Best Dessert in Russian Hill

I've raved about Frascati in Russian Hill before. Everything, from its location on romantic tree and cable-car trimmed Hyde Street, to its consistently mouthwatering dishes (ohhh that brined pork chop. . . ), to its romantic neighborhood-spot vibe, are special.

But let's highlight one particularly scrumptious feature: the superstar on Frascati's dessert list. They call it the "Warm Black and White Chocolate Bread Pudding." It's warm and cozy, sweet and gooey in all the right ways.

We treated ourselves to it again last week when Zack's mom was in town. As the spoon licking and satisfied sighing around the table verified, this dessert is incredible. The fluffy, buttery chocolate bread base is nicely paired with a delicate hazelnut ice cream. Only, the scoop is mountainous and has loads of chocolate and caramel syrup. That takes this dessert from simple comfort food into the realm of over-the-top extravagance that'll remind you of the best cake-and-ice cream combos from your childhood. The only thing missing was sprinkles. . .

Frascati is already my No. 1 recommendation for a special occasion dinner in SF. The bread pudding only underscores the superlative. Don't forget to order it. . . or if you're lucky enough to live in the neighborhood (like I am!), it's worth stopping in just for the dessert.

Frascati

1901 Hyde Street

San Francisco

415.928.1406

To forage or. . . NOT to forage

Some dear friends of mine took me on my first food foraging adventure event just before Christmas. You can imagine my excitement - here in Northern California, the epicenter of the local food movement, finding and harvesting your own food is practically the core of culinary truth.

The mission was to harvest large California golden chanterelles - bright precious gems that grow slowly, appearing in the winter months at the foot of oak groves situated at a precise altitude in Northern California. We were searching for the Queen of the Forest, mycological treasure. Visions of idyllic strolls through forest meadows and the rush of finding pristine bundles of golden mushrooms filled my head.

And so we ventured East, over the Bay Bridge and into the far lands past Berkeley. To a San Francisco city girl, we were in lush green hinterlands that further added to the mystique of our purpose. "There be dragons" (or at least, great wild harvests) the signs may as well have said. And we arrived at our destination, which shall remain nameless to preserve this secret mushroom spot for those who so kindly shared it with us that day. Suffice to say, no beaten path can lead you there.

The reality, I must say, was something else entirely. Mushrooms, it turns out, grow in some of the least convenient habitats possible. There were indeed lush green meadows and beautiful live oak tree groves. But to get to them required wading through mud pits and rifling through musty detritus and slimy earth. At points, the paths we chose were so harrowing our shoes, already caked in mud, slipped down treacherous ravines and river beds, threatening to dump us and what few mushrooms we had gathered 30 feet below.

And yet on our group pushed, ever motivated by the prospect of finding a bundle of golden eggs (or mushrooms, as it were). And when you finally spot those deep yellow-orange ears, sprouting from the ground between an age-old oak tree's roots, it's like a drug-induced high. Adrenaline pumps, you dash over and cut them from the ground before others can reach them. And when you find one, there are generally more in the area. Remember that childhood excitement over treasure hunts? It's the same feeling, for adults.

I'm glad I had the experience. But I must admit, there is still something less than glorious about hauling 7 lbs of fungus home only to remove another 2 lbs of caked dirt and decay before you can eat them. There may be an earthworm or small lizard or two, too. And because you can't wash these mushrooms - they become too water logged - prepare yourself for a bit of unpleasant silt in the cooked product. Yuck. Still, if you enjoy mushrooms - rejoice. With the giant haul you'll likely bring home, you'll be eating mushrooms for days. And days.

I'll say the un-sayable: wild harvesting was a great experience. But I would far prefer getting served perfectly cleaned, beautifully prepared chanterelles on a restaurant plate any day. The process of locating, cleaning and cooking this rather dirt-ridden produce is a turn-off. If this makes me a less hardcore foodie, that's fine. They can keep the dirt and earthworms.

Two hours after coming home with our loot, Zack and I stepped into Bi Rite Market and saw a beautiful, pristine bunch of Golden Chanterelles. Selling price: $35/lb. Our day's mushroom haul was worth $250 to someone . . .

So enjoy the trekking and mushroom hunting - but selling your hard-won treasures may be a better post-harvesting option!

Baller mushroom tartlets (or what I learned from my sister)

My sister is turning into a pretty serious mistress of the kitchen.

This is a particularly remarkable turn of fate when you consider that two years ago, she was a woman who hardly deigned to chop her own tomatoes. These days, you can regularly find her whipping up delectable and sophisticated dishes. Example 1 of her domestic goddess status: behold, the ridiculously adult-looking mushroom tartlets she made for appetizers at Thanksgiving this year.

These things are seriously tasty. They hardly lasted 10 minutes after coming out of the oven. If you're looking for a relatively easy recipe that will impress your guests and please their palates, try this at your next dinner party.

Ingredients

1 cup walnuts

10 oz frozen puff pastry

3 tbspn unsalted butter

2 large onions, thinly sliced

salt and pepper

3/4 lb of wild mushrooms (crimini and porcini work especially well; remove tough parts of stems)

finely chopped chives

EVOO

Directions

1. Thaw the puff pastry. Pre heat oven to 350F

2. Lightly brown the walnuts in a baking sheet placed in the oven for less than 10 minutes. Careful not to burn! Remove, cool and coarsely chop.

4. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Make sure you stir. Reduce heat to low and slow cook until caramelized, about 40 minutes. Let cool. In a food processor, puree with walnuts until mixture forms a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper.

5. While onions are slow cooking, line medium baking sheet with parchment paper. Separately, on a hard, smooth surface, unfold the puff pastry and use a round pastry cutter to cut into 4 inch rounds, about 1/8 in thick. Set another baking sheet (or flat weight) on top and bake for about 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven.

6. Increase oven temperature to 400F. Separately, in a medium sauce pot, bring water to boil. Blanch mushrooms for about 2 minutes, until they become a bit tender. Drain, pat dry and cut into 1/4 in slices.

7. Take each pastry round and spread puree on top (leave about 1/4 inch from the edge). Arrange mushroom slices on top, overlapping. Brush with EVOO. Bake for 10 minutes or until hot all the way through. Remove from oven, garnish with chives and serve!

Recipe taken and modified from Jean-Georges Vongerichten in Food&Wine.