Cooking San Francisco

Limoncello Sorrento

 

Truth be told, our recipe selection process is usually driven by necessity and expediency, (i.e. “What can we serve for dinner this week?” or “Yikes, 15 people are coming over for Thanksgiving in 3 days!”). However, back in December we had a lot of lemons and felt the need to shake things up a bit, to depart from seasonal turkeys and eggnog and the daily in-the-trenches cooking. With an eye toward Spring and the bright colors and fresh flavors that come with it, we decided to make limoncello. Clearly, this is not a recipe for the entire family, but rather one that takes the adults, at least, back to a simpler time, before consuming responsibilities and crazy schedules rendered the casual sippping of an after dinner drink completely out of the question.

During those easygoing days, we both had the good fortune to travel to Sorrento, Italy, where limoncello is produced from oversized, bumpy lemons grown in groves covering the steep coastal hillsides.  If you have been to Italy you may have fond memories of small, chilled glasses of the tart-sweet liqueur served on warm summer nights and then, later, before rushing to the train station you might have shoved a couple of bright yellow bottles into a pair of I-just-had-to have-them Italian leather boots or wrapped them in a newly acquired Italian football jersey so they won't shatter in the suitcase on the way home.

Since we can't travel to Italy very often these days, this simple recipe allows us to make our own limoncello whenever the mood strikes us. We're not so sure that we can make the claim that a mixture of 100 proof vodka, sugar and lemon peel is healthy (though perhaps medicinal on some level) like many of our recipes, but it will give you a good excuse to slow down for a while and smell the lemons. If you find that, despite all your best efforts, you won't be able to consume a quart or two of potent lemon liqueur, small personalized bottles of this liquid sunshine make for lovely hostess gifts during the Spring and Summer.

15 lemons
8 1/2 cups of 100 proof vodka, divided
4 cups sugar
5 cups water
juice from 1 1emon

1. Wash and peel lemons removing the pith.  Only the yellow rind should be used.  Place lemon peel in jar with half of the vodka. Cover and store in a dark place for 40 days.

2. After 40 days, bring sugar and water to a boil and allow to cool completely. (It is important that the sugar water syrup be cold when you add it to the lemon peel-vodka mixture, otherwise limoncello will be cloudy.) Add syrup mixture, remaining vodka and the lemon juice. Store another 40 days.

3. Strain and pour into clean bottles that can be well sealed. Serve chilled and store in the freezer.

Prep Time: 1 hour combined
Cook Time: 80 days
Total Time: 80 days and 1 hour

Baked Risotto with Parmesan Cheese

In the dead of winter (yes, even a 50 degrees-with-a-chance-of-rain San Francisco winter) it's hard to beat the creamy, yet chewy nuggets of Arborio rice that have absorbed flavorful chicken broth like
little sponges. We don't make risotto as much as we used to; the small children and their inevitable interruptions have made it challenging (at best) to stand over a stove and carefully stir the risotto until perfect broth absorption is achieved. Which is why we were thrilled to find this recipe in Donna Hay's Instant Entertaining. We discovered this gem of a recipe over the holidays and served it to a crowd on Christmas Eve about an hour after the cat jumped over a lit Duraflame log and ran up the chimney, but that's a story for another day. (He was heroically rescued and survived without a scratch.)

The original recipe serves twelve, but we halved it here. As always, it is preferable to use great tasting ingredients; we used homemade broth we had in the freezer and freshly grated Parmesan. You'll want to take the risotto out of the oven when there is still a little bit of broth at the bottom of the pan (it will meld nicely with the cheese and the butter) and the rice is firm but not crunchy. We also tried a variation with leeks and peas, which add color and a bright flavor. Simply saute 1/2 cup of leeks in the olive oil until soft, then add the rice and follow recipe directions. When you add the cheese and butter at the end, add 1 cup of frozen sweet peas that have been thawed.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp butter
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a small Dutch oven or other stove top, oven proof dish until shimmering. Add rice and cook for 1 minute until hot and covered with the oil.
Add the chicken stock and stir to combine. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and bake in the oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until most of the stock is absorbed and the rice is al dente.  Remove from the oven and add the Parmesan cheese, butter, salt and pepper and stir for three or four minutes until risotto is thick and creamy.

