Author Archives: FV Strona

Sessions at the Presidio

by

So last week we went to the Palace of Fine Arts to see Bernadette Peters in concert. We wanted to go to dinner beforehand somewhere close and when looking for places that had a 6 o’clock reservations we came across sessions. 
I don’t have any expectations and what we would find; reviews were mixed from 3 to 5 stars depending on where you looked. 

I loved the inside of the restaurant, nice balance of light and airy with substance. They were very gracious, we were seated pretty quickly. They were really helpful when we explained we were going to the theater and our server felt we had plenty of time. But that’s when service got a little wonky. 

We ordered pretty quickly, going with the sliced meat appetizer and then the hanger steak entrée, the chicken entrée and a burger. I think the kitchen may have been having a bit of a off night; our waiter did mention they were short one staff but it sort of feel like maybe the kitchen was a little short. He came out to tell us that there could be a chance for appetizer would be out after our entrées because of timing in the kitchen and with that be a problem for us. Now I appreciated him asking because in some cases we wouldn’t care but it did feel kind of odd.

Now we did notice the food coming out looks wonderful. We got our appetizer first, and just finished when our entrées were served. I was sort of underwhelmed with the burger; it was a seared on both sides but nearly raw inside (and had been ordered medium). The hanger steak looked very and tasted good as did the chicken although I have to say that the chicken portion was underwhelming for the price of the entrée. I’m sort of wondering if some of our food may have been held up so that we could eat ourbappetizers first as both the other entrees weren’t particularly hot, even though the place themselves were. 

Luckily they redeemed themselves at the end of the night with a very very good banana nut cake with salted butterscotch ice cream. I could’ve eaten that as my dinner and been happy. They did remove the cost of the burger from our tab then asked about my not eating it. 

So while I wouldn’t rule out going to Sessions again, I probably wouldn’t order the burger. I noticed they do have a squid ink seafood pasta dish that reads good on the menu, that is likely what I want to try next. 

Another Sample bread Recipe

by

So back on May 5th. I tried my hand at some new  breads – and here I am at it again  – the first one used the same ingredients; cherries, white & chocolate chips & almonds but different ratios and types of flour and was baked in the Dutch Oven instead of braided and has both an overnight proof and a second 2 hour one before baking. Note: this is a much older recipe and didnt account for post 1990 stoves so I could have taken it out sooner.

Then for our monthly bookclub – I redid the one from May 5th (Chocolate Chip Cherry Bread)  and also tried a whole wheat bread with cranberries and walnuts. Both to some success. The whole wheat was dense -but perfect with cheese or a soup. The other was screaming for sweet butter or to be put in bread pudding or fresh toast !

But what I realized is that the process of baking isn’t easy for me – unlike cooking. I need to pay attention different and learn to not only follow the directions -but feel as it comes along. I also found that the process allows my mind to process more complex projects in my head from a different angle so when I sit back down to work, I have a different perspective to see.



Bowling for burgers

by

Dinner last night at Mission Bowling club; over all not so bad for Friday night eats. While a little loud inside, the staff are attentive (making a reservation helps), the front open air space has a nice after work, local neighborhood vibe, almost boardering on “too hip” but not quite. 

The burgers rocked, thick, hot with carmelized onions and cheese on a toasted bun. The meat quality itself was pretty good- not over worked, with that outer “crunch” bite into a perfect medium center. I did notice that eaten without the bun,  you get a salt blast from the meat which was balanced nice.


 The place offers a bunch of starters imcluding “break your teeth hard” fried seasoned garbonzo beans and vegatable “fritto misto”, which was flavorful but the portion was really small for the price. The classic wedge salad was a win on price, taste and size. 


Mission Bowling Club

3176 17th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

https://missionbowlingclub.com/

Mother’s Day Alternative Tea

by

Since we didn’t travel to see your own moms, and we weren’t really up for doing a full out dinner we decided to host an alternative Mother’s Day tea today.

We asked everybody to bring something; Just choose either savory or sweet.  We then mixed it up some with a different friends and small crowd to encourage different networking and socializing.

Overall a big success.


At first I dug out the mixed matched and “tag sale find” collection of tea cups and saucers and plates..

And the  always handy multi tiered dessert plate stands


Getting the layout on the tables is always important.

