Meet panettone, the only fruitcake-like concoction I actually adore.
The others? Cloying, gummy, heavy and dense as can be, they’re the butt of so many tireless jokes. For good reason.
Not panettone, though.
The Italian holiday bread — baked in the shape of a towering cupola — is airy and fluffy, thanks to the long proofing of the sweet dough.
For a really exemplary version, try the one made by the Bay Area’s Emporio Rulli.
People who know me well will tell you that I’m not the world’s biggest fan of pumpkin pie.
No, siree.
Which, of course, makes no sense when you realize that I love pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cake and just about everything else pumpkin.
So, I’m always on the lookout for alternative desserts for Thanksgiving.
That’s why this “Parsnip Buttermilk Pie” caught my attention. So much so that I saved it from the Dec. 2009/Jan. 2010 issue of Fine Cooking magazine, intent on trying it this holiday season.
After all, I adore parsnips, especially when they’re just simply roasted, amplifying their sweetness and nuttiness.
For the filling in this pie, parsnips are boiled, then mashed, and finally mixed with buttermilk, dark brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, grated nutmeg and cloves. It’s poured into an all-butter crust that’s first blind baked.
After the pie is cooled to room temperature, it’s ready to serve. Or you can make it the day before, and bring it to room temperature before cutting into slices the next day. A dollop of slightly sweetened whipped cream is a perfect crowning touch.
Dining at a Michael Mina restaurant is always an exercise in excess.
In the best of ways, of course.
After all, this is the chef who popularized the idea of trios, where it’s not simply enough to present just one rendition of a dish, but three different ones simultaneously on one plate.
It takes skill, timing and sophistication to do that well.
And that’s just what’s on display at Mina’s new Bourbon Steak in the Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square. Bourbon Steak takes the place of the former Michael Mina flagship restaurant there, which has moved to the old Aqua restaurant space on California Street.
The once chic white and eggshell blue 102-seat dining room has been transformed with a more masculine atmosphere with dark charcoal floor-to-ceiling columns and hues of deep cognac and sand. The logo of a steer can be found subtly echoed on the Mondrian-like window treatments and water is brought to the tables in whimsical glass milk bottles.
This marks Mina’s fifth Bourbon Steak nationwide. And he has the formula down pat.
Executive Chef Omri Aflalo, who did an externship with Mina while at the Culinary Institute of America, is at the helm of the San Francisco locale.
The broad menu includes some of Mina’s greatest hits, including his addicting lobster corn dogs ($16), black truffle popcorn ($15), and lobster pot pie (market price). Since it is a steak house, you’ll also find the likes of a 28-ounce Porterhouse for $68, an 18-ounce bone-in rib-eye for $42, and a 6-ounce Australian Wagyu strip (market price).
Recently, I was invited to dine as a guest of the restaurant to enjoy a special tasting menu.
You know you’re in for something when the first thing that arrives at the table is a trio of duck-fat fries with a sour cherry ketchup, a smoked onion aioli that tasted almost of bacon, and a zingy yuzu sauce. You tell yourself you’re going to eat just a couple, but then you finish every one. Every restaurant should take a lesson in fries from Mina, as these are as perfect as they come.
The decadence continued with a small rectangle of foie gras terrine with huckleberry glaze that just melted on the tongue.
This is one of those great breakfast dishes that is really perfect most anytime of day or night.
Need to feed a crowd at brunch? You bet.
Want a simple, yet satisfying lunch? This is it.
Need a late-night nosh after an evening of carousing? This will hit the spot.
“Gallina de Madre” (‘Mother Hen’ Toast) is from the new Tyler Florence cookbook, “Tyler Florence Family Meal” (Rodale).
Marin County resident and chef-owner of Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco, Florence learned how to make this dish on a visit to Barcelona.
It takes ham and eggs to a whole ‘nother level. Imagine biting into a toasted, thick slice of country bread topped with slices of sweet-salty Serrano ham, a sunny side up egg and a drizzle of thick, creamy Manchego cheese bechamel sauce spiked with horseradish and nutmeg.
If that doesn’t perk you up, I don’t know what will.
Yours truly is proud to be moderating a fun and timely panel, “Rethinking Your Holiday Meal,” at 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at Books, Inc. in Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village.
I hope you’ll join me and four wonderful, local cookbook authors as we talk about ways to make your holiday feasts less stressful, more enjoyable and downright fool-proof.
The panelists: