Jalapeño Girl

Advice for a (food loving) future nutritionist

Usually I get emails from folks who are considering going into cooking, attending cooking school, or something similar. I almost always respond. Recently I received a polite request for advice from a woman hoping to become a nutritionist. Here's what I told her:

"Thanks for your email.

I would email and get in touch with folks in your area who are working on things that sound interesting. Offer to take them out for coffee or a other beverage (be sure to also try and pay for their drink!) and ask for twenty-thirty minutes of their time. I found people may be busy but are usually willing to talk about themselves and their experiences. I did this with many people and always sent a handwritten thank you note.

Also is there any sort of dietician professional trade group you can join? If so, do it. The IACP may have a branch for those in your field. Worth checking out, perhaps.

Another thing you can do is volunteer for events and things that will help build your resume. Show up early (I remember volunteering for an event and some volunteers were super late. It made them look terrible to the chefs & other folks that were there.) and offer to do dirty work such as taking out the garbage or similar tasks. Not glamorous but another way to find out how things are done. 

Read the food sections of the newspapers and go to the library or subscribe to industry publications.

I can't think of anything else right now but wish you the best of luck."

Tomato Expert Amy Goldman is in town. Eat up!

Seems like almost every culinary event or upscale market is stocked with gorgeous and tasty heirloom tomatoes. With so many varieties to choose from, it can be delish fun but perhaps a bit overwhelming for consumers. No need to be shy; help is on the way. "Gifted grower" Amy Goldman is in the Bay Area this week to talk about her new tomato tome, The Heirloom Tomato: For Garden to Table. The book is full of recipes, pics, tips, and mouthwatering photos. Food lovers and gardeners alike will find something to love here. Goldman is an expert gardener with books on melons and squash.

Wednesday, September 10
Commonwealth Club Blue Room
Lunch Time (11:30 a.m.)

In conversation with Dave Stockdale, Executive Director of The Center for Urban Education for Sustainable Agriculture

Friday, September 12

Book Passage at the Ferry Building

6:00 p.m. signing

Saturday, September 13

COPIA

1:00 p.m. lunch

Menu includes:

Cherry Tomato and garlic bread soup

Grilled beef with stuffed tomatoes, roasted potatoes and garden green beans

Galette of white peaches and tomatoes

Sunday, September 14

Carmel Tomato Fest

1:00-5:00 p.m. 

Hot Stuff Food Blog Round Up

Crock pot goodness, eggy wonders, and more can be yours on this week's Hot Stuff post over at SFist.

Wagyu Beef grillin' and chillin'

The marbled, rich texture of Wagyu beef is pure juicy goodness. We recently grilled some Wagyu at my folks place, in Benicia.

While the $29 per pound wholesale price is steep, the beef's smell and flavor make it a worthy purchase for any serious carnivore.

Recommended side dishes: chunky herbed mashed potatoes (go smooth if that's your preference, of course!), grilled asparagus, and buttery San Francisco sourdough bread. The only dessert you may have room for after feasting is a piece of chocolate or nibble of a fruity tart.

Qin's Asian Bistro & Bar Grand Opening on Saturday

Press Release alert! Can't make it, but this sounds like a fun one:

QIN'S (CHIN'S) ASIAN BISTRO & BAR GRAND OPENING

Noon to Midnight Party Offers

"A New Dynasty of Flavor in Antioch "

What:    Grand Opening Party for East Contra Costa County's hottest new restaurant and lounge with

free hors d'oeuvres, specially priced drinks, and live entertainment

 

Where Qin's ( pronounced Chin's ) Asian Bistro & Bar

5007 Lone Tree Way, Antioch California 94531

On the corner Hillcrest Avenue in the Lone Tree Landing Shopping Center.

