Our Favorites: Lists & More Lists

Family favorites make a meal. 

Back in 2005, the 12 year old Picky Eater & family made individual lists of our favorite films, which hung on the refrigerator for years and were consulted whenever we found ourselves at a loss for "what to watch" on a Saturday night. These lists were updated for 2012, and in a fit of Skype induced boredom, today we launched into making lists of other favorite things that are near and dear to our hearts- foods, artists, book characters, etc.

If you've never made lists of your personal favorites, it is well worth the effort and will prove quite revealing of your tastes, opinions, and style. And, if you do, send your list(s) to me and I will post them on the blog.

Now, without further ado, here are our picks in 3 categories, movies, tv & food-
Favorite Movies
The Picky Eater

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Wall-E
3. Roman Holiday
4. Duck Soup
5. Out of Africa
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
7. A Single Man

The Chief Cook & Bottle Washer
1. Godfather (trilogy)
2. Dinner Rush
3. Vicky Christina Barcelona
4. The Departed
5. Love Actually
6. The Queen
7. Casablanca
8. The Social Network
9. Some Like It Hot
10. Ronin
11. Milk
12. Lost In Translation
13. Julie & Julia
14. La Vie en Rose
15. A Single Man
16. The Untouchables
17. Munich
18. Bourne Supremacy
19. Gosford Park
20. Midnight In Paris
21. Ratatouille
22. Casino Royale
23. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
24. Beyond the Sea
25. Hugo
(Don't ask me how this got so long!)

The Daddy
1. Das Boot
2. 42 Up
3. Seven Samurai
4. High Fidelity
5. Citizen Kane
6. Groundhog Day
7. Casablanca
8. Goodfellas
9. 2001: A Space Odyssey
10. Singin’ in the Rain
11. Matinee
12. Spellbound
13. Wag the Dog
14. The Right Stuff
15. Lawrence of Arabia
16. House of Games
17. Dinner Rush
18. The Commitments
19. Dr. Strangelove
20. Cool Hand Luke
21. Grosse Point Blank
22. Standing In the Shadows of Motown

Favorite Television

The Picky Eater

1. Firefly

2. The West Wing

3. Sherlock

4. The Vicar of Dibley

5. Dr. Who

6. Nova

7. The Big Bang Theory

8. Masterpiece Mysteries

9. Game of Thrones

10. Iron Chef

11. Pillars of the Earth

The Chief Cook & Bottle Washer

1. The Sopranos

2. Smiley's People & Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

3. The West Wing

4. Sex and the City

5. Sherlock

6. The French Chef

7. The Sandbaggers (BBC 1977-79)

8. Mission Impossible (1960's version)

The Daddy

1. Brideshead Revisited
2. Jeopardy
3. Antiques Roadshow (BBC version)
4. The Big Bang Theory
5. Danger UXB
6. Wall Street Week
7. Mission Impossible (1960's version)
8. Myth Busters
9. PBS News Hour

Favorite Foods

The Picky Eater

1. Pasta

2. Risotto

3. Udon

4. Carrot soup

5. Whole wheat toast with peanut butter & honey

6. Hot chocolate

7. Chocolate frozen yogurt from Fraiche

8. Croissants (good & plain)

9. Anything caramel-y, chocolaty and salty

The Chief Cook & Bottle Washer

1. Baguettes

2. Sweet butter

3. Shrimp

4. Smoked trout

5. Foie gras

6. Gelato, esp. chocolate, vanilla, caramel & fruit flavors

7. Steak

8. Caesar salad

9. Anything made with good chocolate

10. Salade nicoise

11. Crepes (plain)

12. Champagne

The Daddy

1. Red wine

2. Smoked salmon

3. Dark chocolate

4. Braised short ribs

5. Carnitas

6. Unagi

7. Roast turkey (dark meat only)

8. Turkey stuffing (Daddy version only!)

9. Blueberries

Given my compulsive nature, I have to include a couple of recipes. Add a vegetable to these dishes and you will have a Picky Eater family favorite meal.

