San Francisco DOs and DON'Ts

We were surprised to find parts of San Francisco - Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf - more overrun with crowds and megastores than any city (New York, London, Barcelona, Paris) we'd ever visited. So for any crowd- and shopping-adverse friends and family who are thinking of a trip to San Francisco, here are our DOs and DON'Ts.


DO take a morning walk in the Yerba Buena Gardens before visiting the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.


If you buy a pair of earrings in the SFMOMA gift shop with the Visa gift card you received from your mother for Christmas, DON'T lose one on the return ferry from Sausalito.

DON'T drop $10 for two people to squeeze onto a cable car but DO take the city bus to Golden Gate Park for long walks in the Japanese Tea Garden and Botanical Garden.


And DO ride another city bus to the Mission District for a walk down Dolores Street. (Stop first at Chocolate on Castro for a coffee and selection of chocolate treats to get you up and down the hills.)

DO go to Y Ben House on Pacific Avenue for dim sum but DON'T visit the bathroom. DO consider a meal at the Hyde Street Bistro on Nob Hill but DON'T expect to be seated anywhere near the time of your reservation.

DON'T go to Fisherman's Wharf but DO go to the Embarcadero . . .

and take a commuter ferry to Tiburon or Sausalito

DO rent a car to cross the Golden Gate Bridge and visit Muir Woods (and DO leave early so you DON'T have to park miles from the park entrance.)

Holidays (on a Budget)

This year for Christmas Eve we skipped the oysters and duck breast - but still dined very well.

Gougères


Spinach and Mushrooms with Truffle Oil
(We bought the truffle oil at TJ Maxx)

Roast Beef with Dijon-Caper Sauce

And if after the holidays you pick up a deeply discounted turkey,

BEST TURKEY SOUP EVER

Bon Goût, Petit Prix

We have not been posting many entries recently in part because while Chef Didier continues to cook up a storm, many of the recipes fall under "Depression Dining" - cheap meals (lentils seasoned with ham hocks and mustard, sauteed chicken livers and onions with red grapes) that really are delicious but don't photograph particularly well.

But what about company dining on a budget? Try these two suggestions:

Riesling Chicken

Quatre-Quart 

á l'Orange

Didier's Quatre-Quart á  l'Orange

For the cake:
Weigh two eggs
Then measure out the same weight in sugar, butter, and flour
1 tsp baking powder
Juice and zest of orange
Pinch of salt

For the sauce:
Juice of three oranges
5 oz powdered sugar

Soften butter in warm bowl
Mix butter with sugar and eggs, one at a time
Add pinch of salt
Add juice and zest of 1 orange
Add flour and baking powder sifted together and mix well

Pour in buttered and floured baking dish
Bake 40-45 minutes at 375

Mix juice of two oranges with powdered sugar
Pour over warm cake
Unmold cooled cake onto serving plate
Decorate with third orange, peeled and thinly sliced

A Veggie-French Thanksgiving!

Chefs Didier, Carrie, and Jonathan sit down to the first course.

(Photography and kitchen clean-up by Nancy)

Le Menu

Brioche (midday coffee break for our chefs) 

Winter Squash Soup with Gruyère Crouton   Get recipe

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower with Orange   Get recipe

Mashed Red Potatoes with Wild Mushroom Gravy

Cranberries with Orange and Red Wine Sauce   Recipe below

Buttermilk Biscuits with Green Onion, Sea Salt, and Black Pepper   Get recipe

Pumpkin and Brown Sugar Crème Brûlée   Get recipe

Tarte Tatin

(Didier also made a papeton, or eggplant custard, but since we didn't save any room, it will be the star of tonight's Thanksgiving leftovers feast!)

Our chefs inspect the quality of the ingredients

Chef Carrie takes on the cauliflower

Didier says he'll play sous chef but here he appears to be acting as the chef de cuisine

If you must eat brussels sprouts and cauliflower, this is the way to do it!

Didier takes a serving of the delicious cranberry sauce by Chefs Carrie and Jonathan

Don't forget the crouton!

And now, about dessert ....

The finishing touch to the pumpkin and brown sugar crème brŭlée. (No professional kitchen is complete without a blowtorch.)

No fête would be complete without Chef Didier threatening to toss an offending dish into the poubelle. Here our guests intervene to save the tarte tatin.

Cranberry, Orange, and Red Wine Sauce

from The New Vegetarian Epicure

1 1/2 pounds fresh cranberries

1  cup orange juice

1/2 cup water

grated zest of 1 orange

1/3 cup dry red wine

1 3/4 cups sugar (Carrie recommends 1 cup)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of cloves

Wash cranberries and  pick them over, throwing any that are soft or discolored. Combine all ingredients in a large non-reactive pot and bring to boil, stirring with long-handled wooden spoon. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce is thick and glossy. Allow to cool, stirring occasionally to keep skin from forming on top. Enjoy!

Leftovers

What can you do with the following leftovers:

pastry dough for a tarte tatin

one boiled chicken (left over from making stock)

two boiled carrots (also left from making stock)

add an onion and a cup of frozen peas

Voila!

Recipe for Chicken Pot Pie

It's Peak!

The view from Mount Philo

Shelburne Farm hilltop

Apple-picking with Mom and Dad

Click for a recipe for Apple-Ginger Chutney (DEE-licious on pork chops!)

A Sunday afternoon walk at Shelburne Farm

A perfect ending to a perfect day

We'll always have ...

During our last few days in Paris, we did not pause to take many pictures but will carry with us fond memories of the café at Place Colette, the evening of couscous and laughter with Miriam, Alain, and Gretchen, and the tour of The Cube digital art center with Carol-Ann.

And, of course, we'll always have Bofinger's ....