Do you want a fast breakfast recipe?  This is a good one for when friends crash at your place and you don’t want to go to the store to buy ingredients.  A baked pancake recipe also known as a Dutch Baby.   It is similar to a pancake, but hybridized with french toast.

HOWEVER, you will need a cast iron skillet or other pan that can go into the oven.  If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, GO BUY ONE!

Sunset Magazine rocks it with some of the best recipes ever!  Do you find it hard to get rid of one Sunset Magazine or 100 Sunset Magazines?  Join the club!

Sunset Magazine Baked Sunday Pancake with Raspberry Sauce (topping optional)

• 3 tbsp. butter
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Melt butter in your skillet (oven proof frying pan).  Remove from heat.  Use your mixer to beat or whirl eggs until pale.  Beat or blend in milk, vanilla, flour, sugar, and salt.  Pour the batter into your skillet and place in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes.  Serve immediately with syrup and powdered sugar, powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon OR raspberry sauce.

Optional Raspberry Sauce (can use syrup or powdered sugar instead):

In a food processor blend frozen Raspberries until smooth and then strain the seeds out.  Stir in 1/4 cup Sugar to taste.

Michelle, a SF foodie friend, and I were talking about this and decided that the first food maker that we can remember who mixed spices and various combinations of flavors was Vosges Haut Chocolat.   Vosges does make ice cream as well with their creative concoctions.  We are now lucky enough to live in the Bay Area where folks are constantly coming up with creative food combinations.  Michelle said she could remember lobster ice cream and corn on the cob ice cream from summers spent on the east coast.  My favorite ice cream has always been Graeters, a Cincinnati, OH original.  But now there are creative ice cream shops in every major city such as Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream (Chocolate w/ Cornflakes, Queen City Cayenne, Thai Chili) in Columbus, OH and Humphry Slocombe in SF.

Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream is sold at their shop and at a gourmet food market in SF by the scoop ($2.50 a scoop) or pint ($8).

Humphry Slocombe Creative Flavors

I tried the Morning Secret that consists of Jim Beam, flour, corn flakes, vanilla, and butter.  Boy was it buttery and the Beam was subtle!  It actually reminded me of a fancier version of a superman ice cream!  Michelle tried the Pepper-Mint Chip that was a combination of fresh chopped mint with Cubeb Pepper, and Valhrona Chocolate Chips.  She said that the Pepper-Mint Chip was surprisingly a great combination that she expected to fail, but it just didn’t!

Shop:
2790 Harrison St
San Francisco, CA 94110

$15 for three drink tokens & a great big Drake’s glass Mug ($3.50 for extra tokens)

$5 donation to a charity (usually a local school)

Roli Roti Porchetta Sandwiches! DJ, all ages but you obviously have to be 21 or older to drink.  Bring a DD for sure! (the food changes, so check their site for the vendor of day)

It is in a crazy location between a Walmart and Sports Authority in San Leandro, CA.

This past Friday evening: 4pm-8pm (That part was a bit hard to get to because of it being a work day and everything.)

Vishal (Special Bi0tF Guest):  The Imperial IPA was good (10%).  I was familiar with the Quasar from Jupiter in Berkeley and didn’t realize it was a Drake’s beverage.  The music was nice and it made me think the summer events at Drakes will be great when the weather warms up.

John: The beer was great and so was the food.  It was a really good atmosphere.  It was hard to get there with enough time to fully enjoy the even coming from work in the South Bay.  So I was only there from 6:30pm-8.  It makes me really appreciate the Bay Area because of all of the good beers!

Zach: What they said.  My favorite was the Denogginizer and the Stout was also very tasty.

Les: I tried some of the lighter beers, not just the 10% alcohol brews, such as the blonde, amber, and hefe.  But I have to say the Imperial (Double) IPA was also my favorite out of them all!

Friday, March 5th: 2nd Big Friday Event

The Brewery
1933 Davis Street, Building 177
San Leandro, CA 94577

—–

Drake’s opens it doors (and parking lot) for its second big Friday event of 2010! Food, music …. and beer! Join us! Starting at 4 pm we will have eight brews pouring, including our late-winter beer, “Drake’s Belgian Trippel”. We’ll be here, rain or shine. Hope you will be too!

COST:
$5 Donation to San Leandro’s Bancroft Middle School at the gate. 21 and over please. (Children with their parents, of course, are OK to enter.)
$15 for a Drake’s logo tasting mug and 3 tokens for full pours. More tokens can be purchased separately.

STREET FOOD:
Drake’s will have some great food on hand from one of your favorite local street food trucks. Come hungry!. This month it is: Food by Roli Roti, the fabulous mobile rotisserie operation. Check them out at www.roliroti.com

http://drakesbrewing.blogspot.com/

These Italian meatballs are essentially made from a meatloaf mix of ground beef, pork, and veal.  They are really tasty because of this three meat combination and also because they are first browned and then simmered with tomato sauce.  Zach also has the most amazing cabbage roll recipe that we will post pronto!  The reason I am mentioning the cabbage rolls is that you also use a three meat combination for that recipe as well.

