Spice Dish

Of Sparklers and Potatoes

Take one birthday boy, add two massive filet mignons from Drewes Brothers, several bottles of red wine (okay throw in a box too) and top it off with mini pommes anna and what do you have? A grown man dancing with sparklers, a killer next-morning headache and a jones for more of those insanely delicious potato piles! Seriously, I cannot tell you how good these were topped with a fried egg the day after. Make extra. Trust me on this.

Pommes Anna

Ingredients:

6 thyme sprigs

1 tsp chopped thyme

1 garlic clove, minced

1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350*. Melt butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Use a pastry brush to coat muffin cups with butter. Line each muffin cup with a parchment paper rounds (or cut out the bottom of cupcake cups). Drizzle 1/2 tsp butter into each cup and then place a thyme sprig in the center of each. Add the chopped thyme and garlic to remaining butter in pan and simmer for two 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Use the slicing blade on a food processor or a mandolin to slice potatoes into very thin slices. Pour the garlic butter over the slices and toss along with salt and pepper. Place the slices in the muffin cups, layering in a circular pattern. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil onto the tops of the potatoes.

Cover tightly with foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil. Set the muffin tin aside and place the baking sheet on top, flip over and tap to release potatoes. Carefully flip each cake over so that the thyme sprigs are on the bottom. Remove parchment paper.

Increase heat to 425*. Return potatoes to oven and bake another 25-30 mins until golden brown. Flip cakes over once more to serve with thyme sprigs on top. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Adapted from Bon Appetit. Makes 6 Servings

Happy Birthday Christopher!

EB

Seven Down and Counting

Yeah Brazil!

Ok, so many months ago I posted a list of things I was going to try in order to get my creative juices flowin’ and to add some spark to my days. Let’s do a little check-in shall we?

• Ride in a hot air balloon- I went hang gliding in Brazil (Close enough for me!)
• Have a conversation in a language other than English (Tried my hand at Portuguese in Brazil – fail)
• Find a food I've never eaten and eat it (Cashew fruit juice in Brazil again)
• Try a new restaurant in San Francisco (Done x15)
• Learn how to perform a magic trick (I met a Vegas magician, does that count?)
• Become financially literate (I’m getting there)
• Write an article and have it published (Coming soon!!)

Ok so it turns out that my Brazil trip knocked a few of these out but I really, really need to get on this! Anything I should add?

EB

Trend Spotting

bonappetit.com

So it seems I may need a new job title. Food Trend Spotter anyone? Bacon. Cupcakes? Called it. Speakeasies. Food Trucks? Nailed it. Pickling? On it. My latest 'discovery'? Nonino Amaro. I happen to drink it with soda and a grapefruit garnish. I came upon it in my local bar, Rock Bar, by way of a super friendly bartender who spent one night diligently letting a friend and I taste every random Amaro-type item they had on the shelf. It became my go-to when I was out and about, wanted a drink, but not to get um... sloppy. I got several friends hooked on it and was the crowned 'knower of secret yummyness' then BOOM! Flipping through a copy of Bon Appetit and there it was. A full page dedicated to my favorite libation. Naked. Out there for all the world to see!

I lamented to one I'd bestowed my secret to and she decided that I needed to become a Food Trend Spotter, which is indeed a thing.

So what should my business cards look like?

 

EB

Cooking at the County Fair

Do you know what Kauai is not known for? Food. There are however, chefs willing to experiment and a die-hard ‘eat local’ ethos. Somehow, and I’m not quite sure how, I ended up at the Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair last a few days ago. It was like every county fair ever with rickety rides, fried treats, un-winnable games and pigs. I was treated to something special though: the “Kauai Coffee Celebrity Chef Cookoff for Charity.” The best and brightest chefs on the island came out to cook local ingredients and help out some great charities.

Beet cones!

One of the most innovative and interesting entries was a ‘Beet Cotton Candy, Coconut Crème, and Coffee Infused Waffle Cone “ice cream cone”’ entered by Collin Darrel of Grow Culture.

On the other end of the food spectrum there were blue ribbons given for the biggest jackfruit, tastiest mangoes and most abundant star fruit, all grown in the locals’ backyards. I’m not saying we didn’t eat the fried Oreos and caramel apples (because we did) but the highlight of the evening really was the local abundance made tasty in the chef’s competition.

