A mouth-watering trio of smooth salsas arrives minutes before your tacos, so you can whiff the cilantro in the mild tomatillo salsa, the bite in the habanero salsa and the smokiness of the house-roasted chipotle salsa. This time, I ordered the special taco for April: rabbit with soy beans and crumbly cheese. Rabbit tasted surprisingly different than chicken. It was extremely moist and gamely like lamb but had the same overcooked texture that beef sometimes gets. I also wanted to test out the vegetarian, seasonal taco with asparagus, mushrooms and potatoes. All were great, especially with the fresh corn tortillas each are wrapped in, but the salsa makes the meal. I love their salsa so much I ordered michelada after michelada, Tecate with lime, salt and green salsa! I actually crave Tacolicious on a daily basis. When are we going back?!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Tacolicious!
Everything about Tacolicious makes me want to use exclamation points! Even though my favorite restaurant in San Francisco was closed by its owners and reopened as Tacolicious 1 month later, I can't get over how much I love this place! The first time John and I stopped in, we ordered queso dip to complement the best salsa (ever) that we were mowing basket after basket of chips devouring. For dinner, we split a plate of 10 tacos ranging from deep-fried fish with cabbage to marinated, pulled short rib with green onion, to shot-and-a-beer chicken—pulled chicken marinated in tequila, tecate and other mind-blowing spices—to traditional carnitas with onion.
A mouth-watering trio of smooth salsas arrives minutes before your tacos, so you can whiff the cilantro in the mild tomatillo salsa, the bite in the habanero salsa and the smokiness of the house-roasted chipotle salsa. This time, I ordered the special taco for April: rabbit with soy beans and crumbly cheese. Rabbit tasted surprisingly different than chicken. It was extremely moist and gamely like lamb but had the same overcooked texture that beef sometimes gets. I also wanted to test out the vegetarian, seasonal taco with asparagus, mushrooms and potatoes. All were great, especially with the fresh corn tortillas each are wrapped in, but the salsa makes the meal. I love their salsa so much I ordered michelada after michelada, Tecate with lime, salt and green salsa! I actually crave Tacolicious on a daily basis. When are we going back?!
A mouth-watering trio of smooth salsas arrives minutes before your tacos, so you can whiff the cilantro in the mild tomatillo salsa, the bite in the habanero salsa and the smokiness of the house-roasted chipotle salsa. This time, I ordered the special taco for April: rabbit with soy beans and crumbly cheese. Rabbit tasted surprisingly different than chicken. It was extremely moist and gamely like lamb but had the same overcooked texture that beef sometimes gets. I also wanted to test out the vegetarian, seasonal taco with asparagus, mushrooms and potatoes. All were great, especially with the fresh corn tortillas each are wrapped in, but the salsa makes the meal. I love their salsa so much I ordered michelada after michelada, Tecate with lime, salt and green salsa! I actually crave Tacolicious on a daily basis. When are we going back?!
Brithday Champagne Brunch
For my birthday last month, we met some friends for brunch at Paul K. We couldn't decide whether to have mimosas (bottomless, of course) but since it was birthday, it just seemed to make sense...I ordered a house-made sausage with arugula salsa and eggs over easy to complement my always-full glass of (mostly) champagne. Let's just say that 2 hours later, I was glad there was protein in my stomach but incredulous that 6 glasses of mimosa were sloshing around in my belly.
Love and Garlic
For a romantic evening in a few weeks ago, I made fresh bagna couda with 3 heads of garlic! Peeling it just about destroyed me—it took over an hour and I was bleeding under my nails on both hands—but we were able to spread the sweet, hot garlic on fresh salmon and dip artichoke leaves in it. We also drank blanc de noirs sparkling wine out of our new heart-shaped flutes, heightening the romance and the intensity of the garlic!
Tuscan Bean Soup
Ok, this is one of my attempts to mix a few different recipes into one and I'm not convinced it was successful. I've been enjoying leftovers for a week, which tells me at least I like it! I've had white bean soup a few times with different accoutrements like sausage and bell pepper; I've also read recipes for rustic bean soups with chard and crusty bread....so I filled the slow-cooker with broth, chard, sliced red pepper and italian sausage before I left for work. When I came home, I added 2 cans of white beans and cracked pepper for 20 more minutes. In each bowl, I sliced up cubes of super stale, crusty sourdough bread and poured the soup over them. Fresh parmesan cheese was then sprinkled on top for presentation.
