French Macarons From A Kit? Ooh, La La!

Ta-da -- the finished macarons I made with the Food La La kit.
Ta-da — the finished macarons I made with the Food La La kit.

Imagine learning to bake fanciful French macarons in the comfort of your own kitchen with guidance from an expert who happens to bear more than a passing resemblance to none other than Anna Kendrick.

You can — with the French Macaron Kit by Food La La. The San Francisco culinary business was founded by Lindsay Kinder, whose disarming charm, self-deprecation, and pony-tailed, petite presence will indeed remind you of that Hollywood star.

After toiling for five years in a corporate job selling insurance, she chucked it all to go live in France. There, she spent months studying cooking and baking, and of course, eating a lot of macarons.

It inspired her to launch her first product, the macaron kit. At $97, it’s as festive as a party in a box, with shiny black and rose-gold colored bags that hold nearly everything you need to make about two dozen macarons. You just have to add your own butter, eggs and splash of milk or cream.

The kit comes in great packaging.
The kit comes in great packaging.

The kit is complete with pre-measured dry mixes to make the macaron and buttercream filling, along with piping bags, gel food coloring, dazzling sprinkles, edible metallic paint plus a paint brush, a handy macaron template to guide your piping onto the baking sheet, and even a couple of snazzy gift boxes if you can part with your macarons after you’ve decorated them.

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Take Five with the One and Only Nobu Matsuhisa

Chef Nobu Matsuhisa in the new garden dining space at Nobu Palo Alto.
Chef Nobu Matsuhisa in the new garden dining space at Nobu Palo Alto.

Much like Madonna, Adele and Beyonce, this storied chef is so recognized the globe over that you know him readily by simply his first name.

The one and only Nobu Matsuhisa came to town this week to christen the new Japanese-inspired outdoor garden dining space at his Nobu Palo Alto restaurant and hotel, completely transforming what was formerly a florist shop into a zen oasis.

If you have an appetite for fine Japanese cuisine, you owe a debt of gratitude to him. If you appreciate impeccable sushi and sashimi, especially done with groundbreaking global influences such as jalapenos, olive oil, garlic, and lemon, you have him to thank for introducing this new style. Matsuhisa helped turn what was once considered exotic into a mainstay of which we now can’t get enough.

His accomplishments are nothing short of breathtaking, opening 21 restaurants in the United States and Canada alone, not to mention 16 in Europe; five in Mexico and the Caribbean; six in the Middle East and Africa; and eight in Asia and Australia. In all, 56 restaurants across the globe. Moreover, his hotel in downtown Palo Alto is one of 34 operating or in process of opening worldwide.

The Palo Alto restaurant is one of 56 Nobu locations worldwide.
The Palo Alto restaurant is one of 56 Nobu locations worldwide.

It’s been quite the journey for Matsuhisa, one that began with the most challenging of circumstances in Japan, when he lost his father at age 8 in a motorcycle accident, only later to get expelled from high school for acting out. Looking to turn his life around at 18, he moved to Tokyo to apprentice in a sushi restaurant. What followed next were a series of soaring highs and crushing blows — moving to Lima to open his first restaurant, only to have that business partnership dissolve badly, then relocating to Alaska to open a Japanese restaurant, only to see it destroyed in an accidental fire less than two months later.

Eventually, armed with a green card, he immigrated to Southern California with his wife and two young daughters for a fresh start. In 1987 he opened Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills. There, a regular nudged him repeatedly to open an outpost in New York until he agreed to do so, debuting restaurant Nobu in Manhattan in 1994. That regular was none other than actor Robert DeNiro, who would go on to partner with Matsuhisa in all his future projects and be instrumental in steering him to opening hotels, too.

Yesterday, I had a chance to spend a few minutes with Matsuhisa in the tranquil garden with its decorative bronze gate, seasonal blooms, and boulders that were hand-picked and flown in from Japan.

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Cuckoo for Cukes

A very good cucumber salad, indeed.
A very good cucumber salad, indeed.

As the days warm, I excitedly ready my cucumber seedlings to plant.

Positioning them gently in pots of soil in my yard, I can’t help but already hunger for their snappy crunch and refreshing juiciness to use in salads of all kinds.

Including “Cucumber, Dates, Pistachios,” that’s as simple and straightforward as its name implies.

This light, bright salad is from “Very Good Salads” (Smith Street Books, 2022), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Shuki Rosenboim and Louisa Allan, who own the proudly named Very Good Falafel in Melbourne, Australia, a tiny 20-seat cafe where falafel is a staple but the salads change regularly with the whim of the seasons.

The cookbook showcases 52 of those vibrant salads and vegetable dishes, from “Broad Bean and Macadamia-Stuffed Artichokes” in spring and “Frozen Grapes, Herbs, Zucchini Flowers” in summer to “Roasted Quince, Pearl Barley, Walnut, Pistachio, Saffron” in autumn and “Beetroot Dip, Pistachio Hazelnut Dukkah” in winter.

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Lyon-Style Chicken with Rosé Vinegar Sauce

A whole cup of vinegar stars in this Lyon classic dish.
A whole cup of vinegar stars in this classic Lyon dish.

If you were to peek inside my pantry, you’d spy upwards of 10 different vinegars at all times.

That may seem excessive, but each has its purpose and distinct flavor profile. And there’s nothing like vinegar to perk up and round out a dressing, soup, stew, marinade, sauce, and even cocktails.

So, when I was asked if I wanted to be one of the first to sample the new Ponti Rosé Wine Vinegar, I jumped at the chance.

This ninth-generation, family-owned Italian company selects local rose wine that meets its standards, then turns it into vinegar.

Ponti's new Rose’ Wine Vinegar.
Ponti’s new Rosé Wine Vinegar.

The result is a luminous pink vinegar that’s quite sharp yet wonderfully floral, and with a pointed strawberry note.

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Move Over, Grilled Cheese; Make Room for Chili Cheese Toast

Cheese, chili, scallions, and garlic meet bread for impeccable results.
Cheese, chili, scallions, and garlic meet bread for impeccable results.

This might very well be the best thing to happen to sliced bread.

Think of “Chili Cheese Toast” as the marriage between pungent garlic bread and gooey grilled cheese with the familial addition of lively fresh chili peppers.

Now, that’s what I call harmonious company.

You will, too, in this recipe from “Indian Flavor Every Day” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by New York’s Maya Kaimal, an award-winning cookbook author and founder of Maya Kaimal Foods, a line of premium Indian foods sold nationwide.

The book’s 80 recipes are especially enticing for anyone who loves the bold flavors of Indian cuisine but has felt too intimidated to cook them at home.

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