QUEST Science on the SPOT Feature produced by Jenny Oh

Eduardo Morrell monitors the internal temperature of the bread to gauge its readiness. Photo: Jenny Oh.

Since the Gold Rush days when prospectors baked loaves in their encampments, sourdough bread has been a beloved favorite of the Bay Area. But what is true sourdough bread? It's more than just the tangy flavor. Science on the SPOT visits with Maria Marco of UC Davis and baker Eduardo Morrell to learn more about the secret science of sourdough.

Producer's Notes: Secrets of Sourdough
Learn more about the history of Morrell's Bread and check out a slideshow of Eduardo Morrell's typical 16-hour workday.

A few months ago I began leading tours for Edible Excursions (run by epicurean concierge Lisa Rogovin) around North Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto, which includes visits to the Cheeseboard Collective, photo ops in front of Chez Panisse, and the occasional celebrity sighting (or what counts as celebrity in that town--don't blink but there's Michael Lewis buying pie with one of his kids.)

Many participants ask about other tours the company offers, which I don't lead, but I realized pretty quickly I needed to know what was on the menu so I could share the details with potential repeat customers.

So I recently shadowed the Taste the Mission tour (arguable the real Ghetto Gourmet these days) and what struck me on that food store and restaurant jaunt, as we spent three hours hoofing around the 'hood, was the different business models employed by the people in the kitchens trying to survive--or even thrive--during recessionary times.

What I came away with from that afternoon (aside from an impressive food baby after hearty sampling at nine spots) is a bit of a metaphor for life--there's no right way to do it, different strategies work for different people, love what you do, work hard, and the rest will follow.

Below, a trio of approaches to ride out the recession.

Pan Dulce on display at La Victoria Bakery. Photo: Courtesy of Edible Excursions.

Adapt or die: The best example of this approach can be found at La Victoria Bakery, an anchor institution at 24th and Alabama Streets that's sold conchas for some sixty years. Fast-talking owner Jamie Maldonado figured out that simply serving Latin pastries wasn't going to cut it in today's culinary climate. These days the cafe features a line of sweet treats from Wholesome Bakery, which turns out vegan cakes, cookies, and pies. Maldonado rents out kitchen space to Mission fixtures such as Iso Rabins of forageSF, and Danny Gabriner of Sour Flour, both of whom were at the cafe during our tour. And the cafe now hosts pop-up dinners by popular street-food chefs like Hapa SF and Soul Cocina.

Top left: Natalie Galatzer of Bike Basket Pies. Photo: Daniel Laing. Top right: Karen Heisler and crew from Mission Pie. Photo: Anne Hamersky.
Bottom left: Mission Minis sweet treats. Photo: Serena Bartlett. Bottom right: Manny Gimenez of Mr. Pollo. Photo: Serena Bartlett.

Start Small: This category includes many relatively new arrivals to the Mission District, such as bite-sized cupcakery Mission Minis, seasonal sweet and savory pastries from Bike Basket Pies, and the in-demand arepas from Manny Torres Gimenez of Mr. Pollo.

Consider, too, Mission Pie, which began as a slip of a store serving sweet tarts and took over the space next door when it became available at the busy intersection of Mission and 25th Streets. Store co-owner Karen Heisler says that the organic way the business grew made sense in terms of their overall business plan. "We wanted to make sure the community wanted us and responded to what we do," says Heisler, who sells affordable, sustainable savory and sweet eats made from ingredients sourced locally from places like Pie Ranch, Blue House Farm, and Good Humus Farm. Heisler says she's not interested in opening Mission Pie 2 or scaling up to sell wholesale, but wants to continue to solidify loyal relationships with consumers and vendors. (Heisler talks about her favorite local places in this previous BAB post.)

Street sign for the restaurant and bakery housed in one space. Photo: Serena Bartlett.

