A Sneak Peek at the Clock Bar

It hasn't opened yet, but I'm already excited about the Clock Bar at the Westin St. Francis. Union Square could use a cool rendezvous and I love the romantic tradition of couples meeting under the circa 1907 clock tower in the lobby. I like that the bar is looking to focus on traditional cocktails such as the Pisco Sour and Pimm's Cup and I get a kick out of the coasters printed up with old fashioned bar tricks.


Speaking with Marco Dionysos, the head bartender, I learned that they'll avoid molecular gastronomy but utilize the restaurant kitchen to make fruit purees, homemade grenadine with hibiscus and more. Of course I'm curious about the food. I do know they'll be doing nibbles like charcuterie, truffled popcorn and steamed mussels. As soon as I get a chance to try it I'll report back.

The Clock Bar officially opens Tuesday, July 15th.

Clock Bar in the lobby of The Westin St. Francis hotel
335 Powell Street @ Geary
San Francisco

New Flavors for Appetizers: My First Cookbook

I've hinted at it for a long time but finally I can tell you about writing my first cookbook, New Flavors for Appetizers. Since it is now up on Amazon.com it's feels more real than ever. Here's how it all happened. The end of August last year I met with one of the senior editors at Weldon Owen, a publishing house that does lots of branded books. I learned about a new line of Williams-Sonoma cookbooks that was going to be launched in November of this year. They were looking to work with new writers and recipe developers, people who were comfortable with a variety of specialty ingredients and could develop fairly easy to execute recipes.

Not long after my first meeting I was offered a work-for-hire contract. So that means I got paid for developing the recipes and some headnotes (the little description that goes with the recipe title). This is unusual since most writers get an advance and then make more money based on how many books are sold. I was confident the book would be gorgeous, because Weldon Owen has been working with Williams-Sonoma on cookbooks for a long time.

The series is called New Flavors and focuses on ingredients that are becoming increasngly common such as wasabi, smoked paprika, cilantro, pomegranate, etc. All the recipes are organized by season and the photography is bolder and a bit more contemporary than in previous books. The cookbook I worked on was all appetizers. There are several other books coming out in the series, but doing appetizers was particularly fun. I can't imagine what it must have been like to do 45 chicken recipes! It may seem unusual, but I was given a list of recipe titles to work on. In some cases I suggested some changes but almost all of the ideas were really solid as is.

There were 45 recipes and only 8 weeks to get the first draft done. But I only had 6 weeks because I was in Japan for two of the weeks. I took copious notes and lots of pictures to help me document the process. Some days I worked on 4 or 5 recipes. Somehow it all came together. I had two more chances to test and make changes as the manuscript moved through copyediting and photography. This was fortunate because some seasonal ingredients were a bit hard to come by. But if you have to do a seasonal cookbook, the Fall in the Bay Area is a pretty good time to do it.

Since I started in the Fall and finished my last round of revisions in the Spring, I have cooked several of the recipes and served them at parties. I'm glad to say they have been very well received. It seems odd to have to ask for permission to reprint recipes I created, but that's how it works when you create recipes for a client. I do hope you will enjoy the book as much I enjoyed coming up with all the recipes. It will be available in Williams-Sonoma stores in September and in bookstores in November. Oh, and the photo on the cover? It's Buckwheat blini with Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Cream.

Spaghetti with Walnuts and Anchovies: Recipe

Conventional wisdom says a good cookbook is one that allows you to reproduce a given recipe with consistently successful results. Another opinion is that the recipes should be really special, not run-of-the-mill or the best versions of classics. I may be in the minority, but I most appreciate a cookbook that inspires me, gives me good ideas, and points the way. Adventures of an Italian Food Lover is such a cookbook.


Italian food is probably my favorite cuisine. I learned to cook Italian food when I lived in Italy but I've never stopped learning. What I understand best is that Italian cuisine is about balance. It's about just the right amount of sauce and just the right texture to the pasta. It's about high quality ingredients combined, often simply, to create something magical. It's this elegant simplicity and balance of flavors and textures that appeals to me. The perfect combination of ripe tomatoes, luscious mozzarella and basil leaves. No balsamic vinegar, no embellishment. Or melon draped with slices of prosciutto. It's like the well-dressed woman who takes off one thing before she leaves the house. Sophisticated and refined but restrained.

