San Francisco: The Town of Stepford?

We had friends from D.C. visiting with us last weekend. Both were born and bred east-coasters. Lee originally hailed from the northeast (Long Island) and Christine was born a true steel magnolia from the coast of northern Florida. Each one's sensibilities as ruggedly and practically informed as anything that has been yielded east of the Mississippi River.

They are N.Y. bagels, Jersey beefsteak tomatoes, Nova Lox, Coney Island hot dogs, Maryland crab cakes and homemade 30 minute corn grits; if you get my purport: paragons of their culture: the purest paragons of the no-nonsense, quick-witted, intellectually advanced, slightly left of center (politically, not physically), cynical breed of personage necessarily fomented by an increasingly frenetic right coast lifestyle.

They are both smart, funny and amiable. They are also extremely well-traveled (he is after all THE Geographer of the United States of America; you know, like the Surgeon General), cosmopolitan and, although both are academically inclined, they are a far cry from those dusty denizens of ivy-covered, ivory towers who lead sheltered lives and remain blissfully untutored in the ways of the world.

Which is why I was wholly unprepared, though thoroughly amused, by their joint reaction to the wonderful world that is San Francisco.

Now, I don't want to give the impression that they disliked the city or its citizens. Or that they were dissatisfied with their accommodations (The Fairmont), their meals (Kokkari Estario, Gary Danko, Acquerello) or the tourist attractions (Cable cars, Fisherman's Wharf, Giant's game, Haight Ashbury, etc.).

On the contrary, they found everything and everyone to be very pleasant. Too pleasant.
Scarily pleasant, frighteningly helpful and ridiculously agreeable. According to them, the experience was much too much like that nightmare cult B movie of the '70s: The Stepford Wives. Wherever they went they were accosted by hordes of smiling happy people giving them unsolicited directions if our friends happen to be holding a map, offering them advice en masse on the best stop to get off on Muni to see a particular sight, constantly thanking them for their custom and patronage, endlessly wishing them well as in "Have a good one!".

These and many other small examples of friendliness and civility were too much for our friends. They being good east coasters were unaccustomed to such neighborly largesse; a stomp on the foot and a dirty look being the usual mode of intercourse between strangers on a metro line back east.

One day, Christine asked me with some concern and great puzzlement, "What is wrong with these people?"

She feeling that perhaps it was some nefarious conspiracy headed by the chamber of commerce to hoodwink innocent tourists into believing that they had entered the last bastion of Norman Rockwell's America by planting out-of-work actors on the city buses and streets to behave like something in a Frank Capra movie thereby ensuring future visits by rubes who would then believe San Francisco is an earthly nirvana to be experienced again and again. (Have I mentioned that tourism is currently the number one industry in San Francisco? All of our techy young upstarts who own all those start-up companies that are gentrifying San Francisco's few gritty neighborhoods notwithstanding?).

Or worse, that the Board of Supervisors or some other governing body in cahoots with Eli Lilly had drugged the citizenry by placing large but not lethal doses of Prozac or some other anti-depressant in the drinking water in order to conduct long-term, large-scale studies of the drug's effect on the various populations of would-be users.

Try though I might to explain the purely altruistic motives of the good citizens by the bay, our friends would only shake their heads, smile sadly and say, "They're so weird!". It was said gently, without rebuke, as though San Franciscans were to be more pitied than censured.

Maybe, we are.

I say we because after several years of living here, I, too, find myself almost irresistibly drawn to people with puzzled looks who are carrying maps and wearing Bermuda shorts. God help me!! Move over Stepford, USA, make room for Baghdad by the Bay! I still despise taking pictures of tourists, however, especially whilst I am trying to hike along Crissy Field, think beautiful thoughts and enjoy the stunning bay view (so that aspect of my former NYC street cred remains untarnished).

Well, in honor of our friends' experiences as tourists in the sweet and easy-going town of San Francisco, I offer for your consumption a uniformly easy to make dessert, west-coast style:


San Francisco Treats: Double Chocolate Almond Biscotti with Dried Cherries

Note:

These biscotti evoke one of the favorite tourist spots in San Francisco: North Beach with its Italian-American heritage and its cafes/coffee shops that were once the home and work place of the famed beat generation poets.

Columbus Avenue. Washington Square Park. City Light Bookstore. Jack Kerouac Street.

All crammed with tourists in the summer and fall. These cookies are something they might enjoy as a pick-me-up to go with a foamy cappuccino in one of North Beach's sidewalk cafes after a long day's touring.

Biscotti means twice-cooked in Italian and that is exactly what we are going to do. Bake them, cut them into slices and bake them again.

As always, you can substitute the ingredients fairly freely: hazelnuts or pistachios for almonds, cranberries or raisins for cherries. Use what you like.

You can substitute canola oil for butter. You can omit the butter altogether for a more traditional, longer shelf-life style of biscotti. Just add another egg white to the recipe.
If you like your biscotti a little less crunchy, decrease the time for the second baking.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) semi-sweet Ghiradelli chocolate chips (for added San Francisco cache)
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon high quality pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped into raisin-sized pieces if large
• 3/4 cup roasted unsalted almonds purchased as slivers or coarsely chopped by hand

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, make sure to place rack in center of the oven before heating.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

• In a large stainless steel bowl with a whisk or hand mixer, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Beat in the vanilla extract.
• In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients using a large strainer as a sift adding the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder into the strainer one at a time then carefully agitating the strainer over the bowl, allowing the ingredients to fall into the bowl as they sift. Once the strainer is empty and all the ingredients are in the bowl, give them a quick whisk to ensure they are uniformly distributed.
• Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat until well incorporated. Stir in the cherries, chips and nuts.
• 
  
• Transfer the dough to a floured surface and divide it in half. With well-floured hands, form each half into a 10" log by rolling the dough back and forth on the board into a cylinder shape. Don't worry if the log breaks apart while rolling just paste back on & re-form it. Make sure you have a 12" ruler handy to help you measure out the length of the log.
• 
  
• Carefully place the logs on the baking sheet, placing them well apart on the pan. Remember the logs will spread as they bake.
• Even out the shape of the logs with your hands then bake in center rack 25-30 minutes until logs are firm to the touch. Remove from the oven, place on a wire, and let cool for 10 minutes.
• Don't let them cool completely or they will be too difficult to cut.
• 
  
• Using a long spatula, carefully transfer the logs to a large cutting board.
• Using a long serrated (bread) knife, cut the logs into 3/4 " slices on the diagonal. (About 24-30 slices depending on their thickness)
• Arrange the slices on the baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes on one side. Then turn the slices over and bake the other side 8-10 minutes until biscotti are crisp and dry. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
  
  
  Serves several smiling shiny (slightly incredulous) happy people. 

In Memory of Ruth: A New Year's Feast That Will Make Her Smile From Her Table in Heaven

It was a bittersweet end to 2007.

Bitter because my husband's mother quietly passed away that New Year's Eve after a long struggle with pulmonary fibrosis that left her breathless but never helpless.

Vincent Van Gogh's "Irises", One of Ruth's Favorite Paintings
Sweet because she was a strong proud woman who had always lived life on her own terms and when an emergency hospital visit made it quite clear she was going to have to completely surrender her hard-fought autonomy in order to continue on, it seems like she may have finally decided she'd rather check out of this world than check into a nursing home. Her moxie knew no bounds and she would have been miserable in that environment.

84 years of living life her way was too strongly ingrained to let her choose any option that would not allow her complete control over every aspect of her life ; or so it seems to me. She had managed to live as she wanted to until almost the very end in the comfort of her own home surrounded by her favorite things (she was a bibliophile with bookcases that lined every wall of her small 4 room apartment), eating all her favorite foods (most of which had been prohibited by her doctors but her poor nurses who were hired to tend to her need round the clock wouldn't dare disobey her commands - better to risk being fired for incompetence by the visiting M.D. than incur Ruth's ire when her sweet tooth needed satisfying).

Unfortunately, my husband and I were on the other side of the country at the time of her passing. We were in Mayacama with friends; 1-1/4 hours away from our San Francisco home. She was in New Jersey, the place she lived a lifetime. Her roots would never be fed by another soil. New Jersey was home.

Our last conversation with her was the day after Christmas, when among other things, she asked how our traditional Christmas dinner of which she was inordinately fond (roast pork, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut) turned out. Ruth lamented that her own Christmas dinner had been ill-conceived by hospital nutritionists and poorly executed by hospital cooks. It was definitely not up to her standards. She was a woman who relished every meal and maybe the prospect of a New Year's Eve of healthy but flavorless meals was more than she could bear. I wouldn't be surprised. If you were old, sick and in tremendous pain with only a bowl of Jello to look forward to after a long day of suffering, you might say "no mas" and give up, too.

Though she never called herself German, or even German-American and, when asked what her ethnicity was, simply said, "American" with a hint of vehemence in her voice as she shot the enquirer daggers from her steel gray eyes, she had a certain amount of pride in her German heritage. She grew up in a Depression-era America, one that did not welcome with open arms the wave of German immigrants fleeing Hitler. Being a "Kraut" back then got you spit on by the children in the working class neighborhood she grew up in, and was not something she and her family ever openly embraced. They did their best to assimilate their manners and tastes to suit what they considered the more homogenous Yankee way of life, except on holidays,  when they celebrated their heritage the way all American immigrant families did... at the table set with their homeland's culinary delicacies. Sauerbraten, rouladen, Weihnachtsgans (the traditional Christmas roast goose), spätzle, stollen, and of course, sauerkraut all adorned the table during their festive season.

Ruth truly enjoyed fine cooking and dining. She was an expert cook, and natural gourmand. She considered the culinary arts as important a thing to be cultured as the fine art and literature that she oversaw when she acted as the Director of Cultural Affairs for Bergen County, a job she held until the last month of her life. We never did get to call her to wish her a happy new year. She died too early on New Year's Eve morning. I remember waking up at an ungodly 4 a.m. to what I assumed was a vision of my husband opening the resort suite's bedroom door. Except it wasn't him, at all... He was lying next to me in bed. It seems that his mother (for whom my husband bore an uncanny resemblance) came to say goodbye to us... I only wish I had cooked her last meal for her.

