At a dinner party for six, I made a few quick courses that ended up with a fabulous “bang” on an easy, warm weeknight in the backyard.
- Pluot slices with seasoned Sheep’s ricotta and Prosciutto
- Grilled pork tenderloin with “5 spices” & rum braised peaches + rainbow chard
- Dark chocolate ice cream with bergamont olive [...]

I’ve been procrastinating on this one, which was probably not the best idea since it is painfully difficult to remember the details of 10 courses the same night, let alone weeks later, delightful as they were.
We had the opportunity to dine at Quince (Yelp) with a friend who once worked there making pasta and other [...]

Well, it’s not the first time I’ve taken a hint from something I enjoyed at The Sentinel in San Francisco. It’s probably not the last.
This serves 3-4 people.
1/2 lb ahi tuna, fresh
1/4 lb green beans, chopped evenly and blanched in salted water
1 gypsy pepper, sliced very, very thinly (this is a green mini bell pepper [...]

Orange Scallops for two:
6 dayboat (nitrate free) scallops
1-2 tsp thyme
1 orange
4 cloves garlic (don’t go overboard)
4-6 T butter
Cointreau or brandy
Melt the butter at medium low heat, zest the orange. When butter melted and water evaporated, add the garlic, minced. Reduce heat to not color the garlic, cook until softening. Add half the orange zest, the [...]

It’s nice to get up on Sunday and walk a few blocks in the morning sun, meander around and buy some scallops, some beautiful flowers for $10.

Is anyone feeling generous?  This one I have mixed feelings about, though.

I had the lovely chance to discover and attend an event at 18 reasons, an art gallery and gathering place for those interested in the production and consumption of (good) food, which is owned by BiRite (Creamery & Market) in the Mission District of San Francisco. I even ran into a co-worker…
There was an exhibit [...]

6 hardboiled eggs (instructions follow)
2 T capers, rinsed & drained
1 carrot, small dice
2 sticks celery, small dice
1/2 red onion, small dice
1/2 C homemmade or b’n’b pickles, small dice
rice vinegar
olive oil/macadamia oil
mustard powder
1 tsp sugar
salt & pepper generously
For hardboiled eggs: Put the raw eggs in a pot with water, not too large of a pot, and [...]

I’ve posted about my favorite Italian comfort food before, but I’ve decided it’s time to wow you with its deliciousness in a way that will allow replication. This dish was the very first recipe (and demonstration of technique) I learned in Marcella Ansaldo’s introduction to Italian Regional Cuisine course at International Culinary School Apicius in [...]

For the Tri Tip (can sub skirt or flank steak, etc)
1 tri tip, marinaded at least 2 hours, up to 36
marinade:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki or similar sauce
1/4 cup oil (your choice)
1 tbsp chili flakes
2 shots whiskey/brandy/etc
2 cloves garlic
salt & pepper
Grill to your best ability.
For the Favas:
1-2lb fresh fava beans in their pods
2 large [...]