Selected Writing

SIMPLY RECIPES: PARFAIT WITH MAPLE YOGURT, CITRUS & POMEGRANATE

Loaded with sweet, tart, and juicy winter citrus, these light and healthy parfaits are equally at home served as dessert or as part of a brunch spread. Each bite is like a cheerful burst of sunshine.

LAURA CHENEL: CREAMY BRIE TOASTS WITH DELICATA & SALSA VERDE

Creamy brie, crisp bread, sweet delicata squash and tangy, fresh salsa verde combine in this flavorful toast for a quick and satisfying snack that will make your taste buds sing.

The Cheese professor: 5 secrets to making great mac and cheese

There are so many reasons to love macaroni and cheese. There’s the comfort factor -- few dishes are more homey than a piping hot bowlful of creamy, cheese-coated noodles. It’s also hearty and filling, which makes it great for feeding a crowd. For me, however, the dish’s real charm lies in its versatility.

Remember those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books from when you were a kid? I like to think of macaroni and cheese as a sort of culinary equivalent.

SIMPLY RECIPES: GINGERBREAD PANCAKES WITH CARAMELIZED PEARS

This holiday season, start a new tradition with gingerbread pancakes. Rich molasses, cinnamon, clove, and ginger added to classic buttermilk pancakes make a short stack worthy of Christmas morning. Top with whipped cream and caramelized pears to make this an extra special treat.

SIMPLY RECIPES: BRUSSELS SPROUTS, MUSHROOMS & GOAT CHEESE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Loaded with eggs, bread, goat cheese, and veggies, this breakfast casserole, also known as a strata, is hearty enough to start the day. It would be equally welcome served with a simple green salad at dinner time, or as a side dish as part of a more lavish holiday feast.

THE CHEESE PROFESSOR: EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT PARMIGIANO REGGIANO RINDS

Any home cook worth their salt has a wedge of really good Parmigiano Reggiano tucked away in their cheese drawer. But what happens when you’re done grating the last bit of cheese onto your spaghetti pomodoro? Toss the nubby rind in the compost?

No way! There’s loads of umami-rich flavor left to be savored; so if you don’t already do so, it’s time to start upcycling your Parmigiano Reggiano rinds! Here’s what you need to know so you never waste any precious Parm again.

Simply Recipes: vegetable gratin with blue cheese sauce

At its heart, a gratin is simply some sort of filling, often vegetables (root or otherwise) loaded with cheese, butter, and topped with breadcrumbs, then baked in a shallow baking dish or gratin. It’s about as homey and comforting as you can get.

Seriously, butter, cheese, cream. What’s not to love? Baked until golden brown and bubbly, this makes a lovely side dish for prime rib, ham, or other holiday roast.

Simply recipes: PUMPKIN PIE BARS WITH CANDIED GINGER WHIPPED CREAM

No Thanksgiving feast is complete without pumpkin pie. Sure, a tender, flaky crust filled with silky pumpkin custard is a thing of beauty, but it can also be fussy. The holidays are already stressful enough—dessert doesn’t have to be.

That’s why I love these pumpkin pie bars. It’s the kind of dessert that’s as easy and flexible as it is delicious.

The Cheese professor: Goat Cheese Bread Pudding with Strawberries & Meyer Lemon Recipe

Adding cheese to savory dishes is a no-brainer. Folding crumbles of feta into an egg custard lend a rich tanginess to quiche. Gougeres enriched with a sprinkling of Gruyère have a subtle nuttiness and hit of umami. 

But what about dessert? 

Besides the usual suspects, like cheesecake or topping a slice of warm apple pie with Cheddar, there are countless ways to showcase cheese in sweet applications. 

The cheese professor: Stone Fruit & Cherry Tomato Panzanella with Fior Di Latte Mozzarella Recipe

If there’s one salad that perfectly captures the flavors of summer, it’s insalata caprese. 

In my kitchen, caprese salads are in regular rotation when tomatoes are at their peak, though I must admit that I do occasionally suffer from caprese fatigue. (It turns out, there can be too much of a good thing.)

This is why I like to mix things up with my summertime salad routine, using the aspects of a classic caprese––the balanced blend of sweet, tart, creamy, and herbaceous––as a jumping off point.