Stuffed silly, we wandered through the 4H livestock competition (there was a huge pig named ‘Frieda Carlo’- true story), tried to knock over milk bottles and visited the entertainment tent where there were taiko drummers and ‘Las Vegas Hypnotist’ Ralph Maxwell.

It really was like every county fair anywhere and made me realize that it doesn’t get any more locavore than your neighbors prize winning green beans or the local 4H kids’ calf entries. Next time yours comes to town. Go. Eat.  

 EB

Step Up and Eat

So you know those nights when you are really, really, excited to put on yoga pants, pour some wine and eat a fresh tomato salad for dinner? Or actually get some decent sleep? You know, when you plan on being healthy in some way, shape or form? Yeah, then don’t agree to go to Straw with your friends last minute. You’ll end up eating mini-corn dogs and fried chicken & waffle sandwiches. There will also be Sriracha/cinnamon chicken wings and god help me “cotton candy cocktails.” Oh yes. This is a thing.

This is not a place for a light snack or conservative glass of wine. It’s fried, it’s fun and it’s carnival themed. You will destroy your diet, get a bit of a sugar high and you just might make friends with an adorable pair of bears in a Tilt-A-Whirl booth. (We did and they were lovely!)

Straw | 203 Octavia Boulevard  San Francisco, CA 94102

Enjoy!

EB

Chicago

Ok, so this post is about a month late. See I went to Chicago again. Same exact week as I went last year. This year was yet again for work, only for a completely new job. The trip reminded me how important good friends are. My friend that I was visiting had a pretty intense health scare while I was there and my trip became something very different than we both imagined.

The incident led to me having a limited, different and altogether strange experience. Instead of going on and on about some amazing meals all I can offer are snapshots of Chicago. Small breaks in the crazyness that was a few weeks ago.

Good to know that kids will still run after a moving vehicle that plays 'Turkey in the Straw.'

A mint julep from Q Barbeque that led to an impromptu tasting of High West Whiskeys.

The biggest macaron ever from Hendrickx Belgian Bakery.

And a big thanks to the ex-pat San Franciscan bartender who treated me to a few shots and a sympatheic ear!

Till next year Chicago!

EB

Creativity Sparks

Dali Themed Street Art. Creative.

I went to a book club a little while ago. It was full of strangers. I’ve never, in my life, done that before. We had an amazing conversation and I left completely creatively energized. It wasn’t just that I was using my critical thinking skills for the first time in months, but that I was trying something new. I realized that I needed to do lots more of this sort of thing--  not in the interest of 'self improvement' but simply for the sake of experience. For fostering creativity. For enjoying life. So I came up with a list of “Creativity Sparks” (i.e. stuff I’ve never done before but am going to try in  order to keep  my brain excited and to experience new things) Hey if Stephen Fry can get pierced, I can find things I've never done!

I’m not calling it a ‘bucket list’ because I don’t care if I do or don’t do these before I die. Dying is not the point. Some are little things, some are big life altering things. Some are free and some make me thankful I have no kids in need of a college education. 

I think I know which one I’ll start with, but I’m not sure. I don’t even know how closely I’ll be keeping track, hell I don’t even know how many items are on this list! (Just counted... 64) Here I go. Here’s to creativity!

Ride in a hot air balloon
See the northern lights
Take a sailing lesson
Write a book
Have a conversation in a language other than english
Send a message in a bottle.
Ride a camel (or elephant) etc
Take a ballroom dance class
Learn to play a musical instrument
Take a singing lesson
Make a complete fool of myself
Eat at the French Laundry
Learn to juggle
Learn to drive a stick shift
Spend three months getting my body into athletic shape
Go fishing and eat my catch
Ride a motorcycle
Work on a farm for a day
Learn a new skill (no idea what yet)
Make soup dumplings
Run a 5k (not walk)
Find a food I've never eaten and eat it
Go to a jazz show
Play a game of ice hockey
Go horseback riding along the beach
Learn to ski
Take a fencing lesson
Go on a helicopter ride
Sleep overnight on a train
Collect fresh chicken eggs from a nest
Go to the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Try a new restaurant in San Francisco
See the Parthenon in Greece
Go to Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
Read Moby dick
Visit the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy
Spend an afternoon in El Prado in Madrid, Spain
See "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso at the Museo Reina Sofia
Spend a week in Bora Bora
Attend a Japanese tea ceremony
Learn to sculpt
Learn how to perform a magic trick
Learn to knit one thing
Make cheese
Watch lawrence of Arabia
Face a fear (not sure which one)
Become financially literate
Go to an auction at Christie's or Sotheby's
Sleep in a castle
Create a well-stocked pantry
Go to a yoga class by myself
Become an 'expert' at something
Write an article and have it published
Register for NaNoWriMo and write a novel in one month
Do NaBloPoMo for one month
Write a cookbook
Audition for something
Travel to another city to go to a concert/show (performer TBD)
Try fugu
Get a tarot card reading
Get hypnotized (for what I have no idea)
Eat something I've grown
Travel solo (even a day trip)
Get rid of 100 of my possessions

 

So what about you? You have a list? 

