The ribbon at the opening ribbon cutting ceremony was a thing of beauty. Not merely a piece of cloth, it was a garland made of herbs and vegetables. It was cut by Chris Cosentino and Dominique Crenn with about a dozen other chefs holding up the ribbon and waving kitchen tools.

Even with the fog you couldn’t complain about the weather. It’s easier to eat and drink if it isn’t 85 degrees. It’s certainly more pleasant when you are on the worker side of an event. Of course it didn’t hurt the events were inside a tent at Union Square. If you were there all weekend and tasted every dish you would have sampled food from a good majority of the restaurants in the city.

On one level chefs participate because it helps us keep our names out there in a competitive business. People who try and like our tastings will come (we hope) to our restaurants and eat.

On another level, and just as important to us chefs, the weekend is a way for chefs to see each other. In our kitchens we are caught up in the day to day stuff- managing employees, writing menus and cooking, or in my case, baking.  It is necessary and even gratifying but not that enlightening. Rolling out dough and mixing batters satisfies the introvert in me but I also need to get out and see what others are doing. It’s fun to be part of an event that includes so many of the Bay Area’s culinary talent.

I participated in the Sugar party (i.e. ice cream social) at The Westin Saint Francis Hotel. Pastry chefs teamed up with artisan ice cream makers to create desserts using ice cream. Here’s a line-up of the pastry chefs, the artisan ice cream companies they worked with, and what they made. You can see they are doing some cool stuff.

William Werner (Tell Tale Preserves) and Jake Godby (Humphrey Solcumb Ice Cream): charentais melon sorbet-prosciutto ice cream bon bon; raspberry-sweet corn ice cream sandwich; imperial stout float, roasted white chocolate; praline marshmallow, pluot pate de fruit, blackberry-nib financiers

Dominique Crenn (Luce): Corn textures and foie gras

Luis Villavelazquez (Absinthe) and Robyn Goldman (Smitten Ice Cream): Cantalope, Lavender and Lemon
Christine Law (Anchor & Hope): Blue Bottle Coffee Milkshake with Maple Whoopee Pie
Jean-Francois Houdre (Westin St. Francis): Peach Assemblage-slow roasted peach puree poached peach in anis syrup, thyme financier, thyme meringue sticks

Elizabeth Falkner (Orson), Ian Flores and Annabelle Topacio (Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous): grilled sour dough ice cream sundaes with concord grape syrup, salted brazil nuts and spanish peanuts and chantilly
Ethan Howard (Cavallo Point): “Flufferberry”- Marshmallow ice cream sandwiched between two peanut macaroons with peanut butter buttercream and strawberry preserves
Catherine Schimenti (Michael Mina): Smoked Vanilla Bean Parfait, with cashew butter, fudge and marshmallow

Emily Luchetti (Farallon and Waterbar), Anne Walker and Sam Mogannam (Birite Ice Cream); Peach Split- crème fraiche ice cream, butterscotch sauce, raspberries and toasted almonds

 We all had the common theme of ice cream but it was interesting to see how each chef did something unique.

I got to meet several pastry chefs I had not previously met and others who I had not seen in some time. Pastry chefs (it must be all the sugar) are a friendly gregarious group. I felt energized by all the talent in one room. We could have stayed there for some time laughing and chatting. We each have our own distinct style but we all have the common goal to make great food. We each want to be good but we know there is a place for all of us to succeed. I feel extremely fortunate to be part of the San Francisco dessert world. I don’t think any other city in the country has the caliber and camaraderie around desserts as San Francisco.

Judging from the feedback, the ice cream social will be back at next year’s SF Chefs Weekend. Elizabeth Falkner and I are routing for a brass band like they have at old fashioned ice cream socials. I know it’s a year away but mark your calendars.

Baking and pastry programs in cooking schools are full across the country. While they have always been popular, since the economy went south a couple of years ago attendance is even higher. I get lots of applications for people just starting out and wanting a job. I don’t know what to tell them. I feel badly because they need the help and they would all be good places to work.