The result was all good for me: yummy random Italian stuff thrown in a pot. All good! Except the bread got gooey and doughy and soaked up most of the soup so it became a bowl of goo and beans. I think John would vote against making this a recurring event but like I said, I've been enjoying leftovers all week!
The result was all good for me: yummy random Italian stuff thrown in a pot. All good! Except the bread got gooey and doughy and soaked up most of the soup so it became a bowl of goo and beans. I think John would vote against making this a recurring event but like I said, I've been enjoying leftovers all week!
Adventures at the Ferry Market
Looking for an SF adventure? The Ferry Market is way too overpriced (and intimidating) for me to grocery shop at, but to-go delicacies are abundant. To get a little exercise and give us an excuse to eat some great food, we got up last Saturday morning and hiked over to the Ferry Building. It was raining just a little bit so the crowd was (I'm guessing) much smaller than usual, because we were able to get to the front of the line at 4505 Meats in mere minutes. We ordered maple breakfast sausage in brioche.
And (#58 on 7x7's list) chicharrones, which are basically fresh pork rinds sprinkled with spicy sugar.
Yum!
Getting out of the rain, we nabbed a seat at Hog Island Oyster Co. and immediately ordered half a dozen oysters, a mix of one of each of the Washington State options (our favorite indulgence!) After dabbling in raw seafood briefly, we moved on to dairy dairy dairy.
We split my all-time favorite grilled cheese sandwiches: fresh bread stuffed with Cow Girls' Mezzo Secco, cave-aged Gruyere and Fromage Blanc, which I think are generally rare but can be found in the Ferry market. The homemade pickles are equally as delicious, cider vinegary and sweet. We also split a steaming hot bowl of clam chowder, another list-topper (though discovering the best clam chowder may be a lifelong pursuit). Bacon, potatoes, vegetables, cream and butter are added to steamed clams after they opened up. Such a perfect meal for a cold, wet day!
Chicken Hash at Ella's
#76 on 7x7's 2010 list, the plate arrived with miniature poached eggs in a side dish and a gloriously giant bot biscuit. The hash itself was an encrusted, potato-sized mound covered in sliced raw leeks. Upon breaking into the hash, I discovered succulent pieces of roasted chicken and yummy mashed potatoes. Great brunch, highly recommended.
First Class Cooking: Fuss-free French
For my birthday, John bought me a cooking class with Emily of First Class Cooking in Soma. We finally chose a class from her latest schedule (apparently she books each month within days of scheduling a new month!): Fuss-free French. There were so many great classes to choose from but this one seemed like it would teach some basics, like soufflé and coq au vin.
Emily's loft in Soma was incredible with a view looking northwest back at beautiful downtown SF. Very festive! She kicked things off with dessert, knowing we'd be making good use of both ovens over the course of the rest of the meal prep. We learned to vigorously stir flour into melted butter and water so that the gluten would actually change its structure. After, we used a hand mixer to mix in one already-beaten egg (off the stove of course). As soon as that single egg was absorbed, we mixed in another 3 eggs (also already beaten) and the pastry batter was ready to be scooped onto a baking sheet and baked.
Next, we moved on to the coq au vin or chicken stew. We first fried thick, hearty strips of bacon in the bottom of a giant dutch oven. When they were browned, we removed them and threw about 20 thickly-sliced mushrooms in to slowly soften. Apparently, because of the amount of water in mushrooms, the ideal way to sautee them is slowly and for at least 10 minutes, which, as someone who typically turns up the heat to get things done quicker, was interested to learn. After 10 minutes, we also removed the mushrooms and readied 15 chicken breasts and thighs with skin on. Just before placing them into the dutch oven, we salted each chicken piece, a trick having to do with the proteins and the way the chicken cooks. Skin side down, each piece was seared for about 5 minutes per side, then removed to make room for the next batch. Her gi-normous pot could fry up 6 pieces at a time!
When all of the chicken was browned, we threw a miripoix (finely chopped onion, carrot and celery) into the pot. After just a couple minutes, we added flour and tomato paste, then deglazed the bottom of the dutch oven with brandy and added a bottle of Burgundy wine and chicken stock. Bay leaves, herbs de Provence, salt, pepper, and the chicken (stacked nicely and submerged) went into the stew to begin boiling for the next hour.
