san francisco + berkeley

what i've consumed in the bay area so far:

many little gems, stunning avocados.

three yolo slices of cheeseboard pizza, heavy on the green sauce.

one rebel within. omg. just. omg. 

dumpling in zanthoxylum schinifolium etzucc sauce.

bougie kombucha, because i'm quickly falling for kombucha despite its explosive qualities.

half of a veggie top dog as an appetizer to my cheeseboard pizza.

the best most delicate tomato soup i ever had + the best plum galette i ever had, complete with a sturdy caramelized crust, at the motherland.

the only flavored coffee drink i've ever truly loved, the mint mojito coffee at philz (easy on the cream and sugar).

a loquat and a sour plum, picked by tall tall timo on a sunny stroll through berkeley.

an inspiring gougère the size of my head.

10 soup dumplings.

too much wine.

and a ramp bulb from just left of the astonishing eggplant section at the berkeley bowl.

again, my wedding diet starts tomorrow.

-yeh!

mini champagne cakes with fresh whipped cream and stevia leaves

this time last week i was up to my neck in cake batter that had been spiked with champagne. there was an impending opera premiere, and like all opera premieres, it required cake.

the thing about making mini cakes in someone else's kitchen is that you find yourself doing silly things like hollowing out tomato paste cans to use instead of biscuit cutters and measuring every single ingredient using just a teaspoon and a quarter cup. (the former mathlete in me was proud when i nailed the 2/3 cup of champagne.) the real joy came when i got to style these puppies using all foreign dishes and props, and then top them with fresh stevia leaves grown right outside. have you ever had a stevia leaf? it is so lovely and sweet.

more joy came of course when i served a bunch of hungry friends cake. add that to my list of hobbies: serving friends cake in a post-opera situation.

these little cakes are incredibly moist and at a real good point between dense and light. they're based on my new go-to vanilla cake recipe, from pastry affair, and they're accompanied by a simple fresh whipped cream. i should mention that the libretto for the opera had a really wonderful line about cheese, so in my first test batch of these cakes, the whipped cream got a heavy dose of ricotta folded in. which i thought was yum. eggboy thought it was odd though, so i left it out of the party cakes, but if you're feeling that you'd like your wine cake to have some cheese cream, then do it.

mini champagne cakes with fresh whipped cream and stevia leaves

makes 8-12

cake recipe based on pastry affair's vanilla cupcakes

ingredients

for the cake:

1 3/4 c cake flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 c sugar

2 large eggs

2 tb vanilla extract

1/4 c vegetable oil

1/3 c plain yogurt

2/3 c champagne

for the whipped cream:

1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream

2 tb powdered sugar, or more to taste

a healthy splash of champagne, or more to taste

for garnish:

powdered sugar

fresh stevia leaves or other pretty edible plants

clues

preheat oven to 350. line a 9 x 13 casserole dish or half sheet pan with foil (using enough so that it hangs over the sides), grease it, and set it aside.

in a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

in a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

beat in the vanilla, oil, and yogurt. gradually add the dry ingredients, and then add the champagne, to form a smooth batter.

pour the batter into your pan and bake until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. (check the cake after 18 minutes and add more time as needed.)

let the cake cool. use the foil to lift the cake out of the pan. wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for at least an hour or overnight.

to make the whipped cream, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. add the powdered sugar and champagne and beat to stiff peaks. 

to assemble the cakes, use a 2- to 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out cake circles. if the cake was baked in a 9 by 13 casserole dish, the layers may be quite tall for a mini cake, so i would recommend slicing them in half. stack up the cakes, 3 layers each, with a bit of cream in between. dust with powdered sugar, top with desired garnishes, and enjoy!

-yeh!

ojai magic

the end of my ojai stay brought three of the best surprises in the whole wide world of surprises: an eggboy, a ring, and a new status as the future mrs. egg. 

i want to smile all of the smiles and cry all of the tears. these past three days have brought shock, excitement, and then the feeling that i should not eat that burrito so i can begin my wedding diet right now. (ahhhhh!!!!!!)

eggboy's magical stay included midnight tacos, afternoon tacos, bacon truffles, our first guest list draft, the choral fantasy, a visit to our new favorite bookstore, and heavy usage of the words fiancé and future husband. his visit was short and sweet and the most perfect engagement i could have never imagined. i feel so mushy right now! eggboy is the cheese to my macaroni and i just can't contain my excitement that we are going to get old and wrinkly together. 

yesterday was spent on a bus to berkeley, making the pinterest board and googling "rustic winter wedding" and staring down at my pink and gold ring. i was sad to say goodbye to ojai though. not only do i now have this connection to it since we got engaged there, but it was also the prettiest little town with the sweetest people ever. the concerts were beautiful, the tacos were just right, and my host family was the best.

and now it's time to explore the bay area!!! chez panisse? i think that's a good way to celebrate.

-yeh! 

bánh mì hot dogs

there are few things i love more than hot dogs. they're my favorite part about baseball games, they might even be one of my favorite parts about summer. when i was little, this was acceptable. now that i'm a sophisticated (*picks nose*) adult, it's almost embarrassing to eat a hot dog unless i've waited hours for it at hot doug's. at barbecues i feel like i should be going for angus this or wagyu that instead of elbowing a seven-year-old out of the way to get to the wieners with ketchup only. cue the judgements from all the chicagoans. i know i know. but is it so much to ask that i have a new, fun way of eating a hot dog that makes me feel more like a real live grown-up?

no.

enter: the bánh mì hot dog!

it's inspired by the one at asiadog and it's basically what would happen if your beloved hot dog got the prettiest, most colorful makeover in all the land. it's also perfect if you don't have access to those special meats that are often found in bánh mìs. this version is super easy to make and great for adding some spunk and new flavors to your barbecues. snappy wieners basking in squishy soft buns, topped with heaps of crunchy veggies? ooh yes.

bánh mì hot dogs

makes 8

ingredients

for the daikon/carrot slaw:

(adapted from the kitchn)

1 c julienned daikon

1 c julienned carrots

a big pinch of salt

1/4 c sugar

1/2 c white vinegar

1 c water

for assembly:

8 hot dogs

8 cobblestone bread co. windy city hot dog buns

1 large cucumber, seeded and sliced

1/2 c hoisin sauce

sriracha mayo (1/2 c mayo + 2 tsp sriracha, or more if desired)

2 jalapeños, seeded and sliced

fresh cilantro sprigs

clues

for the slaw, combine all ingredients in a large bowl, cover, and then refrigerate until ready to use. (you want it to sit for at least half an hour.)

for assembly, grill the hot dogs. place them in their buns and top each with a slice of cucumber, some hoisin sauce, sriracha mayo, some slaw, a few jalapeño slices, and a sprig or two of cilantro.

enjoy!

-yeh!

compensation for this post was provided by cobblestone bread co. via aol media. the opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of cobblestone bread co. or aol.

p.s. check out these other fun summer sandwiches!