Monthly Archives: October 2011

FigCello is Fig-A-Licious

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A new brandy made from black Mission figs. It's heaven in a glass.

Fig fans are sure to go wild for FigCello di Sonoma.

I know I sure did.

FigCello is one smooth liqueur made from black Mission figs blended with a hint of citrus, various botanicals, and distilled Wine Country grapes.

It’s the newest product from Sonoma’s HelloCello, a small artisanal distilled spirits maker. You may know its debut product, Limoncello di Sonoma.

The fig brandy, with 30 percent alcohol by volume, came about when Sondra Bernstein, owner of the Girl & the Fig in Sonoma was on the hunt for a fig liqueur for her restaurant. She approached Fred and Amy Groth of HelloCello, who were eager to take on the challenge.

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Spice Blends to Spice Things Up

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Grilled chicken coated in the Babblin' Babs "Greek" herb blend.

That’s exactly what Chef William Mueller of Babblin’ Babs Bistro in Tacoma, WA wants to help you do.

Owner of a five-year-old restaurant named for his late-Mom, Mueller just launched a line of all-natural, salt-free, sugar-free, MSG-free, gluten-free spice blends to give your everyday cooking an easy punch of flavor.

His six blends include: “Everyday,” “Greek,” “Lonestar,” “New Orleans,” “Thai” and “West Indies.”

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Melissa Clark’s One Dish Wonder

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With only five ingredients, this dish delivers big-time in flavor.

On time-pressed weeknights, I like nothing better than a one-pot dinner that cooks up in mere minutes and leaves you soulfully satisfied far, far longer.

Melissa Clark’s “Sauteed Scallops with Tomatoes and Preserved Lemon” is such a dish.

It’s from her new cookbook, “Cook This Now” (Hyperion), of which I recently received a review copy. Its 120 recipes are arranged by season and month to take advantage of your local farmers market offerings. I’ve already got half the pages bookmarked, as these are wonderfully straightforward recipes that not only entice with their flavors but with their ease of preparation.

This particular recipe by the famed New York Times food writer has only five ingredients (not including salt and pepper), but tastes like so much more.

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Downtown Bakery — A Must-Stop in Sonoma County

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Dig into the tomato-Asiago focaccia at the Downtown Bakery & Creamery in Healdsburg.

If you ever happen to find yourself in the vicinity of Healdsburg, make a beeline pronto to the Downtown Bakery & Creamery.

You will not regret it.

And your stomach will thank you profusely.

Started in 1987 by three Chez Panisse alums, this bakery makes everything from scratch — breads, ice cream, cookies, and pastries. There’s even a cafe menu if you want to sit for a spell to enjoy breakfast pizza, cheesy scrambled eggs or a Croque Madame that’s a croissant topped with herbed ricotta cheese and ham.

The famous sticky buns.

My husband and I can never resist the sticky buns ($2.25 each). This version is simply sublime — a flaky, buttery croissant-like dough formed into a muffin shape that has a crunchy topping of sugar. You also can buy them frozen to bake up fresh at home.

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Chef Alan Wong Brings A Taste of Hawaii to the Bay Area & More

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Chef Alan Wong to visit from Hawaii. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Meet Famed Hawaii Chef Alan Wong and Historian Arnold Hiura

Chef Alan Wong and historian Arnold Hiura are bringing the “Taste Hawaii Tour” to the Bay Area, Oct. 27-Nov. 2, which includes a slew of public events that celebrate the culture and food of the islands.

The James Beard Award-winning chef of Alan Wong’s Honolulu and the Pineapple Room, Wong just published his newest cookbook, “The Blue Tomato: The Inspirations Behind the Cuisine of Alan Wong” (Watermark), which is filled with more than 200 recipes. Hiura, who co-wrote Wong’s latest cookbook, also is the author of “Kau Kau: Cuisine & Culture in the Hawaiian Islands” (Watermark), which includes more than 70 recipes.

* Oct. 27 from 6 p.m. to 7 pm., the two will host a free talk and book-signing at Omnivore Books in San Francisco.

* Oct. 29, 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Wong will host a free cooking demo at the north arcade of the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco.  Following that, from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m., Wong and Hiura will sign copies of their books.

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