SONOMA (KCBS) – It’s fascinating to see how rosé is making a comeback. Once upon a time, these were some of the most popular of all wines, only to suffer because rosé was neither white nor red.

Here we have a couple of rosé wines and a white aperitif that are all just plain delicious. And there are lots of fun ways to use them.

KCBS Food And Wine Editor Narsai David:

The 2011 Toad Hollow Sonoma County Dry Rosé of Pinot Noir has a charming pink color and a hint of strawberries on the aroma. It’s crisp on the palate and leaves a clean, refreshing aftertaste.

The 2011 Cline Morvèdra Rosé comes from a grape that’s grown in the south of France and found all along the Mediterranean. This wine from Contra Costa County has a pale, coppery color with just a hint of pink similar to a rosé champagne. There’s an intriguing, lush aroma of freshly baked bread. It’s a perfect luncheon wine, or one to serve with an entrée salad.

Finally, the 2011 Kenwood Moscato Zacchera, made from 100 percent Muscat canelli, has that classic perfumy fruit of the Muscat grape. This wine is a lot of fun to drink with fresh fruit as a dessert wine, or by itself as a sipping wine.

2011 Toad Hollow Sonoma County Dry Rosé of Pinot Noir

$12.99.

2011 Cline Morvèdra Rosé

$11.99

2011 Kenwood Moscato Zacchera

$16

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

TRACY (KCBS)— The Tracy Dry Bean Festival is only about two weeks away. Due to the newly completed Downtown Plaza, the layout for this year’s festival will change once again, but come September 8th and 9th expect to experience a variety of beans that are now being grown in California.

The last number I heard was about 80 different varieties. Take the Christmas lima for example; which commonly comes in one-pound packages imported from Italy where it’s called the Pope’s bean and sells for about $5 a pound. You can get the locally grown kind for about half that price.

KCBS Food & Wine Reports:

At the festival you can sample and buy the dry beans, plus there will be giveaways as well as cooking demonstrations. It really is a weekend full of free entertainment for all ages. For more information about the festival go to: tracybeanfestival.com/

It actually gives me the opportunity to bring out one of my favorite recipes which goes great with BBQ:

NARSAI’S CAFE AT I. MAGNIN BLACK BEAN SALAD

1 cup black beans, picked over and washed
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 rib celery, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
Dressing:

1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
2 tablespoons oil
First, to degas the beans:

Drop beans into boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover; and let stand for 1 hour. Drain in a collander and discard liquid. This removes most of the element that causes the gas in our body, and does not lose the nutritional value of the beans. Add fresh water and cook until tender. Drain and cool. Then mix in remaining ingredients. Stir in dressing and let stand for an hour to blend flavors. Stir again before serving.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – This upside-down cake is my favorite cake recipe. It comes out different every time depending on what fruit is in season, and it’s so simple.

Use any kind of fruit. In late summer and fall, peaches, large pluots, nectarines, apples and pears are all starting to come in. When you finally turn the cake upside down, the syrup you create in the pan flows down over the cake with the fruit right on top. That takes care of the topping, the dressing, the frosting.

KCBS Food and Wine Editor Narsai David:

Upside-down Cake
2 tbsp butter*
1/3 cup water
½ – ¾ cup brown sugar, to taste
4 egg whites
½ cup sugar
3-4 medium peaches, large pluots, nectarines, apples or pears
4 egg yolks*
Preheat oven to 350

Start by melting two tablespoons of butter, a one-third cup of water and one-half to three-quarters of a cup of brown sugar in a 10-inch frying pan. Set that aside to cool.

Meanwhile cut three or four pieces of fruit into eight vertical wedges that you’ll lay down in the pan in a circle right in all that brown sugar.

Separately we’re going to whip four egg whites with a half-cup of sugar until it’s really, really firm and shiny. Add to that four egg yolks, a teaspoon of vanilla, a cup of cake flour and a teaspoon of baking powder. Fold that together, pour it over the fruit and straight into the oven.

It is so simple at 350 degrees.

* A non-fat version would eliminate the egg yolks and butter, and increase the egg whites to 6. Or just use one cup of non-fat egg substitute. The non-fat version is best served warm.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Chocolate Decadence is really an easy cake to make. There’s only five ingredients; chocolate, butter, sugar, flour and eggs. It comes together so simply and yes it is decadent.

It’s a recipe that came about many years ago in the days of Narsai’s Restaurant in Berkeley. It was for a friend who was having a dinner party who had an extensive collection of port wines and needed a dessert. So this rich chocolate dream was about the only thing that could stand up to port.

