Yesterday I took the required three, plus Apple/Cranberry with French Crumble Topping, and a Fuyu Crunchy Persimmon Pie. Both were well received. The Crispy Persimmon Pie (forefront of photo above) was one my Mom had cut out from Sunset Magazine in November 1981, but I am not certain she ever tried it. It was on the same page as a Custard Persimmon Pe and Spaghetti Squash with Orange-Filbert Butter. Funny how times have changed. Filberts are now called Hazelnuts, which oddly sound more exotic.

Light as Air Vanilla Shortbread Fingers

A Nigella Lawson Recipe, from the December 2002 Observer Food Monthly

• 100g icing sugar
• 200g plain flour
• 100g cornflour/cornstarch
• seeds from 1 vanilla bean (slit the vanilla bean and use a small, sharp knife to scrap the beans out)
• 200g very soft unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius/325 degrees Farenheit. Line a cookie sheet/swiss roll tray (approx. 22x36cm or 9×14 inches) with greasproof paper.

Using a food processor (if you have one), whizz together the dry ingredients and the seeds from the vanilla bean. Add the butter, in tablespoonful sized pieces, then whizz until combined into a dough (it will clump around the blade of the food processor).

Gently flour your hands, and spread the dough out on the baking sheet. A little patience is required – it will take a bit of time. Suggest starting out by using your hands to distribute it as evenly as you can, and then smoothing it out with a wooden or firm plastic spatula or another flat cooking utensil. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into fingers of the size you want (say 3 rows of 12). Prick each shortbread finger a few times with a fork.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and using the same sharp knife, cut the shortbread into fingers again along the lines that you cut before baking (this ensures the fingers won’t stick together when it’s time to remove them from the pan). Return the pan to the oven, and cook for another 5-7 minutes. The shortbread around the edges of the pan should be just starting to turn a light golden brown.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then gently remove from pan and leave to cool on a cooling rack until completely cool. Store in an airtight container. These freeze very well.

Variations:

• Brown sugar & cinnamon: replace icing sugar with the same weight of brown sugar, and add 1 tsp of cinnamon
• Citrus & almond: Use 50g of finely ground almonds in place of 25g of the cornflour/cornstarch AND 25g of the flour, and add the zest of 1 lemon or 1/2 orange and 1/4 tsp of almond extract
• Hazelnut & chocolate: Use 50g of finely ground hazelnuts in place of 25g of cornflour/cornstarch AND 25g flour, and when cooled, dip the end of each finger in melted chocolate

I decided to go with the citrus and almond recipe, since I had ground almond meal on hand, as well as a couple oranges. Even though my batch was a little toastier than directed, I found the recipe super easy and the end result is tasty. Very good with a cup of tea in the morning while waiting for the kids to get off to school.

I feel as though the early 80′s were a time of change in the local food culture in San Francisco Bay Area. Alice Waters was gaining traction at Chez Panisse and encouraging the local food movement; ethnic foods were moving into the mainstream; and Alice Medrich was bringing the chocolate truffle to the masses. With my first taste of a truffles, and with each subsequent chocolate cookbook, I have become a huge fan of Alice Medrich’s work and when the opportunity to interview Alice was presented, I jumped on it!

On a many-city book tour, Alice visited Fog City News in San Francisco last week to promote her new book, Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy, Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies, a collection of old and new recipes, designed to be a one-stop-source for all your cookie-baking needs. I was able to sit down and talk with her before the book signing and tasting, and learned a few interesting factoids:

- The first thing Alice ever cooked in the kitchen was apple pie dough scraps with cinnamon and sugar
- In elementary school, Alice’s teachers were mostly strong, interesting, single women who inspired her, but sometimes made her cry
- After graduating with a degree in Latin American history, Alice took off for a post-doc in Paris. Her favorite souvenir was a French truffle recipe provided by her host mother.
- Alice’s favorite chocolate is Scharffenberger, another East Bay original
- Alice’s favorite food to eat, outside of chocolate, is fresh fish and shellfish
- And the strangest chocolate-food combination she ever tried was Asparagus with cacao nibs