925-754-8888

 

When:  Saturday, June 21 ; Noon- Midnight

All Day and Night  "Social Hour" Drink Prices- $3 beer and well drinks; $5 select house wine specials

11am- 8pm Free passed Hors D'ouevres

Who:

1-2pm- Eden Aoba Taiko Drummers on the patio

4-8pm- Live Jazz with vocalist Gina Harris, Jason Martineau on piano and Lorenzo Farrell on bass

8pm-10pm Light House Electronic Music

10pm- midnight- DJ Sounds with top Bay Area favorite Greg Eversoul.com

 

About Qin's Asian Bistro & Bar

 

Qin's Asian Bistro & Bar is a giant leap for restaurants and lounges in East Contra Costa; connecting the cuisines of the exotic East and the innovative West. From creative cocktails at the circular "blue light" bar to appetizers, entrees, contemporary sushi specialties and enticing desserts, Qin's menu fuses ingredients from Japan, China, Vietnam and Thailand with California style presentations that will tantalize your taste buds.

 

Drawing inspiration from the life size signature terra cotta warriors that represent the greatness of the Qin (pronounced "Chin") dynasty, the thoroughly modern ambiance is designed to take you away to a world of culinary adventure.

Hot Stuff Food Blog Round Up

Where have all the kitchen towels gone? What is that on the grill? All answered on this week's SFist Food Blog Round Up. Follow the link.

When Setting the Table....

The beautiful client was picky, particular, and wealthy. I wanted her to be pleased, since this was only my second time working at her manse. In catering--like all jobs--paying attention to little details is vital. Plan ahead, think things through, etc., etc. Yet mistakes happen, and bring me back to Earth. I'd like to think my brain wasn't operating at one hundred per cent because we were on Day 2 of a heat wave. I had gotten little sleep the night before, and was worn out by the heat.

There were two hours for me to set the table and do other kitchen tasks. Easy, right? Well.... Forgetting the first course soup spoons shouldn't have happened. My boss and I went over the menu when I arrived to work. The maid had already set everything out for me, or so I thought.  I should've done an inventory for each course before I set the table. But it looked like that had already been done for me. I didn't realize my  huge error until the guests were seated and ready to eat. My boss was ladling and garnishing the soup bowls for us to carry out.

OMG. All of the sudden, I could visualize the place settings in the next room. Shit! I had put a spoon down, but it was for dessert. A teeny spoon sitting at 12 o'clock was not going to gain me any smiles or looks of support from the client (or my boss). I was panicking. There were no soup spoons on the table! Eeeek!

My boss said, "I told you! Soup, Mary! You needed soup spoons! Go!!"

Out to the dining room I walked-ran, to find the proper spoons. Talk about awkward. There were four drawers to go through. I finally found the spoons tucked under an antique looking cloth. By this time, half the soups were already on the table, placed by a co-worker. The guests were talking and hadn't tried eating yet. They were of the well mannered sort, whew. That bought me just enough time.

I worked my way around the table, neatly placing a spoon for each guest. The final spoon was set right before the last soup bowl arrived. Within a minute, they started daintily eating the soup. I reported back to the kitchen: "They have spoons. Soup's set," to my boss. She was visibly relieved but still peeved, and I apologized, twice. It took me all night to forgive myself, and I kept replaying the nightmare missing spoon scenario over and over again in my head. Pulling such a rookie move will do that.

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!

Hot Stuff Food Blog Round Up

Time for pizza, salt, and Ma Po Tofu over at SFist.

Chocolate Salon at Fort Mason this Sunday

Yum! The second annual San Francisco Chocolate Salon is here on Sunday. Tickets are $20 and include lots of chocolate and espresso samples. It's enjoyable and worth the trip for any chocolate fiend.

Chocolate Documentary Screening

My Dad rolled his eyes when I said I was going to see a "chocumentary" next month. His loss! There are two screenings to choose from, and the film runs almost half an hour. Check out the website, which is colorful and appealing.

