Gravenstein apple harvest begins in mid August, a couple of months before other apples. Unlike other apple varieties Gravenstiens don’t store well so you have to enjoy them fresh. If you haven’t had them by mid September you are out of luck. Once again, I missed The Gravenstein Apple Fair. To remember I just put it on my Google calendar for next year.

 Gravensteins are sweet, tart, juicy and crispy. Other apples have only a couple of these characteristics but Gravenstiens have them all. Their color is greenish red and a little dull. They may not look like the quintessential apple but don’t let their appearance fool you. Gravenstein apples make the best pies and applesauce.

In The United States Gravenstein apples, like Meyer lemons, are found almost exclusively in California. Highway 116 in Sonoma County is also known as The Gravenstein Highway. The Gravenstien came to Sonoma in the early 1800’s via Denmark and Russia.  (In 2005 Demark made the Gravenstein its national apple). It is hard to determine who actually planted the very first trees but it is believed they were at the Russian settlement of Fort Ross in Sonoma. During World War II there were about 8000 acres of Gravenstein apples in Sonoma. Soldiers received dried apples and applesauce made from Gravensteins as part of their rations. Today there are under 1000 acres of trees as more homes and vineyards caused the trees to be uprooted. Slow Food has put the Gravenstein on its list of heritage foods.

In other apple trivia, in Colonial America apples were used mostly to make apple cider. Fermented it didn’t spoil and was safe to drink. Nothing like starting your day with a kick in your juice.  Also in ancient Greece tossing an apple was a proposal of marriage and if you caught it you accepted the proposal. Be careful when you toss an apple to a coworker or friend.

When you bring your Gravensteins home, if you are not going to use them right away put them in the refrigerator. It may be tempting to leave a bowl on the counter but they deteriorate faster at room temperature.

It’s still not too late to jump into the season. I make apple sauce to eat by itself, spread over toast in the morning or serve as a condiment with cold chicken. It makes a great sandwich when paired with the rotisserie porchetta from the Saturday Farmer’s Market. To make apple sauce you don’t really need a recipe. Core and cut the apples into 1/2 inch pieces. (Gravensteins have thin skins so I don’t bother to peel them and they give the apple sauce a little color.)  Put in a pot with a little water, sugar and a cinnamon stick. You can add other spices like ginger, or allspice but I like the clean flavor of just the apples and the cinnamon. Let them cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. If they don’t give off much juice, add some more water. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if needed. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the apples are soft. If you like your applesauce thick cook off more of the liquid. You can keep it chunky or puree it if you like it smooth. At any point you can add more sugar. The sugar amount will vary on the natural sweetness of the apples. In the refrigerator applesauce will last for weeks.

Luther Burbank, the botanist who developed the Santa Rosa plum and the freestone peach, said “If the Gravenstein could be had throughout the year, no other apple need be grown.” Unfortunately we aren’t so lucky so we have to enjoy it while we can.

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.

I made brownies from a mix the other day. I wanted to see what they were like.  Dump the mix in the bowl, stir in oil and an egg and put it in the oven. Very easy, but so are made from scratch brownies. You have to melt the chocolate with the butter and add some sugar but that’s hardly difficult and you get the added bonus of the smell of melting chocolate.

So how was the taste of the boxed brownies? They weren’t inedible but they definitely weren’t great. They weren’t very chocolaty and had an aftertaste of preservatives. With just a few more steps you can get something so much better.

Brownies, like chocolate chip cookies, are a classic American invention. Many of the desserts we love have English, French or Italian pedigrees but not the brownie.

We indirectly have Bertha Honoré Palmer, a Chicago socialite, to thank for the creation of the brownie. In 1893 she was president of the Board of Lady Managers for The Chicago World’s Fair, held to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus‘s arrival in the New World. Mrs. Palmer asked the chef at the Palmer House Hotel to prepare a dessert that wasn’t as large as a piece of cake and could be part of a box lunch. He (I assume it was a man) came up with the brownie.

The chef’s original version included apricot glaze and walnuts but variations appeared soon after.  And we haven’t stopped modifying them since. Each recipe you read is distinct and every recipe has its own way of making them. You can have them with nuts (all kinds but mostly walnuts), dried fruit, white, milk or dark chocolate chips, brown sugar, peanut butter, cream cheese or caramel. There is a store in New York City called The Fat Witch that sells over half a dozen different kinds. Today you can even find brownies at Parisian patisseries.

Obviously the type of chocolate used is a big flavor driver.  Many recipes use unsweetened and some bittersweet. When I make brownies, I like to add some cocoa powder. It deepens the chocolate flavor.

People have strong opinions when it comes to brownies. Fudgy vs. cakey, nuts vs.  no nuts. I am definitely fudgy with no nuts. How do you like your brownies? Who in the city do you think makes a brownie you crave?

