The Slanted Door in San Francisco’s Embarcadero Neighborhood

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Slanted Door Doughnuts

For the past few days, I have been away from my lovely yet chaotic home in New York City and have been traveling in San Francisco. Unfortunately, this trip has been for business and I am currently in a hotel room without a kitchen. No homemade goodies this week to share. However, I think the trade-off of homemade goodies for San Francisco’s culinary experience may be well worth it.

Last night dinner was at The Slanted Door, a Vietnamese, Asian fusion restaurant located in the Embarcadero neighborhood. Restaurant is owned by executive chef, Charles Phan. The atmosphere and service was perfect for our group of six. Not to mention they even equipped us with our own Sommelier!

Everything at the restaurant was served family style which allowed us to try several dishes. Appetizers were nothing short of spectacular. We started out with the vegetarian spring rolls, crispy imperial rolls, bánh nam, crispy baby fava beans, and a complimentary house serving of the wood oven roasted manila clams. They all had amazing combinations of flavors but what stuck out to me most was the last dish presented to us, the wood oven roasted manila clams. Its menu description of “thai basil, crispy pork belly, and fresh chilies” barely does justice in describing the rich flavors the dish encompasses. I am not the biggest clam fan, but the baby clams sat in a broth filled with leeks and all kinds of spices that made it so good, everyone at the table started doing shots of the broth out of their empty clam shells! The added texture and saltiness of the pork belly paired well with the softness of the clams.

For the main course, we ordered everything from cellophane noodles filled with Dungeness crab meat to liberty farm spiced duck breast with a pomegranate hoisin sauce. Again, the fireworks came when the last dish was presented, the mesquite grilled range brother Berkshire pork chop. Tender and perfectly cooked, the pork chops were melt in your mouth incredible. They were seasoned with spices that had a distinctive kick and would quickly awaken your palate. Each piece of meat was topped with the ever slimmest slice of a pink lady apple. The acidic crispness of the apple sliver impeccably counter balanced the texture and spice of the pork chop.

The grand finale came with my favorite course, the dessert. We ended the meal with lychee cotton candy and doughnuts with a butterscotch dipping sauce. Soft on the inside and crisp on the outside, the doughnuts were made to perfection. With the sweetness of the butterscotch dipping sauce, there was no question I was going back for seconds.

Overall, my experience at The Slanted Door was five stars. If all of San Francisco’s culinary offerings are in line with this, I just may have to start planning more trips to this beautiful city!

http://www.slanteddoor.com/

Taco Bites with Chipotle Mayo

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Taco Bites with Chipotle Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! I hope everyone’s day is filled with fun and friends, I know mine will be. The last thing you want to be doing on a day of celebration is to be sitting in the kitchen slaving away over hour long recipes to impress your guests. I normally make all of my doughs from scratch but with wanting to spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the time with my friends, this quick recipe uses the crescent roll dough from Pilsbury.

These addictive taco bites are small and easy to transport to any party you are going to today!

Ingredients for Taco Bites:

1 lb ground beef

½ tsp paprika

Salt & Pepper

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

2 cups cheddar cheese

1 cup salsa

1 tsp adobo sauce

2 pkgs pilsbury crescent roll dough

2 scallions to top finished product

Ingredients for Chipotle Sauce:

3 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce

1 tbl adobo sauce

dash of paprika

½ lime, juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the taco filling, in a medium skillet, on medium heat, cook ground beef for 5-7 minutes or until brown in color. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Add in both cheeses, salsa, and 1 tsp. adobe sauce from the adobe chili pepper can. Cook for about 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Make sure to continually stir so that all ingredients are well combined. Remove from heat.

Roll out the dough from the Pilsbury crescent rolls. Push together the creases of where the crescent rolls would be cut, you want to form one long sheet of dough. Cut the dough into 1 in squares.

Taco Bite Before Oven

Taco Bite Before Oven

Grease the bottoms of a mini muffin tin (this will make 36 mini muffins). Place the dough squares into a mini muffin tin. Push the dough down so that it takes on the shape of the tin. Fill to the top with the ground beef mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

To make the chipotle sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Thinly chop the two scallions. Remove the taco bites from the oven and let cool slightly. Place on serving plate and using a plastic squeeze bottle, squeeze the chipotle sauce over the taco bites. Top with scallions.