Here is what I would have served her: 

(I've included recipes in Ruth's honor because she was so fond of food writing, was the person who gave me my first subscription of Food and Wine, my first copy of the London Philharmonic's Bach Brandenburgh Concertos, my first coffee grinder to grind the Kona coffee beans she insisted I must try, my first steamed asparagus bundle wrapped with a chive ribbon - which I thought was the most elegant parcel I had ever unwrapped - and the first person to teach me the advantage of mustard and horseradish on a beautiful strip of beef.)

Chilled Prawn Cocktail with Sriratcha Sauce & Meyer Lemon Oil


















Standing Beef Rib Roast with Horseradish Crust and ver jus
Baked Russet Potato with Creme Fraiche and White Truffle Butter
& Sauteed Haricot Verts with Shitake, Shallot, Pancetta and Veal Demiglace





Truffle Tremor Cheese




A Classic All-American meal with an elegant twist just like the woman who inspired it! Here's to you, Ruth.... with love,


This is an intimate dinner for two that could easily feed four just add 2 more potatoes in the oven. Voila!

Cheers & Happy New Year!

The Recipes:

Chilled Prawn Cocktail with Sriratcha Sauce and Meyer Lemon Oil

Note: This couldn't be simpler. It's a small twist on the classic that I came up with because I found I had no ketchup yesterday. I did have Sriracha sauce (even Safeway sells it now) & a great olive oil from San Rafael infused with Meyer lemons called O Olive oil that uses California Mission olives & so a new recipe was born. We had just driven back from Mayacama & I was exhausted, so I took a shortcut and purchased amazingly pristine steamed & chilled prawns from Whole Foods from their seafood section, not the prepackaged ones in the refrigerated cooked food section, but prawns that had been freshly steamed & offered alongside the raw shrimp. These were enormous about 12 to the lb. I usually poach my shrimp with their shells on in a court bouillon but hey I was tired and one less pot to clean made these pretty cooked shrimp that much more appealing.

Ingredients:
12 large prawns (about 1 lb.) that have been cooked, peeled and chilled
1 Tablespoon of sriracha sauce (Vietnamese hot sauce) plus more for plating
1 Tablespoon Meyer lemon infused olive oil (or a fruity olive oil & the juice of half a meyer lemon) plus more for plating
1 Tablespoon of cream-style horseradish
1/2 cup of low-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of creme fraiche (or sour cream)
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
a pinch of freshly cracked black or white pepper
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon of thai fish sauce
1 Meyer lemon, cut into quarters ( reserve 2 quarters for garnish)
a few sprigs of chervil (optional for garnish)
4 marinated spicy cherry peppers stuffed with feta (optional for garnish)
Instructions:
Carefully pat shrimp with a wet paper towel to remove any debris, then pat dry with a dry towel and reserve.

In a small mixing bowl, combine mustard, sriratcha horseradish and pepper. Add mayonnaise, whisking well to combine. Add creme fraiche, combining it thoroughly with the mayonnaise. Add soy sauce & fish sauce, whisk well. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste for seasoning. Is it too fatty or bland. Add more sriratcha, pepper or mustard. Check consistency. Is it too thick? Add a squirt of fresh lemon juice. Is it too thin or too spicy? Add more mayo and olive oil. You're in control.

Divide the shrimp between two (or four) plates. Fan them out allowing them to slightly overlap. Add a dollop of the cocktail sauce. Place the pepper over the shrimp. Drizzle a little olive oil from the bottle over the shrimp. Then place little drops of the oil around the dollop of cocktail sauce. Using the sriracha squeeze bottle, place small drops of sriratcha on top of the drops of oil. Garnish with a sprig of chervil & a wedge of lemon. Done.

Serves two hungry people or four average revelers.

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Standing Beef Rib Roast with Horseradish Crust

Note: This is an entree that always pleases carnivores. It's impressive to see and smells divine as it cooks but couldn't be easier to make.
Make sure you get your oven hot (500 degrees to start) ahead of time so the crust will crisp up. I use panko but you can use any dry unseasoned coarse breadcrumbs or make your own. I like mixing the panko with a little freshly ground sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, dried herbes d'provence and thyme. You can use your own favorite spice mixture. After I pat the panko on the roast to create the crust I spray the crumbs with high heat baking spray to ensure that the crusts gets crisp & not soggy.

I also make a simple garlic aioli from garlic cloves & extra virgin olive oil that I mix with the cream-styled horseradish & Dijon; then I rub the paste all over the roast & let it stand at room temperature for 1-1/2 hours or so depending on the size of the roast but you can skip the garlic if you don't like it on your beef.

As for the spuds, pierce the center of two large russets with a knife once not all the way through, pop the potatoes in the oven directly on the rack 1 hour and 10 minutes before serving. Fill with creme fraiche, truffle butter & season it to taste with salt & pepper

A 2-1/2 lb. roast (about 1 rib) will easily serve four people but you'll have to fight for that rib bone & will have an awkward time dividing it evenly which is why I'll say this recipe serves 2. Of course, I think the bone should go to the chef as a reward for all the hard work but I'm a little biased on this point. A 5lb. roast (2 ribs) may be a better choice for four people & you can always make delicious prime rib sandwiches or tacos with the leftovers for lunch the next day.
Ingredients:
2-1/2 lb. beef rib roast (about 1 rib)
1/2 cup panko crumbs (available in the Japanese section of your supermarket)
1 Tablespoon of herbes d'provence
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 teaspoon of paprika
3 Tablespoons of cream-style horseradish
2 Tablespoons of Dijon-style mustard
2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
freshly ground salt & pepper, to taste
a splash of wine
a splash of beef stock or veal demi-glace
1 tablespoon of unsalted European style butter (it has a higher fat content)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and place oven rack in lower third of oven. Make sure you have an oven thermometer in place to better gauge the actual oven temperature.

Remove roast from refrigerator (an hour before cooking). Set it in its roasting pan on a trivet, bone side down.

Prepare seasoning for the roast:
Make garlic aioli & horseradish paste by placing crushed garlic in a mortar & adding a pinch of salt while pulverizing garlic with a pestle. Continue adding tiny grinds of salt and small amounts of olive oil until an emulsion of garlic forms and all the oil is used. Add the horseradish and the mustard to garlic paste until well combined then season with fresh cracked pepper. Taste to adjust any imbalances in the mixture. Set aside.

Combine panko, paprika, salt, pepper, & all the herbs in a small bowl. Mixing well to season the crumbs. Set aside.

Thickly smear the just prepared garlicky horseradish mixture all over the roast. Gently place the now seasoned panko on the top of the roast (where the fat is) using a fork to sprinkle it on and your fingers to pat the crumbs into place making sure to use the horseradish paste to help the panko adhere to the meat.

Spray the roast with baking spray (or high heat vegetable spray) from at least 6 inches away.

Let the seasoned roast stand at room temperature for at least an additional 30 minutes before placing it in the hot oven. If you have a small apartment & an inadequate fan in your range hood, like I do now, open all the windows & doors and turn the hood fan on high before placing roast in the oven. Cooking this cut of meat will set off the smoke alarm if you don't ventilate the area well.

Once in the oven let the roast cook for a minimum of 15 minutes at 500 degrees until the bread crumbs become toasty then lower heat to 375 and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until its internal temperature reaches 130 degrees for medium rare (check with a meat thermometer after 30 minutes by inserting it into the center of the thickest part of the roast away from the bone). When roast is 130 degrees remove from oven and allow it to rest in a warm spot (remember, it's internal temperature will continue to rise as it rests) before carving while you make the green beans and the jus.

Place the roasting pan over two burners on high heat and add a splash of whatever wine you happen to be sipping at the time along with a splash of beef stock or veal demiglace to deglaze the pan. Be sure to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan & reduce the liquids until the jus achieves a viscous syrupy consistency then remove from heat and add the butter, swirling it into the sauce until fully incorporated & the sauce is thick and glossy. Taste for seasoning & adjust accordingly.

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Sauteed Haricot Verts with Shitake, Pancetta, Shallots and Veal Demiglace

Note: The title of the recipe says it all. The shitake & the veal demi made it into the french green beans because I was too lazy to prepare the shitake sauce for the prime rib that I intended to make and opted for the jus instead. Waste not, want not so a new variation of haricot verts was born. Haricot verts are young green beans that are very tender & require no more than a 2 minute blanch before the saute. Be sure to prepare an ice bath of 90 percent ice & 10 percent water in a large stainless steel mixing bowl to stop the cooking process and keep a vibrant green color. This is nothing new but please take the trouble to do it. Once the green beans are cool, remove them from the ice bath so they don't get waterlogged and pat them dry with a clean dry towel or paper towels. The last thing you want is a face full of splattered hot oil because your green beans are wet & soggy.

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. of haricot verts, stem end trimmed
1 ounce of pancetta, cut into small dice or lardons (your choice)
1/3 lb. of small shitake mushrooms, stems removed & sliced
1 large shallot, sliced thinly
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
2 Tablespoons of veal demiglace
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon white truffle butter (optional)

Directions:

Set a medium-sized saucepan with salted water over high heat to boil. When the water reaches a roiling boil, add green beans & cook no longer than 2 minutes.

Drain green beans and immediately plunge into ice bath. cooling and drying according to note.

Place a 12 inch cast iron enamel coated saute pan (you know how I feel about Le Creuset, by now) over medium high heat, add pancetta and fry until fat is rended and pancetta is crisp.

Reduce the pan to medium and add olive oil, when heated (about 45 seconds) add the shitakes, stir for 1 minute, check for dryness adding more olive oil as needed then add shallots saute until shallots are translucent and shitakes have softened. Add cooled green beans & saute until veggies are well combined and beans are warmed then add veal demiglace allowing it to melt in while stirring until incorporated & it coats the vegetables. Remove from heat, stir in optional truffle butter and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

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Truffle Tremor Cheese

I did not make this cheese. It's a cheese from the woman who brought you Humboldt Fog and needs nothing more than a crusty warm baguette brushed with a little cold pressed olive oil, a few caramelized apple slices, raw honeycomb or ripe and peeled persimmon slices to end a holiday meal. Make sure to remove it from the refrigerator an hour before serving so it oozes onto whatever you choose to serve it with and eat it rind and all. You don't want to deprive yourself of any little bit of it.

