the petite pig

cravings: june 26, 2007 (fig & proscuitto bruschetta!)

it's summer.  and to the average person, the new season signals bathing suits, vacations, humidity & heat.  to the cook though, summer is the arrival of flavors we wait all year for: corn, peaches, figs, berries, melons, tomatoes, and much, much more.  as someone who cooks with the seasons, i look forward to the recipes i can only make during these few months.   for months i have been craving figs and to my delight, they have finally arrived in all their erotic sweetness and lushness.  i realize there are a lot of people out there who are still fig-virgins.  i think fig newtons probably ruined figs for a good many of us.  that processed paste is not what a fig is about.  one of the most erotic fruits i've encountered (adam and eve knew what they were doing with that fig leaf or not doing with that fig leaf), biting into a ripe fig evokes the fertile images of a georgia o'keefe painting and releases a subtle sweetness that just melts over my palate.  and this subtle sweetness blends so well with many other flavors that i couldn't resist building a new recipe around the fig, so i present to you my roasted fig and proscuitto bruschetta.  make it at your next party.  it'll be a hit.  i've already served it at two dinner parties, and with my fig craving still going strong, i'm sure i'll find an excuse to make it again soon.

roasted fig with vanilla sea salt and proscuitto bruschetta

1 loaf of ciabatta
2 tbs. of olive oil for brushing bread
6 ripe figs
1 tbs. of almond oil for brushing figs
1 tsp. vanilla sea salt (or sea salt)2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of marscapone cheese
12 slices of proscuitto
2 tbs. of balsamic vinegar
1 tbs. olive oil for vinaigrette
4 leaves of radicchio, sliced thinly (chiffonade)
4 leaves of basil, sliced thinly (chiffonade)

preheat oven to 425 degrees.  slice loaf of bread on the bias into 1/3rd inch thick slices and place on foil lined baking sheet.  lightly coat with olive oil.  cut figs in half and place on another foil lined baking sheet.  lightly coat with almond oil and then sprinkle with sea salt over open side of figs.  place both bread and figs in the oven and toast/roast for about 12 minutes.  cut garlic cloves in half and rub the sliced side against the toasts to produce a subtle garlic flavor.

lightly spread marscapone cheese onto the toasted bread.  drape a slice of proscuitto over each toast.  whisk olive oil and balsamic vinegar together.  use half of the balsamic vinaigrette to dress the radicchio.  sprinkle a few slivers of radicchio onto each piece of bruschetta.  top with roasted fig.  drizzle the remaining vinaigrette onto each fig and top with basil.

the saltiness of the proscuitto, creaminess of the marscapone, crispness of the bread, sweet lushness of the fig, spiciness of the radicchio, earthiness of the basil and the tartness of the balsamic vinaigrette  = a flavor combination you will crave forever and ever.

now you tell me what you're craving this summer (besides a hot beach bod) . . .

 

a trip to the farmers market

the summer solstice has arrived, which means that farmers market season is in full gear.  for californians, supporting local farms is more than just a matter of social conscience; it's a matter of being at the center of a social scene.  spending your weekend at a farmers market and being able to tell your dinner guests, "these heirloom tomatoes are from dirty girl produce," has become the equivalent of "hip."  it seems that the markets you shop at and the stalls you visit says as much about you as what bars you frequent on the weekends (hipster in the mission or yuppie in the marina?).

here in the bay area, the epicenter of the eat local and slow food movement, i have no shortage of options to pick from.  on saturdays, the big question is, do i trek up to san francisco (which i'll call home starting august first!) and fight the crowds for some people watching and food sampling at the ferry plaza's saturday market or do i take it easy and bike to the palo alto market?  the past two sundays, i've discovered the new california avenue farmers market, where i was introduced to two new cheeses: a fresh garlic curd and a sage cheddar from the spring hill cheese company in petaluma.  it was love upon first taste and i'm thinking that they might be more than just a one-afternoon-stand.

social status aside though, i find great inspiration when strolling through the stalls of a farmers market.  i always go with my "culinary ideas" book in hand to make sure all that inspiration is captured.  there's something about being able to experience food in its natural form, fresh and in season, that allows me to imagine new flavor combinations and the taste of new recipes.  to know where your food comes from, to have it sold to you by the people that have a direct relationship with what you're eating reconnects you to the earth's resources in a way that has been neglected for so long.  the majority of americans stopped eating food a long time ago; instead, we've recreated manifestations of food that distorts and depurifies.  for me, seeing the crowds at the markets makes me believe that there's hope for a revolution in the american diet.  but even if you don't believe in all this eating local and organic social conscience bullshit, at least go for the social scene (oh, and the free samples - those don't hurt).

and if you're not sick of my farmers market soapbox speech, check out my article about how farmers markets can make your entertaining life so much easier. 

thomas keller, incarnated into a rat?

i didn't plan on catching pixar's latest animated flick "ratatouille" until i read this new york times article about the culinary research behind the movie: "a rat with a whisk and a dream." 