Taco Bites

Taco Bites

Pistachio Blood Orange Cupcakes

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Pistachio Blood Orange Cupcakes

My first encounter with the term blood orange was actually with the San Pellegrino drink. Not to be confused with the traditional Aranciata flavor, the Aranciata Rossa flavor was introduced to me by one of my fancy food loving best friends. Blood orange has a distinct flavor to it, different than that of a traditional orange. When you slice open a blood orange you will notice a deep crimson color. Blood oranges are not only delicious but packed with antioxidants.

Around christmas time I had made a pistachio cake following a Williams Sonoma recipe and it was a huge success with friends and family. I’ve taken the same recipe I used for that cake and added in the blood orange component. I’ve also paired this with a blood orange mascarpone frosting. Both the frosting and the cake have a strong pistachio flavor with a subtle note from the blood orange.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups shelled pistachio (unsalted)

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. grated blood orange zest

6 egg whites (room temperature)

1/8 tsp salt

2 tbls fresh squeezed juice of a blood orange

6 tbls unsalted butter (melted and cooled)

Ingredients for frosting:

8 oz. mascarpone cheese

1/2 cups unsalted butter (room temperature)

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tbls. fresh squeezed juice of a blood orange

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place pistachios on a baking sheet and roast for about 5 minutes. Pour on a plate to cool. Once cooled, remove the shells.

Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Prepare cupcake tray with liners (makes 18).

In a food processor, coarsely chop half of the toasted nuts, then remove and set aside. Add the remaining toasted nuts and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar to the food processor. Process until the nuts are finely chopped. Add in flour and orange zest, pulse to blend.

In the bowl an electric mixer, beat together the egg whites and salt until foamy. Increase speed to high and add in the remaining 3/4 cup of granulated sugar and orange juice. Beat until soft peaks form. Remove from standing mixer and fold in the flour mixture. Add in the butter and about 3/4 of the reserved chopped pistachios (you want to save some to top the cupcakes with). Fold in gently using a rubber spatula.

Fill each cupcake mold about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely on wire racks.

To make the frosting, combine the mascarpone and unsalted butter in the bowl of a standing mix. Mix on medium speed until smooth and well incorporated. Gradually add in the powder sugar and the juice from the blood orange. Mix on high speed for about 7 minutes or until light and fluffy in texture. Use a spatula to scoop the frosting into a piping bag fitted with your desired piping tip.

Evenly pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and top with the remaining reserved pistachios.

Pistachio Blood Orange Cupcakes

Pistachio Blood Orange Cupcakes

Pistachio Ricotta Doughnuts

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Pistachio ricotta doughnuts

Nothing better to wake up to then a batch of freshly made doughnuts. I remember as a child my family would take a trip to the nearest Krispy Kreme to watch the doughnuts being made. My favorite part was when the workers, with their white and green papered hats, would take a few off of the conveyor belt and allow us to taste them while they were warm. Doughnuts, surprisingly, can come in a variety of textures. Whether you fry or bake them as well as taking into consideration the ingredients you use, doughnuts can range from light and airy, to cakey and spongey.  These doughnuts are baked and have a cakey spongey texture. I use salted pistachios in the recipe so that the doughnuts are not overly sweet.

Ingredients doughnuts:

1/2 cup unsalted butter + more for coating pan

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 tbls honey

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup ricotta

1 1/2 cups pistachios (salted and finely chopped, needs to fit through the tip of a pastry bag)

Ingredients for glaze:

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup pistachios (salted and coarsely chopped)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees f. Lightly coat a doughnut pan with butter.

To make the doughnuts, put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Cream on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time making sure each egg is well combined before adding the next. Add in honey and mix until combined.

In a separate medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda with a whisk. With the mixer on low, add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix until combined. Add in the ricotta and mix until combined. Add in the remaining flour mixture and mix until combined. Remove bowl from the standing mixer and, using a rubber spatula, fold in the finely chopped pistachios. Pour the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip. Use the pastry bag to squeeze the batter into the pan filling the mold about halfway full.

Doughnuts in pan

Doughnuts in pan

Bake for 12-13 minutes, until the doughnuts spring back when lightly touches. Remove from oven and let doughnuts cool on a wire rack.

To make the glaze, create a double boiler by placing a metal bowl on top of a pot with simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water, it should just be resting above it. Coarsely chop the chocolate and place in the bowl. Let the chocolate melt completely, occasionally stirring with a heat proof spatula. Stir in the butter and let melt completely. Make sure mixture is well combined. Remove from heat.