We also spent some time talking about the differences between the books, and I discovered that since my favorite Cookies and Brownies is no longer in print, the new Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy is an update along with many new cookie and brownie recipes. Alice has new entries for Gluten-Free baking, as well as whole grain flours and reduced fat options. She also played around with many of her standards and provides new-and-improved versions. I baked both the Anzac Cookie and Rocky Road Bars, both which were gobbled up by the family. The book is easy to follow, the recipes are well written, and my only complaint is that there are not enough pictures. I like how the book is divided out into sections by texture of cookie, which makes it easy to find something based on what your taste buds are in the mood for.

So, for my last day of the 12 Days of Local Christmas, I give you a cookbook written by an author and food expert whose influence on the exciting food culture that exists in the Bay Area is well known and appreciated. And I also give you a recipe, one of Alice’s favorites, since she is currently on a sesame seed kick!

Sesame Sticks

from Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy Melt-in-your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich
Irresistible to sesame lovers, these thin, addictively crunchy yet delicate cookies pack a wallop of flavor.

makes thirty-six to forty-six 4- or 5-inch sticks

1 1/4 cups (5.625 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (4.625 ounces) sugar
1/3 cup (1.625 ounces) lightly toasted sesame seeds (see page 397)
1/3 cup (1.125 ounces) ground blanched almonds
Scant 3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cold water

A 5-x-9-inch loaf pan (optional), lined on the bottom and sides with foil
Cookie sheets, lined with parchment paper or greased

Put the flour, sugar, sesame seeds, almonds, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to blend. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives until the butter is reduced to small pieces. With the fingertips of both hands, lightly toss and rub the mixture together until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine the vanilla and water in a small pitcher or cup. Stir the flour and butter mixture with a fork while drizzling the water and vanilla into the bowl. Continue to toss and stir lightly with the fork or your fingers until all of the dry ingredients are slightly damp. The dough should remain crumbly and stick together only when pinched (see Tips for Sticks, page 56).

If using a loaf pan, dump the mixture into the lined pan and spread it evenly. Press it very firmly, making a thin layer. Or dump the mixture onto a piece of foil on a baking sheet and distribute it evenly over an area about 4 by 9 or 10 inches. Press it firmly, squaring up the edges, to make an even compact layer about 1/2 inch thick. Fold the foil over the dough and wrap it tightly. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

Unwrap the dough and transfer it to a cutting board. Use a long sharp knife to cut the dough crosswise into 1/4-inch (or thinner if possible) slices. Use the knife to transfer each slice to the lined or greased cookie sheets, placing the slices 1 inch apart. The slices will be fragile and require the support of the knife in transit; the results will be worth your careful effort.

Bake for 12 to 18 minutes, until the cookies are golden with golden brown edges. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.

For lined pans, set the pans or just the liners on racks to cool; for unlined pans, use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to racks. Cool the cookies completely before stacking or storing.

May be kept in an airtight container for several days.

Disclosure: I did receive a copy of Alice’s new book for review, however, the review and my adoration of Alice are mine alone and were no way influenced by a book that I could have bought on Amazon for $16.42. This kind of admiration has no price tag!

Marin Sun Farms is a family-owned farming operation, that together with co-producers, seeks to provide year-round, local, sustainable, and ethically farmed meats. I first ran into Marin Sun Farms when I was looking for a Meat Community Supported Agriculture program. You could sign-up for a subscription that delivers a custom package of steaks, ground beef, chickens and sausage each month, or chose one of their standard packages. That would be gift idea #1.

For the holidays, you can order a variety of special cuts, including beef tenderloin, smoke cured ham, or a rack of lamb, plus sausages perfect for stuffing and Christmas day breakfast. We ordered a BN Ranch Bronze Turkey for Thanksgiving, and I am not sure if it was the way I cooked it, or the turkey itself, but it was pretty outstanding. My Dad thought it was the best looking turkey he had seen in a long time. And I was happy because I knew that it was not farmed in one of those monster turkey farms that pop up to supply our heaving Thanksgiving tables.

