what I loved this week
6/12
Perhaps not the most glamorous, but Dungeness crab was on sale for 9.99 a pound at Whole Foods this week, so I had a whole 1.5 pound crab to myself one evening. I’m a happy girl, but now I’m all crabbed out. There are probably bits of crab shell still in places around the studio apartment.
This morning we took the early train, but it grew suspiciously lively as we approached the city. Jerseys confirmed our worst suspicions. Egads, there must be a game today. It was apparently against the Dodgers. The turnout was sure to be bode badly for a nice, peaceful ride home.
It was overcast when we arrived. Somehow San Francisco maintains a high temperature of 68F every weekend, without fail, in mid-July. Why am I wearing a thick sweater in the middle of summer?
People were already walking to Oracle Park at 9-something in the morning. The game seemed to be at 1pm. Interesting.
Picked up some Japanese and Chinese eggplants and Persian cucumbers at GG Farms. I plan to make refreshing ume-kyu and an eggplant 나물 kind of situation this weekend.
The donut peaches are basically gone now, especially considering I didn’t go to the market last week. We had a good run of those.
The Snow Beauty white nectarines at Kashiwase were exquisite, the perfect amount of bite and tartness to make them nectarine-y while being so sweet. Balakian mostly only had yellow peaches and nectarines, but I did get a few white nectarines from there as well. Risk distribution. I do enjoy yellow peaches and nectarines, but I prefer white varieties most of the time. I think it’s the lower acid.
We normally pass by their potatoes, but Zuckerman Farms had MELONS GALORE. Varieties of cantaloupe and honeydew — Charentais, Canary, Piel de Sapo, whatever the Honeydew-Galia cross was called, two varieties of yellow watermelon, and multiple reds. We had been wanting to try yellow watermelon, so we got a Buttercup, and one of the Honeydew-Galia cross. Very excited to try both of these. We waited to compare the Piel de Sapo with the one from Star Route as well.
I haven’t gotten over these beautiful Early Girls from Everything Under the Sun even though I am still not the greatest fan of tomatoes.
Stopped by Tory Farms, got some white peaches and apricots. The Candy Pearl white nectarines were so incredibly sweet, but I prefer my nectarines to have at least a little tartness to balance the sweet. The Golden Sweet apricots were quite soft, but I got some because I knew they would be honey.
Went to Star Route, got a lovely Piel de Sapo, we think they’re better here. I know I said I bid farewell to strawberries, but I lied. They’re still kicking. After too many visits of staring longingly at the cartons, I got some long stem Seascapes from Lucero Farms again. Every time I get home though, some haven’t made it. Maybe it’s the warmth or the tenderness of the fruit. Agh.
Knoll Farms was out today, so no figs for us, but it turned out to be a good thing. There were too many melons onboard for figs to safely survive the journey home.
K&J Orchards had the best apricots today. The Royal Blenheims were honeylike in flavor and texture, but the Pattersons were quite good today as well — I actually preferred them because they were firmer and had more bite. Still incredibly sweet and soft.
Unexpectedly, the blackberries here were the plumpest I had seen all day. I got a carton of these as well.
I swear I did not realize how many apricots I had accumulated throughout this market trip, but I have no regrets.
I was interested in the speaker today at the Foodwise event because she makes vegan gelato. A woman who recognizes there aren’t shortcuts in dessert for fat and sugar but will make it work dairy-free, with no gums or other additives? Fantastic. I learned quite a bit today, about nuances of frozen dessert, fruit, and plant milk I think I’ll be able to apply in my own baking.
She made a blackberry-lavender and lime torte with graham cracker crust. It was delicious. The gelato was chewy, and the flavors all really came through.
We headed down to Saint Franks for some matcha afterwards. Always good vibes. People-watched and journaled for over an hour.
Today I felt a compulsion to stop by K. Minamoto on our way down Market Street. It must have been to meet a new friend.
It’s always a visual treat to see all the beautiful desserts and packaging here. I enjoyed the kingyo jelly when I tried it last year. I got a sakuramochi. I like the salty tang of the pickled flower and leaf with the mild sweetness of the mochi. The scent is shiso-like.
New seat in Zuni today. It was very conducive to people watching.
The menu had changed again quite a bit since the last time. It was fun today. We got Hog Island Sweetwaters, as usual, but with poached white shrimps as well, the garden lettuce salad with melon and tomatoes to share, the ceviche for me and the burger for my brother.
The oysters were transcendent, sweet, rich and creamy as always. The shrimp was also good, I’ve never had it paired with aioli before. I do love aioli though. It felt especially decadent with the sweet, plump shrimp. Luscious, creamy, garlicky. I don’t think I’d get it again, but no regrets.
The salad was probably one of my least favorite ones I’ve had at Zuni. Nothing about it really called to me to begin with. Each component was good, but again, not too cohesive overall. The goat cheese was a hard type, which I prefer, almost parmesan in profile. It complemented the peppery arugula well. The tomatoes were insanely sweet, though less savory than the Sungolds I’ve had. The melon was sweet and ripe, but Piel de Sapo, as another green muskmelon, is just so much more fragrant and juicy that this felt just fine in comparison. I don’t necessarily think it would have been a better substitute here, though, because the perfumey, candy notes would not go well with the tomato, tart sherry vinaigrette, or the goat cheese very well.
The Zuni burger is deserving of its staple spot on the menu. The rosemary focaccia was warm, super soft and plush, interestingly not oily, which I had considered a key characteristic of focaccia. It was slathered thickly with aioli. Love. The house-smoked bacon was crisped at the edges, and so so smoky. Not artificial or cloying but so intense like the fragrant wood chips and the smoker were right in front of you. The famous zucchini pickles were really sweet and mustardy — tasted like bread and butter pickles. Very good. The beef was quite juicy, with a cut that was nice and not-lean.
The leche de tigre ceviche was so good. There was a fair 5-6 pieces of sea bass swimming in a pool of limey, cilantroy sauce. The corn and chickpeas were great companions, though I’m not sure either is a traditional pairing in this dish. The sweetness and popping texture of the corn was excellent to round out the punchiness of the sauce. The chickpeas were indeed very crispy, crunchy, savory and nutty. This dish was so fun. Perfect for someone like me who loves variety in every bite.
We had lots of room for dessert — it was only a hard decision to choose what to get.
I felt kind of chocolate-y today but love the pavlova here. In the end, perhaps it was the demo today, or the sun that came through brightly around 10 to warm us at the market, but we wanted sorbet for the first time in a while. Neither of us are big ice cream/sorbet people, so this was an opportunity.
Today the sorbet was apricot, paired with coconut macaroons.
The sorbet was fantastic — the apricot flavor was almost floral, tart and so creamy. The brightness and freshness of the fruit was preserved so well, and unlike any sorbet I’ve had before. They nailed the sugar concentration — the sorbet was almost chewy — I love. The buttery, dense, chewy macaroon brought a mellow richness(and its own floral note) that complemented the refreshing sorbet so well. Ugh. Perfection. The coupe was the cherry on top.
As Paris reconciled me to cheese and chocolate, Zuni has reconciled me with meringue and sorbet. I love desserts like this. Not heavy or cloying like a sticky toffee pudding(sorry J), or slab of cheesecake, but light and still somehow complex.
The haul:
and my new friend
Until next week,
Rena