Dip the top of each doughnut into the glaze so that the entire top surface of each doughnut is evenly covered. Return to wire rack and immediately top with the coarsely chopped pistachios. Let the doughnuts set for a few minutes to allow the chocolate to cool and slightly harden.

IMG_6462

Pistachio Ricotta Doughnuts

NYC 1st Annual Hot Sauce Festival

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Hot Sauce Festival

Why does it always feel that as soon as spring hits everyone’s schedule gets crazy? From running around at work, to spring cleaning, to just plain old wanting to enjoy the fresh air I feel like the months of March and (almost) April have flown by! So much has gone on in the past few weeks that I didn’t even get the  chance to count down to the one expo I’ve been waiting and waiting for, NYC’s 1st annual hot sauce festival!

I love hot sauce and spices. It’s something about that extra kick it gives to food that just makes flavors explode for me. It is not uncommon that the Costco sized bottle of Frank’s in my refrigerator is gone every two weeks.

The festival will take place this weekend April 20-21st in Williamsburg Brooklyn. General admission tickets are $10 a person and can be found here. The festival runs from 10-6 each day with fun events such as Volcanic Fiery Pizza Eating Challenge and a Bloody Mary Mixdown.

This is definitely an event you won’t want to miss. Official website below.

http://www.nychotsauceexpo.com/index.html

Apple Walnut Pancakes

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Apple-Walnut-PancakesThere is something about the mix of apple, cinnamon, and walnuts that brings a warm feeling to my stomach. These pancakes are light and cakey made with an apple puree and have a crunch from the walnuts.

Ingredients:

1 granny smith apple

1 tbls heavy cream

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tbls granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 large egg

2 tbl spoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup milk

1 cup walnuts (coarsely chopped)

Directions:

Wash, peel, and dice the apple. Add it to a food processor with 1 tbls heavy cream and process until it has a slushy texture and an apple puree is formed. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vegetable oil, and milk until well combined. Whisk in the flour 1/3 at a time making sure to beat until incorporated before each addition. Continue to whisk until all lumps are gone.

Fold in the apple puree and walnuts. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Spray or grease pan. Pour the batter on to the pan and cook until golden brown. Flip pancake and cook on opposite side until pancake is fully cooked through. Repeat until batter is used up.

Apple Walnut Pancakes

Apple Walnut Pancakes

White Chocolate & Hazelnut Loaf

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White Chocolate & Hazelnut Loaf

Everyday I am grateful for the discovery of hazelnuts. This nut is most popularly associated with the sweet Nutella spread but is also used in many baking recipes. Its cute, plump shape and significant crunch make this nut one of my favorites.

I have had a package of these nuts hidden away in my cupboard and have been wanting to make a recipe out of them. Since I have yet to post any bread recipes on Pretty in Pistachio I decided to give it a go. I did a little consulting with my beloved Flavor Bible for the best ingredients to pair the hazelnuts with and decided on white chocolate and ricotta.

Makes 1 5×9 inch loaf.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter + more to grease pan

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

1/4 cup whole milk ricotta

1/2 cup hazelnuts (coarsely chopped)

1/4 cup white chocolate (chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter the bottom of a 5×9 inch bread loaf pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan and flour the sides.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Make sure to scrape down the sides every so often. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and ricotta until well incorporated and the mixture has doubled in volume. Add the ricotta and egg mixture into the sugar and butter mixture 1/3 at a time. Continue to beat for 3-4 minutes until all is incorporated.

In a separate medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add all of the flour mixture into the wet mixture and beat just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides if necessary. Remove from the stand mixer and using a rubber spatula, fold in the coarsely chopped hazelnuts and white chocolate chips. Transfer to loaf pan. Do not worry about settling the mixture, it will settle in the oven.

Place into oven and bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Easter Essentials

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Easter-Post

With Easter only about a week away we decided to get to work and scrounge the internet for last minute essentials. Here is a list of our top 5 favorite items to prepare for Easter festivities:

1. Jonathan Adler Mod Dot Dinnerware $50 for set of 4

2. Crate & Barrel Coil Egg Cup $0.76 each

3. Etsy Monogrammed Dish Towel $10.00

4. Sur La Table Chick Dip Bowl $11.96

5. Target Wilton Bunny cake pan $9.99

Pistachio Pancetta Benedict

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Pistachio-Pancetta-Benedict

Eggs were always a popular item in our household growing up. The first thing I typically heard every morning as I made my way downstairs was my dad’s voice saying “Want breakfast? Want some eggs? I’m making eggs.” Half the time it was not even a choice if I wanted eggs for breakfast or not.

