasn't as much contrast between a fluffy crust and a thin, crisp bottom as i would normally like, but the mouthfeel of the crust was really soft -- maybe that's the cake flour talking?

oh yes, and the stepchild: a calzone! really just a folded-over za, great for lunchboxing. too bad the massive eggroll/stepchild wasn't around to enjoy this one.

eggplant-potato curry dosas

don't worry; he's not angry. just really pumped to down some dosa.

ingredients
dosa
1 cup dried moong dal
salt
minced ginger/garlic
cumin seeds
water
vegetable oil (for frying)
*note: as far as i can tell, normally dosa are made with an equal mix of urad dal (black gram) and basmati rice, both soaked overnight, then pureed, then left out to ferment for a day or two. shockingly, rainbow grocery doesn't have urad dal so my big plans to make authentic dosa came to naught. this moong dal variety is a lot easier and faster and you don't need to plan like five days ahead. still v. curious about the regular kind though.

eggplant-potato curry
1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed (approx 1")
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (approx 1")
ghee
minced fresh ginger
turmeric
cumin seeds
black mustard seeds
hing (optional, but awesome)
salt

cashew-parsley chutney
about 1/3 cup cashews (i didn't have quite enough, so i subbed walnuts for the rest)
1 bunch italian parsley, chopped (could sub cilantro if you like)
a little honey
lemon juice
plain yogurt, about 1 cup

directions
dosa
soak the moong dal for 2+ hours or overnight.
puree in the food processor, adding water as necessary (the less water, the better, but you'll definitely need to add some).
add minced ginger/garlic, cumin seeds, and salt.
heat a non-stick pan with the oil. spoon dosa mixture on the pan -- it won't fan out by itself, so you'll have to spread it. it's pretty hard to make it as thin as the dosa you get from actual professional dosa-makers, so don't worry too much about that:
flip over.
serve with curry, etc.

eggplant-potato curry
heat ghee.
add hing, cumin seeds, mustard seeds.
when the seeds start popping, add ginger and stir.
add eggplant, potato, & turmeric. stir.
reduce heat slightly and cover. let cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
spoon into dosa.

cashew-parsley chutney
put everything into a blender. blend. adjust seasonings to taste.

pizza becomes a casual affair

i'd planned on making pizza on wednesday. i made the dough on tuesday night -- should i admit that i kneaded it in a bowl while watching american idol? -- stuck it in the fridge, and and punched it down on wednesday morning before going to work. big plans to make it pizza night. then we got invited to a giants game: (i) with the big unit pitching; (ii) vs. the brewers; and (iii) in the sweet seats that are the birthright of the corporate scion. how could i say no?

so i threw together a pizza before the game. same dough as usual from A16. tomato sauce, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, parmesan, and pepperoni that i cut super-thick. we've come to the conclusion that the thicker-cut meat is a better call -- if you're going to to bite into some pepperoni, you want your mouth to be full of robust, juicy meatiness, not just a stringy whisper of salt. right?

several whiskies and a giants loss later, we came back home and i made three more pizzas. no need for the whole night to be about pizza! i don't claim to be a pizza expert or anything, but i really love that pizza is not a huge pain in the ass to make anymore.

chocolate & sea salt shortbread cookies

normally, i really struggle with cookies. i don't know why; they're supposed to be easy, right? i mean, kids make them. why not me?

ingredients
1 3/4 c + 1 T flour
1/2 c + 1 T cocoa powder
3/4 c sugar (i used half white, half rapadura)
3/4 t baking powder
1 t vanilla extract
8 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
8 oz unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 t sea salt (i probably doubled this)
note: i halved the recipe and it made about 35 small cookies.

directions
mix together flour, cocoa & baking powder.
in a separate bowl, combine butter & sugar and mix until smooth.
add the flour in thirds, beating after each addition.
add chocolate, vanilla & salt and mix. don't overmix!!
halve the dough.
put half on a lightly floured surface, and roll the dough into a log shape, about 1/2 inch radius.
you'll need to squeeze the dough together a bit before you start rolling -- it's pretty crumbly -- and keep squeezing as you roll, so the little air pockets formed by the chocolate chunks don't collapse your log.
repeat w/ the other half of the dough.
wrap the logs in plastic wrap (separately) and refrigerate for at least an hour. (you can leave them like this overnight if you like, too.)
preheat oven to 300F. line baking sheet with parchment paper.
cut the logs into approx. 1/4 inch thick disks. put the disks on the paper. these don't really expand, so they can be close together.
bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.
cookies should still be soft when you take them out -- they'll get harder as they cool. actually, they'll probably need to be softer than you think they should be in order to get that great, mouth-melty texture that's the whole reason for making shortbread in the first place.

maybe this is the beginning of a new era of cookie-success.