What you don’t see many of are resumes of people with several years of pastry experience, enough to run a pastry department in a good quality restaurant.

So where are they? Even though the baking schools are full, a lot of graduates don’t stay in restaurants long term.  The work isn’t what they expected it to be. They thought since they liked to bake at home they will like to bake in restaurant. Once they get into a restaurant they realize it’s harder than they thought. On their feet for long hours (only sitting down for a ten minute break or to go the bathroom) and the pressure to get a lot done by service takes the fun out of it for many. It can be repetitious when the menu doesn’t change for a month and the production is the same. I once had a cook say she wanted to do something besides production and plating. I’m still to figure out what else there is.

Some are not willing to put in the years of work with the not so great hours for little pay. That being said, pastry chef  hours can be “better” than savory chef hours as a lot of production can be done during the day so you have evenings off.

Restaurants also have bakeries to compete with for staff. Many restaurant pastry cooks go to work in pastry shops where the production pace is similar but there isn’t service and the rest of the kitchen craziness to deal with.

On television food shows they see the glamour and fun part of the business, not the hard work that’s involved. If you go into the business just for the accolades and television appearances you are in it for the wrong reasons and you won’t stick around. There’s a lot of hard work that the cameras don’t show.

The pastry department is generally the smallest department in a restaurant. In small restaurants the pastry chef writes the menu, does all the production and most of the plating. He or she works alone for the most part and the salad person may plate desserts later in the evening or a prep person may peel some apples. Sometimes pastry chefs have to go in early to get everything baked off before the cooks need the oven for lunch or dinner service. They stock up as much as possible on their days off as a line cook or sous chef will fill in between their other responsibilities to prepare anything they are short on. A restaurant has to look at the volume of desserts it sells and gauge its pastry department accordingly. It doesn’t mean that they don’t care about desserts. Given economics, space, and time they can’t get too elaborate.

Pastry cooks  get promoted to pastry chefs faster than a line cook will get promoted to a sous chef or chef. This isn’t always a good thing. He or she  may be a good cook but if they are promoted to pastry chef a year out of school they don’t have the work/life experience to handle running a department and solving the problems that invariably come up. Often they get burned out and leave.

Many pastry chefs I have talked to over the years find working in one person shops lonely. They feel they stopped learning as much once they weren’t working under a chef or with other cooks. All cooks needs time to learn from others, see that pastry chefs don’t all do things the same way. That doesn’t mean a pastry chef can’t make fabulous desserts and be happy in a small department I just think it’s harder.

A pastry cook who worked for me a couple years ago was offered a pastry chef job in a small restaurant but she turned it down so she could work under more pastry chefs. I commend her for it. It was tempting to realize her ultimate goal of becoming a pastry chef but she put it off so she could get something bigger down the road.

Throughout my career I have worked for large restaurants where we have the luxury of having a pastry chef and several cooks. A 175 seat main dining room and private dining rooms require a bigger pastry department. Being open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner keeps volume up too.  I prefer  this environment because I am able to put together and be a part of a team. We all contribute whether it is creating, production or plating. When all the responsibility isn’t on one person you have the time to brainstorm ideas and get feedback from your colleagues.

Regardless where they work, pastry chefs have to be extremely organized and thrive on the sense of urgency and the chaos in a restaurant. It can be a love hate relationship and if the negatives outweigh the positives a pastry chef will find a different career. If you are a pastry chef still in love with your career, email me at emily@emilyluchetti.com and I can hook you up with some great restaurants.

The VIP hosts include Anne Kronenberg, Maggie Rizer, Alex Mehran, Susan Ungaro, and Denise Hale. The mistress of ceremonies for the live auction will be Joanne Weir.

