Our New Home - Our first Dinner

Cheers!

Tonight we had our first home cooked dinner in our new rented apartment. We moved in here on Saturday. Today is the last day of the month and we're surrounded by unopened packing boxes. What better way to celebrate our new abode than by cracking open a carton of eggs and making an omelet. That would be a Gruyere cheese omelet with toasted Pain au Levain on the side. Jeanne of Cook Sister and Anthony of Spiceblog will be very proud of us.



Eggs are the perfect standby to have in the fridge. A delicious and easy meal can be created in just a few minutes. Just the thing when you are tired and pushed for time. I was particularly exhausted tonight because I'd spent the whole evening making an oven that looked like this...



into an oven that looks like this...



Phew, that was hard work.

PS - thanks to everyone who joined in with my quiz over the weekend. Most of the questions were answered correctly by one, or more, poster. Check back to see which ones you got right!

Our New Home - Our first Dinner

To keep you occupied, whilst we are gone...

No cooking for us this weekend - we are moving house. It's unlikely we'll have internet access for a few days, so until we are back online, we'll leave you with a little food quiz. Please bear with us, we'll be back very soon to bombard you with all sorts of new posts about your favourite subject, food!


1- what is the name of the style of pasta used in this dish and how does it translate from Italian into English?

Orrechietti - little ears


2- What is this?

It's a Petit Suisse


3- Which teahouse, in which city?

Laduree, Paris.


4- A trick question? What do the French call this?

It's not a croquembouche, it's a Piece Monte


5- The general, common, slang name for this type of dish, in English, is?

Bangers'n'Mash innit?!


6- Where are we?

Cafe Bastille, Belden Alley, San Francisco.


7- With which free photo managing software can you achieve an effect like this one quickly and easily?

Picasa


8- What are these cookies called? Bonus point for knowing their less illustrious sounding British schoolkid nickname.

Garibaldis or "Squashed Flies"


9- What is this hot chocolate making device called?

Its a called a Suckao


10- Food from the gods? An American sweet...it's name?

Divinity


11- What type of cookie is this one?

Peanut Butter.


12- In which vibrant San Francisco district were these pictures taken?

The Mission


13- Which famous cookbook did I use to make this recipe?

The French Laundry Cookbook


14- What do you think these are?

Mini Yorkshire Puddings, yum!


15- How did I achieve the lighting effect in this photo of Turkish Delight?

The answer to this may be forthcoming, or maybe I'll just leave it "magical" as one commentor suggested I should. We'll see... thanks for playing everyone!

There are no prizes, it's just a bit of fun. Leave any guesses you have in the Comments section. I'll publish the correct answers when we resurface from under a pile of boxes. See you next week!

To keep you occupied, whilst we are gone...

Google Fight: English Food v French Food

Check the winner here

Google Fight: English Food v French Food

Homesick?

For the first time since arriving in the US four years ago, I was suddenly hit by a huge force of homesickness. I have to blame Gourmet's March 2005 "All About London" edition which arrived in my mailbox this morning.

Fred and I had been having a small disagreement about the quality of the modern-day English Chef over the washing up when, suddenly, I spotted the Gourmet, with its Abbey Road cover and was magnetically drawn to it. Whilst he expounded the virtues of French 3-star Michelin chefs, I started to leaf through the magazine.

Pictures and words about places and foods I love, pictures of appealing new places I had no knowledge about or experience of. I had a sudden feeling I was missing out on something coupled with a tinge of bitterness that these places simply did not exist when I lived there. Slowly, my eyes started to well up with tears and not too many seconds later I was sobbing uncontrollably. At that point Fred noticed that something was wrong and he came to give me a hug. Of course, he wanted to know what was the matter. I managed to squeak "The magazine just made me homesick". Gently he wiped the tears from my eyes, smiled and whispered, "Ah, that's so cute", shortly followed by a "do you want to move back?"

A minute later, recovery well under way, I reassured him I had no intention of moving away from the San Francisco I love. But I sure as hell am pleased that the British are starting to get the culinary recognition they deserve after years in the wilderness, being dismissed, laughed at and blamed for a lot of the world's bad food. It always exasperated me that it was Americans who would give us Brits so much stick anyway. That would be the Americans that invented Mcdonalds, Jello salads, Cool Whip and plastic cheese.

Well you know what? We Brits went through some bad food times in the 60s, 70s and 80s, it's true. But Britain has a solid culinary tradition and background, one which I am proud of, one which I intend to continue to study, learn about and celebrate.

And just so you all know, I am not going to take any crap jokes about English food anymore. (Marmite aside). I am happy to announce: Britain has moved on. Gourmet has caught on to the fact. So should the rest of the world.

Homesick?