I like to serve it with raspberry puree. It’s an equally easy dish and the recipe is included.

The original Chocolate Decadence as created by Narsai’s Restaurant, Berkeley.

CHOCOLATE DECADENCE
Yield: 12 Servings

1 lb. semi-sweet chocolate
5 oz. sweet butter
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS *flour
4 whole eggs

Melt chocolate with butter in double boiler until just melted. Set aside. Beat whole eggs and sugar in double boiler until sugar dissolves and mixture is lukewarm (do not overcook). Remove from heat and whip until quadrupled or until thickened. Fold flour into eggs. Stir ¼ egg mixture into chocolate, then fold into egg mixture. Bake in 8-inch floured, buttered, papered pan in a 425 degree oven for no longer than 15 minutes. (Cake will be liquid in center.) Freeze, preferably overnight before removing from pan. Carefully dip bottom of pan into hot water to un-mold. Mask with whipped cream. Decorate with shaved chocolate. Refrigerate until serving.

Serve with Raspberry Puree

FROSTING

Whip: 1-1/2 cups cream
With: 1 tsp vanilla
1 TSB sugar

RASPBERRY PUREE

Defrost one 10-12 oz. package frozen raspberries. Puree in blender. Press through a fine sieve to remove seeds. Sweeten with sugar to taste.

*NOTE: This is the original recipe. As there is a great interest now in gluten free baking, I have tested it with corn starch and found it to work perfectly well. In fact I’m sure that rice flour, potato flour, or most any other type of flour will work.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— There’s a lot of intriguing things being done with raw veggies at this year’s Fancy Food Show. Sometimes I think it’s not all that important to go to these shows because things don’t change all that much, but there was a lot of unusual things this year.

Baked veggies, baked crackers and baked veggie puffs prevailed at this year’s show. One of the more intriguing products was from a company that was basically dehydrating thin slices of zucchini and kale, but they maintain its bright-green color. That alone is like biting into a potato chip.

Then they puree it with other vegetables and fruit, season it with some olive oil, maybe salt and pepper, then drizzle it over the surface and then dehydrate that. What’s left is a healthy crunchy concoction full of things that are good for you and that aren’t deep fried.

Another product that intrigued me was the California Lavash, a company based out of Gilroy. The flat bread, which is Middle-Eastern in origin, is available in different thicknesses. One of them is called the Pizza Dough and it comes in a really neat rectangle so you can cut it into squares, spread things on it and toast it, or even bake it like a pizza.

There’s more fascinating things coming to the market and I guess there’s never a shortage of ideas.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

BERKELEY (KCBS) – Although barbecue season doesn’t officially start until after Memorial Day, I suspect we’re going to see an awful lot of barbecuing on Super Bowl Sunday, particularly with the spectacular weather we have this weekend.

My Not So Secret Barbecue Sauce uses ingredients you probably already have handy in the kitchen and comes together in no time.

Whether you’re doing spareribs or chicken, sprinkle the meat with seasoning salt first, then roast in the oven or charcoal on the grill until it’s almost tender.

Most importantly, the barbecue sauce has to go on just for the last 15 or 20 minutes of cooking so that it doesn’t char and develop a bitter, burned flavor.

KCBS Food and Wine Editor Narsai David:

Barbecued Beef Ribs

It’s best to guy beef ribs still in a slab rather than cut apart individually. Season lightly on both sides with your favorite seasoning salt and roast in a 450-degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until just tender. Remove from oven and cool enough to handle. Cut apart into individual ribs and finish under a broiler or on an open grill, basting with Narsai’s Not So Secret Barbecue Sauce or Narsai’s Southern Secret Barbecue Sauce.

Narsai’s Not So Secret Barbecue Sauce

1 small onion

3 – 4 cloves of garlic

1 TBS prepared mustard

1 5 oz. bottle of steak sauce

½ cup of ketchup

½ cup of red or white wine

Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor.

To barbecue spareribs or chicken, sprinkle with seasoned salt and roast or charcoal grill until almost tender, then brush with barbecue sauce for the last 15 to 20 minutes of cooking.

If you plan to save the sauce for future use, it must be simmered for at least 15 minutes to keep it from spoiling.