With the stew boiling and the puff pastries in the oven, we moved on to stirring up a new roux, this time adding milk and green garlic with the intent of creating a spring-flavored souffle. John's hands were free at the moment Emily needed someone to go at the flour with a strong arm, so he stepped up and impressed us all! Once the egg yolks were beaten in, we stirred in finely grated parmesan and more raw green garlic. Meanwhile, Emily's Kitchenaid Stand Mixer was slowly beating egg whites. Again, typically someone who cranks up the mixer to top speed to whip egg whites as quickly as possible, I had to ask why it was important to slow down. Her answer was that it's only too easy to over-beat egg whites and that this was a good bet against it. I'll take that. We watched as Emily folded the yolk and green garlic concoction into the egg whites because none of us were bold enough to take a stab at it! She poured the souffle into two dishes, both sprayed with Pam and coated with bread crumbs mixed with parmesan cheese. Before she plopped them in the oven, she took a finger and wiped off a ring around the dishes just at the top of where the batter sat in the pan. This was to ensure the souffles would rise straight up from the center instead of from the outside in.
Puff pastries now cooling on the counter and a free oven for us, we began quartering colorful pink and magenta radishes. We retained the radish leaves but set them aside while the quartered radishes were tossed in olive oil and heated up on the stove. She had a pan she could then move to the oven so the radishes could blister and brown slightly. While those were in the oven, we blanched asparagus spears in boiling water ever so briefly, then chopped them into bite-sized pieces. (At this point we also removed the lid from the stew so that it could boil off some of its liquid) When the radishes were sufficiently roasted, we pulled the pan out of the oven and added in the asparagus spears and radish leaves. The leaves cooked down like spinach does when it begins to steam. As it was tossed, we added gray sea salt to the colorful salad.
Noticing that the first round of puff pastries had turned out small and a little rough, she had us attempt one more batch before dinner. This time, when we mixed the first egg into the gluten, we only used the hand mixer for 5 seconds, until the egg was literally just barely absorbed. Then we added in the next 3 eggs. When we scooped this batch of batter onto the baking sheets, we could tell it was a different, more velvety consistency. Sure enough, when we pulled the second batch out of the oven, they were perfectly round, soft and puffy. It was actually pretty cool this happened so we could learn the lesson!
We sat down to eat as soon as the souffles came out of the oven. By this point, the stew had cooked down to thick gravy and we crumbled the bacon, adding it and the mushrooms back in. We transferred the chicken pieces onto a deep platter then scooped generous amounts of stew and mushrooms to cover them. The souffles were deliciously fluffy with a garlic flavor that lacked the usual spicy kick in a good way. The radishes became sweet and tender in the oven, almost like beets, which I have to imagine are related to their root vegetable neighbor. The salt was just enough to heighten the spring flavors and the asparagus was delightfully al dente.
When we finished dinner, Emily jumped up to begin stuffing puff pastry shells with ice cream. She drizzled fresh chocolate sauce, made from chopped bittersweet chocolate, cream, corn syrup and butter, generously over the top of each profiterole. They were delicious, just the right amount of sweet and texture. We had added a pinch of salt to the pastry shells, so they weren't sweet at all, a nice touch I thought. In all, the meal was a lovely Spring menu—not too heavy yet still soul-warming with the stew.
So of course I was going to have to attempt a recreation of the entire meal, and when better to do it than the very next day? We invited John and Julie McDon-baum to enjoy it with us and I spent about 20 minutes working out the logistics of only having one oven, one mixer and a finite number of mixing bowls to use to create the feast Emily cooked with 14 helpers and a never-ending supply of utensils! Results are below. Success!!
Emily's loft in Soma was incredible with a view looking northwest back at beautiful downtown SF. Very festive! She kicked things off with dessert, knowing we'd be making good use of both ovens over the course of the rest of the meal prep. We learned to vigorously stir flour into melted butter and water so that the gluten would actually change its structure. After, we used a hand mixer to mix in one already-beaten egg (off the stove of course). As soon as that single egg was absorbed, we mixed in another 3 eggs (also already beaten) and the pastry batter was ready to be scooped onto a baking sheet and baked.Next, we moved on to the coq au vin or chicken stew. We first fried thick, hearty strips of bacon in the bottom of a giant dutch oven. When they were browned, we removed them and threw about 20 thickly-sliced mushrooms in to slowly soften. Apparently, because of the amount of water in mushrooms, the ideal way to sautee them is slowly and for at least 10 minutes, which, as someone who typically turns up the heat to get things done quicker, was interested to learn. After 10 minutes, we also removed the mushrooms and readied 15 chicken breasts and thighs with skin on. Just before placing them into the dutch oven, we salted each chicken piece, a trick having to do with the proteins and the way the chicken cooks. Skin side down, each piece was seared for about 5 minutes per side, then removed to make room for the next batch. Her gi-normous pot could fry up 6 pieces at a time!