Serves 6

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Total Time: 1 hr 

David Eyre's Pancake

This classic puffy pancake was introduced by David Eyre via Craig Claiborne and the New York Times in 1966, and we can't believe we missed it until now. In the past, we have relied on more complicated German pancake recipes that were reserved for weekend breakfasts. If we get up just few minutes earlier we can actually pull off this recipe on a weekday morning, much to the delight of our kids. We like to use a stainless steel or cast iron skillet for this dish, but any oven-proof frying pan will do.  We've also made it with white whole wheat flour which works just fine, though the resulting pancake is not quite as puffy. If you have a few minutes, do check out Amanda Hesser's 2007 piece in the New York Times Magazine on this popular pancake and it's history, including the fact that the pancake was originally intended to be served for dessert. Ms. Hesser recommends limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur, as an accompaniment. Excellent idea!

2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
Zest of 1 lemon, or to taste (optional)
Pinch ground nutmeg
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP confectioners' sugar
Juice of half a lemon
Apricot, blackberry or other fruit jam

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs.  Add the flour, milk, lemon zest (if using) and nutmeg and lightly beat until blended, but still slightly lumpy. Resist the urge to overmix the batter.

2. Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet with a heatproof handle over medium heat.  When very hot, but not brown, pour in the batter.  Bake in the oven until the pancake is billowing on the edges and golden brown, about 15 minutes.

3. Working quickly, remove the pan from the oven and, using a fine-meshed sieve, sprinkle with the sugar.  Return to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes more.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve with jam.

Serves 2-4

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Total Time: 20 min

Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup

The original recipe found in the December 1996 issue of Bon Appétit magazine explains, “In France, this soup would be prepared with a baking pumpkin. A mixture of butternut and acorn squashes mimics the French pumpkin's exceptional taste and texture.” It's true; the flavor of the two squashes simmered together with fresh herbs produces a great soup. However, we won't lie; peeling and cutting the squash is a bit of a pain. To make things much easier, though slightly more expensive, you can purchase 8 cups of pre-cut and packaged butternut squash at Whole Foods (as much as we love Trader Joe's for many grocery items, we don't recommend their pre-cut, bagged squash) and omit the acorn squash. You might not end up with the aforementioned perfect French pumpkin flavor, but you will still have a satisfying and healthy winter soup. Alternatively, you could bake the acorn squash beforehand and scoop it out when it is tender (see baking instructions below).

Also, we omitted the sugar in the original recipe and substituted yogurt for whipping cream and we preferred both the taste difference and the health benefits. The croutons are a nice crunchy, salty addition, but we have served the soup without them when pressed for time.

Soup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
5 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
4  cups 1-inch pieces peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
4  cups 1-inch pieces peeled acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh sage

1/4  cup thick, 2% fat Greek yogurt

Croutons
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
24 1/4 inch-thick baguette bread slices
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and puree soup with a hand blender. (Alternatively, working in small batches and being careful not to fill the container too full, puree soup in the blender. Return soup to same pot.) Whisk in the yogurt and bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Reheat over medium heat before serving.)

For croutons:

While soup is simmering, preheat broiler. Butter 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange bread, buttered side up, on baking sheet. Broil until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over. Sprinkle cheese, then thyme and sage over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with croutons and serve.

Variation: Baking acorn squash
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Halve squash and remove seeds.  Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until tender.

Serves 8

Prep Time: 30 minutes to 45 minutes (if cutting and peeling squash yourself and making croutons)
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes

Cooking SF New Year's Resolutions 2010

Coming up with New Year's resolutions is like celebrating Valentine's Day, dressing up on Halloween or going out on New Year’s Eve, you either love it or loathe it. We happen to be in the “love” camp when it comes to resolutions. We love the fresh start that a new year offers and the opportunity to evaluate and re-prioritize our to-do lists. We'd like to share three simple resolutions this year that we hope will be easily achievable and good for our planet and our families.

1. Embrace Composting.

San Francisco has set a goal to have zero waste by 2020. We loved the idea but the mess in the big green bin by the end of the week, not to mention the confusion about exactly what can be composted, was not working for us… and deterring a lot of our friends from composting. After a little investigation, we found some great solutions to the first problem. One happy discovery is BioBags which we've found at Whole Foods, Real Foods and Standard Ace Hardware in Laurel Village. If you have a large family or doing a lot of cooking you can use the trash can size to put the food scrapes in or for smaller needs use a bowl with the small Biobags. We like to use the bowl on the counter while we are cooking and then tie it up and throw it in the big compost bin at the end of the night. Another trick is using a milk carton, opening the lid completely and throwing the scraps in. When you have filled the milk carton close the top and toss it all in the compost. Brilliant!

Regarding our second issue, we found a handy flyer on the SF Recycling website that notes in painstaking detail what goes in the green bin. We keep a printout taped on the inside of a kitchen cabinet door so that the list is handy at all times.

