New Chocolate Truffles From Amano and Recchiuti

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Amano's new truffle collection.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, two of the country’s premier artisan chocolatiers are offering up special truffles sure to sweeten the holiday.

I was lucky enough to score some samples recently.

First up, Utah’s Amano Artisan Chocolate, which has long been known for its fantastic, complex-tasting chocolate bars. Now, it’s turning its hand to crafting truffles, too.

The elegant chocolate bonbons come in a variety of geometric shapes, some dusted with gold dust or dashes of bold color.

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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Wing-ing It

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Asian-style chicken wings from a talented Basque chef.

They are sticky, sweet and just a little spicy.

They’re everything you want in a finger-licking good chicken wing.

And would you believe these Asian-influenced wings were created by a Basque chef?

That would be the talented Gerald Hirigoyen of Piperade and Bocadillos restaurants, both in San Francisco. With both of his establishments within walking distance of Chinatown, he’ll often head to a nearby Chinese restaurant when he’s craving something different than his own food.

This dish, from his cookbook, “Pintxos” (Ten Speed Press), has become a favorite staff meal with rice at his restaurants.

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Meet Alice Medrich in Brisbane and Enjoy Pisco Sours in San Francisco

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Alice Medrich's ginger cookies. (Photo courtesy of Artisan Books)

A Cookie of a Time with Alice Medrich

The Bay Area’s award-winning cookbook author and pastry expert Alice Medrich will be hosting a cooking demo at the Purcell Murray Culinary Showroom and Amphitheater in Brisbane, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 5.

Medrich will be demonstrating delectable cookie recipes from her eighth and newest book, “Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy: Melt in Your Mouth Cookie Recipes” (Artisan). Learn how to make the cookies of your dreams at this fun event.

Admission price is $35 per person. Copies of Medrich’s book also will be available for purchase that day. For reservations, call (415) 330-5557.

Cookbook author and baker extraordinaire Alice Medrich. (Photo courtesy of Artisan Books)

Celebrate Pisco Sour Day at La Mar Restaurant

Who knew there was an actual “Pisco Sour Day”?

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Curl Up with Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew

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A lusty beef stew you'll want to enjoy more than once.

My husband can be fickle.

He’ll devour a dish one night, then balk at eating the leftovers the next night.

Not with this stew.

When I announced the next evening that dinner was the remains of the  “Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew” over buttered egg noodles we had the night before, he fairly yelped with glee, smacking his lips in anticipation all over again.

This stew will do that to you.

It’s from “The Essential New York Times Cookbook” (W.W. Norton & Co.) by Amanda Hesser, a doorstop of a book with more than 1,000 recipes in it from the past 150 years, of which I recently received a review copy.

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Just in Time for Valentine’s Day — A Sweet Food Gal Giveaway

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Win this lovely box of petits fours by Divine Delights. (Photo courtesy of the bakery)With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s never too early to contemplate sweet gifts for your sweetie.

Divine Delights, a small family bakery in San Rafael, has got you covered.

The company — which has been touted in the New York Times, Gourmet and Bon Appetit — offers a full line of cookies, cakes, tarts, and petits fours.

Among its offerings for Valentine’s Day, are red heart-shaped boxes filled with signature petits fours — miniature almond butter cake layered with truffle cream, fruit fillings or buttercream, then enrobed in chocolate, and decorated with hearts and roses.

One lucky Food Gal reader will win one of the small Valentine heart boxes of petits fours (pictured above; a $37.95 value). It will be delivered to you just before Valentine’s Day. You can give it to someone you love — or just hoard it all to yourself. I won’t tell; I promise.

Contest: Deadline to enter is midnight PST Feb. 5. Winner will be announced Feb. 7. Contest is open only to those in the continental United States.

How to win?

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