August 28, 2008
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  • KQED's Forum: Slow Food Nation

    Posted by Wendy Goodfriend

    on Aug 27, 2008

    forum logo
    listenListen to Slow Food Nation on KQED's Forum.

    Slow Food Nation
    This Labor Day weekend San Francisco will host Slow Food Nation -- a four day gathering to promote sustainable and healthy food. We talk with organizers and experts in the slow food movement, exploring the connection between our plates and the planet.

    Host: Michael Krasny

    Read Amy Sherman's Event post about Slow Food Nation.

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  • Event: Chocolate Festival

    Posted by Amy Sherman

    on Aug 27, 2008

    chocolate festival

    The first weekend in September I will be flying off to Portugal to learn about cork, but if I was in town I'd be sauntering down to Ghirardelli Square to check out the annual Chocolate Festival. It's free to attend, but tickets are sold for "tastings" and all proceeds benefit Project Open Hand. There are close to 30 vendors including Ghirardelli chocolate, Ciao Bella Gelato, Kara's Cupcakes, Presidio Cafe and Young's Double Chocolate Stout.

    Some highlights include a chance to meet Kara Lind, owner of Kara's Cupcakes and learn about cupcake making and decorating, a wine and chocolate pairing seminar and demonstrations by Master Chocolatier Ann Czaja who will share chocolate recipes and entertaining ideas. Yes, there will be samples!

    What: Chocolate Festival Indulge in chocolate treats, sip at the Wine & Chocolate Bar, and enjoy Chef Demonstrations and other family activities.

    Where: Ghirardelli Square, 900 North Point St, San Francisco

    When:9:00am-5:00pm, September 6-7, 2008

    How: Admission is free, but tickets are available for tastings, 15 tastings for $20 or 6 tastings for $10

    Why: This is a fundraiser for Project Open Hand, for over 20 years, Project Open Hand has provided meals and bags of groceries to men, women and children living with symptomatic HIV and AIDS. They also provide daily congregate lunches to seniors and provide meals to people who are homebound and critically ill.

    Here is the winning recipe from Ghirardelli's America's Most Intense Chocolate Recipe:

    Triple Chocolate Truffle Cake

    Ingredients:
    2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for pan
    3 cups Ghirardelli Semi Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips
    8 large eggs, cold
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/2 cup heavy cream
    1 cup Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Baking Chips
    2 ounces Ghirardelli White Chocolate Baking Bar, chilled

    Directions:
    1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Arrange rack in center of oven. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 by 2-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

    2. Melt butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips over double boiler until smooth; cool slightly. Meanwhile, with a hand mixer or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip eggs and salt on medium speed until doubled in volume, about 5 minutes.

    3. Gently fold, in thirds, whipped eggs into melted chocolate. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and place pan in water bath. Bake until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and is set in the center, about 40 minutes. Remove pan from water bath to a cooling rack and cool cake completely in pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. To remove cake, dip the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan in warm water and run a thin metal spatula around the inside of the pan. Invert onto a plate to unmold, remove parchment paper.

    4. To prepare ganache, bring heavy cream to a simmer and pour over milk chocolate chips. Stir gently until smooth; cool slightly. Pour ganache over top of cake and spread with an offset spatula to evenly cover. (There will be some ganache leftover.) Chill cake until ganache sets, about 30 minutes. To garnish, grate white chocolate bar on top of cake.

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  • Etsy: Handmade Gifts for Food-Loving Friends

    Posted by Jennifer Maiser

    on Aug 26, 2008

    bella bee apron

    I have a really amazing circle of friends and family. Because of this, I am always on the lookout for great gifts that are easy on the wallet, and that hold to my buying philosophy: buy from mom-and-pop shops over chain superstores whenever possible. While I definitely have some San Francisco stores that I frequent in order to find unique gifts, my obsession lately has been Etsy.

    Etsy is an online marketplace of over 100,000 sellers who sell all things handmade.

    I've had particular luck using Etsy for my food-loving friends.

    A couple of months ago, I purchased the above apron from Bella Bee Designs. Wendy at Bella Bee uses fantastic fabrics, and is currently selling aprons, napkins and totes. As has been the case with all of my Etsy transactions, customer service was friendly and she even worked with me to get a gift out very quickly to a friend. The friend was thrilled, and by the time I saw the apron I was jealous that I hadn't bought one for myself. I am really looking forward to buying more gifts from Bella Bee Designs.

    pea pod necklace

    This necklace was a purchase for myself about a year ago. It was made by Rachael Sudlow, and I love wearing it to the farmers market during sweet pea season. Sudlow also makes this cute cupcake necklace.

    sushi set

    Sumiko makes really beautiful pottery including the sushi set above. I was so pleased when I purchased this gift for a friend. Not only was the sushi set exactly as advertised, but the wrapping and attention to packaging detail was impeccable. I have my eye on this olive plate as a purchase for myself.

    It's hard to go wrong with Etsy. It seems to be a relatively safe buying environment, and I've never had trouble receiving a purchased item. I keep an eye on ratings and feedback which are available for every seller. If I'm purchasing from a seller with relatively few ratings, I use a little more caution than I do from sellers with many high ratings.

    In gathering links for this story, I came across several new Etsy items that I'd like to purchase including a hemp tote bag from Uzura, this "pretty peas" bag from dailybread, cute floursack towels from YourWayEmbroidery, this lovely soup bowl from kimwestad, and this gorgeous bag from iragrant.

    It's easy to spend a lot of time on Etsy. One search leads to another, and two hours later you are still clicking around looking at beautiful items. Etsy provides some tools to help you refine searches.

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NPR Topics: Food

  • Dinner's Secret Weapon: The Make-Ahead Marinade

    If you long to be one of those people with a freezer full of easy weeknight meals, master the art of pre-made marinades and then fire up the grill. But don't be surprised if your family starts clamoring daily for the magic of grilled meat.

  • Wal-Mart Pares Costs By Selling Local Produce

    The retail giant defines produce grown in the same state as "locally grown." But advocates of locally grown food say only produce with short traveling times deserve the label.

  • Iconic Noodle Celebrates 50th Anniversary

    On Aug. 25, 1958, the first package of Chicken Ramen was sold in Japan, making today the 50th anniversary of the iconic instant meal. Momofuku Ando was much more than just a noodle inventor — he was a philosopher, too.

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