The food will be as amazing as you would expect from this great line up of chefs. Here’s a listing of some of the food that will be offered:

Jewish Artichokes with Lemons and Aïoli
Sweetbreads alla Saltimbocca
Assorted Dumplings > Shrimp, Snow Pea Shoot, and Spinach
Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai
Devil’s Gulch Rabbit Escabèche with Fava Bean Crostini    
Herb-Crusted Beef Filet Mignon with Spaetzle, Cippolini Onions, and King Trumpet Mushrooms
Brown Sugar Oat Crisp Ice Cream Sandwiches with Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
Turkish Delight 2010 > Crispy Honey-Baked Kadayif with Creamy Citrus-Scented Mascarpone Jelly, Glazed Apricots, and Almonds
Baked Lavender Pavlova with Chinese Lychees, Raspberries, and Tahitian Vanilla Chantilly
Housemade Valencia-Roasted Peanut Butter Cups with Fleur de Sel
Citrus-Scented Panna Cotta with Cucumber–Lemongrass Gelée and Candied Fennel
Hamada Farms Meyer Lemon Parfait Pops with Strawberry–Lemon Verbena Leather
Layered Pistachio Cake with Sour Cherry–Chocolate Gum and Spiced Sicilian Pistachio Buttercream
Housemade S’more Stacks with Tonka Bean Ganache

And to Drink

Miura Sparkling Cava NV
Hall Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Hall Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Basil Gimlets with SKYY Vodka, Basil, and Lime Juice

12 Gallagher Lane, the location of the event, is the exclusive west coast gallery for artist Hunt Slonem, San Francisco, California. It’s tucked between 4th & 5th and Howard & Folsom. Slonem grew up in the south and the outside of the building is reminiscent of his two restored plantation homes in Louisiana.

The VIP Reception starts at 6:00 P.M. and the Tasting Soirée & Live Auction begins at 7 and runs until midnight. We hope to see you there.

For ticket information go to: http://www.scribd.com/doc/32950593/Pride-Soiree

This is the week for anniversary events. Sunday I will be cooking at a luncheon at Sakonnet Winery in Rhode Island, celebrating their 35^th anniversary. If you happen to be near Little Compton (just outside of Providence) come by for some Passion Fruit Pound Cake with Strawberries and Chantilly Cream. Savory courses will be prepared by Anne Quatrano from Atlanta, Jasper White from Boston, Johanne Killeen and George Germon from Providence and Casey Riley from Newport. Go to www.sakonnetwine.com/events.cfm for more information.

photo by Brooke Gray

In a well run restaurant, both the front and the back of the house are in sync.  A pile of tickets in the kitchen to be “fired” and a jam-packed dining room with standing room only in the bar stretches both sides to the limit.

Luckily at both Waterbar and Farallon the cooks and the waiters have a great relationship. If things get a bit short during service it blows over, or is repaired by the end of the night. It’s important that we all communicate well.

Waiters are the cooks’ eyes and ears to the customers. We rely on them to tell us what the customers are saying both good and not so good. I have a constant dialogue with them about the desserts so I can figure out if our customers are happy. (Clean plates are a good indicator too.) 

The waiters also help out before a dessert appears on the menu. If they pass the pastry department at just the right time we hand them a spoon and say- “Taste this.” Not so surprisingly, most of them look our way every time they walk by in hopes of finding a half -created dessert with different sauces and garnishes as we decide what goes best.

For several days before and after a dessert menu change we plate all the desserts right before service:  5:00 for dinner and 11:00 for lunch. (In the restaurant world this is called line-up). At this point waiters and cooks have a chance to try the final version. While we provide a cheat sheet with each dessert menu describing the desserts and all the components, a taste is worth a thousand words. They are in a much better position to talk to a customer if they have tried the dessert themselves. 

