A Porky Time at San Francisco’s Ferry Building
Last week, I ended up on a most porky mission.
Yes, foraging for all things pleasingly porcine at San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace.
And what a very piggish day it turned out to be for moi.
After all, as I ducked into Boccalone Salumeria, I was happy to discover that the charcuterie store had just received its first batch of the new Humphry Slocombe lard caramels. Yes, you read that correctly:
Lard. In. Caramels.
Humphry Slocombe, the crazy good San Francisco ice cream store, has started making caramel candies using Boccalone’s lard.
These babies are outrageous. The second you unwrap the wax paper wrapper, you’ll notice the sheen of grease on it. These have got to be the richest caramels ever. Sweet, sticky, and with an almost bacony, fatty lushness to them, these candies just coat your entire mouth like biting into a juicy piece of pork belly would.
A package of four is $3.20.
Of course, I also had to buy a package of the Humphy Slocombe shortbread cookies, made with Boccalone lard, as well as butter. Trust me, don’t think about the consequences. Just eat them.
The cookies (a package of four for $3.20) are very crisp, with a crumbly texture, and the subtle taste of sea salt. Again, there’s a long finish to them because of all the F-A-T. But again, don’t dwell on that. Just chew.
Boccalone now also sells jars of pork ragu, made with ground pork, bits of its Boccalone salumi, red wine, and fennel.
The rustic ragu, found in the refrigerator section of the store, is the same one served atop hankerchief pasta at Incanto restaurant in San Francisco, whose proprietors are the brains behind Boccalone. It’s so popular that the restaurant can never take the dish off the menu.
I purchased the small jar for $12, which is a pretty good deal considering it’s packed solid with meat. It’s enough ragu for one pound of pasta. And it’s so thick that you might want to thin it with a little water, as I did. I also threw in a chopped heirloom tomato.
Tossed with hot spaghetti, it makes for a most satisfying dinner. The sauce is hearty, with long-simmered, developed flavors, despite the fact that all I did was heat it up.
My last porky find was the bacon-caramel granoturco at Il Cane Rosso.
Granoturco? That’s just caramel corn to you and me.
A small bag is $3.50.
It’s like a complete meal in your mouth — sweet, salty, savory, chewy and sticky. The caramel corn — a little less crisp than I would have liked — hides crunchy almonds and bits of fairly meaty bacon. You can’t help but grin when you eat this stuff.
Yes, that was a lot of porky goodness in just one day.
But I’m a better person for it.
At least, that’s what I keep telling myself as I do penance now on the gym treadmill.
Bacon! In Caramel Corn! I love it.
Did you also stop for a Roli Roti porchetta sandwich?
Wow. That’s a lot of pork!
The pork ragu looks and sounds good. I love to eat a meal that tastes like I cooked it for hours when all I had to do was heat it up… 🙂
These are great finds! The pork ragu looks fantastic!
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i could definitely see how this works in the caramel. i wonder if the fat makes you feel fuller after you pop one of these in your mouth?
Nate: Didn’t have a Roli Roti sandwich this time around, but have enjoyed the porchetta one before. I did stop at Il Cane Rosso, though, for a lovely farro-tomato salad with fresh horseradish grated over the top. It was incredible.
We Are Never Full: I think you’re right about that. After trying the cookies, caramels and caramel corn one right after the other, I was definitely feeling very satiated. They’re all so very rich that you do feel quite full after even a small taste.
Ate at Ill Cane Rosso and had fennel orange salami from Boccalone while taking a course at SFBI last august, loved it! Don’t care about all the hubub with east coast, west coast, Ferry market and both these establishments as well as SF food scene rocked my wordl, figs or no figs! And what the hell is wrong with figs???
Bacon caramel corn? As of this moment, I have a new mission in life!!
Oh man, this is when I’m jealous of your cholesterol! You know this post is killing me! 🙂
You’ve reminded me I need to stop there to stock up before heading back to MN – need to speak the pork goodness around.
Bacon makes a tastier caramel corn? ohmygoodness!
If I could hop in my car and get some right now… I would.
(My school may frown on a teacher ditching the second half of the day for porky goodness though)
Wow! Also worth noting from Boccalone: the Tasty Salted Pig Parts t-shirts. My husband wears his at every possible opportunity.
Man…I want some, no make that, ALL of that! Send a care package…pretty puhlease?
They look insanely good and you know we love our pig.
Last time we were there we wanted to buy the whole place out. Now we have to go back for the lard caramels!
these are grand producta & great finds!! Lucky you!!
Slap everything with pork and bacon, and it’s delicious! Reminds me…I got some bacon lollipops from the Foodbuzz Fest!
Wow. I’m not even sure what to say about this, except I’ve got to get me some of all of the above. Have been meaning to get to Humphry Slocombe forever now.
Wow! That looks incredible. Man, and I was just in SF a few days ago. We did stop by Boccalone Salumeria, but only try sample their salami. You are so lucky you live near so much good food!
Love all thinks pork! Were you in SF for the Foodbuzz festival?? How did I miss that???
Mardi: No, I didn’t make it to the Foodbuzz Fest. But judging by the photos I’ve seen on other blogs, it looked like quite a fun gathering.
A company that actually embraces the fact that they use lard in their products! Wow, they are brave! Or maybe the healthy eating trend is swinging the other way!
ooh, makes me think of what I call “meat cookies” from Chinese bakeries (the real authentic kind). They are sweet, savory and greasy with bits of pork fat in them (sesame seeds on top). They have such a great crispy/chewy texture. I think I’ll have to make a trip out to Chinatown soon . . .
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