A Soul Soothing Soup

When the world seems headed to hell in a hand-basket and life feels like some hopeless, crazy exercise in futility, we all need to turn to someone or something that we can depend on to make us feel safe and secure ( a laughable though laudable desire, life being the crapshoot that it is).

For some, it is religion or belief in a god who ultimately rewards the good and punishes the evil that gives them solace.

For others, it is the news networks and broadcasts whose "round the clock", "up to the minute" presence at the latest tragedy assures them that life in our society presses onward, forward despite the horrific and catastrophic nature of the networks' latest exploitation -- oops, I mean, what has befallen. Yes, somehow, with Oprah, Brian Williams, and Matt Lauer there endlessly probing every victim's and perpetrator's family & friends; and, repeatedly plying every crackpot psychiatrist, theorist, "expert panelist", lawyer, & politician they can use to fill the airwaves with inane often unanswerable questions for days on end, some people feel comforted.

Many others, seek the warmth and wordless reassurance of their nearest's arms whether that person be a spouse, parent or sibling. There is always something about the seeming sanctity and inviolability of one's home and family that offers asylum from an increasingly chaotic world.

I tend to fall more inline with the latter group's thinking. Hearth and home are the ultimate sanctuary for me during restless times, especially the hearth, or the modern day hearth--- the kitchen.

There is something about the preparation of a labor- intensive but simple meal that is therapeutic and relaxing. It could just be a purely visceral reflexive response to the familiar scents and repetitive nature of cooking: the sense-memories of happier times stirred up: memories of christmas in grandma's house, the chicken soup mom gave you to make you feel better, the fragrance worn by your first love.

It is said by those who make a study of neurotransmissions that the sense of smell activates more areas in the brain than any other of our senses. The memory centers of the cerebral cortex are instantaneously activated when we smell, well before other centers of the brain.

Some experts theorize that this occurs as an evolutionary autonomic defense mechanism, most likely to prevent us from ingesting poisonous substances by stirring our memories of other "bad" smells that we have experienced allowing us to compare and associate them as things to be avoided.

Whatever the reason the brain is the ultimate database & smell is the most efficient way to trigger it.

So on this and every other bad news day, let's turn the olfactory systems on, get our juices flowing, fill our homes with delicious aromas and remember happier days with a little dose of comfort from the people who live life so well: the Italians.

Italy has none of the arrogance and all of the zest of France. It is a cuisine that could make you devoutly religious because it is so pure and so divine that it could only have come from a higher being. Italian cuisine is the ultimate comfort food.

Each region (and there are many) with its own specialty of culinary artistry. I submit my own humble offering inspired by zuppa di minestre ; something warm and familiar to soothe the soul. Time has erased the class distinctions between the two categories of Italian soups, zuppa and minestra , but their respective names and characteristics reflect their markedly contrasting pedigrees. Zuppa refers to a broth which, with a few exceptions, has slices of bread in it but never rice or pasta. The Italian word - along with the French soupe , Portuguese and Spanish sopa and German suppe - derives from the Gothic suppa , meaning "soaked bread". 
That slice of bread indicates the less exalted origins of this soup. In medieval times, the plates on the tables of the nobility took the form of trenchers of sliced bread. These "plates", which ended up saturated with the juices of meats and other foods placed on them, were subsequently cooked by the servants, in water or stock, for their own meal. Given its beginnings essentially as cooked dishwater, zuppa was obviously never seen on the tables of the rich. It was a dish eaten by their servants.

Minestre precedes zuppa by a few centuries. A derivation of the Latin ministrare , meaning "to administer", the word reflects the fact that minestra was served out from a central bowl or pot by the figure of authority in the household. Minestra was traditionally the principal - and for the poor, the only- course of the meal. The word minestrone connotes a thick vegetable soup the augmentative form of minestra. We can also think of it as "that which is served," and serve it does.

It never lets me down.

Note:

The pancetta can easily be replaced with bacon, italian sausage, prosciutto, ham or eliminated altogether if you're vegetarian-inclined. Same goes for the swiss chard: you can substitute any hearty green leafy vegetable. If you decide to use spinach or other tender green use it toward the end or it may disintegrate into the soup which, or course, wouldn't hurt the soup anyway. Also, use any small-shaped pasta if you don't have orecchiette ( my husband likes penne) or break larger pasta into pieces. I think by now I have made it clear: this recipe is like all recipes that don't involve pastry making (which is like chemistry, an exact science): it is just a guideline. You can freely substitute anything you don't like; consider it a clean-out the fridge soup!!! While it may subtly change the texture or flavor of my soup, it will be the perfect soup for you!!! Isn't that a comforting thought?

Minestrone w/ Pancetta and Orecchiette

• 1 slice of 1" thick pancetta ( about 4 ounces), cut into large dice
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 leeks, well rinsed & chopped, white part only
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed & minced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 red potatoes, cut into small dice
• 1 bunch of swiss chard, discard tough ends & roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 28 oz. can of crushed italian- style tomatoes (preferably from San Marzano in Italy)
• 8 cups of low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 ounce of dried porcini mushrooms (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can fagioli bianchi di spagna (butter beans) or cannellini beans, drained
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon herbes de provence
• handful of fresh italian parsley, chopped
• sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
• handful of fresh basil, in chiffonade
• the rind of 1 wedge of parmigiano-reggiano
• 4 oz. dry orecchiette, uncooked
• 1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

Directions:

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Place dried porcinis in a small bowl, cover with the hot water & place kitchen towel over bowl to assist steeping. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Meantime, heat a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add pancetta & saute until brown (about 3 minutes) & the fat is rendered from the meat.

Next add half the olive oil to the pan, give a quick stir then add the next five vegetables ( leeks, onions, carrots, celery, & garlic) to the pan to form your "sofrito". Add a pinch of salt & a couple of grinds of black pepper & "sweat" the sofrito mixture stirring occasionally until vegetables are almost translucent (about 5 minutes).

When ready, stir oregano, herbes de provence, red pepper flakes & bay leaf into mixture & saute until the dried herbs release their volatile oils and are fragrant. Then add tomato paste, stirring well to incorporate it into the mixture. Add potatoes. Let mixture cook together for 2 minutes more.

While sauce cooks, carefully remove porcinis from bowl, giving them a quick brush with wet towel to remove any dirt. Chop porcinis & add to sauce, stirring briefly. Reserve steeping liquid.

Add wine to pot. Stir well, scraping any brown bits that may have stuck to bottom of pot (deglaze the pan). When wine has boiled down, add swiss chard & stir well. Then add beans, gently folding them in.

Next, completely cover small strainer with a paper towel; take reserved porcini liquid and pour liquid through strainer directly into soup. Stir mixture.

Add tomatoes & half the parsley. Stirring in & tasting. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Add chicken stock & parmagiano rind. Stir, bring to a simmer, lower heat to lowest setting & let cook 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add pasta, stir it in, & let cook over low heat 30 minutes more; stirring occasionally.

Heat soup bowls in microwave or oven. Add remaining parsley & basil to the pot.

Serve soup topping each bowl with drizzle of olive oil & tablespoon of grated parmigiano-reggiano.
A simple green salad and a side of warm grilled italian bread brushed with olive oil rounds out the meal nicely.
This is a dish that improves with age. So store leftovers in the refrigerator and enjoy another time. Buon Appetito!!

Memorial Day Weekend Extravaganza For Everyone (A Redux)

Okay, maybe not EVERYONE!

I am reposting last year's Labor Day Menu because it is a classic & really great for everyone on your guest list from vegetarians to the most rabid carnivore. Not fab for vegans, I'm afraid, although you can always throw a couple of portabello mushrooms that have been marinated in a little Italian-style dressing on the grill & serve them up on great brioche with avocado & tomato for them. 

Here's a link  for the grilled portabello burger to a great food blog for vegetarians  from which the picture of this yummy portabello burger comes:  Just the Food.com 

Obviously, Labor Day and Memorial Day are three months apart and the produce for early September differs from the produce in late May, but surprisingly there are some decent Brandywine & Early Girls showing up in the Farmer's Market even this early. I was avoiding them like the plague until I could resist no more. They are not as sweet as they will be in 6 weeks but they are great for making the caponata recipe I include and will definitely work as oven-roasted tomatoes for the pizza.

To make your Memorial Day more reflective of the season:

Skip the cherry tomato/ boccaccino salad. Instead, you can add seasonal veggies like fava beans & English peas to any green salad or by themselves with a little olive oil, lemon juice, fresh cracked pepper, truffle salt & shaved pecorino romano or just parmiggiano-reggiano if you don't like the piquant flavor of the sheep's milk.

Make the ribs but replace the corn (which is definitely not edible yet) with thick fresh grilled asparagus spears.

The Warm Blackberry-Apricot Crumble with Mascarpone Ice Cream will work beautifully in May. Apricots are really yummy now. You can, as always, replace the blackberries & apricots with peaches & strawberries, if you rather. 

It's your party and you can eat want you want to... eat what you want to... eat what you want to...

Here's the link for my fabulous Labor Day Feast that will make your Memorial Day Barbecue a memorable one: 

The Fruits of Labor: A Labor day Feast for Late Summer Harvest

Here's to all the men and women who have bravely served this country:

Ode to Cricket Cola: It's The Real Thing!

Okay....

WHERE have I been for the past few years?

WHY is Tuesday the first time I have ever tried this modern marvel?

WHEN was this green (in every way, literally & figuratively) soda put on this planet?

Simply put, I (HEART) Cricket Cola.

WHAT e=mc2 type came up with this modern reinvention of the nasty dusty old wheel that is today's carbonated beverage?

WHO cares?

I do and so should you. Run, don't walk, to your nearest Real Foods & buy some! Or order it at Pacific's Catch on Chestnut St. for lunch like I did. SOON.

Try it!
You'll like it!

Have another look:


What a formula for deliciousness!!!
Genius, pure, genius.