For me a good dessert menu is when each waiter tells me their favorite dessert is something different. I figure if their answers vary the menu is balanced and will please all palates. Waiter knowledge and endorsement  is important for all the food but with desserts it’s especially valuable. When the dessert menu arrives, diners may be full or not sure if they want to indulge in something sweet. I rely on the waiters to tell people what they shouldn’t pass up. Tomorrow they can go to the gym and work a little harder but for now enjoy.

This is the cookie jar I put together for Meals on Wheels’ Star Chefs and Vintners Gala. It’s filled with lemon cornmeal shortbread, dried cherry pistachio biscotti and chocolate cocoa nib cookies. As part of the silent auction it will be taken home by the highest bidder. Meals on Wheels is a great organization that delivers meals to senior citizens who want to stay in their own home but cannot shop or prepare meals for themselves. It is a national organization and this gala at Fort Mason in San Francisco will benefit people in my city by the Bay. We all need to lend a hand so senior citizens can stay as independent as possible. I hope my cookies help.

We have the same route very year. We start at Peter and Paul Church on Washington Square where Peter’s great grandparents were married. There we sit on the steps and get a family history lesson. (People walking by stop and listen as they think we are part of an organized tour group.)  The first food stop is Liguria Bakery. It has the best focaccia in North Beach, if not the country. You have to get there early as they always run out. They have many different kinds but the pizza is the best. For a nickel more you can get it cut up to go. Otherwise they wrap it up in white paper like your shirts at the cleaners. (When you go make sure you peak into the back and see the huge oven where they do the baking.) The next two stops are at bakeries where we pick up bread and breadsticks. Then it is off to the site of Figone hardware on Grant Street. Mel Figone was a duck hunting buddy of Peter’s grandfather. When he owned the store the Luchetti clan would stop by and give him a bag of cookies from one of the Italian bakeries. Now the shop is an art gallery but we still stop by and reminisce about their duck hunting excursions. Mel’s picture is in the window of the gallery.

After stopping for lunch for some nourishment to keep shopping we stop at Stella Bakery on Columbus Avenue. Here we get a walk around treat. Everyone gets something different- (tiramisu, cannoli, cookies, biscotti, éclairs, cream puffs, panna cotta) plus we pick up a Sacripantina Cake which is their specialty. It’s sponge cake layered with Marsala-Sherry sabayon and covered with whipped cream. From there we go to Molinari Delicatessen. Jeff, my brother in law, orders all the cold meats (prosciutto (20 sheets!), galantina, mortadella, Toscana and Genoa salami, sopressata, head cheese, hot and mild coppa) while I select the cheeses (teleme, aged asiago, fontina, gorgonzola, parmesan, pecorino, and taleggio). Here we also get calamari salad, bean salad, olives, marinated mushrooms, artichokes, and tomatoes as well as house made cheese ravioli, red sauce and wines. At Victoria Pastry we pick up a Saint Honore cake and boxes of cookies. A big box is for us and smaller boxes are for gifts family members take to friends and in-laws on Easter Sunday. The final stop of the day is at Graffeo coffee where we all get coffee ground for our specific machines at home.

We load the cars with our goodies and go over to Peter’s and my house, open the wine and visit while we spread all the food out in a huge buffet. (We always end up with a few more people for dinner that couldn’t make the shopping part of the day.)The ravioli is the only thing we cook that evening so it is a holiday where no one gets stuck doing a lot of cooking when everyone else hangs out.

Years ago I came up with my version of Sacripantina cake. While I make it at other times of the year I wouldn’t think of making it at Easter. Part of the tradition is going to Stella and buying it. It’s fun to have a holiday where I don’t feel obligated to make dessert. I had it on the menu at Stars Restaurant but changed the name to Tuscan Cream Cake. People had a hard time pronouncing Sacripantina so they wouldn’t order it. As soon as I changed the name it sold like crazy.