Jammy Vodka

My Award for "Most Brilliant Capture of the True Essence of Fruit in a Spirit" in The First Annual Independent Food Festival Awards goes to Jörg Rupf and Lance Winters of St George Spirits for their startlingly good Limited Edition Hangar One Fraser River Raspberry Vodka



St George Spirit's jammy-tasting, pretty, pink Vodka smells incredible. One sniff and you'll be hooked before you've even taken a sip. Click on the photo for a closer look





As a raspberry lover, the only cocktails that ever really satisfied me in the past were ones which were made with real fruit and no added sugar. Then, one day last year, I read the following recommendation:
"Hangar One (the raspberry is dynamite)"
on Chowhound's Bay Area Message Board. I checked it out and I was blown away. It's not sweet, but its so fruity, so like real raspberries, it's been my tipple of choice ever since.



What makes Hangar One so special and why is so much better than other fruit Vodka?
Unlike other Vodka makers, St George use only real fruit for all of their Vodkas instead of fruit flavouring. They only source top notch ingredients. The raspberries they use are fresh, ripe, Meeker raspberries from the Fraser River Valley. The unique pink colour comes from the reintroduction of raspberry juice following the distillation process. The raspberry vodka is photosensitive so, in contrast to their other flavours, they bottle it in dark glass so it keeps its delicate colour. St George only did one bottling of their Raspberry Vodka last season, which makes it a very limited edition. Be warned, before you form an addiction, stocks are already low.

"You made me taste [it], now it's my favourite liqueur too... before [I discovered it] I avoided the after dinner drink!" Del, Dec 2004



St George have recently opened a tasting room so now you can go and check out their liquors and Hangar for yourself. They are situated at the Alameda Naval Base, just across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco. The adjacent Caddell & Williams store, one of the few places, at the time of writing, that still has Raspberry vodka availability in the Bay area, will open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, from noon to 7pm. Further details and directions can be found here. The address is 2601 Monarch Street at Alameda Point.



Those who are unable to visit can check out my views of and from St George's Hangar here. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Once the raspberry runs out, you'll have to wait until later in the year for the next batch of this heavenly nectar. In the meantime you can always satisfy any needs you might have for an insanely fruity vodka with one of their other unique and glorious flavours.
Mandarin Blossom, Buddha’s Hand Citron and Kaffir Lime Leaf.




Hangar One is currently only available in the United States. Be sure to pick up a bottle as your duty free allowance if you are on travels in America.




Hangar One Raspberry retails at $36 a bottle. Buy online (US only) here.

Jammy Vodka

Marmite on Toast

IMBB 12: is my blog taboo?

The reactions of a a Frenchman to Marmite and other stories...

One of my favourite snacks in the whole world is a nice piece of toast and some delicious, fresh butter (European-style, of course,) topped with a thin spread of Marmite.

Marmite leaves you little room for a middle ground - you either love it or you hate it.



Magnified Marmite, yum, Click to Enlarge.

Some Marmite Notes:

Apart from the fact that it tastes so marMighty fine, Marmite has one of the cleverest advertising campaigns I have ever seen. They completely play off of the fact that half of Britain despises the stuff as ferverently as the remainder adore it. Check out their totally brilliant website which is as much fun for the haters as it is for the lovers. Yes, the Marmite haters get their own separate hellish web pages, complete with suggestions for sandwiches equally as horrific as those made with Marmite, including a Musty offal stew with emmental cheese and a Battered bogey bap.



Massive close up of Marmite, click to enlarge

This morning, shortly before Fred arose, I enjoyed a nice cup of tea and a slice of toast and Marmite for my breakfast. About ten minutes later he surfaced and came down the stairs. He greeted me with a kiss on the lips. At once his nose started twitching and he started sniffing. "Bleh", he muttered, "You've been eating that stuff again". I asked him if he'd like me to make him some. "No! C'mon... I hate that stuff. You know. You still ask me why? Because it's awful. Euuwyeuch!"

So, I failed. I tried twice, today, to persuade Fred to try some Marmite. Combined with all the other times I've tried to trick him into trying the stuff since we met nearly two years ago, I don't think it's ever going to happen.

Some of My Own personal Marmite facts, figures and tips:

-I used to be a Marmite Baby.
-My desk at work is decorated with all the empty marmite jars I have amassed whilst living in the US (over 4 years).
-I got my eloquent description of Marmite published last year in a a BBC news report about English icons.
"Ex-pat Sam Breach, living in San Francisco, nominated Marmite and said: "Apart from all the ex-pats scattered around the world who hoard stockpiles of this delicious, dark, gloopy, salty spread in their foreign kitchens, this uniquely-shaped, yellow-lidded little jar full of savoury goodness is something only the English truly take to their hearts."
-Marmite should be spread very thinly. No wonder the French don't like it, if they think it's meant to be spread like Nutella.
-I once worked in Sweden for a while. I made a large plate of Marmite sandwiches for all my office mates there. They all absolutely LOVED Marmite. There wasn't one sandwich left. Ever since, I have always loved the Swedes. What a discerning bunch of people and what great taste they have!
-One of my favourite TV Ads of all time featured a first-date kiss that ended in disaster because one of the couple had eaten some Marmite shortly before the very brief snog.