The makers of this new elixir are very much on the Q.T.
All we know for certain is that they started this cola revolution in San Francisco & D.C.
Hmmmm....

Do they wear funny helmets, swing flat bats and run back & forth endlessly between wickets to score points? No wonder they won't post any information (or thankfully any pictures) about themselves on their website!

Or.... are they really giant Gryllidae who have come here by way of the eighth dimension released from inter-dimensional captivity by a massive collision involving Mount Tam and a Jet Car equipped with Buckeroo Bonzai's volatile oscillation overthruster? If so, watch out, they may take over the world!

If they do, I won't care as long as they keep producing this beneficent beverage (provided, of course, no insects were harmed in the making of it) which as their website modestly claims:



What more can you ask for?




Oh, BTW, Congrats to San Francisco for having the safest tap water in the country!!!

Restaurant Review: A16... Should They Rename It?

A16, according to its website, transports the cuisine of Campania & the wood-fired pizzas of Naples to San Francisco's Marina neighborhood. While its pizzas are indeed inspired by the famed Neopolitan slices, it's food is hardly the classic Campanian.

Chef Nate Appleman & some pals

The truly popular cuisine of Campania (the "ankle" of Italy's thigh high "boot") is the coastal food that most people associate with Southern Italy: pizza, eggplants, tomatoes, mozzarella, calzone, lasagna. Food staples include dried pastas like spaghetti not the fresh egg pastas made further north; garlic, oregano, olives, olive oil, chilis, bread & vegetables are all widely used. Pork & beef are more scarce with mullusks, squid, scungilli, shrimp, local fish & to a lesser extent poultry being the proteins of choice. Limoncello is a drink proudly served in every home, each family with it's own secret recipe. You will not find these things at A16.

A16 Pizza Margherita, yummy

At A16, you will find Nate Appleman's salumi hailed far & wide by foodie critics all over this country and other foods not typical of most Campanian regions but they do serve Neopolitan style pizza. Of course, if you go further south to the Calabrian region (the "toe" of Italy) spicy sausages, sorpressata & other salamis made from beef & pork are staples, along with bottarga (preserved tuna roe), swordfish & tuna. But that's an entirely different region of the country. The difference culturally & geographically between Pennsylvania & Georgia.

To be honest, I'm not the "regional" police & don't usually care about the regional authenticity of a menu if the food and service are great. We're in California not Salerno. BUT....

Not my intent

I would not make a point of illustrating A 16's faults if it were not for how arrogantly the restaurant & its staff boasts of its authentic Southern Italian roots both in the press as well as in the dining room. So enamored is the staff of this dicta that it eschews the very hospitality that Italians are known for by ignoring the desires of its paying guests in the name of what they consider "authenticity".

A case in point was a very recent lunch when a party of three southern Italians from the Campania region sat next to me in the tightly compressed room; so close that our legs kept making contact during lunch (not wholly unpleasant).

Capisco l'italiano un poco, and, when I tell you that, like me, this Neopolitan group was unimpressed by the menu, the wine list & the staff, I am being very kind in my characterization of their feelings.

These Italians were in the wine industry & Ms. Lindgren, the wine director herself, attended them; bringing them selections she thought would favorably impress them instead of allowing them to peruse the wine list & perhaps, imagine it if you will, suggest to her what they would enjoy drinking.

Wine Director Shelley Lindgren

One of the party, the brother-in-law of the host, switched to beer (Birra Morreti) after the first sip & suggested his companions do the same. He originally asked for a Bloody Mary but was denied because A 16 does not offer a full bar service.

The glasses of wine kept coming even as it was apparent to this observer that these guests were not enjoying them. The brother-in-law kept suggesting that his companions tell the sommelier that they hated her wine choices; but, somehow, both, the servers & Ms. Lindgren remained oblivious to their customers' dissatisfaction and the other two members of the luncheon party were too polite to complain. The glasses remained virtually untouched. Che peccato!

If the sommelier had more graciousness than hubris, she would have asked these Italian oenophiles for their recommendations of her wine list since it was more than obvious to all but the most deluded, they weren't enjoying her selections.

When the most outspoken member of the party asked for tabasco, HP sauce (an English steak sauce), then balsamic vinegar to season what he considered bland prosciutto, meatballs & pizza, he, a native of Campania, was told very snidely by an A16 server that the kitchen contained no condiments that were not southern Italian in origin.
Che cazzo?

Sorry, my Italian paisans, I know that's a naughty phrase but, really, what's happened to the hospitality industry? Attempting to belittle the customer's requests is no way to win their patronage.

When you consider that a lot of the staff is Mexican & over half of the menu could be from Northern Italy, you have to wonder whether little Miss Food Snoot was being entirely honest when she said that they only stock southern Italian foods. We do know she was being smug & obnoxious. It was both unnecessary and inhospitable.

Look, the staff really needs better training. I know this is not L'Atelier de Joel Robouchon but despite the fact that our server couldn't even tell me what type of water they sold, she behaved as though she did and tried with great hauteur to make us feel as though we were silly for asking and should gratefully accept whatever was offered. Bad start to the meal.

The servers are just laboring under misapprehensions & it's time some public-spirited person taught them the truth. I know Nate Appleman is a James Beard Award nominee. I know Shelly Lindgren is considered a fine sommelier by some her industry. These facts do not make the cuisine any tastier nor does it make the dining experience any better.

On the contrary, the food (no matter what its provenance) has suffered while the chef has collected his plaudits & opened another restaurant, SPQR. Maybe he's spending most of his time there.

While the dinner menu is user-friendly and offers a variety of food with an abundance of small plates; the lunch menu is a bit spartan leaving those with a little yen for some pesce or other lighter fare out of luck.

Here's the most "remarkable" of what was tried in three visits:

Looks good, taste is disappointing

Pork meatballs, the special on Meatball Monday nights were tough, mealy, oversalted & lacking flavor. They could have easily hailed from Amici's Pizzeria (just down the road) in a tomato ragu that was flat & tinny. My husband thinks Amici's meatballs are better & he's not fond of the Amici's version. I still have Christopher Hille's original recipe and have had great success repeating it, I found it hard to believe that the meatballs my husband ate that Monday night descended from that wonderful recipe. We waited a week to eat there that night. Per che?

Ditto for a simple romaine & chickory salad offered at lunch that was so unbalanced & vinegary, I was afraid that the chef was seeking to add a new bit of salumi to the menu, "Lori's Pickled Tongue". Beet and radicchio salad with fennel, black olives & a salty housemade ricotta salad fared much better; balancing the fat & acidity with more success.

Another lunch's Mozzarella burrata with olive oil, sea salt & crostini offered crostini that were so crisped they could have easily been used as briquettes for a charcoal grill. They were useless as a vehicle for the burrata. Thank heaven, I had some bread on my table. Although, the sourdough served as the house bread did overwhelm the delicate creamy cheese's interior. At $11 for a slice of burrata, I was disappointed that it was not the beautiful, more nuanced (& expensive) Italian buffalo milk version but, instead, a cows milk burrata, probably from Gioia in Southern California. So much for the server's comment that A16 only serve foods from Southern Italy.

Escarole and sunchoke salad with shavings of pecorino canestrano was light on the sunchoke & the escarole but the slices of "fried" almonds were crisp & sweetly nutty giving this salad some much needed punch.

The pizzas & their toppings are still the way to go here with Bianca, Margherita or the spicy Salsiccia with rapini while not rapturous are never disappointing. I happen to like my pizza a little thinner and crisper, less weighed down with heavy ingredients (more alla Romana) but I still enjoy the wood-fired crust.

Desserts have possibilities but always fall just shy of wonderful. A rich chocolate budino tart that needs to be shared had great promise served with sea salt & fruity olive oil on a crisp shortbread crust but the quenelle of chocolate mousse served on top was overkill. The biscotti & cookies are a nice simple way to end along with a cup of Blue Bottle coffee. Gelato & sorbetto are offered in 1, 2 or 3 scoops. Cheeses of good & varied selections served with housemade breads are available for the sweets-averse.

Overall, the good choices are fairly limited.
It really is a grazer's menu with the best options being the small vegetarian plates & that's fine if you happen to wander in off the street to sit at the bar (and many of the food cognoscenti do); but when you reserve a table a week or more in advance you want something more substantial than pizzas & cicchetti.

I wonder how many people go to A 16 for its great reputation, go away disappointed, never returning but remain silent because they don't want to seem like unsophisticated, untutored diners in the face of all the raves in the press this restaurant has garnered.

I can tell you those three Italian diners after a while were laughing at the wait staff & the number of times the servers came over to ask how they were enjoying their meals; especially since the staff was so pompous about it.
The Italians started with a curt, "It's ok' and progressed to louder exclamations because the staff seemed so disappointed with these diners lack of reaction until the more outspoken guy in the group said very sarcastically with eyes rolling around in their spheres,
"It's GORGEOUS!, ok ?"

I mean, A16 people, get real. You serve pizza, meatballs, prosciutto & salads not ambrosia, and you serve this pedestrian fare with a major attitude.

No one who has eaten at truly stellar dining establishments is going to ooooh & aaaahhh orgasmically over that food. I suggest that if the staff of A16 wants to step it up a notch, they should go to Acquerello, Quince, Incanto, Perbacco or even Antica Trattoria and see what great food & hospitality is all about.

Hell, you may even hope that a place that brings Campania to San Francisco might offer more food from the Campanian coastal region other than just pizza & maccaronara. How about a few small plates of Mozzarella En Carrozza, Scungilli Salad, Caprese Salad, Calzone, Eggplant & dare I ask, Lasagna? Seafood is fairly abundant in the Campania Region which includes the dramatic Amalfi Coast, how about some fish dishes and a little limoncello to wash them down with (for the more intrepid quaffer of alcoholic beverages). These are not sexy cutting edge foods, I grant you; but, they are a large part of the Campanian culinary vernacular.

There are geographical purists and A16 restaurant advocates who have pointed out to me that the A16 road leads from Naples to the more isolated sparsely populated mountainous regions of Campania and that A16 restaurant is faithful to that cuisine. Bravo! Very true.

