Monthly Archives: July 2009

Preview IV: Ad Hoc’s Leek Bread Pudding

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Bread pudding that's super rich, yet light as a souffle.

As far as achievements go, this might be a small feat. But I can happily report that I’ve now succeeded in making all the recipes from the small promo brochure for the upcoming “At Hoc At Home” cookbook (Artisan) by legendary chef, Thomas Keller.

Of the four recipes printed in this sneak-peek brochure, this one for “Leek Bread Pudding” is by far the richest.

Richer than the Ad Hoc chocolate chip cookie recipe? Yup.

Richer than the Ad Hoc pineapple upside-down cake recipe? Uh huh.

Just how rich?

Not only are there three cups of whole milk in this dish, but there is also an equal number of cups of heavy cream.

And the bread used in this particular bread pudding? Oh, that would be very, very, very buttery brioche, which you can make yourself if you feel like channeling your inner Martha Stewart or purchase at a bakery like I did. (Note: Draeger’s stores on the Peninsula make brioche rolls that work perfectly for this dish. I opted to leave the crust on the rolls for this recipe, which originally called for cutting them off. But the crust is so soft on the rolls, it’s fine to do so.)

Crispy on the outside, custardy within.

Yes, this may as far as it gets from a low-cal dish, but I’m here to tell you this decadent dish is far worth each and every calorie.

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Foodie Fun

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Blueberry shortcake for a good cause. (Photo courtesy of McCormick & Kuleto's)

Indulge in a fresh-baked blueberry shortcake — for a good cause.

Through Aug. 31, McCormick & Kuleto’s in San Francisco is featuring that special dessert for $4.95. For every one sold, the restaurant will make a donation to the American Heart Association.

The shortcake is filled with orange-marinated blueberries and topped with a cloud of whipped cream and creme fraiche.

Enjoy brunch every Saturday and Sunday now at Palo Alto’s Shokolaat.

Shokolaat's eggs benedict on housemade brioche. (Photo courtesy of Shokolaat)

The new seasonal breakfast offerings, available 11:30a.m. to 2 p.m., include such delights as organic buttermilk pancakes served with chocolate or fresh berries; and vegetable omelet with Boursin and caramelized onions. Entrees are priced from $7 to $19.

Brunch with a musical flair is on the menu at 1300 on Fillmore in San Francisco. Every first and third Sundays of the month there, enjoy a gospel brunch.

House band, Future Perfect, features a father-daughter team who performs for an hour at each of two sittings: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The three-course brunch is $39 per person. It includes a bellini or mimosa, plus coffee or tea. The brunch features an assorted bread basket, a choice of entree, and a choice of dessert.

An a` la carte brunch is offered on the other Sundays of each month.

A jazz brunch is now being offered Sundays at Left Bank Menlo Park.

Enjoy the sounds of French singer Laurent Fourgo and his combo, while nibbling “Pain Perdu” (French toast with whipped cream and berries, $10.50) or “Salmon Crepes” (with poached salmon, poached eggs, leeks, and hollandaise sauce, $13.50).

Additionally, during Sunday brunch hours, noon to 3 p.m., and during Saturday lunch hours, the restaurant will offer a dessert buffet ($7) stocked with profiteroles, creme brulee, and a chocolate fountain.

Still another musical brunch can be enjoyed at Cetrella in Half Moon Bay from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 26, when members of Opera San Jose belt out arias from well-known operas.

Sunday brunch is $35 for prix fixe; a` la carte options also are available. Reservations are required.

Try a free sample of the new Flipped Out ice cream treat. (Photo courtesy of goodsmellmeow.tumblr.com)

Free Ben & Jerry’s, anyone?

Thought that would get your attention.  On four upcoming days in San Francisco, the gourmet ice cream purveyor will be handing out samples of its new Flipped Out ice cream treat. This new concoction is fudge sauce, ice cream and brownies, all contained in a cup that you flip over onto a serving plate to enjoy.

Just find your way to these locations for a sample:

July 18, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m, Union Square.

