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Saturday, May 30, 2009

Banana Bread Cupcakes

So I was told not to eat bananas, ice cream, seafood and peanut for a few days as part of a knee-injury treatment. Well, I had 5 very ripe bananas in my house. I wasn't going to throw them away. I decided to make banana bread. But not just banana bread - that wouldn't be worth giving away - banana bread cupcakes with two kinds of frosting: cream cheese and chocolate ganache.


Beautifully frosted banana bread cupcakes


I got the banana bread recipe from here. I mixed the bananas into the batter instead of laying on top. I say this recipe needs at least 1/2 cup of butter instead of just 3 tablespoon as the cake came out a little dry.



Cream cheese frosting was 1 package of cream cheese, 5 tablespoons of butter at room temperature (the same stick I used for the cake) and 1 cup of confectioner sugar. Chocolate ganache from Alton Brown. I halved the recipe - using 8oz. of Giradelli semi sweet chocolate chips - and still have plenty left over.

I was told the cupcakes were good but not my best. And that the ganache was pretty awesome!

Strawberry Rhubarb Bread

I forgot to put fat again and have come to believe that straight fat, i.e. oil or butter, in small amount in quick bread sometimes is not that important. Take this bread. It's full of strawberries and rhubarb to give it enough moisture. Agave nectar sweetened it just enough. I think it was delicious.



Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour

  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour

  • 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt

  • 1/2 cup Agave nectar

  • 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries

  • 1 stalk rhubarb - sliced into 1/4 inch thick (about 1/2 cup)


Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan or a 9-inch square pan (I used tube pan.)

  2. Mix together whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, wheat germ baking soda and salt.

  3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, yogurt and Agave nectar until combined. Pour over the dry ingredients. Stir until just wet.

  4. Fold in strawberries and rhubarb. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes if using a tube pan or longer in a square pan.


Note: I was told that I just got used to eating dry low fat, whole grain and too little sugar in my baked goods. She insisted butter made everything 500 times better.

Waffle Iron Cookies

This is a great recipe for summertime because you don't have to turn on the oven to make these delicious chocolate cookies. This is one of the first things I ever made for Steve - and one of the few sweet treats that he enjoys. (I know, maybe I should have held out for someone who could more appreciate the greatness of my baking!)

2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 C butter
2 eggs
3/4 C sugar
1 C flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 C chopped nuts (optional)

In a small bowl, melt together unsweetened chocolate and butter - let cool. In a medium bowl, beat eggs - add chocolate mixture and combine. Add sugar, flour, vanilla and nuts - combine. Bake in waffle iron for about 2 minutes - do not over cook. You can make the cookies as big or as little as you like, because they should cook evenly no matter how big they are.
I used my medium scoop and got about 18 good sized cookies. You could easily get 2 dozen small cookies.
Note:
  • Make sure your chocolate mixture is not too hot, or it will cook your eggs.

  • I usually burn the first batch because I'm never sure how to work the waffle iron correctly.

  • If these cookies are baked too long they get super crunchy. They should be crisp on the outside and cakelike in the middle.

  • In the photo they are glazed, but they are also great with chocolate frosting (I Like), dusted with powdered sugar or just plain (Steve).

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Tres Leches Cake


Danielle brought this recipe to one of our playgroup recipe exchanges. This cake is so good that:
a) Drew requested it for his birthday instead of some frosting-sculpted concoction, and
b) I gave out the recipe four times when I brought it to our Memorial Day Barbecue.

Tres Leches Cake

1 package white cake mix
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups water

Combine and mix until well-blended. Pour batter into 9x13 pan and bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Using a serrated knife slice off the top of the cake, just the brown part, and eat it while your kids aren't looking.

In medium bowl mix:
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla

Whisk until well-blended. Pour entire mixture slowly over the surface of the cake, letting it absorb for at least five minutes.

Spread over the top with:
8 oz whipped cream or cool whip

Garnish with:
1/4 cups sliced almonds
sliced strawberries


(Note: In the recipe I have 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon is included, but I didn't write down where to use it. Can you help me out Danielle? I haven't used it yet and it's still been good though.)

