Cooking
If you've never been to San Francisco you need to know our Summer starts NOW. Yes, in September. Not only is it pretty and warm and sunny but Summer produce--tomatoes, corn, pepper, and peaches are all ripe and delicious at the moment. It's easy to roll your eyes at our "sustainable, local, organic" mantra, but while you're here, be sure to try some of these bites of Summer.
Around this time of year just about everyone makes a tomato salad, but one that sticks out in my mind as particularly fabulous, is the Heirloom Tomato Salad with mozzarella di bufala, olio verde, basil and olive oil croutons at Scala's Bistro, which is attached to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel at Union Square. It's the variety of tomatoes which are the star of the show, but they share the stage with the milkiest, creamy and moist mozzarella. An interesting addition too is the olive oil croutons which obviously add crunch and body to the salad.
Hapa Ramen isn't exactly like any ramen I have had before. The Slow Cooked Ramen with seasonal vegetables is the one to seek out. The broth is layered with richness and the bits of pork make it a meal. The broth is a little bit sweet and a little bit salty. But it's the fresh and super sweet crunch of corn that really makes this ramen something special. You can find it at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market on Thursdays or at Off the Grid on Fridays.
I don't know exactly when shishito peppers started showing up at farmer's markets but I think I first saw them about 2 or 3 years ago. I had tried them in Japan and was thrilled to see them not just in markets, but on restaurant menus as well. They are typically quickly fried then sprinkled with salt. But at Hog & Rocks in the Mission District they go one step further and add a squeeze of lime. The result is bright and lively, the perfect bar snack. Mostly these peppers are mild and sweet with an earthy green flavor, but every once in a while you will get a spicy one!
My last Summer pick is the sorbet from Scream Sorbet. These surprisingly creamy, dairy-free sorbets made from Summer fruit are an intense blast of flavor. Despite not having a retail location yet, they made 7x7's recent The Big Sweet SF: 50 Treats to eat before you die. Fortunately you can find the sorbet at many farmer's markets around the Bay Area including the San Francisco Ferry Plaza on Thursdays. Try the seasonal fruit flavors like Flavorosa pluot, peach, raspberry and August Fire nectarine. They are not sickly sweet but tangy and juicy in a way that "screams" Summer. And what could be better than that?
Scala's Bistro432 Powell Street
San Francisco
(415) 395-8555
Hog & Rocks
3431 19th Street
San Francisco
(415) 550-8627
Ferry Plaza Farmers Market1 Ferry Building
San Francisco
Off the GridFort Mason Center
San Francisco
- Great Summer Cookbooks
Winter is the easiest time of year to feel motivated to cook. When it's cold outside nothing is better than hunkering down in a cozy kitchen to braise and bake and simmer the day away. Summer time is perhaps the toughest season for cooking. Who wants...
- Trapanese Pesto Recipe
Summer is bright red, hot, juicy and sweet. So it's ironic that tomatoes don't really become ripe until the last gasp of Summer and into early Fall. To savor a bit more of the flavor of Summer, I recently made a delicious variation on the Genovese...
- Dining With The Bloggers - September 7th
I can't believe how fast the summer went! There is still some warm weather yet to be enjoyed and the abundant September produce to look forward to, but there are signs everywhere that autumn is on the way. The kids are back in school, the lawn is...
- Poubelle Summer Party 2006
Once again, I had the privilege of working in Tom's kitchen as he prepared for the Poubelle Summer Party. The summer party is more casual than the awe-inspiring winter feed, but it still features a staggering amount of food. Lots of barbecue and...
- Just A Photo Of Summer
From the batch of elderflower and strawberry jam I tried making this summer. It came out horrendously runny, so I'm not going to share the recipe. The scent of it, as well as this picture reminds me a lot of summer, though, and that was just what...
Cooking
Summer Eats in San Francisco
If you've never been to San Francisco you need to know our Summer starts NOW. Yes, in September. Not only is it pretty and warm and sunny but Summer produce--tomatoes, corn, pepper, and peaches are all ripe and delicious at the moment. It's easy to roll your eyes at our "sustainable, local, organic" mantra, but while you're here, be sure to try some of these bites of Summer.
Around this time of year just about everyone makes a tomato salad, but one that sticks out in my mind as particularly fabulous, is the Heirloom Tomato Salad with mozzarella di bufala, olio verde, basil and olive oil croutons at Scala's Bistro, which is attached to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel at Union Square. It's the variety of tomatoes which are the star of the show, but they share the stage with the milkiest, creamy and moist mozzarella. An interesting addition too is the olive oil croutons which obviously add crunch and body to the salad.
Hapa Ramen isn't exactly like any ramen I have had before. The Slow Cooked Ramen with seasonal vegetables is the one to seek out. The broth is layered with richness and the bits of pork make it a meal. The broth is a little bit sweet and a little bit salty. But it's the fresh and super sweet crunch of corn that really makes this ramen something special. You can find it at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market on Thursdays or at Off the Grid on Fridays.
I don't know exactly when shishito peppers started showing up at farmer's markets but I think I first saw them about 2 or 3 years ago. I had tried them in Japan and was thrilled to see them not just in markets, but on restaurant menus as well. They are typically quickly fried then sprinkled with salt. But at Hog & Rocks in the Mission District they go one step further and add a squeeze of lime. The result is bright and lively, the perfect bar snack. Mostly these peppers are mild and sweet with an earthy green flavor, but every once in a while you will get a spicy one!
My last Summer pick is the sorbet from Scream Sorbet. These surprisingly creamy, dairy-free sorbets made from Summer fruit are an intense blast of flavor. Despite not having a retail location yet, they made 7x7's recent The Big Sweet SF: 50 Treats to eat before you die. Fortunately you can find the sorbet at many farmer's markets around the Bay Area including the San Francisco Ferry Plaza on Thursdays. Try the seasonal fruit flavors like Flavorosa pluot, peach, raspberry and August Fire nectarine. They are not sickly sweet but tangy and juicy in a way that "screams" Summer. And what could be better than that?
Scala's Bistro432 Powell Street
San Francisco
(415) 395-8555
Hog & Rocks
3431 19th Street
San Francisco
(415) 550-8627
Ferry Plaza Farmers Market1 Ferry Building
San Francisco
Off the GridFort Mason Center
San Francisco
- Great Summer Cookbooks
Winter is the easiest time of year to feel motivated to cook. When it's cold outside nothing is better than hunkering down in a cozy kitchen to braise and bake and simmer the day away. Summer time is perhaps the toughest season for cooking. Who wants...
- Trapanese Pesto Recipe
Summer is bright red, hot, juicy and sweet. So it's ironic that tomatoes don't really become ripe until the last gasp of Summer and into early Fall. To savor a bit more of the flavor of Summer, I recently made a delicious variation on the Genovese...
- Dining With The Bloggers - September 7th
I can't believe how fast the summer went! There is still some warm weather yet to be enjoyed and the abundant September produce to look forward to, but there are signs everywhere that autumn is on the way. The kids are back in school, the lawn is...
- Poubelle Summer Party 2006
Once again, I had the privilege of working in Tom's kitchen as he prepared for the Poubelle Summer Party. The summer party is more casual than the awe-inspiring winter feed, but it still features a staggering amount of food. Lots of barbecue and...
- Just A Photo Of Summer
From the batch of elderflower and strawberry jam I tried making this summer. It came out horrendously runny, so I'm not going to share the recipe. The scent of it, as well as this picture reminds me a lot of summer, though, and that was just what...