I’ve learned however, that eggs can be prepared in many ways, scrambled, sunny side up, hard boiled, etc. They contribute to fancier dishes as well such as eggs benedict. This recipe is for an eggs benedict using pancetta and topped with pistachios.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

2 english muffins

8 oz. pancetta thinly sliced

1/4 tbls olive oil

Ingredients for hollandaise:

3 egg yolks

1/2 stick butter

1/2 tsp lemon juice

dash of salt

dash of paprika

1/4 cup pistachios (coarsely chopped)

Directions:

Fill a saucepan (large enough to poach 4 eggs) with 1 inch of water, bring to a simmer over low to medium heat. While the water is coming to a simmer, place a separate sauce pan on medium heat and grease with 1/4 tbls olive oil. Place the pancetta in the pan and cook until crispy.

Once the first pan is at a simmer you want to poach your four eggs. To do this, place a soup ladle in a mixing bowl and crack one egg into the soup ladle. Use the soup ladle to drop the egg into the simmering water. Repeat with the three remaining eggs. Keep the heat at low for one minute then remove pan from heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. The longer you let it sit the harder the yolk becomes. If you like your yolk runny, let it sit for only 3-4 minutes.

In the meantime, toast the two english muffins. If your pancetta is cooked through, remove from pan, drain on a plate using a paper towel to absorb the grease. Then place the pancetta on top of the toasted english muffins. Remove the eggs from the pan and place on top of pancetta.

To make the hollandaise, beat the egg yolks and lemon juice in a stainless steel bowl for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture doubles in volume. Place bowl on top of a pot with boiling water (bowl should not be touching the water, just resting on top of it). Slowly pour in the melted butter and continue to whisk for another 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in salt and paprika.

Pour over the eggs and top with coarsely chopped pistachios.

Pistachio Pancetta Benedict

Pistachio Pancetta Benedict

Caramel Biscotti

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Caramel Biscotti

Caramel Biscotti

Biscotti is amazing but I would say the crunch of it is an acquired taste. When I was growing up, I was a fan of soft chewy cookies and sugar cookies were my favorite. Very opposite of what a biscotti is. I also didn’t like coffee. But as I grew older and my palate developed, I started to live off of coffee and it’s perfect pairing: the biscotti.

My first attempt at making biscotti was around last Christmas. I made a pistachio orange biscotti and gave it away in tin cans as Christmas gifts. It gained the likeness of friends, friends of friends, moms of friends, family, and so on. This honestly was also one of the more simpler cookies I made around the holidays so I decided to take a crack at it again but this time with a different flavor. I went with a simple caramel flavor made out of both caramel sauce and brown sugar.

Ingredients for Caramel sauce to mix into dough:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tblsp. butter

dash of salt

Ingredients for biscotti dough:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs

Directions:
First make the caramel sauce by mixing the brown sugar, heavy cream, butter, and dash of salt in a medium saucepan. Place on medium heat and whisk constantly for 7-8 minutes. The texture will be smooth and the color light brown. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a glass jar. Place a piece of saran wrap over the jar to cover it. Make sure that the saran wrap is pressed up against and touching the caramel sauce at the top so the sauce does not form a film. Set aside in refrigerator until needed.

To make the biscotti dough, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of a mixer, combine the butter, both sugars, and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy about 1-2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Add in 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Then remove the caramel sauce from the refrigerator and add into the mixture. Beat until combined. Add in the remaining flour mixture and beat again until dough is smooth and consistent. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

When the dough is ready, remove from refrigerator and place on a well floured surface. Divide the dough in half and form two even logs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place both logs onto a baking sheet sprinkled with flour. The baking sheet should be large enough to leave about 5 inches in between each log (they will spread when baking).

Bake for 30 minutes (firm to the touch but still generally soft). Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 minute. Use a spatula and carefully transfer the logs one at a time to a clean work station. Cut the logs on a diagonal about 3/4 inches thick. Arrange the slices, cut side down, on the baking sheet and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool on wire racks.