Raisins, I Don’t Like You

If I had just one wish, it would be for people to stop putting raisins and other little dried fruits in my cinnamon rolls. Okay, so I’d also like to win the lottery, be adopted by Angelina Jolie, and achieve world peace (yes, in that order), but I’m trying to keep it real. I would like to know why some people feel it’s necessary to ruin a perfectly good cinnamon roll with some slimy little desiccated grapes. I realize I may be in the minority here, but I think we non-raisin lovers should at least be entitled to a choice of baked goods. A raisin-free option. It’s really not fair that I should have to delay my consumption of a delicious treat because I am forced to carefully remove each and every raisin. To make matters worse, one of my favorite bakeries, Arizmendi, has gone one step further — they purposefully hide the raisins in the dough. That’s deception of the worst kind. Excitedly you take a huge bite, but then suddenly you realize that behind the soft buttery exterior, those raisins were lurking the whole time. Resigned, you must begin the raisin excavation again, but this time it’s much more complicated, requiring breaking the roll into bites for proper examination. Cruel and unusual? I think so.

Christopher Elbow Chocolates

I first heard about Christopher Elbow Chocolates in a Food and Wine article about Kansas City. At the time, the existence of those chocolates seemed irrelevant—living in NY and having no immediate (or distant) plans to travel to Missouri. But I found that particular article memorable, because Mr. Elbow started selling his wares from a counter in a furniture store before opening up his own little chocolate boutique in KC. Then last fall I noticed a new (or at least it wasn’t there the summer before) addition to the shops in Hayes Valley. Behind a few extraordinarily large plate glass windows, marked with a simple albeit massive letter E, were rows of truffles, and behind the chocolate counter, an espresso machine. I didn’t venture in. I was afraid of what might happen if I were left unattended in the store, so I decided to wait until the Wife could accompany me. (Turns out, this really wouldn’t help matters at all.) We stocked up on the return trip, because by that time, we knew how good they were without ever setting foot in the shop.

Our friend Chris (who is also a law ninja and co-worker of Beta Wife) presented us with a box of chocolates as a gift, the outside of the box marked with the now familiar “E.” We opened the lid to find an assortment of carefully crafted truffles that looked so fancy, we weren’t sure if they were for eating or for looking. They came with a little identification book telling us what each chocolate was filled with, and on the outside was the name Christopher Elbow. We made our way through the box over the course of a week. Now every few months I make the trek over from the East Bay to get my fix.

spiced chocolate turtle

In the Hayes Valley store the walls are lined with shelves of chocolate bars and other treats, but so far I haven’t made it past the truffles. In fact I don’t think I even noticed anything on the walls until my last trip there. Having no self control in the presence of well displayed goodies, I always hover over the counter until I reach my spending limit. The most delicious of all the chocolates, I have decided, are the turtles. I had never really been a fan of chocolate turtles until I tried one of these perfect little nuggets. Salty and caramely, but not too chunky. My second favorite is the Bananas Foster truffle that tastes like someone wrapped up a little tiny Banana Foster and crammed it in a chocolate bite. Magic was undoubtedly involved.

And speaking of magic…you might want to try Mr. Elbow’s recipe for Chocolate and Whiskey Liquor (Food and Wine, Dec 2005). No, let me say that another way. You absolutely need to make this stuff. It’s ridiculous. Make it for you next dinner gathering, and suddenly you will have extra friends. Irish cream liquors taste pale and sickly in comparison.

Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates
410 Hayes St.
San Francisco, CA

www.elbowchocolates.com/

Beets!

It was only just a few years ago that I had my first beet that wasn’t from a jar and pickled beyond recognition. Now roasted beets are one of my favorite salad toppings. In this particular recipe, it is the salad. This dish is incredibly easy to prepare, looks impressive, and goes well with just about any meal.

Mixed Beet Salad
serves about 4-5 people

1 lb golden beets
½ lb red beets
8-10 leaves of butter lettuce, or 1 cup of arugula
1 ½ Tbsp Balsamic vinegar (I used O&CO)
about 1 Tbsp olive oil
cheese for shaving (something like Parmesan, Manchego, or Piave)
freshly ground black pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 350˚.
2. Wash the beets and wrap them in tinfoil, place on a baking pan and cook until tender. Larger beets (about ½ pound sized) will need about 1 ½ hours, smaller beets need 45 minutes to an hour. For best texture, try not to overcook them.
3. Unwrap them and let them cool for 30 minutes. Then peel and slice the beets. Set them aside.
4. Layer the greens on a large serving dish. Layer the beets over the bed of greens, then lightly baste them with olive oil.
5. Drizzle the salad with the Balsamic vinegar and add the black pepper (if desired.) Top with grated/shaved cheese.

