NATIONAL FRUITCAKE DAY

I kid you not, it is National Fruitcake Day. Who would of thunk?. It seems a little appropriate seeing I have been on a fruitcake roll lately. In fact, I was so motivated, a trip to San Francisco to visit Artizmendi's Bakery was put into the fruitcake itinerary. I went very early Saturday morning. This was a strategic move because Bay Area traffic is very unpredictable. A swift 35 minute drive and nearby parking made this trip fairly pleasant. Arizmendi's is a very popular local bakery in the Sunset district. It smells fantastic inside. I stake my place in line and soak up the aroma. This fruitcake is under a pound and cost 25 dollars. I asked if there was booze in this cake and the clerk guaranteed a healthy glow after a slice.. 

When I got home I unwrapped the festive butcher paper to reveal and unleash a brandy fueled aroma that permeated this cheesecloth covered Christmas cake. This cake was very moist. Lots of dried fruits with a very heavy hand of Christmas themed spices This cake was very good and the only critique I would have is to lessen the spice mixture.

In closing for my fruitcake year end adventure are two very inexpensive (cheap) cakes found at the local Wally World. I did purchase them in the name of research. I have not tried them but just handling them they seem very moist and I am going to guess very sweet. I hope your Holiday season is full of fruitcake. Happy National Fruitcake Day.

FRUITCAKE BISCOTTI

I love fruitcake and when Ms. Goofy suggested making a fruitcake Biscotti I was excited. She found this recipe on the World Wide Web. Ms. Goofy is not a fan of fruit cake and it took some gentle persuasion for her to make this recipe. She does like to bake. I was tasked to source the ingredients. You know it was not that easy to find glaceed fruits. Apparently these fruits are not in high demand anymore. The Berkeley Bowl where every food ingredient known to man had my preciousness fruitcake material

This recipe includes pistachios, flour, sugar, butter, fruitcake material and spices. Biscotti is baked twice to create a brick hard texture. I would say biscotti is not for everyone. It is not overly sweet and is a flavor and texture kind of cookie experience. Traditionally it is served with coffee or espresso for dunking. I chose eggnog for my fruitcake biscotti dunking medium. Ms. Goofy's rendition was crunchy and sweet with the addition of glaceed fruits. I loved it.  Tis the season to love fruitcake.

FRUITCAKE

Love them, make jokes about them or just plain hate them, fruitcakes bring deep passionate biases from everyone. I personally love fruitcakes. My mother used to make fruitcakes and shared a love I still have to day. Usually the cakes are made this holiday season. It actually is a plus to make them months in advance to let the flavors mellow and age especially if your cake has liquor as an ingredient. This year I did not make the cake for various reasons. Instead I purchased the Christmas themed cake from several bakeries and a very special cake from an artisanal jam maker from Berkeley. I would like to share and make some observations about these purchases.

My first cake was bought at ‘A Taste of Denmark” (formerly Neldams for you old timers). It is a seasonal cake and sold by the pound. I got a little sticker shock when I found out this cake would cost me 40 dollars for approximately a pound of cake. This cake did not have liquor as an ingredient. It had raisins, nuts, candied cherries with a dense dark cake. It was very sweet and I enjoyed it. My only criticism was the actual cake was a tad dry.

We will skip to my third purchase from the Alpine Bakery. This was the cheapest cake at 20 dollars for around a pound of cake. This cake did have rum as an ingredient. The ingredients were currents, raisins, lemon & orange peel and cherries. The cake was similar in taste to the first but was moister. It may have been a cheaper because it did not contain nuts. Because it was moister I enjoyed this cake a little more.

We move to the Grand Dame of fruitcakes; June Taylors Christmas Cake. Let’s talk about sticker shock. Enlarge the photo below and you will see the price for this possibly less than 16 ounce cake. I would like to share a cut and pasted description of her cake.


 What she refers to as Christmas Cake (“I am British and Christmas cake is traditionally a rich fruitcake in the style that I make it,” she says) is a testament to Taylor’s painstaking year-long process. In the fall, she dries five different varieties of grapes to make currants and raisins; in the summer, she dries stone fruits (her mashup usually includes Bing cherries, apricots and plums); and in the winter, she candies citrus peel. It’s Seville orange this year. All the fruit gets macerated in a private reserve port from St. George Spirits (based in Alameda) before baking. Taylor relies on premium ingredients from local producers like Massa Organics for their Mission Almonds, Straus for sweet butter and Soul Food Farm in Vacaville for pastured eggs. The result is a powerful but balanced cake washed in Chardonnay brandy for a hint but not a wallop of alcohol.

