Zoe’s Bacon

There are few things more recognizable in the kitchen than the smell of frying bacon, and Zoe’s Bacon creates no exception. Arriving to my kitchen thick-sliced and cured/smoked to perfection, this bacon is a game-changer. Deep, rich flavor and texture more akin to ham than bacon are a few of the highlights here. OK, I promise, this is not a sales pitch, though I do think that everyone should seek this out and give it a try. Recently, I have seen Zoe’s meats, local to Petaluma, popping up all over San Francisco, with my introduction taking place at Outerlands in the Sunset.

In my experience, the quality of food should be immediately perceptible to at least two of your senses and should also be able to differentiate the quality food from others, either better or worse. In using Zoe’s bacon, you are immediately reassured that the bacon that you spent a little extra on is completely worth it. Frying or baking or even grilling this bacon produces pork unlike any other, but don’t take my word for that.

What you can take my word for is freezing. I will undoubtedly write a post dedicated to the art of freezing, art because its impossible to do well without careful consideration and skill. But for now, I will just say that after buying two-and-a-half pounds of Zoe’s bacon and freezing part of it, I was concerned. My last experience with frozen-after-fresh meats nearly ruined Thanksgiving (Amanda and I worked like hell to fix that. . .I write about it too.) so I was naturally skeptical about freezing my new bacon.

I achieved vindication this morning. After putting it in the refrigerator last night to thaw, what I found this morning was nothing short of bacon mastery by Zoe’s. No condensation, no problems with texture. This bacon owns. The omelet that ensued was fantastic, not overpowered by the bacon, and showcased it. I can’t complain about a breakfast like that. Ready to try Zoe’s?

Zoe’s Bacon Omelet

2 eggs.

1/4c whole milk.

Cayenne, black & white pepper, salt (for seasoning the custard).

1and 1/2 strips of Zoe’s Bacon; rendered of fat and fried until crisp, chopped.

Your favorite cheese, I used pepper jack.

3 crimini mushrooms, sliced.

1/4c red onion, diced.

parsely and sour cream (and yes, of course Tapatio) for garnish.

Preparation

Cook the bacon and use some of the drippings to sautee the mushrooms and onion until soft and the mushrooms have released their juices.

Whisk together the eggs, milk and spices.

In a 12″ nonstick pan (I used my bacon pan) add the custard and adjust the heat to medium. Pay careful attention to the eggs, as the key is to find the sweet-spot between setting the top and not over cooking the bottom. using a spatula, push down the edges from the sides of the pan, this helps to create a good edge and is beneficial to loosening the omelet for “the flip”.

“The Flip”. I have wrist-flipped omelets and spatula flipped them and while not as cool, the spatula flip is often more rewarding to the final product. use the spatula to make sure that the center is free of the pan. now use the spatula and rotate the pan to achieve the perfect flip. Afterwards, pile the cheese, mushrooms, onion, and bacon onto the flipped omelet and give is a second before “the fold”.

“The Fold”. Using the same spatula, fold the omelet over the center axis (what? you were expecting more?) and plate on a warmed dish.

Garnish with chopped parsely and sour cream and apply Tapatio as needed.

Enjoy!

 

Chicken Pot Pie

Golden, flaky, buttery. . .

Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe came about after I made some incredible Potato Leek soup (recipe follows) to combat a disgustingly cold day in San Francisco. Long story short: I bought way too many potatoes and parsnips, and had a ton of soup left over, so I roasted the veggies and combined them with the soup and Voila! It worked perfectly! Beautiful, flakey crust and this rich, delicious filling combined to create a pot pie of epic proportions. This is perfect for a low-key evening where comfort is the rule.

For the crust:

Prep time: 15 minutes. Resting time: >1hr.

• 1C AP Flour
• 1/2C (1 stick) cold butter
• 1/4C Ice Water
• 2 tsps Salt.

I was surprised at how similar to my biscuit dough this is. First, whisk salt and flour in large mixing bowl and add the cold butter. Make sure the butter is cold, or it will not cut into the flour properly. Using a pastry cutter or two butter knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like course cornmeal; make a well in the center. Add water and draw the flour from the perimeter into the center to combine. Gently knead until the dough becomes combines, work into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

For the filling:

Prep time: 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 400.

