Make Bird Dog's Grilled Avocado at Home

Bird Dog just may be the best restaurant in Palo Alto.

For starters, chef Robbie Wilson has cooked in some of the best kitchens in the world, including Tom Colicchio's Craft, The French Laundry, Nobu, and the Michelin-starred Maison Troigros in France. And one of the most delicious dishes on his menu is the most simple: a grilled avocado with housemade ponzu sauce. Make this delectable dish at home with the recipe below.

Bird Dog's Grilled Avocado with Ponzu

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 Haas avocados (You are better off erring on the side of too firm, rather than too soft.)

4 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 TBS freshly grated wasabi or horseradish
Ponzu sauce (recipe below)
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat your grill as if you were cooking a steak.Cut each avocado lengthwise in half and separate.
2. Carefully remove the pit.
3. With a large spoon, scoop the fruit out of its skin and brush each side with the olive oil.
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Place the avocado flat side down and grill to mark. (The idea is to mark each avocado, rather than cook it.)
6. Gently turn the avocados over and grill until barely warmed through.
7. Fill each cavity with the Ponzu sauce and serve with freshly grated wasabi.

Ponzu Sauce

Ingredients
1 piece kombu konbu seaweed (3 x 2 inches)
1 - 1.5 cups of bonito flakes (katsuobushi) (Available online or at most Japanese markets)
3/4+ cup soy sauce
2 TBS soy sauce
3/4 cup lemon juice
1⁄3 cup + 1 TBS mirin

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp rice vinegar

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for 1 day to develop the flavors. (If you like a more prominent dashi flavor, then keep the mixture refrigerated for 2 to 3 days)
2. Strain well
3. The Ponzu sauce keeps in the refrigerator for 6 months.

Slanted Door's Shaking Beef

Charles Phan's Bu Luc Lac (shaking beef) is a signature dish at The Slanted Door. Cubes of tender filet mignon are sautéed with red onions and a vinaigrette and then served with a salt and pepper dipping sauce over tender watercress.

Shaking Beef

Serves 4

1 1⁄2 - 2 pounds filet mignon, fat trimmed and cut into 1 1⁄4-inch cubes

1 teaspoons ground black pepper

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil

1 cup thinly sliced red onion, preferably spring onions

3 stalks green onion, trimmed and cut to 1-inch lengths

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Stir-Fry Sauce

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1⁄4 cup white granulated sugar

1⁄4 cup light soy sauce

1⁄4 cup fish sauce

1 teaspoon cooking rice wine

Salt and Pepper Dipping Sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1⁄4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice

1 bunch watercress, washed

1. Marinate meat 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1 tablespoon oil for about 2 hours.

2. Meanwhile, make the stir-fry sauce by combining the white vinegar, sugar, soy, fish sauce, and rice wine. Mix until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

3. Divide the meat into two portions, and do the same with the onions. Heat 1⁄4 cup of oil in wok or large sauté pan over maximum heat. (Don't overload the pan, or the meat will not brown properly. You may need to divide the cooking into batches depending on your pan size and the strength of your cooking range.)

4. When the oil begins to smoke, add the first batch of meat in one layer. Let a brown crust form, and turn to brown the other side. Browning should take 3-4 minutes.

5. Add red onion, scallions, and garlic to the pan. Shake or stir ingredients in the pan for about 30 seconds.

6. Add stir-fry sauce. Continue to shake or stir ingredients.

7. Add butter, and continue to cook and shake pan until butter melts. Remove from heat. Wash your pan and cook next batch.

8. Make lime dipping sauce by mixing together salt and pepper in a ramekin. Pour lime juice over salt pepper mixture.

9. Serve beef over watercress with lime dipping sauce.

Nick's Cove's Dungeness Crab Mac n’ Cheese

Ladies and gentleman, it's Dungeness crab season! Who better to kick off the crustacean celebration than chef Austin Perkins of Nick's Cove?

The picturesque Point Reyes restaurant benefits from its seaside location by sourcing fresh seafood from Tomales Bay. Perkins tosses hunks of crab into gooey mac n' cheese for a decadent take on a homey classic—now it's yours, roadtrip not required.

Nick's Cove Dungeness Crab Mac n' Cheese

Serves 6-8

1 pound Dungeness crab meat

2 pounds dried elbow macaroni pasta

1/2 pound unsalted butter

3/4 cup flour

1/2 gallon whole milk

1/2 gallon heavy cream

2 leeks, white part only, sliced

1 cup Point Reyes Toma, shredded

1 cup Spring Hill Cheddar, shredded

1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, shredded

Salt to taste

Tabasco

Fresh lemon juice (from 1/4lemon)

Parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Toasted breadcrumbs (for garnish)

1. In a large pot, bring three gallons of water to a rolling boil.

2. Add pasta and boil, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

3. In another large pot, begin melting the butter.

4. Add the leeks and sweat 5-10 minutes, until soft.

5. Add the flour. Stir constantly; cook until the mixtures bubbles for 2-3 minutes and smells like shortbread.

6. Add the milk and bring to a boil; reduce to simmer. Allow the mixture to reduce while simmering, approximately 5 minutes.

