Cook Here and Now

Fermentation Trifecta 2010: A few slots left

Buongiorno, we have a few slots left for our CH&N Pairings event -- artisan cheeses, beers and breads.

If you want to join us leave a comment here (at the bottom). See you on the 12th!

A presto,
Marco

Fermentation Trifecta 2010 Northern California artisan cheese, beer and bread

Buongiorno,
Given the great success of our NorCal artisan wine and cheese pairing event, I'm delighted to announce an all new CH&N Pairings event: the trifecta of fermented foods -- artisan cheeses, beers and breads.

When and where
Saturday, June 12 from 2 to 5 pm, in San Francisco

The plan
60 of us will gather, each bringing a sample of our favorite Northern California beers, cheeses or breads.
As for all our pairing events, priority for the sign-up will be given to people bringing homemade beer, cheese or bread. I'll be baking two or three of my long-fermentation breads.
Here's a list of Northern California breweries from the NorCal Brewer's Guild.
Here's a list of artisan cheesemakers from the California Artisan Cheese Guild.
Some of us will make an accompanying dessert to enjoy along with our tasting.

I strongly recommend signing up with a friend and bringing a pairing of a beer with a cheese.

This is a community event, open to all. We need to rent the space from the city, so there is a $6 donation per person. The PayPal link will be emailed to the participants tomorrow. Check your calendar before signing up, since donations are non-refundable.

To attend, post a comment on this blog. (Don't email me directly.)
Every person coming (including any guest you bring) will need to sign up for a slot, and contribute beers, cheeses or homemade dessert.

Since participation is limited, please let us know at least 4 days before the event if you're not going to be able to make it, so we can invite someone else to join us. If you cancel 4 days before the event, you can't join us for the following 2 events. If you don't show at all, you can't join us for the next 3. Canceling on short notice (or none at all) is unfair to everyone, especially people who wanted to participate and couldn't because all the slots were taken.

We'll divide the slots among the participants this way:
24 slots for people bringing their favorite Northern California beers. ( At least 2 6-packs.)
24 slots for people bringing their favorite Northern California artisan cheeses -- either one pound of cheese or two 8 oz pieces of two cheeses, so that everyone can sample it
5 slots for people bringing us artisan or homemade breads ALL SLOTS TAKEN
5 slots for people making a dessert (homemade please) ALL SLOTS TAKEN
2 slots for people bringing compostable plates, knives and napkins

Please let me know who is coming by name. Once we reach 60 people confirmed and paid, I'll close the event and start another post for the waiting list. If the slots are full for what you'd like to bring, please choose something else instead.

So post a comment on the blog (do not email me directly) under the call-for-participation post letting me know the following:
First and last name
Email address
What you'll be bringing (bread, cheese, wine, etc.)

Here's a list of suggested cheese and beer pairings from Real California Milk board.
Download Beer&CheesePairings

This is going to be great (and quick to fill up)! So sign up before the spaces are gone.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

NorCal plants mission: Identifying edibles

Buongiorno everybody - My friend Tony, the environmental educator and forager who led our mushroom identification walk, is taking us on an edible and medicinal foraging excursion and field study.

To reserve, contact Tony directly at: tlcockrellbooks@yahoo.com.

WHAT: Edible & Medicinal Plants of central California.

In this workshop we will walk and explore the plant life in the Bay Area. We will use our senses to identify the local flora and learn the uses of these plants for food and medicine. Participants will learn basic botanical nomenclature to aid in identifying plant species when using field guides. The knowledge of ecosystems and seasons will aid in the understanding of locations and appearances of plants. This workshop is for all levels of learners.

WHEN: Saturday, May 22

WHERE: Tilden Regional Park (Berkeley) at the Big Springs pullout. Big Springs is marked by a sign on your right as you drive towards the Botanic Garden on South Park Drive off Grizzly Peak Blvd. It is also possible to get there off Grizzly Peak Blvd. by taking Shasta Road and going right onto South Park Drive where it connects with Wildcat Canyon Road.

BRING: Comfortable walking shoes, plenty of water, sunscreen and sun hat, writing material, snacks and a daypack for your items.

COST: $18.00/person. Please email Tony at tlcockrellbooks@yahoo.com for workshop registration and any questions.