2. No more Plastic Bags!

We all have them, plastic bags from the grocery store that we swear we are going to re-use but they collect like lint blankets in the dyer. Sure, plastic is convenient but what a mess it is making of the environment! Out of pure serendipity we stumbled on two happy solutions. In the produce section at Whole Foods we found Tazzy Totes. They are mesh see-through bags that you can use for your veggies, fruits and bulk foods. They even have the weight of the bag on them so the checkout person can deduct the weight. We love them because when you get home you can toss the fruits and vegetables right in the crisper. The mesh bags allow your produce to breathe so it does not build up moisture in the bag. We tried to get more but they are flying out the door so keep an eye out for them in the produce section. Albany-based Flip and Tumble also has really nice produce and shopping bags as well, and you can order direct from their site. The produce bags are sold out until January 20th 2010, so check in with them later in the month.

Tazzy Totes

Flip and Tumble



3. Buy Locally.

Buying seasonally and locally is pretty easy in San Francisco. One of us has a ritual Saturday visit to the Farmer’s Market at the Ferry Building. The other participates in various produce CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), including Frog Hollow Farm  and a organic grocery delivery service, SPUD . For those unfamiliar, CSAs deliver a seasonal box of produce to a central location (school or someone’s home) to be picked up at scheduled intervals, or in some cases will deliver to your home for maximum convenience. This allows you to get the freshest produce, eat seasonally and try out new fruits and vegetables while supporting local farms. It is a win-win for all involved. This year we've decided to take it a step further and try a meat CSA. We are presently looking into the Marin Sun Farms CSA for their 100% grass-fed and pasture raised livestock. We will let you know how the venture goes. If you know of any great CSAs let us know in the comments section.

Eggnog Bread Pudding with Panettone

For the last few years we've been using leftover panettone for a flavor-packed French toast, but this year we've taken the eggy, fruity Italian bread to a new level and tried it in a bread pudding. Panettone, for those not familiar, originates in Milan and is served during Christmas and New Year's. It has a brioche-like quality and is studded with raisins and candied fruit. Soaked in eggnog custard, it makes a pudding bursting with holiday flavors that not only makes a great Christmas breakfast (or dessert, for that matter) dish, but also makes use of some leftovers from the night before. Another added bonus is that you need to make it the night before you want to serve it and you start baking it in a cold oven, so all you have to do is pull it out of the fridge and turn on the oven. You certainly could make this bread pudding without the panettone, or conversely, without the eggnog, using just milk instead. We also tested a citrus and cardamom version of this creamy, comforting pudding, so stay tuned!

12 ounces day-old panettone bread, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
6 large eggs
2 cups eggnog
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Butter a 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish or deep-dish pie plate. Place bread in dish.

2. Whisk eggs and next 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend.  Pour over bread in baking dish.

3. Using spatula, lightly press down on bread to moisten completely.  Cover with foil and chill overnight.

4. Place foil-covered dish in a larger baking pan and pour enough hot water in the larger pan to reach halfway up the side. Place both a cold oven. Set oven at 350°F and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until pudding is puffed and golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes longer. Remove pudding from oven and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6-8

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Egg Custard with Gruyere Cheese and Thyme

This is one of those recipes that we can't believe it took us this long to discover. We found it in Gourmet Magazine, December 2008, while searching for quick breakfast food that could be served to a crowd on a busy morning, say for example, Christmas Day.  There are so many good things to say about this recipe it's hard to know where to start. The final product is a satisfying melange of fluffy egg, melted Gruyere and herbal thyme. The recipe itself takes almost no time to put together, thanks to the use of a blender, one of our favorite kitchen appliances. Not to mention that you can serve it for breakfast, lunch or dinner (we've done them all). It is also very flexible and ripe for substitutions. We replaced the original chives with fresh thyme, and though we added cooked bacon pieces in one version we made; leftover ham or sausage would also be wonderful. We used Trader Joe's Light Organic Whipped Cream Cheese, which worked very nicely to stabilize the eggs and milk. If you are looking for something sweet to serve on an early holiday morning, stay tuned for our breakfast bread pudding.

2 cups coarsely grated Gruyère (6 ounces)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
10 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
4 ounces cream cheese, whipped or softened
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish (2 inches deep). Sprinkle Gruyère and thyme evenly in dish.

