Culinary Muse

AMANO ARTISAN CHOCOLATE 'GUESS THE ORIGIN' CONTEST

  Okay, all you chocolate connoisseurs, the time has come to put your vast chocolate experience to the ultimate test.  Guess the origin of the cocoa beans that Amano Artisan Chocolate Amano Artisan Chocolate used to create their new chocolate bar and you will win a ‘one year’s supply’ of Amano Chocolate?  How much is that? Ten bars per month for a year, over $800 of chocolate.  And not just any chocolate, my friends. Some of the finest chocolate made.

Just take one look at the picture of the cocoa beans and you can already imagine the deep, rich chocolate flavor with hints of fruit.  Good luck, dear readers.  Make me proud! Contest details here.

San Francisco's Favorite Summertime Drink

While Parisians are sipping rosé this summer and New Yorkers are knocking back iced coffee, we San Franciscans will be huddled over our favorite summertime drink: Hot Chocolate.  Whether served in a mug with a shot of bourbon or in a paper cup, there is nothing better to ward off the bone-chilling effects of San Francisco’s dense summer fog.

If you plan to be in the City in June, July or August, here are a few hot chocolate stops that you won’t want to miss:

Empirical evidence shows that the Ferry Building Marketplace has the highest ratio of gourmet hot chocolate per square foot than any other place in San Francisco, maybe even the world.  On a typical Saturday morning there are five places that you can purchase a cup of over-the-top, to-die-for, hot chocolate. Blue Bottle Coffee  has three locations where you, too, can queue up for twenty minutes for your chance to order hot chocolate made with chocolate from confectioner Michael Recchiuti .  Rumor has it that if your cup is not deemed perfect by the barrista it will be tossed away and a new one will be constructed.

 If you would rather sit while the magic of creating a perfect cup of thick hot chocolate is performed, then Boulette's Larder  is the place for you. Not quite a sidewalk café in Paris but pretty darn close.  Better even. Boulette’s is more like a carefully curated culinary museum where you can eat the exhibits.  Their hot chocolate tastes as though they have melted a bar or two or three of fine dark chocolate into the best organic milk you can imagine. 

If you had something more quicker in mind, then Peet’s is the place for you.  The line moves fast, so within 5 minutes you will have a perfectly delicious cup of hot chocolate made with Scharffen Berger dark chocolate.  I know someone who then heads outside to one of the benches overlooking the bay and discreetly slips a shot or two or three of Maker’s Mark into the her cup.  I doubt that you would ever tag this French Market Basket toting grand dame as a lush as she weaves her way through the aisles.

Now, if you are in Union Square there are two great choices within the same block.  Crepe O Chocolat at 75 O’Farrell Street has two different hot chocolates to choose from. One is listed as ‘Homemade Hot Chocolate’ and the one that I recommend is the ‘Melted Chocolate Drink’. It might be billed as a drink but I would argue that it is just one tablespoon of hot milk short of a pudding.  A few doors down at Cafe Madeleine  they start their drink with a generous spoonful of ganache - a thick concoction of chocolate and heavy cream that has been whipped together – to which they add hot milk.

Mark Twain may have complained that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco but that’s only because the he didn’t know where to find a great cup of hot chocolate.

Can't get to San Francisco this summer? Then try our recipe for hot chocolate for one: 

Recipe:

1 c milk

2 heaping T unsweetened cocoa

1 T sugar

pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, stir together ¼ c milk, cocoa, sugar & salt to form a smooth paste. Whisk in the remainder of the milk.  Heat over low heat until it reaches a simmer, stirring constantly.  Serve in a heated porcelain tea cup. Enjoy!

Jim Marshall, Not Fade Away

Jim Marshall. We all have stories to share. He called me 'Karly' and worked in my husband's (Dennis Gray) photo studio in the early 1980's as part of a work furlough program that kept him out of jail during the day. He was gruff and gracious, a little scary , a gentleman in the old world 'hat off for the lady' kind of way and he hated onions. He took our engagement picture. I am so glad to know that his ending was peaceful. 

WINTER FANCY FOOD SHOW 2010, SAN FRANCISCO: BOOT CAMP

 
The more often I go to the Winter Fancy Food show, the more select I become. In the early years I would eat until I burst. Sure, I would love a handful of pineapple flavored jelly beans with that Polish sausage sandwich. And could I have an espresso to wash it down with?

