Category Archives: Enticing Events

A Whirlwind of Information on Sustainable Seafood

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Gravlax topped with a creamy sauce of Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard.

That’s exactly what my buddy,  Jacqueline Church, has created in her 2008 “Teach a Man to Fish” blogging extravaganza.

Church, a Boston food writer and the creator of the LeatherDistrictGourmet blog, asked notable chefs, homecooks, seafood experts, and food writers from around the world — including yours truly — to submit a favorite recipe, and our thoughts on why we so strongly champion sustainable seafood.

You’ll find a wealth of seafood resource links, video clips, and 37 mouth-watering recipes you can enjoy without environmental guilt.

I hope you enjoy my contribution on the “Teach a Man to Fish”  roundup: New York Times food writer Mark Bittman’s Gravlax, served with Carolyn’s Creamy Greek Yogurt-Dijon Sauce.

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Calling All Chocoholics Who Love to Cook

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Create a cutting-edge, imaginative recipe using fine artisan chocolate and diverse ingredients in the second annual “Chocolate Adventure Contest,” and you could end up thousands of dollars richer.

That got your attention?

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker of Berkeley and TuttiFoodie.com know how to put a contest together. And yes, this one does stipulate you use Scharffen Berger chocolate in any one of three categories: sweet, savory, and beverage. One grand prize winner in each of those categories pockets a cool $5,000.

Contestants also are required to use at least one “adventure ingredient” from the following list: popping candy (unflavored or flavored), wattleseed, palm sugar, basil, mustard seeds, coriander, black sesame seeds, black or pink peppercorns, chili pepper (fresh or whole dried), coconut milk, kaffir lime leaf, matcha tea, mango, plantain, jicama, tapioca pearls (any size), tamarind (or tamarind paste), and/or cacao nibs.

It’s that simple, so get cracking. You have through Jan. 4, 2009 to enter online at www.chocolateadventurecontest.com.

“When we started Scharffen Berger, we were the first ones in the United States to focus on bringing out the intrinsic flavors of cacao in our chocolate, and the first to highlight the importance of cacao by featuring its percentage on our label,” says company Co-Founder John Scharffenberger.  “Our goal was to enhance the way Americans thought about chocolate.  We’re looking for that same forward-looking spirit in this recipe contest.”

Entries will be scrutinized by a panel of chocolate experts, including cookbook authors Alice Medrich and Elizabeth Falkner, John Scharffenberger, and TuttiFoodie.com’s Lisa Schiffman. Recipes will be judged on originality, creativity, taste, and ease of preparation.

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Playing With Fire

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Chef Mourad Lahlou preparing a tangia to cook in the ashes.

It was a brisk morning in St. Helena, but troughs of burning, glowing coals provided warmth as we gathered together, our appetites already primed for the charred, long-simmered delights yet to come.

We were there to watch three Mediterranean culinary stars demonstrate the ancient art of cooking over fire: Mourad Lahlou, the Marrakech-born chef-owner of Aziza in San Francisco; esteemed cookbook author Paula Wolfert; and Haouari Abderrazak, chef-owner of Haouari Restaurant on the island of Djerba, Tunisia.

It was all part of the recent “Worlds of Flavor International Conference” at the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone Campus. This year’s theme was: “A Mediterranean Flavor Odyssey.”

Shrimp and fish skewers

Shrimp and fish brochettes sizzled on a grill, as Abderrazak mixed up a boldly flavored red sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, and harissa (a blend of chiles, cumin, coriander, and caraway) to accompany them.

Lahlou planned to make lamb tangia — chunks of lamb shoulder simmered for 12 hours with saffron, garlic, preserved lemons, and ras el hanout (a Moroccan spice blend that can contain about 50 ingredients, such as ginger, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, turmeric, and dried flowers).

Saucy Moroccan lamb tangia

It is made in a tanjia, a clay vessel that is sealed with wax paper, then buried in hot coals or wood ash to cook.

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Meet “Top Chef” Contestant Tre Wilcox

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Chef Tre Wilcox (Photo courtesy of the American Heart Association)

Tre Wilcox, a favorite among viewers of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef,” is coming to Oakland on Nov. 15 to put his top cooking skills to work, teaching a “Healthy Holiday Cooking Class.”

The 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. class will be at Beebe Memorial Cathedral, 3900 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland. A $5 donation is requested to attend. Reserve in advance by sending a check or money order to: Vicki Williams, American Heart Association, 426 17th St., Oakland, CA 94612.

The class is being presented by Power to End Stroke, a project of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, and made possible by a community grant by Kaiser Permanente.

Preventing strokes is a top concern of Wilcox’s, as it should be for all of us. African-Americans have twice the risk of a first stroke as whites. Indeed, stroke is the number three killer of all Americans. Most strokes are preventable, if you watch your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

Wilcox will demonstrate that a big holiday needn’t be an artery clogger, too. He will talk about ways to serve more healthful dishes that still pack a punch of flavor.

His recipe below shows just how tasty that can be.

Stuffed Chicken Thighs

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Tri-Valley Dining Deal

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In this struggling economy, who wouldn’t want to eat out for less?

During “Restaurant Week” (Nov. 2-9), participating restaurants in the Tri-Valley and East Bay will offer a special three-course, prix fixe lunch for $20 per person, and dinner for $30 per person.

Restuarants include: Amber Bistro in Danville, Bridges Restaurant & Bar in Danville, Esin Restaurant & Bar in Danville, the Peasant & the Pear in Danville, and the Restaurant at Wente Vineyards in Livermore.

The promotion is being presented by Diablo Magazine. Tonight, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m, the promotion kicks off at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek with food and wine from more than 40 East Bay restaurants and local wineries, as well as a silent auction and live music.

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