Monthly Archives: May 2012

Can’t Miss Vanilla Shortbread Cookies and A New Sweetener

Posted on by 13 comments

Vanilla and European butter are all you need to make these cookies sing.

There are some people who will turn up their nose if a baked good has cardamom in it. Or raisins. Or coconut. Or even chocolate (if you can believe that).

But nobody ever shuns vanilla.

Nope, not ever.

It’s the most popular flavor for so many things because it is the pure taste of childhood memories.

Of ice cream dripping off cones on a hot summer day. Of birthday cake with candles to blow out. Of cupcakes with a mountain of frosting to get all over your face.

That’s why I guarantee nobody will turn down one of these “Vanilla Shortbread Cookies.”

The recipe is from “Bon Appetit Desserts” (Andrews McMeel) by the magazine’s former editor-in-chief, Barbara Fairchild.

European butter makes these cookies extra rich. Powdered sugar and cornstarch makes them very tender, yet nicely crumbly. With a teaspoon of vanilla extract, the dough gets rolled into logs to chill until firm. Then, slices are baked until golden on the edges.

Read more

A Mother’s Day Care Package

Posted on by 25 comments

My Mom's tasty care package.

Tied with ribbons, double-taped or adorned with a wad of stamps, care packages come in all shapes, sizes and forms.

But inside, they really all contain the exact same precious thing — the warm, comforting reminder of: “I’m thinking of you.”

My late Mom always conveyed that message with a rather unusual care package — a dish of Chinese-style chicken and rice.

A simple recipe that she made up years ago, the dish is a supremely savory, one-bowl meal of Jasmine rice cooked with Chinese black mushrooms and chunks of dark meat chicken marinated in soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil. The rice takes on the flavors of the marinade, mushrooms and chicken until they all become fused as one.

It’s a dish my Mom would make regularly for our weeknight family dinners, stir-frying the chicken in a big wok before folding in the rice that had cooked separately in a rice cooker. As a kid, that was my task after school — to wash and measure out the water for the rice, before pushing the button on the rice cooker so the fluffy grains would be ready and waiting for my Mom when she arrived home from work to finish making the dish.

Read more

A Toast to the Golden Gate Bridge’s 75th Anniversary, Andrea Nguyen Macy’s San Jose Cooking Demo & More

Posted on by 4 comments

Golden Gate Bridge Anniversary Cuvee medallion. (Image courtesy of Iron Horse)

Tiny Bubbles to Toast the Golden Gate Bridge

This year, San Francisco’s landmark Golden Gate Bridge celebrates its 75th anniversary on May 27.

Iron Horse wants to help you toast that monumental achievement with a special bottle of bubbly.

The new, limited-edition Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary Cuvee is comprised of a base of 2007 Blanc de Noir. Its pretty rosy color pays tribute to the bridge’s unmistakable hue.

A 750ml bottle is $50. Additionally, 75 etched commemorative jeroboams also were created for $475 each.

Iron Horse will donate $5 from each bottled sold to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

Join Cookbook Author Andrea Nguyen at Macy’s for a Tofu-Licious Time

(Photo courtesty of Andrea Nguyen)You may think you know tofu. But you don’t know it like Andrea Nguyen does.

My good friend and Bay Area cookbook author, Nguyen has just released her newest book, “Asian Tofu” (Ten Speed Press).

It’s a comprehensive look at the varieties of tofu on the market, as well as recipes for their many delicious uses. There are even directions for making your own tofu from scratch, if you want to give it a whirl.

Nguyen will be doing a cooking demo at the kitchen at Macy’s Valley Fair in San Jose, 1 p.m. May 12. You’ll learn how to make spicy yuba ribbons and get the chance to taste various artisan tofus.

Read more

Outrageously Good Gourmet Marshmallows

Posted on by 10 comments

Strawberry marshmallows to sink your sweet tooth into.

When I was a kid, I thought marshmallows were the perfect food.

After all, they were cute, sweet, squishable, meltable and fat-free. What more could a gal want?

(OK, the fact they were still caloric obviously escaped my reasoning back then.)

Now, the inventive ones by Have it Sweet have me singing the virtues of marshmallows all over again.

Made by a husband and wife duo in Los Angeles, this small confectionary company turns out fresh, delightful marshmallows in mind-boggling flavors. Think bubblegum, cinnamon sugar. apple pie, lemon swirl, and double cocoa swirl.

Produced in small batches to order, the marshmallows are  made of all natural ingredients, including organic and sustainable ones when available. They get their hues from food-based, organic colorings.

Chocolate hazelnut swirl marshmallow (front) and fleur de sel caramel swirl marshmallow (back).

Recently, I had a chance to try some samples.

Read more

Join the Food Gal at Macy’s Union Square San Francisco on May 19

Posted on by 11 comments

Yours truly, the Food Gal, will be making a return visit to the Cellar at Macy’s Union Square in San Francisco, 2 p.m. May 19, when I play host to a fun afternoon of Brazilian eats.

Gourmet entrepreneur Monika Batista will be cooking a specialty dish from her Brazilian heritage, as well as giving out samples of her irresistible Mani Snacks, gluten-free yuca root flour rolls that are pure cheesy goodness. They’re made locally in Los Gatos, too.

Come hear how this former landscape architect turned a love for a childhood treat into a thriving business. Admission is free.

Read more

« Older Entries Recent Entries »