 

And then the menu:

Traditional tea sandwhiches with hearts!

Pinwheels with two kinds of cheese and ham, as well as pimento cheese sandwhiches

Gluten free carrot cake muffins, jicama mango salad and picked shrimp

 

Stuffed peppers and devilishly good peanut butter chocolate and marshmallow cookie.

A Little Home Version “British Bake Off” Night with a Cherry Chocolate bread

by

A good thing I learned metric; after we watched the Great British Bake Off Masterclass episode (season 1, part 4)  the other night, they got me at the “Cherry Chocolate bread“. As it merges two of my two favorites flavors, I looked up the Paul Hollywood recipe to see if I could recreate it. After 2 proofs, one braid and a bake.. it’s was done! Now all we have to do is taste.

After 2 hours; the cooling had commenced –

Yea. Like we were really going to wait till breakfast. Put the kettle on and get the good butter.  Im already thinking how good this will toast or end up as french toast or bread pudding!

So in the end; how did it compare?

The picture of his:   and mine: .

I think my crust was darker – but I also don’t have it well lit. In the end – no complaints.  For the full recipe visit: http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/pauls-chocolate-cherry-loaf/

But in the mean time; we can nibbled on some “Chestnut & Golden Raisin Biscotti” (I was out of dried cranberries).

 


 

The Italian Easter Ham Pie aka Pizzagaina has now risen

by

One of the things I have been trying to do is run through some of my Mom’s old recipes in her club’s cookbooks that I haven’t ever made before. This year on request from the house; I was asked to attempt the Ham Pie in case my mom’s didn’t come. The traditional Easter ham pie is something of a must have in our house growing up and was left to me to chop for many years. It goes by several names aka “Pizza gaina” (or pizza ghan, puzza rustica, pizza china) and seems that the variations on the name is as abundant as the variations on the dough type; from crisp, flaky, savory pie to doughy pizza style. and yes I am sharing: for the full recipe see here

The Shopping

The shopping for this dish always proves to be expensive, but well worth it. Luckily many of the same meats and cheeses can be purchased at some of your better grocery stores if you don’t have a traditional Italian market. But plan ahead  – and don’t skimp on the eggs. Its often cheaper to buy the flat of eggs than a dozen or 18 count.

I opted to do most of my shopping at a small italian place in the Mission district of San Francisco, as it is closer to me than trekking to North Beach.  Lucca Ravioli Co has been around for almost century – and still holds a lot of that old world charm – just with a lot more younger faces. Lucca’s is a classic. Small and cramped with inventory that some people may never have seen in its “non ready to eat” form – it is  home to a wide assortment of imports and local artisan version of italian classics. (Hint: the Panettone just came in!)

Lucca Ravioli Co. www.luccaravioli.com  

1100 Valencia St. (Corner 22nd St.) call (415) 647-5581

Step 1 – The Crust
Yes – everyone who knows this dish has a version they favor. Mine, growing up was a crisp, hard peppery version that flakes but wasn’t sweet. So that was the one I was going for.
Several recipes mention you can easily make this in your mixer; but I found that I preferred the old school method of mixing it by hand in a wide, large bowl (if I had better counter space I would have done it directly on the counter). It doesn’t take long to mix actually, but does need time to chill from 30 min to overnight.
This batch yielded dough for 1 – 9″ spring form pan (with strips for latticework) and a back up batches for several smaller ones in foil pans cake pans (3)  for comparison.
Step 2 – Cutting the meat and cheese
This takes time! Be prepared. I tend to like smaller cubes, but even I get tired after a while. Cube up all the meats and cheese, mix them in a sealable container. I recommend you do this the day before and just have it ready.
Hint: Ask the counter person if they will slice them in 1/4 to 1/2 in slices, it will actually make your cutting feel like less as you can make plank cuts then the cross cut to form the cubes. 

Step 3 – And now the make; 

Once the dough is chilled – it is really mostly about putting it all together in order and baking. I thing of it as making a “quiche on steroids”.

