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In This Issue |
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• Letter from the Chef
• All the Latest News
• Petit Grilled Camembert Sandwiches with Leeks and Criminis
• The King of Mushrooms
• Farmers' Market Finds
• Fantastic Food Events
Dear Fellow Food Lover,
The recent warm days and luscious produce have been wonderful, and weíd all like summer to last a little bit longer. But we cannot deny the signs that indicate otherwise ñ from shorter days to backpack-toting students. Fall is here.
Not to worry, though. Soon weíll be appreciating the joys of the cold season ñ savory stews and rich winter vegetables, enjoyed with friends around a crackling fire. Now, in fact, is the perfect time to plan a cozy holiday cooking party. Itís a great way to celebrate lifeís special moments with friends, or reward colleagues for a great year.
Please give us a call to talk about designing a custom cooking party for you. And please share Relish with your friends and colleagues.
Approach life with Relish!
Stephen, Molly, and Anne
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All The Latest News |
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Meet Chef Stephen at Macyís Union Square this Saturday, 3 ñ 5 pm! He will be demonstrating dishes featuring organic, locally grown ingredients. Delicious highlights will include Dungeness Crab Cakes with Tomato Jam and CrËme FraÓche. Itís all part of Macyís Passport 2005, an exclusive shopping event benefiting local HIV/AIDS organizations. Come and receive exclusive discounts throughout the store, and later relax in the "Oasis Lounge," where you can enjoy an astrology reading, listen to groovy music, and get a Henna tattoo! We hope to see you there!
Check out two great recipes from Chef Stephen in the latest issue of Chow ñ a hot new magazine that celebrates food, drink and fun. His recipes are in ìKiller Apps," an article celebrating the key to entertaining in style ñ delicious appetizers.
Earlier this month, Chef Stephen demonstrated the crowd-pleasing hors d'oeuvres featured in Chow at Macy's Union Square in San Francisco. Meathenge, a local food blog, posted photos and thoughts about the evening ñ check it out here.
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Petit Grilled Camembert Sandwiches with Leeks and Criminis |
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The King of Mushrooms |
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Todd Spanierís white chef coat is embossed with "Purveyor of Wild Edibles," and his mushrooms wind up on tables at Oliveto and Chez Panisse. He started selling mushrooms to fine restaurants when he was just 16.
Now his thriving business, the King of Mushrooms, provides a wonderful array of fresh, dried and frozen mushrooms to the best Bay Area chefs and markets. They also offer exotic elixirs like Black Truffle Butter for purchase online for home chefs. To supply the Bay Areaís craving for fungi, Spanier taps into a network of 3,000 pickers who follow the mushroom seasons from Southern California to Alaska.
We are proud to feature Toddís products in our recipes!
More on the King of Mushrooms
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Farmers' Market Finds |
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At Hands On Gourmet, we always use fresh, seasonal ingredients, and we buy directly from the source whenever we can.
It's harvest time, and there is an amazing variety of delectable produce available. Here are some of the current highlights.
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Heirloom Tomatoes
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Ambrosia Melons
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Black Mission & Brown Turkey Figs
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Savoy Spinach
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Golden Delicious Apples
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Watermelon Radishes
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Huckleberries
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Chanterelle Mushrooms
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Eggplant |
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Check out your local farmer's market -- the bounty has never been better!
Find Your Local Farmers' Market
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Fantastic Food Events |
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It is harvest time and the food events and festivals are in full swing. Here are a
few good ones to check out.
Set
in the beautiful open-air Justin Herman Plaza,
FallFest 2005 is an inspiring day filled with wine and food tasting, local
artisans, chef demonstrations, and live music. Set in a European-style
marketplace, this event benefits
Meals On Wheels of San Francisco.
Saturday, September 24, Noon to 4 p.m., Justin Herman Plaza, San Francisco
North Berkeley Spice of Life Festival. Celebrate Berkeleyís ìGourmet
Ghetto,î the birthplace of California Cuisine. Savor a wide range of delicious
food created by local chefs paired up with producers from our local organic
farmers market, and wine and beer tasting. Live music on three stages.
Sunday, October 2, 2005, 10 am to 6 pm,
Shattuck Avenue ñ from Virginia to Rose St., Berkeley. Free.
CUESA's annual fundraiser, the
Sunday Supper, is an event food lovers will not want to miss. Over 40 of the
Bay Area's most celebrated chefs team up to prepare a sumptuous four course meal
with just-picked produce from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Sunday, October 2, 6 pm, Ferry Building, San
Francisco.
Italian Family Festa. This is the 25th annual celebration all things Italian
ñ especially food and wine. Come enjoy cooking demonstrations, wonderful food, a
beer and wine garden, music ñ even a grape stomping contest!
September 30 ñ October 2. Friday, noon to 10pm,
Saturday 11am ñ 10pm, Sunday 11am ñ 5 pm. Santana Row, San Jose. Free.
Find More Bay Area Food Events
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| Letter from the Chef |
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Iíve always been a big fan of holiday parties. And yes, those wonderful stress-filled days are fast approaching. Well, relax! Itís high time everyone learned a trick or two and enjoyed themselves while preparing for parties. There are a multitude of things you can do to shorten the prep list and move the focus from worry to having fun.
Store-bought spreads, cheese, cured meats, olives and good bread are the first things to put on your shopping list. They are not only quick to assemble, but really flavorful! Look to local producers for the best quality. Then put your energy into, letís say, two homemade dishes. Maybe one canapÈ and one luscious dessert. A great example are mini grilled cheese appetizers ñ quick to make and delicious to eat ñ creamy, crispy and tangy all in one. And itís your lucky day: youíll find the recipe over on the left.
I know this is somewhat old school, but chocolate fondue is decadent cool! Put some cake and bananas on sticks and watch your friends go at it like giddy kids. And there you have it: some advance shopping, a bit of quality time in the kitchen, and youíve put together a party where everyone ñ even you! ñ will have a great time.
On the home front, Hands On Gourmet has some great things in the works: new and exciting gift bags, cooking shows, maybe even action figures. We are thrilled to be a part of the creative Bay Area culinary community and are looking forward to a fantastic holiday season.
Hope we can cook with you soon!
Chef Stephen |
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A delicious, decadent morsel that is sure to wow the guests at your next cocktail party. As featured in the latest issue of