The cheese professor: the farmer’s wife’s stone fruit melt

In Bee Wilson’s, “Sandwich: A Global History,” the British food historian describes the melt as “A toasted sandwich filled with some kind of filling –– tuna, turkey, meat patty, etc. –– with a layer of melted cheese.” It’s an understated description for a sandwich that first became popular on American diner menus in the Twentieth Century. However, when done well, the humble melt can be more than simply satisfying; it can be a revelation.

The san francisco Chronicle: DEL POPOLO’S JEFFREY HAYDEN AND THE ART OF PLATING

At its heart, Del Popolo is a neighborhood pizza joint. But each night, as owner and pizzaiolo Jon Darsky slings his naturally leavened, thin-crust pies — which have rightfully earned a loyal following — chef de cuisine Jeffrey Hayden’s accompanying small plates elevate the dining experience into something more refined.

Hayden’s creations aren’t the typical starters or side dishes you’d expect to find coming out of a pizzeria kitchen. These are thoughtfully composed plates designed to both comfort and challenge diners.

“Each one of these dishes has to be unique. Each one has to be delicious. Each one of them has to be some sort of special — whether that means you’re reminded of something that you’ve had before or something that’s brand new,” says Hayden.

The san francisco Chronicle: Blueberry season sparks quest to re-create a favorite doughnut

Cherries may be the glory of springtime fruit, but if you’ve been to a farmers’ market lately, in addition to cherries’ rosy hues, you might have also spied a sea of blue — blueberries, that is.

According to Kim Sorensen of Central Valley-based Triple Delight Blueberries, which you can find at the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, it’s an exceptional year for the fruit — and this year, it’s a bigger crop than normal.

An abundance of blueberries, whose season should last through midsummer, means a plentiful supply to add to your morning yogurt, smoothies or oatmeal. However, for me, the sight of these blue beauties brings up memories of a far more decadent blueberry-spiked breakfast treat: The blueberry-bourbon-basil glazed doughnut from Blue Star Donuts in Portland, Ore.

The san francisco Chronicle: Do you know the Berkeley mochi muffin man?

In painting, the blank canvas can become a masterpiece; in dance, the human body, a breathtaking testament to physical strength and grace; in music — a string of notes can become a symphony. 

But nowhere is the act of transformation more tangible (or delicious) than in the art of cooking, where a handful of relatively simple ingredients can, with just a bit of inspiration and manipulation, become so much more.

Such is the case with the mochi muffin created by Sam Butarbutar, who owns and operates Sam’s Patisserie, a tiny bakery located inside Berkeley’s Catahoula Coffee Co.

The san francisco Chronicle: REEM ASSIL & YASMIN KHAN ON FOOD AS A GATEWAY FOR ACTIVISM & WHAT ARABIC FOOD MEANS IN 2019

According to London author Yasmin Khan (“The Saffron Tales: Recipes From the Persian Kitchen”), Oakland chef Reem Assil has been an inspiration, an example of an Arab American woman who not only celebrates heritage, but makes a social and political statement with her work.

Khan is in the Bay Area to promote her second cookbook, “Zaitoun: Recipes From the Palestinian Kitchen.” Already a best seller in the United Kingdom, the book is getting tons of buzz here as well.

One of Khan’s Bay Area stops will be a (sold-out) pop-up dinner at Assil’s eponymous bakery in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood. A few days before the dinner, the two chefs met over platters of flatbread and fattoush at Assil’s Jack London Square restaurant, Dyafa, to discuss the state of Arabic food in America, and their respective efforts to use food as a platform for advocacy and social justice.

The san francisco Chronicle: HOW THE BAY AREA WILL EAT IN 2019: CONVENIENCE, CBD AND MORE CHICKEN

January is here, which means it’s time to prognosticate about the new year — and specifically, how we in the Bay Area will be eating over the next 12 months and beyond. We don’t need to look into a crystal ball to see the future. All it takes is a long look at local market shelves — and maybe a little bit of analysis from the pros — to realize what we will be seeing in the coming year.

