The magical elixir of Spicy Chicken Sausage & Chickpea Stew proved the perfect potion for warming stomachs and souls. Thank you Amanda Gold of the San Francisco Chronicle for the soulful connection! Aromas of browning onions and sausage filled the air as the stew simmered and chickpeas danced in the broth, garnished before serving with fresh rosemary and Parmesan cheese. A recipe from my archives, Gourmet Magazine’s Date, Goat Cheese and Mesclun Salad, with its juxtaposition of creamy, sweet flavors and sharp red-wine vinegar and soy sauce dressing, sided beautifully with the stew. Warm, multi-grain La Brea bread quite literally pulled it all together as a Bogle Zinfandel provided even more comfort. Delectable Chocolate Pecan Bars concluded the meal at ChezHelvetica. An evening of simple indulgence and deep love!
Soothing the Soul
January 23rd, 2012Wisdom Is Sage
November 28th, 2011
Black Friday dinner, the counterpart to a Thanksgiving feast, featured Sage as the wise choice to bridge both occasions. The Salvia officinalis (from Three Bees Nursery) used in a Brown Butter Sage Sauce was almost sweet, deliciously bathing Monterey Bay Organic Spinach and Cheese Ravioli. But let me digress, this meal began with a wonderful Roasted Squash Soup with Maple-Glazed Bananas, an “autumn in a bowl” recipe from Food & Wine magazine. A LaBrea Bakery Whole Wheat Bread, baked right before our meal, filled the air with the fragrance of its nutty taste, serving as the perfect accompaniment to sop up sauce and eat with soup. Piquant Kalamata Olives from Haig’s Delicacies and Smoked Salmon from Bryan’s Market rounded out our main course. An excellent Klinker Brick Zinfandel brought black magic to the Black Friday celebration, as did a ChezHelvetica favorite dessert – Lemon Squares from the Neiman Marcus cookbook. So here’s to being grateful and thankful, still, for the love of family and all the bounty life has to offer!
Chez Panisse Meets ChezHelvetica
September 15th, 2011
With all of the recent press celebrating Alice Waters and her recipes from the past 40 years, I was inspired – in “Julie & Julia” fashion – to create some of her signature dishes. Pulling from the San Francisco Chronicle Decade 2 recipes, a delicious Baked Goat Cheese With Garden Lettuces served as a combination salad and cheese course. Goat cheese disks soaked up extra virgin olive along with fresh thyme and rosemary from the garden, then rolled in bread crumbs made from a whole wheat walnut sourdough baguette. These were baked and placed on a bed of arugula, dressed with sherry and red wine vinegars and oil. A “Thyme In” feature from the Wall Street Journal captured my attention with a Chicken with Garlic Purée and Zucchini Salad recipe. Raw summer squash from the Fillmore Farmers Market came alive in a marinade of Meyer lemon juice, basil and parsley. The savory roasted garlic purée electrified succulent grilled chicken breasts accented with sage, oregano and thyme. A perfect wine pairing was found with Husch Vineyards Mendocino Chardonnay made from sustainably grown grapes. A toast to Alice and her legacy of fresh, simple food!
Grilling for Burners
August 29th, 2011
It’s time once again for a Bon Voyage meal for those headed to the Black Rock Desert, embarking this year on their “Rite of Passage”. The meal highlight for My Burner was a Grilled Chicken and Corn Salad with Avocado and Parmesan, a recipe from Real Simple magazine. Kosher chicken from Trader Joe’s and organic white corn from the Fillmore Farmers Market were grilled stovetop, along with a baguette brushed with oil infused with basil. This dish was delightfully simple to make, thanks in part to some knowledge just learned from Food & Wine magazine about removing corn kernels from the cob. Using a bundt pan, you place the ear in the center hole and then slice off the kernels; they fall weightlessly right into the pan. Luscious red strawberries from Medina Berry Farms (also found at the Fillmore Farmers Market) were the Sweet Send Off.
