Jalapeño Girl

Party Time: Meatpaper & Gastronomica present...

Meatpaper and Gastronomica, two independent-minded magazines exploring the intersections of food and culture, invite you to celebrate the publication of their summer issues with a lively evening of artistic food and food-centric art at Perbacco Restaurant in downtown San Francisco. This event will feature tastings from local chefs, as well as cocktails, an art exhibition, and live music.

WHEN:
Sunday, July 20th
6pm to 9pm

WHERE:
Perbacco Restaurant
230 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
tel: 415-955-0663

TICKETS:
$25 per person, may be purchased online via credit card or PayPal.
A limited number of tickets will be sold at the door.

FEATURED SPONSORS:
Chef Staffan Terje (Perbacco)
Chef Leif Hedendal
Chef Chris Kronner (Serpentine & Slow Club)
Chef Scott Youkilis (Maverick)
The Fatted Calf
Prather Ranch Meat Co.
Verge Syrah
La Fee Absinthe
Rhum Clement
Bluecoat Gin
Trumer Pils
and more

PHOTOGRAPHY BY:
Charlie Grosso

MUSIC:
Gaucho

ABOUT MEATPAPER:
Founded in 2007, Meatpaper is a quarterly print journal focused on art and ideas about meat. Inspired by the current "fleischgeist" that is sweeping the country, Meatpaper publishes lush visuals, provocative articles, and timely reporting. Neither pro nor con, Meatpaper's ambidextrous approach and innovative style have generated international press.
www.meatpaper.com

ABOUT GASTRONOMICA:
Since 2001 Gastronomica has been feeding readers' sensual and intellectual appetites by offering food-focused scholarship, fiction, poetry, humor, and exciting visual imagery. With its diverse voices and eclectic mix of articles, Gastronomica provokes discussion and encourages thoughtful reflection on the history, literature, representation, and cultural impact of food.
www.gastronomica.org

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illustration by Marco Marella © 2008

 

Hot Stuff Food Section Round Up

Grilling and other noshes on this week's food section round up on SFist.

Catering Tip: Pipe It

Piping bags are used to fill canapes, as well as drizzle everything from chocolate sauce to whipped cream and even savory pastes. Disposable piping bags are made of heavy plastic. I have two cloth ones from cooking school that get washed and re-used. Make sure to air dry sufficiently or you get mold or stinky smells!

If you forgot to buy or bring a piping bag to a catered event, you may be able to use a baggie. Of course, there's a catch: the baggie only works if the material you are piping is more liquid than paste. Think mayo, pesto, that sort of thing. To make your own piping bag, use a one gallon sturdy baggie. Cut the bottom corner off according to how wide you need your piped liquid to be: one quarter inch is a great measurement to start with. Don't make the hole too big or the liquid will rush out too quick and be too wide a ribbon.

If you are piping a thick dip, the plastic bag will start to tear in little slits. A baggie is not sturdy enough to handle the pressure of squeezing out thicker substances. Trying to force a baggie to work, almost guarantees you'll have a mess of oozing multiple holes. Not the best way to get things done or impress your clients and boss!

E&O Trading Company hosts Anthony Bourdain

Bourdain fans did not seem disappointed at last night's Anthony Bourdain dinner event. He had the dish on fatherhood, vegetarians, Rachael Ray, and how he met his wife ("It was a blind date.... I was lonely and wanted someone to hang out and have sex with.") Meanwhile, the guest chefs didn't play it safe -- perhaps a given, considering Bourdain's taste for exotica. Highlights included deep fried honeycomb tripe (guess who? Chef Chris Cosentino), hot and sour braised short ribs, whole roasted stuffed pig trotter, pictured below, and a cheese dessert item with just enough specks of vanilla.

Ample booze from wineries and St. George Spirits meant voices became more boisterous and faces reddened as the night went on. The tablehopper won a Last Supper ("my favorite game with my friends!") book door prize from Naomi Epel Events, and KGO producer Joel Riddell and Robert Moon told me their pal Gene Burns was home making pumpkin cheesecake, yum! Guests were a blend of interesting food and wine loving people from all over the Bay Area, and folks seemed friendly and genuinely happy to share a good meal while sharing views on world affairs, cuisine, sex, and everything in between. We ran into media & PR types, saw chefs, met two adorable students who splurged by putting the expense on a credit card. That's spending I totally dig.