1. Convenience, convenience, convenience.

When it comes to how we shop, dine and cook, to paraphrase Freddie Mercury, we want it all and we want it now. This on-demand attitude is influencing nearly every aspect of the food industry and will have the largest effect on how the Bay Area eats in 2019.

The san francisco Chronicle: NIGELLA LAWSON AND NIK SHARMA WANT TO EMPOWER HOME COOKS

Nigella Lawson first tasted Turkish eggs at the Providores, a global fusion restaurant in London.

The combination of poached eggs served atop warm, lightly whipped garlicky yogurt and drizzled with chile-infused brown butter so enamored the cookbook author and television personality that she decided to create her own version. It’s one of many recipes geared toward home cooks in her latest cookbook, “At My Table” (Flatiron Books; $35).

Turkish eggs is quick, approachable, yet flexible enough to inspire adaptation. So, when Lawson paid a visit to the Chronicle Test Kitchen, it’s easy to see why she suggested that Chronicle columnist Nik Sharma (A Brown Kitchen) give the dish a try, too.

The san francisco Chronicle: CHEFS’ SSAM POP-UPS OFFER A FRESH VIEW OF KOREAN FOOD

While cooking together at Pizzaiolo, Julya Shin and Steve Joo discovered a shared interest in Korean food — and then they decided to do something about it.

For the last few months, the two chefs have been cooking Korean-inspired pop-up dinners throughout the East Bay under the moniker Nokni.

The pair met at Chez Panisse. Shin went on to serve as the chef de cuisine at Pizzaiolo and sister restaurant Penrose, while Joo took his skills north to Wine Country, where he worked as chef de cuisine at Terra in St. Helena. Now they are trying to turn Nokni into a full-time gig — and bring a greater awareness to Korean food in the Bay Area.

The san francisco Chronicle: A guide to Bay Area farmers’ markets at the height of summer

Summer is all about the grill — burgers, steaks, chicken and the like — but that doesn’t mean that side dishes using abundant summertime produce should be relegated to an afterthought. Here are some ideas for turning your produce into showstopping side dishes.

Stone Fruit

Following on the heels of late-spring cherries and apricots, stone fruit season is hitting peak season with the arrival of dozens of varieties of peaches, nectarines, pluots and plums. Expect the onslaught to continue through late August and early September. Nothing beats the simple joy of eating a sun-kissed peach out of hand, and summertime’s abundance of stone fruit means there’s plenty of fruit to use in pies, cobblers, ice creams and preserves.

The san francisco Chronicle: Bay Area chefs and farmers push petals into the mainstream

Flowers have long been used by chefs as a quick and colorful way to add flair to a dish, but in recent years the culinary obsession with flowers has reached full bloom.

In a Whole Foods report from fall 2017, the national retailer heralded “floral flavors” as the No. 1 food trend for 2018. You can now find edible flowers not only in the produce section of local supermarkets, but they’ve also made their way into the packaged and prepared foods aisles, perfuming everything from lemonade and sparkling water to popsicles.

However, flowers aren’t just pretty. For both chefs and farmers, they often serve a purpose.

The san francisco Chronicle: Early fall produce inspires 3 must-bake recipes from Batter Bakery

For a decade, Batter Bakery owner Jen Musty has been plying San Franciscans with her homey scones, cookies, cakes and quick breads.

The self-taught baker has a retail storefront in Nob Hill, as well as a kiosk in the Financial District, but every Saturday you’ll find Musty in the center of the action at her Ferry Plaza Farmers Market stall. For Musty, it’s not only a chance to sell her wares, it lets her keep a close eye on the huge variety of seasonal produce that inspires so much of her baking.

“I geek out,” Musty says of the Northern California bounty at the market. The September summer-to-fall shoulder season is no exception.

The san francisco Chronicle: HOW THE FARMERS’ MARKET MADE THE FERRY BUILDING A WORLDWIDE DESTINATION

“If you build it, they will come.”

A version of that iconic “Field of Dreams” phrase may have originally described a baseball field carved out of a cornfield, but it’s nearly as applicable to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market’s tenure at the San Francisco Ferry Building, which has drawn legions of shoppers to the waterfront for decades as it’s evolved to become one of the largest — and most influential — farmers’ markets in the country.

Today, it’s safe to say that the reality of both the outdoor market and indoor marketplace — which are separate, albeit symbiotic, entities — has far exceeded the original vision.

The san francisco Chronicle: PAULA WOLFERT BIOGRAPHY CELEBRATES A LEGEND — AND UNITES A COMMUNITY

“It never happens that you meet your idol and they’re even cooler in person than they are in your dreams,” says writer Emily Kaiser Thelin.

In 2005, Thelin not only met her culinary idol, legendary cookbook author Paula Wolfert, she planted the seeds of a working relationship that, over the course of the following decade, would grow into so much more. Thelin’s biography-meets-cookbook, “Unforgettable: The Bold Flavors of Paula Wolfert’s Renegade Life” (Mortar & Pestle; 336 pages; $35), is the result of that relationship.

“She’s such an amazing and rich combination of relentless and exhausting high standards,” says Thelin, who spent hundreds of hours interviewing and cooking with Wolfert, now 78.

The san francisco Chronicle: HOW THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION LED AN AMERICAN FOOD MOVEMENT

He was the first person to successfully cut in line at famous Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas, where the wait for brisket runs three hours. Her culinary garden inspired budding green thumbs — young and old — to grow their own produce. Together, their penchant for dining out helped invigorate Washington, D.C.’s restaurant scene. 

Over the course of their eight-year administration, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have tried to change the way Americans eat and think about food. More than any of their predecessors, they ate at trendy restaurants and paid respect at historic culinary institutions, so much that Time Magazine even dubbed the president as America’s Eater-in-Chief. They brought home brewing into the national consciousness, and lobbied for a healthier public, both through policy and practice. 

In short, they’ve brought a vibrant food culture into mainstream America.

The san francisco Chronicle: AS OAKLAND EVOLVES, ITS LONGTIME FARMERS’ MARKET ADAPTS. AGAIN.

The Jack London Square Farmers Market has been a fixture in the historic Oakland district since it opened in 1989, but as new construction engulfs the neighborhood, its vendors are faced with new challenges.

Like its surrounding waterfront area, the Sunday farmers’ market has seen its fair share of change in recent years — and market vendors like Tina McKnight, owner of Dot’s Baking Pantry, have been on the front lines to bear witness.

The san francisco Chronicle: the LASTING IMPACT OF CULINARY LEGEND edna lewis

In Sara B. Franklin’s new anthology of essays, “Edna Lewis: At the Table With an American Original,” (University of North Carolina Press; $28) the food-studies scholar notes that she “strives to unpack the mythology” and deepen readers’ understanding of Edna Lewis, the grand dame of Southern cooking.

The excellent compilation is filled with diverse voices that remind the reader why Lewis’ work continues to resonate more than a decade after her death and 42 years after the release of her seminal cookbook, “The Taste of Country Cooking.”

The essays explore in tender detail the many facets of Lewis and her impact on the contributing authors.

The san francisco Chronicle: Fruit gets the meat treatment as chefs take charge in plant-based revolution

Faux meat innovation is booming, with the Bay Area serving as its creative hub. But beyond vegetarian burgers that bleed, more chefs are experimenting with cooking applications traditionally reserved for meat and applying those methods to fruits and vegetables.

Perhaps blame it on Alain Passard, who for decades has been known to turn earthy beets into steaks and tartare. Or perhaps fellow vegetable lover Alain Ducasse,who has been credited with inspiring a modern vegetable-based revolution in France through dishes like his root vegetable stew.

More recently, at Copnehagen’s Noma, Rene Redzepi has been playing with experimental vegetarian dishes like a plant-based shawarma (made of celeriac and truffles), strawberries and fava beans served “ceviche style,”and cured quince and plum creations that Redzepi describes as being reminiscent of chorizo and salami.

The san francisco Chronicle: Bay Area dessert shops elevate matcha to new heights

Matcha is nothing new. The Japanese-grown green tea has been enjoyed for centuries.

However, according to a 2017 Google trends report, matcha — along with other earthy flavors like turmeric and ginger — is surging in Western countries, including the United States, where since 2015, matcha beverages have experienced 202 percent year-over-year growth. Earlier this month, New York’s MatchaBar, whose high-profile backers include Drake and Ansel Elgort, announced it had raised $8 million for its matcha cafe concept.