Marmite on Toast

My Mum Would Love Tabla...

Revisit: Tabla 1167 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur, (415) 461-6787

My mum would love Tabla. She was always nagging me to eat my vegetables. Now I've found a delicious way to do just that. I know you've heard it before, but I am not going to stop writing about the good experiences I have had at Tabla until everyone in the Bay Area who is serious about healthy but tasty, fresh, organic, well prepared, casual but beautiful cuisine has gone out of their way to try it.

The last gem that I tried at Tabla was a Composed Salad on the specials board. It was such a hit with me I am secretly hoping it is still available next time I visit.




Beets with Cumin
Very subtle, very addictive. A vegetable I am not crazy about made totally moreish.
Remoulade
An old favourite of mine. Matchsticks of celeriac in a mild creamy dressing. Not as mustardy as the French version, but delicious nevertheless.
Carrots with Dill and Walnuts
Very piquant and sharp. I suspect the dressing contained lime or another mouth-puckering citrus. This was my least favourite of the four because it was so feisty and the dill was overpowered. I still ate every last little scrap just the same.
Avocado with Meyer Lemon Dressing
Perfectly ripe, large chunks of creamy avocado adding a little decadence to the other more virtuous ingredients.

Oh yum!
If there had been a pattern on the plate, I would have licked it right off.

Read my previous Tabla posts here, here and here

My Mum Would Love Tabla...

Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2004

I bought a bottle of this South African wine in order to take part in the global wine tasting known as World Wine Blogging Wednesday this month hosted by Jeanne. Unfortunately, I didn't read the instructions properly. I was meant to buy a South African Red. Well, Rose, is almost red, isn't it? It looks sort of red in the pictures, doesn't it? I hope I will be forgiven, especially when I share the news about how great this particular pink wine turned out to be.



click on the picture to enlarge

On the back label, a number of food matches are suggested:

Delicious with crab cakes, chicken satay, spring rolls with ginger dipping sauce, herb rub roast turkey, ratatouille, fruit glazed pork chops or strawberries and cream.

Monday was a grey, wet day in San Francisco, so I chose to pair the wine with a hot, fresh, homemade ratatouille, topped with fresh basil and toasted pinenuts on a bed of steaming cous cous. As an accompaniment I toasted large slices of levain, dribbled with oil, topped with large slices of garlic and sprinkled with New Maldon sea salt.



click on the picture to enlarge

This time, it's over to Fred, to describe the wine to you...

"It smells, exactly like a rose should smell and it tastes like a pretty good rose too. It tastes really, really good. Perfect, perfect. Rose in Provence is fruity and the smell gives you a clue. This is just like a Rose in Aix, in Provence, it smells like you are right there. It's even better when you taste it, it tastes just like rose in Provence. It has a slight, slight sweetness, but it is not overpowering it tastes pretty dry. And it goes good with the ratatouille. Merci pour ce diner extraordinaire!"

Further details:
13,5% alcohol
$10.99 at K&L where the guy who sold it to me told me "people here who've tried love it and they tell me it's like a big crisp watermelon"
More information about the vineyard here

Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2004

Giorgio's - Greenbrae - Marin

Giorgio's 300 Drakes Landing Rd - Greenbrae - CA 94904 - (415) 925-0808


It wasn't until I had been working for three and a half years in Marin, that someone mentioned Giorgio's to me. I checked their website and it sounded idyllic. It is true that they have a pretty outside terrace with views of the water and that, paired with a promise of Italian food, made me eager to try it.

The first thing that struck me when I walked through the door was the average age of the clientele. The restaurant was nearly full but there was barely a person under sixty-five. Myself, Fred and V made the total number of youngsters (and we are hardly spring chickens) about four. This didn't put me off in the slightest. We were surrounded by mature, wise, experienced people who at first glance, seemed to enjoy food and wine. I was hoping I'd made a fantastic discovery.



A visit to Giorgio's always starts well, with a basket of delicious warm bread nestled inside a crisp white napkin. This is served with a thick, garlicky green olive tapenade, that is so totally moreish, it's difficult to limit your intake of bread when slathered in the stuff.

The service is painfully slow, this lunch spot doesn't appear to be populated by a work crowd so the service has no sense of immediacy. On our last minute we waited 40 minutes for our meals, by which time we'd already filled ourselves up on this complimentary appetizer.



Capesante - seared scallops, mushroom, fuji apple, wilted radicchio, curly endive, warm balsalmic, fig, truffle oil vinaigrette 11.5
Contrary to the description on the menu, this dish was a bitter-tasting melange of seafood and vegtables all stewed (no evidence of searing) in an excess of thin brown liquid. It was inedible. I pushed it to one side.