This past weekend I made enchiladas. Roasting and shredding the chicken, making the sauce, stuffing then assembling the enchiladas in baking dishes took the better part of a day. But another meal I made this weekend was equally satisfying and took a fraction of the work and the ingredients. It was Spaghetti with Walnuts and Anchovies, from Adventures of an Italian Food Lover.

It was the second time I made the dish, and I tweaked it a little bit. The combination of ingredients is most important, after that, as with all recipes, find the balance that works for you. Just a few other recipes from the book that I find intriguing include Campari Cocktails with Salami and Figs, Pasta and Bean Salad with Celery Pesto, Leek and Sausage Orzotto, Risotto with Almonds and Broccoli and Baked Cherry Tomatoes.

Spaghetti with Walnuts and Anchovies (adapted from Adventures of an Italian Food Lover)
Serves 2 as a main course, or 4 as a first course

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3-4 filets of oil packed anchovies
2 Tablespoon chopped walnuts
pinch of chili flakes
3 Tablespoons minced parsley
8 ounces spaghetti

Instructions

Heat the olive oil over low heat and cook the garlic until it softens and barely begins to color. Add the anchovies and mash until they dissolve into the oil. Add the walnuts, chili and parsley, stir and remove from the heat. Cook the pasta in boiling water until it is 3/4 of the way done.

Drain the pasta and reserve some cooking water. Toss the pasta with the sauce and cook over high heat, adding about 1/3 cup cooking water. Cook, adding more cooking liquid as needed, until the pasta is al dente.

Enjoy!

Reading up on Campania & Italy

Not to rub it in or anything, but I recently spent 10 glorious days in Italy discovering the charms of the Campania region, home of Naples and the Amalfi coast. But there is so much more to the region than that. I already had a soft spot for Sorrento, but this time around I got to visit the area around Mount Vesuvius, Benevento and the Cilento.

I learned a fair amount about the less well-known areas before I ever left home. I took a lot of books out of the library, but these are the ones I kept by my side and treasure.


If you are going to Italy, and you care about food, you must get Osterie & Locande D'Italia A guide to traditional place to eat and stay in Italy. I can't speak for the places to stay, but some of the best meals I had were places described in amazing detail in this Slow Food book. I yanked out the section on Campania and took it with me. It is by no means comprehensive, but the places it designates are winners and the detail on what to order the stories about the food and places and the people are fantastic.


The next book was my bible, The Food and Wine Guide to Naples and Campania. Carla Capalba is a thorough researcher and lovely writer. She spent years getting to know the people, places and stories behind the food. Her passion for the region comes through and I learned so much from her book I feel like sending her a personal thank you.


Faith Willinger's most recent book, Adventures of an Italian Food Lover with recipes from 254 of my very best friends is a charming book. It's filled with sweet watercolor portraits and of course, Italians and recipes. The section on Southern Italy and the Islands gave me not only names and addresses, but also a great feel for the people and the land. It's a storytelling book with recipes.


Upon my return, I really enjoyed perusing My Love for Naples The Food, The History, The Life is a really dear cookbook told by Anna Teresa Callen who was born and raised in Naples. The title says it all, really. Her recipes are very personal and so are the stories behind them.

While I didn't get his book in time, Arthur Schwartz "The Food Maven" is another aficionado who has not only written about the region but leads classes and tours there. His web site is a gold mine of tips and recommendations.

Takara: Restaurant Review

Forget the popcorn. Nothing goes with movies like Japanese food. This year I was generously given a courtesy pass which allows me and a guest to attend as many movies as we like at the Sundance Kabuki movie theater in Japantown. As a result I end up eating meals in Japantown just about every time I go see a movie.


This Saturday I had a ridiculously cheap lunch in Japantown at Takara. This little restaurant tucked away behind the Hotel Kabuki and often packed with local Japanese folks is well worth seeking out. Their special lunch combo is tempura plus a choice of breaded pork cutlet (tonkatsu) white tuna sashimi, chicken or beef teriyaki or deep fried fish of the day. In what has to be one of the best bento box deals, I got white tuna sashimi, tempura, a California roll, salad, rice and miso soup for $6.95 and it was delicious. But next time I'm ordering the tonkatsu which I noticed several other patrons had ordered, it was dark golden brown, thin and crisp. The tempura is light and crunchy and includes all of my favorite items--shrimp, sweet potato, carrot, green bean and eggplant and thankfully no broccoli, zucchini or onion.