Naan

Danielle requested this recipe over Facebook, but since Facebook stresses me out I am glad to have another venue through which to respond. It is the flatbread we served this alongside our Infamous Third Place Red Curry Chicken With Basil. The recipe is from My Kitchen Cafe.

Naan

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk

(These instructions are for a stand mixer, although you could do it by hand too.)

In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and yeast. In a smaller bowl combine egg, yogurt and milk. Add wet to dry and stir until fully incorporated.

Increase machine to kneading speed (2 on a KitchenAid) and knead until dough is smooth and shiny. Remove bowl from mixer, cover with a damp towel, and let rise until doubled in size, about one hour.

At 475 degrees, preheat a baking stone or heavy baking sheet on the lowest rack 30 minutes prior to baking.

When dough has risen, divide into 8 pieces and form flat ovals with your hands. They should be thin enough to measure about 6-8 inches across.

Cook two or three at a time by placing flattened dough onto hot stone and cooking 5-6 minutes, until they start to puff a little and turn brown in places. Remove from oven and serve warm.

(The original recipe says to spread with garlic butter after it comes out of the oven, but I haven't done that and neither did MKC.)

I'll take a picture next time.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

You Say Tomato...


I love tomato soup. So when I saw this cookbook called "Cook the Perfect..." by Marcus Wareing at my friend Jen's house, the lure of the bowl of tomato soup on the cover was all of the siren song I needed to order a copy (available used on Amazon). It's published by DB Books in the UK, and full of how-to's and tons of pictures for each recipe, just the way I like it. I would so much rather have a book of 10 nicely laid out, thorough recipes with pictures than 100 without.


The recipe took a little while, but was not difficult at all. Basically, you roast whole tomatoes in a 475 degree oven with olive oil and chopped onions and garlic. Then add to that a cup of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, and fresh basil and cilantro and roast another 10 minutes. Then 2 tbsp of tomato paste and roast another 5 minutes.

The mixture is then removed from the oven and placed into a bowl with 2 Tbsp each of Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar, and it marinates for 30 min. After that, you puree it in batches and strain it into a pot, bring it to a simmer, and add 2 C. hot chicken stock. Serve with olive oil and fresh basil garnish.


The result was a thick, hearty bowl of soup with a lot of flavor. However, I had a couple of issues with the taste. Because you are roasting the garlic and onion at such a high temperature, they get burned. There is nothing I dislike quite as much as the flavor of burnt onion and garlic, and the soup has more than a hint of it. Secondly, while I liked the flavor of the Worcestershire and balsamic, it makes for a very acidic soup - since tomatoes are already very acidic, this was a bit much for me.

I think it's a good starting point, but I need to play with it a little before declaring on my own that this is the "perfect" tomato soup. Not that I didn't enjoy it with a flaky biscuit and a hunk of cheese for lunch, though.

And yes, Recipe #3 is now complete.

Red Curry Chicken with Basil


This is Linda's recipe from the throwdown. I really like it, and so did my family. Don't let the curry intimidate you. Its not hot, just flavorful. I'll add a photo next time I make it.

2T oil
1 1/2 T red curry paste
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 lbs. chicken (cut into bite-size pieces)
2 t. sugar
2 t. fish sauce
1 red bell pepper
10 large fresh basil leaves, chopped

Heat oil over medium heat. Add curry paste and simmer for 2 minutes so it is dissolved and foaming. Stir in coconut milk and continue stirring for 4 minutes over medium heat. Add chicken pieces while continuing to cook. Stir in sugar, fish sauce and bell pepper. Simmer for a few minutes more. Add chopped basil. Season to taste with more fish sauce & sugar as desired. Serve over warm rice.

You can find the coconut milk, red curry paste, and fish sauce in the Asian section of the supermarket-even here in Heber. Here's a picture so you know what to look for.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Blue Ribbon Lemon Bars



These lemon bars are the best ones I've had. They seem to have just the right amount of filling to crust ratio. This recipe was passed down to me from my mom, and has won it's fair share of awards. They are pretty easy to make, and have become my go to recipe for something a little more special than cookies.