7. Add the cream and again allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

8. Add all the cheese and whisk until incorporated.

9. Add salt to taste; add 3-5 drops of Tabasco sauce and the juice of a quarter lemon.

10. Pour over pasta and add crab meat, stirring to incorporate.

11. Serve with toasted breadcrumbs and parsley.

Make Ichi Sushi's Super Simple Shiso Pesto at Home

Shiso is an herb often found in Japanese cuisine. It tastes slightly citrusy and herbaceous, like a cross between mint and basil.

There are plenty of uses for the versatile plant—pickle it, use it as a wrapper for meat or fish, or use it as a garnish (in Japan it's often used as a vehicle to hold wasabi)—but if you're at Ichi Sushi, you'll find it cleverly turn it into a pesto and tossed with somen noodles. Replicate the colorful dish with the super simple recipe below!

Note: you can find yuzu and shiso at most Japanese markets, such as Nijiya in Japan Town.

Shiso Pesto Somen Salad

(Serves 2)

4 oz. somen noodles
5 bunches shiso leaves
3/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 oz. yuzu juice
1 Tbsp. lemon zest

1. Bring 2 quarts heavily salted water to a boil. Add noodles and stir once, then leave to cook until al dente.

2. Strain and then plunge into a bowl of ice water to cool. Strain again and set aside, refrigerating until use.

3. Combine shiso leaves, oil and salt in a blender. Pulse until smooth.

4. Dress noodles with shiso pesto, then mix in yuzu juice.

5. Serve either on plates or in a big bowl, family-style, garnished with lemon zest.

Plow's Lemon Ricotta Pancake Recipe

You don't really taste ricotta in Maxine Siu's lemon ricotta pancake, but you do notice an above average fluff, and the delicate touch of powdered sugar, cut by a gentle bite of tart lemon.

Plow's brunch-time griddled cakes are so popular they're on the lunch menu.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

(Serves 4-6)

1 1/4 pounds ricotta (preferably house made)

2 tablespoons organic cane sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons lemon juice

5 eggs, separated

1 1/3 cups flour

1/4 pound butter, melted

1. Combine the ricotta, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice with egg yolks only and mix well.

2. Add melted butter and flour and mix until just incorporated.

3. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into ricotta mixture.

4. Cook on medium heat on the griddle with a touch of oil. These pancakes don't bubble, so flip them when they're a nice golden brown.

5. Cook the other side to the same color, then flip and cook on first side for a couple more minutes. They should spring back to the touch.

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This recipe was originally published in 2013.

Spruce up Your Lunch Salad With Souvla's Granch Dressing Recipe

TBH, there's only one reason we go to Souvla. The salad.

Sure, we're big fans of the baklava froyo and those fries are seriously addictive, but there's something about the chicken salad that manages to be simultaneously healthy and oh-so-filling. It probably has something to do with the dressing.

A Greek take on traditional ranch dressing, Souvla's granch subs Greek yogurt and buttermilk powder for the traditional buttermilk and sour cream to create a lighter, less-guilty version with a slight tang that goes well on just about anything. In honor of the restaurant's expanding empire—a new location on Divis. and one coming soon to the Mission—we locked down the recipe so you can have Souvla salads at home. You're welcome.

Souvla's Granch

(Yields 1 pint)

Ingredients:

1 pint Greek yogurt

1/4 cup buttermilk powder

2 Tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

2 Tbsp Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

2 Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped

4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp garlic, finely chopped

Kosher salt season to taste

1. Whisk lemon juice with buttermilk powder until smooth and without clumps.

2. Fold in Greek yogurt

3. Fold in chopped herbs and chopped garlic

4. Season to taste, and serve immediately, or place in sealed container and refrigerate for up to one week.

Mission Bowling Club's Fried Chicken Recipe

Mission Bowling Club's fried chicken is as novel as it is tasty—skewered on a stick and hovering over a dollop of ranch dip, it makes one hell of a hangover snack. Chef Frank Mitchell swears by a serious thigh dip in buttermilk: "It's key to a good crust," he says.