Narsai’s Southern Secret Barbecue Sauce

2 medium onions, sliced

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 TBS oil

1½ inch piece of ginger, sliced thinly across the grain

2 TBS dry mustard

3 TBS Worcestershire sauce

2 cups of tomato sauce

1/3 cup of vinegar

1 cup of sherry or water

2 bay leaves

½ tsp Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce

3 TBS molasses

2 TBS brown sugar

½ tsp salt

Sauté onions and garlic in oil until translucent. Puree in blender with ginger. If necessary, add some of the liquid to help it puree. Return puree to pan and add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 20 – 30 minutes. This can be held in the refrigerator for an extended time.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53 a.m., 12:53 p.m. and 4:53 p.m., and at 2:53 a.m. Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

BERKELEY (KCBS) – Lalime’s restaurant has been a very important part of the dining scene in Berkeley for the past 27 years, and on a recent visit I found it just keeps on getting better.

People who insist they couldn’t possibly eat Brussels sprouts were amazed when the crispy Brussels sprouts arrived at the table.

Fried just enough for the edges of the leaves to get crispy, the sprouts are served with a little bit of house cured bacon, some aioli and vin cotto, technically a boiled down wine, but really in this case a reduced balsamic vinegar with a sweet and sour happening at the same time.

KCBS Food and Wine Editor Narsai David:

The lobster carbonara is marvelous chunks of lobster served with squid ink pasta. Onglet bordelaise used to just be called a hanger steak. This delicious piece of meat is worthy of a fancy French name.

And every one of these main courses comes with intriguing vegetables.

The verre du vin cauliflower risotto is the most intriguing version of risotto you’ve ever seen, basically a very mild curry. There’s no rice. The cauliflower is crumbled into small, granular bits, with red quinoa for the grain. Verre du vin is really how the French say curry.

Lalime’s is in a residential area on Gilman Street and it’s always busy. Be sure to make a reservation.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53 a.m., 12:53 p.m. and 4:53 p.m., and at 2:53 a.m. Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— The true harbinger of spring for me is asparagus. Yes, I am waiting anxiously for those first white peaches of the season, but they’ve got a ways to come.

Asparagus, whether it by green, white, purple or purple; can bring some distinctly different flavors. Actually green and purple are similar, but the white is really something quite different altogether.

The white mounds up some compost-like material (or straw) over it so the sunlight doesn’t get to it. It’s basically growing underground so without sunlight it can’t become green, hence it’s pale complexion. It’s got an unusual taste that not a lot of people like and is very expensive.

Skinny asparagus spears are much, more grassy in flavor and the thicker ones have a sweeter taste. If you’re looking for value don’t bypass the asparagus tips. What happens there is asparagus is always cut to a pre-determined size. In the process of cutting it, sometimes they get broken spears. Those broken spears are then bunched together and sold. There’s no waste and you can eat the entire thing.

Now is the time of year, for breakfast, lunch and dinner to appreciate the Delta asparagus. My favorite way to enjoy them is to drop them into vigorous boiling water with no lid on the pot. Please don’t overcook them though. That’s the biggest sin of all is when you serve a spear that has gotten too mushy.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53 a.m., 12:53 p.m. and 4:53 p.m., and at 2:53 a.m. Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— The strawberries this spring have been absolutely marvelous. They’re big and red which really means they got a chance to ripen before they pick them and they’re full of flavor and what’s the best thing to do with strawberries? Well, make strawberry shortcake of course.

Charles Myers, who owns Harbor Winery in Sacramento gave me a recipe years ago and we labeled it ‘Charlie’s Mother’s Cloud Biscuits’. It makes the best shortcake ever.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 TBS sugar
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter (1 stick), cold from the refrigerator
1 egg
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut the butter in half lengthwise, and then into ¼ inch slices In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the butter and mix until the mixture is crumbly. Mix in the egg and milk until they are barely incorporated. Pat or roll out the dough lightly on a floured board to about ½-inch thickness. With a floured biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass, cut the dough into 12 biscuits. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet with space between them and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden and fluffy.

NOTE: To use this recipe for shortcake, increase the sugar to two tablespoons and proceed as above. Spread the finished dough evenly in a cake pan. If using a 9-inch pan, bake for 20 minutes; an 8-inch pan, for 25 minutes. A toothpick tested in the center should come out clean. When the cake has cooled, cut it into two layers. Fill with strawberries or other fruit of your choice mixed with a bit of sugar to taste. Top with whipped cream.

OPTIONAL: Sprinkle 1 – 2 TBS coarse sugar such as Demerara or Raw Sugar over top of cake

Recipe © 2009 by Narsai M. David

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53 a.m., 12:53 p.m. and 4:53 p.m., and at 2:53 a.m. Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— I used to keep six different kinds of chili peppers by the stove, but I’ve cut it down to just one these days. The Aleppo pepper is named after a city in Syria. Most of it comes from Turkey now.