CRUST:
1 C soft butter
dash of salt
1/2 C powdered sugar
2 C flour

FILLING:
4 eggs
2 C sugar
1/4 C flour
1/3 C lemon juice

CRUST: Combine butter, salt powdered suagar and 2 C flour. Press into a 9 X 13 pan. Bake @ 350 for 15 - 20 minutes until edges are slighty brown. Let Cool slightly.

FILLING: Beat eggs, add sugar, 1/4 C flour and lemon juice - whisk until combined and pour onto cooled crust. Bake @ 350 for 25 minutes or until set. Let cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into bars.

Note: It seems like it takes forever for the crust to brown. Sometimes I just take it out even if the edges are not brown. The crust doesn't have to be completely cooled down, but if it's too hot the egg mixture kind of starts to cook in top of the crust.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Grown Up Grilled Cheese


There is nothing quite as nice as a good grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, and having my friend Andrea over gave me the excuse to seek out Recipe#2 for the Cookbook Project. "Simple Italian Sandwiches" is a book that I bought around the same time that we got our panini maker years ago, and it is full of great looking and simple recipes that I had yet to try!

I had some very nice store-bought tomato bisque in the fridge, as well as some mache with last week's Lemon Thyme dressing, so I chose what I thought would be a nice compliment to those things: the Prosciutto, Bel Paese, and Sweet Onion Panini.

I had to improvise a little, since they didn't have Bel Paese cheese or ciabatta at the store. Easy enough, as I found Fontina cheese and herbed foccacia, which worked perfectly.

One of the key ingredients in this sandwich was the actual "recipe" part of this experiment. It called for something called Sweet Onions, which are slow-roasted, marinated red onions - time consuming but delicious. It makes a lot, so there is plenty to store and to share. It's a great condiment to have on hand, for sandwiches, eggs, salads, burgers - you name it.


Sweet Onions
5 medium red onions
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C. balsamic vinegar
1 T. honey
1 t. freshly ground black pepper

- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Peel onions and cut in half, then each half into 4 quarters. Put into a medium bowl.
- Add the olive oil, vinegar, honey and black pepper, toss to thoroughly coat onions.
- Pour onto a small baking sheet or into a 9 in. ovenproof skillet. Set the bowl aside.
- Cook the onions for a total of 3 hours, removing once every 1/2 hour to transfer them back to the bowl and mix thoroughly to keep the marinade distributed.

_____________________________________________________________


After the onions were done, I was ready to assemble and grill our sandwiches. I cut about half of the focaccia loaf in half lengthwise, and layered on proscuitto, cheese, and a generous portion of onions.


It yielded an great result - crunchy bread, gooey cheese, mild sweet onions, and salty, tender proscuitto. Definitely a keeper!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

The Best Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes


This week I was fortunate enough to be asked to attend the SRMC Book Club meeting at my friend Nysa's house in San Rafael. This month's selection featured our friend Nicki's book "Because I Love Her", an anthology of essays by women writers about the complex relationships mothers and daughters. Mothers, daughters, a room full of smart women dishing about their families - this called for chocolate, and a lot of it.

I've been looking for the perfect chocolate frosting recipe for awhile. I found it yesterday, and in fact everything was so perfect about this recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes, I am not even going to print it here, as I did not change a thing. Find it here it is in all of its original glory. Also note the beautiful piping job that Stephanie does on her cupakes - sigh.

I will say this: the recipe makes a very moist, not too heavy cake with a good chocolate flavor. The frosting - oh, yum. Mine came out very thick, so it was like piping actual fudge onto the cakes (i.e. I worked those arm muscles), but boy was it tasty. I confess that I ate a lot of it under the guise of "testing" the flavor. Oh yes, I "tested" it many, many times. And I'll "test" it again!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

A Rose By Any Other Name


For this month's Book Club, the tome of choice was "The Twentieth Wife" by Indu Sundaresan, which is about a Persian family who relocates to India, and whose heroine eventually becomes empress. I wanted to make a cupcake for the event, something that honored these cultures both in look and flavor. It was my "Cooking For Friends" book that had just the recipe. It presented a challenge - I had to search around town to find a couple of the ingredients: rose water and edible roses. This led me to Samiramis Imports in the Mission, which is a wonderful Middle Eastern store with neat, clean shelves stocked with all kinds of tempting foods and paraphernalia.


Rose water is one of those things that you have to measure very carefully. Too much, and it feels like you are eating a bar of soap. Not enough, and you can't taste it. Thankfully, this recipe gets it just right. I was going to be all fancy and candy the rose petals (using egg white and superfine sugar), but my halfhearted attempt at doing that was a total failure. It didn't matter - the rose petals were perfect just the way that they were. I had a huge quantity left over, so I brought a handful to use to decorate the serving plate, which had a very exotic and elegant effect.

Makes 12-15 cupcakes.

Rose Pistachio Cupcakes
  • 1 1/2 C. self rising flour
  • 2 pinches salt
  • 1 1/4 C. unsalted butter, room temp
  • 3/4 C. granulated sugar
  • 4 1/2 tsp. + 1 Tbsp. rose water
  • 2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3 C powdered sugar, sifted
  • Pink food coloring
  • 2 tsp. finely chopped pistachio nuts, for decorating
  • Edible rose petals, for decorating
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
Sift flour and 1 pinch of salt into a small bowl and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 3/4 C. butter and granulated sugar on med-high heat until light and fluffy.
Add 4 1/2 tsp. of rose water and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla.
On med speed, ad the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl and making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one.
On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.

Divide evenly among muffin cups and bake about 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

To make the buttercream, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1/2 C. butter, 3 C. powdered sugar, and 1 pinch salt until smooth. Mix in 1 Tbsp. rose water, 1 tsp vanilla, and a few drops of food coloring.
Pipe frosting onto cupcakes, and sprinkle with edible roses and chopped pistachios.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Gluten-Free Banana Black Raspberry Muffins

In an unsuccessful attempt to reduce wheat in my diet, I bought rice flour and chick pea flour and made these muffins.



I substituted 1 1/2 cups rice flour and and 1/2 cup chick pea flour for wheat flour in this recipe with 2 very ripe bananas and a cup of frozen black raspberries from Trader Joe's.

The result was very dry muffins that tasted like beans (and banana and raspberry.) I guess you can't have everything. You can't be gluten-free and low fat. Or maybe you can but I still can't figure it out.

Nevertheless, I ate all the muffins in a week - can't let food go to waste.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Mache and Avocado Salad with Lemon Thyme Dressing


Cooking adventure #1 was a success!

I got out my "Cooking For Friends" cookbook and made their recipe for Lemon Thyme Dressing - so easy, so well-balanced, so delicious. This cookbook is an absolute joy to read, with beautiful color photographs for every recipe, and creative variations.


This is the type of recipe that you can do easily from memory: Whisk together the zest and juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 C. olive oil, 1/4 C. white wine vinegar (I used White Balsamic), and 1 1/2 t. fresh thyme leaves. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I had some fresh mache and some almost-ripe avocado, so I made a salad and used a small amount of the dressing to just coat the leaves.


This would be great with shaved asparagus and Parmesan, baby arugula and prosciutto, you name it. Simple is best, in my opinion - too many ingredients in a salad are just confusing to me.

Off to a good start!

Off the Shelves


I am a cookbook addict. I have so many cookbooks, they are literally spilling off of the shelves. This is my designated "cookbook shelf", which is 2 rows deep and crammed with every type of book of every type of cuisine imaginable, as well as my notebooks filled with magazine recipes or those scribbled on notepaper by trusted friends. The thought that this small, neat area could contain all of my cookbooks is laughable. They have now migrated to chairs, desks, and even the bench in our breakfast nook.


Oh, yes. I am fully aware that I have a problem (aside from being kind of a messy person in general - sigh). I get giddy when a box from Amazon arrives, or when the cookbook section at my local bookstore gets in some new tomes. I read them instead of watching tv, while watching tv, in bed, while cooking from other cookbooks.