Zach’s Italian Meatball Recipe

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. ground veal
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 chopped parsely
• 2 eggs
• 6 cloves, minced garlic
• 1/2 tb garlic powder
• 1/2 tb onion powder
• 1/2 tb Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup milk

Using your hands, gently combine the all of the ingredients in a large bowl. You can refrigerate the meatball mixture for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Form the meatballs into about 25 meatballs.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown all sides of the meatballs turning frequently until well browned about 6 minutes. Discard the oil.

Return all the meatballs to the skillet and pour in the tomato marinara sauce to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer, covered, until the meatballs are cooked through for about 15 minutes. Serve immediately with spaghetti and garlic bread.

This is a recipe for Hide Bread from one of my favorite cookbooks for a good read, The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook.  I have read the cookbook cover to cover a few times and still find a lot of interest in the personal stories about local personalities as well as intriguing new, local recipes.  I have to say, I haven’t tried a ton of the recipes yet, except for this one.

I have still never been to eat at the Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant but it is one of my goals for this spring or summer.  It is located next to a gas station along HWY 1 and offers baked goods for a quick bite in the morning and a great looking creative brunch, lunch, and dinner.  Their specialty foods are created using their wood-fired stove to create such dishes wood-grilled burgers, local fish, pizza, and breads.  You can make reservations online through open table at their website.

Each section of the cookbook has stories from local folks who influenced the Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant along the way.  Hide Bread is a recipe invention by the three-restaurant owner’s friend Terry “Hide” Prince.

Once you make the English muffin like individual breads, known as Hide Bread, you HAVE to OPEN them up and toast them or else they will taste uncooked and hard.  You can store the Hide Bread in the freezer after your initial bake and then cut them in half and toast them.  Lather the Hide Bread with butter, jam, or peanut butter and eat while you are running out the door to work.

Heidi Swanson of www.101cookbooks.com blogged about this recipe too and has great tips and photos to check out!                                                        Hide Bread @ 101cookbooks.com

Hide Bread Recipe     —–>

• 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra flour for dusting
• 1/2 cup flax seeds
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 2 cups oat bran
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup amaranth, quinoa, millet, or poppy seeds (or any combo of these)
• 2 tablespoons dulse flakes, or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons beer
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk, half-and-half, milk, or water
• unsalted butter, softened for serving

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper if desired.

Place all the dry ingredients in an (extra-large) bowl, stir them together, and make a well in the center. Add the beer and the buttermilk. Mix with the handle of a wooden spoon until a thick, wet batter forms. Sprinkle a layer of flour over the top. Turn the batter onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a loose log about 2 inches in diameter. Cut it into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices and par them down with your hands to form patties. Place the patties on the baking sheet and bake them for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Let them cook completely.

To serve, slice each patty in half, toast it well, and smear with butter (hs note: a sprinkling of salt works wonder here as well). And seriously, make sure to toast it. Hide bread is similar to an English muffin in that if you don’t toast it, it’ll taste raw.

Makes about fifteen 4-inch patties. See the photos for better instructions!

The Ramp Restaurant was a typical Sunday family occasion for friends of ours who lived for many years in Portrero Hill in SF. So one weekend they took us to the Ramp to reminisce for an afternoon brunch.

The Ramp’s location makes it a great casual spot with a smaller number of tables inside but many tables outside right on the waterfront. It was overcast the day we dined at the Ramp but I can see how a sunny afternoon could offer up a perfect excuse to have beers and apps with friends. Inside there was a table of older guys playing cards or some kind of game in the corner and a handful of folks having a beer at the bar. Overall it had a nice neighborhood feeling but I can see how nice days would fill up the waterfront.

The food servings were large and fresh with SF prices to match. The best food was the fish and calamari fritto with chips because of the delicious dill dipping tartar-like sauce. The prices ranged from $12 for a cheeseburger and fries to $13 for fish and chips. A friend had the Taco Salad and it was huge and looked very good. I had the omelet but wished I had gone for the fish and chips.  It’s not bad, check it out if you are in the area!

http://www.ramprestaurant.com/

We made Homemade Potato Chips both fried and baked last week.  Which one do you think was better?

You’re so smart!

Fried Potato Chip Recipe from this cookbook: Jam it, Pickle it, Cure it and Other Cooking Projects

• 1 lb Russet Potatoes (about 3), scrubbed & dried
• 2-4 cups vegetable oil
• Kosher Salt

Most important Tools: Food Mandolin & Frying Thermometer

Platform Mandolins range from $20-$200.  They are a great investment for slicing vegetables, fruits, and other foods with expert precision and speed.  We actually have a cheaper version and it works really well.  Be careful not to slice your fingers off!

