I Left My Heart In San Francisco!

I wish it were Saturday. I wish I were walking around the Ferry Building with Christina and Angela. I want to feel the cool Bay Area breeze. I want to hear the cacophony of the different people enjoying the farmer’s market behind the building. I want to see the bridge in the distance while eating my fresh Taylor pear. I miss San Francisco, but cliché, as it may be I miss Saturday morning in the Ferry Building the most.

There is something grand about the Ferry Building with its high ceilings and perfectly manicured stalls. There is something enthralling about Miette Patisserie and Blue Bottle Coffee the lay within its walls. It is an engrossing place the Ferry Building is. One could spend the morning lost in the riveting produce aisles, oyster bars and wine racks. The perfume of freshly baked bread and fresh wheels of cheese hugging each step through its halls.

Angela (Spinach Tiger), me, and Christina (HotPinkManolos)

tomato varieties I've never even seen before

bright peppers and eggplant

stunning purple pluots

a tangle of grapes

a bunch of blossoms

a sweet basket of baby corn

a treasure trove of jar filled jewels

a tasty treat for R

sweet, juicy, perfect

baked beignet bites

miette confection masterpieces

blue bottle coffee, there is no coffee like this!

It is no wonder so many before me have also fallen in love with San Francisco!

Last of the Season

There it was, one last basket. I thought I would have to wait another year until I would see them again. I zeroed in on the plump purple glory. There they were at the Los Feliz farmer's market a couple of weeks ago - just one lonely basket of figs sitting among a sea of persimmons and pears. The last basket was mine, and there were officially no more figs at the farmer’s market. They were so soft they needed to be enjoyed that day.

I found the recipe at Food52.com. It was simple and filled the kitchen with sweet aromas. The figs softened in the syrup composed of water, sugar, rum and vanilla bean. The result is an ethereal lightness that collapses when touched.

A dollop of thick, tart vanilla bean Greek yogurt was the perfect compliment to the sweet syrup and figs.

You will have to wait until figs are in season again next year before you can make this recipe, but trust me - it is worth the wait!

1 pound ripe figs

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon rum

½ vanilla bean scored down middle so seeds can release into syrup

Place whole figs in a saucepan. Cut small slits at the top of each fig. Sprinkle sugar over figs in pan. Add a tablespoon of water and a tablespoon of rum (or more as needed). Place vanilla bean in center of the pan.

Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until sugar dissolves and caramelizes approx. 15 minutes.

Fun Filled Foodbuzz Festival!

Put two hundred and fifty-plus food fanatical fiends in one room. Fill it with unlimited drinks and mass amounts of delectable delights. What do you get? 48 hours of non-stop eating at First Annual Foodbuzz Food Blogger Festival in San Francisco.

The weekend began with a welcome reception happy hour on the gorgeous Hotel Vitale terrace overlooking the Bay Bridge. It quickly moved on to a frenzied food fair of San Francisco’s finest food trucks all gathered at the historic Ferry Building.

Having enjoyed my share of amazing food truck selections around Los Angeles, I have to say with all humility that LA has nothing on the food trucks of San Francisco. San Francisco’s mobile eateries are innovative, fresh, and nothing short of brilliant.

From pizza to cupcakes, meat pies to oysters, the Taste of SF Street Food Fare had it all.

Mission Minis are gourmet mini cupcakes that are baked fresh daily throughout a number of locations around the San Francisco area. They were presented on a tier of cake heaven with more flavors than the heart could dream of. I of course sampled one of everything. For me the standout flavors were the Strawberry Lemonade and Swiss Almond Coconut. The next day at the Tasting Pavillion I had another sample of each of my favorites.

The Pie Truck offers delicious baked hand held savory pies. My favorite was the Steak and Gruyere. Buttery, flakey dough encapsulating a hot a gooey mix of nutty Gruyere and toothsome steak.

While the cupcakes and meat pies were out of this world fantastic, they did not hold a flame to Roli Roti’s Porchetta Sandwiches. I found myself chanting “I love crispy skin!” after eating one of these impressive sandwiches. Roli Roti is the country’s first mobile rotisserie. They roast pork belly rolled together with pork lion. The fatty drippings glaze yellow potatoes lying below. The pork majestically turns on the metal spit while its skin slowly begins to crispy and harden. The pork is then taken off the spit and placed on the cutting board where the flavors are allowed to mellow and blend before being cut into thick rounds, rubbed with sea salt, and covered in chopped parsley. The meat is crammed between two hearty pieces of ciabatta bread and ready to dive into. I ate this fatty treat in 2.5 seconds, the oil dripping down my chin. When all was said and done I was left to marvel at the flavors. The juicy pork loin, the crunchy crispy pork skin, and the fatty bits squished in between. The flavors were so bright and rich. LA needs a Roli Roti’s!

To be continued…

Coconut Craze!

Ever since returning from Puerto Rico this summer I have had an insistent craving for coconut. I blame this coconut craze on my new friend the Pina Colada. I know what you're thinking… Pina colada? Eww. (I hear the judgment in your voice.) But what can I say? The pina colada has been the official drink of Puerto Rico since 1978 and my vacation would not have been complete without enjoying one or two or five. I am now a converted and faithful enthusiast of the pina colada. The amber rum with undertones of caramel, the creamy amalgamation of coconut and sweet pineapples, blending into an icy creation much greater than the sum of its parts. It is an unmistakable and completely satisfying flavor.

I was so in love that by the time I got back to Los Angeles all I could think of was coconuts, or pineapples, or both. Soon the delicious drink alone could not satisfy my thirst. R and I made coconut ice cream. We made toasted coconut milkshakes. Still, I needed more.

I found my cure - coconut flan. It is so delicate and velvety, floating as it does on top of a shallow pool of caramel, so light it almost collapses when touched by a spoon. The coconut flan I made was perfectly indulgent and perfectly reminiscent of the pina colada. This was precisely the flavor and texture I’d been dreaming of all along, somewhere in between a drink and a cake.

Coconut flan is so simple to make. In a couple of hours the dessert is chilled and ready to eat.

The recipe I use is from Gourmet. The Gourmet recipe calls for the use of sweetened coconut flakes. I tried this and did not enjoy the bite of the flakes against the silkiness of the flan.

Place coconut flakes in a pan over med. heat until golden brown and fragrant.

I made the coconut flan again, but this time I substituted coconut milk for coconut flakes. The rich coconut flavor is still present and pronounced. I still use coconut flakes, toasted and sprinkled on top of the flan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together milk an coconut milk.

Add sweetened condensed milk.

Continue to whisk togther ingredients.

Add egg and continue whisking until ingredients are blended together.

Ron del Barrillito three star rum found only in Puerto Rico.

Add a teaspoon of rum for added flavor. Whisk together then set aside.

Add water and sugar to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar has dissolved.

Continue to boil until it reaches a dark amber color.

Once caramel is a dark amber, remove from heat and pour into ramekins.

Swirl the caramel into the ramekins until the bottom is completely coated.

Swirl quickly as caramel sets fast!

Pour the flan mixture over the coated caramel.

Set filled ramekins in a cookie sheet water bath.

Bake flan for about an hour. When done remove from oven and set until cool.

Transfer cooled flans to the refrigerator to set for another 30 minutes.

Flan is then ready to serve. Run a knife around the edge and plate.

Enjoy!

So simple, so delicious, the flavors will linger luxuriously on your tongue. After you make coconut flan you are sure to be coconut crazed like me!