Sicily in San Francisco
August 17th, 2011
Food & Wine’s September 2011 issue promised Sicilian flavor with a fresh Garlic-Tomato Sauce using orange zest and saffron. Let the vicarious travel expedition begin! Early Girl Tomatoes from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, first softened with garlic and red pepper then simmered with precious saffron and oregano, filled the air with sensuous aroma. True Wild Cod fillets (discovered at AK Meats on Clement Street) nestled in the sauce topped Arborio Rice scented with fragrant orange zest, bay leaves and cloves. Grilled Eggplant, roasted walnuts and ricotta cheese on arugula was the perfect accompaniment. With the season’s bounty of Meyer Lemons and Blackberries, the ChezHelvetica dessert this evening featured a Williams-Sonoma recipe for Lemon Bread. A sweet lemony syrup with blackberries drenched the bread for a fitting end to our journey!
Independence Day!*!*!
July 5th, 2011
Celebrating freedom this Fourth of July with the incredible bounty of our country! With a nod to the diversity of this nation, flavors were All-American, Mexican and Italian. The American component was a Lemony Potato Salad, a recipe from Epicurious, offering the zing of Meyer Lemon juice and zest, crunchy celery and buttery Yukon Gold Potatoes. Luscious creme fraiche enriched the dressing. Guacamole and chips, a natural segue from the U.S. to Mexico, took a twist with the use of cumin along with sweet red onion to flavor the organic avocado. Primavera Butternut Squash Tamales, filled with corn and Jack Cheese, paired with a new partner -Dave’s Gourmet Roasted Red Pepper Chipolte Hot Sauce. This delicious sauce delivered smoky soft fireworks! Savory Aidell’s Italian Sausages completed our entree and sweet ripe strawberries completed our holiday meal. With a salute to the Armed Forces and my Father, the folded flag was used to adorn the table.
Skewered
June 25th, 2011
It’s Summer Solstice! As apropos, this evening’s entree featured something grilled – Grilled Oregano Prawns, an inspiration from Epicurious. With fresh oregano from our garden, sweet red onion and succulent prawns (from local market, AK Meats), this first of the season venture was off to a great start. A French Fingerling Potato Salad was the perfect complement with its buttery potatoes from Zuckerman Farms (purchased at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market) and a piquant sherry, shallot vinaigrette. Warm multi-grain bread from Grace Baking sopped up the dressing as we enjoyed a golden Chardonnay from BR Cohen. Ya gotta have ice cream as your dessert on an occasion like this and Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Ice Cream was the ultimate choice!
Mother’s Day
May 10th, 2011
Celebrating Mother’s Day with the most incredible, inspirational, creative, strong woman. The menu featured all her favorites, from Caesar Salad, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Rosemary to Lobster Thermidor. This classic recipe, originated in the 1940′s by Gourmet chef Lois P. DeGouy, received a San Francisco touch with Baby Shiiatake Mushrooms from the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market. Fire engine red lobster tails, doused in an intoxicating thermidor sauce with sherry, were declared “Most Delicious Ever” by the honored guest. A baguette from Grace Baking soaked up the sauce and the salad dressing as the sun illuminated our celebration. Linens used also encompassed the classic and current with handmade placemats and napkins from Willemstad, Curacao, purchased decades ago on a Royal Viking Line cruise, to a new table cloth from 24th Street. The eternal dessert of choice – a Hot Fudge Sundae – was the perfect sweet ending to our special occasion!
In What Way Do You Find This Night Different?
April 21st, 2011
The leader of our Passover Seder posed this traditional question to the Chosen Family and Friends present. The Wise Son quickly responded with a non-traditional answer: Matzo! The same could be said for the first Italian Seder at ChezHelvetica, “From San Francisco to Siena”. Drawing from archives of classic Italian Passover recipes, together with suggestions from Chef Claudio, the menu came to life. Our first course featured Laura Chenel chèvre spiked with minced garlic and parsley and wrapped in Breseola with Mission figs. A tantalizing Matzo Ball Soup made with matzo meal and ground chicken followed along with Italian Charoset bursting with fragrant spices, orange, almonds and luscious dried fruits. We reclined, thanks to Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio, Pio Cesare Barolo and Villa Antinori Toscana wines. Ah, the main course – Spigola Arrosta, Red Snapper (delivered to Antonelli’s Market that morning) accented with rosemary and anchovies then slow roasted on a grill, Porcini Matzo Polenta enhanced with basil and oven roasted artichoke hearts with garlic. For dessert, beautiful sweet strawberries from a roadside stand in Rio Vista and French Vanilla yogurt from Trader Joe’s with incredible Ricciarelli di Siena, almond and meringue cookies dusted with confectioners’ sugar. An almost biblical journey to freedom and epicurean delight!

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