Category Archives: Great Finds

When You Visit Maui And Tote Home Exquisite Vanilla Beans, You Must Make This…

A rich cake fragrant with three vanilla beans and vanilla extract.
A rich cake fragrant with three vanilla beans and vanilla extract.

For the longest time, I have wondered what happened to the glorious Maui Gold pineapples that I used to snag so easily at Bay Area Costcos and local grocery stores.

A recent trip to Maui turned up an explanation for why they are MIA here — along with an unexpected gift of wonderfully aromatic Maui-grown vanilla beans.

It all started one morning just after I finished breakfast at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa. Guests like myself staying in the newly revamped Hokupa’a Tower rooms enjoy breakfast bites on the lanai included in their reservations. To make the lanai more festive, the resort often has featured performers, chef demos or other entertainment.

Maui-grown vanilla beans.
Maui-grown vanilla beans.

That morning, I spied Michael Schenk at a counter, cutting up samples of Maui Gold pineapples to give out to guests. Or rather, my nose first caught wind of the unmistakable sweet, tangy, tropical scent of the fruit and I followed it to its source.

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Cute Little Creamy Jammy Coffee Cakes

There are layers upon layers of goodness to enjoy in these little coffee cakes.
There are layers upon layers of goodness to enjoy in these little coffee cakes.

Moms are so accustomed to sharing everything — their food, favorite sweater, the family car, and most of all, their time.

So, this Mother’s Day, gift her something that she can call her very own, something she can indulge in selfishly, thoroughly, and completely.

I’m talking “Creamy Jammy Coffee Cakes.”

Bigger than a standard muffin but clearly smaller than a full-on cake that requires slicing, these individual coffee cakes are the perfect size to feel pampered with.

The recipe is from “100 Morning Treats” (Chronicle Books), of which I received a review copy. It’s by Sarah Kieffer, the Minneapolis creator of the award-winning The Vanilla Bean Blog, and the baker who popularized the famed pan-banging, cookie-baking technique.

This fun book is filled with all manner of homey treats to enjoy for breakfast, brunch, and beyond. You’ll fall for everything from “White Chocolate and Fig Pound Cake,” “Giant Carrot Cake Cinnamon Roll,” and “Brioche Bagels” to “Sheet Pan Danish” and “Cheesy Croissant Casserole.”

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Sip, Sip, Hooray: Part 3

The Swedish brand packages European-made wine in cans that are decorated by artists from around the world.
The Swedish brand packages European-made wine in cans that are decorated by artists from around the world.

Djuce

Wine in cans is sure having a moment. And these from Djuce are as dramatic as they get.

Founded in Stockholm, Sweden, this sustainable-wine company just expanded into the United States in Los Angeles and San Diego, and soon to arrive in San Francisco. The cans are decorated with striking, contemporary artwork from artists around the world, and filled with wine from European producers.

Cans were chosen not only because they are lighter and easier to transport, but according to the company, also because they are 28 percent more efficient to recycle and their use cuts CO2 emissions by 79 percent compared to glass.

Currently, Djuce offers 11 wines from seven regions in Europe, all sustainably farmed, certified organic, vegan, and low in sulfites.

The 2021 Meinklang Kontext, a natural orange wine.
The 2021 Meinklang Kontext, a natural orange wine.

I had a chance to sample three of them. Each can is 250ml or roughly 1 cup, which makes for a generous portion for one person or a modest pour for two people to share.

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Andrea Nguyen’s Char Siu Roasted Cauliflower

All the sweet, smoky, familiar taste of Chinese char siu -- but done with cauliflower instead.
The sweet, smoky, familiar taste of Chinese char siu — but done with cauliflower instead.

Admittedly, I’d grown a little weary of cauliflower.

Not that I don’t love this brassica’s crunch and subtle nutty sweetness. But after so many recipes for ricing, pizza crust-making, and roasting whole and every which way, I kinda had my fill.

Then, along comes the spectacular and unbelievably easy “Char Siu Roasted Cauliflower” to make me appreciate it all over again.

This clever vegetarian riff on the classic Chinese barbecue pork comes from my friend and colleague, Santa Cruz’s Andrea Nguyen, of course. It’s one of 125 recipes in her wonderful new “Ever-Green Vietnamese” (Ten Speed Press), of which I received a review copy.

As she writes in the book’s forward, she — or rather her body — “hit a wall” as she was turning 50 in 2019. No surprise, the older we get, the more we begin to experience real changes in our bodies. In our 20s, we are lucky to get away with devouring most anything without a second thought. But in our 40s, 50s, and beyond, the digestive system starts to rebel more and the calories make themselves way too much at home.

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French Macarons From A Kit? Ooh, La La!

Ta-da -- the finished macarons I made with the Food La La kit.
Ta-da — the finished macarons I made with the Food La La kit.

Imagine learning to bake fanciful French macarons in the comfort of your own kitchen with guidance from an expert who happens to bear more than a passing resemblance to none other than Anna Kendrick.

You can — with the French Macaron Kit by Food La La. The San Francisco culinary business was founded by Lindsay Kinder, whose disarming charm, self-deprecation, and pony-tailed, petite presence will indeed remind you of that Hollywood star.

After toiling for five years in a corporate job selling insurance, she chucked it all to go live in France. There, she spent months studying cooking and baking, and of course, eating a lot of macarons.

It inspired her to launch her first product, the macaron kit. At $97, it’s as festive as a party in a box, with shiny black and rose-gold colored bags that hold nearly everything you need to make about two dozen macarons. You just have to add your own butter, eggs and splash of milk or cream.

The kit comes in great packaging.
The kit comes in great packaging.

The kit is complete with pre-measured dry mixes to make the macaron and buttercream filling, along with piping bags, gel food coloring, dazzling sprinkles, edible metallic paint plus a paint brush, a handy macaron template to guide your piping onto the baking sheet, and even a couple of snazzy gift boxes if you can part with your macarons after you’ve decorated them.

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