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A16 Food + Wine on How to Make Stellar Meatballs

YumSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:26:07 -0700

One of my favorite chefs, Nate Appleman of San Francisco's A16, has debuted a new book co-written with his wine director, Shelley Lindgren, entitled A16 Food + Wine.

To celebrate the cookbook's debut, Williams-Sonoma, which will carry the book, hosted a launch party with the authors on hand. There, I not only scored a copy of the book but also sampled some entries from the new tome.

I couldn't get enough of the moist, complexly flavored meatballs. The recipe can be time-intensive, but once you taste the finished product, you'll think it's totally worth the wait. Learn how to make the meatballs (and check out photos from the bash!) when you read more.

Monday Meatballs
From A16 Food + Wine

Ingredients

10 ounces boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes and finely chopped in a food processor
10 ounces beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes and finely chopped in a food processor
6 ounces day-old country bread, torn into chunks, chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes, and then finely chopped in a food processor
2 ounces pork fat, cut into 1-inch cubes and chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes and then finely chopped in a food processor
2 ounces prosciutto, cut into 1-inch cubes and chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes and then finely chopped in a food processor
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried chile flakes
2/3 cup fresh ricotta, drained if necessary
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup whole milk
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes with juices
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Block of grana padano for grating
Extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat two rimmed baking sheets with olive oil.
In a large bowl, combine the pork, beef, bread, pork fat, prosciutto, parsley, 1 tablespoon of the salt, oregano, fennel seeds, and chile flakes and mix with your hands just until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs, and milk just enough to break up any large curds of ricotta. Add the ricotta mixture to the ground meat mixture and mix lightly with your hands just until incorporated. The mixture should feel wet and tacky. Pinch off a small nugget of the mixture, flatten into a disk, and cook it in a small sauté pan. Taste it and adjust the seasoning of the mixture with salt if needed. Form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls each weighing about 2 ounces, and place on the prepared baking sheets. You should have about 30 meatballs.
Bake, rotating the sheets once from front to back, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned. Remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 300° F.
Sprinkle the tomatoes with the remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and then pass the tomatoes and their juices through a food mill fitted with the medium plate. Alternatively, put the entire can of tomatoes in a large bowl, don an apron, and then squeeze the tomatoes into small pieces with your hands.
Pack the meatballs into 1 large roasting pan or 2 smaller roasting pans. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and braise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the meatballs are tender and have absorbed some of the tomato sauce.
Pull the pans out of the oven and uncover. Distribute the basil leaves throughout the sauce.
For each serving, ladle meatballs with some of the sauce into a warmed bowl. Grate grana padano over the top, drizzle with olive oil to finish, and serve immediately.

Serves 6.

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PartySugar Behind The Bash: de Young Opening Party for Vivienne Westwood: 36 Years in Fashion

partysugar — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 15:59:58 -0800

In order for me to fully provide you with the most informative advice on everything that has to do with parties, I'm writing a new feature entitled, PartySugar Behind The Bash where I'll give you the scoop on San Francisco's hottest parties and most outrageous nightlife. I'm attending the events, speaking with the party planners, and getting the recipes so you can incorporate the up to the minute trends, decor, and dishes into your fabulous parties. After fretting about what to wear, I attended the opening party for Couture & Cocktails Vivienne Westwood: 36 Years in Fashion, an incredibly fashionable exhibit at the de Young museum. Despite the fact that I didnt see Ms. Westwood, the party was totally oversold and overcrowded with about 2300 people in attendance and lines, lines, lines everywhere, the majority of the people looked amused, satisfied, and enlivened by the party and the atmosphere was like an old school rave with a grown up make over. For the menu, look, music, an interview with the event planner and lots of pics, read more

Bon Appetit catered the fiesta and the food consisted of two small tables, one upstairs and one downstairs. Although they were dressed in a beautiful royal blue satin tablecloth topped with a black and white damask runner with dimension, levels, and interesting platters, the food tables were extremely sad. The pretzel sticks, grissini, black olive tapenade and roasted garlic spread was picked over and ravaged looking and the poor servers could not restock the tables quickly enough. The candy tables were a wonderful source of decoration as the brightly colored wrappers were both childish and chic.

If you could stand waiting in the mile long lines to get to the bar you could choose from five drinks, one from each of the five major liquors: vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and whiskey. The specialty cocktail that was advertised on the invite, a Gin Viv (created especially for the party), was either missing or given a different name, because when I asked the bartender for one he gave me a blank stare and said the gin drink was called a Blueberry Crush. I ordered one, which was both too sweet and too bitter due to the pomegranate juice and gin respectively. I'm not much of a gin fan and preferred the vodka cocktail: a refreshing mix of sprite, vodka, and freshly squeezed (at least the bartender swore it was) blood orange juice. The best things about the drinks were the garnishes, which consisted of exotic fruits in vibrant colors: blueberries, blood oranges, prickly pears, apples, and mangos.