  • Cut Meats & Cheese  ✅
  • Prepare your dry ingredients  ✅
  • Make dough and chill dough  ✅
  • Crack and whisk the eggs  ✅
  • Add meat & cheese to layed out dough ✅
  • Cover with egg mixture ✅
  • Do some fancy stuff on top ✅
  • A little sprinkle of grated cheese ✅
  • Baked till solid and toothpick comes out clean ✅
  • Let sit in the pans till cool, then remove and finish cooling on a rack

Hint: Give it a little foil “condom” in case the springform pan leaks

And the bake

Depending on the stove you use; they will back for anywhere for 52 – 90 min. Some recipes use a start high, reduce heat to 325 degree method, while others use a standard 350 degrees temp.

When they are fully cooled – you can wrap them in plastic wrap and  then in foil to freeze (they do that great), eat or leave in refrigerator and serve cold or room temp the next day. Mostly personal choice.

As luck would have it – my larger one was underbred and had a wet center – but you can slice them and toss them on a cookie sheet to back further – they won’t be as impressive but will taste the same.

Another fun fact- as a test I also made one in a loaf pan and it came out great. So don’t be afraid to play with the shapes of the pans.

Post Easter update: 

The full recipe for that amount meat will probably make 8 to 9 pies using a standard 8″ or 9″ cake pan. This will vary based on amount of eggs and the thickness of crust. 


Below are a few other recipes I found 

Clara Corrado’s Ham Pie (this is the one closet to my Mom’s version of the dough )

Pizza Gain Aka Pizzagaina, Pizza Rustica, Italian Easter Ham Pie

Easter Pie – A Family Feast

Another Easter Classic: Pizza Gaina

For the full recipe see here

Swedish Book Club Day

by

Since several asked about the Swedish themed recipes last week to go along with our Bookclub title of the month, A Man Called Ove

I’m sharing them here.

 

Midsummer Swedish Strawberry Compote – Jordgubbskrm Recipe – via Food.com

I didn’t make any changes to this recipe initially, but I did add fresh lemon and lime zest after I took it off the stove and while it cooled.

Note: Don’t second guess it and overcook it. It really does only take until the soft boil. 

Swedish Saffron Cake – curtesy of La Cigale

I made this as is but used the wrong pan. But the flavor rocked and Was perfect to be topped with the strawberry compote.

Note: this recipe is easy enough that it’s perfect for low tech cooking for those without a mixer.

Holiday Saffron Cake Recipe | MyRecipes.com

This was the “backup recipe” and was equally as good. More dense, this was the one that begged for a cup of coffee or tea to go with.

The Easter Bread Saga will not be rebroadcasted this year!

by

Yes – I am afraid it is true.. this year no ester bread.. and for some of you wanting to know why? Let me refresh your memories:

First is the making of the damn thing and all the time for the dough to rise, etc and then it’s the baking. So its a lot of work for a seasonal treat. But You can read about last years “saga” on my post “Easter Bread; the Saga of the Risen” and see the result and recipe on “The long awaited Easter Bread Recipe ( My Mom’s Version)“.

 

For those of you more adventurous types, the recipe can be found listed in the Recipe Index or below

 

 

Mom's Easter Bread

Note: This is a large batch dough and can be both messy and sticky while making. You can use a mixer or processor as well as mix and knead by hand ( just plan to get “close & personal” to your dough if you do).

Also – this uses an over-night rise for the first one – so you are looking at 8 – 10 hours of prep on this before actual baking.

  • 12 xl eggs (room temp.)
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar (you can add up to 3 cups – mostly to your taste)
  • 1 tbsp sugar (this for the Yeast to proof)
  • Grated rind of 2 lemons and 1 orange (or two if they are small)
  • Juice of 2 Lemons and 2 Oranges
  • 1/4 lb of Bakers Yeast or 6 packets of Active Dry Yeast (active live yeast, not rapid rise)
  • 1/2 cup of Olive Oil
  • 12 cups of flour (more or less)
  • 1/2 stick of butter (melted)
  • 1 cup warmed milk (118 to 115 degrees)
  • Parchment paper
  • 2 -3 Sheet try pans unless you plan to do them in batches.
  • Big Bowl!
  • clean towel and blanket (yes a blanket)
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I noted my oven runs hot so I used 325 for the second batch and let it cook an extra 5 minutes.

