by Sam Tackeff | Apr 8, 2011 | Books, Vegetables
It’s nice to have a muse, and for the past few months mine has been the lovely Penelope. Transplanted right from the Odyssey into the de Young, here she is surrounded by bountiful bouquets and looking particularly serene. Despite the fact that rumors are swirling of her husband’s death in far lands, she sits, awaiting his return, the symbol of fidelity and faith.
Yes, I understand that my life hasn’t been nearly as dramatic. But like Penelope, I had been existing in a state of limbo, and trying to be as calm and patient as possible and accept things as they came. And then my computer died abruptly (more about that here) so my patience was tried in whole new ways. To put this in perspective: in response to a recent email of mine, my grandmother responded “Dear Sam, you really have to go to the computer every day or you do not know what is up!”. (Hmm….)
Well, back to my story. For the last two years I’ve been living and breathing Omnivore Books. My day job was as the manager of this fairy tale wonderland, and I am so thankful to have been part of its growth. But as with everything in life, there is a natural course, and for me it was time to move onto new things. “Move on” being a loose term given that I still live five blocks away and will be around for many of the events anyway. But I won’t be there every day, and that realization comes in pin pricks when I think about it, and my heart breaks just a little bit each time.
Many days I am terribly sad to have left, mostly because I miss all of the wonderful people that are part of this community I’ve helped to build. I’m afraid that there will be acquaintances lost in the cracks because I’ve neglected to remember their last names, or they live a less digital life, or because I’m phenomenally bad at keeping in touch with people that I really do want to keep in touch with. Which reminds me, if you are on Twitter, and I, @alphaprep , don’t follow you, please let me know so we can keep in touch that way.
Then I remind myself that the bookstore is still there for me when I need it, and this little break has only made me appreciate the place more.
Now for the good news – my patient waiting paid off! I have a brand new job which is particularly fulfilling. I now work for a company called Square. It’s a financial company that allows anyone to accept credit card payments with their mobile phone (either to take money from your friends – or you know, for legitimate business). There are no fees to sign up, no monthly fees, and the device is free. But, lest I continue sounding like an advertisement, I’ll quit here and just say that it’s awesome to be working for a growing company with a product I truly believe in.
Another perk is that I get fed at work. (Breakfast, lunch, and if I so choose, dinner.) Although, this makes me a little nervous, because free tasty food is the bane of my healthy existence. Which is where this book comes into play. Just a few weeks ago, Heidi Swanson published her new book Super Natural Every Day, and I’ve been cooking and eating out of it as much as I can. Her recipes are utterly delicious while at the same time being very healthy – the perfect antidote to potential pitfalls of not cooking many of my daily meals. (I’m happy to say that in my first week of work, I did not, in fact, gain the five pounds I anticipated, but lost three.)
Heidi Swanson is one of those people who understands how to cultivate a beautiful life, and is uniquely adept at sharing it with others.
I first met Heidi at Omnivore, which to most would seem like a probable place to meet her, but believe me, I was still startled at the occurrence. (Yes, I know her blog is called 101 cookbooks. As in the very same type of book shelved along every wall of the particular establishment that I worked in.) But you know, it didn’t occur to me that she would actually end up in the same room as me, let alone would I get the privilege of seeing her on a semi-regular basis.
After meeting her just once, I ran into her at a coffee shop one evening by Duboce Park. She was drinking beers with her boyfriend Wayne, and I was positively overwhelmed by the fact that she not only remembered who I was, but both knew my name and gave me a hug. At that moment I realized how real this person was, and it seemed like a very San Francisco moment – where the people you aspire to be are real people, and you can realistically run into them in the course of your daily life on this 7 x 7 mile patch of Northern California.
It has been a pleasure to see Heidi over the past few years as she has come into the shop and gathered inspiration for her work in progress.
I was particularly excited to get my hands on an advanced copy of her new cook book (thank you Ten Speed!). The day mine came in the mail, I took it with me to one of my favorite spots in the city, Coffee Bar, and read it through cover to cover. And then I started cooking. Within the next few days, I would go on to make the green lentil soup (curry powder, brown butter, coconut milk, chives) on p. 149; the farro soup (curry powder, lentils, salted lemon yogurt) on p. 128; the weeknight curry (tofu, coconut milk, seasonal vegetables) on p. 135, which satisfied even the more carnivorous one in the house; and a bowl of lemon-zested bulgur wheat (coconut milk, toasted almonds, poppy seeds) on p. 37, which was the perfect start to my morning.