After years of acid indigestion which seemed to linger for weeks after the show I knew that I needed a different strategy. So, one year I decided to limit myself to the International Aisles. That method showed a lot of promise. The olive oils alone could take a half a day to taste. The Italians loved pouring wine. And the cheeses from the British Isles!  I ate so much Neal’s Yard cheddar one year that I swear my heart started skipping beats. But this was still too much. It would be one thing if I was the food buyer for a gourmet food shop and was trying to stock the shelves.  In those years I was just an inquisitive chef roaming the aisles for inspiration.

The narrowing of my tasting focus happened naturally the year that I started writing about chocolate. I tried all the chocolate confections.  ALL OF THEM.  It took two days.  But at least they were all in the chocolate family. There are a lot of confections that should be avoided at all costs.  However, I couldn’t report on what I thought was the best unless I tried them all, right?  Down one aisle. Up the next. Masterpieces of construction from Spanish confectioners were sampled beside hand-dipped artisan chocolates from Oregon.  Chocolate with chilies.  Chocolate with cheese.  Chocolate with smoked pork products. I traded acid indigestion for a near diabetic coma. 

I swore that this year would be different. I would walk into Moscone Center ready to face anything! I would do everything I could to prepare myself for the battle of the food bulge. So I created my own Fancy Food Show Boot Camp. I started a month ago by adding a mile to my daily walk. I got into the habit of carrying a bottle of water with me and sipping at least 8 ounces an hour. I increased my weights at the gym And I pulled my old chef clogs out of the back of the closet. A pair of Dansko's with a heavy pair of socks? Not so pretty but, oh, so comfortable.

I won't know until I walk in the door what my focus will be this year. Soda Pop? Portuguese cooking sauces? Rice? Is there really going to be a bacon flavored envelope? And what will be the most amusing use of this year's hot 'new' ingredient: agave nectar? I can hear the Aztecs laughing already. Stay tuned...

Here's to a Happy and Healthy New Year! Cheers!

A Sneak Peek as San Francisco Gets Dressed for the Holidays

I snapped these with my iPhone just a couple of weeks ago.

Here is the crew at the Bank of America building (or whatever they are calling it these days) carefully placing the Christmas tree:

  
 

The crew at 101 California:

    
 
 The Fairmont Hotel, Nob Hill:

   

 More to come...
 
 
 
 

 

The Muse Speaks!

Yes, it had to happen eventually.  This muse had to step out from behind the keyboard and get her voice heard. Literally.

Today marks the official launch of my new podcast site.  I hope that you will take a few minutes in your day to pause and listen to a story or two.  Enjoy!

The State of Pastry, San Francisco Style

Luis Villavelazquez, Executive Pastry Chef, Absinthe Bar & Brasserie
William Werner, Executive Pastry Chef, Quince
Elizabeth Falkner, Executive Pastry Chef and Owner, Orson and Citizen Cake
Bill Corbett, Executive Pastry Chef, Michael Mina
Jessica Battilana, Associate Eat + Drink Editor, 7x7 - Moderator

Tonight at the Commonwealth Club.  Complete information here.

See you there!

Farewell to Mr. J and Gourmet

Among the many differences between my childhood home and my friend EJ’s home were the magazines.  My living room was scattered with copies of Sunset Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens and Family Circle.  Only one magazine entered EJ’s home. Gourmet. A copy always held pride of place on the side table next to her father’s dark green leather chair. I spent many afternoons sitting in that cool chair, sipping tea and carefully leafing through the latest Gourmet making sure not to bend the pages.  Here was my first glimpse into a world that was sophisticated and cosmopolitan. It was my primary source for learning about places like The Quilted Giraffe, Le Colonial and The Four Seasons. It opened a window for me. I might have been a 14 year-old sitting in a suburb in California but I could imagine myself truffle hunting in France or setting a table with Baccarat crystal and Limoges china - a far cry from my mother’s Franciscan Ware Apple pattern dishes.

I always wondered what Mr. J did with the past copies. I didn’t find out until the day I announced to them that I was planning my first trip to Europe. I could tell that the idea of a 22 year-old going to Europe alone was startling to Mr. J. But he also seemed to want to help.  ‘Come with me’, he said.  E and I followed him into the garage.  He began to open the cabinets that lined the left side of the dark, musty garage.   There they were.  30 years worth.  ‘Borrow whatever you like’ , he offered.  And I did.

Mr. J is gone now.  And so is Gourmet.  I mourn them both.

Meet the Muse's Husband, Dennis Gray!

He will be at the San Francisco Apple Store tonight at 6 pm giving a presentation. Stop by to see beautiful photographs of vintage automobiles, 2009 Reno Air Races and more and to hear how he put together his website using Apple's One-to-One!