Tuscan Cream Cake

Serves at least 12

2 recipes Sponge Cake (see recipe below)

1 recipe Zabaglione (see recipe below)

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup chocolate shavings or ground chocolate

3/4 cup crushed amaretti or biscotti

Against a short end of the cake, cut a 9-inch circle out of the sponge cake. With the remaining sponge cake, cut a half of a 9-inch circle. Repeat with the second sheet of sponge cake. Cut each circle and each half circle in half horizontally, so you will have a total of 4 circles and 4 half circles. (You will need all the circles and 2 of the half circles, so freeze the extra half circles and any scrap pieces for making trifles.)

Put a cake layer in the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Top with a generous 3/4 cup of the zabaglione. Top with a second cake layer, and then with another generous 3/4 cup of the zabaglione. For the third cake layer, fit two half circles side by side on the zabaglione. Repeat with more zabaglione and end with the fourth full cake circle. You will have 5 cake layers and 4 zabaglione layers. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.

In a bowl, combine the cream and sugar and whisk until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan, and then remove the pan sides and set the cake on a platter. Frost the sides and top of the cake with the whipped cream. Decorate the top with the chocolate shavings and the sides with the crushed amaretti. Cut into wedges to serve.

Planning Ahead

The cake may be made a day in advance, but frost the cake and decorate with the chocolate shavings and cookie crumbs the day you serve it. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Sponge Cake

You can double this recipe and make both cakes at once if your mixer is big enough.

Makes one 11 1/2-by-17 1/2-inch cake

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of kosher salt

5 large eggs, separated

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

5 tablespoons boiling water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of an 11 1/2-by-17 1/2-inch baking sheet with 1-inch sides, then line the bottom with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour and baking powder onto a piece of parchment paper or into a bowl. Add the salt and set aside.

Combine the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment and whip on high speed until thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, add the boiling water and vanilla, and mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Increase the speed to high and beat until thick, about 2 minutes. The mixture should be thick enough so that when you lift a bit of it with the whip, it falls back into the bowl in a ribbon that slowly dissolves on the surface. Reduce the speed to low, add the dry ingredients, and mix until incorporated.

Wash and dry the whip attachment. Put the egg whites in a clean mixer bowl, fit the mixer with the clean whip, and beat on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form. They should be smooth and not clumpy. Using a spatula, fold half of the whipped whites into the yolk mixture. Then fold in the remaining whites just until no white streaks remain. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched, about 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan to room temperature.

To remove the cake from the pan, run a small knife around the inside edge of the pan. Invert the pan onto a work surface, lift off the pan, and carefully peel off the parchment paper.

The sauce may be made 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated.

Zabaglione

Makes about 3 cups

8 large egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

3/4 cup Marsala

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Prepare an ice bath. In a stainless-steel bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until blended. Whisk in the Marsala.

Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Cook, whisking constantly, until thick and there are no air bubbles, 3 to 4 minutes. The mixture should mound slightly when dropped from the whisk.

Remove the bowl from the pan and place over the ice bath. Let cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally.

Put the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment and whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Using a spatula, fold the cream into the cooled Marsala mixture just until combined.

Cover and refrigerate until assembling the cake.

This past weekend on Treasure Island was the annual Make A Wish fundraiser dinner. It’s a wonderful organization that helps kids who have cancer or other life threatening illnesses fulfill their dreams. Roland Passot, owner of La Folie Restaurant, is on the Make a Wish Advisory Council. When Roland calls to ask chefs to participate in this special night we all quickly say yes. We volunteer our time and food as we want to help Make A Wish raise as much money as possible. Plus any event with Roland is worth attending.

There are two parts of the evening you can participate in. The first option is a walk around tasting of wines and hors d’oeuvres. There were at least 15 chefs and 15 wineries handing out delicious nibbles and wines to sip.  Both Farallon and Waterbar were part of the walk around hors d’oeuvres. Fred, the sous chef at Farallon, opened 1000 Beausoleil oysters and served them with traditional mignonette. Parke Ulrich, the chef at Waterbar, served Smoked Sturgeon Tea Sandwiches on Brioche with Caviar and Watercress. Here’s a picture of Parke’s sandwiches:

For the dinner the dining room was divided into 2 sections of 200 people each. There were 4 chefs for each side. Here’s the menu from “my side” of the dining room.

