Tartine, San Francisco, California

One weekend several years ago we drove feverishly through San Francisco trying to find Tartine Bakery. We never could find it! We gave up and moved on to the next place on our list of places to visit. It haunted us that this great bakery could be so hard to find. Last week, one of our "foodie" coworkers dropped off a Tartine postcard and announced everything they had was "devine".

So we post to those of you who read our blog and live close to the Bay Area, please go and try Tartine. There are 2 locations. 600 Guerrero St at 18th, and 561 Valencia Street in San Francisco. Elisabeth Prueitt and her husband, Chad Robertson are the proprietors. They are well travelled and both trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. They bake their rustic breads in a wood fired brick oven. They have lots of accolades and are found in the "Best Of" San Francisco. We have their first cookbook and intend to put it to good use until our next visit up north.

Most products are organic, meats come from Niman Ranch, the coffee is organic, from Four Barrel, and most dairy comes from Straus Family Creamery, which is huge in the food movement in the Bay Area.

~Look at the lovely rustic crust on these slices of country bread~
~The crumb is just right and this bread appears to be studded with nuts~

~Elisabeth is an award winning pastry chef~

~Elisabeth and Chad~

~Views of Bar Tartine~

561 Valencia Street

San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 487-1600

Toast

~One of the best toasts~Brioche~

We've had a craving at Beckwith Road for a slice of "real toast". We pulled out our "Bouchon" cookbook, Thomas Keller was consulted and we spent the day making brioche bread. Can you believe there are videos that tell you how to make toast? What is a good piece of toast without a great slice of bread?? Thomas Keller's recipe for brioche is on page 324, if you want to give it a try; otherwise head to the best bakery you have in your area and have them slice the bread just the way you like it. I love all the curly corners, the crumb, the flavor, of brioche, it's got it all going on. When we were in Napa last, our hotel breakfast was supplied by Bouchon Bakery. We could not get enough of the cranberry, pistachio mini brioche. They were divine! One or two might have made their way into our purses for a midnight nibble.

We paired our perfectly toasted bread with individual frittata. There are many recipes for frittata, including Martha Stewart. Essentially a frittata utilizes leftovers, or not, is egg based, may or may not have cheese in it and contains things like herbs, potatoes or pasta, sun dried tomatoes, garlic or onions, garden vegetables, meats, etc. Since they can be served at room temperature fritatta take the stress out of trying to get everything to the table "hot".

Apricot Jam

~Apricot Jam~

Soon the dilemma of what to do with all these apricots will be over. These seasonal stone fruit with velvety skin and a soft, fleshy, sweet interior has kept me on my toes to make sure they don't go to waste. My solution now is to can some jam. I researched recipes and decided that a variation of David Liebovitz's would be best. There isn't much pectin in apricots so, I am using liquid fruit pectin to make sure the jam sets well.

~Finished Product~

7 cups fresh apricot chunky puree (I removed the skin by blanching the apricots in boiling water for a couple of minutes and dropping them into a cold water bath~the skin slides off~beware not to overcook though or you will have mush)

6 cups granulated sugar~ use more or less than this depending upon the sweetness of your fruit

7 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1-3 ounce packet of liquid pectin~made by Ball

12-half pint canning jars

Note: you could make 1/2 or 1/4 of this recipe and store in the fridge if you don't want to do the full-on canning process. I did follow the USDA canning guidelines which can be found online.

1. Place the skinned apricots in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse into a rough chop. Pour into a large stockpot or canning pot. Continue until all the apricots are chopped.

2. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover the pot and cook until the apricots come to a rolling boil. At this point make sure your heat is no higher than medium-high so the contents at the bottom of the pan do not burn. Stir occasionally. Cook, uncovered~skimming any foam that rises to the top to ensure the jam is clear. After a period of time, the jam will begin to thicken and reduce down. The color will darken, and when the jam is at 220, drop a dab of jam on a small plate and place in the freezer for a few minutes. Now check to see if your jam has thickened to the right consistency, if not continue to cook it until you have the results you are seeking. At this point, I added a split vanilla bean to my jam.