And did I mention the magazines? This is just the stack from this month:


Obviously, I have a love for food - this blog would probably not exist otherwise. But lately I have asked myself, do I really, really need all of these books? As if in response, I was reading Heidi Swanson's blog "101 Cookbooks" the other day and got inspired. She started her blog, which eventually turned into a book, when she realized that she had all of these cookbooks, but kept repeating the same recipes over and over. She made herself try new ones, and eventually started coming up with her own. With a few exceptions, that is exactly what I do. My "New Basics" cookbook cracks open to the same pages with the same stains on it every time, while "Sunday Suppers at Lucques" looks as new as the day I bought it.

So, I have given myself a summer project. Make one recipe from one of my cookbooks every week. It can be from one that I have used before, but the recipe must be new to me.

Today I am starting with "Cooking With Friends" that I got at Williams Sonoma last month. Actually, I will be starting off making not one but two recipes from that book, but one is for cupcakes and I really want to focus this effort on savory dishes.

I can usually tell after making a recipe or two weather a book jives with my style of cooking. If it doesn't, I think it's time to donate it to the local library. At worst, I will clear some shelf room for some new books and at best, I'll discover some treasures that have been right under my nose this whole time!

So, Project Cookbook is on. Stay tuned!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

A Moveable Feast...Kinda


Another eatery to add to my list of Hidden Treasures from this past week is "Mission Street Food". I admit that the concept was completely lost on me until I tried it. I arrived at the average-looking Chinese restaurant (above), surprised, expecting maybe a taco truck or tacqueria which would be filled with modern versions of street foods. I completely invented this based on not really paying attention to what was going on, envisioning some kind of underground food rave, with a changing location that you had to find using a secret password.

In fact, I am so bad that even after writing my review, my fellow Yelper Luis C. had to explain it to me again. I am reprinting what he wrote to avoid giving any further misinformation:

"Small correction, it doesn't change locations. Only the menu changes. They (Anthony Myint & wife Karen) started selling food from a truck on 21st & Mission at night on his day off (he's a line cook at Bar Tartine), but a mean business man got them kicked out off that spot. Lung Shan came to the rescue by offering a place for their venture - Thu & Sat nights. Now chefs who seek exposure/more business or upcoming restaurants get to show a preview of their stuff here. The PBJ is an original dish since the business started, it's my favorite."

OK, so that settled, I can talk about the food. Once inside, we found ourselves in a dimly lit restaurant, which again reminded me of New York. It had a bustling energy, with plates full of interesting things going by. The guest chef that night was Nick Balla of O Izakaya Lounge in Japantown, and you could just see glimpses of him and the owners of Lung Shan occasionally peering out from the kitchen.


The menu was tiny, with several small plates at very reasonable prices. I had managed to read ahead of time that the corkage fee was $5, so we shared a very nice bottle of red wine brought from home while we decided what to try. It turned out to be pretty much everything.


I warn you that the pictures are kind of pitiful, due to the dim lighting in the restaurant, and the fact that I was *not* going to be that person with the annoying flash. Jen did a great job of styling by holding the candles near the food for me. So bear with me on this.

Snap Pea Salad with beech mushroom, seared cauliflower, cucumber, edamame puree


Satsuma Imo Korokke with tonkatsu sauce


Local halibut “poke” with spring vegetables, hijiki seaweed


Knife-cut homemade udon noodles with rock shrimp dumplings with English Peas, tendrils and sesame


Sesame-Avocado Brown Rice with maitake mushroom and chorizo


PB & J: Berkshire Kurobuta Pork Belly with marinated jicama, cilantro aioli and pickled jalapeno


Lung Shan's Vegan Delight: shitake and oyster mushroom dumplings in miso soup


Everything was delicious, with the exception of the udon noodles which were disappointingly bland and starchy. The PBJ was outstanding, and I was told by our server that I got the last one of the evening. When he saw how much I loved it (think "When Harry Met Sally" moment), he offered me another one that had turned up unclaimed. I know if I had eaten it, I would have gone down some dark gastronomic hole, never to return, so I let some other lucky soul have it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Vegan delight was a beautifully delicate and flavorful dish.

They ran out of the dessert we wanted, so our server showed up with 2 scoops of Humphry Slocombe Vietnamese Coffee ice cream instead, on the house. Needless to say, we did not suffer.

Not only was our meal very inexpensive (around $25pp, including tip), it felt great to know that a portion of the proceeds from the night went to charity. I mean, it's hard not to like an experience like that.