Although other reviews in the press have incorrectly reported that A16 is the road from Rome to Naples or the road from Naples to points south, Autostrada 16 (the Autostrada dei Due Mari) traverses the interior countryside of Campania from the east in Naples to Canosa Puglia to the west. It's cuisine is very unique in the region with some influences from as far flung as Albania (there is an ethnic Albanian population in the region). It's food with its hazelnuts, chestnuts, egg pastas, game & cured meats resembles more the cuisine of its Northern Italian neighbors than its Southern regional paisans.

However that does not change the fact that the majority of the 5.8 million Campanians live in the densely populated coastal towns & villages. The coastal foods are the foods widely associated with the region and are vastly underrepresented by a restaurant who boldly claims to bring Campania to the San Francisco Marina.

Why do I care? Honestly, I don't.

Obviously, the chef & owners are entitled to do what they like with their restaurant. They are under no obligation to represent all the food of an entire region. I wouldn't really care if they called it Atlantis and were serving hot dogs & hamburgers; as long as the food was delicious and the staff was pleasant and efficient.

I am not in the restaurant business nor am I only a seeker of culinary truth. I just like eating where there is good food & a convivial atmosphere.

My "bone" of contention is that this restaurant breaches its promise to the public. It's not some small pizza joint trying to eke out a living. It's received accolade after accolade for its allegedly excellent regional Italian food and has a responsibility to maintain that excellence.

But it fails on that count, with a culinary experience that has steadily deteriorated since the departure of Christopher Hille who manned the helm at A16's inception. His restaurant was fine casual dining at it most relaxed and transcendent. That was then, this is now.

The truth is eating at a casual dining establishment like A16 with mediocre food and arrogant staff is like dating an unattractive man who is both abusive and penniless: you can't help feeling that you might do better elsewhere.

If the staff was accommodating & the food was inexpensive & mediocre, I wouldn't complain. I wouldn't go back but I wouldn't complain.

If the food were fantastic & the staff was obnoxious, I'd enjoy my food & move on. I wouldn't go back but at least I had a good meal so again, no complaints.

However, when a restaurant has enjoyed a well-established reputation for excellence, and both the service and the food are now well below par, I feel like an injustice has been done to the public. (Especially when reserving a table at a reasonable hour requires them calling at least a week in advance.) Be assured, I will complain.

About everything. Things both large & small.

Large things like major public health inspection violations (rodent infestation in the 10/07 inspection report according to Clean Scores.com).

Small things like selling the Neopolitan vibe while practically restricting the menu to Irpinian cuisine, an incredibly elegant yet simple style of Italian food from one of the least populous areas of Campania that, unfortunately, the cooks at A16 don't always do justice to either with food that is often unbalanced in flavor and disappointing in texture.

Chefs far & wide admire the cuisine of Irpinia, ex-executive chef Christopher Hille and Oliveto's ex chief Paul Bertolli studied there under Chef Antonio Pisaniello. Rocco Di Spirito brought the man to his failed reality T.V. restaurant; maybe A-16 should send its line cooks to cook with him, too.

To most Americans, rightly or wrongly, the food of Campania means Naples, Capri, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast. The name A16 throws no light on the real focus of the cuisine because most Americans can never understand the tangled spaghetti that are the roads in Italy nor seemingly do most critics in the press.

Maybe A 16 should just change their name to "Mesali", a word in the local dialect of Avellino as well as an organization of restaurants in Avellino dedicated to Irpinian cuisine, to better reflect the intent of their menu. Mesali literally means "tablecloths", a way of indicating hospitality. Perhaps then, the staff at A16 will show some and their guests will all eat happily ever after.

Ya think?

The Campania Region

Ovo-lacto vegetarians will be fine here but vegans beware this is an Italian place after all, cheese is king! I saw several couples with babies here. This is really not a child friendly atmosphere. The noise level is high, the conditions are cramped. Lots of people are imbibing. Take the kids to Za's, Giorgio's or Amici's. They'll be happier & so will everyone else.

The prices are not at all exorbitant but the small plates can add up quickly. Pizza's are $15 & can be easily shared. The wine list proffers selections almost exclusively from the south of Italy, not particularly revered for its winemaking; but, California selections are also available as well as beer. Many wines are available by the glass & the sommeliers take particular pride in directing you to various selections. A 16 does not have a hard liquor license, so no pomegranatini's, kiddies.

A 16
2355 Chestnut Street
between Scott & Divisadero Street
(415) 771-2216
Website

Lunch
Wednesday - Friday 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Dinner
Sunday - Thursday 5:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 5:00 - 11:00 p.m.

Food & Sex: The Best Way to a Man's Heart?... An Artfully Sensual Valentine's Day Dinner Offering a Light Menu with Sex Appeal

Ah, Valentine's Day. A romantic day filled with hearts, flowers and......... food.

Sex may enter into it; but, somehow, food plays an instrumental role before the conquest.

We've all been told that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. (Of course, women possess those organs, too, and many of us are equally interested in having them courted by our wooers. Who do you think most of the recipients of those chocolate-filled heart-shaped boxes are anyway, hmmmm?)

Unfortunately, what no one tells you is that a romantic dinner laden with the fatty fare of most Valentine menus not only wreaks havoc on the waistline; but, also, has marooned many a bloated traveler on the sea of love; leaving them stranded on the Isle of Misfit Celibates instead of basking in the glow of Fantasy Island.

You're more likely to bust a gut than bust a move after eating all that lobster and chocolate mousse. So in the interest of raising metabolisms and libidos everywhere, I offer a menu to help keep the sin in the saint of St. Valentine's Day (so that the only resemblance you have to the day's martyr is in name only); but, don't think that I would ever consider sacrificing the sensuous textures and fabulous flavors of the Valentine's Day classics.

Au contraire, mon cher. I only seek to enhance the food's aphrodisiac qualities by lightening it; thereby, allowing for the enjoyment of later, more intimate pleasures.

Which begs the question.... What makes a certain kind of food sexy or, better yet, which foods make you feel sexy?

For many people, eating sensuously is all about texture:

.... such as silken, unctuous foods that glide over your tongue while coating it with their essence as you devour them. These foods not only feel and taste wonderful but they also make you look good in the process. Think of how sexy licking an ice cream cone looks vs. chomping down on a burger. Both can be messy but the former is enticing to watch, while the latter is just disgusting giving you all the glamour of a jungle beast tucking into an antelope instead of an angel of Eros enjoying her daily dose of ambrosia;

..... or, how about juicy, self-contained foods that use your fingers, preferably while making contact with your lips, and, capable of being eaten in one or two bites. Think of soft, pouty lips wrapping themselves around: a fresh strawberry, a red cherry, the ripest fig, or piece of ahi nigiri. The light tooth-grazing consumption of the tender leaves of steamed artichokes also falls into this category of food come-ons.

Of course, many cultures tend to reckon shape with sexual aphrodisiacs. Take the obvious likeness of avocados, apples, bananas, eggs, asparagus spears, ginseng, zucchini, oysters, mangoes or even the more far-flung rhinoceros horn to their sexually reproductive anatomical counterparts and you can come up with an interesting, if somewhat unappetizing menu.

Some foods, over time, have been endowed with magical, potent sexual powers for their ability to excite rather than their physical characteristics. My four favorites: chocolate, champagne, caviar and chilis fall into this category.

Dark chocolate with its LDL lowering stearic acid, mood-elevating theobromine, "love chemical" inducing phenylethylamine, pleasure enhancing serotonin and energy boosting caffeine was considered not only an aphrodisiac but also quite the health elixir by the Aztecs and the Mayans and was revered as a food of the gods; 2000 years before more recently undergoing its latest health food status. It sure tastes good! Ask Montezuma; he drank 50 gold goblets full of it a day & look at how potent he was!

The hot spice of chili peppers with its tear inducing capsciacin mimics the feelings of arousal by elevating the blood pressure & body temperature leaving you flushed, moist & panting.

Champagne has always been the wine of love & celebration with bubbles that tickle your tongue as well as your fancy. The alcohol in it is a powerful relaxant, allowing you to shed your inhibitions (if not your clothing).

The goddess of love, Aphrodite, (Venus to her later Roman worshippers) was born from the sea, so all of the sea's creatures were said to be endowed with her aphrodisiac powers. It doesn't hurt that most seafood contain prodigious quantities of the mineral zinc which is known to be an effective nutrient for the erotically-challenged. Caviar is sturgeon roe. The many eggs of caviar also represent fertility; procreation and the propagation of the species, of course, has always been the most powerful catalyst for the sex act. Just ask Darwin. Money is a pretty good conductor of sexual electricity, too, and caviar costs lots of it which only adds to its romantic allure!

Of course, too much of anything, champagne and caviar included, can douse the most ardent fire, so I advocate a little discretion in all things edible. While moderation may not seem to fan the flames of molten passion, it's always good to be a little hungry for something more, especially on Valentine's Day.

Just ask yourself, how would Aphrodite satisfy those hunger pangs?

My suggested Valentine's Dinner Menu, as all good romantic menus should, will definitely include the four C's: chocolate, champagne, caviar & chili peppers; though, not necessarily in that order. I will also add a few other yummies from my heart-thumping bag of tricks. The champagne should be a brut rose' for it's magnificent color and depth of flavor. I couldn't make up my mind about what to concoct for this special day; so why not double your pleasure, double your fun: offer two options and have your intended choose one?

Most of the dishes can be made in advance, except for the fish which needs to be cooked a la minute, then you can have the pleasure of sharing; nothing is sexier than guiding the hand that feeds you in a dark, candlelit room. However, for those less inclined to divvy up their din din, I will include in each recipe enough portions for at least two & let you could decide whether tonight's culinary muse will be Asian or Italian when you choose which dish per course.

What the menu lacks in innovation it makes up for in raw sex appeal. Whether you finish the meal by feeding each other sumptuous spoonfuls of parfait or tasty morsels of chocolate dipped strawberries is up to you; but, I guarantee that will not be the conclusion of the evenings activities. Bon Appetit & Happy Valentine's Day!!!