My friend V was struggling with one of their enormous sandwiches. I had ordered the same thing on my previous visit and remembered that eating the enormous bread wedges, filled with half a pound of meat and unexceptional fries was a chore rather than a pleasure.

The staff kindly noticed that I wasn't eating my meal. I explained that I didn't like it and they offered to get me something else instead. I politely declined, I'd already eaten enough bread, plus Fred let me have a slice of his pizza.




The pizza is decent enough. A standard margherita with some oil in the dough, nice and crispy. Not bad.

They kindly took my portion off of the check. It was a nice gesture, but probably not enough to persuade me to go back a third time. The menu has potential, but they don't seem capable of executing it well.


Number of visits before writing this report: Two
Will I return again for more? Unlikely.

Giorgio's - Greenbrae - Marin

Heart Failure

Fred and I had long established we wouldn't be going out for dinner on Valentines day. I can't think of anything less romantic than eating from an overpriced restricted set menu, surrounded by a sea of couples all going through the motions. I used to get quite excited about Valentines Day when I was a kid. But it had nothing to do with chocolate, or roses, or fancy dining and everything to do with wondering who sent me that mystery card? If, indeed, I was lucky enough to receive one that year.



The other night I just double checked with Fred to be sure. Hey you don't want me to do anything special on Monday, do you, like cut a steak into a heart shape or some thing? Fred raised his eyebrows across the table. "I don't give a shit", he said. Good, I thought, that's my boy. So, nothing cutesy for us tonight. But that doesn't mean we can't laugh at the menus other people are going to be wasting their money on.



Take a seat (put a bucket on one side, in case you feel sick) and let Cupid feed you this monstrous Meat Menu for $52 (wine pairing an extra $35.) The setting? An ugly strip mall in a 'nowhere' part of a sprawling town about 15 miles outside of San Francisco. The price they quote is a good $7-20 more than at a few well-established mid range places in the city, whose menus I glanced at whilst walking through town on Saturday. All the quoted menu misspellings, bad punctuation and repetitiveness are theirs. All thoughts on what was going in their minds when they created it, are mine.

Cheese Platter
3 cheeses (smoked Gouda, Sharp Cheddar coated with sliced almonds, and Brie)
Endive Salad
Champagne Vinagrette, Pt Reyes Blue Cheese, and cherry tomatoes
Braised Beef Shanks
Beef shanks Braised until tender, turned potatoes, turned carrots, and sticky rice
Poached Pears
Pears poached in a simple syrup, pear sorbet and strawberry coulis


Cheese Platter 3 cheeses (smoked Gouda, Sharp Cheddar coated with sliced almonds, and Brie)
So let's start with a a hefty cheese platter. Why not? This America, let's do it the way we want to. What do Europeans know anyway? Why wait to the end of the meal? Let me fill you up on some heavy slabs of dairy before we go any further. What do you mean you don't like smoked Gouda? What do you mean, hardly anyone likes smoked Gouda? What do you mean you've never encountered cheddar wearing an almond coat? Why should you care where the cheese actually came from? Forget the champagne, why don't you enjoy a nice port apperitif?


Endive Salad Champagne Vinagrette, Pt Reyes Blue Cheese, and cherry tomatoes
There, now you can have a nice glass of bubbly, it will pair better with the vinaigrette. And look, I've actually told you where I got the cheese this time, a bit of name dropping never does any harm. I'm learning fast, no?


Braised Beef Shanks - Beef shanks Braised until tender, turned potatoes, turned carrots, and sticky rice
No. I have to spell it out for myself, look. Braised beef shanks are beef shanks that have been braised. And I must remind myself I should cook them until they are tender. The vegetables will be turned - and no, don't be cheeky, that doesn't mean they've turned round and fled my kitchen screaming. Don't be so mean, when I am being so kind and preparing both potatoes and rice, isn't that generous of me! What do you mean? You'd prefer a light meal, tonight of all nights? I don't understand? I am charging you $52 for this, you're going to be mad at me if I don't fill you up, surely? No I didn't do any research in to the aphrodisiacal qualities of beef shanks. Look, I just don't know what you are talking about anymore. You've lost me on this one. I am just out of school and I'm not allowed to have my first legal drink until April, I'll be an adult soon and then please will you come back and explain?



Poached Pears - Pears poached in a simple syrup, pear sorbet and strawberry coulis
What do you mean, simple just about sums me up? Look, despite having no experience and knowing nothing about how to live, how to eat, or how to drink, I've spent a whole 17 minutes coming up with this beautiful menu, artfully printed on red paper and I think you are being very rude and very ungrateful. Go away and leave me in peace to make loads of money out of some unwitting customers, won't you...?



That menu is absolutely real. I didn't invent it for comedic effect. I assume some poor victims will actually be eating this crap tonight and paying through the nose for it.