The Bay Area is in a golden age of dessert options and recently has seen an uptick in those inspired by eastern Asia, such as Thai rolled ice cream, Taiwanese shaved snow and Japanese soft-serve.

The san francisco Chronicle: Guide to making the perfect grilled cheese sandwich

Tuck some cheese between two slices of bread, cook until the bread is crisp and the cheese is melted, and voila! — you’ve got yourself a grilled cheese sandwich.

There may be no such thing as bad grilled cheese, but like so many seemingly simple dishes, the devil’s in the details. Achieving golden crisp and gooey nirvana can be harder than it looks.

So what constitutes a truly superior grilled cheese sandwich? Well, it depends on whom you ask.

The san francisco Chronicle: PIE MAKER’S SWEET REVENGE

Elizabeth Simon had no intention of starting a pie company.

It all began when Simon, in an effort to impress a guy, decided to bake him a pie.

It was the first time she had ever made a pie — a classic apple pie. Simon spent the entire day working to create, in her words, “the most beautiful pie” — complete with elaborate latticework and decorative pastry leaves.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan.

The san francisco Chronicle: finding comfort in a bowl of porridge

There’s a lot happening in the world right now to make us crave comfort, so it’s no shocker that hygge — the Danish concept of all things cozy and comforting — has spiked on the trend-o-meter.

For Kristen Rasmussen, that feeling of hygge can be found in a simple bowl of porridge.

Rasmussen is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), an avid forager and the founder of Rooted Food, a consulting company focused on nutrition. Growing up, she loved to cook and contemplated going to culinary school. Instead, she ended up studying nutrition and science in college because it was, in her words, a “cool way to talk about food all day — and have more job potential.”

The san francisco Chronicle: Bay Area s’mac down — Who’s got the best mac & cheese?

Stove-top or baked? Creamy bechamel or eggy custard? Bread crumb topping? However you like your macaroni and cheese, there is no shortage of options in the Bay Area.

But which restaurant has the best? We narrowed our list to 10 final contenders in The Chronicle’s ultimate macaroni and cheese smackdown.

While everyone might have an opinion on the best version of the classic American comfort food, there are certain variables that are undisputed.

The san francisco Chronicle: Kuri gohan provides comfort with chestnuts and rice

Growing up in Japan, Hiro Sone had two large chestnut trees in his backyard. Every fall, he and his brother would collect the nuts that fell to the ground, cracking them open with their shoes. His mother would soak the nuts overnight to make them easier to peel, and then steam them atop a mix of short-grain and sticky sweet rice, along with a bit of salt and mirin. Sometimes Sone’s mother would cut up a bit of Japanese sweet potato (satsuma imo) and steam it in the rice along with the chestnuts. The dish would be finished with a sprinkling of gomashio (toasted sesame seeds ground with salt).

That savory chestnut rice dish, called kuri gohan, was one that Sone, now the chef-partner of St. Helena’s Terra, remembers as part of his childhood.

The san francisco Chronicle: a fresh approach with a light touch for thanksgiving

When it comes to Thanksgiving, Zoe Johns has no hard and fast rules. Except one.

“I always welcome (guests) with a drink, preferably a glass of wine,” says Johns.

Johns, a former product developer and director of catalog marketing for Pottery Barn, joined her family’s Oakville winery, Turnbull Wine Cellars, in 2013 for a brand overhaul that included a revamp of its tasting room experience. She believes that holiday gatherings are about creating a relaxed atmosphere where people can immediately feel at ease.

“(I) want people walking into the space to feel a part of it and not looking into it,” she says.

The san francisco Chronicle: Cherry season arrives in full blush

“You wouldn’t believe the traffic at Alemany Farmers’ Market today,” a friend emailed me this past weekend. Around the same time, I was at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, where I was also blown away by the long lines forming at certain stalls.

The reason for these epic crowds: Cherry season is in full swing.

It’s understandable why people are excited. After an exceptionally long winter, with rains causing weeks-long delays in spring plantings and harvests, the Bay Area has been itching for stone fruits to return to the market. When it comes to fruit, nothing says spring is really and truly here like cherries.