You can place your holiday order with Marin Sun Farms using the secure Online Order Form. And this year, Marin Sun Farms offers seven different pick-up locations for holiday special orders:

• San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market: Saturday, December 18
• Marin Civic Center Farmers Market: Sunday, December 19
• MSF butcher shop, Point Reyes Station: Monday-Friday, December 20-24
• MSF butcher shop, Oakland Market Hall: Monday-Friday, December 20-24
• San Francisco-Mission District (private residence): Wednesday, December 22
• Menlo Park (private residence): Wednesday, December 22
• San Jose (private residence): Wednesday, December 22

Photo courtesy of Marin Sun Farms.

P.S. Be sure to sign up for the new Kitchen Gadget Girl email list!

12 Days of Local Christmas, 2010 Archive:

Pick A Peck Pickles
Frog Hollow Farms and Bellwether Farms
Beverley’s English Toffee
Kika’s Treats
Shop with Etsy
Salsabol
Bison Organic Beer
Blue Chair Fruit Company
479° Popcorn
Foodzie Gift Basket

12 Days of Local Christmas, 2009 Archive:

Philz Coffee
Rancho Gordo Beans and Massa Organics Brown Rice
Rubicon Bakery
TCHO Chocolate
Small Hand Foods
St George Spirits
Frog Hollow Farms
Cowgirl Creamery
Earth and Vine Provisions
Her Coconess
Happiness Within Baklava Bites
La Biscotteria

How about pickles?

Now, I make a mean Bread & Butter pickle, great for gift giving, and something that is best done in the summer, when pickles are in season. If you find yourself in December, needing a pickle gift, I would like to suggest you visit Pick-A-Peck Pickles and stock up on some of their wonderful, homemade pickles.

Based in Yuba City, California, Pick-A-Peck Pickles is a family run organization specializing in spicy pickles, particularly beets and beans. I tried some of the tasty pickles at Foodbuzz and was pleasantly surprised by the good flavor and balanced acidity. The jars are well labeled, and pickles have names like Just Beet It and Bean Me Up, Scotty. I would imagine these would make an unusual (and welcome) hostess gift, as well as a nice addition to the holiday buffet.

Now, the tricky part. Obtaining these pickles may not be easy. At the moment, you can find them at several locations in San Francisco, Yuba City and Mill Valley, but nothing on the Peninsula. Fortunately, in a 2-birds-with-one-stone kind of deal, you can buy them at the La Cocina Gift Fair (along with Kika’s Treats!) on Friday, December 10, 4:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Mission Center for Cultural Arts.

Photo courtesy of Pick-A-Peck Pickles.

P.S. Be sure to sign up for the new Kitchen Gadget Girl email list!

12 Days of Local Christmas, 2010 Archive:

Frog Hollow Farms and Bellwether Farms
Beverley’s English Toffee
Kika’s Treats
Shop with Etsy
Salsabol
Bison Organic Beer
Blue Chair Fruit Company
479° Popcorn
Foodzie Gift Basket

12 Days of Local Christmas, 2009 Archive:

Philz Coffee
Rancho Gordo Beans and Massa Organics Brown Rice
Rubicon Bakery
TCHO Chocolate
Small Hand Foods
St George Spirits
Frog Hollow Farms
Cowgirl Creamery
Earth and Vine Provisions
Her Coconess
Happiness Within Baklava Bites
La Biscotteria

Frog Hollow has been our Fruit CSA for the past year – each week, we receive a box of seasonal and organic fruits, mostly grown within a 100 mile radius of the Bay Area. Frog Hollow is known for their stone fruits (peaches, plums, cherries), but they also have fruits that run the whole year, including pears, persimmons, apples, and many different varieties of citrus. During the dark days of winter, they also bring in some special treats from their kitchen (preserves and jams that are outstanding) or work with other small, organic farms to bring pomegranates, avocados and other winter delights.