Heart Failure

Fred rules his own kingdom. Pasta King

"Not even a mamma could make pasta as good as me." Fred




"I am half German and half French, but I make the best pasta in the world. It's exactly the way I like it!" Fred

It's Barilla Spaghetti or nothing. A spoonful of creme fraiche, lots of freshly ground black pepper, grated parmigiano and a dribble of olive oil for the boy, truffle oil for me.

And me? What do I think of Fred's Italian noodles? I wouldn't even dare cook the spaghetti in our household. There is no point even trying to compete with Fred's constant quest for pasta perfection...

Fred rules his own kingdom. Pasta King

Paper Chef, February 2003

I was extremely proud, when earlier in the week I learnt that I had won the February Round of Owen's wonderful Paper Chef competition judged by Canada's Domestic Goddess. As a winner, I follow in the footsteps of two of the best, a pair of seasoned bloggers whom I both respect and admire. Viv and Jennifer showed a huge amount of support and hospitality towards me when I first arrived on the food blogging scene, and as I stand up on the podium to accept this honour, I would like to thank them for their encouragement on my blogging journey.

February's challenge required creating something to eat using four ingredients: oranges - cinnamon - creme fraiche and whole wheat flour. My winning entry can be revisited here

As I take my final bow, I would like to thank all the other contestants, for their wonderful, inspiring entries too. Check them out in the round up. The first Paper Chef only had - three - entries, and as it is my favourite of all the food blogging challenges, I am delighted it is catching on in the community.

From now on, I will wear this badge on my blog with pride.



And thanks again to Owen, for coming up with this marvelous idea in the first place!

Paper Chef, February 2003

Tomoe Japanese Restaurant - 3rd Street - San Rafael - Marin

Tomoe Japanese Restaurant - 810 3rd St - San Rafael - CA 94901 - (415) 456-3844

**Update** I have heard that as of November 30th 2005 Tomoe will be closing. Sad news...


Click on the picture to enlarge

Tomoe is a Japanese gem, unceremoniously plonked at the corner of a parking lot facing a one-way thoroughfare where three lanes of cars hurtle by, probably unaware of what they are passing up.

I've only ever been for lunch. View the short, very reasonably priced lunchtime menu here

All the dishes are served with a little pickle and green tea plus rice and miso if you aren't having one of the noodle or soup dishes.

On my last visit, with friend, V, we shared an order of gyoza to start. These fat, juicy and extremely garlicky ground pork dumplings are clearly homemade. One of them was even falling apart, as I imagine mine would, if I ever tried to make them myself. This was not a problem, because they tasted superb, especially when dipped in a mixture of the vinegar and sesame oil provided in unmarked, quirky, plastic bottles. Garnish included a huge pile of crunchy shredded green cabbage with a superlative golden-orange coloured dressing that neither V or I could work out the components of.

The gyoza were filling. For lunch, an order of them, would actually be enough for me, but a dish of winter Ramen noodles had already been ordered and was on its way. A steamy bowl of thin, savoury stock topped with succulent slices of pork, psychedellic fish cake, seaweed and boiled egg. Underneath the surface were slices of tasty, al dente mushroom (at least I think that is what they were) and a pile of eggy noodles. The broth's delicate flavour was given a bit more of kick when sprinkled with Ramen Kosho - a white pepper mix prepared with garlic and onion.

I was so engrossed in my own food, I forgot to ask V what he thought of his Sashimi and Tempura plate. As he eats the same thing there almost every week, I will assume he finds it excellent. V told me he had recently been talking to the owners and that they had told him they are thinking of retiring and closing up the place this Summer. I can't confirm this is true until my next visit, but in the meantime it makes a good excuse for you to get your arse over to San Rafael before it's too late, just in case.

Tomoe Japanese Restaurant - 3rd Street - San Rafael - Marin

That darned Meme - Music in My Kitchen

I only just learnt what a Meme was about a week ago, from Ronald who is a finalist in the Meme section of the 2005 Bloggies for his fabulous IMBB site. No sooner did I know what it was than I was hit by one. Queen of Seattle, Viv tagged me first, closely followed by the curious and intriguing little "effer" Alicat.

In our domain Fred is controller of the Music. We live in a loft. There is absolutely NO separation. He is totally OBSESSED with music and sound. If you are interested in what makes him tick, read the story of how we came to get his JBL speakers here . It's a nice little story and one that makes Fred quite happy.



Anyway - onto the Meme...
First, you want to know the total number of music files on my computer?
C'mon - that's just BORING. You don't care in the slightest. Nor do I, so I am not even going to look.

Second, what was the last CD I bought?
Well, I actually bought three at the same time. I don't recall which one went through the cash register last. So, take your pick from:
The Thievery Corporation - The Outernational Sound
Saint Germain des-Pres Cafe - The finest nu-jazz compilation
Cafe del Mar - The Best of compiled by Jose Padilla.
Look: 2 out of 3 had the word "Cafe" in them, can you tell I am a Food blogger?

What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?
Dance Naked Under Palm Trees.

Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.
1) The first is actually an album. It's Called Music to Make Love By . It has been my favourite album for about 6 months. I have even been known to approach complete strangers in Virgin and insist that they buy it. And when you are not making love, it's great to cook to too.
2) Tonight by Elton John. When Fred played it for me on his JBL speakers for the first time I could barely speak. I was overcome with emotion. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end. One of the greatest piano intros ever.
3) Ashes to Ashes by David Bowie. It changed my life over a family Sunday lunch in 1980.
4) Wild is the Wind. Also David Bowie. The most romantic song ever. It almost reduces me to tears every time I hear it.
5) Owner of a Lonely Heart by Yes. Produced by Trevor Horn. Need I say any more?

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?
1) Ced . I am sorry Ced, don't do it if you don't want to, but I was kind of wondering if you like M and Serge Gainsbourg and Carla Bruni like we do. Oh shit. Maybe I should have included "Quelqu'un m'a dit" as one of my favourite songs. I really do like that one.

2) Devon Dumpling. Dumpling? who is she kidding? She is as thin as a rake! Plus, she hasn't given us a post in way too long.

3) Del because she sees the world through such beautiful eyes. I want to know what her world sounds like too.

That darned Meme - Music in My Kitchen

Stinson Beach Grill - Marin

Stinson Beach Grill 3465 Highway 1 Stinson Beach, CA 94970 (415) 868-2002

*UPDATE* May 2009:
The Stinson Beach Grill has been sold.
Sam Temer, owner of the Sand Dollar and NEW owner to the Stinson Beach Grill.



Don't go to Stinson Beach especially to eat at the Stinson Beach Grill.

Go to Stinson Beach, because it's a beautiful, long sandy beach with a backdrop of the rolling Marin hills and Mount Tamalpais.
Go to Stinson Beach because it's a vacation day less than an hour from the city.
Go to Stinson Beach because to get there you'll drive along some of the most beautiful roads in the world.
Go to Stinson Beach to feel the wind in your hair, and to smell the sea.
Go to Stinson Beach to escape urban life, just for a while.



Click to zoom in on views in and around Stinson Beach Grill

Did you know how lucky San Franciscans are? Not only do we live in one of America's most cultural and liberal-thinking cities, we have beautiful countryside and the Pacific Ocean right on our doorstep.

If we are visiting Stinson at a time when none of our friends have organized a BBQ at the beach, (not often, but sometimes), Fred and I will invariably eat lunch at the Stinson Beach Grill. It's not the best food in the world, by any stretch of the imagination, but the service is friendly, you can sit outside in the sun and everyone is usually in a good mood. It's average fare in an above average setting where you'll find a mix of tourists, locals and visitors from all over the Bay area enjoying some food.

Menu choices are wide ranging. Oysters, clams, lamb, salads, burgers, rice and beans, sandwiches and sausages are just a few of the things available. Portions are huge and service always comes with a big sunny smile. On my last visit I tried the "Pound of Steamers". The clams were juicy, plump and fresh. The broth was a little too buttery, with some slightly overpowering raw garlic dominating the flavour. Diced red pepper was a welcome touch, but the soup might have tasted better if the ingredients had been cooked together a little first, before adding the clams, to give a better melding of flavours in the final result.

After lunch walk a block to the little coffee stand outside Beckers' Grocery store. I am not a huge fan of coffee, but I have never been disappointed with a latte here. (Yes, latte, I know, I don't expect you to take my opinion on this seriously.) But I can let you know that other friends rate their espresso highly too.

Stinson Beach Grill - Marin

Myth - Pacific - Downtown San Francisco

Myth is located at 470 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133 415 677 8986
Visit the Myth website here
View Myth's location on a google's groovy new map site here

After reading this glowing review of new San Francisco restaurant Myth on Alder's Wine blog, I put it close to the top of my list of places to try.

We eventually got around to checking it out a couple of weeks ago, shortly after it received raves from San Francisco's Chronicle newspaper. It wasn't easy to get a reservation because of all the accolades. We settled for a 10pm on Saturday spot. As we tend to eat quite late every night, this wasn't a problem.

Both previous articles have done justice to the beautiful design so I won't dwell on it here. It really is quite something, very modern and very classy, warm and inviting. When we arrived I wasn't surprised that our table was not ready. We grabbed a drink at the bar before sitting at one of the lounge seats close to the entrance. I felt sorry for the two people next to us who had apparently elected to eat their dinner in this spot. Their little bar-stool table was about the size of a postage stamp and they were struggling to share an entree, perching the plates on their laps, couch-potato style, and totally at odds with the eloquence of the rest of the restaurant. Twenty minutes later, we were happy to be rescued from the spectacle of watching the poor couple's balancing act and the chilly drafts blowing in through the door. We were led to our intimate corner table near the back of the restaurant.

