December 2007

"I’m just trying to get through the holidays" is a phrase I hear way too often. It has, it seems, become a chore for most of us--we stress to find the perfect present, make the perfect meal, decorate beautifully, host parties for friends and family, celebrate--and still have to accomplish all the normal day-to-day routines of life and work. Grocery shopping is made all the harder because everyone else is doing it at the same time (where were these people the other 11 months of the year?), everyone jockeying for space with an intensity bordering on fierceness. Lines are long, and tempers, at times, are short. Being in the food business, it’s magnified--the shopping is for large groups, again and again; the lines, the stress, and the extra time to park, to shop, to schlep the cart to whatever far-off spot the car’s parked, are repeated all too often. But then, there’s the reward of providing the absolute best food for people’s parties, most of which for me, have been right in my kitchen this year.

Paulding & Company’s kitchen is hosting a seemingly unending array of parties right now, sometimes two a day. Group after group is finding it fun and rewarding to celebrate by making a meal together, and there are some new pictures in my photo gallery of one of the events, the Alibris tenth anniversary and holiday party. A big group, 62 in all, that came, cooked, enjoyed a great meal and had a great time, as you’ll see. I want to thank them for providing the pictures--I’m always too busy helping the guests cook, to take any myself!

The parties are continuing on into the new year, too--we have a bunch of clients who wait until everyone’s home from their holiday travels, and then have their party. Hopefully, this will continue on through to spring; personally, I’ll never get tired of making great food with happy people!

I have a few gift suggestions to pass on that might make your special (cooking) friend or family member happy: For anyone needing them, Costco at the moment has a beautiful set of straight-sided tri-ply (like All Clad) pots and pans, 13 pieces for $229. This is about 1/4 the cost of the same array from the name brand, and the pans are every bit as nice. I wish I needed some, they are SO tempting! I’d also suggest a good chef’s knife and a sharpening steel as a great gift for anyone who likes to cook. There are many styles and prices to choose from, and I don’t want to make specific recommendations other than to make sure the knife is made from high carbon steel--but I do want to say a few words about the sharpening steel: these are very important tools, because using one frequently and properly will keep the edge on any knife for much longer than not using one. All you have to do is find the proper angle of your blade, which varies a bit from brand to brand, and then draw the knife down the steel at that angle, first one side then the other, 4-6 times. The knife will not get sharpened if it’s dull, but the steel will realign the edge of a reasonably sharp knife, keeping it keen. I usually steel my knives daily; that way, I have to sharpen them only occasionally. You have to be mindful to keep the angle of the blade, or you will dull the knife instead. Like all things, a bit of practice is important. As is cutting with a sharp knife, which is safer and much more enjoyable than using a dull one!

Classes

First some news--Our wonderful Italian cooking teacher, Rosetta Costantino, is featured in Sunset Magazine this month. Her Calabrian Christmas feast, complete with recipes, can be found online as well.

Now that Rosetta is getting so famous (her cookbook will publish in 2009, too), if you want entrée into one of her upcoming classes, you’d best register soon! Her tempting menus for winter and spring are all posted on the calendar, with a link to her website to purchase the class. There are still spots in all the 2008 classes, but there won’t be for long--so don’t delay. And, of course remember that a cooking class gift certificate makes a wonderful gift!

Another great gift, or a treat for yourself, might be my Basic Cooking Winter Supper Club, beginning January 9th, for 6 Wednesday evenings. Usually it’s offered through Piedmont Adult School, but because of certain county educational regulations, I am temporarily offering it directly from my web site. Same super-low price, fabulous food, and a chance to cook with a very friendly bunch of fellow students--what could be better? And, you can register right now, before the Piedmont Adult School Moonlighter publishes (there will be a link to purchase the class in it).

Our wonderful knife sharpening teacher, Eric Weiss, who has been featured in SF Magazine among other places, has scheduled his winter class for Monday, January 14th. Eric is a master sharpener, who plies his trade at many of the best bay area restaurants. His class is informative, instructional and key to being able to keep your knives in top condition. You get a sharpening stone and oil, as well as a great lesson in this class--we only offer it once each quarter, so don’t delay to insure a spot!

Our companion class, Knife Skills with Charlie Vollmar, will again be on the schedule soon. The last class, a few weeks ago, was very well received. Paulding & Company is dedicated to providing good culinary education classes to the general public, and this one is useful to home cooks and restaurant cooks alike--in fact we presented sessions at UC Berkeley food service facilities last year. We hope to have this class back in February.

Farmers Market Finds

Vying with the gift stalls that crop up at the markets this time of year, you will find a variety of winter produce that includes great citrus like Satsuma mandarin oranges, Meyer lemons and navel oranges. Farmers have been telling me that the berries are ‘almost over’ for a month now, but I am still finding good strawberries and raspberries at the market. The persimmons are in full force, and for your dining pleasure, see this month’s recipe--I’ve put together a really wonderful persimmon pudding, that’s also incredibly easy to make. My favorite apple, the Pink Lady, is everywhere; crisp and tart-sweet, this apple stars in my winter pies and strudels, and is a great snacking fruit, too. Pears are wonderful now too, and the last of the local grapes will soon be gone.

Winter greens like kale and collards, plus chard, broccoli, cauliflower, and great orange squash of many varieties color the stalls. My favorite lettuce farm, Blue Heron, will soon stop coming to market, and I will miss their radishes, fennel and leeks as well--the leeks at the farmers market, which have been grown with personal attention so that they have much more of the blanched white tender stalk than store-bought ones, are especially flavorful right now. I’ve seen some artichokes here and there, and there are still some summer squash and of peppers of all kinds, but both are dwindling.

Press

I’ve been writing regularly for the Emeryville Connection, a city-wide publication of the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce. You can read my monthly articles online at www.emeryvilleconnection.com. Many of the articles also appear in the Piedmont Post (no website available). This month’s article features my recipe for baked stuffed clams, a great (easy) appetizer.

Recipe of the Month

Persimmon pudding was a challenge for me. I wanted a soft, custard-like pudding, not a heavy cake. I wanted to actually taste the persimmon, and most of all, I wanted it to be an easy dessert to make. I tried it out for Thanksgiving, and it was a hit--very sweet, but the sweetness is mitigated a bit by some whipped cream laced with rum, which compliments the persimmon wonderfully. You want to get the dome-shaped Hachiya, and let it ripen completely, until the skin can barely contain the soft jelly-like contents. You can speed-ripen the persimmons in the freezer, just put them in for 3 hours then remove and thaw. This breaks down the cell walls, which seems to remove the tannins. You cannot, however, use them in their less-than-soft state; the tannin level is so high, they will be extremely unpalatable.

See the recipe >