Fried Chicken

(serves 6)

Marinade:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1½ tablespoons garlic, peeled

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

1½ tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon sweet pimentón

1 tablespoon spicy pimentón

1 teaspoon cayenne

Dredge:

3 cups all purpose flour

3 cups corn starch

1½ cups potato starch

1½ cups rice flour

1 tablespoon salt

Pinch of black pepper

Pinch of cayenne

Buttermilk (enough to cover chicken)

Rice bran oil for frying (enough to cover chicken)

For the marinade:

1. Remove excess fat and cut chicken thighs into three equal pieces.
2. Blend garlic, lemon, and lime juice. You can also microplane or grate garlic into juice.
3. Combine pimentons and cayenne together. Keep salt separate.
4. Working in batches to ensure an even mix, salt the chicken, then season with the pimenton and cayenne mix.
5. Mix in the lemon-lime-garlic puree.
6. Refrigerate at least overnight.

For the chicken:

1. Mix all dredge ingredients together.
2. An hour before cooking, cover chicken with enough buttermilk to ensure an even coating.
3. Heat a deep fryer to 325 degrees. If you don't have a deep fryer, use a stockpot or heavy sauté pan and add enough oil to submerge chicken completely.
4. When oil is hot, toss chicken in dredge and coat completely.
5. Place in hot oil and fry until golden brown and the chicken reaches 145 degrees internal temperature, about 8 minutes. If using a shallow fry, be careful not to overload the pan and turn gently, as crust is very brittle.

Disclaimer: The USDA says chicken should be cooked to 165 degrees, but Mitchell says, "it is simply too tough at that high temperature."

1601's Mulligatawny Soup Is the Perfect Warm Recipe for Today

Chef Brian Fernando offers his twist on Sri Lankan cuisine at 1601 Bar & Kitchen, merging high technique with high quality produce. His take on mulligatawny soup (which translates to "pepper water") is just the right thing to warm you up during a cold San Francisco day like today. Check it out at 1601, or make it at home with the super simple recipe below.

Mulligatawny Soup

Yields 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

5 medium garlic cloves
2 large red onions
3-4 medium carrots, peeled
1 apple, peeled and cored
1 large Yukon Gold potato, peeled
1 fresh Serrano pepper, stem removed
1-inch knob fresh ginger
1-inch knob fresh turmeric
2 cups red lentils (Masoor dhal), washed/ rinsed
2 14 oz. cans of full-fat coconut milk
Curry spices (see below)
salt to taste

Curry Spices:
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. cinnamon sticks
1 tsp. fresh curry leaves
1 tsp. cardamom whole pods

1. Dice the garlic, onions, carrots, apple, potato, pepper, ginger, and turmeric into ~ 2 cm cubes

2. Grind the peppercorns, mustard, fennel, and cumin seeds into powder in a spice grinder.

3. Coat the bottom of a stockpot with a thin slick of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat.

4. Add fresh curry leaves, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks and cook for a 1-2 minutes, stirring.

5. Add all the remaining spices and the diced vegetables and stir again until the spices are evenly distributed among the vegetables. Cook for a few minutes, or until the vegetables begin to brown.

5. Add lentils and stir, then add water just to cover everything in the pot. Cover and cook until vegetables and lentils are tender.

6. Add coconut milk and bring back to a boil.

7. Let the soup cool, blend, strain, and serve.

Make Dosa's Chennai Chicken for Dinner Tonight

Ready to kick up the spice factor on your weekday dinner?

Chennai chicken is Dosa's take on the popular Chicken 65, a spicy deep-fried appetizer that originated in Chennai, India. According to local legend, the dish was first introduced in 1965 at the Buhari hotel in Chennai by its founder A.M.Buhari (they also offer Chicken 78, Chicken 82 and Chicken 90 introduced in their corresponding years) and Dosa's version has been on its menu since the restaurant opened eleven years ago. Make it for yourself at home—Indian fried chicken is oficially your new go-to.

Dosa's Chennai Chicken

(Serves 6 as an appetizer)

Ingredients

(Note: All spice measurements can be increased or decreased according to taste)

8 pieces boneless chicken breast or thigh (~4 lbs)

4 cups plain yogurt

3 inches ginger, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup red onions, chopped

½ cup green onions, chopped for garnish

¼ cup mint leaves, chopped

¾ cup cilantro, chopped (½ cup for marinade + ¼ cup for garnish)

2 teaspoons chili powder (or spice to taste)

1 each dried red chile (optional)

2 teaspoon cumin, ground

2 teaspoons coriander, ground

1 teaspoon black pepper, ground

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 tablespoon lemon juice

½ each lime wedge

1 wt. oz cornstarch (~3 tablespoons)

2 each eggs (for binding)

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Preparation & Cooking

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized strips.
2. Blend the yogurt, ginger, garlic, chopped onions, cilantro, mint leaves, curry leaves, and the spices (chili, cumin, pepper, dried red chiles, coriander, turmeric). Add salt to taste.
3. Marinate the chicken strips in the marinade in the fridge overnight (or at least 2 to 4 hours).
4. Before frying, add the cornstarch and eggs and mix well.
5. Add the lemon juice and mix.
6. Heat oil on high flame till hot.
7. Fry the chicken until it's slightly golden brown.
8. Drain the oil with a straining utensil and let it rest on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Serving Suggestions

1. Garnish with cilantro and green onions.

2. Serve the chicken with a wedge of lime. You can also serve it with yogurt (or raita) as an accompanying sauce.

Warm up With Bar Crudo's Seafood Chowder Recipe

Feeling chilly? Warm up with this seafood chowder for the soul.

