Sweet New Bakery, Wine Time & Meal Deals

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Ten cupcakes sold on opening day at SusieCakes will hold a special surprise. (Photo courtesy of SusieCakes)

With shades of “Willy Wonka,” the new SusieCakes bakery opens Jan. 23 in Greenbrae in Marin County with a fun surprise.

The Los Angeles bakery, which welcomes its first Northern California location, will be hiding 10 “golden tickets” in its signature frosting-filled cupcakes on opening day.

Each golden ticket is redeemable for a special reward, such as attendance to a baking or cake decorating class; a 6-inch or 9-inch specialty layer cake; five dozen mini cupcakes; or one dozen cupcakes. Winners will also be entered in a grand prize drawing to receive a 9-inch specialty layer cake monthly for an entire year as part of the “Cake-of-the-Month Club.”

So if you buy a cupcake on Saturday, be sure to bite carefully.

Are you a natural redhead? Then, Sent Sovi of Saratoga has a special offer for you for its first wine dinner of the year.

Jan. 28, the restaurant will host a wine dinner spotlighting Testarossa Winery of Los Gatos, which specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

And did you know that “testarossa” means “redhead” in Italian? Yup, so the restaurant is extending a 20 percent discount off the normal $100 price per person for the dinner to any natural redheads who mention that fact when they make a reservation and are able to prove it when they show up for the dinner.

Get your ‘do in check and prepare to dine on such dishes as dayboat scallops with caramelized scallop jus and sprout petals; and slow-cooked beef ribeye cap with whole grain mustard spaetzle.

Chef Paul Arenstam invites you in for crab and pig. (Photo courtesy of the Americano Restaurant)

Like crab? Like pork, too?

Then, you won’t want to miss the “Crab and Whole Hog Dinner,” Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Americano Restaurant in the Hotel Vitale in San Francisco.

The event, which will be held in the heated patio tent, will feature guest artisan ham purveyor, Massimo Spigaroli, from Italy. The dinner, overseen by Chef Paul Arenstam of the Americano, is an all-you-can-eat buffet of Dungeness crab, pork, side dishes, salads, desserts, and local white wines.

Price is $85.

Through March, the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, will be featuring distinguished California wines in its ENO tasting room. Each Friday, Saturday and Sunday mid-afternoon, a representative from each featured winery will be on hand to answer questions about the wines.

Tasting fees range from $25 to $35 per person, depending upon the vintner. Flights of cheese and chocolates can accompany the tasting for an additional charge.

January spotlights Stage Left Cellars; February showcases Far Niente, Nickel & Nickel, and Dolce wineries; and March focuses on St. Francis Winery & Vineyards.

Throughout the year, Quince in San Francisco will host a series of “In Residence” intimate, informative dinners with guest chefs and vintners from around the world.

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Chef Michael Symon’s Cured Tuna

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Ahi combines with fennel, olives, oranges, and olive brine for incredible results.

We know the man has a way with pig.

After all, whenever you see Chef Michael Symon on TV, he’s usually talking or cooking pork. Who can blame this Midwestern chef with his acclaimed Cleveland restaurants, Lola and Lolita, for having such a porcine love affair?

There’s a whole lot more than pig in his new cookbook, “Michael Symon’s Live to Cook” (Clarkson Potter). Sure, you’ll find the likes of roasted rack of pork with grilled peaches and chestnut honey vinaigrette, not to mention pappardelle with pig’s head ragu.

But you’ll also find everything from sheep’s milk ravioli with brown butter and almonds, and veal chop Milanese with arugula salad to the colorful “Lightly Cured Tuna with Olives, Orange, and Shaved Fennel” (photo above).

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Heavyweights Team for Local Bocuse d’Or Extravaganza

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Chef Daniel Patterson of Coi. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Think if U2 and Coldplay teamed up for one night — and one night only — for a special benefit concert.

This is the culinary equivalent with celebrated Bay Area rock-star chefs Daniel Patterson of Coi in San Francisco and David Kinch of Manresa joining together for one night, Feb. 8, to cook a sumptuous seven-course feast to benefit the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation.