Let's eat together: Hanami picnic on May 8th

Buongiorno. Lo and behold: one grove of cherry trees waited to bloom until my return from Italy! I discovered them today on my run through Golden Gate Park, and decided that it's not too late for our Hanami picnic after all - San Francisco weather permitting.

While living in Japan I became really fond of Hanami, the spring custom of enjoying cherry blossoms over a picnic with family and friends. To celebrate Hanami San Francisco-style, I'll bake a batch of my matcha green tea muffins with chopped raw California almonds. All sweet and savory home-cooked food featuring seasonal and sustainable ingredients is welcome - and someone please bring some tea or coffee!

Where: Grove of blooming cherry trees where Stow Lake Drive meets JFK Drive, behind Stow Lake in San Francisco, Golden Gate park. Here's the exact GPS reading I took with my iPhone.

When: Saturday, May 8, from noon until 2pm.

What to bring: It's a seasonal picnic, Cook Here and Now style. Please bring something you made (not store-bought, please) to share and/or a beverage of your choice. Do bring a blanket to lay on the ground.

This is an informal event: there's no sign-up. Just come over, weather permitting. I'd appreciate it if you could post a comment here letting me know if you'll make it, so I'll have a way of contacting people in case of cancellation due to weather or any other update.

Grazie, see you there!
Marco Flavio

Tidepool mission: Identifying edibles

 

Buongiorno everybody - My friend Tony, the environmental educator and forager who led our mushroom identification walk, is taking people  on an edible tidepool foraging excursion and field study. I know many of you will be interested, so I thought I'd pass the information along.
To reserve, contact Tony directly at: tlcockrellbooks@yahoo.com.

What: The Edible Ocean & Tide Pool Ecology. The cold water of the Pacific ocean gives the west coast a diverse ocean ecology, this two hour experience will give the participant an understanding of our intertidal zones and what to find there. We will explore who roams where and why they can be found there as well as the edible aspects of each of these littoral zones. Enrich yourself by exploring your watery backyard.

When: April 24th Sat. 1pm and April 25th Sun. 2pm.

Where: The Moss Beach Distillery parking lot. Take hwy.1 south out of S.F. After Montara State Beach, Moss Beach will be the next town. Pass Virginia & Vermont Ave. Look for the large Distillery sign and turn right on Cypress. Follow Cypress past Cypress Flower Farm (old wooden barn). Cypress turns into Airport St. Continue following signs for the Distillery turning right onto Marine Blvd, left on Beach Way and into the Distillery parking lot. Park as close to the cliff as you can. If possible, please carpool due to parking availability.

Cost: $18.00/person. Classes are limited to the first fifteen people.
To reserve, contact Tony directly at: tlcockrellbooks@yahoo.com.
Slots are available on first come, first served basis.

Bring: Wind layers, sunscreen, polarized sunglasses, shorts and water shoes, hat for shade, snack (food and drink can be purchased at The Distillery).

Thank you for participating! Let's cook and eat together: March 28th

Buongiorno. Grazie to the 30+ of you that participated in our Sunday cooking event featuring early spring ingredients. As usual, it was terrific! Don't forget to add your photos to our Flickr page.

And special thanks to Chef Charles Phan for donating the space. See you at our Hanami picnic on Saturday the 3rd.

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

Let's eat together: Hanami picnic on April 3rd

Sorry: Canceled because of weather. It's been raining a lot on Friday: the ground will be soaked and it will be too cold to sit (area is in the shade).

Buongiorno. Grazie to everyone who came and cooked with us last Sunday: as always it was a blast! I'm still craving the dark chocolate tart with sea salt and candied kumquats.

While living in Japan I became really fond of the spring Hanami custom of enjoying the beauty of the cherry blossoms while sharing food with family and friends. Since cherry trees are in full bloom in Golden Gate park, I think we should have an informal Hanami picnic.

I'll be baking a few batches of morning pastries with seasonal fruit and berries to share with everybody. Someone please bring some coffee! All sweet and savory home-cooked food featuring seasonal and sustainable ingredients is welcome.

Where: Grove of blooming cherry trees across the street from the Strybing Arboretum entrance at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr Dr. and Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. in San Francisco, Golden Gate park.

When: 12 noon on.

What to bring: It's a seasonal picnic, Cook Here and Now style. Please bring something you made (not store-bought, please) to share and/or a beverage of your choice. Do bring a blanket to lay on the ground.