The best part of this book is that it is impossible to read without wanting to head straight to the kitchen. The recipes are easy enough that you could feasibly make them on the fly with a well-stocked pantry. (Which she teaches you how to create if you don’t yet have one.) The recipes are vegetarian, although so well layered with flavor that even the meat and potatoes crowd will enjoy them.
Last month we had a potluck at Omnivore, in honor of Heidi (and her new book). I had a truly lovely time taking up my old post – ringing up books, popping open Prosecco bottles and stealing moments to give and get hugs. I did a measly job of taking photos, but this whole wheat chocolate chip skillet cookie was one of my favorite dishes to photograph and eat. It’s actually not in the book, but the recipe is on Heidi’s site here.
It’s been quiet on here lately, but this book was a great reason for me to mosey on back. It’s nice to be here, in my little corner of the internet, and I’ve missed it – and I have missed you all.
by Sam Tackeff | Jan 29, 2011 | Baking, Challenge, Cookies, omnivore books
Hint To Self #324: If you are hosting a cookie competition, there is no way in hell that you will not eat dozens of delicious cookies. Your plan of 3-5 cookie samples is an outrageous underestimation of the truth, and a lie to yourself. You’ve learned this at countless previous competitions. Plan accordingly.
But, before I re-cap the hardcore competition (yeehaw!), I want to take a quick moment of reflection. Today, a reader who shall go nameless, actually apologized for commenting so often on my blog, and let me know that she hoped I didn’t think she was crazy. This actually made me a little sad, because it couldn’t be farther from the truth. I can’t thank you all enough for coming and reading my blog. The reality is, every time I read a comment, my heart fills with joy. And yes, that even goes for my mom, who I know has been reading every single post dutifully since the beginning.
My first attempts at blogging as a teenager were a personal pursuit. Nobody actually read my LiveJournal, and I was okay with that. I started writing this blog though because I missed my family, my home, my community, and food. It was a scattered attempt to find my place in this world, to share my experiences and to exist within a community of like-minded folks that I so admire. Over the past few years, it has been truly miraculous to meet so many wonderful people because of this blog, and while working at Omnivore Books. You’ve all made my life so much greater for it, and again, I thank you.
Off my sentimental soapbox for a bit, it’s time for another competition round-up from our little corner of the world at Omnivore Books on Food! We’ve had pies, fried chicken, pumpkin recipes, tomato recipes to name a few. This time, with cookies, I think we truly took it to another level.
Now, if you know me personally, you know my love for cookies runs deep. I can tell you that it is exactly an 11 minute walk to Anthony’s Cookies from Omnivore Books. When I test a new cookbook, if they have an oatmeal chocolate chip recipe, you can be sure that I’ll make it. (Mad Hungry is in the lead – see the top cookie shot there). If you are ever in the area near Brown University, you need to make a pit stop for a Meeting Street cookie, which a friend of mine once admitted that if she could, she would pro-create with one. Her grandmother, incidentally, makes a peanut butter cookie that rivals all others. And if you are ever able to make it to Big Sur Bakery, Michelle’s chocolate chocolate chocolate cookies are glorious, as are all of the varieties.
I share this all with you, because, being cookie obsessed I hold very high standards, and today I was very impressed. There was a real breadth of entries in this competition. I’m missing about five here, because in the end we sort of just exploded with cookies.
In no particular order:
Brown Sugar Toffee, Chocolate Chip, Chewy Almond Raspberry, Jacques Torres Spiced Chocolate Sugar Cookies, Orange Polenta, Chai White Chocolate Shortbread, Macadamia White Chocolate Chip, Caramel Cashew Choc-Oat-Ban, Toasted Walnut, Crispy Spicy Gingerbread Coins, S’more Macarons, Mayan Mexican Chocolate, Crispy Sesame Sticks, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Sugar Babies, Coconut Bars, Chocolate No-Bake Cookies, Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge-gasms, Double Chocolate Mint, Cranberry Orange Pecan Oat, Coconut Pudding (gluten free!), Mocha Shortbread Chocolate, Salted Caramel Whoopie, Pecan Thumbprints, Raspberry Coconut Swirls, Mocha Squares, Chocolate Pecan Cherry, Mexican Hot Chocolate, Chewy Quinoa Raisin, Lemon Ricotta, Uncle Bill’s Cookies, Chocolate Spiced Cherry, Chocolate Chocolate, Double Chocolate Cherry Toffee, Chocolate Espresso, Triple Ginger, Lavender Shortbread, Salted Peanut Butter Triple Chocolate, Salted Chocolate Cherry Pistachio Cardamom, Toffee Milk Chocolate Dough Balls, Lemon Rosemary, Almond Butter, Cowboy Cookies, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Monster Cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Perfect Chocolate Chip, Sable with Black Tea and Plum Jam, and Chocolate Toffee with Sea Salt.