The look was staged by Blueprint Studios and was sparse with all of the tables dressed in the aforementioned royal blue and black/white combination creating a regal effect. At each side of the bars topiary floral arrangements of white roses, blue marbles, clear glass, and water were stationed. In the upstairs main room where the DJ was bumping his selection, the decor revolved around five giant paipier maché outfits: three dresses and two suits, all of which I am assuming were modeled after pieces by Westwood. While I enjoyed the arrangement of these sculptures, which was pyramid like with the largest and most beautiful dress being strategically placed above the bar, it felt off. The DJ was to the left side and party going-dancers didn't know whether they should congregate in front of the DJ or the focal point of the room, the bar.

The music, spun by DJ Shissla, was electronic based remixes of urban classics such as Lady Marmalade and the Pussy Cat Doll's Don't Cha. The crowd was a touch on the raunchy side of scandalous: more punk than glam, more deconstructed than structured, with girls in corsets, men in skirts, and swaying bodies in teetering chunky platform shoes everywhere.

The highlights of the evening were the trio of stylish young ladies who instantly adopted me as their friend and allowed me to cut in line with them at both the bar and the exhibit (thank you Katie Coleman!), seeing the oversized blue alligator skin 7 inch platform shoes that caused Naomi Campbell infamously to fall on the runway, and speaking with the lovely, modestly dressed young event planner.

Ashley, the event planner for the museum, informed me that this party was a test of sorts as it was the first time the de Young had ever opened up its doors for the opening of an exposition to the public. Here's what she had to say:

Party: What was your most memorable party?
Ashley: This is it! There are over 2300 people here and I think this is the best party I've done so far.
Party: What is your favorite flower?
Ashley: Tulips.
Party: What is your guilty pleasure food?
Ashley: Kit Kats.
Party: What's your advice to the everyday hostess?
Ashley: You've got to be really organized. Think from the guests perspective and think through everything from beginning to end.
Party: A successful party is...
Ashley: When a lot of people are laughing, dancing, drinking, and smiling. Most importantly laughing.

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PartySugar Behind the Bash: Macy's Culinary Council

partysugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:30:42 -0700

On Saturday night at the Food Network's NYC Wine and Food Festival, Macy's hosted a a delightful party at The Xchange. The ninth-floor space was packed with party-goers and celebrity chefs. I was lucky enough to attend the soiree. Here, you'll find my backstage guide to the event.

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PartySugar Behind the Bash: Best New Chefs Dinner

partysugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:30:10 -0700

Saturday night at the Aspen Classic is all about celebrating Food and Wine magazine's best new chefs. For twenty years, the publication's selected and highlighted the cuisine of 10 outstanding chefs. Many of the chosen chefs - past Best New Chefs include Tom Colicchio, Daniel Boulud, and Thomas Keller - have grown into culinary superstars. But before they can make their mark on the food industry, this year's Best New Chefs had to make food for Saturday's party. To take a closer look at the details of the party, click the "Start" button.

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PartySugar Behind The Bash: Taste 2008

partysugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:51:08 -0700

Last Thursday night, I attended one of my favorite parties of the year: Taste 2008. Taste is a fundraiser for Root Division - an organization here in San Francisco - that provides studio space for up-and-coming artists in exchange for their services as art teachers. Food and art expertly clash at this event that invited some of SF's top restaurants to create dishes. To take a look at the food art and the artful food, click the "Start" button.

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PartySugar Behind the Bash: The PopSugar TechCrunch Party

partysugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:03:33 -0700

Last Thursday night I had the wonderful opportunity to hop on a plane, throw on a fabulous dress, and head to a party. The party - a blowout bash hosted by TechCrunch and PopSugar - had 2,000 guests and tons of teched-out demos. To find out more about the party, click on the "Start" button.

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PartySugar Behind The Bash: Wine Enthusiast's Toast of Town

partysugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:18:11 -0700

Last Thursday night I was invited to Wine Enthusiast's big wine bash, Toast of Town. Held at the War Memorial Opera house, the fête was four floors filled with wine and food. To see what the party was like, check out some noteworthy wines, and read some fun tips I picked up at the event, click the "Start Slideshow" button below.

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PartySugar Behind The Bash: The Sugar Holiday Party

partysugar — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:45:19 -0800

Last night was our holiday party, and like everything Sugar, it was fabulous! It wasn't your average, boring old event, it was a bowling extravaganza. The party was expertly planned by LilPeaPod and held at the Presidio Bowling Center.