If you're willing to shell out a little more you can get a variety of rice bowls (donburi) for under $9 or a lavish chirashi for just over $11. Takara also has tons of "appetizers" which are really izakaya style dishes, such as grilled eggplant served with bonita flakes (yakinasu) braised pork belly (butakakuni) and deep fried marinated chicken (torikaraage). These dishes range from $3-10 each, order several and make a meal out them. And if you need a movie date, call me.

Takara
22 Peace Plaza Suite 202 (inside the plaza, next to the Kabuki Hotel)
San Francisco,CA
415. 921.2000

Mon - Sun 11:30 - 2:00
Mon - Sat 5:30 - 9:30 pm
Sun 5:30 - 9 pm

Blog Updates...

I know, things are pretty quiet around here, but I've been really busy lately with work. However you can check out some other posts I've written recently, better yet, bookmark or subscribe to GlamDish and Bay Area Bites.

I am fascinated by the fifth flavor, umami. The Umami Information Center is hosting what sounds like a terrific symposium in San Francisco with very famous chefs, next month. Read about umami, the symposium, dinners and get a recipe at Bay Area Bites.

Cookbook Giveaway! Every month there is a giveaway at Glam Dish and today you can win one of three Tastebooks. Haven't heard of Tastebook yet? It's a great way to make your own custom cookbook. Check it out here.

Other recent posts on Glam:

Best of Barbecue Burger Roundup--learn about grass-fed, American Kobe-style and naturally raised Black Angus

Wedding Shower Tea Party Ideas--cool ideas, gifts and favors

10 Tips for Using Honey

I'm taking tomorrow off for my birthday, but I will post more soon, I promise, including a recipe for spaghetti with walnuts and anchovies, a twist on tiramisu, and a whole bunch more about my recent trip to Italy.

Zojirushi 1lb Loaf Mini Breadmaker: Favorite Things

You probably think you know what this is. Right now are you saying to yourself, "those are a couple of slices of bread" or if you're really in the know, "that's bread made in a bread machine because of the little indentation in the slices." And you're right, but there's more to the story. Those are slices of bread from the very first loaf of bread I made with my new Zojirushi BB-HAC10 Home Bakery 1-Pound-Loaf Programmable Mini Breadmaker.


I actually have another bread machine that I've never used. It's too big to sit on my sliver of a counter and it makes a big loaf of bread, too big for a household of two. But the Zojirushi takes only a smidgen of room and makes such a nice little loaf that it gets used before it turns stale. For my first loaf I used the King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour I wrote about a while back. Next time I will try using the stoneground whole wheat bread flour I bought at the Bale Grist Mill in Napa. Only a couple of slices have those funny indentations, by the way, most come out looking very normal.

The Zojirushi has options for different styles and firmness of bread and crust. It comes with a booklet with tons of recipes and it has a timer so you can set it to bake the bread when you wish. Next time around I'm going to set it before I go to bed and wake up to fresh, warm bread in the morning. Now I can't compare it to other bread machines, but it was super easy to use and it gets nothing but great reviews on Amazon.

There are lots of reasons to make your own bread. The price of bread has really gone up recently. You can control what does and doesn't go into your bread and make it to your taste. But best of all? You get fresh, tasty bread and the deep satisfaction of having made it yourself. It might not seem like much, but you've got to try it. Quick breads like muffins and biscuits are fun to make now and again, but real bread? It tastes great and it is so easy to do using a bread machine. Just measure all the ingredients, push a button or two and voila! Fresh bread you made yourself.

Spaghetti Sauce

I think just about every person out there has their own way of making spaghetti sauce. This is mine:

1 lb ground beef or italian sausage

1 small onion

3 cloves garlic

1-2 tsp fennel seeds

1 med can tomato sauce

1 med can diced tomatoes, don't drain

2-3 TB italian seasoning

1-2 tsp onion powder

1-2 tsp garlic powder

1-2 TB red wine vinegar

1-2 tsp tabasco, or red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

fresh basil and parsely if available

Over med heat saute beef, garlic and onion until beef is brown and onions are soft. Add remaining ingredients to desired taste. Simmer for about fifteen minutes until sauce is desired consistency. Enjoy!