—-> to Recipe

Directions:

Slice the potatoes to about 1/16th inch using your mandolin.  Let them soak in cold water for 1-2 hours before frying.

Drain and dry the slices thoroughly.  Use a deep skillet with a frying thermometer attached on the side.  Heat at least 2 inches of oil on medium-high heat to maintain a temperature of 375-395F.  Cover cookie sheets with old brown paper bags or towels.  When the oil is to the proper temerature and the potatoes are completely dry, add a single layer of potato slices to the oil.  Fry for 4 to 7 minutes flipping many times with a wooden spoon or metal tongs.  When the potatoes are brown on both sides, remove them from the oil and let them drip over the pan.  Then place the fried potatoes on the lines cookie sheets.

Put the fried potato chips into plastic bags that can be closed airtight and add salt to taste.  The bags of chips can be kept in an air-tight container for up to 1 month.  Enjoy!

A cousin of ours has a family salmon business up in Alaska called Wild Kenai Red Salmon.  They actually shipped us these beautiful frozen and  smoked salmon fillets to try after hearing about our food blog in an annual family Christmas letter.   The fillets were delivered overnight via fed-ex in a Styrofoam cooler, arriving cold and fresh as ever.

We grilled the salmon fillet on a cedar plank with a mild soy-based glaze.

It looks like they have some nice recipes for salmon on their blog too: http://www.wildkenaisalmon.com/blog/

Zach: I have never been a fan of cooked salmon (I prefer it raw).  Nor have I ever had sockeye salmon before.  This fillet knocked my socks off.  It was dense and tasted like a clean ocean spray, not fishy at all.

John: It was amazing how fast the salmon was delivered to us.  The freshness was palpable.  The fresh salmon was better than most cooked salmon I’ve had at restaurants.  The skin was actually edible and did not have that fish-sitting-on-display-all-day taste.

Les: What struck me most about the fillet (delivered frozen) was the amazing color.  I think these fillets would be an amazing foodie gift for friends and family who have it all and love fine foods.

Zach and I made Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Quiche last fall (“You Can Quiche Your Day Goodbye!”) and found out that Keller’s recipes are labor intensive but incredible.  We decided to make Fried Chicken for a friends birthday this weekend from Thomas Keller’s new cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home. Once again Thomas Keller wowed us with another one of his labor intensive, incredible recipes.  Colonel Sanders watch out!

TIPS:

• We added a bit more spice to the dredge mixture and it was a great addition with a kick.
• Start 12-14 hours before you want to eat (the night before or first thing in the AM)! You must brine the chicken pieces first!
• Use peanut oil for best tasting results but you can also use vegetable or canoloa oil.
• You will need a deep fry thermometer.

Ad Hoc at Home: Fried Chicken Recipe

2, 2.5-3 lb whole chickens: How to cut up Chicken for Frying (in images)

* In Keller’s cookbook, he also has images on how to cut up the chicken into pieces.

Brine Ingredients

1 gallons cold water

1  cups kosher salt

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey

12 bay leaves

1 head of garlic, cut down the equator

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

3 large rosemary sprigs

1 small bunch of thyme

1 small bunch of parsley

2-3 lemons sliced in half

Directions for Brine:

In a large stock pot, combine  all brine ingredients. Add the lemon zest and juice and the lemon halves and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Let cool completely, then stir in the remaining 3 quarts of cold water. Add the chickens, being sure they’re completely submerged, and refrigerate overnight (our do it early in the morning when you wake up if you forgot to do it the night before!).

Drain and rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry. Make sure the chicken is really dry and that you scrape off any herbs or peppercorns stuck to the skin.  Make sure chicken is very dry.

Dredge Ingredients (we addd a bit more spiciness/amounts to the dredge)

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons onion powder

3 teaspoons cayenne pepper

3 teaspoons paprika

3/4 teaspoon ground pepper

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 cups buttermilk

In a large bowl, combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, ground black pepper and the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt. Put the buttermilk in a large, shallow bowl. Working with a few pieces at a time, dip the chicken in the buttermilk, then dredge in the flour mixture, pressing so it adheres all over. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet lined with wax paper or use a wire rack. Let sit for 20 minutes and then redredge the chicken in buttermilk and flour before frying.

In a very large pot or dutch oven, heat oil to 360F (need a deep fry thermometer). Use enough oil to deep fry the chicken. The chicken should take 12-15 minutes to fry each batch.  When a batch is done you can put it on a cookie sheet and keep it warm in the oven (150-200F).  Fry the chicken in 2 or 3 batches until golden and crunchy and the internal temperature is 160F/60C (about 20 minutes).

We served the fried chicken with greens and homemade fries.