sauced

From Farmer's Market to Fine Dining: SF Ferry Building

By Karena

I love San Francisco.  I love that I can indulge in opposite realms of the food world within feet of each other and not feel internally conflicted.  This past Saturday, Dave and I spent the morning perusing the acre of farmer's market tents that dot the perimeter of the San Francisco Ferry Building to find fresh produce, baked goodies, an ever-present line for Blue Bottle Coffee, and a plethora of prepared foods, whose scent wafted through the Bay air enticing us to sample crostinis with smoked salmon, goat cheese, Meyer lemon, and capers (topped with fennel fronds and lavender salt, no less).  Less than few hundred feet away (located inside the Ferry Building) was The Slanted Door, a Vietnamese fusion restaurant nominated in 2008 for James Beard's Outstanding Restaurant Awards, and the very place Dave and I happened to have reservations for that night. 

Inspired by the potentially sunny and crisp weather, we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and up Highway 1 to Stinson Beach and Point Reyes National Seashore to add scenic adventure to an already blissful Northern California day.  Fortunately, we had a fantastic Moules Frites and Steak Tartare seaside lunch in Stinson Beach at the Sand Dollar Cafe.  Unfortunately, we left the camera in the car, so you'll have to take our word for it.

Returning from our sun-speckled, eucalyptus-strewn, meandering trek, we washed up and arrived at 9:15 pm for our long-awaited fine-dining outing, finding the service at The Slanted Door to be impeccably attentive and friendly.  Having been able to get reservations a week ahead of time, we found this, one of the most highly regarded restaurants in the country, to be quite accessible.  Seated at a table for two overlooking San Francisco Harbor and the Bay Bridge, we considered the pressing questions at hand...Cocktails or Wine?  Small plates or Entrees?  We decided on cocktails and a variety of the latter.  

Ever-pressured to conform to today's societal norms, I didn't bring the camera into the fancy restaurant.  Listed below is The Slanted Door's web address and last night's "can't-go-wrong" menu selections:

http://www.slanteddoor.com/

1. Dave had the Pendennis Club Cocktail (Miller's gin, Orchard Apricot Brandy, Lime, Peychaud's Bitters; served up) It was pink - which he'll never live down.

2. I had the Hotel Nacional Special (Barbancourt 8yr rhum, Lime, Pineapple gomme, Orchard apricot brandy; served up) It was Sunset Orange - much more respectable.

3. Slanted Door spring rolls with shrimp, pork, mint and (spicy!) peanut sauce.

4. Braised Pork Belly with red grapes and Balsamic Vinegar.

5. Caramelized Tiger Prawns with garlic, onions and chili sauce.

6. Star Route Farm baby spinach with garlic and caramelized shallots.

7. Jasmine Rice.

8. Dessert: Dark Chocolate Cake with Caramel and Creme Fraiche Ice Cream.

9. Dave - Hong Kong Milk Tea (black)  special blend served with condensed milk.

10. Me - Red Peach "Hong Tao Mao Feng" (black)  an organic tea from the mountains of Anhui Provence with tobacco aromas.

Apres Ski

By Liz

Instead of cooking, I've been skiing. So I don't have any recipes, but I do have a Sauced-worthy apres ski scene from Woodstock, Vermont. Cheers.

The photo format is inspired by the lovely folks over at Married with Dinner.

Pan-fried Sirloin Steak with Simple Chianti Butter Sauce and Olive Oil Mash

By Karena

My Valentine's Day present was traveling the road from Reno to San Francisco (negotiating the treacherous I-80 through Lake Tahoe with chains) to be home in time to plan and prepare a wonderful dinner with my husband.  After a month on the road, getting "sauced" with my better half and creating a culinary masterpiece (using the predictable Jamie Oliver recipe) was the the perfect ending to a long trip that I shan't repeat anytime soon. 