Diversify: Yaron Milgrom, owner of Local: Mission Eatery envisioned a village gathering place with a food focus. His business at 24th and Folsom Streets is essentially an inexpensive sandwich-soup-salad shop by day and morphs into a high-end restaurant at night. It also acts as a cookbook lending library and offers kitchen classes several times a month. Jake Des Voignes is the chef and his partner in life Shauna Des Voignes runs Knead Patisserie in the rear of the restaurant. Shauna sets up a cart in the establishment's entryway in the morning, catching commuters on the fly who nab lemon ricotta turnovers or brioche apple rolls on their way to BART.

Who makes it in the fickle food biz in the continually evolving Mission District remains to be seen. But the economic models employed here may well be instructive--as these food folks create community around good grub.

What other innovative approaches to selling food have you come across in the Mission or elsewhere in your travels?

Homemade Irish Soda Bread with Raisins

I'm not a big drinker, or a big fan of fratastic crowds, so when it comes to St. Patty's Day, the thing I most look forward to isn't all the block parties, or the cry for "Carbombs!" at the bar. Call me an old soul (or Debbie McDowner), but I would much rather indulge in a thick slice of warm Irish Soda Bread, inordinately slathered with sweet butter. I may even go nuts and top off my coffee with a little Homemade Irish Cream. Partayyyy. (*Before you start booing me, if you are into downing some pints and rubbing up against a leprechaun or two, don't worry, I've still got you covered. Scroll to the bottom to see the list of festivities going on in SF).

OK, back to my wholesome soda bread. I've learned that the sweet scone-like, raisin-studded soda bread I love so much is very much an Americanized version of the real thing. As Irish chef Rory O'Connell of the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork, Ireland reveals in this great soda bread guide in Epicurious, real traditional Irish soda bread is simply basic table bread made with just flour (whole-meal flour for the common loaf, white flour for special occasions), bread soda, buttermilk, and salt.

No butter in the dough, raisins only as a luxury, and caraway seeds optional.

Makes sense, as this quick bread grew in popularity in the 1800s in Ireland out of necessity. Brown soda bread -- made with soft wheat (the only suitable flour that can grow in Ireland's climate), baking soda (cheap and non-perishable), and buttermilk (accessible by-product of freshly churned butter) -- was an affordable bread that the average household could bake in their own homes without an oven. The formed loaf could simply be baked in a cast iron pot, called a bastible, placed over a fire. The bastible had a lid on it with a curved edge so that you could place hot coals on top as well.

I decided embrace my homebody tendencies and do some baking to celebrate this St. Patrick's Day. Using this classic Irish-American recipe for Irish Soda Bread with Raisins and Caraway, I got to work.

Irish Soda Bread Ingredients

I adjusted the recipe to include half all purpose flour, and half whole wheat pastry flour (which I believe is similar to the soft wheat flour that was originally used in the traditional Irish soda bread). I also cut down the amount of sugar and raisins in it, and substituted the caraway seeds for fennel seeds (since that's what I had on hand, and figured they were a close-enough substitution). If you don't like the licorice-y/anise-y flavor of caraway or fennel, feel free to omit. I only use two tablespoons in my recipe, so the flavor is subtle.

Making Soda Bread

I whisked together my dry ingredients first. Then, cut in the butter until the mixture was the consistency of corn meal. Then, I added the buttermilk. The lactic acid in buttermilk reacts with the base of the baking soda to provide the leavening for this quick bread (rather than yeast). Note: Unlike the picture shown above, where I mixed in the raisins and fennel seeds after adding the buttermilk, next time I would actually add them prior to the wet ingredients so that they are well dispersed throughout the dough.

When you're mixing the dough together, mix just until everything is incorporated. Be careful to not over mix (the dough should not be kneaded). Like the secret to a good, fluffy, light biscuit or scone, the trick is to handle the dough as little as possible.