A Valentine's Day Menu with Lots of Sex Appeal

Salmon Poke with Ossetra Caviar

or

Carpaccio of Ahi with Shaved Hearts of Palm, Asparagus Tips & Truffle Oil

--------------------------------------------------

Duo of Cannelloni Dungeness Crab & Goat Cheese, Roasted Sweet Potato & Mascarpone or

Macadamia-Crusted Thai Red Snapper with Passionfruit-Infused Bercy, Curried Bhutanese Red Rice Risotto

------------------------------------------------------

Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Parfait with Greek Yogurt, Agave Nectar & Toasted Walnuts

or

Chocolate-covered Strawberries

Salmon Poke with Ossetra Caviar

Note: Traditionally, Poke is made with limu kohu, a red seaweed harvested near the Hawaiian isles, and crushed roasted kukui nuts. Both ingredients can be found at San Mateo's Takahashi Market.com online shop. However, if, like me, you are more interested in the spirit of the dish rather than a strict interpretation, you can substitute furikake or nori strips for the limu kohu; white & black sesame seeds for the kukui nuts; and, add a pinch of Hawaiian red sea salt for color. I also stray from tradition by dicing the fish a bit finer, adding cilantro and a little fresh lime juice & /or blood orange juice to the mixture at the very end just before molding & plating. I like the kick that citrus adds to the dish but I try not to add it too early because the acids "cook" the fish and mar the beautiful color turning the bright flesh opaque.

Needless to say the salmon needs to be very fresh and preferably wild (which are frozen this time of year) or from a sustainably raised farm like U.K. Greenpeace-endorsed Loch Duart's Scottish Salmon from CleanFish. Ahi is traditionally used and the natural substitute if you don't like raw salmon. The caviar is for extra luxe appeal & sevruga has nice firm eggs that cost less than its cousins, ossetra & the ever disappearing beluga. American Caviar from sustainably-raised California white sturgeon (Tsar Nicoulai), Missouri & Mississippi Rivers hackleback sturgeon (Petrovich Caviar), Montana golden white fish and paddlefish (Seattle's Caviar) is now much more widely available and less costly than international brands such as Petrossian. Click on the name of the various purveyors for more info. If you can't find a ripe avocado (it's been a tough year for them), substitute the layer of avocado for a little chive oil on the bottom of the dish. Just take a bunch of chives (scallions will work, too), rough chop, add to a blender with a cup of the highest quality cold pressed olive oil, blend & strain through a strainer lined in cheesecloth or a chinoise, if you happen to have one lying around your kitchen. This recipe serves 2 lovebirds as a first course.

 Ingredients

• 4 oz. very fresh sashimi-grade salmon fillet, skin & bloodline removed, finely cubed
• 1 Tablespoon of reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil plus more as needed, to taste
• 1 teaspoon of furikake, seaweed gomasio, shichimi (or plain nori cut into small thin strips)
• 1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds
• 1 Tablespoon of cilantro, minced
• 1 Tablespoon sweet onion such as Maui or Vidalia, finely minced
• 2 scallions, tougher dark green stalks removed, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon of finely minced fresh ginger root, skin removed
• 1 Tablespoon of Lowfat Mayonnaise (Best Foods or Hellmans brand)
• 1 teaspoon of Vietnamese Sriracha sauce (Huy Fong Foods Inc. brand found at Safeway or at www.huyfong.com)
• the juice from 1/2 a blood orange (or lime)
• 1 pinch of Hawaiian Red Sea Salt, optional
• 1 small ripe Hass avocado
• 1 oz. of caviar
• 4 blue potato chips from Terra Chips (optional)

Directions

1. Whisk together the mayo, citrus juice, soy sauce & sriracha sauce in a small bowl, combine well and set aside.
2. Place the salmon in a medium-sized bowl and toss with sesame oil until well-coated. Add the cilantro, sesame seeds, onion, scallions, furikake and ginger to the salmon. Mix well.
3. (The salmon poke can be stored in the refrigerator at this time for 12 hours; store it separately from the dressing. Just be sure to remove both from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving)
4. Slowly add the sriracha dressing to the salmon poke, gently folding it in to thoroughly combine without breaking up the salmon cubes. Add as little or as much of the dressing as you like, making adjustments to suit your taste. Then sprinkle a tiny pinch of the sea salt over the poke and gently combine. Taste for seasoning.
5. Cut the avocado into half, removing the pit carefully, using the edge of a sharp paring knife between the skin and the flesh, gently trace the circumference of each cut half of the avocado with the knife to loosen the flesh. Unmold each half, cut side down, onto a clean cutting board and slice avocado thinly to form a fan. Place each avocado half onto its serving dish, cut side up, and delicately fan out the slices onto the plate; or, instead, form a thin ring of avocado slices with a hollow center.
6. Place a ring mold over the center of the avocado slices and, using a spoon, fill it with the salmon poke, tamping it down to mold the shape, dip your paring knife in hot water, run it carefully around the inside of the ring to loosen the ring, then slowly unmold the poke. Repeat with the other dish. (If you don't have a ring mold, just fill a ramekin with the poke, pack it tightly, tamp it down, run the knife around it & gently unmold it as you turn the ramekin upside down over the center of the dish.)
7. Garnish both plates with a 1/2 oz. of caviar over the center of each poke and 2 blue potato chips from Terra Chips.

Ahi Carpaccio with Shaved Hearts of Palm, Asparagus & Truffle Oil

Note: You can quickly sear the sides of the ahi with a peppery crust as photographed then flatten it; looks pretty, but, it doesn't add much to the dish; so, the recipe will skip that step. The fresh hearts of palm I originally intended to use are nearly impossible to find easily. There is a family-owned company in Costa Rica, the #1 source of domesticated palms bred for food production, named DeKing of Hearts (click here to go to their website) but a highly perishable 1 lb. bag (perishes within 2 weeks from the day it was harvested)is $25 per lb plus overnight shipping. So in the interest of using money more judiciously, I am using canned hearts of palm that are rinsed & dried and incorporating the more traditional arugula into the salad for more bitter contrast & flavor. Still looking for frozen hearts of palm so if you know of any email me. Canned hearts of palm are too watery to shave, so I just tried to slice them as thinly as possible using a very sharp knife. A thin shaving of pecorino romano into shards will curb my mad Sweeney Todd-like urge for the moment. This recipe serves 2 inamorati as a starter.

 Ingredients

• 2 (3-ounce) pieces of sashimi-grade ahi
• 1 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 hearts of palm (from a can), drained, rinsed, patted dry and thinly sliced
• 2 cups of baby arugula, rinsed and dried
• 12 thin spears of asparagus, tips only, blanched for 30 seconds and chilled
• the zest of 1 meyer's lemon
• the juice of 1 meyer's lemon
• 6 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons of chives, finely minced
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme, stripped of leaves and chopped
• 2 generous shavings of pecorino romano or parmiggiano-reggiano (1 per plate)
• 2 generous drizzles of truffle oil (as a garnish for each plate)
• pinch of truffle salt and a pinch of fleur de sel
• freshly milled black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Stretch four large sheets of plastic wrap on your countertop, smear each piece with a teaspoon of olive oil.
2. Place a piece of cold ahi in the center of the first two pieces of the plastic wrap & then cover each fillet, (olive oil-smeared side down) with a remaining plastic sheet.
3. Gently pound with a mallet, working from the center out until the ahi is paper thin.
4. Store wrapped tuna on a plate in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
5. In a medium sized bowl, combine the hearts of palm, arugula, tomatoes, thyme & asparagus. Then add the Meyer lemon juice & remaining tablespoon of olive oil, black pepper & sea salt to taste, toss gently but be sure to coat the vegetables thoroughly.
6. Remove the ahi from the fridge and prepare to plate it on dishes large enough to accommodate them. (The average dinner-sized plate should do).
7. Plate the ahi by first carefully removing the top sheet of plastic; next, place the ahi side on the center of the dish; then, gently remove the last piece of plastic, carefully molding together any pieces of ahi that have torn apart.
8. Sprinkle each ahi carpaccio with a pinch of lemon zest, truffle salt, pepper & 1/2 Tablespoon of the chopped chives then drizzle with truffle oil.
9. Top the center of each plate with a small mound of the greens.
10. Sprinkle the remaining chives around the perimeter of each plate, followed by an additional drizzle of truffle oil over the chives. Using a microplane, shave the pecorino over the greens and serve.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Thai Red Snapper with Passionfruit-infused Sauce Bercy, Curried Bhutanese Red Rice Risotto

Note: This recipe was heavily inspired by a dish I ate at Canyon Ranch during my recent stay there. The Canyon Ranch version is made with mahimahi instead of thai red snapper which is similar in look & texture and offers a caramelized pineapple sauce that is a little sweet for my taste but still quite good. They served it with coconut black rice on the side. Pacific halibut would be a fabulous substitute & my preferred fish for this dish but unfortunately the season runs from March to November or December, making it impossible to find for Valentine's Day. Atlantic halibut, which is available now, is not a great substitute for this particular dish. I opted to celebrate Valentine's Day by using Bhutanese Red Rice to make a creamy coconutty risotto finished with Thai red curry sauce. Both rices can be found at Whole Foods, the Lotus Foods brand is the best and the Lotus Foods website has some really great recipes, too. Bercy sauce is a variation of a fish veloute' with shallots, wine & stock; however, instead of the classic veloute' which is a heavy white sauce with a roux base, we reduce a combination of equal parts fish stock (or clam juice if you don't have time to make the stock) & vegetable stock then add a slurry of cornstarch dissolved into a little cold stock to thicken it. The result will be a lighter, more richly colored sauce. It is important that you remove the stock from the heat before adding the cornstarch slurry. When the cornstarch is heated for too long, it loses its ability to bind the sauce. Just keep on the stove without heat while you prepare the bercy. In honor of Valentine's Day, I will be making a variation of the classic bercy by adding (what else?) passion fruit to it. If you can't find fresh passion fruit or its pulp, you can add a 1/3 cup of passion fruit nectar (the Looza brand is sold at most SF bay area grocery stores) or substitute 1/2 of a Hawaiian papaya (seeds removed) for the passion fruit. I recommend preparing the sauce first, then prepping the fish but not cooking it, before making the risotto. When the risotto is more than half way done ( 20 minutes into cooking it), start the fish saute, browning it for 2-3 minutes on each side, then pop it in the oven in a baking dish for 8-10 minutes while you finish the risotto. When both risotto and fish are done, remove them from the heat but keep them in a warm place, gently reheat the Bercy sauce, (remember you don't want to overheat the cornstarch) & plate it up. If the sauce seems too thin, you can always add a little butter to the sauce then froth it up with the an immersion blender before plating. A few pea shoots or microgreens complete the dish but you can add stir-fried bok choy if you're craving some veggies. This recipe serves two.