Ok, you have some choices to make now.  The final product will depend on a few variables, namely: vegetable to binding ratio, vegetable choice, binding medium. For this, I used Potato Leek soup at a roughly 1:1 ratio to roasted root vegetables and diced leeks, allowing them to combine overnight. You could also make a light Béchamel sauce and season it with cayenne and sherry (Thanks, Big 4.) Last note before we start: dice your fillings as evenly as possible to ensure that they cook in the same amount of time.

• 2 chicken breasts, roasted and diced.
• 3 carrots, ½” dice, separated.
• 1 parsnip, ½” dice
• 3 potatoes, ½” dice
• 2 ribs of celery, coarsely chopped.
• 1 leek (white part) , coarsely chopped.
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped.
• A handful of green peas
• 1 egg, for washing.

Toss 2 carrots, the potatoes and the parsnip in a bowl with olive oil, black pepper, and thyme. Dust your chicken with cayenne and white pepper. Arrange chicken breasts and root vegetables on a parchment-lined roasting pan and roast for 20-25 minutes (long enough to roast the vegetables without crisping them severely.) If you overcook, add the vegetables to the sauce and let them marinate.

While they are roasting, heat a sauté pan with a bit of olive oil. Sauté the onion, leek, and celery until softened and set aside. Warm your sauce.

When the pastry dough has set, unwrap it and cleave it into halves. Flour a cutting board (don’t skimp, it’s sticky dough) and roll the dough out to a size about 4” in diameter bigger than your pie plate. Shake off any excess flour and lay the dough into the pan and press the dough into the form, letting the excess hang off. Roll out the other half to just over the diameter of the pie pan and set aside.

Fill the shell with the chicken, roasted vegetables, onion sauté, and fresh carrot and peas. Pour the sauce over the mixture and gently toss, taking care not to damage the bottom crust. I suppose you could do this in the sauce pan as well, just make sure that you don’t beat up the filling. Cover with the second sheet of pastry and pinch the dough together to form the crust (there are many techniques to this, remember that this is a country dish and it should look as pretty as you want it to, you made it.)

Using a very sharp knife, vent the top sheet. You can cut holes in it or stencil a design or whatever you are feeling. The physics of the dish require steam from the vegetable to escape or the crust will get soggy.  Wash the entire crust with a beaten egg. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until it smells too good to leave in the oven. The goal is golden, crispy pastry and bubbly filling.

 

Amandita’s Llevos Espanoles

The best brunch ever!!  Simple y delicioso.

Ingredients for Amandita’s Llevos Espanoles (serving 2):

• 2 Rudi’s Spelt English Muffin
• 4 oz Manchego Cheese
• 4 slices Iberico Jamon Serrano
• 1 Roma Tomatoes
• 4 Judy’s Organic Eggs
• 1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 TBS White Vinegar
• Pinch of Salt

1. Making Pan con Tomate = Using a cheese grater, grate the flesh of halfed Roma tomatoes (1 Roma tomato makes 2 servings).  Add EVOO and salt to taste.  Reserve for topping.
2. Boil water for poaching, add salt and white vinegar.  Add eggs and poach to your preference (about 4 minutes for runny eggs which is how I prefer them).
3. Toast English muffin, add sliced Manchego chesse and place in oven until nice and toasty.
4. Place Jamon Serrano on top of the melted cheese English muffin, poached eggs and top with the Pan con Tomate sauce.

Resulting in a perfect balance between acid and salt, in addition, it is a gourmet breakfast without any time constraints.  Easy enough to do on a weekday!

Arugula Salad with Pickled Shallots

1. Arugula
2. Pickled Shallot
3. Cherry Tomatoes
4. English Cucumber
5. Spanish Olives
6. Sherry Vinaigrette

Sherry Vinaigrette

1. 1/4 C Sherry Vinegar
2. 1/2 CEVOO
3. 1 TBS Dijon
4. 1 TBS Honey
5. Salt, Pepper, and Garlic to taste

Pickling Shallots

1. 2 Shallots
2. 1/2 cup White Vinegar
3. 1/2 Hot H2O
4. 2 TBS Salt
5. 2 TBS Sugar
6. 1 TBS Black Peppercorns

Slice shallots into thin rings.  Put hot H2O in a heat proof container, add salt and sugar until dissolved.  Then add your white vinegar, peppercorns and shallots.  The shallots will begin to pickle within the hour, but it is best to do a day before.  The pickled shallots will be good up to a week.