Into the oven you go

When the dough has come together, turn it into your buttered cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, and slash a cross into the top. Old folklores say that the cross cut on the top of Irish Soda Bread is to ward off evil and "let the devil out" while it's baking, or let the fairies out (for a less fire and brimstone version). Practically though, slashing the top of the bread allows the heat to penetrate the thickest part of the loaf, helps the bread rise better, and also serves as a guideline for breaking the bread evenly once it's done.

*****

St. Patty's Day Trivia:

• Saint Patrick, the man, the saint, the slayer of snakes -- St. Patrick is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. He is said to have "driven the snakes" from Ireland. Snakes referred to the serpent symbolism of the Druids, whose pagan rites were abolished by the big P.
• Why Shamrocks -- Legend has it that Saint Patrick used the three-leaved clover to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish.
• Soda Bread not really Irish -- Soda bread was actually invented by the American Indians, who used pearl ash (made from potash, which was made from lye, which was made from hardwood ashes).

St. Patrick's Day Festivities:

• Farley's Coffee (Potrero) -- Live bagpipes, music, and dancing
• Safe & Sober Program -- Free cab rides from 3 pm to 3 am
• St. Patrick's Day Block Party 2011 (Financial District)
• Aventine's St. Patrick's Day Alley Block Party (Financial District)
• O'Reilly's St. Patrick's Day Block Party (North Beach)

Places in the Bay Area to buy Irish Soda Bread:

John Campbell's Irish Bakery
5625 Geary Blvd
(between 20th Ave & 21st Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
(415) 387-1536

Arizmendi Bakery
1331 9th Ave
(between Irving St & Judah St)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
(415) 566-3117

La Farine Bakery
6323 College Ave
(at 63rd St)
Oakland, CA 94618
Neighborhoods: North Oakland, Rockridge
(510) 654-0338

3411 Fruitvale Ave
(between Macarthur Blvd & Sloan St)
Oakland, CA 94602
(510) 531-7750

4094 Piedmont Ave
(between Glen Ave & 41st St)
Oakland, CA 94611
(510) 420-1777

1820 Solano Ave
(at Colusa Ave)
Berkeley, CA 94707
Neighborhoods: East Solano Ave, North Berkeley
(510) 528-2208

If you ask me what my most frequently referenced dessert cookbook is, I'd tell you it's The Joy of Cooking: All About Pies and Tarts. This little book by Irma Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker shines with great American pie recipes and tips on foolproof pie dough, how to make hand pies, and finessing the fine art of latticework.

It's a keeper and I think that can largely be attributed to the fact that it's a concentrated tome that's devoted to one small subject and is researched within an inch of its life--not as common with cookbooks these days. From what I've gathered, it's now out of print, but there are many used copies out there; I snagged one at Green Apple Books so it's certainly not impossible.

What I love about the book is it's such a good starting point. All of the recipes in Joy of Cooking: All About Pies and Tarts are solid, from their Shoofly Pie to the Vanilla Cream Pie or Sweet Potato Pie. I always find myself starting here, exploring at least one other recipe and then making adaptations to come up with my own version. So why go to all this work in the first place? For many food bloggers who like to cite recipes on their webpage, adapting an original recipe is important for copyright and legal reasons. Many folks have written on this subject in thought-provoking and sometimes even contentious ways, including Diane Jacob and David Lebovitz.

But for bakers like myself, it's also important to adapt recipes to keep up with the times and trends of your customer. And your own tastes. Or those of your mom or your great Aunt Sally. You get the picture. A telling example is the Pecan Pie that appears in Joy of Cooking: All About Pies and Tarts. It's a very classic, common recipe that you're likely to see if you google "Pecan Pie." But it's a little too sweet for my tastes: it's got more of that ooey, goeey-ness going on than I prefer. In general, when working on adapting a baking recipe, I think about the following factors:

Adapting Recipes to Keep up With Trends
• Use less sugar whenever possible to allow the other ingredients to shine
• Use local ingredients when possible
• Use real ingredients (no margarine or Crisco unless when imperative for the end result)
• Pare down the number of steps and processes to make it as easy for your reader (or yourself) as possible.
• Always ask yourself, is there an easier/more commonsense way?
• Likewise, ask yourself: what about this recipe do I like and what must go?