Note: It’s important to use a high quality Balsamic vinegar for this recipe. I would check a specialty grocer for best results, especially someplace where you can taste it before you buy it. You’ll want it to have a very thick, viscous body. And make sure it’s actually made in Italy.

Shopping for the Locavore

A few tasty products made in or around the Bay Area.

Blue Chair

The Blue Chair Fruit Company in Alameda makes some delicious jams and marmalades for your breakfast breads. They make their preserves in small batches in French copper jam kettles, and the varieties change with the season. My favorite so far is the strawberry rhubarb jam. You can find them at the Temescal Farmer’s Market in Oakland or at one of these local markets.

Small Hand Foods

Recently at Cask I found a tiny display of hand crafted syrups by a local company called Small Hand Foods, and I decided to try a bottle of the grenadine. Until a few weeks ago I had never heard of Jennifer Colliau or her company, but now it seems that I find her products everywhere. (Not surprisingly, they were mentioned in Jeff Hollinger’s class on house-made bar ingredients.) Colliau, a Bay Area bartender, created the syrups so other local bartenders could have access to quality ingredients for their cocktails. Now they can be found in a variety of local bars including Absinthe, The Slanted Door, and Flora, just to name a few. Last night at Sidebar, I had the pleasure of sampling the pineapple gum sryup in the Castle Harbor Special. I’ll be heading back to Cask to get a bottle of it for myself as soon as possible.

Santa Barbara Salsa

Though their salsa is now sold in almost every US state, this company got their start in Santa Barbara, CA in 1984 when the company’s founder made the salsa for his restaurant. Customers began asking for salsa to take home with them, and I think you can guess what happened next. They make both fresh and jarred salsas, and though I’m not usually a huge fan of jarred salsa, I really like the Habanero Lime.

Spring Hill Cheese Company

Located in Petaluma, CA, this creamery produces many varieties of cheddar and jack cheese. So far I’ve tried the Sage White Cheddar and Mike’s Firehouse smoked cheddar (it will make you crave Hickory Farms Summer Sausage like you wouldn’t believe—thankfully we had one hanging out in the pantry from the fall.) Spring Hill also produces butter, cheese curds, quark, and a few raw milk cheeses. (Next on the list to sample is the raw milk cheddar.) You can find their cheese online or at the Temescal Farmer’s Market, where the nice cheese people will let you sample their wares.

Mixology Monday: Amaro

Amaro is the theme of this month’s cocktail collusion, a.k.a. Mixology Monday. Defined by our host Chuck Taggart of The Gumbo Pages, Amaro “refers to the bitter liqueurs usually drunk as an after-meal digestive, either alone (neat or on the rocks) or in some kind of mixed drink or cocktail.” If you’re not familiar with this type of liqueur you may take a moment to feel a bit lost. But don’t worry, after reading this and maybe a few MXMO blog posts you’ll feel like an expert. Those more familiar with Amaro may have Fernet Branca pop into your head right away, either with fond remembrance or fierce repulsion. The latter can rest easy; I didn’t mess with that one.

I chose Averna, an Italian liqueur that’s still made from the original 1868 recipe. It’s slightly bitter, has a pleasant thickness, and finishes quite sweet. My inspiration for the drink comes from the Black Manhattan at the San Francisco speakeasy, Bourbon and Branch. Their cocktail is made with rye whiskey, Averna, and (according to the bartender) whiskey barrel bitters (I assumed those to be Fee Brothers.) Since first having the drink almost two years ago, I’ve been playing with the proportions, different whiskeys, and a recipe for my own bitters. And having just finished one in the middle of the afternoon, I feel quite good about the results.

The Black Manhattan
adapted by Alpha Cook

2oz Jim Beam Black bourbon
2/3 oz Averna
3-4 dashes Apple Clove Bitters (recipe below)

Add all ingredients to a cocktail glass/shaker and stir until ice cold (at least 30 seconds), strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a cherry.

A quick note: I used Jim Beam Black, which I think is highly underrated and gets a bad rap from its brand. If you haven’t tasted it (with an open mind) you should. If you’ve tried it, don’t like it, but claim to like Maker’s Mark, then we should have a serious, sit-down chat. Now if only Trader Joe’s would strike a secret deal with ‘ol Jim and bottle it for their store at 8 bucks a bottle.

