Category Archives: Chefs

Holiday Sweet Treats, A Special Michael Mina Dinner & More

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La Boulange's special holiday macarons. (Photo courtesy of the bakery)

La Boulange’s Holiday Offerings

Need a last-minute hostess gift or sweet treat to end the feast for Thanksgiving?

La Boulange, with locations around the Bay Area, comes to the rescue with its double whammy of  holiday pumpkin and rum raisin macarons.

The classic French cookie sandwich is filled with your choice of pumpkin or rum raisin ganache. They’re $1.50 each.

For Christmas, La Boulange offers up the classic buche de Noel. The Christmas log-cake confection is rolled and filled with cream, topped with buttercream, then decorated with marzipan and meringue.

A festive, scrumptious yule log. (Photo courtesy of La Boulange)

The edible yule log comes in two sizes: 6-inch ($23) and 12-inch ($35).

Maximum Mina Dinner For A Good Cause

That’s the appropriate name for the Nov. 27 dinner at RN74 in San Francisco, which will include a host of chefs from the Michael Mina restaurant group cooking up a five-course feast with wine pairings and a cocktail.

The “Maximum Mina” dinner will be created by Mina, wine director Rajat Parr, and Pastry Chef Lincoln Carson, as well as Ron Siegel of Michael Mina restaurant, Jason Berthold of RN74 and Omri Afalo of Bourbon Steak.

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Pizza Perfection at San Francisco’s A16

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Marinated sardines with frisee and apples at A16.

As the saying goes: The more things change, the more they stay the same.

In the case of San Francisco’s A16, that’s a very good thing. The restaurant, which specializes in the cuisine of Campania, has weathered quite a few chef changes over its eight years. But you’d never know it. The narrow restaurant is always packed. And the food is consistently stellar, especially the pizzas and pastas.

That was the case on my most recent visit there last month, when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant.

Executive Chef Christopher Thompson took over the helm earlier this summer. He also journeyed to Naples this year, where he became a certified pizzaiolo in Neapolitan-style pizza.

The Margherita with added prosciutto di Parma.

Of course, we had to have one of those pies. We opted for the Margherita ($15) with tomato, mozzarella, Grana Padano, basil and a splash of olive oil. The blistered crust was crisp, even holding up well enough in the center to the milky mozzarella that had melted delightfully to become one with the sweet tomato sauce. You can tell the sign of a great crust in that it should have a developed flavor all on its own. This one does. It also had plentiful air bubbles to create a wonderful chewy texture in parts.

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Marc Forgione Visits Macy’s, Chance to Win Dinner at Every Yountville Restaurant & More

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Meet Chef Marc Forgione at Macy's. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Chef Marc Forgione at Macy’s Union Square

Tonight at 6 p.m., head to Macy’s Union Square San Francisco to watch Chef Marc Forgione cook up a holiday feast.

The winner of Season 3 “The Next Iron Chef” will demo how to make turkey leg roulade, maple whipped sweet potatoes, and a Honey Crisp apple and dried fruit cobbler.

Forgione, chef-owner of Restaurant Marc Forgione in New York, is also a member of the Macy’s Culinary Council.

Attendees must RSVP for this event by clicking here.

Win a Chance to Eat at Every Single Yountville Restaurant

How would you like to win a chance to dine at every restaurant in Yountville, including the French Laundry?

With more Michelin stars per capita than any other city, that’s saying something, too.

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Three Big Names Star At Cookbook-Signing Events

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Get your cookbook signed by Thomas Keller at two upcoming events. (Photo courtesy of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group)

Thomas Keller

Join famed Chef Thomas Keller at Sur La Table, where he’ll be signing copies of his fifth cookbook, “Bouchon Bakery” (Artisan).

Nov. 15 at 6 p.m., Keller, proprietor of the French Laundry, Ad Hoc, Bouchon Bistro and Bouchon Bakery, will be on hand at the Palo Alto Sur La Table.

The next day, Nov. 16 at noon, he’ll be at the branch at San Jose’s Santana Row.

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Best Apple Cake EVER — Courtesy of Pastry Chef Joanne Chang

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The apple cake to end all apple cakes. Sheer perfection.

Throw out all those other apple cake recipes. Even the ones handed down to you by relatives (Sacrilege, I know. But you’ll get over the guilt.)

Because the only one you need is this one.

How incredible is this apple cake?

My husband, who doesn’t even like apples (Is there such a person?), took one bite and mid-chew mumbled, “This IS good! And you know, I don’t even like apples.” (Uh, yup, duly noted.)

The name, “Apple Snacking Spice Cake,” doesn’t even do it justice. That moniker conjures up a simple after-school cake baked in a square pan, and cut up to eat out of hand.

That is not this cake.

Rather, this cake is round, tall and the color of dark caramel. It is jam-packed with fruit, too. The batter is quite thick. In fact, it’s almost more apples than actual batter. If that weren’t enough, there’s also a full cup of toasted pecans in it, too. For good measure, there’s also a big handful of raisins. I actually used dried mulberries instead because I love their date-like taste.

A profusion of apples and pecans in every slice.

The result is a cake, in which every bite is a riot of apples and nuts, as well as warm spices of ginger, cloves and cinnamon. But don’t think this cake is too moist like a dreaded fruitcake. Nope, it’s tender and its moistness level is just right. What’s more, when it bakes up, the top of the cake gets that heavenly crisp, crackly texture we all can’t resist.

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