IN SEARCH OF THE HEART OF CHOCOLATE- a filmmaker, a
chocolate shop, assorted chocoholics, and lots and
lots of chocolate

FEBRUARY 12th, DELANCEY STREET 6:30 & 7:30 PM
600 Embarcadero Street San Francisco, CA 94107

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Bay Area filmmaker
Sarah Feinbloom is screening her new chocumentary
featuring the Bay Area’s own Jack  Epstein of Chocolate
Covered in Noe Valley, and his customers, Richard
Anderson, Suzanne McKee, and many others at the
Delancey Street Screening Room, in San Francisco on
February 12th, 2008. Featuring chocolate from Charles
Chocolates and Noe Valley Bakery, art by Liz Mamorsky,
sound by Robert Berke Sound and animation by Kaitlin
Chong,  and editing by Anne Flatté, this melt in your
mouth experience celebrates the Bay Area’s finest. A
perfect evening for anyone who loves chocolate and
film, followed by a delicious chocolate reception by
Joshua Charles Catering.

6:30 PM & 7:30 PM SCREENINGS, followed by a chocolate
reception. Please reserve seats by emailing
info@chocumentary.com
Tickets are $10, and DVD’s will be available for
purchase

In Search of The Heart of Chocolate is a delicious
romp through the rich and creamy, melt in your mouth,
passionate world of chocolate. Follow filmmaker  Sarah
Feinbloom as she searches for the origins of her
chocolate obsession, interviewing chocolate
enthusiasts along the way, delving into chocolate
cake, art, fantasy, chocolate croissants,
spirituality, sex, love and hot fudge, and journeying
into the past to uncover chocolate’s special place in
our hearts.

Sarah Feinbloom is an award-winning Bay Area filmmaker
whose work includes documentaries, dramatic narrative,
and fundraising videos. Her film on the religious
lives of teenagers, What Do You Believe? was featured
on the cover of the San Francisco Chronicle Date Book,
and screened at the Mill Valley Film Festival, on PBS,
and at festivals nationally and internationally.
Recently she completed a documentary on child
trafficking in Thailand called Daughters and Sons that
was featured on NPR and won the Best Short Film on
Child Advocacy at the Artivist Film Festival. Sarah
thoroughly enjoyed making her latest  film, a
chocumentary-In Search of The Heart of Chocolate,
which involved lots of taste-testing and sampling.

www.chocumentary.com

Breakity-Break

I have been told I need to slow down and rest because I have a son on the way, due in early October. Since this is our first (maybe only?) kiddo, I can't say for sure how long I'll be away. But I look forward to returning soon with more exciting food, drink, and related tidbits. Until then, cheers.

DaViola Pizza Peppers

For heat lovers, the burning question before eating pizza may sometimes be: hot sauce or pizza peppers? When taking the pepper route, there are thankfully new "gourmet" options from the DaViola (meaning to spice or the devil) brand, with products available in grocery stores including Raley's, Albertson's, and Whole Foods. Everything Peppers, who makes the DaViola products, hopes to expand to pizza restaurants soon as well.

We recently sampled their smoky Chipotle, hot Habanero and spicy Ancho crushed chili packets with pepperoni pizza from my current neighborhood delivery standby, Twin Peaks Pizza. When tasting and judging spicy foods, I've learned it's ideal to save the hottest items for last. That way, your palate shouldn't get too dulled and burned until perhaps the end of the tasting. The tasting order for the DaViola products followed that rule accordingly: Ancho, Chipotle then Habanero. Heat was rated on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the hottest.

The pepper blends offer more flavor nuances and interesting heat layers than traditional pizza peppers. They also make a nice compliment to pepperoni pizza. I'd like to add them to pasta, soup, egg dishes, and other savory creations down the road. Better make it fast, since the peppers don't have preservatives. We may even try some with peanut butter and toast per Oscar's request. Notes and analysis from our pizza tasting are as follows:

Spicy Ancho
Level 4 heat
Warm finish felt in the back of the mouth and throat areas.
Smells, tastes fruity and smoky,
Chunky texture is pleasing. The flakes are larger than typical pizza peppers.