Apple Clove Bitters

375 ml rye whiskey
375 ml applejack
3-4 cups organic apples, seeded, cored, and chopped
5 Tbsp cloves, whole
3 Tbsp fresh ginger, sliced or crushed
7 star anise, whole
4-5 cinnamon sticks, whole
2 vanilla beans, split

2/3 cup raw sugar
3 cups filtered water

1. Combine all ingredients in a large jar (except for sugar and water). Store for two to three weeks in a cool dark place, shaking daily (every other day is fine too).
2. After a few weeks, when the mixture has infused, strain the solids through a cheesecloth, saving both solids and liquids.
3. Set liquid aside and combine the solids in a small saucepan with the three cups of water, letting it gently simmer for about 30 minutes.
4. Strain the mixture in cheesecloth, this time discarding the solids.
5. Combine the raw sugar with the water that was just infused with the spices, bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature.
6. Add the alcohol and syrup together and store in a bottle for aging, in a cool dark place. We’re not quite done yet...

Aging and Filtering:
Your bitters will be ready to use in a few weeks, however, the longer they sit, the more complex and tasty they become. Six months is a good length of time for aging them, and one that won’t drive you completely nuts. When you’re ready to use them, strain the liquid (yes, again) through a cheesecloth, then through a coffee filter. You will notice a significant change in the clarity. Filtering your bitters will produce not only a more visually pleasing end product, but it will bring a lot of the “aging” or chemical processes to a halt.

Even Better:
After a few months of aging, take half of your bitters, filter them, and funnel them into a glass bottle. Then make drinks like crazy. Put the other half back, way back, in the scary part of your pantry and forget about it. Remember it a year later, filter and taste. It’s the best of both worlds, if you’re impatient like I am.

Some Friday Links and Morsels

Here’s a little something to tide you over until I finish typing up my notes from the super-awesome class I attended at Absinthe last night. Check back soon. And don’t forget that the next Mixology Monday is coming up on the 18th!

Tipping on carryout? Check out this article from the Detroit Free Press on why you might want to leave a buck or two.

Starbucks is lowering their prices on some items despite the fact that they’re still facing a significant sales slump….So now your grande iced coffee comes in just under $2! The recession will be caffeinated.

A Maryland restaurant boasts the “ultimate” burger. Stuffed with cheese and deep fried, they call it the….wait, can you guess? Heart attack on a plate! Haven’t we been down this road before? Well, admittedly the picture does make me salivate, and you know it is fried in canola oil after all, so it can’t really kill you. Right?

A recent study at some college somewhere, by some people who probably have degrees in something, has determined that “drinking your blues away” does not work. Huh? Drinking doesn’t make you feel better?! Seriously, who comes up with this stuff? That said, I leave you with my latest Bev Mo purchase. And I feel pretty damn good about it.

1.75 liters of feel-good -- don't know why it comes in any other size

Peach Bitters, Apple Oblivion, and SF Cocktail Week

I came up with a new drink over the weekend using a very exciting recent addition to my home bar—peach bitters. (And considering that yesterday was the start of SF Cocktail Week, I feel as though I should talk about alcoholic beverages as much as possible.) So anyway I made this tasty drink, but then couldn’t think of a name for it, which is typical. Imaginary band names are a dime a dozen in my head, but drink names always stump me. So I decided to employ the use of my favorite research helper, Google, and typed in “drink name generator” in hopes that such a thing really did exist. Of course, you know it did because clearly a lot of people have way too much time on their hands. I will share with you some of the results that I found particularly amusing.

Demonic Mint Sadness
Low Letcherous {sic} Laborer
Positive Autumn Knight
Random Ochre Smut
Cosmic Deadly Southern
Negative Grape Slice

Needless to say, I do not really foresee this ingenious device to be a part of my future drink-naming endeavors; however it did suit its purpose for this particular drink. Behold! I give you the Random Apple Oblivion, courtesy of Seventh Sanctum.

Random Apple Oblivion

2 oz Laird’s Applejack
½ oz Benedictine
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2-3 dashes peach bitters

Pour all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, stir well (for about 30 seconds at least) and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a sliver of oblivion.

A note about these Bitters: Fee Brothers makes a quite a few flavors of bitters these days, including cherry and mint, which I have not yet had the opportunity to sample. I do highly recommend their orange bitters and whiskey barrel aged bitters. You can find a selection of them at Cask in San Francisco (and of course online in my Amazon store), and a few more recipes to accompany the bitters can be found at the Fee Brothers website.

Orzo Salad with Seasonal Veggies

Good for a picnic, a cook-out, or leftover for lunch later in the week. Summer veggies are finally making their debut.