At this unique event, which will take place at Coi, Patterson and Kinch will alternate cooking savory courses, and Coi’s Pastry Chef Bill Corbett will do the honors with dessert. Look for such wondrous treats for the eye and palate as Patterson’s “Winter Pastoral” (young carrots roasted on a bed of hay, radish powder, and shaved Pecorino); and Kinch’s “Crispy Chicken and Egg Confit” (with roasted chicken “dashi” and black truffles).

Poultry from Vacaville’s Soul Food Farm will be highlighted in the dinner to celebrate the legacy of American heritage breed poultry.

Chef David Kinch of Manresa. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Price is $195 per person, with a wine pairing available at an extra charge. For reservations, call (415) 393-9000.

For 20 years, the United States has fielded a team for the Bocuse d’Or, the prestigious Olympics of cooking. But it wasn’t until recently that the country got serious about it, when superstar chefs Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller formed the US foundation to support and train the candidate who would represent this country. Their first candidate was French Laundry Chef de Cuisine Timothy Hollingsworth, who finished sixth out of 24 teams in last year’s competition.

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Cinnamon-Apple Yogurt Muffins

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Muffins with the goodness of fresh apples.

If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, then an apple muffin a day surely must keep nobody away.

Not when it’s full of tender, juicy diced apples, toasty cinnamon and lovely, caramelized brown sugar that’s sure to prompt a near stampede its way.

When a couple of new apples arrived as a sample in the mail, I immediately got the craving for muffins. What can I say? That’s just how I am.

The apples were Pinatas. No, they weren’t full of candy when you cut into them. Indeed, they’re an heirloom varietal that’s available throughout the United States this year for the first time.

Heirloom Pinata apple.

Family-owned Stemilt Growers of Washington state now grow this boutique apple that originated in Germany. The Pinata is crisp and juicy. It has a sweet, mild taste without any sharp tang. It doesn’t brown much after being cut, and it’s ideal for eating out of hand or for baking.

Look for them at Bay Area Raley’s and Safeway stores for about 99 cents to $2.49 a pound.

After looking over a few muffin recipes, I decided to make up my own, using ideas I liked from a few different ones.

I wanted an apple muffin full of apples and nuts. So into the batter went two apples and 1/3 cup of toasted walnuts. Since I didn’t have milk or buttermilk on hand, I used Greek yogurt for moistness and a subtle tang. Since I still have a half full bottle of Calvados in the house, I added a little of that, too, just for fun. But you can easily leave it out if you so want.

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Foodie Fund-Raising Efforts for Haiti

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Red velvet cupcakes for a good cause. (Photo courtesy of Sprinkles)

Buy an ever-popular Red Velvet cupcake from any Sprinkles cupcake bakery today and all proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund.

A lot of Bay Area food and wine purveyors are jumping in to help raise funds, following the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

Today through Monday, St. Francis Winery in Santa Rosa and Sequoia Grove Winery in Rutherford also will be donating all tasting room fees to the American Red Cross.

Head on over to the Presidio Cafe in San Francisco, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 18, for the “Wine for Haiti Fund-Raiser.”

More than 20 wines will be poured. Event organizers are asking that the public donate $50 to $100 as the entry fee. Proceeds will benefit Sirona Cares Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, Partners in Health, and the American Red Cross. For more information, go to the event’s Facebook page.

Take a pub crawl on Jan. 19 in San Francisco, as part of a fund-raiser for the American Red Cross. Starting at 5 p.m., Rickhouse, Cantina and Rye — all in San Francisco — invite you to make your way from one bar to the next to try a specialty cocktail created at each venue just for this event. Proceeds from these unique libations will be donated to the Red Cross.

On Jan. 23, Pizzaiolo in Oakland, Gioia Pizzeria in N. Berkeley, and Bi-Rite Market in San Francisco will join forces to host a “Bakesale for Haiti.”

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