I was happy to see so many people I know, and meet lots of new folks as well. (A quick shout out here to Irvin whose wonderful blog Eat The Love just got a nod from Saveur because he is a rockstar!!! And, because I met her for the first time last week, one to Annie the Baker, whose dough balls are the stuff of legend.)
The second place winner – who in my post-sugar-coma I neglected to write down her name – won for her Salted Peanut Butter Triple Chocolate Cookies. As I started tallying the votes, I realized that I hadn’t tried one of these yet, and they were heading clearly to the lead. I’m glad that I snagged one before they were all gone! For her success, she won a coveted year long membership to The Bakers Dozen.
The winner, Julie Wise, won $150, with her Chocolate Toffee Cookies with Sea Salt. She entered the contest at the urging of her son, and is donating the winnings to his school, Mira Loma! So, pretty much, she also deserves an award in the coolest mom category.
Here is the winning recipe! Now I’m headed to sleep off the sugar coma. Celia, I believe, is a better woman than I, and last I checked twitter is heading to IN-N-OUT. That is dedication people. Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!
Chocolate Toffee Cookies
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, where it was adapted from Bon Appetit
* * *
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups (packed) brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 1.4-ounce chocolate-covered English toffee bars (such as Heath), coarsely chopped
1 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl; whisk to blend. Stir chocolate and butter in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool mixture to lukewarm.
Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla.
Stir in flour mixture, then toffee and nuts. Chill batter until firm, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto sheets, spacing two inches apart. Sprinkle with a pinch of flaky sea salt, if you’re using it. Bake just until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to touch, about 10 to 13 minutes. Cool on sheets. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)
by Sam Tackeff | Jan 14, 2011 | Indian, Pantry Staples
Last week, I had a mini-tragedy.
I was eating my way through half-filled jars in the fridge, and finally came to the end of an excellent tomato chutney that I had acquired from Trader Joe’s. I really liked the stuff, and I decided that it was well worth getting a replacement jar. When I went back to the store to do so, I was shocked – SHOCKED! – to find out that they had discontinued it. “We loved it here, but our tastes in the Bay Area don’t always translate to the rest of the country,” the manager said, shaking his head.
I’ve seen people wither into depression after TJ’s sends their favorite product to the graveyard. I was on the verge of a chutney-less meltdown. I assure you that this was a great tomato chutney. A little sweet, a little spicy, a little tangy. I used it to stir fry greens, to serve with curries, and as a chicken marinade. It was good with toast, topped with melted cheese. It was also a great complement to roasted cauliflower. What was I going to do without it?
And then I remembered that I spent the past year working on my friend Karen’s mostly-condiment cookbook, and I could probably make my own version at home. I knew the ingredients (I wrote them down off the back of the jar), and all I had to do with fiddle with the proportions. It couldn’t hurt to try?
After an hour of tinkering, I present to you:
(Not Quite) Trader Joe’s Tomato Chutney
makes about 1.5 cups
time: 40 minutes
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes (no salt added), with juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 large pinch Maldon salt (or kosher salt)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
In a small saucepan, add all the ingredients and stir well. [I used an immersion blender in the saucepan before cooking to break it down into a chunky paste, but you could wait until after cooking to process in a food processor or blender.]
Bring to a boil (it will bubble and splatter, so be careful!) then turn the heat down to low, and cover. Simmer for thirty minutes, making sure to stir every five to ten minutes, so that the chutney does not stick to the bottom.
Spoon into a glass jar. This is a fresh chutney and should be stored in the refrigerator for up to two months. You could probably can it, but I find that it’s so quick to put together, that it’s probably easier to just make a fresh batch when you want it.