Menu
King salmon - Serrano peppers, Kaiware sprouts, Meyer lemon ponzu

Green Papaya Rainbow Salad ("better than King of Thai's!" proclaimed Oscar) - Kaffir lime Nuoc Mam dressing, pomelo, green mangoes, toybox tomatoes

Prawn Rendang - Kauai prawns, spicy coconut kaffir lime sauce

Shanghainese red cooked pork belly - jasmine rice "jook"

Hot and sour braised short ribs - aromatic broth, chilis, mustard greens

Whole roasted stuffed pig trotter - savoy cabbage, mustard

Long life braised E-Fu noodles - conpoy, Dungeness crab, straw mushrooms, Chinese chives

Celebration rice - steamed jasmine rice, aromatic spices, fresh turmeric

Fresh market vegetables - stir fried nonya style

Desserts - lemongrass chocolate lollipops, grapefruit foam, truffles, and faux pork belly made of yams.

Featured Chefs were Sharon Nahm of E&O Trading Company, Alex Ong of Betelnut, Chris Cosentino of Incanto, Tim Luym of Poleng Lounge, and Boris Portnoy of Campton Place.

SF's Top Women Chefs cook up a storm for James Beard Foundation events

Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” -James Beard

We would like to invite you to save a space on your calendar for the gastronomic event of the season on September 28^th featuring “Women Chefs of San Francisco Celebrating 20 Years of James Beard.”

The culinary extravaganza is crowned by a gala dinner featuring Beard Award winners including special guest chef extraordinaire Gale Gand, Executive Pastry Chef of Tru in Chicago; Traci des Jardins of Jardiniere, the 2007 California winner; and Nancy Oakes of Boulevard. Fellow Award winners author-chef Joanne Weir and Cindy Pawlcyn of Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen will also headline the benefit on Friday, September 28^th at St. Regis San Francisco.

The evening will be presided over by Joey Altman, local food luminary and host of KRON's Bay Cafe. Highlights will include special guest Susan Ungaro, the president of the James Beard Foundation toasting the chefs and dinner guests during a dessert reception featuring mouth-watering confections, wine pairings by women winemakers, and followed by a silent auction benefiting the James Beard Foundation.

The celebration will continue on Saturday, September 29^th with an in-store Williams Sonoma Festival Day saluting founder Chuck Williams, at the Union Square flagship store. The Festival will include cooking demonstrations, cookbook signings, artisanal tastings and children’s activities.

In addition to benefiting the James Beard Foundation, a portion of the proceeds from the dinner will also be donated to the San Francisco Food Bank.

St. Regis Hotel, On the Terrace
125 Third Street, San Francisco

Reception at 6:30pm
Dinner at 7:30pm
Dessert Buffet at 9:30pm
Silent auction at 10:00pm

Tickets: $250

Phone: Andrew Freeman & Co. 415-781-5701
Email: tasteamerica@andrewfreemanandco.com
Online: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/19128

We hope to see you there!

Andrew Freeman and Kimberly Charles

Event Co-Chairs

Event Committee

Carolynn Atherton
Laiko Bahrs
Celia Barbaccia
Vanessa Bortnick
Kelly Chamberlin
Sara Deseran
Kayu Lam
Susie McCormick
Kait Muhlfelder
Joel Riddell
Rick Riess
Jared Rivera
Scott Rodrick
Leslie Sbrocco
Julie Tucker
Nancy Uber
Amelia Weir
 

For more details on “The James Beard Foundation’s Taste America™” please visit http://www.jbftasteamerica.com

It's Getting Hot in Here: Smoked Salmon

For my Lake Tahoe gig last week, I started wishing for things to be different. Even though the lake views and live samba music wafting into my kitchen perch seemed at first glance ideal. To get my work finished, I wanted a more elaborate fantasy: to be in a cool, climate controlled kitchen. Think upscale and professional sushi restaurant. What I got was a humid, hot, sticky kitchen revved by two ovens cranked to 500 degrees. Let me explain lest you wonder if I've gone soft and wimpy.

I was assigned to roll 100 pieces of smoked salmon as a part of a heavenly potato chip-caviar-chive-creme fraiche item for the servers to pass. The chef showed me how he wanted the salmon sliced and then rolled. These weren't going to be sweet little roses of the type I learned how to bang out in cooking school. Chef emphasized how tight and uniform each piece should be. Together we decided it'd be best if the pieces were all the same height. I was warm in my full chef's jacket and pants, and the hot ovens were not helping. Worse, my hands were damp and I wished I wasn't "gifted" with a warm body temp from my Dad. The salmon was shredding rather than cutting, and was also sticky. I'd use Chef's small knife to roll, roll, roll, roll a piece, only to realize it was a too-fat mess. These pieces were not anywhere close to tight or attractive looking. So many times in catering I feel challenged. I want to produce quality food but feel rushed and panicky as the deadline for guests to arrive ticks closer.

When hot ovens mess with you, fight back. Rather than leave the full salmon fillet out, I wrapped most of it up and put it back in the fridge. That'd make it much easier to handle, in theory. I kept pulling batches out after I'd finish fifteen or so pieces. It was frustrating to see how slow things were still going for me, and I kept hoping the Chef wasn't pissed. He didn't seem rushed, and even announced that "we're in good shape," at one point, which slowed my pitter-pattering heart just a bit.

I realized my neck was tightening up from being hunched over. Keep going, this is not a spa. It's work. One hour and probably forty-five pieces in, I started to feel like I had finally gotten the hang of rolling tight, perfect looking pieces. Chef even gave a quick "Mmmm-hmm," on one of his peeks at my station. Omigod, he was even smiling! I put the finished pieces in the freezer and stopped after 100. I worked mainly on fully assembling the salmon apps throughout the two hour cocktail shindig. One guest and friend of the hostess came in to use a regular sized spoon to eat more caviar and salmon. More of that came later. The leftover salmon pieces went into a container and would be gobbled by our socialite client and her pals after the party ended.   

My hands still smelled of smoked salmon the next day. An early morning jump off the client's deck into the chilly Tahoe waters helped me feel cleaner and relaxed.

Made in France/Le Village Warehouse Sale

My pantry needs stocking, so I'm headed to the Made in France/Le Village warehouse sale, later today. Although my cash budget is $200, I have been known to go overboard at this sale.  the rationale is usually: clothes, gas, PG&E. who really needs those things?? There's so many dreamy items to enjoy, from sparkling cider to oozy cheeses and high-quality charcuterie. Spices, olive oil, chocolates and French soaps round out the bounty.

If no one minds, I will sneak some photos, too. See you there?

Just a friendly reminder that Made in France / Village Imports
is holding a gourmet food and wine warehouse sale on:

- Friday June 29th from 02:00pm to 06:00pm

- Saturday June 30th from 08:30am to 01:30pm


Are you ready for Independance Day?

Looking forward to seeing you.

Sincerely,

The Team at Made in France / Village Imports

                         

©2007  Village Imports, 211 South Hill Drive, Brisbane, CA

Hands Off, Server

It's irritating as hell when a server thinks he or she can and should do double duty in the kitchen. Doubly irritating if the server is doing this because he thinks his ideas are superior to all others, including the boss. Kitchen control freaks, be on guard.

This week, I had a night time event in an enormous Sea Cliff home (mansion?). Open bar, passed apps and a buffet for fifty guests, for three hours. Flowers (preferably edible ones) were deemed the garnish of choice by the chef. What he says goes. His gig, his rules, his cash. No problem, right? Well, almost. Reality is, catering mini-dramas can unleash at any time, regardless of how smooth the event is going.

A server that I'll call J decided one dish should have limes cut in half as a garnish. Talk about fugly. It looked like something straight off of a tequila bar, and did not match the flowers adorning the other hand crafted Italian plates. J had already gotten on my nerves an hour earlier, when he set about arranging flowers. That's great, but J waltzed off without cleaning his heaping mess of dirty scissors, gargantuan plastic wrap, flower stems and parts, and mini-mounds of pollen. There's one of many unspoken catering rules. If the event is flowing and there is not a rush, it makes sense for each person to keep his or her messes clean at all times.

I can now see J's logic in wanting to include his ugly lime halves. It sort of makes sense because the dish was Yucatan chicken marinated in achiote paste, dressed with fresh squeezed lime juice, and a sprinkle of cilantro. After J moved my flower garnish off (could this be what really got me going?) and put his stupid limes on the plate and left the kitchen, I turned to the male chef, my boss. "Those limes look ugly, don't you think?"

He replied, somewhat softly, "Yeah, I'm not a fan." To which I silently wondered to myself, "Why is J fucking with us? Why doesn't he let us" (read: me) "do our jobs?"

When the next order of chicken came up, I had a handful of flowers at the ready, next to the plate. J scooted his butt behind a cutting board and started slowly slicing more limes. I let him keep working while I set about slicing the chicken breasts. There may have been a smug smile on my face. I plated one chicken breast, and then the other. He started to move his limes over. "No, we're going with the flowers for this one," I said.

J gave me a quizzical, sarcastic look and the signs of a mini-snarl curled his lip. "Oh. The limes, though," he said.

"No. No limes. Flowers for all plates," I said in a slightly stern tone. J did not look pleased. He let the plate sit there, and busied himself by taking another plate out. This made no sense and seemed to show J was pissed, or so I imagined. One of the other servers eventually took the chicken with flower garnish plate out for me instead.

I'm not proud that I was a player in the lime garnish drama. But I felt that was my job, not J's. When more than one person puts themselves in charge of a task, no matter how minute, it may lead to conflict. That's just how it goes in catering.

Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation SF

More Flickr pics here.

Last night's Share Our Strength Taste of the Nation event at San Francisco Acme Chophouse reportedly raised nearly 78K (final reports pending). Stars in attendance, and in the kitchen, included Chuck Williams, emcee Tyler Florence,  Tracy Chapman, Traci Des Jardins, Elizabeth Falkner, Thom Fox, April Bloomfield, Chris Cosentino, Jason Tallent, Stafford Mather, James Syhabout, Paul Arenstam, Scott Youklis, Stuart Bioza, Loretta Keller, Joseph Manzare, the Backburner Blues Band & Mr. Bud E. Luv, the tablehopper, Bob Helmstrom, Staffan Tarje, and Chris Cosentino.

 

There was a lively cocktail hour with music courtesy of the Back Burner Blues band. Folks mulled silent auction items (kitchen mixer, toaster, cookbooks, caviar, vino & champagne, anyone?), nibbled caviar and passed apps. Once everyone was seated, Florence kicked off the festivities. SOS was explained, Chuck Williams was honored, and five big ticket items were auctioned live. The biggest sell at 25K was dinner for fifteen guests, prepared in home by Keller, Des Jardins, and Falkner. After the auction, guests made their way home while many of the chefs and staff headed to the beautiful wooden bar, to celebrate a job well done.

MENU

Sweet corn pudding with anchovies & basil salad
Chef April Bloomfield - The Spotted PIg
2006 Sauvignon Blanc, Hall, Napa Valley

Bellwether Ricotta stuffed squash blossoms, wild mushrooms & herbs
Chef Loretta Keller - Coco500
2004 Pinot Noir, Mahoney, Carneros

Rotisserie Tronchetto & fennel with aioli & salsa verde
Chef Chris Cosentino - Incanto
2003 Sangiovese, Monte Antico, Tuscano

A Selection of American cheeses
Sweet grass dairy "Green Hill" Farmstead cow's milk, California
Bellwether Farms "Pepato" raw farmstead aged sheep's milk with peppercorns, California
Cypress Grove "Humboldt Fog" goat's milk, California
Roth Kase "Gran Queso Riserva" cow's milk, Washington
2003 Girard Artistry, Napa Valley
Chef Thom Fox & Chef Traci Des Jardins - ACME Chophouse & Jardiniere

Citizen Shortcake
Chef Elizabeth Falkner - Citizen Cake
2006 Moscato D'Asti, Luigi Coppo, Piedmonte, Italy.

