From start to finish, the fragrant allure of vanilla cast its spell over this evening’s dinner. An Eggplant Parmesan recipe from “A Century of Flavor”, Nielsen-Massey‘s exclusive cookbook, catapulted this iconic dish to a new level. The vanilla accent mingled with sweet diced tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano, basil and savory onions and garlic, separated by layers of Provolone and Parmesan cheeses. A salad composed of arugula with sugar snap peas, walnuts and orange zest, dressed with Sidi Yassine Huile d’Argan Extra Vierge from Morocco, and garlic bread, juxtaposed flawlessly with the featured star. Bon Appétit’s recipe for Roasted Apricots with Honey-Vanilla Créme Fraîche deliciously concluded our meal. A little caveat was my use of peaches instead of the apricots, sending everyone scrambling for knives to cut through the thick skins!
Category: Blog Post
A Veritable Fresh Fish Feast
Recent communiques from EveryDay Food piqued my interest with their focus on fish (a house favorite), with options that transform the taste experience. The Lemon-Parsley Fish Cake recipe specified cod, but I substituted tuna which jumped from “everyday” to “gourmet” with the added green onions, capers and French bread crumbs. The quickly sauteed cakes were nested on a bed of organic arugula, accompanied by buttery yukon red and gold potatoes from Zuckerman Farms. A basil aioli enhanced everything on the platter. The pursuit of trout for the Trout with Brown Butter and Olives recipe finally came to a conclusion with the pristine fillets found at Trader Joe’s. The spicy butter sauce dressed the broiled fish and an organic quinoa salad, intensifying the sweet Campari tomatoes and savory shallots. Adding to the pleasure of these meals were the platters used; the flowered ceramic one acquired at Gump’s for a few dollars at an employee only sale and the glass fish platter from what was Judith-et-Hokins, one of the first gourmet shops in San Francisco. Both beloved treasures! 
A Salute to Memorial Day
Our Memorial Day celebration embraced both the traditional significance of the day in acknowledging war veterans (in this case, the folded flag holding bullets fired at my father’s funeral) and the always fun summer barbecue with friends. Real Simple Magazine’s June feature on finger-licking fare inspired me to head to Marin Sun Farms at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market where I purchased baby back ribs. Using the classic barbecue sauce recipe in this issue, it was my first foray into making barbecue sauce. I tweaked it by adding some Worcestershire sauce.
A Caesar Salad recipe from Epicurious provided the perfect combination of delicate hearts of romaine (from Star Route Farms) and savory garlic croutons, a wonderful accompaniment to sweet corn. Vanilla ice cream with honey-poached nectarines and toasted coconut, crowned by a strawberry, was the dessert of choice, also adapted from Real Simple. Then there was the wine brought by our friends from their well-stocked cellar …. all I can remember now is that it was wonderful. And there was a lot!
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Summer Crowd Pleasers
The cover of Martha Stewart Living’s June issue promised “Summer Crowd Pleasers” and indeed two of the recipes really pleased us. The rich Penne Frittata with Ricotta and Basil tasted almost like a noodle pudding but with a sophisticated taste. In large part this was due to the fresh basil I plucked from the beautiful plant on my counter. Thank you Trader Joe’s for selling these for $2.99! It was like comfort food all grown up, especially when served with Asparagus with Capers and Lemon. This delightfully piquant dish offered a great counterpoint to the frittata. The last of the season sweet asparagus from the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market provided a fond farewell to Spring and a salute to Summer, just on the horizon!
Is the Fish Fresh?
The answer to my husband’s perpetual question in this case is a resounding YES, in fact the fish is Wild. A Martha Stewart Living recipe with the magic words “you make the main and side dish all in one pan” got me going! The succulent halibut from Alaska (purchased at Safeway) roasted alongside the baby zucchini while I made the luscious butter sauce, substituting shallots for the onion. Why cut into a whole onion for such a small amount? Whole wheat couscous from Trader Joe’s, studded with delicate shiitake mushrooms from the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market, completed the meal. A Pacific Rim Dry Reisling helped the celebration of warm weather – finally – and beginning of the Memorial Day Weekend. Halleluyah!