On the Scoville Heat Scale it measures 10,000 units, which makes it comparable to the Serrano pepper. A sweet bell pepper has no capsaicin (the component that makes peppers spicy hot) in it. An Anaheim chili has a couple thousand heat units and a Pablano is the next step above on the heat chart.

Then it starts to skyrocket. A Cayenne can be as much as 50,000 heat units. Once you get to habanero (the one we used to say was the world’s hottest chili) the heat starts to register between 200,000 and 350,000 heat units.

For those of you with a high threshold for spice, there’s one in India that was identified a few years ago called Bhut Jolokia that has one million heat units.

For me, the beauty of the Aleppo pepper is that it’s mild enough that you can use enough of it to be able to taste the sweet flavor of the pepper. Other peppers are simply too hot to do that and all you get is the heat.

It isn’t commonly available everywhere, but you should be able to find it at Middle-Eastern Markets.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53 a.m., 12:53 p.m. and 4:53 p.m., and at 2:53 a.m. Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— It’s the height of cherry season and cherries have been delicious this year. The biggest, firmest, most beautiful bings I’ve seen have come from C.J. Olson Cherry Farm in Sunnyvale.

It used to be a huge farm, but now it’s just a tiny patch of land, but by golly they still grow some amazing cherries. That got me thinking about some old traditional cherry recipes like Cherries Jubilee. It used to be on the menus at all the fancy restaurants and had an elaborate tableside presentation where the maitre d’ would toss the cherries in a pan with lots of butter, then toss in some booze and then flames would go up before it was poured on top of ice cream.

But it doesn’t need all that drama in order to make a really wonderful dessert. I have a simple recipe that will serve four people.

NARSAI’S CHERRIES JUBILEE

Recipe © 2011 by Narsai M. David

Serves 4

1 orange

3 – 4 TBS sugar (to taste)

1 TBS lemon juice

*1/2 cup port wine

1 TBS cornstarch

1 1/2 lb Cherries, washed and pitted

Grate or scrape the zest from the orange into a 2-3 quart saucepan. Add the juice of that orange along with the sugar, lemon juice, port and cornstarch. Stir until dissolved. Add the pitted cherries and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until sauce has thickened slightly. Serve immediately over vanilla ice cream or non-fat frozen vanilla yogurt. It is equally delicious over non-fat plain yogurt.

* Any red wine can be substituted for the port by adding another tablespoon of sugar.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— 2011 was one of the toughest years in a long time for California’s vintage wine makers. It was a rough year weather wise; the rains came at the wrong time and the spring lasted during what seemed like the wrong periods.

The result is there isn’t going to be a lot of wines comparable to the 2010s and 2012s, so we’ll have to be choosy about what comes out of 2011.

I have a couple of Pinot Noirs that are very nicely priced and are very pleasant wines. Jekel Vineyards 2011 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County has sort of a cranberry red color with appealing aromas of blackberry jam. This leads to a light wine with just enough tannin and acidity for a nice balance.

Hint of strawberry lingers on the tongue and it’s drinkable now. In fact it is the perfect picnic wine. This would work nicely with a grilled chicken or an entre salad. At $17.99 it’s a great value.

The 2011 Talbot Pinot Noir Logan from the Santa Lucia Highlands has soft, delicate strawberry aromas with a touch of cherry. It’s soft on the palate and beautifully balanced. This wine would be perfect with a fresh King Salmon. It’s on the market now for $25.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — I have some appealing wines from Sonoma County to let you in on this week. The first is from Trione Vineyards & Winery. We’ll start with the 2010 Russian River Valley Chardonnay. This one has rich, luscious aromas with a toasty, buttery quality. Yes, it’s very rich on the palate, so save it for a lobster dinner or a roast chicken. Let the richness linger. It’s fairly priced at $23 as this is a 2010 vintage.

Then you should move on to the 2010 Trione Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. This one is loaded. It’s rich with ripe, plum-like aromas that lead to a serious mouthful of wine. In fact, the fullness of the tannic backbone really comes as a bit of a surprise. There’s plenty of fruit to balance that tannin and a few years of age really pay off here. It’s finely priced at $35.