Smoky Chipotle
Level 5-6 heat
Consistently warm from bite to swallow and after.
Wimpier eaters may need a glass of milk with this one. Oscar commented, "It's really hot and making me sweat," and felt the heat over fifteen minutes later.

Hot Habanero
Level 8-9 heat
This appears and tastes to be real habanero and is the hottest of all.
Heat catches in the throat during and throughout eating. May cause eater to remove one layer of clothing.

The pepper packets have tape to re-seal after use. Unfortunately the tape on each packet didn't seem to stick enough, and was awkward. I stored all three packets into one plastic container rather than see the contents spill each time I pick 'em up. For ease of use, the pepper shaker sounds better. No tape and plastic to fuss with. Just shake that pizza pepper heat love on!

Ikeda's Hot & Spicy Peanuts

Ikeda's in Auburn, CA has turned into a must-stop whenever we head north. I like to give myself a good thirty to forty-five minutes to wander around and check out their baked goods, fresh fruit and veggies, fish, jellies, snacks, and sauces. It's a nice break from driving and there's always something interesting to buy. They also have a tasty restaurant with burgers, shakes and healthier fare like chicken or tofu with veggies.

I wanted to increase my stash of snacks on the way to Tahoe for a recent catering gig. (I did stop on my way back for 2 to-go slices of pie, pull apart cinnamon bread and a burger for breakfast, but that's a whole 'nuther story). Although the nectarines, dark chocolate covered almonds, sesame sticks and peanut brittle were also worth a try, it's Ikeda's hot & spicy peanuts that I really love. Napkins are a must, but the amount of powder is just right flavor and texture wise. Whispers of heat from these babies are so pleasing. My Dad said they'd go great washed down with beer, and I agree.

I've made spicy nuts at home and work and hope to try re-creating this version soon.  The ingredients are: peanuts, paprika, salt, pepper, cajun salt and cayanne (their spelling, not mine).

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.

The Bachelor Client: Farmer's Market Outing

One of my newest clients is someone I've known for awhile. He's a bachelor and wants to update his cooking. His hope? To expand his dinner repertoire "beyond grass fed hot dogs and hamburgers." When he emailed to see if I could help, I said sure. I enjoy helping people get more comfy in their food routines. Especially if it's something they find to be annoying, tedious or otherwise unpleasant. Shopping, prep, cooking, and food storage can be simpler and easier with advice, tips, and practice.

His kitchen is spacious and pretty well stocked. There's room for more coconut milk, curry and other exotic fare, which he has expressed interest in. I also let him know without too much scorn that onions and garlic don't need to be stored in the fridge. But we have to start with baby steps. First, an outing to the farmer's market. Then we'll return to his place and prep.

Le Menu
White bean puree
Whole white beans
Frittata
Pesto with pasta

Shopping List
3 garlic cloves
1 small onion
Tomatoes
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 T. dill, basil, or other fresh herb
2 T. parsley (optional, for pesto)

1/4 c. + 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
6 eggs
1/4 c. pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds, for pesto.
1 lb. Fusilli or other long/thin pasta, for pesto

White beans

You Know You're a Caterer When...

...The skin around your finger nails turns brown and black. Whatever nail you may have is also dirty looking. Scrubbing with hot soap and water gets about half the grime and grit off. Hand lotion, or olive oil applied before bed helps some. The best solution for grimy fingers and nails? Masochists only for this one. My nails are super short as it is, but I use nail clippers to cut away as much filth as possible. The skin looks dead anyways, and cutting the skin off is painless. Really, it is. It would be useless to have open sores in this line of work, so I only cut superficially. Sadly, I have no clue what to do with the skin on the side of my pointer finger, which look like a busy road map of more dirt. Since the dirt isn't deep enough to cut through, I'm forced to keep washing and waiting for the appearance of grit to go away.