So what I did with the pie recipe is add bittersweet chocolate and espresso powder to balance out the sweetness, took down the amount of corn syrup and sugar, and used my favorite flaky pie dough. And voila: now we're talking. I took a cue from the Baked Cookbook on grinding half of the pecans and laying the other half on top (they also use a dark chocolate in their pie) and got the espresso powder idea from the lovely and always spot-on Dorie Greenspan. So then what are we left with? A pie pecan pie fans love, but also a pie that has coverted many naysayers. Recently at the farmer's market, I traded a slice of this pie with one of the farmers for some meyer lemons and fennel. After one bite, he took a seat and said to me, "Now this is a 'sit down, close your eyes and enjoy' kind of pie." Hopefully you'll feel the same way. If you don't, adapt away! After all, that's what it's all about. We all start somewhere.

Kim Severson, Chad Robertson, Sue Conley

Somebody get Kim Severson a TV gig stat.

Seriously, The New York Times staff writer, currently the Atlanta bureau chief, is friendly and funny -- she reminds me a little of Ellen DeGeneres -- and a top-notch interviewer to boot.

And Severson knows food: She covers the beat for the Times and before that for the San Francisco Chronicle. Last year she authored Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life, where she sings the praises of a group of female food icons, including Alice Waters and Ruth Reichl, who have played an important role in her personal and professional life. In an increasingly overcrowded genre (food memoir) Spoon Fed stands out for both its authenticity and candor.

Severson was in conversation last night as part of the City Arts & Lectures series with cheese maker Sue Conley, the co-founder of the celebrated Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station, and master baker Chad Robertson, co-owner with wife and pastry chef Elisabeth Prueitt of Tartine Bakery and Bar Tartine in the Mission, where long lines can be found for the store's over-the-top baked goods, desserts, and Robertson's coveted rustic bread.

The baker's new book, Tartine Bread (Chronicle Books, $40), is a step-by-step guide to making his signature loaves -- complete with 29-page instructions for his Basic Country Bread. Queuing to buy may not seem as daunting as tackling his trademark crust. (Read a recent review of Tartine Bread on BAB by Megan Gordon.)

The topic for the evening? "On Artisan Food," which seemed fitting for two food purveyors known for their singular obsessions, turning out small batches of award-winning, high-quality products using premium ingredients. What could be a more fundamental food than bread and cheese? And yet these two craftspeople have elevated their chosen culinary pursuit to cult-like status.

Am I alone in thinking the Herbst Theatre -- with its bright lights, high-backed, stiff-looking chairs, Persian rug, and formal backdrop -- is not the warmest or coziest of places to curl up for a chat in front of an audience numbering in the hundreds?

Here's where Severson showed her craft. From the get-go she loosened up the crowd and her interview subjects with one well-placed quip after another. There was the nod to the news with a Charlie Sheen reference and the jokey asides; when Conley confessed that her adventures with cheese began when she fell for a Marin County park ranger Severson sighed: "Ah, that's where it always start." She asked the probing questions in a soft-peddled way, with queries like: "Is there a point in every small producers life where you just want to see your products on the shelves at Costco?" which played for good-natured laughs.

Another thing I admired: Severson didn't use the stage as an opportunity to flack her own book, which is just plain tacky. Trust me, though, I've been to enough of these kinds of evenings to witness such bad behavior. At a recent book event the interviewer in question used his allotted time with the audience to talk up his own tome as often as possible, and while he promised to ask the author sitting next to him about his own work it never happened. Cringe worthy.

