Category Archives: Great Finds

In Love with Long Beans Amatriciana

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Skip the bucatini and use Chinese long beans in this fun amatriciana dish.
Skip the bucatini and use Chinese long beans in this fun amatriciana dish.

The dress that droops like a sad sack on the hanger but is transformative when slipped on. That plain cookie you reached for last that is surprisingly the most scrumptious of the bunch. And that quiet, nerdy guy you initially dismissed who turns out to be the love of your life.

Yes, looks can be deceiving.

“Long Beans Amatriciana” is proof of that.

Using Chinese long beans, otherwise known as yard beans or snake beans, in place of bucatini might seem virtuous and the ultimate no-carb, gluten-free hack. But in the hands of Chef Jeremy Fox, it is decidedly decadent, loaded with crispy guanciale, and finished with butter.

And wow, is it ever dangerously delicious.

This clever recipe is from his newest cookbook, “On Meat” (Phaidon), of which I received a review copy. It was written with his wife, Rachael Sheridan, a writer and actress.

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Memories of Mulligatawny Soup

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Mulligatawny soup that holds a special place in my heart.
Mulligatawny soup that holds a special place in my heart.

During summers in high school, I’d work in my dad’s department at Greyhound in San Francisco, where he was a bookkeeper.

It was tedious work to be sure, filing papers and ticket receipts by hand, hour after hour, (yes, before dawn of the digital age).

The highlight of the day was always lunch, when my dad and I would walk a few yards outside to go to a cafe that catered to the in-a-rush office crowd.

It was cafeteria-style, where you took your tray down the line until you got to the station from which you wanted to order. I always held out to the end, where the roster of rotating homemade soups could be found hidden under stainless steel lids. It proved my introduction to the wide, wide world of soups. There was the familiar minestrone and clam chowder, of course, but also Mexican wedding soup, Greek Avogolemo soup, and Indian mulligatawny, all of which were new to me and dazzled with their distinctive, warm flavors.

That’s why one spoonful of this golden “Mulligatawny Soup” prompted a flood of wonderful memories of sitting at a cafe table with my dad, discussing the food we were enjoying as he’d ask “How’s things?”

The recipe is from the new “My Indian Kitchen” (Figure 1), of which I received a review copy, by Vikram Vij, the celebrated chef and restaurateur behind the groundbreaking Vij’s, which opened in 1994 and introduced Vancouver, BC to contemporary, innovative Indian cuisine. It was written with Jennifer Muttoo, a hospitality and marketing expert.

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Saba Jam Will Definitely Be Your Jam

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Saba Jam's Fig Ume Plum Jam stars in these bar cookies.
Saba Jam’s Fig Ume Plum Jam stars in these bar cookies.

Imagine jam that tastes as if peak ripe fruit were picked off the tree, then immediately cooked down before a luscious spoonful made it into your mouth a mere moment after cooling.

I think that’s the highest compliment I can give San Francisco’s Saba Jam, which tastes so clear and vivid, and comes in such inspired flavors as Blueberry Verjus, Bosenberry Beet, and Persian Lime Juniper Berry.

They’re the handiwork of Saba Parsa, an Iranian American who is a former chemical engineer-turned extraordinary jam maker.

She scours local farmers markets for the best fruit in season to make her small-batch jams using a minimum of sugar. She drops new ones only four times per year. They’re so highly regarded that they’ve racked up multiple Good Food Awards.

I had an opportunity to try samples of two of her jams: Nectarine Ginger, and Fig Ume Plum (8-ounce jars for $19.95 each).

Saba Jams made in small batches with seasonal, local fruit.
Saba Jams made in small batches with seasonal, local fruit.

The former is slightly chunky with bits of candied ginger, adding a subtle warmth. It tastes very much like a nectarine crumble. It would be wonderful on so many breakfast staples — be it oatmeal, plain yogurt, toast, scone or bagel. Or even drizzled over roasted squash.

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In Celebration of Chocolate Chiffon Cake

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A chocolate chiffon cake with chocolate whipped cream that tastes lighter than you'd think.
A chocolate chiffon cake with chocolate whipped cream that tastes lighter than you’d think.

Apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and pear tart may be the classics that typically cap off the holiday feast.

But for me, a chiffon cake enveloped in swirls of whipped cream frosting holds a dear place, as well.

As a Chinese American with extended family that includes Japanese American relatives, an airy, fluffy cake like those commonly found at Asian bakeries always hits the spot at the end of a heavy, bountiful meal when we want just a little something sweet but not too much.

Sometimes the cake would include a layer of fruit such as sliced fresh strawberries or drained, canned mandarin slices. Aunties always offered slices to take home afterward, too, carefully arranged on sturdy paper plates with a toothpick or two poking out of the top of the cake to prevent the plastic wrap cover from marring its whipped cream surface.

Even though that cake of my childhood was always vanilla, this “Chocolate Chiffon Cake” couldn’t but help bring back a rush of sweet memories.

While it’s slightly more indulgent, thanks to the melted chocolate in both the batter and the whipped cream frosting, at its heart it still eats light compared to so many traditional holiday desserts.

This marvelous recipe is from “Chocolate Lover” (Chronicle Books, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

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Dining at Michelin Two-Starred Enclos

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The dramatic presentation of venison tartare tartlets at Enclos.
The dramatic presentation of venison tartare tartlets at Enclos.

It’s uncommon for a restaurant to garner a Michelin star less than six months after opening.

It’s even more of a rarity to achieve two stars in that short span.

Yet Enclos in downtown Sonoma managed that impressive feat.

Brian Limoges, executive chef of the acclaimed restaurant that opened in December 2024, was caught so off guard that at first he didn’t think he had even been invited to the June ceremony in Sacramento. Turns out the emailed invitation had landed in his spam box.

Sitting in the audience of the awards ceremony, he then had a brief panic when he didn’t see Enclos listed among the new one-star recipients. But good things come to those who wait. And he and his staff were overjoyed to see they had won two stars right out of the gate.

Executive Chef Brian Limoges.
Executive Chef Brian Limoges.
The Michelin plaque.
The Michelin plaque.
The kitchen.
The kitchen.

Enclos, French for “enclosure,” is operated by Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards and Winery in Sonoma. In fact, you’ll find many ingredients on the restaurant’s tasting menu sourced from that verdant 16-acre farm just minutes away.

The winery is owned by Leslie McQuown and her husband Mac McQuown, a serial entrepreneur who also co-founded the Chalone Wine Group and Carmenet Winery. The couple decided to go all-in on the restaurant, and wow, has it paid off.

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