Bar Crudo's name may evoke delights of the raw variety, but the Divisadero seafood restaurant also knows a thing or two about cooking.

On cold summer night, few things could be better than a dip into a hot bowl of chowder, and the culinary team at Bar Crudo takes the chowder game to a whole new level. Gone is the already-super-rich heavy whipping cream. In it's place: manufacturing cream, a witch's brew that contains 40 percent or more butterfat than your more diet friendly heavy whip. Plus, there's smokey bacon in the mix. (You can work it off tomorrow.)

Until then, here's the recipe.

Bar Crudo's Seafood Chowder

(Serves 8)

Chowder Base:

1 gallon manufacturing cream

2 yellow onions, medium diced

½ bunch of thyme, picked and chopped

2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

¼ bottle white wine

¼ cup mussel stock

Crystal Hot Sauce (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

Mussel Stock:

2 lb of mussels

1 bunch thyme

4 garlic cloves smashed

2 cups white wine

1. Add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil to a pot on medium heat, and slightly cook garlic and thyme. Add mussels and white wine, turn heat to high; cover. Once mussels have all popped open, remove pot from stove and let cool.

2. Remove all mussels from shell and reserve for chowder. Strain the liquid from the bottom of the pot and reserve.

Chowder ingredients:

Cooked, small diced bacon

Cooked, small diced potatoes

Cooked mussels

Raw fish (tuna, salmon, cod) cut into small pieces

Cooked prawns

Raw squid cleaned and sliced into rings

1. Warm bacon fat in a large pot on medium heat. Add onions and thyme; sweat onions till translucent.

2. Add white wine to the pot, turn heat to high, and let reduce by half.

3. Mix in flour and cook on medium heat for 30 seconds.

4. Add cream to the pot, and finish with Old Bay seasoning.

5. Let chowder base simmer for 20 minutes to reduce.

To serve:

1. Add mussel stock, crystal, and salt to chowder base.

2. Then, add bacon, potatoes, and all seafood except for the squid.

3. Once the fish is cooked, add the squid right before serving.

4. Pour yourself a glass of wine, and enjoy!

Marla Bakery's Gooey Dark Chocolate Brownies

Marla Bakery's dark chocolate brownies may be the most delicious, gooey, chocolatey dessert you'll ever put in your mouth. Made by Chef Amy Brown (the former pastry chef at NOPA responsible for their insanely delicious custard French toast), you can taste the love in every bite. The brownies are on this year's Big Eat list, and now you can make these babies at home with the recipe below.

Marla Bakery's Dark Chocolate Brownie

Serves 8-12

1cup butter + a little extra for the pan

1¾ cup 68% Tcho Chocolate Discs

1½ cup + 1T organic sugar

9 eggs

1½ teaspoons espresso

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

1¾ cup pastry flour

1 cup All Purpose (Type 70) flour

Equipment you'll need:

8x12x2 baking pan

Large (heat proof) mixing bowl

Parchment paper

KitchenAid Mixer with whisk attachment (or electric handheld)

Sifter

Whisk

Spatula

1. Preheat your oven to 300 or 325 degrees.

2. Butter your baking pan on all sides and the bottom.

3. Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and sides, extending over the sides to prevent spillage. Butter the parchment paper. (Yes, really!)

4. In a heat proof bowl, over a sauce pot of boiling water, melt the following ingredients: Butter, chocolate, espresso, salt and vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.

5. In your (KitchenAid) mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until it all sugar is incorporated.

6. Add half of the egg-sugar mixture to the melted chocolate and slightly whisk in. Immediately place the remaining egg-sugar mixture over your sauce pot of boiling water to slightly warm to the touch.

7. Once warmed, using your whisk attachment, mix on speed 3-4 for exactly 5 minutes. It will get very light & fluffy when finished.

8. Pour your egg-sugar mixture into your chocolate mixture & gently fold in with a spatula until 90% mixed. Folding & folding. Do not whisk in, you don't want to lose any volume.

9. Sift the flour straight into your chocolate in 3 additions. Folding your flour into the chocolate after each addition.

10. Once finished, pour the batter into your lined baking pan & bake at 300 with a convection fan or 325 for a total of 25 minutes. Rotating your pan after 12 minutes.

11. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours until chilled & sliceable. Serve your brownies at room temperature after cutting & refrigerate any leftovers.

Some tips:

— Have all your ingredients ready before you start and plan ahead.