July 19, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Golden Gate Park.

July 21, 11 a.m., Justin Herman Plaza.

July 22, 3 p.m., Justin Herman Plaza.

And you apparently have to RSVP at the Ben & Jerry’s link above.

Meet "Top Chef'''s Fabio in Gilroy. (Photo courtesy of the Gilroy Garlic Festival)

Oooh, the pungent aroma is already in the air for the 31st annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, July 24-16, at Christmas Hill Park.

“Top Chef” fanatics will be happy to know that fan-favorite Chef Fabio Vivani will be host the July 26 “Garlic Showdown,” in which four Bay Area culinary professionals will compete in an “Iron Chef”-like competition.

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Silver Moon Rising

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Strawberry Daiquiri in ice cream form.

Working a dozen years in the topsy-turvy industry of high-tech in Silicon Valley is enough to drive anyone to drink.

For Sheri Tate, though, it drove her to ice cream — laced wickedly with liqueurs.

Tate traded high-tech for artisanal ice cream three years ago, when she launched her Los Gatos-based company, Silver Moon, a purveyor of ice creams and sorbets made with high-end liqueurs.

Tate has a long fondness for ice cream. She made the hand-cranked stuff for years just for fun. Friends and family were so enamored with her concoctions, they urged her to start selling it.

A big bowl of dreamy Orange Creamsicle ice cream.

And so she did, combining two of her after-dinner favorites — dessert and liqueur all in one.

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A Corn Bread Star

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A star is born.

When you think of Spago, you think of glitz and glamour.

Of Hollywood stars, and post-Oscar galas.

Of smoked salmon-caviar pizza and decadent tasting menus.

But down-home corn bread?

Not so much.

Well, you should, when it’s this feathery light, tender, and compellingly good.

“Honey-Glazed Spago Corn Bread” is from “Desserts By the Yard” (Houghton Mifflin) by Sherry Yard, executive pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck Worldwide.

OK, corn bread is not technically a dessert. But can you blame Yard for including it in her book when it’s this much of a sure hit? Consider this the summer blockbuster of corn breads. It’s a star turn that you won’t be able to take your eyes — or teeth — off of.

Cornmeal, all-purpose flour, and cake flour combine with eggs, milk, buttermilk, sugar and butter to create a texture that’s moist, airy, yet pleasantly chewy.

After removing the baked corn bread from the oven, you poke holes all over it like you would with an old-fashioned lemon tea cake. Then, brush on a glaze of water, honey, and more butter. The glaze seeps into the cornbread, making it even more moist and rich. It also gives the corn bread a subtle gloss, as well as a lovely whisper of sweetness.

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Chocolate That Benefits Farmers in the Ecuadorian Amazon

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Chocolate that helps farmers in the Amazonian rainforests.

In the world of chocolate bars, Kallari Chocolate Bars are a definite do-gooder.

All profits from the sales of these premium chocolate bars (available at Whole Foods) is returned to the Kallari Association, a cooperative of more than 850 Quichua families in Napo Province in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The association touts itself as the only farmers cooperative in the world that harvests, markets, and receives all profits from its line of organic chocolates. With this revenue, the Quichua families are able to make a viable living without succumbing to the temptation to make quick money from logging their rainforests or from extracting petroleum from their lands.

The chocolate-making venture was established with expertise and start-up funds from Stephen McDonnell, founder and CEO of Applegate Farms in Bridgewater, NJ, which produces natural and organic deli meats and cheeses. Visitors can even tour the cacao farms in Ecuador now to watch the harvest and the fermentation process.

The smoothest melting chocolate imaginable.

The bars do good. But do they also taste good?

I’ll use my patented scale of 1 to 10 lip-smackers, with 1 being the “Bleh, save your money” far end of the spectrum; 5 being the “I’m not sure I’d buy it, but if it was just there, I might nibble some” middle-of-the-road response; and 10 being the “My gawd, I could die now and never be happier, because this is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth” supreme ranking.

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