We had a "meat, starch, vegetable" composition in mind, probably because last year, Dave surprised me with a perfectly seared lamb chop over a bed of sauteed greens and a white bean mash, initiating a Valentine's Day tradition.  So we turned to Jamie Oliver...Pork belly with braised fennel?...Rack of lamb with potato and cauliflower dauphinois?  How about a Pan-fried sirloin with a red-wine reduction and mashed potatoes seasoned with parmesan, olive oil and butter?  Vegetable TBD.

To Market...San Francisco's Ferry Building Farmer's Market was a sight for sore eyes.  We got a little off track standing in line for Blue Bottle Coffee, and then at the Primavera tent for Chiliquiles and Carnitas tostadas.  Samples of sweet Blood Oranges called out to us, and so we returned to the car with three blood oranges, three navel oranges, full stomachs, and nothing for dinner.

To Berkeley...Monterey Market is bustling...bordering on obnoxious, on Saturdays, but spending $14.00 on produce for the WEEK makes it well worth the elbows and eccentric clientele.  A pound of Yukon Gold potatoes, a bunch of arugula, a bouquet of fresh greens (and purples) mixed by yours truly, a pound of Brussels sprouts, watercress, thyme, tarragon (for seafood stew), golden raspberries (for homemade waffles Sunday morning), pears for salad, limes for gin and tonics, and plenty of shallots ought to do the trick.

To Andronico's...Although Andronico's are a dime a dozen in the East Bay, they're good little supermarkets and usually have very fresh meat and seafood.  We splurged on a 1-lb Niman Ranch Sirloin cut, picked up some bleu cheese for later in the week, and moved on to the last stop. 

To Vintage...Vintage Berkeley is our favorite wine shop.  http://www.vintageberkeley.com.   They are housed in an old Municipal Pump Station turned boutique, specialize in small labels under $25, and have tastings every weekend.  Dave and I also made a friend in one of their wine experts - the lovely Hannah Hoffman, who is living my dream as a Food Anthropologist.  We met snickering over the "Band-aid Lady of Berkeley", (don't ask) and hit it off right away.  At Vintage, we collected a Zinfandel (Jamie's pairing suggestion), A Bleu Franc from Washington, and a Gros Manseng for a potential pesto later in the week.

 

NOW for the cooking. :)  We popped open the Zinfandel because we were thirsty after all the hunting and gathering, and because we assumed correctly that we would end up using it instead of Chianti for the reduction.  

Pan-Fried Sirloin Steak With Simple Chianti (Zinfandel) Butter Sauce and Olive Oil Mash: (Adapted from Jamie Oliver's recipe in Cook With Jamie).

For the Mashed Potatoes:

• 14 oz. potatoes, peeled and halved
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Extra Virgin Olive oil
• A small handful of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
• A knob of butter

For the Rest:

• 2 x 7 oz Sirloin Steaks, 1-inch thick, fat scored
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive Oil
• 2 knobs of butter
• 2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
• A few sprigs of Thyme
• 1 large wineglass of Chianti/Zinfandel that you've been drinking
• A few sprigs of watercress
• Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Put the potatoes into a large pan of salted water, bring to a boil and simmer until soft and tender.  Drain them in a colander and allow them to sit for 4 minutes to steam away any excess moisture.  Return the potatoes to the pan and mash them up, stirring in a large glug of olive oil, the Parmesan and butter. Taste, season, and then transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place over a pot of simmering water to keep warm.

2. Heat a heavy frying pan, large enough to cook both the steaks at once without them touching.  Season your steaks and brush them with olive oil.  Using a pair of tongs, hold the steaks fatty-edge down in the frying pan to render and color the fat.  When the fat is golden, fry the steaks for 8 minutes in total for medium-rare, turning them every minute.  Remove from the pan to rest.

3.Turn the heat down and add a knob of butter to the pan.  Fry your shallots and thyme for 4 minutes, then add the wine and reduce by half.  Pour in the resting juices from the meat, add the 2 remaining knobs of butter and take the pan off the heat.  Stir around to emulsify and make a really simple red wine sauce.  Taste, season and serve with your steak and lovely olive oil mashed potatoes with a scattering of watercress and a drizzle of good olive oil.

