Category Archives: Chefs

Joanne Chang’s Brown Sugar-Oat Cherry Muffins

Cherries and oats galore in these hearty muffins by Pastry Chef Joanne Chang.

Cherries and oats galore in these hearty muffins by Pastry Chef Joanne Chang.

 

These muffins are loaded. With oats, cherries and a whole lot of goodness.

They fill the pan with an avalanche of batter, rising up with bountiful domes.

Joanne Chang, the Harvard grad-turned-baker extraordinare with four Flour bakeries and the Myers + Chang diner, all in Massachusetts, has done it again. If you loved her first cookbook, “Flour” (Chronicle Books), you’re sure to treasure its follow-up, “Flour, Too” “Flour, Too” (Chronicle Books). The second cookbook, of which I received a review copy, includes 100 recipes, not just for sweets, but savories, as well, including apple-wood smoked BLT, “Mama Chang’s Hot and Sour Soup,” and mushroom and leek lasagna.

Of course, having the sweet tooth that I do, I couldn’t resist zeroing in on the pastries first.

FlourTooBook. jpg

“Brown Sugar-Oat Cherry Muffin” is like a nourishing bowl of morning oatmeal — only in muffin form. Which means it’s just a little naughty, as a result.

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La Boulange Celebrates PRIDE, Santa Clara City Library Card Perks and More

(Photo courtesy of La Boulange)

(Photo courtesy of La Boulange)

Macarons for PRIDE Month

All through June, La Boulange bakeries throughout the Bay Area will salute PRIDE month with a limited edition box of rainbow-hued macarons.

What’s more, La Boulange will donate $1 from each box sold to the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation, which raises funds for AIDS service organizations through the production of entertainment programs.

The limited edition box of seven macarons is $12.50.

Santa Clara City Library Card Perks

And you thought a library card was only good for checking out books?

Not the Santa Clara City library card.

Now, show that library card at participating local businesses to reap discounts such as 10 percent off at Athena Grill, $10 off a tab of at least $50 at Justin’s Restaurant, 10 percent off at Fuji Florist, free coffee with purchase at Stan’s Donut Shop, 10 percent off Mission City Creamery and many more. For a full list, click here.

StarChefs SF Rising Star Chefs

StarChefs will salute its 2013 “Rising Star” award winners  6:30 p.m. June 13 at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

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Moroccan Made Easy (A Bonus Post For the Week)

Boneless leg of lamb gets the Moroccan treatment.

Boneless leg of lamb gets the Moroccan treatment.

Creating the exotic flavors of Morocco in your own kitchen just got a whole lot easier, thanks to Chef Mourad Lahlou of San Francisco’s Aziza restaurant

His new line of gourmet spices, mixes and sauces for Williams-Sonoma transports you to this faraway land with its heady fragrances and flavors. Recently, I had a chance to try out a sample of his “Mourad’s Moroccan Roasting & Grilling Rub.”

Open the lid to reveal the golden curry-hued powder pungent of turmeric, cumin and ginger. Just smelling it makes you hungry.

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Your Chance to Try the Food Gal App, Cindy Pawlcyn Celebrates with Cake, and More

FoodGalApp

Try the Mini Food Gal App — For Free

Yes, now here’s your chance  to try a mini version of my Food Gal “Ultimate Guide to Bay Area Dining” — for free.

Available at the iTunes store, the  free version has 21 recommended restaurants on it. If you like what you see, you can download the complete app with 70 more restaurant write-ups for a mere $1.99. It’s just like trying a cookie sample at the supermarket. With that first bite, you’re sure to enjoy it so much that you’ll want the whole shebang.

The map feature cleverly lets you find my recommended spots closest to you no matter your location in the Bay Area. Also new to the app is the ability to make reservations through OpenTable.

There might be no such thing as a free lunch. But now you can partake of my delicious mini app for free.

Cindy Pawlcyn Celebrates 30 Years

Chef Cindy Pawlcyn’s pioneering Mustard’s Grill in Yountville will celebrate its 30th anniversary in a very sweet way.

We’re talking cake — a different one featured daily for 30 days, from now through June 15.

Chef Cindy Pawlcyn celebrates a mega anniversary. (Photo courtesy of Alex Farnum)

Chef Cindy Pawlcyn celebrates a mega anniversary. (Photo courtesy of Alex Farnum)

The cake will be available on the dessert menu daily not only at Mustard’s Grill, but at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena and Cindy Pawlcyn’s Wood Grill & Wine Bar in St. Helena.

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A Visit to Hutong, Err, Betelnut

Grilled Monterey calamari at Betelnut-turned-Hutong-turned-Betelnut.

Grilled Monterey calamari at Betelnut-turned-Hutong-turned-Betelnut.

 

Forgive this post for being a little schizoid. But when I visited the former Betelnut restaurant in San Francisco last month, it had recently revamped its interior and menu and had renamed itself Hutong restaurant. But after a lackluster review from the San Francisco Chronicle, Hutong abruptly became Betelnut again.

Fortunately, many of the more adventurous dishes that emerged from the Hutong menu remain available, now alongside classic Betelnut fare such as “Cecilia’s Minced Chicken Lettuce Wraps” ($12.50), named for Chinese culinary doyenne Cecilia Chiang, who was the original consulting chef for Betelnut.

Even better, long-time Chef Alex Ong remains at the helm, creating fiesty, pungent dishes reminiscent of Asian street food found in crowded alleys, otherwise known as “hutongs” in places like Beijing.

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