My excitement ended quickly. It did taste pretty awful. It was way too sweet and at the same time bland. I got a sugar rush and my teeth hurt after the first bite. It was so big I almost offered to share it with the man and woman in line behind me.

When I got home I looked up the calorie count online and it weighs in at 730 calories. Thank goodness I didn’t finish it. It got me to thinking about what many Americans eat for breakfast. Lots of white flour.

Yes, my world is made of sugar and fat and my desserts are not for the calorie shy. I am not a fat free gal. But my portion sizes aren’t as big and I don’t serve the stuff for breakfast. With a normal amount of daily calories if you eat a Cinnabon for breakfast your fat allotment for the rest of the day is miniscule. 

Perhaps it is not fair of me to pick on the Cinnabon but it is the quintessential example of what is bad about breakfast food. Many people think they are eating healthy if they have a fresh baked pastry or a bowl of low fat but high sugar cereal.  Even if it is made with good organic ingredients and no preservatives a muffin or a scone is still up there calorically. You might as well have a piece of cake for breakfast but that would seem crazy and indulgent.

I am not saying we should never eat blueberry muffins or buttery scones but like all desserts they should be in moderation. Several times a week have whole wheat toast or a multigrain cereal with yogurt.  I am much more apt to stick to better eating habits if I start the day without having too much flour and sugar. Also if breakfast is going to sustain me until lunch I need to add some protein to those carbs. Other cultures eat smoked or pickled fish. As long as you don’t try to pair it with coffee it’s good.

Anything is better than a cinnamon roll that’s practically the size of your head.

When we eat out a perfect crème brûlée is an ideal way to end a meal. The combination of creamy custard and brittle topping are quintessential dessert textures that help make a great dessert. It also hits the spot because after being around sugar all day we want straightforward and clean flavors.

Too often it is executed poorly and we go away disappointed. The custard is overcooked or eggy and the brûlée layer is too thick or so caramelized it is dark brown, almost black, in color and tastes burnt. Ideally the custard should be creamy and the burnt sugar crust a thin layer of golden caramel.

Which tool to use to make the caramelized top is key. Traditional branding irons, used by French chefs before gas and broilers, are hard to control. The circular metal piece is heated up in the flame and then placed on top of the custard. Just like a cattle branding iron. It is impossible to see the color of the caramel and know when it is just right. If you take it off too soon the whole caramel layer sticks to the iron. Too late and it is burnt. You have to be really good to work with these. Sometimes the custard is put under a broiler but the problem here is that broilers/salamanders don’t get hot enough to make a crunchy top or the custard gets too warm before the sugar caramelizes. The best implement to use is a construction blow torch. A bit daunting to new dessert platers but they quickly get the hang of it and love it for its accuracy. (Home versions of the torch with a smaller flame are less intimidating but they have to be filled with butane which is much more of a pain than learning how to use a big torch.)

 As sellers of crème brûlées we love them because when it is on the menu we sell a lot of them regardless of the custard flavor. If we make them correctly our guests leave happy. On the flip side, we grumble because when brûlées are on the menu it seems as though that is all we sell. All the other desserts we love and have labored over get trumped by crème brûlée every time. From a production stand point they are tedious to make. When you bake a hotel pan full of about 18 ramekins they will be finished at varying times. You have to be patient to take them out just when they are done. Its many trips back and forth to the oven. It is a real labor of love.

 I know some pastry chefs who refuse to put brûlées on their dessert menus because they are burnt out making them and they are discouraged that is all they sell. I think that’s a bit extreme. We are in the people pleasing business. I run crème brûlées often but will take them off when we have another custard-type dessert on the menu.

Pastry chefs agree a really made crème brûlée is a work of art.  We just don’t want them to take over our lives.

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.

I like to be there when they test them so I can fix problems as they come up. Near my book deadline I have a bake-a-thon where we test the last of the recipes. We often do this at a family property in Lake County where there we have several work areas and plenty of room to spread out bags of flour, pounds of chocolate and piles of nuts.

For the testing on my last book there were about 6 of us and we were on day three. There were cookies, pies, and cakes all over the counter and dining room table. The refrigerator was crammed full of mousses, puddings and doughs waiting to be rolled out. We got up early for another day in the kitchen.

We heard a loud noise outside the kitchen and ran outside. About 100 feet above us was a hot air balloon filled with 15 people. They had been in the air for about 30 minutes when the wind shifted and pushed them toward us. (We often see hot air balloons in the distance but they don’t come near the house.) The people inside the balloon, including the navigator, were understandably nervous. We hollered up to them and pointed to a nearby field because every other place was over water or too wooded.