Last gossipy items: look for cookbooks from Altman and Falkner, with photography by Frankie Faheny.

Bed, Movie, Salami, oh my!

I've long been accused of being a bossy type, by family and friends.They say bossy, I say authoratative. My kindergarden teacher wrote in my report card that I'd either be a CEO or dictator of an island nation. Oscar knew my bossiness was part of the deal when we married. Sometimes, my bossiness is softer, and more subtle.

We were watching a bad French movie (Happenstance) in bed late one night this week. My stomach had been growling because I'm eating more fruit and veggies, with smaller portions for all meals. It gives me a headache and rumbling stomach, but the Food Baby must be tamed. I paused the movie, and leaned over to Oscar.

"Hmmm. Aren't you hungry?" I said sweetly.

"Why, are you?"

"Yes."

"I can hear your stomach!" he said, somewhat shocked at the loud noises. "What do you want... chocolate?" He knows me well, but no.

"Don't we have some cheese? And there's pita..." I said.

He sighed and dutifully got up to prepare a plate, and told me to keep watching the movie because it wasn't good, anyways. Five minutes passed. He sure was taking his time getting that cheese out! A few more minutes passed by. I could hear him going through our cabinets, and wondered what was taking him so long.

Imagine my surprise when he came into our room with a full plate of cheese, salami, pita, and a side of mustard. It wasn't the ingredients that caused me to smile, it was how beautifully he had arranged them. The plate looked straight out of a food magazine! I was shocked because he's never ever done this. He usually rips and tears bread and lets hunks of cheese sit in, well, big hunks.

I'm the garde manger hound in the house, but it's clear he's been paying attention. Everything had great flow, from the way he stacked the perfect pita triangles to the "S" shape line of salami slices. Even the cheese was cut uniformly and arranged just so. If I had a digital camera handy, I would've taken pictures.

"Wow!" I said.

He smiled, and joined me in bed. We kept looking at each other as we ate, smiling. I'd plant kisses on his lips and face as I squealed with delight. This probably sounds sappy and silly, but I felt loved and cared for as I looked at the plate. It was clear Oscar put in major effort, and was rightfully proud. I liked this new trick of his, for sure. 

Pucker Up

The cheese platter has just gotten more exciting. Kumquats offer a pinch of puckery tart sunshine to any cheese course. Kumquats are small, compact orange colored fruit, meant to be eaten with the skin on (just be sure to give them a good rinse first).  A chunk of Semifreddi's Fred Bread with a kumquat and runny brie is a particularly delicious combo. Although the kumquats look like tiny oranges, they are definitely more tart and strongly flavored. Biting into the citrus skin gives an initial rush of strong pucker power that lasts. I look forward to preserving some in sugar syrup, as well as introducing the kumquat to vodka. Pre-dinner cocktails never looked so good.

Killer Guac

My man proudly makes two dishes: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (weekly) and guacamole (special occasions only). He perfected the dip preparation as an undergrad at USC, where it was called "O.V.'s Killer Guac" by some fans. Recently, pay-per-view boxing was a perfect chance for him to bust a guac move. His grace under pressure motto ("You gotta have it," he sweetly said when I was frantically preparing for guests) makes for tranquil quiet in "his" kitchen. He first mashes ten ripe avocadoes. Next comes: one diced red bell pepper, half a white onion (finely minced), lime juice, cumin, Tabasco, salt and a secret weapon of: Gilroy Garlic Dude Dust. I would add cilantro, jalapeno and tomatoes if they were in season.

The Killer Guac bowl got top billing in the center of the coffee table, next to a batch of Casa Sanchez thick tortilla chips. As the fights continued, so did the steady consumption of Killer Guac. With bellies full of beer, Scotch, soda, guac, chips, hot dogs, meringues, donuts, and chocolate truffles, it made the sting of Fernando Vargas' loss less painful. 

SF Fancy Food Show

Attending the Winter Fancy Food Show at San Francisco's Moscone Center offers a good peek into up and coming new specialty food and beverages. Department Store, supermarket, and specialty food store reps receive the most attention from exhibitors at the Fancy Food Show. These reps typically place orders of multiple product lines, which equals major sales for an exhibitor.