We shared an appetizer of foie gras mousse with pistachios and pomegranate seeds. Despite this detailed description of accompaniments, the menu entirely failed to mention the addition of truffle. The truffle's presence overpowered everything else on the plate. Despite the beautiful presentation and visual evidence of all the other ingredients, all we could taste was the darned truffle. I am not a fan of truffled foie gras, and had the menu been clearer I wouldn't have ordered it. It tasted good, of course, but it masked the foie gras too much and wasn't what I was expecting. I love truffles, I love duck liver, but preferably not together.

I was finding it difficult to make a final entree choice from all the tasty-sounding things on the menu so the waiter helped me out. He recommended the beef cheeks. Whilst he suffered my pondering, I mentioned I didn't like brussel sprouts, a component of the beef cheek dish. He offered to swap it for spinach and so my mind was made. I could barely detect the horseradish in the creamy bed of mashed potato, a more generous grating would have perked it up. I would have liked a little more than the fleeting appearance of tasty, tangy gremolata that was confined to just one mouthful-sized area on my meat, too. The beef cheeks themselves were perfect, soft, flavoursome and succulent.

The bearnaise sauce on Fred's steak was inedible. Something was clearly wrong. It tasted chemical and bore no resemblance whatsoever to bearnaise. Fairly embarrassed (but maybe not quite as embarrassed as the moment when I asked the sommelier if he agreed with me that our bottle of Crozes Hermitage smelt like a urinal) we sent the steak back. They returned quickly with a fresh plate of steak and fries minus the offending sauce. The staff were profusely apologetic. Several different people came to acknowledge the error, one of whom who made a point of mentioning that the chef had agreed with our prognosis. In case it's not your cup of tea, it should be noted that Myth's steak has an over-powering smoke flavour from their use of a wood-burning oven. The meat was juicy and cooked exactly to order. Fries got good reviews from Fred too.

When it came to time for afters, we were informed that they were out of a couple of desserts (notably the chocolate cake, of course, no surprise, diners can be so unimaginative). Thinking about other peoples' lack of imagination quickly put me in an adventurous mood and I jumped at the chance to try a ginger creme caramel, despite not being a huge ginger fan. I was so glad I made the leap of faith. It was wonderfully eggy with just a subtle spicing. This pudding was marvelous. A large and lacy sesame tuille on the side was fabulous too. It was a sticky, toffee-like, delicious, crunchy, biscuity, sticky in your teeth kind of affair with the sesame flavouring it with desirable nuttiness. It paired perfectly with the sauternes suggested by the sommelier. Perhaps he had forgiven me for my earlier faux pas.

For the record, our bottle of Crozes Hermitage tasted good, despite it's peculiar nose. In future I must remember not to make my enthusiastic, and obviously amateur, attempts at learning how better to appreciate wine, by making my innermost thoughts on its aroma, so public. I would like to return to Myth and give it another try, but with my now wine-stained reputation, I am not sure if I dare...?

The bill came to about $165 after taxes and before tip.

Myth - Pacific - Downtown San Francisco

Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Day

(UPDATE: My 2007 Pancakes are savoury and contain wine in the batter.)

The very British way to celebrate the day before Ash Wednesday when the lean period of Lent begins, is by stuffing your face with pancakes and taking part in quirky races .

But before we start gobbling down too many of these delicious treats, let's stop for a moment and consider the history behind this holy feast. Shrove Tuesday's name comes from "to shrive" meaning to confess. In terms of English,Christian religion, Shrovetide was the time when you were meant to visit your confesser and admit to all the naughty things you'd been up to. Ok, ok, I admit I ate a whole bar of chocolate, all by myself, when no one was looking.



No stay of execution for these babies...tonight they're all pancake fodder!


Where do pancakes fit into this dour equation? During the long and miserable forty days of Lent, desirable edibles such as eggs and butter were not permitted to be eaten. In order to use up these non-virtuous ingredients prior to the fast, pancake day was invented. Hooray!

When I was a kid, I absolutely loved pancake day. It was always such a treat. Imagine a day, when instead of returning home from school to a meal of overcooked pork chop with boiled cabbage and potatoes, or lumpy cauliflower cheese, you were allowed to gorge yourself on as many sweet, lemony pancakes as you could eat!

My mum was always an absolute star on pancake day. Well, actually, she was a star every day and is still a star to this day, but maybe I didn't always appreciate that fact when I was sitting down in front of a plate of, yet uneaten, cold brussel sprouts and gravy. (It wasn't her fault they were cold, she served them to me hot, but in a pathetic and always unsuccessful attempt at avoidance, I just usually failed to eat them when they were in their prime.)

But on this special, only once a year day, she would have a big bowl of pancake batter ready, beaten and well aerated. She would heat up some fat and spoon a ladelful of the pale yellow liquid into the frying pan. The first one would always come out misshapen. Too fat, lumpy and with holes in it. It's just the way it goes. It still tasted good, someone would always eat it. But after that, she'd be on a roll. We'd beg her to toss the pancake up in the air and catch it, the other side up, back in the fryer. She would always try this once for our entertainment. Sometimes it would work, but sometimes it wouldn't and then we'd all share a good giggle.