2. Blend eggs, milk, cream cheese, nutmeg, pepper and salt in a blender until smooth. Pour egg mixture over Gruyère and thyme in dish and bake until puffed, set, and golden, approximately 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

 

 

Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen

The great thing about homemade, heartfelt gifts from the kitchen is that you can involve the kids in your life, which is not only helpful (depending on their age) but instills in them a sense of appreciation for others.  Below is a round up of past posts that would make great gifts for friends, family, teachers and co-workers. All are very simple to put together and can be made at the last minute. Works for us!

• Cheddar Cheese Shortbread with Pepper Jelly
• Gingersnap Cookies
• Spiced Cocktail Nuts
• Pumpkin Tea Cake
• Peppermint Bark
• Curried Pumpkin Seeds
• Pine Nut Cookies
• Cranberry Vanilla Granola

Peppermint Bark

In case you missed it on Elise Bauer's exceptional blog, Simply Recipes, here is a simple yet decadent recipe from Garret McCord for the much loved holiday treat, peppermint bark. We couldn't choose between white and dark chocolate, so decided to use both at the same time. Frankly, we've always purchased our peppermint bark at Williams-Sonoma, but with this recipe we can make it ourselves and share the experience with friends and family. We recommend you find an energetic child who has been cooped up inside the house all day, or an adult who has just returned from holiday shopping in a large department store to help pound the candy canes into small bits. The original recipe calls for chips, which certainly are convenient, however we used bricks of Callebaut  chocolate since that's what we had.

5 to 7 regular-sized candy canes (approximately 6 inches long)
12 ounces of high-quality white chocolate chips or brick chocolate chopped into small pieces
12 ounces of high quality dark chocolate chips or brick chocolate chopped into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract

1. Break up candy cane into little pieces by placing them in a large zip lock bag, covered with a dish towel and pounding on them with a flat-sided meat tenderizer, rolling pin or other heavy object. Set aside.

2. Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler on low heat, or according to manufacturer's instructions. Once melted, add the peppermint extract and stir.

3. Pour the melted chocolate out onto a sided 11” X 17” baking sheet lined with wax paper and spread out with a spatula or wooden spoon. Place in the freezer for 5 -10 minutes or until hardened.

4. Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in a double boiler on low heat, or according to manufacturer's instructions and then pour it over the cold dark chocolate that you have just taken out of the freezer.  Use a spatula to carefully spread it around.  It's important to be careful and move quickly so the dark chocolate doesn't melt and mix with the white chocolate.

5. Wait another 5 minutes and then sprinkle the crushed candy canes on to the white chocolate and gently press them in with yours hands.

6. Put the baking sheet back in the freezer to harden for 5 -10 minutes or until hardened. Remove from freezer and break into pieces and serve, or store in the fridge in an airtight container.

Total Time: 40 min

 

Gingersnap Cookies

There are few sweets more satisfying than a perfect ginger cookie. Of course, the definition of “perfect” is subjective, since they come in all shapes, sizes, and varying crispy to chewy ratios. We hardly have a friend or relative who doesn't have a favorite recipe that they dig out at holiday time, and this year our number one recipe is an oldie but goodie from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins. It makes dozens of tiny, spicy, coin-shaped cookies that are both crispy and chewy (the way we like them).  They are especially nice when served with the currently abundant Satsuma mandarin oranges for a simple, yet elegant, winter dessert. As with the other recipes in our last few posts, these cookies are also great for gift giving and freeze well so you can have them at the ready in case carolers or other unexpected guests stop by. (We roll the dough into logs before freezing, it makes it easier to put in the pastry bag when defrosted.) Do make sure your ground ginger is fresh, otherwise the cookies will not sparkle with gingery flavor as they should.

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
3/4 cup molasses
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4  cup ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Special equipment: a pastry bag fitted with a plain large round tip

1.  Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light.  Beat in the eggs, and then the molasses.

2.  Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together in another bowl.  Using a wooden spoon, stir into the butter-sugar mixture until completely incorporated.

3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside for 30 minutes.  (The dough may be made ahead to this point and frozen for later use.)

4.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

5.  Place 3 to 4 large spoonfuls of batter into a pastry bag fitted with a plain large round tip, and pipe 1-inch drops, 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets.  If you don't have a pastry bag, drop the batter onto the baking sheets by the teaspoonful.

6.  Dip your finger in warm water, and press the cookie drops down flat.  Bake until browned, 10 to 13 minutes.

7.  Carefully lift the parchment paper off the hot baking sheets and transfer it to a cool surface.  When the cookies are firm, remove them from the parchment.

Makes about 6 dozen

Prep Time: 50 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Total Time: 1 hr  30 min