Ingredients:

 For the fish

• 2 (6 ounce) Thai red snapper fillets, of even thickness
• 2 Tablespoons of mirin (optional)
• 1/2 cup unsalted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
• 2 egg whites, from large eggs, slightly beaten
• canola oil or grapeseed oil, (you want a flavorless oil with high flashpoint for the saute)
• sea salt & white pepper to taste

For the fish veloute'

• 1 cup of fish stock (bottled clam juice or prepared dashi can be substituted)
• 1 cup of vegetable stock (Wolfgang Puck makes a great one sold in supermarkets)
• sea salt and white pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
• 3 Tablespoons cold vegetable stock or white wine

For the passion-fruit bercy

• 2 large shallots, minced
• 1 Tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup of white wine, preferably one that is not over-oaked like a sauvignon blanc
• 1 cup of stock (fish, vegetable or chicken)
• 2 whole passion-fruits, strained of seeds ( 1/3 cup of passion-fruit nectar or 1/2 Hawaiian papaya can be substituted)
• 1 teaspoon of minced fresh ginger
• 1 Tahitian vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce
• pinch of ground szechuan white peppercorns
• 1/4 teaspoon of sriratcha sauce
• 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 2 sprigs of chervil, stripped of leaves & chopped

For the Bhutanese Red Rice Risotto

• 1/2 cup of uncooked Bhutanese Red Rice (Lotus Foods is a good brand)
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of unsalted butter
• pinch of sea salt
• 2-1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock, kept just below a simmer on stove top
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste (Thai Kitchen brand is widely distributed & pretty good)
• 1/3 cup of unsweetened coconut milk (Thai Kitchen brand has a good one)
• 1/4 cup of cooked unshelled edamame, pre-cooked (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon of Thai fish sauce (nam pla or in Vietnamese nuoc cham)
• 5 basil leaves, finely julienned
• 2 sprigs of cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, finely chopped

Directions Heat oven to 400 degrees For the fish

1. Place the fish on a clean cutting board and season both sides to taste with sea salt, white pepper & mirin. Pat dry with paper towel.
2. Using a pastry brush, brush fish on both sides with beaten egg whites.
3. Sprinkle each side with chopped macadamia nuts. Pressing the nuts firmly into the flesh to secure them. (At this point, you can just put the crusted fish on a baking sheet and bake in the pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes, skipping the steps 4-6. I just like to brown them a little in a saute pan before I bake them)
4. Heat a 10" (cast iron is the best) pan with non-stick coating over medium heat, when pan is heated, add enough oil to cover its surface & distribute a pinch of salt evenly over the oil. Do not allow the oil to smoke.
5. Carefully add the fillets one at a time to the center of the pan, keeping space between them. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side; checking heat & the fish after 2 minutes to be sure that the nuts are not burning. When the first side is light brown, then gently turn over & cook the other side for an additional 2 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.
6. Remove fish from pan, briefly blotting excess oil with a paper towel, then place in a baking dish in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the center of the fish is slightly resistant to touch. If you can smell the fish it is done. Do not overcook it.
7. Remove from oven and keep in a warm place until sauce is heated & ready to be plated. Serve on warm plates.

For the fish veloute'

1. Place both stocks in a heavy sauce pan and reduce over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes until stock is reduced in half. Then remove it from the heat.
2. While stock is reducing, place cornstarch in a small bowl & slowly whisk in cold stock or wine a little at a time until cornstarch is completely dissolved and the resulting slurry is homogenous looking. Set aside until stock reduces.
3. When stock is reduced, remove from heat & rapidly whisk the stock continuously to cool it slightly while slowly adding the cornstarch slurry. When sauce is thickened, season to taste with pinch of sea salt, & white pepper then set aside pan in a warm place (but not over heat) while you prepare the bercy.

For the passion-fruit bercy sauce

1. Heat a heavy sauce pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, heat it for a few moments then add the shallots & a tiny pinch of salt to sweat them without browning them.
2. When shallots are soft, add the ginger, stirring until aromatic then add the passion-fruit.
3. When the passion fruit cooks down, add the wine, reducing it for a few minutes then add the stock, allowing that to cook down until halved. (about 10 minutes)
4. When liquid is reduced, scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean using the tip of a small paring knife and add them as well as the vanilla pod halves to the stock along with the soy & the sriratcha sauce, stirring well to evenly distribute them.
5. Reduce heat to lowest setting & allow it to simmer for a 5-10 minutes until sauce looks glossy & well-integrated then remove from heat & add the prepared veloute' sauce, stirring well to fully incorporate both sauces.
6. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Remove the vanilla bean halves. Swirl in the butter until emulsified.
7. When the sauce looks completely incorporated, return it to the heat on lowest possible setting, until sauce is warmed through, then serve immediately. (If sauce has thinned out by the time you are ready to serve it, just blend it by either using an immersion blender in the sauce pan to froth it up or by carefully pouring it into a blender & whirring it for a minute.)

For the risotto Make sure to have the stock in a separate pot at a bare simmer (just below a simmer) on the stove. (Keep in mind that risotto gets its creamy texture from the release of the rice's starch which means you've got to continuously stir it for the first 15-18 minutes, after that it's just a matter of keeping it from drying out by continuing to slowly add warm stock until the rice grains are fully cooked.)

1. Heat a large shallow pan (a paella or La Creuset braising pan work well) over medium heat, add the olive oil & when warm but not smoking, add the onions with a pinch of salt. Sweat the onions stirring often. Do not allow them to brown.
2. When onions are soft, add garlic & red curry paste, stir until aromatic and slightly darkened in color. Do not allow to burn.
3. Add butter, when butter melts add rice, toasting it in the paste for a minute or two.
4. Add the wine, stirring continuously until fully absorbed into the rice. When wine is fully absorbed, lower heat to medium-low to low (keep it at a bare simmer) and add coconut milk, stirring continuously, until fully absorbed.
5. Slowly begin to add the stock one ladleful at a time (about 1/2 cup), stirring often and making sure the rice has absorbed it before adding more stock. By the fourth absorbed ladleful, you should see a visible difference in the size of the grains and begin testing for doneness. Risotto is done when the rice grains are tender but still retain a slight "bite" and the overall texture is creamy.
6. When risotto is almost done, add fish sauce and edamame (or cooked sweet peas), gently stirring in & cooking until beans are warmed through.
7. Add basil, scallions & cilantro. Test for seasoning, if it needs any, add sea salt (Red Himalayan Salt would be pretty & yummy) & freshly ground pepper to taste.
8. Serve by packing risotto in a large ramekin until ramekin is fully packed & placing the center of the warmed serving plate on top of the ramekin, then inverting both dishes & carefully unmolding the rice from its ramekin. Place the snapper fillet on the side of the rice and drizzle the Bercy sauce over half the fish and the circumference of the plate. Garnish the rice with pea shoots, micro greens or a sprig of cilantro. Serve.

Duo of Baked Cannelloni: Dungeness Crab & Goat Cheese Roasted Sweet Potato & Mascarpone Wilted Spinach

   

Note: When I was at Canyon Ranch last month, I ordered a crab quesadilla with a crisp but tender shell and a delicious creamy filling that imparted a slight but pleasant tang to the dish without overwhelming the crab. I thought they had used a special Oaxacan cheese but when I asked my server she said it was just fresh goat cheese. The combination was a good one & I thought it could make a very elegant dish for a romantic dinner if I used cannelloni as the delivery system for the crab & goat cheese. Of course the object of this Valentine's dinner is to keep everything light & sexy, so I thought I could lighten the dish by making two separate fillings, offering one cannelloni of each and a Duo of Cannelloni was born. I wanted the second filling to be light and complement rather than compete with the crab & goat cheese so I knew it would have to a vegetable filling; but, I wanted a luxurious mouth-feel that was satisfying & a little sweet. My first thought was butternut squash or pumpkin but they have been done so often this way and too laborious to tackle with everything else & then it hit me: roasted sweet potatoes. Great texture, sweet & healthy taste with a touch of mascarpone, a hint of vanilla and herbs. Eureka! While I'll admit my inspiration may not be quite on par with Archimedes' discovery of the displacement of water (which was his legendary Eureka moment), I'm still pleased with the results.

I've lightened the bechamel sauce by using lowfat milk. You can substitute skim milk if you like but don't substitute the butter with anything else. It's not a lot of butter per person & it's absolutely necessary for sauce. Do use freshly grated nutmeg, it is an essential component and very easy to find these seeds in the seasonings section of mainstream supermarkets.

If you can't find dried cannelloni shells, use manicotti shells instead. Just but the highest quality pasta you can find because the flavor of the pasta is very important with these delicate fillings. If the pasta is too thick or poorly made it will show much more with these fillings than if you were using a meat ragu.You can also buy or make your own fresh crepes if you like. You just need to fill them then roll them tightly with the seam facing the bottom of the baking dish.

If you're not a crab eater, just omit the crab & substitute it with additional cheese or add wild mushrooms (chanterelles or hen of the wood mushrooms are nice & meaty) that you have sweated with olive oil & shallots. It'll still be yummy if not as aphrodisiatic (if that's a word). Serve this dish with a side of wilted spinach (baby spinach sauteed in olive oil, minced garlic & a touch of stock & freshly ground black pepper.) You will have leftover stuffing which you can use to stuff additional cannelloni shells, layer over no boil lasagne noodles which have a much finer texture & some egg added to them allowing them to cook thoroughly without as much liquid (Nature's Pasta, available at Real Foods is the best so far): just double the bechamel sauce recipe & use it as a sauce to layer into the lasagne, or turn it into ravioli or tortellini by using ready made thin wonton wrappers. Then cook & freeze for another time.