— Don't forget to refrigerate these brownies before you slice into them.

— Use hot water and a sharp knife to cut brownies, rinsing the knife in hot water and drying with a kitchen towel after each cut.

The Perennial's Potato Confit With Clams

Not only is The Perennial's potato confit a newcomer to this year's Big Eat list, it's also a highly sustainable dish: the plate draws upon the seafood, vegetables, and herbs raised in the restaurant's aquaponic greenhouse. You can now make it at home with the recipe below (aquaponic greenhouse not necessary, but feel free to build your own).

Clam Bagna Cauda with Potato Confit

Serves 4

Potato Confit

3/4 pound fingerling potatoes

sea salt

4 cloves garlic

2 tsp peppercorn

olive oil (for sautéing)

1. Rinse potatoes in cold water, cut in half and season with sea salt.

2. In a heavy bottom pot just large enough to fit the potatoes, add 4 cloves garlic and 2 tsp peppercorn snugly. Cover with olive oil and turn on med-low heat until a slow simmer develops.

3. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool in the oil.

Clams

1 shallot (diced)

2 cloves garlic (diced)

1 tbl chili flake

4 sprigs thyme

1 pound littleneck clams

2 cups white wine

1 cup water

1. In a saute pan with 1/3 cup of oil over medium heat sweat the shallot and garlic until translucent.

2. Turn up the heat and bloom the chili flakes and thyme, then add the clams.

3. Season with salt and pepper and stir to cover in the shallot, oil and garlic.

4. Add the wine before anything blackens and keep on high heat, removing the clams from the pan when they open slightly (a 30 degree angle is appropriate—you don't want to overcook them)

5. Place clams into the salted ice bath, strain and reserve the liquid.

6. When all the clams are cooked and cooled go back and pop them open the rest of the way with your hands or a butter knife.

7. After taking out the clam meat, remove the mantle (circular stripe surrounding the clam) from the the foot and the belly. You'll be left with a plump delicate clam belly with what looks like a mohawk (the foot) and a tougher circular strip (the mantle).

8. Dress the clams in evoo and salt if necessary and reserve until serving.

9. Take the leftover mantles and simmer further in the clam cooking liquid until tender (about 20 minutes). Then fine chop the tender mantles and reserve for the bagna cauda.

Bagna cauda

1 shallot

1/4 cup champagne vinaigrette

Chopped clam mantles (see above)

4 springs chervil, leaves picked stems fine chopped

4 springs of thyme

2 teaspoons chopped walnuts

Salt

extra virgin olive oil

1. Finely dice the shallot and soak in champagne vinegar for 10 minutes.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of macerated shallot with the chopped clam mantles, and add 1 teaspoon chopped chervil stems and the walnuts.

3. Season with salt and evoo to taste and allow the sauce to rest for at least 15 minutes.

To Serve:

6 French breakfast radishes, greens attached

3 sprigs dill

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1. Rinse the radishes in cool water, cut off and reserve the greens, cut the radishes in half.

2. Remove the potatoes from the oil and in a hot heavy bottom pan or cast iron, brown them and the radishes on the cut side.

3. In a separate pot on low heat gently warm up the bagna cauda. Once warm (it shouldn't simmer) add the clam bellies to warm through and remove from heat.

4. Spoon the potatoes and radishes onto your plates and sauce with the bagna cauda and clams.

5. Garnish with dill fond, chervil and radish leaves and a drizzle of evoo.

Make Aatxe's ​Gambas al Ajillo​

If you can't visit Spain this summer, then Aatxe is your best bet for authentic, delicious tapas closer to home.

The menu stars their Gambas al Ajillo (garlic shrimp), a dish Chef Ryan Pollnow first tasted at La Casa del Abuelo restaurant in Madrid prior to opening Aatxe. The dish was so good he knew it had to be on his own menu. And now you can make it at home with the recipe below.

Gambas al Ajillo
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
10 garlic cloves, shaved thin
1 large shallot, julienned thin
1 tsp. minced preserved lemon skin (pith removed)
2 each Nora chili*
8 ounces small white shrimp, peeled and de-veined
Juice of 1 lemon

1. Heat a 9.5 inch cazuela or cast iron pan over medium heat (or 2 4.5" cazuelas).

2. Add the extra virgin olive oil and allow it to heat up for 1 minute.

3. Add garlic, shallots and preserved lemon and cook until lightly browned and fragrant.

4. Add nora chili and continue to cook for 30 seconds.

5. Add shrimp and continue to cook, stirring often until white and opaque.

6. Season with salt and remove from the heat.

7. Add lemon juice, check for seasoning and serve immediately.

*If you prefer a more mild, background heat, you can just cut the chili in half and remove before serving. For a more intense heat, coarsely grind the chilies in a mortar and pestle ahead of time.