Many gift options exist, so let me just point out a few of my favorites:

• The Pear and Cheese box, as shown above
• Frog Hollow Farms Limited Edition Fruit Cake (unlike any other you have tasted!)
• Chocolate Cherry Chews (great for a stocking!)
• or how about a gift certificate and allow your recipient to chose their own

Frog Hollow has an entire page devoted to more holiday gifts, with great ideas from their bakery and dried fruit collection. And, if you act quick (before December 10th), you can get a 15% discount on your order over $100 (before shipping & handling). Call (888)779-4511, ext 1. Monday thru Friday, 8am – 4:30pm PST.

Beverly's English Toffee

Another very local company, in Portola Valley, Beverly’s has been making hand crafted English toffee for many seasons and locals claim it is a traditional gift in their house. Available only through their website, Beverly’s English Toffee is offered in milk, dark or white satin chocolate, and comes in many different configurations, including a triple tin with some of each. Again, the 1/2 pound bag would make a great stocking stuffer or hostess gift, while the 2 pound gift bag is more what my Dad has in mind.

December 15th is the deadline to place your order, get on it people!

Until I came upon Kika’s Treats. Then it was all over.

Kika’s Treats is a small, San Francisco-based company, crafting small-batch organic treats. Cristina Besher, the master behind Kika’s, uses only local and organic ingredients, just what I look for in a product. Oh, and I did I tell you how great they taste? The night I visited OTG, I tried Kika’s caramelized dark-chocolate graham cracker s’more. What an outstanding representation of this summer BBQ favorite. And believe me, I will never go back to the Hershey’s-Puffs-Honeymaid s’mores now that I have tried Kika’s. Homemade graham cracker on the bottom, marshmallow in the middle with just the right amount of heat, topped with a dark-chocolate covered graham cracker on the top. I bought the s’more, walked around while I ate it, and circled back to Kika’s to learn more.

For the holidays, Kika’s Treats offers a couple different options. Personally, I think a box (or two) of the dark-chocolate covered graham crackers would be great in a stocking. I am so stuck on those, but Kika’s offers a lovely selection of flavored shortbread and Brazilian honeycakes. If you are looking for a gift with more components, Kika’s Treats is also featured in several La Cocina Gift Boxes this season (La Cocina = Food crafter incubator in San Francisco).

The easiest way to find Kika’s Treats is to order online, but you can also find them at a few stores in San Francisco, including the La Cocina Booth and the Village Market, both at the Ferry Building.

P.S. Be sure to sign up for the new Kitchen Gadget Girl email list!

For those of you unfamiliar with this site, Etsy is an online marketplace for crafts people and small businesses. In addition to loads of items made in California, I wanted to see if I could find any that represented food in California. In the style of Etsy’s daily finds page, here are 12 items that look fun and interesting for a local Christmas. Some are food related (just barely), others made in California, and some feature California-themed materials. Shop anytime you want, see feedback about the sellers before you fork over the dough, and find really unique items for your shopping list. See what you can find yourself on Etsy!

Bob’s Big Boy Fine Art Print

Felt Play Food California Artichoke

California Citrus Earrings

California Wine Country Map Pendant

California Plyboo Cutting Board

Made In California Onesie

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Eggs and Blue Chair photograph

Los Angeles Cufflinks

California Dreamin Tablerunner

Small Zipper Pouch California

Greeting from California Stationary

If you are interested in reading more about giving homemade gifts this season, check out Try Handmade, a shopping blog dedicated to products made by real people, not factories. Erika was the one who originally got me started on Etsy, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I must say Thank you!

Remember, Saturday, November 27th, is Small Business Saturday. Get out there and support your local and small businesses on this, the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Happy Holidays!