This is an informal event: there's no sign-up. Just come over, weather permitting. I'd appreciate it if you could post a comment here letting me know if you'll make it, so I'll have a way of contacting people in case of cancellation due to weather or any other update.

Grazie, see you there!
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: March 28th ALL SLOTS FULL

Buongiorno,

Thank you! All our 30 slots are full.
That took 15 minutes... thank you so much for the enthusiasm. I really appreciate it. If your name is not listed in the comments section of the previous post, please stay tuned -- we'd love to have you next time. If you wish to be on the waiting list, please leave your email address and name as a comment to this post. I'll contact you if anyone cancels.

Ciao e grazie mille,
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: March 28th

Buongiorno,

We're ready for our first spring dinner, and we'll be featuring local, organic and free-range lamb and goat. There's a good selection to choose from at Niman Ranch, Whole Foods, Bi-Rite or Prather Meat Company, Golden Gate Meat in the Ferry Building, for starters.

Featured seasonal vegetables will be asparagus, cauliflower, fennel and all garlic and onions varieties.
Featured seasonal fruit will be avocados, kiwis and guavas.

Many thanks to Chef Charles Phan for generously donating The Slanted Door's industrial kitchen for our event, and coordinating the space and staffing!

To cover the costs of a manager onsite and recyclable utensils, there will be a nominal fee of $8 per person. Just to be clear, I'm still donating all my time and efforts: this remains a community event. The fee pays the Slanted Door manager who is coming in just for us on Sunday, in case of emergencies or questions. The PayPal link will be emailed to those who register to join us. Check your calendar before signing up, since donations are non-refundable.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

The plan
30 of us will cook and eat together on March 28th, starting at 4. We'll be done around 8:30.

The dinner will be in San Francisco, at chef Charles Phan's kitchen in the Mission. There's enough space to use the stoves and ovens in a couple of shifts.

Only 30 people can register for this event, so act quickly, but please note which courses are already taken. Details will be emailed to those registered a few days before the event.

Every person coming (including any guest you bring, or your other half in a couple) must sign up for a slot and either cook something or provide local wine and beer (if beverage slots are available - see below).

Since participation is limited, please let us know at least 4 days before the dinner if you're not going to be able to make it, so we can invite someone else to join us. If you cancel 4 days before the event, you can't join us for the following 2 events. If you don't show at all, you can't join us for the next 3. Canceling on short notice (or not at all) is unfair to everyone, especially people who wanted to participate and couldn't because all the slots were taken.

11 participants will make main courses for 3-4 people each ALL SLOTS TAKEN
5 participants will make appetizers for 8 people each ALL SLOTS TAKEN
3 participants will make salads for 10 people each ALL SLOTS TAKEN
5 participants will make dessert for 8-10 people each ALL SLOTS TAKEN
5 participants will bring at least 2 bottles of good *locally produced* wine per person (not per couple) and some *locally-brewed* beer. Consider that most cooks spend $25-50 (and up!) just on their ingredients. If you're not cooking, you should be prepared to spend at least this much on beverages, out of respect for your chefs.  ALL SLOTS TAKEN
1 participant will bring non-alcoholic beverages (sparkling water and juices, locally produced when possible) ALL SLOTS TAKEN

Please let me know who is coming by name. Once we reach 30 people confirmed, I will close the event and start another post for the waiting list. If the slots are full for what you'd like to bring, please choose something else instead. (Don't worry: There will always be another event to showcase your skills.)

So post a comment on the blog (do not email me directly) under the call-for-participation post letting me know the following:
First and last name
Email address
What you'll be bringing (appetizer, main course, etc.)
If you brought wine last time, you should now cook something (unless you cooked as part of a couple and made a large entree).

If too many people pick the same course, I'll have to assign a different course to the last entrant.

This is going to be great! So sign up before the spaces are gone.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Thank you for participating! NorCal artisan wine and cheese

Buongiorno,
Grazie to the 60+ of you that participated in our Northern California wine and cheese pairing event. That was a blast! And special thanks to Liam at Bellwether Farms for sending the still hard-to-find Jersey cow whole milk ricotta to try. It was a big hit and everyone wants to know where to find it.

Stay tuned: I'll post the call for participation for our next 'Let's cook and eat together' event in the next few days.

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio