Herbed Goat Cheese Dip with Asparagus Spears

A tangy goat cheese dip contrasts beautifully with the unique, almost grassy, taste of steamed spears of asparagus. This makes a simple but elegant appetizer for a party.

Ingredients
5.5 ounce package goat cheese
2 tablespoons chopped basil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt or sour cream
Steamed asparagus spears

Instructions
Mix all ingredients in bowl. Serve with steamed asparagus. I steamed the stalks in a steamer pan set over boiling water. The thickness of the stalks will affect steaming time. If you are lucky to find super thin spears, it may only take a minute or two until it is tender.

My Picks for SF Cocktail Week

I'm super busy this week trying to get stuff done before heading off on another trip. But if I had more time on my hands, I'd be going to lots of SF Cocktail Week classes, seminars and events. The fifth annual SF Cocktail Week has an extremely impressive line up of events, everything from a how to throw a brunch cocktail party with H. Joseph Ehrmann (who is rightfully famous for his bloody mary) to hand's on classes on gin and rum, a chocolate and scotch pairing seminar, and a molecular gastronomy meets mixology event that sounds like the Exploratorium for adults.

The iconic Anchor Brewing, the site of the opening party, is part of Anchor Distilling, which also includes a portfolio of small batch traditionally distilled spirits. At the party I got a chance to try quite a number of them. Some of my favorites were the Luxardo line of maraschino, limoncello and amaro, Hirsch bourbon and Junipero gin. Keep your eyes open for them!

At the event I made a point to talk to my most cocktail savvy friends about the upcoming events (which range from free to over $100 each) and they helped me put together this list of top picks for SF Cocktail Week:

Intoxicating Ladies
Wednesday, September 21, 8 pm-12 am, at Rye (688 Geary St.)
Top women bartenders will be working only with liquors produced by female distillers, including Distillery No. 209 gin, Square One vodka, Four Roses bourbon, and Calle 23 tequila. Best of all, admission is free; you will only pay for drinks.

The Science of Taste
Thursday, September 22 3-5 p.m. at The Boothby Center for the Beverage Arts (1161 Mission St., Suite 120)
Tickets: $25 in advance; $35 at the door
Hosted by the Cognac Spirit Board, this seminar will explore the scientific aspects of taste and flavor through cocktails curated by LUPEC (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails) that represent the five facets of taste (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami.) Don Katz, a Professor of Neuroscience and Chemosensation at Brandeis University, will speak about the science of taste and flavor. Graham Wright, a chemist currently affiliated with the Museum of Science and bon vivant, will explain how these concepts are applied in the glass.

Barbary Coast Bazaar
Friday, September 23 8-11p.m. at The Old Mint (88 Fifth St., at Mint Plaza)
 $85 regular; $95 at the door
Think 1920's big top atmosphere with music, magic and fresh takes on carnival food from Straw and punchbowl cocktails from Rye, Bourbon & Branch, DOSA and Elixir.

The Legends Awards
Saturday, September 24 from 6:30 p.m to 2 am at Sir Francis Drake ( 450 Powell St at Sutter) $175 regular; $200 at the door
Posh gala "black tie optional" awards event that includes a reception, dinner and awards hosted by Duggan McDonnell, Borys Saciuk and Reza Esmaili with burleque entertainment provided by the Hot Pink Feathers and Nick Rossi Trio and to top it all off, an after party. Local favorite bartenders presenting cocktails include Jackie Patterson and Brooke Arthur (Wo Hing General Store) Jonny Raglin (Comstock Saloon) H. Joseph Ehrmann (Elixir) Marco Dionysos (Smuggler's Cove) and Ryan Fitzgerald (Beretta).

Alaska Diary Day Two

What a difference a day makes! I've never been as happy to see the sun as I was on day two of my Alaskan adventure. If it had stayed grey, I would have missed on some truly spectacular scenery.


Even on sunny days, it's not a bad idea to wear the de rigueur Alaska footwear, Xtratuf boots.


In Cordova there are just three processing facilities (plus a 4th very small one) where the salmon is cleaned, cut and prepared to be shipped out. In the Summer kids from places like Slovenia, the Czech Republic and the Ukraine come to live and do the work American kids don't want to do. Even the roe is harvested and graded and prepared for export. Sport fisherman can bring their freshly caught fish in to be smoked or canned.


You know you're in Alaska when a garage has a seaplane and moose hanging in it.


Speaking of planes, I thought we would heading straight into grey, but that wasn't the case at all.


A flight is the best way to see the varied terrain including mountains, marshes, inlets and glaciers.


Especially the breathtakingly beautiful Sheridan glacier where locals go ice skating in the Winter.