A Picky Eater original:

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Honey and Sage

For the pasta:

¾ cup Semolina flour

1 ¼ cup All-purpose flour

3 eggs

½ Tb olive oil

Dash of salt

For the filling:

1 medium butternut squash

1 Tb oil

2 Tb butter

½ cup parmesan

½ cup bread crumbs

salt and pepper

For the sauce:

3 Tb butter

2 Tb honey

5 small sage leaves, cut into strips

1. Halve the squash and remove the seeds and the stringy stuff around them.

2. Rub the cut sides with oil and place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet.

3. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until soft.

4.  Scoop out 2 cups squash and beat with butter, parmesan and bread crumbs.  Flavor with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

5.  Make the pasta dough my combining all the ingredients and kneading until it is flexible but not sticky.  If you need to add more water or flour do so.  If you have another pasta recipe you use that is probably fine.  Let sit for 45 min at the minimum, but longer is better.  Place it under plastic wrap to keep from drying out.

6. Roll out by hand or using a pasta machine.  I used the 2nd thinnest setting on our machine.

7.  Lay out dough strip and place filling along half it’s length.  I used 1 teaspoon per ravioli, with a 2” ravioli stamp.

8.  Fold over the strip of dough and stamp out the ravioli.  Press the edges dough to ensure they are closed.

9.  If there’s a wait between making the ravioli and cooking them, flour a baking sheet and place them in the fridge.  Be sure you flour the sheet or the ravioli will stick.

10.  Start heating a pot of water for the ravioli.  Put the butter in a skillet over medium heat.

11.  Once the butter is hot and bubbling, add the sage.  Wait until the sage begins to give off a strong aroma and add the honey.  Cook over medium heat until the ravioli is done.  If the honey begins to smell burnt add a little pasta water.

12.  When the water comes to a boil add salt and the ravioli and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the pasta casing is tender.  Remove with a slotted spoon, toss with honey and serve.

A Daddy original recipe, which he happily knows, will be left for his solo consumption.

Marinated and Roasted Turkey Thighs

½ cup cheap red wine

½ cup orange juice

¼ cup soy sauce

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp dry thyme

½ tsp dry basil

½ tsp ground ginger

4-6  turkey thighs 

1. Bone the turkey thighs by making a cut along the bone and cutting the meat away from the bone.  Leave the skin intact.

2. Place the boned thighs in a zipper bag with the mixed marinade and refrigerate for about 4-6 hrs.

3. Take the thighs from the marinade and tie into a small cylinder with cotton string, with two loops around the circumference and one around its length.  The skin should nearly cover the outside surface.

4. Barbeque (or roast in the oven) for about 40 minutes, depending on the heat, until the internal temperature is about 160F, turning occasionally.

5. Cut off the string, and slice across the grain.

You can be good and eat just one of these little chocolaty gems, or go for the gluttony and eat your fill.

Chocolate Bouchons 

Yummy wine cork shaped confections from Thomas Keller. Buy the special timbale molds from Williams Sonoma, or use mini cupcake pans.

3/4 c. all-purpose flour


1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. salt


3 large eggs

1 1/2 c. plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar


1/2 tsp. vanilla extract


24 Tb. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly warm

6 oz. quality semisweet chocolate, chopped into pieces the size of chocolate chips


Powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Butter and flour 12 timbale molds . (Bouchon Bakery uses 2-ounce Fleximolds and serves smaller bouchons. You can also use 3-ounce [2- to 2 1/2-inch diameter] timbale molds for larger cakes, or mini-cupcake pans.) Set aside.

3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until very pale in color. Mix in the vanilla. 

4. On low speed, add about one-third of the dry ingredients, then one-third of the butter, and continue alternating with the remaining flour and butter. Add the chocolate and mix to combine. (The batter can be refrigerated for up to a day.)

5. Put the timbale molds on a baking sheet. Place the batter in a pastry bag without a tip, and fill each mold about two-thirds full. 

6. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. When the tops look shiny and set (like a brownie), test one cake with a toothpick: It should come out clean but not dry (there may be some melted chocolate from the chopped chocolate). 

