Category Archives: New Products

Superb Salumi

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Can't stop at just one slice.

When chef-cookbook author-cooking host Michael Chiarello opened his flagship NapaStyle store in Yountville last year,  he finally had enough space for a curing room.

Like his other five NapaStyle stores in California, the Yountville one also boasts a tempting array of specialty cookware and gourmet ingredients. But this one also features a wine bar, as well as a cafe that serves sandwiches and salads.

When I visited recently, I was after what came out of the curing room — artisan cured meats.

Hand-crafted salumi seems to be the rage these days among Bay Area chefs. You have Paul Bertolli, former executive chef of Oakland’s Oliveto, turning out his wonderful Fra’Mani salumi. You have Chris Cosentino, chef of San Francisco’s Incanto, selling his brand of Boccalone cured meats.

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Potato Chip Cookies for Fools

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The ''before'' picture of Kettle Brand Baked Potato Chips.

You’ve heard of  “Girls Gone Wild”?

Think of this as “Potato Chips Gone to Hell.”

This is the story of when bad things happen to good potato chips.

Or the tale of a thoroughly foolish recipe for April Fool’s Day.

You see, when I spied a recipe for Potato Chip Cookies in a new cookbook, I got all intrigued. I mean, who wouldn’t at the thought of something as unlikely as potato chips being incorporated into cookie dough?

I’ve decided to let the cookbook go unnamed, since it’s not fair for me to judge the entire cookbook by only one recipe. I’ve also decided not to print the recipe here, because I’m never making it again, and I sure wouldn’t want any of you to.

The "after'' photo of the first bad batch.

The cookies are described in the recipe as being like Mexican wedding cake cookies. I tell ya, look at these photos. Do these look anything like Mexican wedding cake cookies? I think not!

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Fruity, Chocolate-Dunked Meringues

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Blueberry CocoaBerries.

Sound pretty good?

Then, meet CocoaBerries — the newest treat from Rubicon Bakery.

If you don’t know Rubicon Bakery, you should. For more than a dozen years, it has created baked treats that are sold at many Bay Area stores, including Andronico’s, Costco, Zanotto’s, and Whole Foods, as well as Rubicon’s online site.

It is part of Rubicon Programs, Inc., a non-profit that provides training, employment, and housing to those in need. The bakery offers work-skill training and entry-level jobs for those who are homeless, or suffer from mental disabilities or addictions. All revenue from the bakery, minus costs, are donated to the agency.

The CocoaBerries are available in two flavors: Strawberry and Blueberry. Each 2.7-ounce box is about $5.50.

I’ll use my patented scale of 1 to 10 lip-smackers, with 1 being the “Bleh, save your money” far end of the spectrum; 5 being the “I’m not sure I’d buy it, but if it was just there, I might nibble some” middle-of-the-road response; and 10 being the “My gawd, I could die now and never be happier, because this is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth” supreme ranking.

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Gorge-a-thon at the Chocolate Salon

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Kshocolat's chocolate-covered nuts and honeycomb bits.

Chocolate in vodka.

Chocolate in cake.

Chocolate in custard tarts.

Chocolate in fanciful bonbons.

Chocolate, chocolate, everywhere.

That was the scene at last Saturday’s San Francisco International Chocolate Salon at Herbst Pavillion, where 30,000-square-feet of space was devoted to all things chocolate. Yours truly was lucky enough to be a judge for the chocolate competition. I think chocolate is still coursing through my veins from all that nibbling.

San Francisco's Neococoa truffles made with organic, fair trade, and local ingredients.

Hundreds of chocoholics made the rounds to taste samples at more than 50 booths. Here were some of my favorites:

* Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka: Think the taste of chocolate milk, but in the form of clear vodka. This is one smooth operator, even when tasted straight. It goes down easy, with no serious burn. A truly elegant and polished spirit. A 750ml bottle is about $30.

* William Dean Chocolates: Bold colors (green, fuchsia, azure, bright orange) and unique shapes make these truffles extremely eye-catching. The Largo, Fla. chocolates are all made by hand. The PB&J is a masterpiece: milk chocolate and peanut butter with the crunch of peanut brittle, and a sweet, complex jelly made from three different fruits. A nine-piece box of assorted chocolates is $18.

Fun colors from William Dean Chocolates of Florida.

* Marti Chocolatt: Filipino-American Tonet Tibay studied the art of chocolate making at Ecole Lenotre in Paris. These exquisite creations explode on your tongue with the assertive flavors of pandan, ginger, rose-raspberry, and even goat cheese. The durian is creamy, bold and complex. Made in Los Angeles, these are chocolates that grab your senses. A box of six bonbons is $13.50.

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Sustainable Sushi

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Sit down at your favorite sushi bar to order mirugai, bonito, hotate or akame.

Chances are that you’re not really sure what you’re always eating, given that the seafood names are in Japanese. Moreover, chances are even greater that you’re unsure whether what you’re eating is sustainable or being over-fished to extinction.

You may remember my post last year about three new sustainable sushi guides by three environmental organizations. Now, on the heels of those, comes “Sustainable Sushi” (North Atlantic Books) by Casson Trenor, a sustainable seafood expert who’s also a consultant to Tataki Sake and Sushi Bar in San Francisco, the first sustainable sushi restaurant in North America.

Author Casson Trenor

At 110 pages, this book is a more in-depth look at 39 species found on sushi menus. Trenor includes information on such crucial issues as mercury levels, dredging, and crowded fish farms. The species are color-coded so that you can tell from just a glance whether it’s sustainable, unsustainable, or one that you should proceed with caution about. It’s a must-read for any sushi aficionado.

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