My sister, Beccy, dad and I would form a little queue in the kitchen, each of us holding out our dinnerware like Oliver Twist waiting for gruel. Oh, but we were much happier than Oliver, as mum would slide another golden pancake onto our plate. As soon as we'd captured a glorious specimen, we'd dash to the table, drench it in freshly squeezed lemon juice and white granulated sugar and gobble it down, almost before she'd finished cooking the next one.

Tonight I will be cooking pancakes using this recipe from good, old, Delia Smith, the mother of British celebrity TV chefs. (I can't call her the grandmother, because that auspicious title deservedly belongs to Margeurite Patten, whose classic Every Day Cook Book I happily learnt to cook from, but sadly left in my mum's attic somewhere when I moved to San Francsico).

So, later today it will be lemon and sugar for me and Gruyere cheese for Fred. If I manage to get a flippin' good photo of us being a couple of pancake tossers, I'll post it up later...

Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Day

Very Posh Cheese & Biscuits

Potted Wensleydale Cheese with Mulled Port Wine Jelly and Home-baked Digestive biscuits
This post includes a recipe plus further recipe links

This is an entry for Paper Chef, February 2005
Ingredients selected for this month's challenge are:
wheat flour - cinnamon - creme fraiche - oranges.


for bigger cheese & biscuits, click on the picture to enlarge

When I first read the paper chef ingredients for February, there was one thing I couldn't get out of my mind: "orange and cinnamon makes for great mulled wine". After a while pondering on it, the idea of posh cheese and biscuits formed. For some time I had been toying with the idea of making some potted cheese and attempting to bake Digestives (which are wholewheat, semisweet British cookies that pair perfectly with cheese and can only be bought in specialist stores Stateside). Paper Chef presented me with an excellent excuse to put these English-centric ideas into practice and pair them with a homemade Mulled Port Wine Jelly.


for extra creamy cheesiness, click on the picture to enlarge

Mulled Port Wine Jelly with Orange & Cinnamon, Recipe Link
For this conserve, I used the recipe here. I followed the recipe precisely until it came to pectin section. The instructions on the recipe didn't match the guidelines in the pectin box. I ended up using only 1oz of pectin which was more than enough. The pectin didn't blend well into the liquid, so to get rid of any lumps, I used a hand blender. By itself, the jelly tastes a little too sweet for my tastes. Next time I would start by trying to reduce the amount of sugar by at least a cup.


Will it drive you potty? click on the picture to enlarge

Potted Wensleydale Cheese with Creme Fraiche, Recipe
Ingredients:
3 oz good quality Wensleydale cheese, grated
1 dessert spoon of creme fraiche
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 glug of dry sherry
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 oz of butter

Method:
Stir nutmeg, sherry, seasoning, creme fraiche and cheese together. Mix well. Transfer to a ramekin dish. Pat down and smooth the top. Melt the butter and pour over the top to seal. Refrigerate at least until butter is fully hardened before consuming.


a classy way to serve cheese. click on the picture to enlarge

Digestive Biscuits, made with whole wheat flour, Recipe Link
I used the recipe here to make the biscuits. It was easy to follow, fast and successful. Don't worry about kneading your dough a little to combine it. My second, more handled batch, turned out much better. I also left the second batch on a tray in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking, so maybe that contributed to the improved results too.

Taste Test
Tasted separately, each of these three things were pretty good. Combined together, they were dynamite. Mild but tasty, creamy, cheese, offset by a tinge of mulled sweetness, on a wheaty, crunchy biscuit. Perfect! I couldn't resist eating 3 for my late breakfast, even though I'd already had a large slice of toast and marmite a little while earlier.
I wasn't even going to offer one to Fred who usually only likes his cheese French and melted and who doesn't care for sweet things, especially when paired with something savoury. But he loved the smell of the cookies and asked if he could try, so I gave in. I waited, wide eyed, whilst he formed an opinion. "Interesting", he mused, "I like it, it's pretty good, especially the cookie which has a sandy texture. Actually the cookie is excellent, I love it, I am even going to eat one for breakfast." (NB Fred doesn't do breakfast)

How about Stilton or a sharp English Cheddar?
I think this recipe might be really great at Christmas time, using Stilton in place of the Wensleydale. Apart from the seasonal connotations that cinnamon, oranges, Stilton and mulled port wine have, I think Stilton might make an even tangier and more contrasting accompaniment to the sweet jelly. A very sharp cheddar would be good too.

Read the full round up of Paper Chef entries here

Further Reading
The Digestive Biscuit by Nice Cup of Tea & A Sit Down
Definition of a Digestive Biscuit.
Visit The Wensleydale Dairy.
Gromit's favourite cheese
The history of Port, a popular British after-dinner bevvy.

Very Posh Cheese & Biscuits