Cava Blood Orange Mimosa

Suggested pairing for this elegant breakfast is a Cava Blood Orange Mimosa

1. Bottle of Cava (your choice)
2. 2 Blood Oranges juiced

 

These Biscuits will Rise Again!

This Southern staple has the power to transform any drizzly San Francisco morning into heartwarming heaven.



Baking powder biscuits are a quick and easy way to make an ordinary morning down-right delicious. Infinitely versatile and endlessly edible, the humble biscuit is the perfect platform for adventures in breakfast and beyond.

Biscuits and Gravy. 4 servings, ideally.

For the Biscuits:

2c AP Flour (also try a 1:1 ration of AP to spelt flour)

1Tbs. Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

1/2c (1 stick) of refigerator-cold butter

2/3c Whole (Yes, it makes a difference) Milk.

Butter or olive oil for brushing.

For the Gravy.

2Tbs. Butter

2Tbs. AP Flour

1C Whole Milk (if you bought it for the biscuits, then you will have a bunch left over )

Black, white, and Cayenne pepper, salt, and Crystal (it matters) hot sauce.

8oz Sage Breakfast Sausage (optional, kind of but not really)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. If you are using a stone, make sure it comes to temperature,about 45 minutes.

Bring 1c whole milk to a simmer over medium heat. Its okay to scorch it, it helps the flavor.

If you are making sausage gravy, start rendering the sausage on medium low heat and reduce butter by 1 Tbs.

Whisk flour(s), baking powder and salt ina large bowl.

Using a pastry blender, cut butter into the dry ingredients and work until the consistency of coarse cornmeal with larger, pea-sized chunks. The more times you make this, the better idea you will have. Finish by creating a well in the center.

Add milk and work into the flour mixture until just combined. Overworking will kill the dough. Knead quickly and gently, 8-12 times. Now roll the dough out onto a lightly floured bowl, about 3/4 of an inch.

Cut into circles or squares and brush with melted butter or olive oil and bake on the top rack 12-14 minutes (the latter works nicely. Because olive oil burns before the biscuits do,  you know the biscuits are done when the smoke detector goes off. Kidding, but seriously.) Now its time for gravy.

For the gravy:

If using it, remove sausage to a paper towel, reserving 1Tbs of the fat.

Melt butter over medium high heat and add flour when the butter is 90% liquid.

Whisk the flour about the butter for 2-3 minutes or until the roux starts to smell like buttered popcorn. The goal is a blonde roux, the longer you cook it, the less thickening power it will have.

Quickly and steadily, whisk the hot milk into the roux, whisking constantly. When completely combined, turn the heat down past medium and season. I like 1:1:1 white black and Cayenne pepper with salt and hot sauce to taste.

You may strain the gravy for a smoother, silkier mouthfeel.

Serve warm gravy over hot biscuits (they should be just about ready) and get ready to melt. These are great with bacon and poached eggs, I call that Eggs Bubba. I hope y’all enjoy, I know your friends will.

Recipe from Eric.

 

SF Strong Beer Month Gears Up!

The groundhog has come and gone, rain-sensitive-rat, and it looks like February is going to be wet and gross. Just when the thoughts of rain-drenched MUNI rides and broken umbrellas threaten to bring you to tears, San Francisco Brewers to the rescue!

For beer drinkers in San Francisco, February is a time of rejoicing, for Strong Beer Month is finally back! While the rest of the country celebrates groundhogs and MLK, we have the distinct pleasure of visiting the city’s many breweries and pubs to partake of this annual high-octane holiday.

With many strong beers tipping the scales at over 10% ABV and all representing a full year’s worth of brewing passion, Strong Beer Month is the epitome of a  Brewers’ playground. Brewpubs and bars all across SF get into the festivities and many offer special treats and eats to pair with unique seasonal and strong brews. We will be sure to update Food City Forays regularly with tales of our beer-soaked exploits. Cheers.