7. Transfer the bouchons to a cooling rack. After a couple of minutes, invert the timbale molds and let the bouchons cool upside down in the molds; then lift off the molds.

8. To serve, invert the bouchons and dust them with confectioners’ sugar. Serve with ice cream if desired. Also very nice with one end dipped in melted chocolate – like wax on a wine cork. (The bouchons are best eaten the day they are baked.)

Makes at least 24 bouchons. 

Book Club Brunch

The Picky Eater is not much of a book club fan- getting together, eating, and talking about a book when someone might not agree with your opinion is risky business in her book. As for the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer (i.e. moi), I am a well known book club dropout, mainly due to my lack of enthusiasm for reading books that I might not like, and the potential to be berated for not having read said book. But, for the last two years I have been a member of a compassionate book group- there is never a disparaging comment or even glance if you haven't read the book. The great conversation, multiple cups of coffee and yummy food more than compensate for our sometimes limited book discussion.

Today it was my turn to host, and a most enjoyable time was had by all attendees. With all the great book suggestions that two members brought, we had a tough time selecting our reading choices for the upcoming months. This was almost as challenging for me as it was to put together a menu, due to a couple of constraints, the first being that one member has a dairy intolerance (but, fortunately, butter is okay) and the other was that yesterday  I was out of the house from 7 am to 9 pm.

What was needed was a brunch menu that could, for the most part, be prepared a day or two in advance and didn't include any milk, cream or cheese. A quick cookbook consult reveals that milk, cream, and cheese are generally integral to most brunch dishes . So, out the window go all the usual suspects- quiches, stratas, pancakes, waffles, etc. Taking inspiration from two favorite cookbooks- From Julia Child's Kitchen and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison, I came up with a provencal styled "Baked Eggs with Piperade & Potatoes," which was prepped Sunday morning and baked for 10 minutes after my guests arrived. It was accompanied by an old standby, a moist oatmeal cake with a maple syrup glaze,  that was baked at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning, and a compote of fresh pears, dried apricots and cherries poached in apple juice that I prepared Friday night. Pretty good and not too much work, if I do say so myself.

Add a fresh baguette, tangerine juice, and coffee and you will have a splendid repast. Oh, and what about the books? For today's meeting we read Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (thumbs down for me); and in future months we will read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pursig, Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson (thumbs up!) and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

Baked Eggs with Piperade & Potatoes

3 lbs. boiling potatoes, cut into 3/4" chunks
1/2 c. olive oil
1 tsp. Herbes de Provence or mixed Italian herbs
Salt & pepper

3 onions, quartered and sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 bell peppers, assorted colors (red, green, yellow, orange), halved, cored and sliced in 2" x 1/4" pieces
1 1/1 tsp. Herbes de Provence or mixed Italian herbs
6 Tb olive oil
Salt & pepper
8 eggs
grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Grease a large rimmed cookie sheet with 2 Tb of the oil. Toss the potatoes in a large bowl with the remaining olive oil, herbs, and a generous application of salt and pepper. Spread the potatoes out on the cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake the potatoes in the center of the preheated oven. After 10 minutes, then use a spatula to scrape and turn the potatoes on the cookie sheet. Toss again at 20 minutes, then bake another 10 minutes (30 minutes total) or until the potato chunks are cooked through and some have formed a crispy brown crust. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Turn the oven down to 400 degrees.

While the potatoes are roasting, heat 4 Tb of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium low heat. Add the onions, cover and cook them until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove the lid, fold in the peppers, garlic and herbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute, stirring frequently, until the peppers are tender, about 15 minutes. Gently combine the potatoes with the onion-pepper mixture.

Use the remaining olive oil to grease a 9 x 13" baking pan or casserole dish. Evenly spread the vegetable mixture in the pan, then use a soup spoon to make 8 indentations in the vegetable layer to hold the eggs.

About 20 minutes before you want to serve the baked eggs, reheat the vegetable casserole for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully break one egg into each indentation, taking care to not break the yolks. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and bake for about another 5-10 minutes, until the eggs' whites are set. Serve immediately using a large spoon to scoop each egg and a portion of vegetables. Pass the grated parmesan cheese for diners to sprinkle on their eggs as desired.