Dining & Wine

A Rat With a Whisk and a Dream (click for full article)

By KIM SEVERSON

Published: June 13, 2007

To create the precisely rendered restaurant in the new animated movie “Ratatouille,” the filmmakers took cooking classes and studied the work of top chefs. 

no wonder that rat looks so much like thomas keller. 

my take on season three of "the next food network star"

i'm sure a lot of you caught the premiere of season three of "the next food network star" this past sunday. i didn't plan on watching at first as my battle wounds from season two are still somewhat raw. but my curiosity got the best of me, and i found myself plopped on my couch in front of the television set sunday night. this time, the network managed to dish up eleven new victims as opposed to just the eight we had in our season, and i have to say, i am super, super relieved i sent in my audition tape for season two and not three.

although the show definitely has become more "glammed" up in each subsequent season, it has grown into a completely reality tv-tainted monstrous mix of "top chef" meshed with "real world." while the eight of us from season two had our own studio apartments in chelsea, season three's finalists have been subjected to bunk-bed accommodations. personally, i'd like to leave all bunk-bed memories to my days in college. and as for being videotaped in my sleeping quarters, i'd like to leave that reserved for special intimate occasions only. i highly doubt this new living arrangement had any thing to do with production budget but rather a desire to drum up a new dramatic edge for the show. we'll just have to wait and see what kind of "real world" drama breaks out . . .

season three has definitely entered the realm of reality television, and by doing so, it's departed further and further from the original purpose of the show. i found myself thinking this a lot during season two: "what the hell do half of these challenges have to do with being a cooking show host on the food network?" i'd like to see how half of food network's current hosts fair on most of these challenges. i'm sure most of them would find them incredibly difficult and completely irrelevant to their jobs. season three will no doubt deliver even more contrived challenges that have nothing to do with being a cooking show host. but it's all about good tv, right?

and so i endured the pain of the first hour of the two premiere. i empathized dearly with the eleven new finalists. i've been in their shoes. i can share their excitement but i can also share their pain and absolutely anxiety. it ain't easy folks. so all of you on television without pity, try to be nice and give 'em a break. i'm still trying to get up the guts to watch the second hour (i couldn't continue after the cake challenge). hopefully i'll make it through the rest of the season and get to see what lucky individual will be crowned the next food network star. but then again, guy fieri will always be the original king in my book.

the food network was nice to give us season one and season two folks a little plug, so check out where we are now.

you know what i think. now i want to hear what you think about season three.

cravings: june 4, 2007

this weekend i threw a surprise baby shower for one of my dearest girlfriends who also happens to be one of the most wonderful women i know. seeing her mother-to-be glow and the slight belly-bump she was developing, it got me thinking about . . . food cravings (yes, sorry to disappoint, mom: it did not get me thinking about a baby of my own!). aside from the fact that i can still see my feet, don't need to pee every hour and well, don't have something growing inside of me, i can't imagine that i'm that different from a pregnant woman. hardly a day goes by where i'm not obsessively craving something. after all, there are so many treats which have left a lingering memory on my taste buds that i can't help but want more. here are my top three cravings of the moment:

number one: sprinkles cupcakes in beverly hills.

buttercream frosting does not get any better than this (setting my east coast loyalty aside, i say it definitely beats out crumbs and magnolia in nyc for the cupcake tiara). with over twenty flavors to choose from (including originals such as cinnamon sugar and lemon ginger), this is a cupcake lover's paradise. i constantly crave their red velvet. while they now offer cupcake mixes for sale and shipping, a retail shop might be coming soon to your neighborhood. with gas prices as high as they are, i'm thankful that i won't have to drive down to southern california to satisfy this craving anymore.

number two: the olive oil coppetta at mario batali's pizzeria e enoteca "otto" in nyc
this dessert is what dreams are made of, seriously. batali combines olive oil gelato with seasonal flavors (right now it's blood oranges and kumquats) with olive oil and maldon sea salt to create probably the best thing i've ever tasted.  i know you're thinking, "olive oil as the core ingredient to a sweet?" don't doubt. just eat. you'll never know what hit you. i scour tickets on kayak.com weekly to see if i can find an affordable ticket to get me to new york for the day (and remember, i live in northern california) just so i can re-experience this taste-gasm.

number three: the squid and aioli pizza at pizzaiolo in oakland
i have been on an epic quest to try the best pizza places in the bay area. i've checked off a16, pizzeria delfina, little star, patxi's, zachary's, pizzetta 211 pizzaiolo and all that's left on my list is the cheeseboard in berkeley (unless one of you readers has another to add to my list) and the pizza that has stood out the most was the squid and aioli pizza at pizzaiolo. an innovative combination with a perfectly thin, crisp and blistered crust, i still think about this pizza often with fond, fond memories.  sigh. it must have been love.

so, you know my most recent cravings. what are yours? i'm sure you can convince me to eat something new.