Meadowood Napa Valley's Luscious Cashew Milk

Anyone who's ever reluctantly gone dairy-free knows all too well the lackluster options that populate the "milk" aisle.

Almond milk is nice enough, but lacks the viscosity to be a truly worthy companion to our coffee or Nana Joe's granola. Coconut milk? Lovely in theory. Soy? Blech.

But cashew milk? Cashew milk is a marvelous milky treat, and if you've ever been served at glass at Meadowood in St. Helena, you too may have kissed cow milk and its many imitators goodbye forever. Meadowood's cashew milk is rich and creamy, with hints of sweetness and spice, and a nutty texture that lends it a mouthfeel that easily takes the place of full-fat dairy. It stands up to our morning espresso, granola, and fresh fruit, and is a delish treat on its own. Enjoy!

Meadowood Napa Valley's Cashew Milk

By Chef Victoria Acosta, The Grill at Meadowood

(Makes approximately 32 ounces)

Ingredients

6 cups of raw cashews

4-6 cups of water

4-6 each Medjool dates, pitted

1 each vanilla bean, scarped

1T ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

1. Cover the cashews in water and soak for 6-8 hours in the refrigerator.

2. Strain out the water and place cashews in a blender along with the dates, vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt.

3. Add a cup of fresh water at a time, blending the ingrediants and adding more water until smooth and desired consistency is reached.

4. Pass through a fine mesh sieve and refrigerate.

To Serve

1. Keep in an air tight container for 2-3 days.

Editor's Note: After the milk is strained through the sieve, don't throw out that custardy goodness left behind. Scoop it into a ramekin, toss in some berries, and eat it like pudding for a sweet reward!

Learn to Make Le Central's Classic Cassoulet at Home

At Le Central, "it's all about tradition," says Melanie Tanphanich, casting an eye toward the vintage Le Creuset crocks, charmingly chipped from decades of use since the restaurant's 1974 opening. Her father Johnny and uncle Paul Tanphanich acquired the place in 1993. The Toulouse-style cassoulet is a house favorite; the rich remains of the prior day's stock are added to the daily batch. The staff keeps tally of how many days the base has been cooking and hit 15,000 days on August 23, 2016!

LE CENTRAL CASSOULET

(Serves 6-8)

For the duck confit:

4 pieces duck legs

1 teaspoon salt

3 bay leaves

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

6 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Olive oil or duck fat

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Add all ingredients, except the olive oil or duck fat to a stainless steel pot. '

3. Add enough oil or duck fat to cover the duck legs (approximately 3 cups).

4. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

For the cassoulet:

1.5 pounds lamb shoulder cut into 1 1/2" squares

1.5 pounds pork shoulder cut into 1 1/2" squares

4 links Toulouse sausage

3 Duck leg confit

1 lb cannellini beans, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained

1 medium sized chopped yellow onion

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped, stems removed

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

1 ½ tablespoons salt

1 cup white wine

2 ½ oz tomato paste

5 cups chicken stock

1 cup and one tablespoon duck fat (use fat from the duck confit preparation)

3 bay leaves

Bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Heat large cast iron skillet over high heat. Add 1/3 cup duck fat. Brown the lamb and pork in batches, if necessary, approximately three minutes each side. Add additional duck fat to pan if necessary. Set aside.

3. Heat large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup duck fat. Add onion, thyme, and black pepper. Sauté until onion is translucent.

4. Stir in tomato paste followed by garlic and white wine.

5. When the white wine starts to boil, add 4 cups chicken stock and bay leaves. Bring to boil and then add salt.

6. Add the sautéed pork and lamb meat. Bring to boil.

7. Add 1 more tablespoon of duck fat and mix.

8. Cover the Dutch oven and place into the 450 degree oven for approximately 1.5 hours or until meat is tender.

9. Meanwhile, boil the cannellini beans until tender, approximately 45 minutes. Drain the beans.

10. Line a baking sheet with foil and bake the Toulouse sausage at 450 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Turn once during cooking. Remove and cut each link in half.

11. Combine beans, meat and sausage and add 1/3 cup duck fat.

12. Bring 1 cup of chicken stock to a boil. Add the hot chicken stock to the mixture and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove bay leaves.

13. Remove skin from the duck leg confit and then shred the meat over cassoulet.

14. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake until the bread crumbs turn brown.

15. Enjoy!

We Got the Recipe for Andytown Coffee Roasters' Jam Pocket Corn Muffins

At Andytown Coffee Roasters, coffee and corn muffins go hand in hand. Depending on the season, the Outer Sunset coffee shop offers fresh variations on their famous jam pocket muffins: apple and pear corn muffins with a raspberry jam pocket for winter, and peaches or nectarines for summer. The possibilities are endless! Which means you can enjoy these muffins at home all year long. Happy baking!