Other attendees such as cooking school students will likely get the cold shoulder, as I did my first year. It matters little if one is looking to learn more about the specialty food world, to network, or even sample from the endless array of hot sauces, cheese, crackers, chocolate, sauces, coffee, tea, fizzy waters, international and ethnic food, charcuterie, or wine and booze. I quickly learned that a seasoned attendee won't gobble each and every sample he or she sees, but instead limit sample intake to something truly delicious, remarkable, and different. Even so, exhibitors that offer espresso, gelato, and chocolate remain favorites for attendees of all stripes.

My second year (and several years following) at the Fancy Food Show was spent working for one of the exhibitors. I was supposed to prepare and pass out samples, swipe attendee badges (for those potential sales), and generally make nice with the swarms of attendees. Food knowledge and more importantly patience was critical for this work. On opening day, some attendees seem to have been raised in a cave, and find it perfectly okay to grab and touch pate, cheese, smoked duck breast, or unfilled pastry shells with their hands, rather than picking up the sample plates or cups that we set out.

That first year yielded a suitcase packed full of ham, salami, cheeses, pate, jellies, candy, chocolate, Nueske's beef sticks, truffle oil, olive oil, wasabi nuts, duck breast, and more. I couldn't even lift the suitcase out of the taxi when I arrived home, and tipped the cabbie with ample cash and a jar of jelly. Oscar and I parked the suitcase at the bottom of the apartment stairs and took turns guarding the bounty and running up and down the stairs, arms full of food goodies. I was overjoyed and announced it was "better than any day, ever!!" as I re-arranged the fridge to accommodate everything.

Further sharing the bounty with friends seemed like the right thing to do.  However, having people over the night the show ended left me in a panicked, hopped up state. Any worries about further tidying up our place were lost in the frenzy of getting food set up for guests arriving in little over an hour. That first year, I ordered departing guests to take home at least one doggie bag of food, to help us out. One reporter known to be a sarcastic guy asked, "What will I do with all this ham on BART?" to which I responded, "Make a frittata. If that's too hard, how 'bout soup? Or sandwiches? If you don't want it, give it to someone who does!" By taking some of the fancy food goodies home, he was doing us a favor. Oscar and I shouldn't attempt to eat all that fancy food alone. Even if it would be tasty, filling, fatty, and wonderful.

NASFT Winter Fancy Food Show, January 22-24, 2006. Moscone Center, San Francisco. Register online at: www.fancyfoodshows.com 

Gene Burns's Cliff House Birthday Bash

Joel Riddell and Robert Moon, you outdid yourselves. Gene Burns's surprise birthday bash this weekend brought out a bevy of food and wine types. The yummy chow and interesting drinks like the Gene Burns Kaffir Lime vodka gimlet kept the crowd humming at the Sutro wing of the recently remodeled Cliff House. Culinary and cultural luminaries like Joey Altman, Joyce Goldstein, Graceann Walden, Michael Bauer, Roland Passot, Hubert Keller, Jan Wahl, Marc Vogel, Dafne & Mats Engtrom, and Elaine Petrocelli smiled and laughed as Gene told the crowd the funny process of "out-Teuton"-ing Robert as he attempted to put a corsage on Gene's lapel as they first arrived at the Cliff House. The corsage didn't make it, but Gene sure did.

The passed appetizers, sweet treats, and buffets looked and tasted good. Quince and foie gras made the rounds, along with: roasted pork with apple and brie, steamed pork sausage buns, sushi, truffled frites, spiral of parmesan, salami, and creme fraiche; and Joseph Schmidt chocolates (of course, his handiwork always makes for a show stopper at Gene's holiday bash). The sweetest ending was a butterscotch custard served in a delicate egg shell, with whipped cream piped in.

I considered trying to say hello and thanks to Robert Mondavi. He inspired me years ago by responding to a letter I had written him. His response then wasn't a form letter, but had genuine words of encouragement, that helped me believe going to cooking school was the right thing to do. Instead of approaching him at Gene's party, it seemed more appropriate to let him smile and enjoy the night along with everyone else.