Sugar Snap Peas
I don’t really like peas. Yet the overflowing table of sugar snap peas at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market, and my husband’s urging, prompted me to buy these “pod fruits”. A great Epicurious recipe combining the sweet peas with a pungent garlic paste and parmesan cheese yielded an explosion of juxtaposing flavors. The luscious sauce drenched delicate garlic and parsley fettuccine. As an embellishment, I added sauteed baby shiitake mushrooms and Aidell’s Chicken and Apple sausage. As oft stated, “give peas a chance” now made imminent sense!
Snap Judgements
The intended fish course for this meal was to be salmon, but one look at the beautiful, fresh red snapper at Safeway, that was it – I was off in a new direction. Quickly looking online for some cooking instructions since I hadn’t made snapper in a while, I found a recipe on Epicurious for a Roasted Red Snapper, Lemon and Artichoke dish. The original intention for the glorious artichokes from Castroville (found at Pezzini’s) was to simply steam them. Yet once again, finding I could roast them under the snapper, this lead to one more change in direction. Yam fries completed our meal with everything getting a dollop of garlicky basil aioli. Sometimes, things just fall into place!
Vanilla Flank Steak
A Master Class in Vanilla, offered by the San Francisco Professional Food Society and held at the International Culinary Academy, motivated my creation of this dinner featuring Vanilla Flank Steak. Vanilla specialists Nielsen-Massey discussed the story of vanilla and presented this recipe, among others, dispelling the thinking that vanilla is only for sweets. This savory recipe combined vanilla with chile sauce, chili powder, ketchup, chocolate, coffee, golden brown sugar Worcestershire sauce and garlic in which a flank steak is marinated for 18-24 hours, then grilled. While the recipe specified the NM essences of chocolate and coffee they offered, I substituted a little cocoa powder and ground coffee. What an incredible new taste sensation! Fingerling fries and pencil-thin asparagus were the perfect sides. So next time you use vanilla, remember to pay tribute to the Totonaco Indians of Mexico, the originators of this flavor. Then think how lucky you are now to choose vanilla from Mexico, Tahiti, Madagascar (or a host of other countries) when you start cooking!
Saturday Night Light
Q: What to have for dinner on a beautiful Saturday night that is equal parts elegant and light? A: Meyer Lemon Risotto and Seared Scallops! Inspired by a risotto recipe presented on the Today Show using créme fraîche, spring greens and lemon juice, I ultimately used a recipe found on line through 101 Cookbooks. With the zest and juice from the abundant Meyer lemons from our friends’ gardens, chopped garlic, shallot, white wine, arborio rice, asparagus, zucchini, parsley, créme fraîche, and Pecorino-Romano cheese, this dish bursted with incredible richness and flavors. East Coast Bay Scallops from Bryan’s Market melted in our mouths, thanks to a Food Network recipe using butter and garlic. And what better for dessert than delicious strawberries from the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market dipped into that créme fraîche and golden brown sugar? Mouth-watering achieved new significance this evening!
Omega-3
Omega-3 fatty acid benefits now rule editorial features in virtually all media channels, salmon being the holy grail in the food category. This evening’s dinner featured roasted wild salmon from Alaska. Although this salmon was purchased at a local Safeway, the recipe used in its preparation dates to a flightseeing excursion to Taku Glacier Lodge in Juneau during our honeymoon. A luscious mix of Meyer lemon juice, honey, butter and white wine basted the fish. The Inner Sunset Farmer’s Market offered the wonderful asparagus and Yukon Gold potatoes, simply brushed with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper and prepared in tandem with the salmon. A Chardonnay from Chateau Ste. Michelle in Columbia Valley completed the “up North” theme of our dinner!