Severson teased out interesting tidbits that engaged both her fellow stage members and the audience. Who knew Robertson's wife is gluten-intolerant and can't eat wheat? Or that Cowgirl Creamery stopped selling its popular quark (a spreadable, creamy cheese) because it didn't pass muster with a then 80-something taste tester searching for the soft cheese of his German youth.

There was plenty of talk about cheese rinds, bread starts, and what it means to be a food artisan too. Also discussed: Conley's self-described epic fails and Robertson's new-found fascination with ancient whole grains. And there was Severson's running gag about resenting waiting in line for "100 hours" for Robertson's bread ("I'm not bitter."). The entire program is scheduled for broadcast on KQED on Sunday, May 1 at 1 p.m. Take note: Robertson offers frustrated food lovers a tip about how to avoid the crowds at Tartine too.

To see Severson's schtick in person, stop by Omnivore Books tonight at 6 p.m., where she'll be reading from and signing copies of Spoon Fed.

Photo Credits: Chad Robertson (Tartine Bakery), Sue Conley (Cowgirl Creamery), Kim Severson (kimseverson.com)

You won't see any cupcakes here. No whoopie pies. Heck, not even any American pies. In Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker's excellent documentary Kings of Pastry, what you will see is a peek into the competitive high-level French competition for membership in the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (or MOF), an exclusive group of pastry chefs distinguished by "the collar" they receive as winners. The film begins at a time when seventy contestants have been narrowed to sixteen finalists and each man (apparently no woman has ever competed) spends four years preparing for the intense three-day competition.

At first, it may sound like a film you'd only be into if you appreciated French pastry or cooking competitions. But Hegedus and Pennebaker manage to draw you in quickly and don't let go until the very end. Like most good documentaries, you connect with the characters and begin to understand each man's motivation for competing as you get a glimpse into their home and work life. In this sense, you become invested in the outcome of the competition just like the competitor's own spouses or children. In addition to rooting for each contestant, you'll find yourself puzzling over the level of commitment it takes to prepare. There is so much to give up: time with family and kids, being fully present at work, and a normal social life. One of the contestants insists that when he and his wife were remodeling their home, they had to add a pastry workshop in the basement for him to practice and prepare for the competition.

I found myself rooting for Jacquy Pfeiffer, an Alsace-born, Chicago-based chef who has both determination and drive but also humility and perspective. While working on an elaborate wedding cake, he smiles and says "If you whistle it works better." While he may not be as piercingly intense as the other contestants, Pfeiffer is obviously immensely talented and confident that he's a sure contender. Here he is shaping his chocolate sculpture:

As you can probably imagine, not all goes as planned at the competition. To avoid any misteps, each contestant does a three-day trial run to try and work out the kinks. Sugar flower work for eight hours at a time without stopping for food or much drink? Check. Putting the finishing touches on an elaborate sugar sculpture only to break it when making an adjustment? Check. The stakes are obviously high. No amount of practice can prepare each man for how he'll perform on any given day. And the judges, having each gone through the same competition at one point in their lives, relate and sympathize with this pressure. When reading the name of the winners, the judge is obviously shaken and has difficulty saying the names out loud. By this point, they've witnessed sixteen sure winners, so it must be unimaginably difficult to announce that three years of one's life have been spent without anything to take back to show for it. One gentleman in the film is competing for his fourth time: sixteen years of constant preparation!

As the head of the jury says "Your mind has to work as hard as your hands." And this is, I think, at the crux of the fascination with this film: it's difficult for many of us to imagine this kind of focused and relentlessly enduring determination towards any one thing for years upon years. It's not just an interest, a hobby, or a passion. It seems to be more of a fire--something each finalist feels like they must do. And by the end of the film, you'll be surprised at who earns the "collar" and who is ultimately sent home to consider competing again or throwing in the towel. It's a touching, emotional, and thought-provoking film. Whether you're interested in food films or not, the topic at hand isn't really what this movie is about. It's really about heart. And that's where we all meet at the same table.