The next moment wilderness.


And a close up look at the waterways.


The harbor, our hotel and town, all visible at once.


On route to the airport, foraging for delectable wild cranberries just means pulling off the road.


A drive through a deeper-than-expected puddle led to a stall and subsequent rescue from some locals who quickly got under the hood. Literally.

I was already a fan of Copper River salmon before this trip, but my appreciation for the people and the way of life in Alaska increased exponentially over the course of 48 hours there. Alaska gets under your skin. But if you can't come for a visit, enjoy Copper River wild salmon and know you are supporting a sustainable fishery and way of life for a special community of Alaskans who live in harmony with nature.

A huge thanks to Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association for hosting me in Cordova. Please see Alaska Day One if you missed it...

MORE!
Post from Missy Trainer about our foraging for wild cranberries.

Alaska Diary Day One

Welcome to Cordova, a remote Alaskan town Southeast of Anchorage. The population is around 2,000 people (though it swells to around double that in the Summer during salmon season). The life of the town is tied to the Copper River. Salmon fishing is not just an important part of the economy but a way of life.

It's a place where you go for a hike instead of going to the movies and host a potluck instead of making dinner reservations and wear Xtratuf boots all year round. People fish, forage, hunt. And the annual festivals celebrate things like salmon, wild berries and fungus (at the fungus festival you can win a prize for the best mushroom themed decorated pair of Xtratuf boots!). There are scientists, fishermen and processors, environmental advocates and a whole lot of overlap between them all.

Cordova is also the home of the Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association, Alaska's first regional seafood development association and host of my trip.


"In Alaska, you are never more than 5 minutes away from being cold and wet," someone told me the night I arrived. And true enough, it was grey and drizzling when I landed on a connecting flight from Anchorage (you can only get to Cordova by flight or ferry).


First thing after breakfast we head to the dining room of the Orca Adventure Lodge to meet our fishing guide. While we wait, what do we food bloggers get excited about? A massive 113 year old diesel powered stove named Bertha that we spy in the kitchen.


...and the engaging chef, Jeremy Storm, who told us about the challenges of shopping and cooking in a far off Alaskan outpost.


Intrepid food bloggers, we steeled ourselves and cast our lines. The zen of fishing is irresistible. You are at one with nature and catching a fish doesn't even matter. The only one that got pulled from the water by a neighboring fisherman got thrown right back in but it provided a little excitement all the same. My fish? He got away!


Alaskan haute couture aka Copper River Fleece.


Does this tell you how important restaurant culture is in Cordova? (note the spelling on the sign)


I was told by a fisherman that the favorite wine in Cordova is "Take me to Hawaii!" I think most folks will have to settle for Baja Taco, even though it's only open during the Summer.


The tacos are filled with Copper River salmon, but of course.


When not catching fish or eating them, you can print with them, especially if you get instructions from local gyotaku artist Pat McGuire.

Note:The unwitting model in the photos is none other than Joelen of What's Cooking Chicago?, another blogger on the trip.

A huge thanks to Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association for hosting me in Cordova. If you enjoyed this post, check out Day Two...

Vodka Sauce

Marinara sauce gets some much-needed zing with the addition of vodka. Balance the flavor out with some cream, cheese, and crisped pancetta. This dish reminds us of one served at our favorite Italian restaurant in Philadelphia. It takes us right back to the small, cramped, romantic dining room of the restaurant we visited often in our college youth. A dinner out and a moonlit stroll back to campus was perfection.

Ingredients
Marinara Sauce:
1/8 cup olive oil
½ onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup chopped basil leaves

Vodka Sauce:
Marinara sauce (see above)
¾ cup vodka
½ cup heavy cream, room temperature
½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tablespoon butter
3 ounces pancetta, cubed
2 cups frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound pasta (we like penne)

Instructions
This recipe is broken into two stages.  First, we make a simple marinara sauce.  Once complete, we transform it into a rich and decadent vodka sauce.

For the marinara sauce... In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté about 8 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and soft. Add the crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for an hour. Add basil leaves then take off heat and cool.

In a large sauté pan, combine the marinara sauce and vodka. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture reduces by a quarter. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Crisp the pancetta cubes in a nonstick pan. Once the marinara and vodka mixture reduces, add the pancetta cubes and drippings from pan, heavy cream, Pecorino Romano cheese, butter, and peas. When the peas have cooked, adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cooked penne pasta.