The reason my nails and skin are blackened is from hours of cleaning and picking herbs, for 2 separate events. Even though the herb bunches get rinsed first in a deep sink and colander, there is still enough trace dirty stuff to cause dirty nail.

Another nasty symptom of catering that is definitely freaky: blackened nostrils. How else to say it? Your boogers turn all black. While in the restroom for a break this week, I blew my nose. I had never seen such dry, black crud in a Kleenex. It was not blood, but looked like dried tar from a dirty street. There was a lot of it. The culprit? Hours spent cooking hot, glistening beef appetizers indoors. I kept thinking back to the somewhat oily, extremely hot, beef cooking pan that had tiny segments of garlic and beef in it. There must not have been enough ventilation, and perhaps I inhaled some of the oven's cruddy fumes throughout the event. I wondered if the warm, humid weather (Palo Alto, baby!) made things better or worse. The black boogers kept coming, later that night. My post-event relaxation was definitely cramped. I felt like a mad scientist every time I went to the bathroom and blew, hunched over the sink. Black, dirty tissue is painless but oh-so-gross. More extra hot water and soapy goodness to clean me up, stat!

Don't String Me Along

A few rules for preparing large quantities of rice noodles: no need to salt the soon to be boiling water. Most important of all, check the noodles to be sure they are not wrapped and tied with white string. If you don't check for string, you may have a panicked search on your hands for stringy bits, post cooking.

I had seven batches of noodles to cook for my boss/client, C. Her only instructions were to not salt the water, and allow the noodles to drain and then cool in covered plastic tubs in the walk in fridge. I had already cut open and dumped more than half the noodles in when I realized some of the packages had noodles with string. The noodle water was too hot for me to pick with my fingers, which I quickly learned after snapping my hand back and looking down at hot, pink skin. I only had a giant strainer to work with, which would not do the trick. I needed tongs for picking out the string. I ran to the other room to find some.

When I returned, the water was cloudy and cooking along nicely. Using the tongs, I tried to see if I could pull the string out. It was nearly impossible to tell where the string was in the cloudy water, because it looked exactly like the noodles. I was also grimacing from my noodle hot air facial, from standing directly over the huge pot of hot water. A noodle steam was something I did not want or need.

I kept looking for the string as I drained the noodles. No luck. How could eight strings disappear so quickly? What would happen if, at the party/event later that night, Tracy Chapman (rumored to be on the guest list) had to pick string out of her teeth? How much would C and our client flip then? I had to wait over a half hour for the noodles to cool enough to touch. Those suckers came out hot! I had divided them into two batches, and was getting ready to seal them and put them in the walk in.

My co-worker, J came over, to ask how many packages I had used. I told her seven and waited for her to high tail it back to our prep area. No need to make myself look like an catering loser, or explain why I'm fishing through the noodles, for string. There were two pieces of string for each package, so I counted as I found and tossed each string. By string six, I was feeling good. Each piece of evidence went straight to the trash. I hoped the two guys doing prep near me weren't observing my weird string search. Of course the last two strings took the longest to find, and the amount of time it took made me a little nuts. A sense of urgency is critical in catering --except when it's "hurry up and wait" time; more on that in another post--but it can lead to a crazy and frantic rush. I finally found and disposed of them, and quickly got the noodles to their cooling zone.

Hours later at a large beautiful warehouse in the City, I looked at the results of my string search. There was a beautiful display of take out boxes with string-free noodles, organic veggies, peanut and fresh herb garnish, and zippy ginger dressing. Guests were smiling and grabbing the boxes and digging in. I snorted to myself silently, "If only they knew!" Lesson learned on my part, definitely.

Monster Citrus found in Benicia

My Mom let us pick this giant lemon off her tree on the Fourth of July. The tree thorns were massive and dangerously sharp, but we finally got it. The citrus looked and smelled lemony and fresh enough. Still, we were afraid to sample it. There is that Valero refinery nearby and gas lines underground to consider.

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