Profile

Ande

I'm a recovering event planner who is re-focusing her energies (and appetite!) on the delicious world of food.

  • Website
  • Location: My San Francisco kitchen
  • Favorite foods: Cookies. Straus yogurt. Guittard chocolate chips. Blue Bottle drip & lattes. Stone fruit. Fatted Calf pancetta. Nutella. Italian plum muffins @ Piccino. Irma's Chilaquiles. Tagliolini pepati @ Aperto. Truffled flatbread @ Coco500. Nutella pizza @ Gialina.
  • Last bite on earth: Spaghetti with crispy pancetta, browned red onions, red pepper flakes, parmigiano, flat leaf parsley and topped with a beautiful fried egg.

Bake the Book: 'Flour,' by Joanne Chang

Use a scale! It's faster, more accurate, and saves on clean-up. :)

Cooking project for 14- and 15-year-old boys

I teach cooking classes to kids/teens, and I've had great luck with potstickers. They really do make quick work of them once they get the hang of it. Plus, they like pouring the water into the skillet and all of the noise it makes. ;)

My suggestion would be to do an Asian-style meal, and do the following:

potstickers
veggie tempura (teens love to fry)
steak teriyaki, or something similar (they'll LOVE it)
rice (a great basic that all kids should learn how to make)

Hope that helps!

Good, cheap restaurants in San Francisco?

Two cheap eats favorites:

Taiwan Restaurant on Clement - great for dumplings, and everything else. Definitely not for ambiance, but the service is fast and friendly. Love it.

Udupi Palace in the Mission - fantastic dosas, utthapams and southern Indian food.

Cook the Book: 'The Essential New York Times Cookbook'

Time and time again, I find myself reaching for How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Two Peter Luger Steaks

I love hanger steaks!

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Russ & Daughters Brunch Package

Hash! I love me some hash topped with poached eggs.

Cook the Book: 'Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies'

Rugelach....and other people's Christmas cookies!!

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Two Peter Luger Steaks

Hanger steak - such good flavor and value!

Relish Plate On Your Holiday Table?

We sure do. The relish tray provides a nice counterpoint to all of the rich food, and makes a lovely centerpiece on our buffet.

Your Current Vegetable Obssession

These days, I am obsessed with kale! Specifically, in a salad with sliced apple and radicchio. It's fantastic!

Cook the Book: Barefoot Contessa, 'How Easy Is That?'

This time of year, I think it would have to be roast chicken, roasted root veggies and a beautiful kale-apple salad. Fantastic!

Weekend Giveaway: 'The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook'

Bread pudding with a nice, boozy whiskey sauce. Yum.

Cook the Book: 'Seasonal Fruit Desserts'

meyer lemon tarts!!! topped with either whipped cream or italian meringue.

Cook the Book: 'Seasonal Fruit Desserts'

Peach or nectarine galette! I could eat it for days.

Uses for Seedless Black Raspberry Preserves

Melt it in a sauce pan with a little bit of water. Then use it to glaze the top of a fresh fruit tart.

Cook the Book: 'Ready for Dessert'

chocolate sour cream bundt cake from Cook's Illustrated...topped with chocolate ganache. and mini chocolate chips, because I like to gild the lily.

Cook the Book: 'Rose's Heavenly Cakes'

I wish I could say that the best cake I ever had was my wedding cake - but I barely had any - just the little bite you feed each other during the reception. Can you tell I'm a bit bitter? Moving on....

The most memorable cake I've had in the last ten years was Sacripantina from an Italian cafe in North Beach...it was amazing!

Cook the Book: 'My Bread'

I recently tried my hand at a braided challah. Though it turned out edible, it did not look braided nor challah-like. It looked like a loaf of eggy ciabatta.

The Food Lab's Top 10 Pieces of Kitchen Gear

My steel mesh glove is a must in my kitchen. It's not an item I use that often; perhaps 2-3 times per month. But I'm so very glad I have it when using my mandoline.

Do You Know What a Chunky Is?

Absolutely! I grew up in the D.C. area and these were a "mainstream" candy bar there.

Cook the Book: 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks'

Smitten Kitchen!! But I must say, I do love me so me Serious Eats, too.

Cook the Book: 'The Craft of Baking'

I seriously love the nutella and mascarpone-slathered dessert pizza at Gialina in SF. It's warm, creamy, crunchy (thanks to those crushed amaretti) and chewy (thanks to that fabulous, charred pizza crust). It hits all of my flavor and texture buttons.

Cook the Book: 'Gourmet Today'

My first cookbook was Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls - published sometime in the 1960s. My grandmother gave it to me.

Cook the Book: '100 Best Vegetarian Recipes'

Coconut dal, served with raita!

Threadless T-Shirt Giveaway: A Piece of Cake

Birthday cake!!

Where do y'all think we should eat in Cypress, Texas?

I'm heading to Cypress, Texas (outside of Houston) at the end of the week. I've checked out some of the great suggestions for Houston proper; however, I'll be spending most of my time in good ol' Cypress on this visit. Do any of you kind souls have recommendations for tasty places to eat? BBQ, Mexican/Tex-Mex, great burgers, a can't-miss donut place, even - any ideas are appreciated.

Ande hasn't favorited a post yet.