Jam Pocket Corn Muffin (Gluten-Free)

(Yields approximately 12 muffins)

1 ½ cups sugar

2 cups cornmeal

3 cups white rice flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 ¾ cups buttermilk

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

2 cups fresh fruit, chopped

1 cup jam

raw sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease muffin cup tin with melted butter; set aside.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, and yolks—no whisking required.

3. Cube the butter into approximately 1-inch chunks. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on a low speed; slowly add the buttermilk and egg mixture a little at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl between additions. When the butter is well incorporated but still a little chunky, turn off the mixer.

4. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients; use a spatula to combine by hand. Once the batter is well mixed, stir in the fresh fruit.

5. Distribute the muffin batter into the greased muffin cups. Then scoop about 1 ½ tablespoons of jam onto the center of each muffin. Using a butter knife or other small utensil, flip a little bit of the batter from the side of the muffin, up and over the jam scoop to just cover the jam. If a little jam is still peaking out after flipping the batter, leave it be—it will have a nice molten look when the muffins come out of the oven. Sprinkle the muffins with a little bit of raw sugar for a crispy muffin crust.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Decrease the oven temperature if the tops begin to brown too much.

7. Let the muffins cool for a few minutes a little before popping them out of the pan—the jam will be incredibly hot. Serve and enjoy while they're still warm!

// Andytown Coffee Roasters: 3655 Lawton St. (Outer Sunset),andytownsf.com

Homestead's Peach Galette

Why aren't more people making galettes? These mini-pies are super easy to make, everyone gets their own, and the recipe can be easily adapted to use whatever fruit is in season. Try cherries or apricots in the early summer, berries in the spring, thinly sliced apples in the fall, figs in the late summer, or as Homestead in Oakland does, use peaches right now. See their recipe below and feel free to top your galette with some ice cream, because yolo.

HOMESTEAD'S PEACH GALETTE

(Serves 6)

Dough

1 cup butter, diced in 1/2 inch cubes and chilled

1/2 cup creme fraiche

1 tsp salt

1 2/3 cup AP flour

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1. Sift together the flours and salt onto a large flat surface.

2. Scatter the chilled butter cubes over the flour mixture, and form into a rough rectangle.

3. Start rolling the butter into the flour with a rolling pin, gathering up the edges while you roll to maintain a rectangular shape.

4. Once the butter looks like long thin flakes in the flour, make a well in the middle and pour in the creme fraiche. Fold some of the flour and butter over the creme fraiche and begin rolling again.

5. When the dough is rolled out to a 1/2inch, fold it over on itself in thirds and roll out again. Repeat this process until the dough is mostly smooth and cohesive, about 3 times. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

Egg Wash

1 whole egg

2 egg yolks

1. Whisk together vigorously.

2. Strain, set aside.

Fruit Filling

3-4 fresh peaches

1/4 cup granulated sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Peel the skin off the peaches and slice into thin wedges.

2. Toss very gently with the sugar and lemon.

3. Set aside.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Cut your galette dough into six equal pieces.

3. Roll them out one by one on a heavily floured flat surface, rotating after every couple strokes of the rolling pin to help prevent sticking. When the dough is done it should be very thin, about 1/16th of an inch thick.

4. Make a small circle of peach slices in the middle, leaving about an inch of a dough perimeter. Fold the edges of the dough in towards the middle, leaving a circle of peach filling exposed.

5. Brush the edges with egg wash, sprinkle with granulated sugar, and chill for 10 minutes.

6. Bake for 20-30 minutes until crust is browned and crisp.

Serve The Commissary's Sangria Blanco at Your Next Party

Sangria season is upon us, people. And the Presidio's Spanish-inflected restaurant by Traci Des Jardins, The Commissary, boasts two house options—a white and a red that, after much R&D, could be the city's most authentic, delicious options. "I wanted to always have a spice component for the rojo and an herb ‎component for the blanco," says GM and bar manager Malcolm Brownson, the latter of which features the essence of summery citrus with verbena-infused brightness. "The fact that Traci has a verbena tree in her back yard made this a very easy choice," adds Brownson. ¡Salud!

Sangria Blanco

(Serves 4 to 6)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup orange juice

1 cup Lillet Blanc

3/4 cup Manzanilla sherry

1 lemon, sliced

1 lime, sliced

1 apricot, sliced

1 nectarine, sliced

1 handful verbena leaf

1 bottle of albarino wine

1. Stir all ingredients together (except albarino), seal, and store in the refrigerator for 48 hours.

2. Using a fine sieve, strain the liquid off of the fruit, making sure to ‎get as much of it as possible.

3. Add 1 bottle of your favorite albarino, stir well, and serve over ice in a rocks glass.

4. Use a slice of lemon, lime, or apricot, and a fresh Verbena leaf for garnish‎.

Make Cotogna's Star Dish, Raviolo di Ricotta, at Home

Though the raviolo di ricotta is a signature dish at Michael Tusk's Cotogna, the dish was first introduced to the newly Michelin three-starred Quince.