One person went back to the kitchen to tend to what we had already put in the oven, and the rest of us ran to the balloon landing site. It was a bumpy landing. Still in our aprons, we were all trying to hold up the balloon as it came floating down so it wouldn’t rip on the barbed wire fence. On the ground hot air balloons are a lot bigger than they look up in the sky.

The occupants climbed out of the balloon basket and said “Where are we?” It was like a scene out of the Wizard of Oz. They were shook up but luckily except for a few scrapes and bruises no one was hurt. We took them up to the house so they could rest and wait for the van to come get them.

As they were sitting on the patio we discovered one woman was celebrating her birthday. We put candles on a slice of cheesecake and everyone sang “Happy Birthday.” They loved the cake so much we brought out cookies, tarts, ice cream- everything we had made. Once they saw all the desserts they forgot about their ordeal and they couldn’t believe their good luck. If they were going to have a crash landing somewhere this wasn’t too bad a spot and we had so much food I was thrilled to get rid of some of it.

One member of the group was a chef from Mexico. In the “small world” category she had one of my cookbooks, so the conversation really flowed. She said in Mexico there is a saying “It is more important to show up on time than to be invited.” This group had perfect timing; and I collected more feedback on my desserts than I imagined I would.

They all were sorry to leave their dessert oasis and I was offered a free balloon ride for our hospitality. After watching that landing I’ll stay on the ground- with desserts- and wait for the next group to drop in.

Better yet I haven’t even been making it. I did start to make some to go with the cake I made my nephew for his birthday but the motor blew out on my White Mountain ice cream machine. My husband tried to keep it going with an electric drill but the canister wouldn’t turn fast enough. Fortunately within 5 miles of where I am staying there are 4 old fashioned ice creameries. After dinner we quickly clean the dishes and away we go.

In the Bay Area we are happily spoiled by artisan ice cream shops. They make delicious and interesting ice cream. Each is distinct in its own way. I have my favorite flavors at Birite, Humphrey Slocombe and Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous.

But city ice cream is different from east coast creameries. The flavors aren’t as sophisticated but they are institutions. Many creameries have been around for decades and haven’t changed much. Traditionally they were located at the dairy where the cows were milked. Open only in the warmer months some offer only so-so ice cream but some rank up there with the best. Near me one is designed as the shape of a bucket of ice cream, another like an old fashioned milk can. A third has a piano in the back of a pick-up truck in the parking lot for entertainment while you are waiting in line.

Most offer a wide choice, between 15 and 20 different flavors, some of which are special to the New England area. Besides the basic vanilla, strawberry, coffee, and chocolate you see Black Raspberry (often with chocolate chips), Frozen Pudding (vanilla with candied cherries, candied pineapple and yellow raisins), Grape Nut (yes, it is what you think it is), Mocha Chip, Peppermint, Blueberry, Moose Tracks (Vanilla Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Cups), Ginger and Maple Walnut.

There is some jargon to be aware of when ordering. If you order a milk shake you will get flavored cold milk- no ice cream. You need to order a frappe if you want a thick mixture of ice cream and milk made in a blender. To further add to the confusion a frappe is called a cabinet in Rhode Island.

Scoops are double the size of California. My brother asked how much ice cream was in a double scoop of a waffle cone. The response- “The first is soft ball size, the second tennis ball size.” A small in New England is a medium or large in San Francisco. That’s a lot of ice cream but when its 95 degrees I certainly don’t mind.

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.

The desserts run into the others so you don’t get a real sense or taste of how each one is supposed to taste on its own. Plus it makes the food look really unattractive. By the time you are finished eating you can’t remember what was what. Strawberries running into caramel sauce running into chocolate is not how I or most pastry chefs want their hard work presented.

But at the same time I know many people (myself included) want to try more than one dessert or simply want a bite of something small to finish off the meal. Luckily sharing desserts has become popular.

Sharing desserts allows you to see how the chef attended for the food to look. If you don’t want to commit to a whole dessert you can always depend on someone at the table to clean the plates. If you want to try the whole menu you can. If I am with a group I don’t know very well I politely serve myself some of each dessert on a share plate.  If I am among friends or family my spoon and everyone else’s just reach across the table without even asking. No one seems to mind.

The whole concept of sharing desserts is both psychologically and sociologically interesting. With savory  courses different unwritten rules apply. People are more restrained with their appetizers and entrees. If someone asks for a bite, a small taste is put on the butter plate or the rim of the main plate. When offered to other diners most people say “No thanks, but that looks good”. They are content with their choices and don’t feel the desire to poach.  Not when it comes with dessert. Everyone wants s a taste of it all.  I am not completely sure why the communal approach applies to desserts more than other courses. It could be the sugar or maybe by the time dessert time comes everyone is more relaxed.

Regardless of the reason it ends the meal with an engaging interaction and that’s what eating with others is all about.