The MSF experience reminds me a little of going to a foreign country for the first time - you won't know exactly what to expect until you get there. I can't wait to try it again, and see what other local chefs join in the fun. With the promise of the another PBJ with my name on it, I will not escape the lure of this siren song for long.

Old World, New World


Sometimes San Francsico is too slick for me. It seems that every new place that opens up has the curse of the "cool kid": the same aesthetic (modern), menu offerings (house-cured charcuterie), and even the same font on their menus [insert favorite font here]. They even seem to have the same world-weary hipsters working behind the counter. Going out to lunch can feel like that movie "Groundhog Day", an endless repetition of the same thing. And just like anything that is repetitious, it gets boring very quickly.

At times like this, I miss New York. Gritty, real, old-world New York, filled with corner stores and grumpy old men, and people who don't have time to bullshit. I miss good, simple, honest food that doesn't include truffle oil or waffle-cut potato chips. I miss a hearty sandwich wrapped in butcher paper that is so savory and so overflowing that you eat it standing outside on the curb, leaning over so as not to drip on your work clothes.

Well, we have been blessed with our own version of such a lunch place, called Pal's Takeaway. It's a wonderful combination of the old and the new - the old being that it's located at the back of a non-descript corner store called Tony's Market. The new is that they have slightly twisted the classics, but retained the heart and soul of the originals.

You would almost miss it if you were in the Mission looking for a place to get lunch. You might walk in to get a cold drink, or a pack of gum, but a bahn mi? Hardly. The sign is quite humble as well, giving away nothing about the treasures within.


Even when you walk inside, it seems like you have surely missed it. It looks like your friendly, neighborhood corner market, and not much else.


Tucked in a corner is a small counter. And this is where you place your order, then pay at the cashier, and wait for your name to be called.


Jeff Mason is the Pal who takes your order. He has a great, dry sense of humor, and a bit of East Coast charm. He's a great guy. His partner, David Knopp is the Pal who makes the sandwiches. That's it, just these two guys. Simple. Your food is handed to you, and then you take it away (takeaway...).

We tried several things, the names of which I have reprinted from the ever-changing daily menu, which is always a pleasure to read. I have added a few of my own comments.

Becker Lane Lao Roast Pork Wanna Bahnha Mi with Blue Herron Baby Scallion, Cilantro, Carrot Daikon, Cucumber and Jalapeno on Acme Roll. Herbed Canola Mayo. - This sandwich was rich and filling, heartier that your typical Bahn Mi that you would get in little Saigon. Very very moist meat.


Indian-style Chicken Salad Sandwich with Pickled Shallots, Shredded Blue Herron Little Gem Lettuce and Asian Celery Leaf. - a light-ish version of chicken salad, with good spices and flavor.


Riverdog Real Free-Range Egg Salad Sandwich with Asparagus on Acme Pain de Mie bread - my favorite sandwich of the day - fresh fresh fresh, satisfying, great bread.


Compendium of Spring Peas Salad with Fresh Shelling, Sugar Snap, and Snow Peas, Fresh Herbs, Mint, Champagne Vinegar, Olive Oil - simply lovely, crunchy, a beautiful cacophony of green things.


And to be fair, Tony's Market is no slouch. They have an impressive assortment of products, including a full rack of organic chocolate bars, and my favorite Itoen Oi Ocha Iced Green Tea.

To complete your meal, a quick hop across the street to Dynamo Donuts is a must. Again, it's a question of...uh, where's the food? I saw the coffee stand and was looking around for a display case of the donuts.


No display case, no 30 varieties of donuts. Just a few refined cake stands and signs.


We tried the Chocolate Spice, Bacon Apple Maple, and Banana de Leche. The best by far is the Chocolate Spice, which they also sell at Four Barrel Coffee. Four Barrel is what they serve at Dynamo, too.


Lately, I am liking the idea of a place offering a few choices, and doing it well. It seems so much more inspired than a static menu item with everything under the sun on it. This little section of the Mission, on 24th and Hampshire, seems to have cornered the market on this idea. Excuse the pun, and go check it out - it's well worth it.