Day 162.5 - Buttery Pear Pine Nut Cake

This simple, rich cake has been the go-to cake in my family for as long as I can remember. It's one of those cakes that can be put together at the last minute, topped with whatever fruit you happen to have on hand with 100% guaranteed awesome results - no matter your baking ability.  It's so easy to assemble, that once you've made it a few times, you'll have the recipe memorized, which is when the experimentation and fun really begins. My mother makes it using little prune plums (which I believe is the original recipe), and I have made it with everything from peaches, to pineapple to today's choice, pears. When I use pears, I like to top them with a little cinnamon, a sprinkling of sugar and pine nuts. Happy Sunday!

Start with firm, ripe pears

Six ingredients  - easy, right?! (not shown, pinch of salt and vanilla)

Cream butter and sugar with a wooden spoon - no need for a mixer

Add eggs and mix well

 Core and slice pears, then fan them out on top of the batter

Squeeze half a fresh lemon on the fruit to keep it from discoloring (gives it flavor too)

Sprinkle with sugar and top with pine nuts

Now skip dinner and go eat cake

Buttery Pear Pine Nut Cake


1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 stick sweet unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Italian prune plums, pears, peaches, apples or pineapples...or any fruit you like!
Fresh lemon juice
Pine nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Add flour, baking powder and salt to butter mixture, and blend until creamy.
Spoon into 9-inch greased cake pan (batter will be very thick)
Smooth the top and arrange fruit on top.
Squeeze 1/2 fresh lemon on fruit (to keep it from discoloring)
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Top with pine nuts (optional, if using pears)
Bake for 45-50 minutes (depending on how juice fruit is), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

© 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved

(Not Really) Moroccan Chicken & Lentils Recipe

This might be my favorite Hunger Challenge recipe. My apologies for it being brown on brown on brown, but trust me, it is delicious. On a bed of earthy and mildly spiced lemony lentils rests sweet roasted onions--some soft and some chewy--and tender roast chicken with crisp skin. It's is a combination of two different Bon Appetit recipes, but modified pretty significantly because I didn't have all the ingredients necessary. The technique for pan roasting the chicken thighs is a good one though I had to adjust it to keep the chicken from overcooking.

Beans and legumes like lentils are a very economical way to stretch a budget and more expensive ingredients such as fresh vegetables and meat or cheese. My chicken thighs were over 6 ounces each, so one per person was plenty, but if you need more for bigger appetites by all means double the number of chicken thighs. I baked this dish in the toaster oven, you may need to cook it a little longer if you use a conventional oven. I'm not sure how Moroccan the original recipe is. My version is undoubtedly even less Moroccan which accounts for he admittedly goofy name.

A few other tips for saving money when it comes to cooking and shopping:

* Canned beans are more than dried beans. Cook things like chicken broth, beans and rice ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator all week and use them as you need them.

* Look for vegetables that are in season and on sale. Compare the price to frozen vegetables especially for things like spinach and peas.

* Soups and stews like chili are easy ways to save, but you may get tired of eating soft food. Make some crunchy raw salads with carrots or beets to add variety.

* Scour the "ethnic" food aisles for bargains. Sometimes spices and even staples like rice can be cheaper there.

* Cook double portions and you'll have something to eat on days when you don't have the time to cook.

* Buy in bulk. Instead of buying a jar of spices and bags of dried fruit and nuts, buy just a few teaspoons or tablespoons.

* Price out "value packs." The chicken I bought was only 99 cents a pound, but most packages were at least four pounds.

* Utilize ingredients that add flavor, texture and visual appeal to your meals, but don't cost a lot such as fresh cilantro, green onions and toasted bread crumbs.

Not Really Moroccan Chicken & Lentils

$2.09 for 2 servings (double the chicken for bigger appetites)

Ingredients

1/4 lb brown lentils .32
3 cups water
salt

2 chicken thighs, bone in 1.60
1/2 onion, sliced .20

2 Tablespoons olive oil .40
Juice of 1/2 lemon .17
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon .05
1 garlic clove, minced .05
Chopped cilantro to garnish .10 (optional)

Instructions

Preheat toaster oven to 450 degrees. Combine water and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over high heat. Add lentils; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well; rinse with cool water and drain again. In a mixing bowl combine the olive oil, lemon juice, chile powder, cinnamon and garlic. Add the lentils and toss. Season with salt to taste. Make a bed of lentils on each plate that you will serve the chicken on.

Season chicken with salt, pepper. Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat until hot. Place thighs in dry skillet, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; continue cooking until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes. Flip again so skin side is down and tuck sliced onions into the skillet, between the pieces of chicken. Transfer to the oven and cook 12 minutes. Check the skillet occasionally to make sure the onions are not burning and stir as necessary. Flip chicken so skin side is up; continue cooking until skin is crisp and meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Chicken is done when it reaches the internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove from the oven. Place onions on the lentil salad and chicken on top of that. Garnish with chopped cilantro.