Lemon yogurt cake is very popular and you can find dozens of recipes online, especially Ina Garten’s famous version that has a lemon infused syrup poured over the top. My go-to lemon yogurt cake is a slightly different recipe, but the idea of a syrup sure sounded good. What would happen if I used a little ginger and thyme instead of the lemon?
I’ll skip straight to the punch line: There is no single ‘right way’ for most things in life. I’m sure there are exceptions in fields like medicine or Japanese tea ceremony, but in the kitchen it’s all about adapting to circumstances. Time, freshness, purpose, strength and ability, equipment, skill level have a big influence on technique and method.
One of the joys of cooking is that it is indeed a dance with the present moment, a constant two-step (or waltz maybe?) to adapt to what is happening right now. Cut it thinner this time, a little more lemon juice, walnuts instead of almonds, lower the heat, raise the heat, cha-cha-cha!
Some of us want/need complete silence in the kitchen when we cook, while others use this time to get caught up on all those cooking shows queueing up on the iPod. And of course there’s always music. Tell us what’s streaming in your ears when you’re in the kitchen, and leave us the details in the comments.
Tomatoes with lavender salt, pan-fried steak with smoked paprika salt, electric green matcha salt on poached eggs, tangerine salt sprinkled over a roast chicken. If any of that sounds delicious and intriguing, then we suggest you watch Eric Gower’s fun and informative video on how to make and use flavored salts. While you’re at it, check out his beautiful open pantry/spice shelf in the background.
I can say with irrefutable certainty that spring has arrived in San Francisco. I only have to keep my head up and my eyes open when I walk out my front door to witness the proof: plum blossoms everywhere! And while they delight my eye and perfume the air, it’s the message of spring and its promise of fresh green produce that really captures my imagination.
The fight against childhood obesity and its root causes has gotten a lot of attention this past week. Yesterday we featured Jamie Oliver’s inspiring TED talk. Today we’re looking at First Lady Michelle Obama Let’s Move campaign, which was rolled out just one day before Jamie’s speech.
It’s Valentine’s Day, which I’ll admit had me distracted for a minute. I had my heart-shaped potato picture all lined up, and my quotes about love and food and courtship all ready to go. But in the end, I couldn’t make it happen because I actually don’t believe it’s true.
What do you trust and how does that influence and inspire your life? Filmmaker-photographer Andrew Zuckerman trusts, among other things, his butcher, his favorite restaurant and a grocery store. In other words, Mr. Zuckerman is a lucky man because he trusts and is inspired by those who feed him. And he shares these relationships with us in three beautiful short films, linked below the jump.
We’re all familiar with the concept of a book club but what about one that centers around the themes of food, cooking, eating? With all the food memoirs and cookbooks being published these days, there is plenty of material to choose from. Read on for our suggestions of how to get a food lit or cookbook book club started, tips on how to host a group and a list of suggested titles to get you going.
My book club met to discuss The Gastronomical Me by MFK Fisher recently. I last read Mrs. Fisher when I was quite young, and while I fell in love with her, and all the places she had lived and the food she had eaten, I don’t think I ever really understood her. Or at least I didn’t quite pick up on her subtleties and deeper explorations, and how adept she was at hiding in plain sight.
I recently tested out a new online grocery ordering and delivery service in my area, mostly because I got a discount through a group coupon and I was curious about how it worked. The service offered organic and health-focused grocery items as well as organic fresh fruits and vegetables. After registering, you simply shop online once a week, or set up a standing order, and your groceries are delivered right to your door.
This winter I’ve been drawn to bringing more whole grains into my diet. I’ve always intellectually understood that they’re better for me than processed grains but I’d never actually craved them until I was introduced to Massa Organics’ Brown Rice last fall. And now I honestly don’t know how I managed to feed myself without a large pot of this delicious, nutty rice in my refrigerator. Read on for my favorite recipe!
My day job is really busy right now, with lots of last minute twists and turns on a project that was due over two weeks ago. I want to retreat to the kitchen and the simplicity of chopping carrots but my bothered and distracted mind follows me right in. I stand over the open refrigerator and stare at the chicken that really should be cooked this weekend and the dark tuscan kale that is starting to wither and fade. But I can’t seem to pull it together enough to figure out even the most basic, simplest of kitchen tasks. Finding the focus to roast a chicken eludes me, and the wilted kale only makes me sad.
I love vintage cookbooks! I have a small but growing collection that I’ve gathered from yard sales, used bookstores and the shelves of specialty bookshops like Omnivore Books in San Francisco. As objects of beauty and curiosity, these books are a treasure. But do those old-timey recipes still work in today’s kitchens?
Julia Child’s 1960’s classic Boeuf Bourguignon has enjoyed a huge comeback thanks to the hit film Julie & Julia. But there are hundred’s of recipes in Julia Child’s repertoire. Which one is your favorite? Mine is pictured above, a delicious chocolate and almond cake called Reine be Saba (or Queen of Sheba). Read on for the recipe and let us know your favorites from JC!
First, an update on the controversial Bake Sale Response post from last week. So far, and all the counting isn’t done yet, the three-location, Bay Area bake sale that was held from 10am to 2pm yesterday has raised over $22K for Haiti. That’s twenty-two thousand dollars from four hours of selling cupcakes and cookies, people. I rest my case.
Yesterday, I spent the morning as a volunteer, cooking lunch for a day-long meditation retreat at the San Francisco Zen Center. It got me to thinking about service, silence, and letting go. About support, refuge, community, and the best way to be helpful.
All these thoughts (and more!) gathered in the steam like angels or ghosts as I stood at the stove, stirring a gigantic pot full of split pea soup.
No matter how tiny your droplet of help feels compared to the ocean of need, it’s always better to do something rather than nothing at all. When the news of the earthquake in Haiti started to roll in last week, most people felt an impulse to help. To do something. But what? It basically boils down to time, talent and training. For a few of us, that means grabbing our med kits and taking the next plane south. For others, it’s rolling up our sleeves and getting into the kitchen.
Introducing: The Bake Sale Response.
Across the country and here in San Francisco’s food community, people are stepping forward to raise money for relief efforts in Haiti. Restaurants, organizations and individuals are all doing their part, including a huge bake sale that will take place in three Bay Area locations next Saturday. Read on for more details and use the comment section to list efforts in your area. A bake sale can change the world!
The holidays are fading and the quiet days are winter are settling in. If you’re lucky enough to have a bit of land to devote to a garden, then it’s time to start that classic winter distraction: planning your summer vegetable patch.
