Double Stuffed Baked Potato Recipe

David Lebovitz and I should never go out to dinner together. Why? Because I have a wandering fork. I love sharing food for several reasons. First of all, I can rarely decide what I want, so sharing generally means I get to try more than one thing. Also I fear I have bad ordering karma and will choose the worst thing on the menu and be stuck with it if I don't share. Finally, I don't like massive portions so sharing also helps me keep from eating way more than I want. A few years ago there was a diner that was known for serving gigantic portions and my mother and I used to share a double stuffed baked potato and salad. It was one of those potatoes that was way over a pound to begin with and then it had loads of vegetables in it. It probably wasn't as healthy as I like to believe it was. The restaurant and the potato are long gone now but for years I have tried to recreate it. This latest version is my best effort to date. My double stuffed potato is really just a formu......

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Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream

There are lots of things you simply must eat when you come to San Francisco, the latest is ice cream at Humphry Slocombe . It's located in the Mission just off of 24th street, a neighborhood more known for Mexican food, but perhaps becoming ice cream central. Back in the 80's gelato was all the rage, but sadly the fad seemed to die out. For years my pick for interesting flavors was Bombay Bazar , an Indian shop on Valencia street in the Mission district that offers flavors like fig, cardamom and chai. Thankfully over the past couple of years ice cream shops like Sketch , Bi-Rite Creamery (on 18th street in the Mission) and Ici have opened up reintroducing the idea of high quality ice cream with fresh and unique flavors. Suddenly it seems the Bay Area is becoming an ice cream mecca. Humphry Slocombe might just be my favorite ice cream ever. The flavors are sophisticated and not too sweet. It's a cute and retro looking shop with bright red bar stools that face the street......

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Chicken Roasted in a Pot Recipe

Last month it seemed everyone was roasting a chicken. Perhaps the chill in the air inspired a desire for something comforting and familiar. I couldn't watch a cooking show on television, read a newspaper online or food magazine without staring at yet another roast chicken. And blogs! It seems just about every food blogger was roasting chicken. I think it was the steady stream of breathtaking photos that finally got to me. This is a "poulet en cocotte" recipe that I modified. I saw it on a certain television program and decided I would make it a little differently. It was moist but didn't yield crispy skin. Fresh out of the oven, I particularly enjoy roast chicken with roasted root vegetables or a big green salad and boiled potatoes all slathered with vinaigrette. The next day I shred the leftover chicken and use it in something else like enchiladas, another excellent comfort food. The liquid from the chicken was very rich and flavorful and I had so much of it l......

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Chocolate Bar Review

You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but I'm in training. In March I'll be on the tasting panel for the Annual San Francisco International Chocolate Salon and I take this responsibility very seriously. In fact, I snagged as many bars of chocolate I could at the Fancy Food Show to prepare for my judging. Ok, that's not completely true. I took the chocolate bars because I love chocolate. The samples of chocolates I tasted are very random. I took bars and mini bars from any chocolatier who did not literally tape the bars into the boxes, prohibiting me from taking any. Why anyone would exhibit at the Fancy Food Show and NOT provide samples of their products is beyond me. But believe me, there are plenty of them. I also took some samples from a company that makes chocolate intended to be paired with wine. I will review those another day. There is a bit of a debate that rages on about chocolate, both about percentages and about single estate versus blends. Frankly, I ......

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