A. The Salsabol was designed by two local recent college grads (I almost called them kids, then thought better of it. But I am sure they are at least a decade or two younger than I am, and as we all know, I just celebrated my 39th birthday. Again.)

2. The Salsabol can hold all sorts of salsas, and other dips, that can be made by you or bought locally.

III. The name of this blog is Kitchen Gadget Girl, and occasionally it is a good idea to stay true to the brand.

After highlighting Bison Organic Beer last week, I thought it would be fun to bring you a salsa bowl which would pair nicely for holiday gatherings. I plan to bring mine to Thanksgiving this week, filled with artichoke and crab dip!

Created in 2009, the Salsabol is the party-animals answer to messy fingers. Tom and Michael, the great minds behind this product, did what many of us have been dying to do – they thought up an interesting product and decided to bring it to the market. The Salsabol is an elegantly crafted ceramic bowl that features a unique, spill-proof lip that pushes your salsa or dip back onto your chip. And it comes in any color you want, as long as that color is yellow.

The best part? At $12.99 a bowl, this will not break the bank. Shipping might, however. Although, since shipping is a flat $6.49, you might just want to order a Salsabol for everyone on your list (stocking stuff, yes!) and save yourself a couple bucks.

Photo courtesy of Salsabol.

Beverages! It is about time. Last year, I highlighted St George Spirits, the producers of the most outstanding vodkas, include Buddha’s Hand, as well as a new line of tequilas, which we happily tried last year. This year, I thought a beer might be in order, and fortunately, I met Daniel from Bison Organic Beer at the Foodbuzz Festival and was introduced to this great local brew.

Now, I fully admit I am not that much of a beer drinker, but every so often, a beer can really hit the spot. I especially enjoy beers that are a little maltier, rather than hoppier, and nice and mellow, which seems to fit Bison Beer to a T. At Foodbuzz, they were pouring samples of their Honey Basil Ale, which went great with the appetizer across the aisle. Thanks to Valerie for pointing that out!

For the holidays, in addition to the Chocolate Stout (which I think goes with everything), Bison is also releasing a Gingerbread Ale. I can imagine this would be a great beer to have while decorating the Christmas tree, or standing outside watching the local holiday parade.

Where to buy: BevMo, Andronico’s, and Berkeley Bowl have been known to carry Bison Beer. I found Gingerbread Ale on sale at Whole Foods in Redwood City. Do Dan a favor, ask your favorite store to carry Bison Beer!

Photo courtesy of Bison Organic Beer.

On the 3rd Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me – Something to put on my toast in the morning!

Blue Chair Fruit is a regular at Bay Area Farmer’s Markets, and with good reason. Their locally sourced, organic jams, jellies and marmalades have found an audience with Bay Area food fanatics. And for those of us who like to make our own, founder Rachel Saunders has a new book out, too. But this post is about the jam!

For the third installment of the 12 Days of Local Christmas, I would like to introduce you to the Blue Chair Fruit Company of Oakland, California. Started in 2008, Blue Chair Fruit focuses on the best in local fruit and showcases it through clever products, including Early Girl Tomato Marmalade and Damson Plum Jam. If you are looking for something to bring along for Thanksgiving, consider the Adriatic Fig & Candied Ginger Jam, great with turkey! Each small batch is handmade in French copper jam kettles and canned with only the finest local ingredients.

For the holidays, I would recommend the Blue Chair Fruit Jam Club. Offered as either a standard jam-of-the-month club (with 6 or 12 month increments) or as a Bay Area-only, CSA-style club (3 month commitment), the jam clubs are a nice way to gift the jam lover on your holiday list. The Bay Area-only club allows customers to chose their favorite flavors, and the pickup location is Omnivore Books on Food, in Noe Valley. Another option would be a gift certificate to take a jam making class in the New Year.

If you are looking for a few stocking stuffers, Blue Chair Fruit jams are available at several local retailers, including Whole Foods in San Mateo and BiRite Market in San Francisco. For a complete list, check out their website.

Photo courtesy of Blue Chair Fruit Company.