Tusk developed the recipe 20 years ago after a trip to Bologna where he tasted a version of the traditional pasta. The dish is simply a large raviolo filled with ricotta and a runny egg-yolk and drizzled with brown butter, and Cotogna manages to sell 40-50 of these every day.

You can now make this delicious dish at home with the recipe below!

Raviolo di Ricotta Recipe

(Makes 12 ravioli)

Ingredients for egg yolk pasta dough

450 grams 00 flour (3.5 cups)

325 grams egg yolk (approximately 18 egg yolks)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Ingredients for ravioli filling

1200 grams (approximately 6 cups) of Bellwether (or comparable) ricotta (hung overnight in a cheesecloth, and drained).

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1 dozen farm egg yolks (whites separated)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup Grana Padano cheese, finely grated

Pasta Dough

1. Combine the kosher salt and the 00 flour.

2. On a large flat surface, form a well with the flour. Pour the egg yolks into the center of the well.

3. With a fork slowly stir in the flour little by little until it becomes too difficult to continue with a fork. At this point, begin using your hands to knead the dough and incorporate the remaining flour.

4. Continue to knead the dough for 5 minutes. When the dough is properly kneaded it will slowly bounce back into its shape when indented with your finger.

5. Tightly wrap the ball of dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Filling

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the drained ricotta with the kosher salt and pepper.

2. Divide and roll the ricotta into 12 even sized balls. Gently press the ball of ricotta so that it flattens out to be approximately 1 inch thick.

3. In the center of the flattened ball, create another divot with your thumb (or with an egg) approximately 1 inch in diameter. This is where the egg yolk will be placed.

Chef's note: Use a ring mold to measure ricotta for consistent size and weight. Prep a cookie sheet with parchment paper and a sprinkle of semolina flour to hold the ravioli in the refrigerator before you cook them.

Ravioli

1. Once the pasta dough has rested, sheet the dough using a pasta roller attachment to the desired thickness. On most pasta machines for home use, this is the 2nd or 3rd thinnest setting. Tender dough is key to this dish, so it must be thin enough to cook through the pasta but without overcooking the yolk.

2. Once the pasta dough is sheeted, using a knife, cut the dough into 6 inch by 6 inch squares.

3. For each raviolo, place one ricotta ball into the center of the pasta square. Then place one egg yolk into the center of the ricotta where you created the divot.

4. Using a squeeze bottle or your fingers, very lightly mist the edges of the pasta surrounding the ricotta with water. Carefully place another pasta square on top, gently pressing from the inside out to seal the two sheets of dough while eliminating any air bubbles. This may take some practice before it becomes easy.

Chef's notes: You may break a yolk, but that's no reason to throw out the raviolo. It will still taste good if you cook it. Make sure the raviolo are not touching each other when you place them on the pan to be refrigerated prior to cooking.

Cooking the Raviolo

1. To prepare the ravioli sauce, put the butter into a sauté pan over medium heat.

2. Gently stir the butter as it begins to melt. After a minute or two, the butter will begin to brown. At this stage, remove it from the heat.

3. Meanwhile, place the ravioli into a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the ravioli from the boiling water with a strainer, making sure to allow all of the excess water to drip off of the pasta.

Chef's note: t's best to use a low sided pan (6 inches on side and18 inches across). Lay the ravioli yolk side up with a spatula flat in the water. Monitor so they do not flip over or touch each other.

To Serve

Place the pasta on plate, sprinkle with grana padano and generous spoonful of the browned butter. Serve immediately.

We Have the Recipe for Whitechapel's Fernet + Gin Cocktail

Whitechapel's Follow The Black Rabbit cocktail is an ingenious concoction that combines London's favorite spirit (gin) with San Francisco's favorite digestif (Fernet). The addition of maple syrup adds a touch of sweetness, perfectly balanced with the acidic citrus from fresh orange and lemons.

The drink was created by Danish bartender Kristian Kramp as part of the Honor Among Thieves section of Whitechapel's expansive cocktail menu—a guest menu created to pay homage to industry friends who have done great things with gin. We suggest ordering the drink for dessert after you down the massive Haunch & Flagon, a 36oz. dry-aged tomahawk steak new to this year's Big Eat list (the fernet will help tame your meat sweats), or make your own pairing at home!

Follow The Black Rabbit

(serves 1)

.75 oz Beefeater gin

.75 oz Fernet Branca

.75 oz fresh orange juice

.75 oz maple syrup

.5 oz fresh lemon juice

1. Shake all the ingredients with cracked ice.

2. Pour the whole contents into a highball glass, adding cubes to fill as needed.

2. Garnish with an orange zest.