Prosciutto and Gorgonzola Toasts with Herb Garlic Cream

I know you're probably getting sick of all these appetizers, I just can't help myself! I found this one in Cooking Light, and it actually calls for trimmed beef tenderloin, but I used diced prosciutto instead. It was so good that I really could have just had these for dinner!

1 pkge diced prosciutto (or sliced ham, trimmed beef tenderloin, sliced roast beef, whatever sounds good)

30 1/4 inch thick slices diagonally cut french bread baguette, toasted (or not, I actually didn't toast mine)

10 TB herb garlic cream (recipe to follow)

30 baby spinach leaves

5 TB crumbled gorganzola cheese

Spread each baguette slice with 1 tsp herb-garlic cream; top each with 1 spinach leaf. Divide evenly among bread slices; sprinkle each iwth 1/2 tsp cheese. Yield 30 appetizers.

Herb Garlic Cream

2/3 cup fat-free sour cream

2 TB minced fresh chives

2 TB low-fat mayo

1 1/2 TB chopped fresh thyme (I used dried and it was fine)

1 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove minced

*I had quite a bit of leftover ingredients after making this, so I made a panini the next day by hallowing out half a loaf of regular french bread, spreading herb-garlic spread and adding prosciutto, gorganzola, spinach, tomatos and salt and pepper. I pressed in on a hot skillet for about five minutes on each side and it was HEAVEN. It made me want to buy a panini press!

Green Beans and Potatoes in a Chunky Tomato Sauce

I love looking for yummy, easy vegetable side dishes, but one of my biggest problems with a lot of them is how much fat they contribute. I found this recipe in the June edition of Cooking Light and it has very little added fat, and tons of flavor. And, it's under the category of Indian food, so it's something a little different.

1 1/2 TB olive oil

1 garlic clove minced (I always add more, but that's just me :-)

1 1/2 cups diced red potatoes

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 pounds green beans trimmed

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3/4 pound plum tomatoes, peeled and coursely chopped

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-hi heat. Add garlic to pan; sautee 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add potato, celery, salt, and beans; saute 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup water; cover and cook 5 minutes, or until beans are crisp-tender. Add cilantro and tomatoes. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 4 minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Stir in peppers. Makes 8 servings (or about 4 if you are like my husband and I!)

*To peel tomatoes, score the skin by making a small X on the bottom side with a sharp knife. Place tomato in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove tomato using a slotted spoon; immediately submerge in a bowl of ice water. Let stand for one minute. Skin should pull off easily with a sharp knife.

Recipe Ideas

I think it's easy to get "stuck-in-a-rut" when it comes to cooking, which makes it boring. I think it's good at least once a month, to stick your neck out there and try something completely different, it may even help to mix up your cooking style a little.

I have a ton of cookbooks, and I love them, I wouldn't mind if I ended up with a whole bookshelf of them eventually! But, one thing I've noticed about cookbooks is that they're usually very safe and basic. My new favorite addiction lately has been cooking magazines. I LOVE them, they're usually a little cheaper (but be careful, I learned the hard way that some of them can still cost around $10), and they have recipes in them that are a little more "daring," or just a little less conventional. I have really found some winner recipes in magazines I've bought.

My favorites are Cooking Light, Taste of Home, and Weight Watchers. They all have really fun, fairly simple, and of course, lighter calorie recipes in them.

Another thing I love is that since you get them month-to-month, you can find more seasonal recipes. Right now, most of the magazines are dedicated to grilling and BBQ-ing, so I've gotten tons of ideas.

Have fun!

Mustards Grill turns 25

Mustards Grill celebrated it's 25th anniversary this past Monday with the ultimate garden party. A favorite in the valley for it's comfort food and reasonable prices, these days the Mustards menu also features many wonderful dishes that use the bounty of the sprawling two acre kitchen garden.

