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Monthly Archives: February 2011

For a Heartfelt Time

Posted on February 7, 2011 by foodgal 16 comments

For Valentine’s Day, SusieCakes has got you covered, no matter if you’re head over heels in love or not.

For those that are, there’s the “Susie Loves Me” gift box of conversation heart sugar cookies, sweetheart sandwich cookies, a Sugar & Spice cupcake and a Red Hot Red Velvet cupcake.

For those for whom Valentine’s Day is more bah-humbug, there’s the “Susie Loves Me Not” gift box with cookies amusingly decorated with “Love Me Not” written on them, as well as “It’s Not Me, It’s You” conversation heart cookies, a black sweetheart sandwich cookie, cupcakes inscribed with “Serial Dater” and “Breakup Queen,” and a “Broken Heart Brownie.”

Both gift boxes are available Valentine’s Day for $25 each at SusieCakes locations in San Francisco and Marin.

San Francisco’s Baker & Banker Bakery is getting into the mood with special Valentine’s Day treats and special-order cakes.

Among the tempting offerings for Feb. 14 are strawberry champagne cupcakes (champagne-soaked yellow cake with strawberry frosting; $3.50 each); hand-written “Hostess” cupcakes with salted caramel ($3.50 each); conversation heart cakes (Devil’s food cake with Grand Marnier ganache; $50 for 6-inch; $80 for 10-inch); and champagne cake truffles ($5.50 for four).

For a bottle of wine with a heartfelt message, look no further than 2007 Linda’s Hillside Vineyard Cabarnet Sauvignon from Napa’s Darms Lane Vineyard.

New Chocolate Truffles From Amano and Recchiuti

Posted on February 4, 2011 by foodgal 14 comments

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, two of the country’s premier artisan chocolatiers are offering up special truffles sure to sweeten the holiday.

I was lucky enough to score some samples recently.

First up, Utah’s Amano Artisan Chocolate, which has long been known for its fantastic, complex-tasting chocolate bars. Now, it’s turning its hand to crafting truffles, too.

The elegant chocolate bonbons come in a variety of geometric shapes, some dusted with gold dust or dashes of bold color.

Iâ€™ll use my patented scale of 1 to 10 lip-smackers, with 1 being the â€œBleh, save your moneyâ€ far end of the spectrum; 5 being the â€œIâ€™m not sure Iâ€™d buy it, but if it was just there, I might nibble someâ€ middle-of-the-road response; and 10 being the â€œMy gawd, I could die now and never be happier, because this is the best thing Iâ€™ve ever put in my mouthâ€ supreme ranking.

Wing-ing It

Posted on February 3, 2011 by foodgal 23 comments

They are sticky, sweet and just a little spicy.

They’re everything you want in a finger-licking good chicken wing.

And would you believe these Asian-influenced wings were created by a Basque chef?

That would be the talented Gerald Hirigoyen of Piperade and Bocadillos restaurants, both in San Francisco. With both of his establishments within walking distance of Chinatown, he’ll often head to a nearby Chinese restaurant when he’s craving something different than his own food.

This dish, from his cookbook, “Pintxos” (Ten Speed Press), has become a favorite staff meal with rice at his restaurants.

Meet Alice Medrich in Brisbane and Enjoy Pisco Sours in San Francisco

Posted on February 2, 2011 by foodgal 6 comments

A Cookie of a Time with Alice Medrich

The Bay Area’s award-winning cookbook author and pastry expert Alice Medrich will be hosting a cooking demo at the Purcell Murray Culinary Showroom and Amphitheater in Brisbane, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 5.

Medrich will be demonstrating delectable cookie recipes from her eighth and newest book, “Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy: Melt in Your Mouth Cookie Recipes” (Artisan). Learn how to make the cookies of your dreams at this fun event.

Admission price is $35 per person. Copies of Medrich’s book also will be available for purchase that day. For reservations, call (415) 330-5557.

Celebrate Pisco Sour Day at La Mar Restaurant

Who knew there was an actual “Pisco Sour Day”?

Curl Up with Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew

Posted on February 1, 2011 by foodgal 30 comments

My husband can be fickle.

He’ll devour a dish one night, then balk at eating the leftovers the next night.

Not with this stew.

When I announced the next evening that dinner was the remains of theÂ “Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew” over buttered egg noodles we had the night before, he fairly yelped with glee, smacking his lips in anticipation all over again.

This stew will do that to you.

It’s from “The Essential New York Times Cookbook” (W.W. Norton & Co.) by Amanda Hesser, a doorstop of a book with more than 1,000 recipes in it from the past 150 years, of which I recently received a review copy.