3. Remove from heat and package or store in containers. Follow USDA canning guidelines or place in containers to refrigerate.

~Every summer canning was a part of our family life. Peaches were probably our family favorite. It is always comforting to hear the ping from the jam jars as they cool, letting me know they are sealed properly. We use lots of apricot jam throughout the year. It makes a great base to dip egg rolls into. By just adding a small amount of Asian sesame oil and soy sauce to the apricot jam you have a lovely dipping sauce. A jar could also be reheated with finely diced jalapeno pepper and then cooled and poured over a block of cream cheese for a treat to eat with Wheat Thins or favorite crackers.~

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is much to be said about the "definitive" chocolate chip cookie. It is after all a matter of personal preference, and that is based largely on evolving taste experiences. Our family has enjoyed this version of chocolate chip cookies since Martha Stewart published her first book in 1982. I grabbed my first edition, dog-eared copy of "Entertaining" and made up a batch of these cookies~just as I have done for 28 years now~every 4th of July. It's tradition. You may ask what separates these from Toll House and every other recipe out there and my answer would be~personal preference. It's got flavor (buttery~caramel~salt tinged~right mix of chocolate) and texture (chewy with crispy edges and soft centers) and what it lacks in appearance, it more than makes up for in all the above categories. It doesn't require grinding up oatmeal, or finding 3 types of rare chocolate or unusual baking techniques. It's easy! So we just love these cookies, and you just might too!

RECIPE

We have slightly changed this recipe from the original~Alexis Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies~Page 93 in "Entertaining" by Martha Stewart.

2 sticks butter

1-1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon real vanilla

1-3/4 cups flour plus 1 tablespoon (just this little bit added makes a difference)

3/4 teaspoon salt (I like Kosher or sea salt~it has a cleaner flavor)

1 teaspoon baking soda

12 ounces "mini" chocolate chips

{When scooping flour, aerate the flour by fluffing with a butter knife or fork. Now dip your measuring cup in and level it off with the straight edge of a butter knife. This way your flour will measure more accurately.}

To begin:

Cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla. Combine well. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. I use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients before adding them to the wet ingredients~now combine the dry and wet~mix. Add chocolate chips and mix again. At this point you can begin making your cookies, but they will be on the flatter side, or refrigerate for a few hours so the cold dough will hold it's shape a little better when baked. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes, or until the cookies are golden in color. Remove from oven, cool a few minutes before removing them onto cooling racks.

If you make some, tell me how you liked them. This recipe makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Drop by 1-inch scoop

I use Silpat's for most of my baking. It's green and easy to use. No parchment or foil to mess with. If you have 2-3 of these, it makes easy work of baking cookies. Now if you don't own Silpats or have the means to, then use the standard methods of parchment or greased lined cookie sheets, or foil for easy clean-up.

No~I'll admit these are not beauties~oh, but beware, they just might capture your taste buds as they did us.

(Cookies are shown in one of Martha's original copper trays she used to sell in her newsletter~pre-Martha Stewart Living.

One for You and One for Me!

(The Gathering of Friends Volume One (of 2 so far)

by Michelle Huxtable and Alyse Christensen

A great cookbook!

Tried and true recipes...just for you!

An adaptation of Ryan's Cookie-page 117

~White chocolate chips, dried cranberries and chunks of pecans~

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup white granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 cups oatmeal

1- 11 ounce bag white chocolate chips

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, rough chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cream together white and brown sugars, butter, eggs, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, stir with a whisk and blend into the creamed mixture.

Fold in the white chocolate chips, cranberries and nuts.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a parchment lined, Silpat lined or buttered cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes in a preheated oven. Watch that they don't get too dark. They should be barely golden brown when done.

Now go get you cold glass of milk and enjoy each lip smacking morsel.

Our hope is that this book will inspire the reader with ideas of how to enhance relationships, establish traditions and celebrate life.~Michelle Huxtable & Alyse Christensen. (You may find their book online -The Gathering of Friends-or at gift shops around the country)