At the party many of the classic menu items were served in nibble-sized portions--the onion rings with homemade ketchup, pulled pork sandwiches, barbecued ribs, oysters on the half shell and even mini lemon meringue pies. To wash it all down, local wine makers poured a variety of styles and vintages. Entertaining the crowd was a hip bluegrass band who countrified everything from Guns N' Roses to Happy Birthday. Two old time photo booths enticed party goers to make their own memento of the evening. There was lots to celebrate beyond the 25 years and most of it had to do with Cindy Pawlcyn.

Chef and restaurant owner Cindy Pawlcyn is a restaurateur whose successes are many. In addition to Mustards Grill she also runs Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen and Go Fish. She has been nominated for a James Beard Best Chef award twice and wrote the James Beard award-winning Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook, Fog City Diner Cookbook and Big Small Plates.

In the era of the celebrity chef Pawlcyn is delightfully unpretentious and a tremendous supporter of the people who work with her. Perhaps the best case in point is her Executive Chef and Partner at Mustards, Erasto Jacinto who emigrated from Mexico in 1985. He began as a dishwasher at Mustards and truly worked his way to the top. Don't be surprised if you catch a glimpse of Jacinto dashing from the kitchen to the garden to pick fresh herbs. Congratulations Cindy, here's wishing you continued success and more delicious times ahead.

Sweet Chips and Salsa

I found this idea in a magazine and became very intrigued. It turned out to be a BOWL of HEAVEN. The guests loved it, I loved it, and it was gone by the end of the day.

10-8inch tortillas, cut into 8 triangles each

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cinnamon sugar

small carton strawberries, rinsed and diced into 1 cm cubes

3-4 kiwi chopped same

2-3 oranges chopped same

small can pineapple tidbits rinsed

2-3Tb sugar

1-2 tsp lemon juice

Brush tortilla triangles with butter, sprinkles each chip generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, until crisp. Combine fruit, add sugar and lemon juice.

*If you are not going to serve this right away, you may want to drain it right before serving it. It gets juicy pretty quick.

Combine

Let the grocery store help you out.

One of my favorite things about cooking is the actual process that it takes to create a dish and make it look appealing. BUT, there are also times when stress and busy schedules have gotten the best of you and you need some help. That is when you cheat and look for some easy shortcuts.

The latest shortcut I found were these little phyllo dough tart cups at the grocery store freezer in the pastry section. They come empty, but you can fill them with anything you want, bake them and you're done. Chocolate, a pastry cream, spinach, blue cheese and cranberries, not all at once though, that would be gross! These bacon quiche cups probably took me a collective 10 minutes to make, minus baking time. Here was my filling:

1/2 cup ricotta (use low-fat, you can't tell a difference)

1 egg

1/2 cup mozz

1/2 cup cheddar

6 oz bacon

1 onion chopped finely

1/2 tsp garlic powder

dash cayenne

dash black pepper

You could probably fill about 60-70 tarts with just this, so you may want to half it with a smaller crowd.

Mix all ingredients together, fill phyllo cups and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. These are good warm and at room temp. This was another dish that disappeared first, but they are also very tiny, so don't be shy about serving a lot, they will be gone by the end of your party.

Caprese Salad

Whenever I'm serving to a group, it's always really interesting to me to see what dish gets the most attention, and what dish gets ignored. A few months ago I made a small plate of this caprese salad, mostly because my garden was producing an abundance of tomatoes and basil. I really didn't think people would be interested in it at all, but it was gone in a matter of minutes. It's probably been the most requested thing I've ever served. It's so good, so pretty, and not to bad on the health factor, just don't go overboard!

Caprese salad is just layering tomatoes, and fresh mozzerella cheese (it's really important to use the fresh, which is much softer and sometimes packed in water. If you use regular mozz, I might cry). After layering it, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. You can tuck your basil leaves individually between each tomato and cheese slice, or cut your basil and sprinkle on top. This is one of those dishes that is good fresh, but even better after a day or two.

Food tip: If you have any sort of inclination toward gardening, consider planting and growing your own herbs. I started doing that last year, and since we are getting ready to move, I don't have fresh herbs this year. I can't even tell you the difference it makes to have fresh herbs on hand, everything is fresher, tastes better, and even looks better. Plus, store bought herbs are so expensive that it's an insult. My favorites are basil, parsely, oregeno and mint, but there are tons out there.