I bought this cake and was trying to justify the cost. I know I can easily spend this amount in ingredients for the cake if I made it myself. This also would make enough to last me all year and give several away. June Taylor has made a labor intensive cake that can only really be duplicated at your home. She also uses steps like drying her own fruit. Oh what the heck, I do love fruitcake. I gingerly unwrapped the water colored paper hand stamped letterpress design inspired by “The Book of Kells”. Immediately a distinct odor of brandy permeates my receptors.

This cake is very moist. The dried fruit is distinct flavored but marries together to form a symphony of flavor. The cake has a warming effect by the booze. There are many layers of flavor to this cake. This is one of the reasons I am a fan of fruitcake. June Taylor has captured the spirit of this cake. Her attention to detail with all of her ingredients works for me. I cannot justify the price tag for everyone. I have made fruitcakes myself and know the labor and costs involved. The most important factor here is; I love fruitcake.

TACOS EL TUCAN

There is a new kid on the block. There has a been a buzz about the Grand Opening of a new taqueria in Richmond California. In the Bay Area we have hundreds of taquerias that come and go but for some reason Tacos El Tucan was receiving a lot of attention. It was a dark and stormy morning that I braved the elements to get in line to experience El Tucan.

They have a 12 noon opening and the line was 10 deep. I took my place in line. Taco El Tucan is housed in a former hot dog establishment that had been in business for probably half a century. This building was receiving new life with a new paint job, owners and cuisine.

Tacos El Tucan is serving the trending flavor of "Tijuana Style Tacos". This an open face taco with freshly grilled meats, salsa and a dollop of guacamole. This place offered a quesataco which involved cheese crisped on the griddle flat top. What this place does have is fresh made tortillas. The meat is grilled to order and there is a scrumptious looking roast of marinated pork shoulder spinning on a custom grill.

I should of tried the Tijuana style taco but I had a craving for a super burrito. The smell of grilling beef was a very pleasant aroma that made my wait difficult. I want to mention the salsa bar. They had three different salsas that were pretty decent. They also had a curdito which consisted of pickled cucumbers, onions and (I initially thought they were carrots) habanero peppers that will knock your socks off with heat. Be careful.

The place was packed so I took my burrito home  It tasted fine and nothing really rang any bells. I did order the super buritto which was supposed to include guacamole and sour cream. This cost extra. As some of you know I posted my journey on Facebook. I also mentioned this absence of sour cream and guacamole. The people of Tacos El Tucan saw this post and offered me a replacement meal free of charge. What great customer service.

When I return the Tijuana style taco will be ordered. Tacos El Tucan has several things going for it and we hope for their success. The place offers freshly cooked meats and accompaniments to create great food. The customer service is fantastic by their reaching out to me to make things right on my order. I selfishly hope the line is smaller.

RAT PIE

Ms. Goofy went to the Dickens Faire this last weekend. One of the performers tried to sell her some rat pie and gave her this advertisement flyer. Ms. Goofy did not admit to actually trying said pie but I would imagine it might be served with these utensils.

JOB CORP FINE DINING

The Job Corp. has a Fine Dining department to train young future culinary professionals. They offer a three course lunch to the public to showcase their evolving talents. This lunch has a price tag of 13 dollars. It is a bargain and culinary treat. The students deliver high caliper magazine cover shot looking dishes. We would like to share a few of these dishes we experienced.

The public is invited and the only requirement is one must have a reservation. This reservation is beginning to become a little harder to get because the word is spreading about this culinary treat. One calls with a date and they will usually counter with an alternative. Once your reservation is obtained you must travel to Treasure Island which is located in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. Million dollar views are possible from this former sight of the Worlds Fair 1939.

 Beef Wellington with Green Peppercorn sauce in a puff pastry with prosciutto di parma with mushrooms duxelle and Dijon mustard, served with potato puree.

Baked herb polenta cake with wild mushroom truffle salad, white wine, shallots and porcini jus.

