A Bake Sale Not to Miss, Meet Cookbook Author Carol Field & More

Pastry Chef Christina Tosi will be selling cookies and Crack Pie, the recipes of which are in her new cookbook.

A Chance to Buy Sweets from Momofuku Milk Bar and Absinthe

Consider this the ultimate bake sale.

Nov. 9, from noon to 3 p.m., the private dining room at Absinthe in San Francisco will be transformed into exactly that with baked goods for sale by Absinthe Group’s Executive Pastry Chef Bill Corbett and Pastry Chef Christina Tosi of New York’s Momofuku Milk Bar.

Tosi is in town to promote her new cookbook, “Momfuku Milk Bar” (Clarkson Potter). She and Corbett worked together in New York at wd~50.

Among the goodies for sale that afternoon will be Corbett’s Oatmeal Cream Pie ($3.50 each) and German Chocolate Candy Bar ($4 each), as well as Tosi’s famous Crack Pie ($5.25 per slice) and assorted cookies ($1.85 each).

She’ll also have copies of her cookbook on hand for purchase.

A portion of proceeds from the bake sale will benefit the San Francisco Food Bank.

Late that evening on Nov. 9, Tosi will be at Omnivore Books in San Francisco, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

She’ll talk about how she got into baking, and sign copies of her book.

Additionally, Nov.  10 at 6 p.m., Tosi will do a cooking demo and book signing at Williams-Sonoma on Union Square in San Francisco. Books must be purchased at the store to be signed.

Pop-Up Dinner at Coi in San Francisco

Absinthe Executive Pastry Chef Bill Corbett also will be putting in an appearance at Coi in San Francisco on Nov. 14, when he’ll be part of a group of chefs doing a pop-up dinner there that night.

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FigCello is Fig-A-Licious

A new brandy made from black Mission figs. It's heaven in a glass.

Fig fans are sure to go wild for FigCello di Sonoma.

I know I sure did.

FigCello is one smooth liqueur made from black Mission figs blended with a hint of citrus, various botanicals, and distilled Wine Country grapes.

It’s the newest product from Sonoma’s HelloCello, a small artisanal distilled spirits maker. You may know its debut product, Limoncello di Sonoma.

The fig brandy, with 30 percent alcohol by volume, came about when Sondra Bernstein, owner of the Girl & the Fig in Sonoma was on the hunt for a fig liqueur for her restaurant. She approached Fred and Amy Groth of HelloCello, who were eager to take on the challenge.

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Spice Blends to Spice Things Up

Grilled chicken coated in the Babblin' Babs "Greek" herb blend.

That’s exactly what Chef William Mueller of Babblin’ Babs Bistro in Tacoma, WA wants to help you do.

Owner of a five-year-old restaurant named for his late-Mom, Mueller just launched a line of all-natural, salt-free, sugar-free, MSG-free, gluten-free spice blends to give your everyday cooking an easy punch of flavor.

His six blends include: “Everyday,” “Greek,” “Lonestar,” “New Orleans,” “Thai” and “West Indies.”

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Melissa Clark’s One Dish Wonder

With only five ingredients, this dish delivers big-time in flavor.

On time-pressed weeknights, I like nothing better than a one-pot dinner that cooks up in mere minutes and leaves you soulfully satisfied far, far longer.

Melissa Clark’s “Sauteed Scallops with Tomatoes and Preserved Lemon” is such a dish.

It’s from her new cookbook, “Cook This Now” (Hyperion), of which I recently received a review copy. Its 120 recipes are arranged by season and month to take advantage of your local farmers market offerings. I’ve already got half the pages bookmarked, as these are wonderfully straightforward recipes that not only entice with their flavors but with their ease of preparation.

This particular recipe by the famed New York Times food writer has only five ingredients (not including salt and pepper), but tastes like so much more.

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Downtown Bakery — A Must-Stop in Sonoma County

Dig into the tomato-Asiago focaccia at the Downtown Bakery & Creamery in Healdsburg.

If you ever happen to find yourself in the vicinity of Healdsburg, make a beeline pronto to the Downtown Bakery & Creamery.

You will not regret it.

And your stomach will thank you profusely.

Started in 1987 by three Chez Panisse alums, this bakery makes everything from scratch — breads, ice cream, cookies, and pastries. There’s even a cafe menu if you want to sit for a spell to enjoy breakfast pizza, cheesy scrambled eggs or a Croque Madame that’s a croissant topped with herbed ricotta cheese and ham.

The famous sticky buns.

My husband and I can never resist the sticky buns ($2.25 each). This version is simply sublime — a flaky, buttery croissant-like dough formed into a muffin shape that has a crunchy topping of sugar. You also can buy them frozen to bake up fresh at home.

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