Hosting an event at a bowling alley is lots of fun - especially if you have a large group of people - because the activity unites party-goers. This type of party is wonderfully easy on the host as the cooking and cleaning is done by the bowling alley staff. For my tips on hosting a party at a bowling alley, plus a gallery of pics from the Sugar party, read more.

Start planning early. Call the bowling alley at least two months before the party. This will ensure that you reserve the day and time you want. LilPeaPod called a month in advance and had to compromise by selecting a day that wasn't her desired night.
Once you have the date reserved, go to the bowling alley and speak with the owners. Find out if you can bring decorations and what areas of the alley are off limits.
If you want to have an open bar, work out the details. Every place is run differently, but the easiest way to host an open bar is to have the bartenders tally up drinks. When the night is over, they will tell you how much beer and wine was consumed, and how much you owe. You may also consider giving each guest drink tickets, and having the bartenders tally up how many tickets they were given.

Make the food accessible. Print out a bunch of menus with the food listed. Provide pencils, have guests circle what they would like to eat, and give to the food staff. When their order is ready call their name over the bowling alley's loudspeaker. Alternatively, if you are on a budget, you can have your guests order and pay for their own food. Or provide a select amount of snacks from the menu. You may even consider food tickets.

Have a tournament! Nothing gets a party going like a good competition. To encourage guests to participate, have prizes. Gift cards to Starbucks, Sephora, or Bloomingdale's make wonderful prizes.

If gifts are involved - like our Secret Santa exchange - set up a gift station for guests to leave their gifts.
Bring lots of quarters to enjoy the video games, candy vending machines, jukeboxes and Dance, Dance, Revolution.
Remember to have fun! It's a party!

PartySugar Behind the Bash: Fab's Fabulous Party

partysugar — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:03:31 -0800

On Saturday night, I attended a party hosted by FabSugar. The stylish soirée was at San Francisco's Rye and the theme of the party, inspired by a book she recently read, was Blood is the New Black.

Fab took my advice and transformed a section of the bar into a personal party haven. Use these ideas on your next bash and make the space Fab-worthy. Here's what she did:

Arrive early. Fab showed up with a posse of pals at nine. This allowed her to scope out the scene, stake out several tables, and set up decorations.
Use balloons and rose petals to enhance the mood. Fab hung balloons from a nearby wine cage and scattered blood red rose petals across the tables.
Get guests ready to party with photos. Fab's bff brought along her Polaroid camera and snapped pictures of everyone. She left the camera on the tables allowing guests to snap party pics at their own leisure.

For more tips on how to host your own fab bar party, plus a full gallery of photos from Blood is the New Black, read more

Speak with the owners of the bar. Fab talked to the bouncer, Quentin, and let him know where the party was located. When guests arrived and asked for Fab's party, he pointed them in the right direction.

Have fun! Rye doesn't have a dance floor, but that did not stop us from getting our groove on.
Surprise guests with a sweet treat. Cupcakes are so 2007, instead bring French macaroons. These petit treats are just as chic and delightfully tasty. Fab ordered so many, the bakery gave her ten extra for free!

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PartySugar Behind the Bash: Dining By Design

partysugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:15:33 -0800

On Monday night I was lucky enough to attend a preview of DIFFA's Dining By Design. The fundraising event, sponsored by Elle Decor, invited designers and corporations to create one-of-a-kind installations of dining tables set for dinner and the surrounding room. While the food was practically non-existent, the four floors were filled with over 40 incredible tablescape designs. From the avant garde to the extravagant, each table represented a different design concept. Here are some trends I noticed in table designs:

Table tops made of anything but tables. A piece of a wall, a door, glass, mirrors, even a stove top were some of the objects that replaced the ordinary table top.
If you didn't have an alternative table top, the table was definitely covered. Fur, moss, fabric, and paper were popular choices.

Creative napkin rings. Rope, fake diamonds, strands of stems, and even disco ball reflective mirrors were used instead of your average napkin ring.
Bold prints - paisley, animal, Moroccan - were present everywhere as plate designs, placemats, tablecloths, and chair covers.
Nothing was minimal, everything was over the top and detail oriented.
Interesting chairs were all the rage. The ones with fur were Medieval-esque, while the tree stumps and open hands conversation provoking.
Favors were an important piece of the table setting with books, gift boxes, and candles being the most popular. One table even had a gold fish in a bowl at each seat!

If your looking for inspiration on how to create a gorgeous Thanksgiving table - or wedding table- look no further! Check out a huge gallery of the tablescapes when you read more

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