Next you should slip over to the Dry Creek Valley where Quivira Zinfandel from 2011 expresses a bright, red raspberry aroma. It’s almost jam-like. Rich and ripe fruit-forward flavors dance on the palate and are nicely balanced. This is certainly not one of those 16-percent alcohol wines. It’s perfect with BBQ ribs or grilled chicken. How about a grilled sausage party? That would work well too. $22 is a very nice price for this bottle.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— The new issue of Cook’s Country Magazine has some very clever and creative ideas. It’s published by the same people who produce America’s Test Kitchen.

The research they do in that test kitchen comes up with some interesting results. The cover story is on “quicker, better, cinnamon buns”. They wanted something that was as easy to put together as biscuit dough and through rigorous experimentation, they found that by doubling the amount of yeast, it would rise so rapidly and the flavor would remain intact.

Another must-try recipe: chocolate cake in a mug that you cook in the microwave. It’s similar to a lava cake with molten chocolate in the center. It only takes minutes. Start at half power for 45 seconds and half power for 30 seconds. It’s a clever idea.

Check out their October-November issue of Cook’s Country Magazine for these recipe ideas and more.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

(credit: Meredith Calderas)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Hubert Keller’s Souvenirs: Stories & Recipes From My Life is a charming story co-written by Penelope Wisner. Keller is best known for his world renowned restaurants including Burger Bar and Fleur de Lys in San Francisco. The book includes how Keller grew up above his father’s pastry shop in Alsace, France. The marvelous bakery, by the way, is now being run by Keller’s brother.

LISTEN TO NARSAI DAVID’S FOOD NEWS:

All his life Keller was fortunate enough to be surrounded by great food. He then worked as an apprentice to some of the greatest 3-star French chefs. He worked with Roger Vergé in the south of France. Vergé then decided to open a restaurant in San Francisco named Sutter 500 (of course that was also the address). Keller came with him and was the opening chef.

(credit: R. Del Rosario/CBS Local)

Years in the restaurant business ended him up at Fleur de Lys as a partner, but ultimately he became the owner along with his wife. If ever there were a three-star restaurant in San Francisco that had the feeling, comfort, ambiance and great food service of the three-star restaurants of France it has to be Fleur de Lys in San Francisco.

You get a little taste of that in the book and a few of recipes, but most importantly the story of this man’s life and how he was able to parlay all of that into a couple of restaurants here in San Francisco as well as Las Vegas. It’s a dynamic story and the book really conveys his passion.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Just the other day it was summer and now we’re talking about winter vegetables. One of the most interesting of those vegetables is cauliflower. It makes me think of an old Mark Twain quote that makes me chuckle.

“Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond. Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education,” he once said

While indeed it’s in the same family as cabbage, along with brussel spouts and so many other wonderful vegetables that are good for you. Nowadays it comes in so many colors; white orange, green, purple, are commonly available in most grocery stores.

And yes, these cruciferous vegetables as they’re called are really full of lots of good things. It’s hard to imagine how low they are in calories. A medium head cauliflower is 150 calories and a large head is maybe 200 calories.

For recipe ideas, think of things you would do with potatoes. Substitute cauliflower for potatoes in your au gratin. This is a great way to wipe out so many calories and unwanted carbohydrate calories. You can serve it raw, or in a bread and butter pickle jar.

There’s so many wonderful things you can do with cauliflower; with all these colors available it’s great to put it out on an hors d’oeuvres platter. The variety of colors alone makes it so attractive.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Persimmon is a most unusual fruit, but now is the time of year that they’re in season. Besides enjoying them they also happen to have a fascinating history.

The most common variety that we find at the supermarket is a descendent from China. There’s actually an American persimmon grown on the East Coast that’s a little tough to deal with. It’s usually made into a persimmon pudding. The timber is so dense and so dark that it’s frequently used as a substitute for ebony like in the making of instruments.

The two most common varieties on the market now are the Fuyu persimmon is sort of shaped like a beefsteak tomato. It can be eaten when it’s very firm, as long as it has its wonderful orange blush, you should be fine. It could even have a hint of green on the stem end, but it’s fine.

It’s a wonderful ingredient that adds crunch with a tiny hint of sweetness to your salad. The other commoner (perhaps the most common of all) is the Hichiya persimmon. It looks like a great, big oversized acorn. It has to be really ripe and soft to the point where it’s nearly mushy to be enjoyed. Otherwise it’s too harsh on the palate.