1^st Course

Chef Roland Passot, La Folie Restaurant,

Dungeness Crab Salad-Cauliflower Panna Cotta, Curry Tuile, Curried Crab Vinaigrette

2^nd Course

Chef Staffan Terje, Perbacco

Roasted Loin of Monkfish-Corona Bean and Black Chanterelle Stew, Green Garlic Brodetto

3^rd Course

Chef Dominique Crenn, Luce Wine Restaurant

Beef Tenderloin “confit”, beef tongue, Bulgur” tabbouleh” , Buckwheat and pickled kumquat

4^th Course

Chef Emily Luchetti

Almond Financier-Apple Marmalade, Crème Fraiche Chantilly

Heres’ a picture of my dessert plating in process. On the right is Lauren, the pastry chef at Waterbar.

We were able to line all 200 plates out at once. (Actually 250 as you always have to prepare a few extra for the wait staff and culinary student volunteers.) Here’s the finished product ready to go.

These events are a lot of fun not just because we are helping a great cause but we get to hang out with other chefs, see their work and have a god time. It is a good way to reconnect and to meet chefs you only know thorough food.

Oliver, the Make A Wish Honoree, is a student at the CIA on the Hyde Park campus. He helped us plate all the courses. His “wish” was to meet Thomas Keller and hang out with him at The French Laundry for a day. Make a Wish (and Thomas of course) made his dream come true. He is a serious enthusiastic young man who will make a great chef. Check out the local Make a Wish Chapter. Hopefully I will see you at the event next year. Mark your calendars- it will be on February 5, 2011.

Recently I was on the San Francisco television show View from the Bay demonstrating how to make walnut cranberry truffles. Here is a link.

Truffles are a perfect holiday treat for many reasons.

1. They are made with chocolate.
2. They are small so you can indulge without going overboard.
3. They last for quite a while so you can make them ahead.
4. As a hostess gift they are something different than a bottle of wine.
5. The flavor combinations are infinite.
6. They are made with chocolate. Yes, I know that is # 1 but it bears repeating.

Here are a couple different recipes for truffles. If you take the chocolate from the fridge and it is too hard to scoop let sit at room temperature for a bit. Conversely, if it is too soft put back in the fridge. Enjoy!

Walnut Cranberry Truffles

Yield about 30, 3/4 to 1-inch truffles

3/4 cup heavy cream

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped

1 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

In a small pot, bring the cream to a boil just around the edges. Add the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the cranberries.

Transfer the chocolate mixture to a pie pan or 9 inch pan. Refrigerate until firm, 1-2 hours.

Using a teaspoon scoop the truffles. Return to the refrigerator and let firm up again, about 30 minutes.

Place the walnuts on a plate or pie pan. Roll the truffles in the nuts and then roll them lightly between your palms until they are a nice round shape.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles

Makes thirty 1-inch truffles

 1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, ground

Warm the cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until hot and bubbling around the edges, about 3 minutes. Put the chocolate in a medium bowl and pour the cream over it. Let sit for 30 seconds, then whisk until smooth. Whisk in the peanut butter. Spread the chocolate cream in a 9-inch pan or pie plate. Refrigerate until hard, at least 1 hour to overnight.

Place the ground peanuts on a plate or in a pie dish. Line 2 baking sheets with wax paper.

Using a measuring teaspoon or melon baller, scoop out 30 heaping spoonfuls of the truffle mixture. Place them in a single layer on one of the prepared baking sheets. When all of the scoops have been made, lightly roll them between the palms of your hands to give them a nice round shape. If at any point the chocolate gets too warm and the truffles become difficult to roll, refrigerate the chocolate for 30 minutes until it firms up.