Simple Sauteed Spinach:

We had some left-over spinach in the refrigerator and decided to put it to good use.  This is one of the easiest side vegetable dishes to make.

• 1 lb Spinach leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive Oil
• 1-2 garlic clove(s), diced
• A splash of Shao Xing Cooking wine or Rice Vinegar

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan until smoking
2. Saute the garlic in the oil until cooked
3. Throw the spinach leaves in the pan in batches until wilted
4. Season with salt and pepper and splash in the Shao Xing wine to taste.  Take off the heat and enjoy immediately!

Classy Cocktails and Gourmet Bar Bites

By Liz

It’s time to put some sauce into Sauced. Last night I took an unplanned ramble with the usual suspects through the bars of New York. This happy foray was prompted by unseasonably warm temperatures (high of 46!) and visitors in town, leading us to explore beyond our normal haunts.

We discovered, to our delight, a treasure trove of food and drink inspiration. Finding food gems in New York is like picking a four-leaf clover, a mix of careful searching and happy chance.

Our first stop, fittingly, was Clover Club. At first glance, it’s just another sleek Manhattan cocktail temple, transplanted to Smith Street. But after a snagging fireside booth in the turn-of-the-century mahogany bar, I was intrigued. By my first sip of the potent cocktails, I was smitten. Our favorite finds:

*Pear-Jalapeno Margarita: This gorgeous elixir of tequila, lemon, pear and jalapeno syrup sipped oh so smooth, and then snuck in a twist of heat. As our eyes widened in surprise, Judy and I mentally added jalapeno syrup to our cocktail repertoire.

*Fried Oyster Po’ Boy: These deep fried briny beauties were piled on a buttery bun with frisee lettuce and Old Bay remoulade. Yes, oh good God, yes!

*Mini Martini Glasses: I was totally taken with my drink presentation, poured half in a delicate little thimble of a glass, with the other half nestled in a carafe of crushed ice. I need to find a set for my dinner parties.

Next, to The Redhead, an East Village restaurant/bar best known for its bacon peanut brittle. I was skeptical of the restaurant’s obligatory edge and seasonal menu, but was pleasantly surprised by several flavor combinations.

*Bacon Peanut Brittle: There’s no way that this flavor mashup – nuts, syrup, cayenne, thyme, and bacon – could be bad. But the end result was more like honey roasted peanuts than the bacon-laden clusters I had imagined. We can do better… and you know we’re going to try.

*Wild Mushroom Flatbread: Now this is a dish with a high potential for mediocrity. But throw marscapone, parmesan, thyme and duck prosciutto on a delicate crust with farmers market mushrooms and you have a winner. This combo will definitely be making an appearance on my summer pizzas.

The charming drink presentation at Clover Club. I'm obsessed.

Eton Dumplings… Made by Judy

By Liz

Things I love about Brooklyn:

1. Neighborhood shops – grocers, bakers, coffee-roasters, tamale-makers – that do one thing, and do it really well.
2. Eton, the Carroll Gardens cubbyhole that makes nothing but dumplings, noodles, and shaved ice (in the summer).
3. Judy, amidst earning her high-powered law degree, rolling dumplings at Eton several nights a week.

Judy came about this gig in the quintessential Brooklyn way: sitting on her stoop, and chatting with a guy who knew a guy. That guy knew that Eton, the classically-trained chef who fell in love with shaved ice on his honeymoon, was looking for a dumpling-maker.

Judy knew that Eton could use her skills, since she had already given him a Korean kimchee dumpling recipe, which sold out as a special. So she wandered over, was offered a rolling pin and, within minutes, a job.

It’s just one more reason to love the shop and its $3.50 set of five dense, juicy dumplings. The place is not perfect: the sparse shop has all the charm of a college dorm, and the veggie dumplings taste like rabbit food.

But the price is right for the pork, which have become more consistent as the restaurant hits its stride (it opened last summer.) And I still have try the hand-pulled noodles, and hopefully the famous kimchee. 

Judy looking like a badass in the tiny Eton kitchen

Judy's delicious handiwork