Orzo Salad with Veggies

1 ½ cups orzo, uncooked
1 cup sugar snap peas, raw
¼ cup bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup green onions, sliced fine
2/3 cup dandelion greens, chopped
4-5 Tbsp Italian salad dressing (I used Bountifuls)
2 Tbsp Basil infused/flavored olive oil (I used O&CO)
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper (optional)
hard Italian cheese, such as Parmesan or Asiago, grated

1. Cook orzo in boiling water until tender. Drain and rinse in cold water. Add to a large serving or mixing bowl.
2. Meanwhile, snap the ends off of the sugar snap peas and remove the pesky little strings. Steam for about 5 minutes. (You can eat the whole thing or just the wee little peas—but the outside is sweet and tender, so why waste?) After cooking them, throw the peas in a bath of ice water for a minute or two.
3. Add all of the veggies to the orzo and give it a good stir. Then add dressing, oil, salt and black pepper. Mix well. Chill if desired, or serve slightly warm.
4. Serve the salad topped with grated cheese.

Note: No basil olive oil? Use regular, high quality olive oil instead and add a few tablespoons of chopped, fresh basil.

Strawberry Infused Tequila

Strawberry season is upon us. So if you should find yourself in the fortunate situation of having too many tasty berries sitting around the house, don’t bother freezing them. I have a much better idea. Put them in some booze. Kind of the best idea ever, huh? Throw a few cups of ripe strawberries in a bottle of good silver tequila, and in just a couple of weeks you’ll have an amazing summer infusion. It’s great on its own for sipping, but it also makes a pretty mean margarita.

Things you will need:

a couple of one quart mason jars
a stainless steel kitchen strainer

Strawberry Infused Tequila

two one quart mason jars
1 (750 ml) bottle of silver tequila (I used Cazadores Blanco)
about 3-4 cups ripe strawberries, sliced

Divide strawberries into the two jars, then cover evenly with tequila. Let sit in a cool, dark location for about 2 weeks, shaking the jar every other day.

Strain and enjoy.

Strawberry and Mango Infused Tequila

1 quart mason jar
1 (750 ml) bottle of silver tequila (I used Cazadores Blanco)
about 1 ½ cups ripe strawberries, sliced
one ripe mango, sliced (I used a Champagne mango)

Add fruit to the jar, and top off with as much tequila as you can add. Let sit in a cool, dark location for about 2 weeks, shaking the jar every other day.

Strain and enjoy.

Strawberry Margarita

2 oz strawberry tequila
½ Cointreau
1 oz fresh orange juice
½ oz fresh lime juice
½ oz simple syrup

Put all ingredients in a shaker, shake like hell, and strain into a double rocks glass with fresh ice.

Pic de la Calabasse

Pic de la Calabasse is a French raw milk cheese that is usually aged for at least 4 weeks. I picked up some of this magical cow’s milk cheese after tasting it at the Cowgirl Creamery, which just recently started carrying it. Pic de la Calabasse has a soft, buttery texture and a nice tangy, salty flavor. (I would let it sit out at room temperature for least an hour, or you’ll really be missing out. No cheating.) In short, it tastes like crack and you should get some.

Fun fact: This cheese is said to be named after the 7,000 ft peak, la Calabasse in France.

Stank Meter-4

1-snooze

2-mild, but not boring
3-has a flavor
4-mild hint of stinky
5-now we’re talking
6-next stop, stankville

King Dong

Haha. I just said dong. That got your attention didn’t it?. What a terrible name for a restaurant, King Dong (hee hee). And yet this is the place where I ordered my Chinese take-out Friday night. Amazingly enough, this is the first time I’ve eaten Chinese food, authentic or otherwise, since moving to California. So that meant I had some research to do before making my pick, and I had only three simple requirements: delivery, chicken wings, and three or more stars on Yelp. It was King Dong restaurant in Berkeley that fit the bill.

We ordered a feast of chicken wings, BBQ pork buns, hot and sour soup, Mongolian beef, spicy eggplant, and brown rice. I was not unhappy about any of it. The chicken wings arrived covered in garlic and thinly sliced jalapenos, and while they aren't the best I’ve ever eaten, they certainly satisfied my craving. The pork buns were moist and tasty, and the beef and eggplant were pleasantly spicy. It was also nice to have brown rice as an option.


I particularly enjoyed the complimentary spring rolls that came with our meal. Free food tastes soooo delicious. But maybe the best part of the meal was the fact that afterward, I didn’t feel terrible. There was no greasy, Chinese take-out regret. This is my new Friday night favorite. King Dong. (*snicker*)

2429 Shattuck Ave

Berkeley, CA

510-841-6196

Need a menu? Try Campus Food.