My favorite thing to do with the Hichiya is to freeze it whole. Take it out when it’s solid as a rock and then run it under luke-warm water. Then you can literally wipe the skin off as it starts to defrost. Let it stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes to let it soften. Cut it into quarters and then drizzle natural maple syrup on it. What you’re left with is natural sorbet provided by nature.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Two appealing wines from Sonoma County are at the top of my list for you to try this week. First from Kenwood Vineyards we have a 2012 Chardonnay that is bright and cheerful.

The aromas are like biting into a fresh green apple and it just follows through right on to the palate. There’s a crisp mineral-like quality with just a touch of oak. This wine is delicious and it retails for just $14. The grapes are primarily from the Russian River Valley.

There’s also a 2011 Dry Creek Vineyard Heritage Vines Zinfandel. These vines have an average age of 30 years. Blueberries and violets offer a distinctive fruity, lushness to the bouquet here.

Then you’ll feel a supple, soft juiciness on the palate. Juicy is such an apt description as your mouth fills with juicy flavors of ripe berries.

2011 was a really tough vintage for most grapes in Northern California. It may have just been a blessing in disguise for the zinfandel. Alcohol is not too high and there’s a fine acid. There’s a delicious balance with just enough tannin to provide the backbone for the fruit. Maybe you could give it one or two years to mellow it out and let it gain some complexity. It’s absolutely excellently priced at just $19 a bottle.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — This week I have three attractive wines at attractive prices, including the Bonterra 2012 Chardonnay from Mendocino County made from organic grapes.

A fresh bite of a new Gravenstein apple or maybe a crisp Pippin apple immediately comes to mind. There’s lots of fruit barely tempered with sweetness for balance. It’s a downright, delicious, ready to drink chardonnay for only $13.99 retail.

Then we have the 2011 Bonterra Zinfandel (again made from Mendocino County organic grapes). There’s plenty of berry flavor with a dusty back note of oak, but be sure the fruit stays forward.

This is a wine for pizza, pasta and bar-b-cue. It should be considered one you just grab and go and at $15.99 it’s a great value.

Finally, Five Rivers 2012 Pinot Noir from Paso Robles has fine, ripe berry aromas somewhere between fresh and when they’re made into jam. The ripe flavors carry on to the palate.

For a quaffing line, I’d say it’s so easy to drink with just enough tannin to balance the fruit. I’d recommend pairing it with poultry, salmon or simply to just have a nice glass of wine. It’s quite the value at $14.99.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Winter is certainly the perfect, cool weather time to make stews. Stews are heartwarming, delicious and really feel like home. What else is there to say?

In order to make the process a little easier, what I propose is to make a make-ahead stew base. I’ve braised as much as four pounds of boneless meat with some onions and garlic and whatever kind of liquid you like. It could be water, red wine or beer then freeze that after it’s cooked in one-pint containers.

Then to make a stew, it simply means defrosting that and in my case, adding some diced tomatoes (a 14 to 16 oz. can does a nice job), a pound of string beans that are cut an inch and a half long, three or four potatoes that are cut into chunks and a couple of carrots.

Braise that for about 20-25 minutes and you’ve got dinner ready to go to the table. It’s a really easy thing to do. By the way, if you have some turkey or roast beef or roast anything left over from the holidays it’s perfect for a stew. The sandwiches are nice for a few days after, but even those get tiresome.

NARSAI’S MAKE AHEAD STEW BASE
16 Portions

1 TBS salad oil

4 lbs. boneless stew meat cut in 1-1/2″ chunks

salt and pepper

2 large onions, chopped

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1 cup water or broth

2 cups dry red wine, or beer or water

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and brown the pieces of meat over high heat in

a single layer in 2 or 3 batches. As the meat is browned, transfer it to a Dutch

oven and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and saute the onions

until starting to brown. Add the garlic and stir for just a minute. Add the water

or broth and scrape the pan to dissolve all the brown bits. Transfer to Dutch

oven. Add red wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow simmer and cook,

covered until barely tender, about 1-1/2 hours. Cool, and freeze in 4 one pint

plastic containers, or in portions to suit your needs.

NARSAI’S ASSYRIAN STEW
Serves 4

1 pt. cooked stew base

2 cups diced tomatoes (1 – 14 to 16 oz. can)

1 lb. stringbeans, cut 1-1/2″

3-4 potatoes, cut in 1-1/2″ pieces

2 carrots, cut diagonally 1-1/2″ long

salt and pepper

In a 5-6 qt. Dutch oven, heat the stew base and tomatoes. Add vegetables and

simmer until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

NOTE: Vegetables can be varied to suit your taste.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

Recipe Copyrighted 2014 by Narsai M. David

(Copyright 2014 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)