  2. Melt yeast in warm milk with the tablespoon of sugar, stir and set aside

  3. Beat eggs w/remaining sugar till well incorporated

  4. Add butter, yeast, lemon juice and grated lemon & orange peels mix together well.

  5. Add the Flour

    If you have a large surface area you can mix old school style and pour flour on the table, form a mound, make a hole in the center and add liquid mixture gradually as you work by hand.

    or

    Use a bowl or mixer and add flour 2 cups at a time to liquid mixture.

    The dough will go from liquid to sticky mess so you will want to be prepared.

    Around the time you hit the 10th cup of flour, you will want to start to work the dough with your hands as you add the remaining flour*.

  6. Coat your hands from the 1/2 of Olive Oil to keep it from sticking (Don’t use flour on your hands) and knead dough.

    When you can shape a soft dough round that isn’t so sticky and stays together – you are done.

  7. *Depending go the egg size – you may need less or more flour so take your time.

  8. Oil the inside of a large bowl ( those old fashioned tupperware ones are great by the way). Place the dough in the bowl. Cover and “burp” if using tupperware or cover with plastic wrap. Drape a towel over the top and then fold the bowl into a blanket and set out of a breeze,overnight or 6 -7 hours.

  9. Unwrap and punch it down for the first time, rewrap and let rise again for 2-3 hours

  10. After the second rise

  11. Role each portion of dough out into a 12- 14 inch role, then either braid or circle around itself ( or any other shape you like). Place on parchment paper lined trays.  

  12. Let rise uncovered for up to 1 hour more. See the notes for more ideas and hints

  13. Coat with a simple egg wash

  14. Bake for 30 minutes or until a nice golden brown.

  15. Cool on a rack and eat! Even better the best day as “French Toast” or in bread pudding.

Note:
Now the timeline we use is:
10:00 pm make dough, wrap like a bundle (and in my Mom’s case – say a prayer – yes really)
7:00 am unwrap and punch it down for the first time, rewrap and let rise again for 2-3 hours,
9:30 – 10:00 am shape into individual loaves and let rise uncovered for up to 1 hour more.
11:00 am Bake
Hints:
Shapes:
If you portion out the dough into 1/2 lb portions you can get  5- 6 loaves.
If you want to do a large braid, use about 1-1/2 lbs (1/2 per lb), But its up to you. I think 1/4 ld loaves would be nice gifts too.
 
You can also place a raw egg (especially pretty with colored eggs) in the center while they cook.
Topping with an egg wash and sprinkles also add some fun as would adding friend fruit to the batter.

Trisha Yearwood’s Cowboy Lasagna Rocks The Night!

by

So needing to make dinner one night for friends; I happen upon Trisha Yearwood’s recipe called Cowboy Lasagna who credits some of it to her husband Garth Brooks.

While I love my lasagna – its way to much work for a casual dinner, so this looked like a great option.

So let me say first of.. Don’t screw it the recipe. It is great as is. So good in fact that had I added beans to the sauce mixture, topped it with cheese I would eat it as is and forget the noodles!

You can get the full recipe here

A journey to “Paradise Found” while painful can shine @sfgmc

by

A heartfelt and courageous concert from the men of the San Francisco Gay Mens Chorus last night at the Herbst Theater. Dr Timothy Selig, with only half  (space constraints of the Herbst stage) of his talented arsenal of out and proud men, became a real-world “wall of hearts” over the weekend and clearly illustrated the power of love, integrity & resilience.

This diverse collection of “hearts”, rose to new heights to a full house to perform a concert worthy of it’s “Paradise Found” theme. Even more impressive was knowing that less than 24 hours prior, they had lost one of their own “hearts” on the very same stage.

Stay tuned for more details as SFGMC prepares for an incredible summer tour, dubbed  The Lavender Pen Freedom Tour as they raise funds while making diversity and inclusion heard in some of the more restrictive cities here in the Unites States. For more information and how you can help (or join them as part of the “Entourage”) visit http://www.sfgmc.org.

Equally entertaining was the richness of the “traditional meets contemporary” performances from the concert guest artists of  the evening, Patrick Makuakane’s Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu dance company. Along with the super talented troupe, we were tempted with a look at The Natives Are Restless, a new coffee-table book that tells the story of Patrick Makuakāne and Nā Lei Hulu through a stirring narrative, striking photographs, and arresting moments from performances through the years. 

 

 

 

REMEMBERING RYAN NUNEZ: A member of The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) passed away on stage during the intermission of the choir’s Friday night performance.