This recipe will serve four, unless you're starving. To make it for two, I would have had to split an egg in half. Perhaps that will be my future contribution to science... I'll get cracking!!! (pardon the pun)

  Ingredients

 For the cannelloni

• 8 cannelloni shells, cooked in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 7 minutes if dried or about 3 minutes if fresh; always be sure to check the manufacturers instructions (8 fresh small crepes could be substituted, obviously no boiling required) Remember, these shells should be cooked until just barely al dente. Overcooked pasta will not work in this recipe. It's going to cook further in the oven.
• 1 gratin dish or small to medium-sized baking dish, greased with olive oil & a paper towel (the dish should be just large enough to accommodate a single layer of cannelloni)
• 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 2 pastry bags (or 2 ziploc plastic bags, with a small edge of one bottom cut out & the tops folded back) or 2 teaspoons

For the crab filling

• 1 cup of fresh Dungeness crabmeat (about 1/2 lb.), picked through to remove any shell
• 1 clove of garlic, grated
• 3 scallions, light green part only, minced
• 5 oz log of fresh goat cheese, softened to room temperature (Laura Chenel chevre is good)
• 1 cup of part skim ricotta, softened to room temperature (don't use more than 1 cup of this or you will lose the goat cheese flavor)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten in a small bowl
• 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
• 1 cup of tightly packed baby spinach leaves, rough chopped
• 2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

For the sweet potato filling

• 3 large or 4 small sweet potatoes (jewel yams)
• 1 cup of mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon of high quality vanilla extract
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped & sweated in butter
• pinch of sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of herbs de provence
• 2 Tablespoons of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 4 amaretti cookies, crushed (optional, it will make the filling much sweetier which you may or may not like so feel free to leave out, if you're in doubt)
• 2 egg whites

For the Bechamel sauce

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2-1/4 cups lowfat milk
• 1/8 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
• sea salt & white pepper to taste (go easy on the salt, we're going to use a lot of salty parmesan to cover the cannelloni after we pour the salt, so beware)

Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Clean and dry the sweet potatoes thoroughly then prick the tops of each one with a fork. Place the sweet potatoes directly on the center rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour until completely soft & oozing. Then remove & allow to cool until they are cool enough to handle. While potatoes bake, make the Bechamel sauce. For the Bechamel sauce

1. Using a heavy bottomed sauce, melt butter over medium heat.
2. When butter is melted, add flour; whisking it in. Continue to whisk until butter & flour have completely combined & the resulting paste loses it raw look (about 2-3 minutes) Do not burn the roux but do cook it until nutty aroma is released & roux is light gold in color.
3. When roux is ready, reduce heat to low and slowly begin to trickle in the milk, whisking it continuously while pouring it slowly in a steady stream to avoid making lumps of flour.
4. When all the milk is poured, whisk often until sauce thickens and ribbons form (about 10-12 minutes).
5. When sauce reaches the desired texture, remove from heat & season with nutmeg, pepper & salt. Set aside in a warm spot until ready to assemble dish. Prepare the crab filling.

For the crab filling

1. In a large stainless steel mixing bowl, combine the grated garlic, minced scallions, goat cheese, ricotta and parmesan. Mixing thoroughly.
2. Add the spinach leaves and the white pepper. Combine well.
3. Add the lightly beaten egg, thoroughly incorporate into the cheese mixture
4. Gently fold in the crabmeat, using a rubber spatula to thoroughly incorporate being careful not to over mix the filling and break up the crabmeat. Fill one pastry bag (or ziploc bag) with crabmeat mixture. You may need to use a teaspoon if your crab pieces are large. Set aside & prepare sweet potato filling.

For the sweet potato filling

1. On a cutting board, while potatoes are still warm, cut each potato in half, lengthwise.
2. Over a large bowl, remove the flesh of the cooled sweet potatoes by peeling the skin off or scooping it out with a spoon into the bowl & mashing them thoroughly with a masher or large fork. (You can also put them through a ricer for a finer texture)
3. In a small bowl, combine mascarpone, cooked shallots, vanilla extract, nutmeg, herbs, pepper & parmesan. Mix well.
4. Add the mascarpone mixture to the large bowl of sweet potatoes. Incorporating everything thoroughly.
5. Beat the egg whites until foamy & light with soft body (but not into stiff peaks)
6. Gently fold into the sweet potato mixture using a spatula to fully incorporate the eggs without taking all the air out of them
7. Fill one pastry bag (or ziploc bag) with sweet potato mixture.
8. Prepare cannelloni.

For the cannelloni Reduce preheated oven to 350 degrees.

1. Fill half the cooked cannelloni shells with the crab mixture, using the pastry bag to pipe them in. Do not over fill. Set on clean cutting board.
2. Fill the other half of cooked cannelloni shells with the sweet potato mixture. Set on clean cutting board.
3. Place baking dish, bechamel sauce, filled shells & grated parmesan on the work surface. Start by pouring a ladle or two of bechamel to completely cover the bottom of the pre-greased baking dish.
4. Now assemble the dish by placing the filled shells in a single layer side by side on the baking dish, alternating one crab cannelloni with one sweet potato cannelloni. You may need to pack them tightly together.
5. Pour the remaining bechamel over the top and sides of the pasta.
6. Sprinkle the parmesan evenly over the entire dish & bake in the center rack of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until sauce is bubbling & parmesan is golden brown. If the gratin is not golden enough, briefly broil the dish at least 6 inches from the heat source until desired color is reached. Remove from heat and allow to cool at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
7. On pre-warmed plates, serve two cannelloni per person, one of each type of filling, with wilted spinach (see note if you don't know how to wilt spinach). Mangia!!!

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Note: This is a classic Valentine Day dessert that is both decadent & healthy. You can find them ready made for Valentine's Day at Godiva or other chocolatiers but they are fun and easy to make. Stemberries (or strawberries with the stems still attached) are available in supermarkets right now & are the best strawberries to use as the stems provide a natural handle for dipping. They are exorbitantly priced but worth the splurge for a special occasion. The darker the chocolate (60 % cocoa or above) the better for both melting and health purposes. You can use semisweet chocolate chips or really splurge and buy a hunk of Valrhona or Callebaut chocolate... so worth it & it's sold in bulk at Whole Foods!!!! The dipped berries can be stored for a couple of days in the fridge.

To temper or not to temper, that is the question. It's a way of heat treating then cooling it to change the crystalline structure of the chocolate. Tempering it makes the chocolate pretty, hard & glossy as it dries. Most commercial chocolate is already tempered . If you don't temper it, the chocolate may appear streaked or cloudy when it cools after dipping the strawberries into it. Strawberries introduce moisture into the chocolate which will cause the sugar & cacao in the chocolate to absorb it & seize up, forming little cloudy clumps. The texture will not be as satiny as the chocolate melts on the tongue. Some recipes suggest adding butter or heavy cream to the chocolate while slowly melting to avoid the need to temper but you still don't get that great snap when you bite into it. Jacque Torres aka "Mr. Chocolate" suggests the microwave method for people melting less than 1 lb. of chocolate which is what I will post here. Another site called cooking for engineers.com delivers a great chocolate tutorial and tempering, click here to go to the website.

You will have leftover strawberries, just store them on the parchment paper in a plastic container in the fridge. They'll keep for a day but not more than two days.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. of dark chocolate (over 60% cocoa), chopped into small pieces
• 12 large strawberries with stems attached, washed & completely dried with a towel
• 1 small microwaveable bowl
• 1 baking sheet fitted with wax paper

Directions

1. Place chocolate pieces in the microwaveable bowl, & microwave in short bursts for 30 seconds at a time, stir between each microwave session to evenly distribute the heat. Be patient & stick to the 30 second intervals.
2. It's important to stop heating it just before the chocolate starts to melt. When the chocolate is just beginning to warm & melt lightly but the pieces still retain their shape, it's time to stop heating it. The chocolate pieces should be slightly shiny & mushy as you stir it.
3. Keep stirring and allow the residual heat to melt the rest of the chocolate. You'll lose the temper if you overheat it.
4. Place the melted chocolate, wax paper covered baking sheet & completely dry strawberries on a work surface, creating an assembly line of strawberries, melted chocolate & pan.
5. Picking the strawberry up by its stem, gently but quickly dip it until it's covered 3/4 of the way up with chocolate, swirling the strawberry as you remove it from the chocolate to cover all the pores; then invert the strawberry, pointing the end up to the sealing to "seal" the chocolate.
6. Place the strawberry on the sheet & repeat with the remaining berries.
7. Allow the berries to cool at room temperature until chocolate is hard and glossy. Then serve.

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Parfait with Greek Yogurt, Agave Nectar, and Toasted Walnuts

Note: This recipe is all assembly & no cooking. It's as delicious as it is simple and healthy. Just use a large clear glass with an elevated bowl, like a martini, wine or margarita glass. If you're unconcerned about fat or calories, you can make a sabayon, click here for a simple recipe or just use softened vanilla gelato.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

• 1 pint of fresh raspberries, rinsed & dried
• 8 oz. of lowfat Greek-style yogurt (Fage brand, pronounced fa-yeh, is by far the best)
• 1 oz high quality dark chocolate, shaved into large shards with a microplane
• 6 teaspoons of toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
• dark agave nectar in its squeeze bottle
• 2 sprigs of mint (optional)

Directions

1. Assemble all the ingredients, teaspoon, a tablespoon & the two parfait glasses.
2. Start with a layer of two tablespoons of yogurt at the base of each glass.
3. Follow with a layer of raspberries to cover yogurt.
4. Follow the layer of raspberries with a squiggle (highly technical term) of agave nectar over the berries.
5. Follow the agave nectar with a layer of chocolate shards
6. Follow the chocolate with a layer of a teaspoon of chopped walnuts
7. Repeat the layers until you have three layers of all the ingredients and top each glass with a sprig of mint. Voila.