Cider-Poached Fruit Compote
Don’t use ripe pears – they need to be as hard as the apples.

juice and zest of 1 lemon
4 c. apple cider or juice
1 3” cinnamon stick
1 t. vanilla
4 firm Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut into large chunks
4 tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into large chunks
1/2 lb. mixed dried fruit – raisins, figs, apricots, peaches, cherries

Combine all the ingredients except the dried fruit in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat so the liquid is barely simmering and poach the fruit for 20 minutes. Add the dried fruit and poach about 20 minutes more, until the apples and pears are tender, but not falling apart.
Serve warm or cold.
Serves 6.

Spicy Oatmeal Cake

2 c. boiling water
2 c. oatmeal
1/2 c (1 stick) butter , softened
4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs
2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. cloves
1 t. grated nutmeg
1 t. salt

1 c. raisins
                                                                                    2 c. chopped nuts
                                                                                    1/2 c. maple syrup
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Grease & flour a 10 c. bundt pan. Pour the boiling water over the oatmeal and let it stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cream together the butter & brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Stir the dry ingredients together, and stir into the butter-egg mixture. Beat in the oatmeal and then the raisins & nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 1 - 1 1/4 hours, until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and the top of the cake bounces back to the touch. (My oven is slow, and this takes forever to bake.)

When done, let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then take it out. Brush generously with maple syrup while the cake is still warm, then let cool before serving. This cake is quite moist and keeps well.
Serves 10-12.

3 Italian Favorites (Restaurants, Not Tenors)

The Picky Eater is a HUGE fan of most foods Italiani, with the exceptions of eggplant, the usual meat-type products, gooey cheeses, peppers, etc. But, an Italian restaurant is by and large a safe bet for her, which is a great comfort to her parents.

We recently added a third jewel to the crown of favored local Italian eateries which are conveniently scattered along some of our frequently traveled paths - the newest is in San Francisco, the closest is in Redwood City, and the trendiest is in Carmel.

Located at Upper Grant at Vallejo in San Francisco's North Beach, a meal at Ideale (Eye-de-a-lay - correct pronunciation courtesy of Roberto S.) transports you for a meal at a neighborhood trattoria in Rome, and it is definitely well worth the sojourn. With mustard yellow walls, Italian apertif posters, bustling waiters with lovely Italian accents, and straightforward classic food, Ideale is just too much fun for foodies.

Calamari

On a recent Saturday evening the Picky Eater and family enjoyed a bountiful multi-course repast. Under the watchful eye of the P.E. the parents began with a half bottle or prosecco, calamari e rughetta (grilled calamari with arugala), and zucchine e tartufale, shreds of zucchini and parmesan tossed in truffle oil and accompanied by a crostini thickly spread with truffle paste.

While the Picky Eater waited expectantly for her pasta, we split a primo piatto of gnocci alla ricotta with ragu. Then it was on to the secondi piatti, heavenly homemade pasta with chanterelles for the Picky Eater, a perfectly medium rare bistecca for the mommy, and costoletto di vitello, grilled rack of veal chops. Those in the group who imbibe washed their meat down with an obscure (but tasty) Barolo. For the finish, a complimentary serving of tiramisu left us well sated as we rolled into a cab to head back to our Union Square hotel.
Ideale Restorante
1315 Grant Avenue (@ Vallejo)
San Francisco, CA
415-391-4129
Open daily for dinner. Reservations available through Open Table.

Our go to local restaurant is Donato Enoteca in downtown Redwood City, a neighborhood which has seen a renaissance in recent years as an alternative its overrun counterparts in Mountain View and Palo Alto. Donato's various dining areas offer the potential for three distinct environments. In nice weather you can dine alfresco on their pleasant patio. The front room and bar, with small tables cheek to jowl and a view of the kitchen,  offer the atmosphere of a lively trattoria. The dining rooms at the rear, decorated in dark wood and tapestries and with round tables seating 5 or more, evoke a more formal and leisurely experience. Likewise, the menu allows you to eat formally or informally, with a varied array of appetizers, homemade pastas, pizzas, and main courses.