To scoop truffles: Dip the spoon or melon baller in hot water after every couple of scoops. Tap gently on the sheet pan to loosen the truffle mixture. To keep your hands clean while rolling truffles, where thin rubber gloves. This will also keep the truffles from getting too soft if you have hot hands.

Roll the truffles, a few at a time, in the ground peanuts. You may need to gently press the peanuts into the truffles to get them to stick. Place in a single layer on another wax paper- lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Before serving the truffles, let them sit at room temperature to soften slightly, 15 to 30 minutes. This will make them a little creamier.

Mocha Truffles

Makes thirty 1-inch truffles

3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream

1 tablespoon ground coffee

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

4 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped

1/3 cup cocoa powder

Warm the cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until hot and bubbling around the edges, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the coffee, and cover the pan. Let steep for 10 minutes.

Strain the cream into a bowl and discard the coffee. Return the cream to the pan. Again, heat the cream until it is bubbling around the edges. Remove the pan from the heat.

Put the two chocolates in a medium bowl and pour the cream over them. Let sit for 30 seconds, then whisk until smooth. Spread the chocolate cream in a 9-inch pan or pie plate. Refrigerate until hard, at least 1 hour. You can leave it overnight.

Place the cocoa powder on a plate or in a pie dish. Line 2 baking sheets with wax paper.

Using a measuring teaspoon or melon baller, scoop out 30 heaping spoonfuls of the truffle mixture. Place them in a single layer on one of the prepared baking sheets. When all of the scoops have been made, lightly roll them between the palms of your hands to give them a nice round shape. If at any point the chocolate gets too warm and the truffles become difficult to roll, refrigerate the chocolate for 30 minutes until it firms up.

Roll the truffles, a few at a time, in the cocoa powder. Place in a single layer on the second baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Before serving the truffles, let them sit at room temperature to soften slightly, 15 to 30 minutes. This will make them a little creamier.

The Original Stars Recipe Box

When I arrived in San Francisco in the mid 1980’s with cooking school and a few years of restaurant experience behind me, I was electrified by the food revolution taking place in the Bay Area.

Stars Restaurant opened in 1984 and I was part of the original team. We knew we were doing something different but we did not fully appreciate how Stars and other restaurants at that time would change the way Americans looked at food and what they ate. We were like Apple computer in Steve Jobs’ garage. We permanently changed American food culture right here in Northern California.

Working at Stars from 1984-1995 was a culinary wild ride. Jeremiah Tower’s was the creator and driving force behind the restaurant. His creativity and palate were brilliant. I have never met anyone like him since. The combination of JT, Mark Franz, and my co-chefs who have gone on to locally establish themselves in their own right (Bruce Hill, Loretta Keller, Wendy Brucker, and Colleen McGlynn among others) made the restaurant a culinary think tank.

For dessert I was making Summer Pudding, Stareos, Gingerbread with Apples and Cider Sabayon. Today these desserts seem common place and are now classics. Back then they were cutting edge.

Stars had one of the first open kitchens in the city. Not only could the customer see into the kitchen but the cooks could see into the dining room reinforcing the roles on each side. For the first time kitchen activity became part of the dining experience. One of the best things about Stars was how it made everyone equal. There would be a group of guys in baseball caps and jeans at the bar after a ball game eating pizza and drinking beers. In a corner table would be a couple formally dressed sipping champagne and having a few oysters. People would come in for dinner, leave their cars with the valet, go to the symphony or opera and come back afterwards for dessert. No one felt out of place. The excitement over the food and the wine was the common denominator.

Bay Area customers are some of the best in the country. Without an enthusiastic audience it wouldn’t be as much fun to bake.  In San Francisco, food has been always seen as a pleasure not just as a source of fuel. In San Francisco during the Gold Rush, there was a house of prostitution on every corner. The way the businesses distinguished themselves was through the “free lunch” they would offer customers. Every house had girls, but the ones that distinguished themselves were the ones with the best food.

