Amanda Freitag’s Pop’s Beer-Braised Bold Beef Stew and Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes

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Freitag's favorite dishes growing up -- her father's beef stew.

One of Amanda Freitag’s favorite dishes growing up — her father’s beef stew.

 

In the winter, there are few things as comforting as tucking into a big bowl of beef stew and creamy mashed potatoes.

It’s a stick-to-your-ribs — and everywhere else — kind of dish that fortifies on a long, dark night like nothing else.

So when I spied “Pop’s Beer-Braised Bold Beef Stew,” I was game to give it a go, not only because of the two bottles of dark beer in it, but also the half bottle of red wine. How good does that sound, right?

The recipe is from “The Chef Next Door: A Pro Chef’s Recipes For Fun, Fearless Home Cooking” (William Morrow) by Amanda Freitag with writer Carrie King.

ChefNextDoor

You probably know celebrated New York Chef Freitag from her many TV appearances as a judge on the Food Network’s “Chopped” and a competitor on “Iron Chef America.”

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Wake Up and Smell The Coffee (And Chocolate) On Valentine’s Day

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Coffee and chocolate -- a perfect match.

Coffee and chocolate — a perfect match.

 

Not quite tall, but definitely dark and handsome, this cake is the perfect companion for Valentine’s Day.

“Double Chocolate Espresso Wake-Up Bread” is from the new “The Everyday Baker” (Taunton Press), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Abigail Johnson Dodge, a baking expert and contributing editor to Fine Cooking magazine. It’s filled with 176 recipes for sweet and savory treats, as well as plenty of technique tips, including how to judge the best ripe banana for making banana bread, assembling and filling pastry bags, shaping baguettes like a pro, and fastest way to pick leaves off thyme stems.

EverydayBaker

The recipes are perfect for the home-cook who wants to make something pleasing but doesn’t want to spend three days doing so. Enjoy everything from “Make-Ahead Chocolate French Toast” and “Salted Caramel-Toffee Icebox Cake” to “Goat Cheese Olive Spirals” and “Black Pepper Cream Crackers.” Each recipe also includes “Twists” — recommendations for changing-out the flavor of each or re-sizing it.

This particular recipe may be called a bread, but it’s really full-on cake.

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Afternoon Tea Is A Breeze With The East India Company

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Cheese crackers you''re sure to fall for.

Cheese crackers you”re sure to fall for.

 

What do you need for a proper afternoon tea at home?

Great quality tea, for starters. Along with a few dainty sweets and savories to serve alongside.

The East India Company has got you covered.

Originally established in 1600 by Queen Elizabeth I to explore the unknown East, it mapped trade routes, brought back exotic flavors, planted the first teas in Darjeeling, and saw its tea thrown overboard into the Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party.

Today, the company continues to develop and market fine teas and foods. In fact, it recently just started being carried in select Neiman Marcus stores, including the ones in San Francisco and Palo Alto.

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Valentine’s Baking Class, Lunar New Year Dinners, and A New Brunch

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The signature Rachel's Cake. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

The signature Rachel’s Cake. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

Hands-On Valentine’s Baking Classes

Sure, you can go out to dinner with your sweetie in honor of Valentine’s Day. But why not bake something together for an especially sweet time instead?

Rachel’s Cakes of Burlingame is offering just that — two-hour, hands-on classes designed for couples to bake and decorate homemade sugar cookies.

The classes are: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 13; and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 14.

Each class is limited to four couples, and includes lessons in rolling, baking and decorating. Appetizers and beverages also will be served. You can take home your decorated cookies, as well as any unfinished ones with a supply of icing to complete them at home.

The class is $150 per couple. Reservations are required by calling (650) 393-4514. If you can’t make it to any of these, you’ll be glad to know Rachel’s offers other classes throughout the year.

On the flip side, if you want to leave the baking to someone else for Valentine’s Day, owner Rachel Richanbach will be happy to create a rustic or custom cake.

I had a chance to try some samples recently. Her cakes are all very moist, and taste quite homey.

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