Oxtail & asparagus pasta

Roasted chicken

But, we do have our favorites. Tops for the carnivores are the Bigoli e Coda, thick homemade spirals of pasta with a sauce of Nebbiolo braised oxtail and asparagus, and a recent addition to the menu, gnocchi with duck ragu.  These are succulent meaty  sauces, with a deep undertone of vino rosso, obviously slowly simmered for hours,  and nothing short of amazing.

The Picky Eater's regular go-to pasta is Foide ai Funghi, homemade buckwheat pasta with wild mushrooms. Actually, with so many delicious possibilities in each menu category, ordering here can be a challenge if you aren't up to a full three courses. Often our solution is to order, pass, and share antipasti like Bruschetta di Cinghale (pulled wild boar) and Fritto di Gamberetti e Sadano Rapa, fried rock shrimp and celery root. Then we might split an oxtail pasta and move on to the secondi- a whole grilled Bronzino fish, roasted chicken, or a thick Costoletta di Maiale, a pork "Porterhouse" steak. While their excellent desserts, gelatos, and sorbets may beckon, but we are usually so stuffed at this point that everyone demurs salvo per me, but I limit myself to a decaf Affrogato ordered off-menu, a decaf coffee with a scoop of vanilla gelato.

With Donato in easy striking distance of our wine locker, we usually bring our own. That said, Donato's wine list offers a wide selection of familiar Italian varietals, many available by the glass, carafe, or bottle.

We feel very lucky to have such a fabulous restaurant just minutes from our house, especially one that bears the seal of approval from my friend Roberto's Italian aunties!
Donato Enoteca
1041 Middlefield Road
Redwood City, CA
650-701-1000
Open daily starting @11:30. Reservations available through Open Table.

Cantinetta Luca is a regular stop on our annual visit(s) to the Monterey peninsula. Despite the clusters of older men in golf sweaters around the bar, this restaurant has a more trendy vibe than the previous two. Given the decibel level created by said gentlemen, we usually prefer to sit in the back room cum wine cellar.

Salume

It was in that room on one of our early visits that I first laid eyes on (and tasted) an actual timpano, which was being served to a large party of high rollers seated at the next table.. And what, may you ask, is a timpano? Made famous in the Stanley Tucci film Big Night (a must for lovers of Italian food, Louis Prima, or 1950's nostagia), a timpano is an enormous pasta timbale baked in a basin, which is filled with layers of sugo, cheeses, meatballs, salume, and pasta. To protect the innocent (me) and avoid embarassing my family, I cannot reveal the entire story of my role in the timpano tasting, but suffice to say it was both fun and delicious.

Octopus & potatoes

Pumpkin ravioli

Usually we opt for starters off the menu- grilled octopus with potatoes and Calabrese salame, roasted mussels, or the salume (proscuitto, speck, coppa, etc.) many of which are made in house.

The Picky Eater has been known to sigh over a plate of white truffle and wild mushroom risotto or pumpkin ravioli. With her arm wrapped protectively around her pasta dish to prevent poaching,  her parents then tuck into something carniverous. The Daddy has even been known to down an entire bistecca alla fioretina, as is traditional, large enough to hang over the sides of the platter by himself.

While The Mommy usually follows his lead, at Cantinetta Luca I occasionally head for the pesce side of the menu, and have enjoyed the prawns with fagioli and salsa verde, while snitching bites of beef from my spouse's plate.

A nice light plate of shrimp leave lots of room for dessert. the dolci menu at Cantinetta Luca offers some nice cheese options which are perfect with the remains of your bottle of Barolo or Dolcetto d'Alba, as well as a delicious seasonal selection of variations on traditional Italian desserts.
Just hope that your car or hotel room is not too long of a walk as you happily roll out the door!
Cantinetta Luca
Dolores Street between Ocean & 7th
Carmel, CA
831-625-6500
Dinner daily from 5:00 pm. Lunch Friday-Sunday 11:30-2:30.
Reservations available on Open Table.