When all of the chicken was browned, we threw a miripoix (finely chopped onion, carrot and celery) into the pot. After just a couple minutes, we added flour and tomato paste, then deglazed the bottom of the dutch oven with brandy and added a bottle of Burgundy wine and chicken stock. Bay leaves, herbs de Provence, salt, pepper, and the chicken (stacked nicely and submerged) went into the stew to begin boiling for the next hour.
With the stew boiling and the puff pastries in the oven, we moved on to stirring up a new roux, this time adding milk and green garlic with the intent of creating a spring-flavored souffle. John's hands were free at the moment Emily needed someone to go at the flour with a strong arm, so he stepped up and impressed us all! Once the egg yolks were beaten in, we stirred in finely grated parmesan and more raw green garlic. Meanwhile, Emily's Kitchenaid Stand Mixer was slowly beating egg whites. Again, typically someone who cranks up the mixer to top speed to whip egg whites as quickly as possible, I had to ask why it was important to slow down. Her answer was that it's only too easy to over-beat egg whites and that this was a good bet against it. I'll take that. We watched as Emily folded the yolk and green garlic concoction into the egg whites because none of us were bold enough to take a stab at it! She poured the souffle into two dishes, both sprayed with Pam and coated with bread crumbs mixed with parmesan cheese. Before she plopped them in the oven, she took a finger and wiped off a ring around the dishes just at the top of where the batter sat in the pan. This was to ensure the souffles would rise straight up from the center instead of from the outside in.Puff pastries now cooling on the counter and a free oven for us, we began quartering colorful pink and magenta radishes. We retained the radish leaves but set them aside while the quartered radishes were tossed in olive oil and heated up on the stove. She had a pan she could then move to the oven so the radishes could blister and brown slightly. While those were in the oven, we blanched asparagus spears in boiling water ever so briefly, then chopped them into bite-sized pieces. (At this point we also removed the lid from the stew so that it could boil off some of its liquid) When the radishes were sufficiently roasted, we pulled the pan out of the oven and added in the asparagus spears and radish leaves. The leaves cooked down like spinach does when it begins to steam. As it was tossed, we added gray sea salt to the colorful salad.
Noticing that the first round of puff pastries had turned out small and a little rough, she had us attempt one more batch before dinner. This time, when we mixed the first egg into the gluten, we only used the hand mixer for 5 seconds, until the egg was literally just barely absorbed. Then we added in the next 3 eggs. When we scooped this batch of batter onto the baking sheets, we could tell it was a different, more velvety consistency. Sure enough, when we pulled the second batch out of the oven, they were perfectly round, soft and puffy. It was actually pretty cool this happened so we could learn the lesson!
We sat down to eat as soon as the souffles came out of the oven. By this point, the stew had cooked down to thick gravy and we crumbled the bacon, adding it and the mushrooms back in. We transferred the chicken pieces onto a deep platter then scooped generous amounts of stew and mushrooms to cover them. The souffles were deliciously fluffy with a garlic flavor that lacked the usual spicy kick in a good way. The radishes became sweet and tender in the oven, almost like beets, which I have to imagine are related to their root vegetable neighbor. The salt was just enough to heighten the spring flavors and the asparagus was delightfully al dente.
When we finished dinner, Emily jumped up to begin stuffing puff pastry shells with ice cream. She drizzled fresh chocolate sauce, made from chopped bittersweet chocolate, cream, corn syrup and butter, generously over the top of each profiterole. They were delicious, just the right amount of sweet and texture. We had added a pinch of salt to the pastry shells, so they weren't sweet at all, a nice touch I thought. In all, the meal was a lovely Spring menu—not too heavy yet still soul-warming with the stew.So of course I was going to have to attempt a recreation of the entire meal, and when better to do it than the very next day? We invited John and Julie McDon-baum to enjoy it with us and I spent about 20 minutes working out the logistics of only having one oven, one mixer and a finite number of mixing bowls to use to create the feast Emily cooked with 14 helpers and a never-ending supply of utensils! Results are below. Success!!
Monday, April 12, 2010
#1: Things You Really Don't Expect to be Awesome but Are. So. Awesome.
Oh em gee. Pork shoulder in the slowcooker with 2 jars of tomatillo salsa for 8 hours is UNREAL. The pork pulled apart beautifully and is flavored oh so saucily with tangy green salsa. YUM! This must be done again soon!
Served with tortillas, cheddar cheese and hot sauce.
Served with tortillas, cheddar cheese and hot sauce.
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