House made linguine with Maine lobster creme sauce sauteed with butter prawns lobster meat, shallots tarragon,and peas served in a cognac cream sauce.

I like to call this plate the pre-dessert to get you ready for the real dessert of; fancy Berry crisp that the waiter poured real 'cream anglaise' on top and had a side of real whipped cream. Oh my! It was still warm and so decadent.

The best 13 dollars we have spent. This is a lot of fun. They ask you to fill out a comment card to critique your meal to help the students. My card had nothing but praise. To nitpick my only editorial was the beef was a tad over done. I still loved the dish and sopped up the sauce with the house made bread. What a treat.

RICHMOND SAN RAFAEL CHEESECAKE

It was a beautiful day to ride the newly opened Richmond San Rafael bridge bike lane. This controversial bike lane has been in the planing stage for many years. At great cost and to the ire of angry car commuters this lane has finally opened. The bridge begins in Richmond at the Chevron refinery and ends at the famous San Quentin prison. It is a windy, exposed, 10 ft wide path, that climbs and descends, five miles long,  right next to the traffic lane, path.With all that said, I wanted to experience this ride.

The ride was spectacular. At times I went faster than the commute traffic. It was breezy but being high above the bay made for some spectacular views. You definitely worked up an appetite pedaling this mighty span.

Ms. Goofy may be the best wife ever. When I arrived home she had a Peanut butter, Oreo cookie, chocolate, and brownie bottomed cheesecake ready for enjoyment. It was a good day.

SPARTA Q VI

A fundraiser for the San Jose State University Women's Softball brought us out to judge our last bbq competition of the year.The weather could not of been nicer. The temperature was in the low 70's which made for a great atmosphere for bbq fun. We would like to share a few images with you.

Today's competition was three categories of pork ribs, tri-tip and the mystery meat. The mystery meat was an unusual meat of canned Vienna Sausage. This challenged the cooks to take a fancy titled hot dog and wow the judges. I do admit they did a pretty impressive job. One cook made a pastry crusted pot pie. We had tacos , jalapeno poppers, fried and numerous creative renditions of this pedestrian meat selection.

The latest trend is the cornhole competition. It seems this sport (?) has been showing up at numerous events. When we entered the event we had to maneuver around bean bag tossing players. When we left five hours later the contest was still in full swing. It actually looks like fun but I would have to set my rib down to toss, or would I?

The public had an opportunity to purchase bbq foods to support the Women's Softball. Women in their uniforms helped serve the public. There also was a silent auction benefiting the team. This was a fun cause that we were happy to help out with. Of course we do love to judge bbq.

Today was a bitter sweet bbq contest. It is always a little sad knowing it it the last bbq contest of the year but the turn around will be short. We have a contest scheduled in January. We had a blast today and had fun helping the Women's Softball team.

Happy Veterans Day

This is a photo of my father who severed in the Army during the Second World War. Today, Veterans Day (formerly known as Armistice Day) we honor vets and thank them for their service. Thankyou

  

What does Ms.Goofy's key lime pie have to do with Veterans Day? Not much but it sure tastes good.

STEAK-UMM

I collect Buck 110 pocket knives. Vintage, custom and unique are in my congregation of bright shiny knives. This particular engraved knife caught my eye as being fun and who does not like steak? It was made several years back. (1981-19860.I never knew there was an actual product called 'Steak-umm' till today. In the name of research for my few Mad Meat Genius readers we are going to try a box of Steak-umm.

Steak-umm is an inexpensive frozen steak product. It is 100%beef, "All Natural' and promises, on the box, to be 100% delicious. The box also tells me it has been chopped, shaped and thinly sliced. The box is open to reveal 6 paper thin frozen beef slices separated by parchment paper. The cooking instructions are to fry a minute on each side. I cooked each slice with some peppers and onions. I have to admit these beef slices did not look very appetizing frozen or in its cooked form. I chopped the beef into bite size pieces and mixed it with the peppers, onions and made a sandwich.

One eats with their eyes first and my first impression was reinforced with an actual bite of this product. While this beef was not terrible it is not very good. To me it had a slight metallic taste (?). It was easy to prepare and cheap. Enough said. To look on the bright side. I have a fun, bright shiny and new/old Buck knife.