EB

Munch, Munch, Munchery

You’re staring off into the void of your grey cubicle walls and you suddenly realize that your fridge at home is empty and it’s raining out. There is no way you’re hoofing it outside to pick up dinner after you finally make it home. Take out? Greasy Pad See Ew again? No. Not again. How about Orange-Dijon Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Asparagus & Herbed Quinoa or a Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese, Zucchini Galette? Followed by a Pistachio Cake?

That’s more like it. Enter Munchery.com. Food delivery by personal chefs.

I ordered Grilled Hanger Steak with Risotto, "Hen-of-the-wood" Mushrooms, Fennel, Parsley oil and Beef Jus plus an Award Winning Old School Chocolate Chip Cookie. It really was just like takeout but much fancy-pantsier.  It was clear that instead of a spork and a packet of sauce, this dinner called out for a glass of wine and a cloth napkin.

All nice and neat

I followed the reheating instructions and arranged my plate. Gorgeous. The beef was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The texture of the risotto was a little underdone, but the flavor was fantastic. I was pleasantly surprised by the parsley oil.

Mmmm... dinner

The cookie was seriously delicious. It was chocolate chunks with a little dough holding it together—definitely a melty-chocolate, finger licking experience.

All in all I really enjoyed my Munchery meal and I’m sure I’ll order from them again. The food was fresh, tasty and a great departure from ordinary take-out. I also love that you know who is cooking your food since you can read up on each chef.

For people that don’t cook, this would be the perfect ‘come to my place for dinner’ date meal option or just a way to add some luxury to your life by ‘hiring’ your own personal chef.

For a limited time I can give you a referral code for 20% off if you’d like to try the service. Just shoot me an email! Only available in San Francisco.

 Enjoy!

EB

*** Full disclosure: Munchery gave me a credit to try the service and asked only that I give them my thoughts on the experience. No write-up required. 

 

Southern Goodness

There is a southern restaurant in my neighborhood called The Front Porch. Their specialties? Fried chicken, grits, pickled okra and banana pudding. Delicious, rightly rich banana pudding served in a small Ball jar. I'm sort of addicted to it. Ok not sort of. Completely. The other night, while gorging myself of a serving of the pudding I decided that it just had to be made into a frozen treat. I make my own vanilla wafers but go ahead and use the boxed ones. They are just as delicious.

Banana Pudding Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk

2 cups half & half

3 large egg yolks

3/4 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 bananas cut into slices and smashed

1 vanilla bean with seeds scraped out

Pinch of nutmeg

2 cups crushed vanilla wafers

Place the vanilla bean and seeds into a medium sauce pan. Warm the milk and half and half on medium heat don't let it boil. Beat the yolks with the sugar. Add the yolk mixture to 1/2 a cup of the cream mixture, then whisk the egg mixture and banana mush into the remaining cream. Simmer the mixture until it thickens (to the point where it will coat the back of a spoon). Stir in the nutmeg and vanilla. Chill completely then freeze according to your ice-cream maker’s instructions. About five minutes before the ice cream is finished add the crushed wafers.

That's it. Enjoy!

EB

Sad State of Affairs

Sad isn’t it? For all my spouting off about CSA boxes and big Sunday meals and the goodness of fresh ingredients…. that is my fridge. AND I don’t live alone. That is a two person fridge. No I’m not on some juice cleanse, or fast or diet of any sort. That’s just what our fridge generally looks like. Champagne? Check. Sriracha sauce? Always. There’s some Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel and real parmigiano reggiano from Lucca in there, but not much else.

 

Yes, there are remnants of food projects in there… some roasted cauliflower, a half a jar of carrots I pickled, a drizzle of homemade tomato soup. But honestly that is a sad sad showing. Why does my fridge look like this? Does yours?

EB