The suppliers back then were eccentric. I remember Rocky the berry man. He would show up on Monday after promising to be there on the previous Friday, so hung over you knew he had just crawled out from under some rock. We would be annoyed he was late but his blackberries and raspberries were so incredible we would take as many cases as he would let us have. It was a dysfunctional relationship but we didn’t care. We were as addicted as he was.

On one level California Cuisine with its eat local and let the food speak for itself mantras is simplistic and straightforward. Our food is not hiding behind sauces and garnishes. But when you look deeper you see the complexity of the relationships between the ingredients and the chef and the underlying spirit of California. It is this relationship that makes cooking in CA so dynamic and exciting.

Stars Restaurant wasn’t that long ago so there are many people in the city who were a part of that experience either as a customer or an employee. There are many young people and newcomers to the area who came to the city after it closed. I wish they all could have seen it. It was a magical place.

In retrospect I am fortunate I moved to San Francisco when I did. It was fundamental to who I would become as a chef. The simultaneous timing of my arrival in California and the growth of California cuisine couldn’t have been planned. It was plain luck. And I thank the stars for that.

Last Sunday I had the honor of attending Cecilia Chang’s 90^th birthday party. It was a party worthy of someone celebrating 90 years. Chefs and food people from all over the Bay Area were there to help her celebrate. Cecilia is not only a feisty vibrant woman but a culinary icon. I would be content if I could emulate just a bit of what she has accomplished in her life.  

Cecilia was the owner of The Mandarin Restaurant. It was THE Chinese restaurant in San Francisco for decades. Anyone who was anyone used to go there to eat but Cecilia was also just as gracious to the average person who dined there. She introduced Americans to authentic Chinese food. Born in Beijing and escaping just before the Communist takeover in 1949, Cecilia has had a fascinating life. If you want to learn more about her (and find recipes to make some of her favorite dishes) pick up the book The Seventh Daughter that Cecilia wrote with Lisa Weiss about her life.

The food at the party was prepared by Betelnut Chefs, Alex Ong, Michael Siegel, Leland Cheung, & Meena Reisetta, The Door Chef Daniel Sudar , and South Legend Chef Bill He. They are all masters. Here’s the feast we had:

Dry-Farmed Early Girl Tomatoes with Paneer & Xi’an Black Vinegar

Local Albacore Sashimi with Ponzu, Arare & Chile D’Arbol

Smoked Duck Breast with Peachy Pepper Jam

 Ya Li Asian Pear Kimchi and Sea Salt

 Spicy Pork Dumplings

 Crispy Cauliflower, Tribal Salt, and Chile Pepper

 Turmeric Braised Goat Belly with Jalapeno Vinegar & Lime

 Petite Portobello Mushroom “Char Siu” Buns

 Aceh Vegetable Salad with Emping & Spicy Palm Sugar Coconut Dressing

 Mizuna and Asian Pear Salad with Shaved Fennel and Toasted Marcona Almonds

 Whole Roasted Pig with Anise-Chile Broth

 South Legend Spicy Sichuan Lamb

 Cha Ca La Vong—Turmeric Sea Bass with Herbs, Chilies, Rice Noodles & Peanuts

As you can tell from the menu, the buffet was extensive. The chefs would constantly bring out new dishes so we never let the table out of our sight for fear of missing a dish. I made sure I ate everything.

Cecilia loves chocolate so Elizabeth Falkner and I made chocolate cupcakes. My sister, Anne Underhill, is an archaeologist who specializes in the Chinese Neolithic Period. She and one of her Chinese grad students sent me a pdf file of the Chinese character for long life. In red colored white chocolate we drew this character on thin pieces of tempered chocolate and placed them into the cupcakes. It was a pretty cool to see 150 cupcakes all wishing long life.