Image Credit: Film Forum

From top left to right: Douglas Monsalud and wife Kimberly Stevens, Yigit Pura, Will Werner and girlfriend Sarah Logan, Richie Nakano.

It's no secret chefs don't get much time off--certainly not on holidays. And Valentine's Day is a biggie. Folks make reservations well in advance and snatch up flowers and confections to bring home to their loved ones. After chatting with some of my favorite local chefs, it became clear that Valentine's Day really is just another day and there are many occasions to sit down, toast one another, and prepare a special meal. I asked three simple questions to get to the heart of what a romantic day looks like in their world. Here's what I discovered.

Douglas Monsalud: Kitchenette SF
So Valentine’s Day. Or let’s just say, on a typical romantically-minded evening, tell us about what you and your partner like to cook/eat together at home?
We LOVE to make food that takes a while to cook so that we can hang out, talk while we cook, and drink good wine ; ) With that in mind, we have cooked everything from bouillabaisse to pozole, porchetta to pot roast. You know...simple, rustic, one-pot meals that are comfortable and really make you feel like you are home.

Favorite dessert?
Wow, favorite dessert is a tough one. I like desserts that are lighter and fruity...like the goats milk yoghurt panna cotta with blood orange compote that we've served at Heart Wine Bar. Similarly, I have always loved creme brulee and a nice, flaky crostata with a scoop of ice cream always gets my attention.

If you weren’t eating at home, where are a few of your favorite romantic spots in the Bay Area and why?
Aziza and Gitane ooze romance. They have great food and the atmosphere is at once exotic and warm. Also, I always think getting a dozen oysters from the Marshall Store up on Tomales Bay with a bottle of something bubbly and eating them on a bench overlooking the water is as sexy as it gets.

William Werner: Tell Tale Preserve Co.
So Valentine’s Day. Or let’s just say, on a typical romantically-minded evening, tell us about what you and your partner like to cook/eat together at home?
We don't get to spend a lot of time together as of late-- so usually a romantic dinner would consist of something simple, to spend more time together than in the kitchen, more than likely, champagne, oysters with lemon, market greens, a risotto of mushrooms and nettles, and of course chocolate (Valrhona feves straight from the bag).

Favorite dessert?
Of the moment: kishu mandarins.

If you weren’t eating at home, where are a few of your favorite romantic spots in the Bay Area and why?
Coi, for getting dressed and a luxurious, intimate evening of thoughtful food. Burgers and beer in the back corner booth at Bar Tartine for dressing down and hanging out.

Richie Nakano: Hapa Ramen
So Valentine’s Day. Or let’s just say, on a typical romantically-minded evening, tell us about what you and your partner like to cook/eat together at home?
When we're eating at home we keep it pretty simple: farro with roasted chicken, or an easy pasta. We also get treats from Fatted Calf: charcuterie, cheese, olives. We have a 9 month old son, so there's not a lot of quiet romantic evenings these days, but we do like to unwind with a bottle of kruner or falanghina.

Favorite dessert?
Anything from Humphrey Slocombe, or we'll get something from Tell Tale Preserve Co. and save it for that evening. That stuff is sinful.

If you weren’t eating at home, where are a few of your favorite romantic spots in the Bay Area and why?
Aziza always comes to mind, it's such a beautiful setting in there, and the food is really elegant. La Ciccia is really intimate also, but the sexiest place in town is the Flour & Water dough room. If you can snag a seat at a dinner in there...

Yigit Pura: Executive Pastry Chef, Taste Catering; Winner of Bravo's Top Chef Just Desserts
So Valentine’s Day. Maybe, like a lot of folks, you see it as any other day—but let’s just say, on a typical romantically-minded evening, tell us about what you and a date like to cook/eat together?
I think any day is a good day to be romantic. I would cook what I know they love and tickles their soft spot, even if it goes against my grain as a chef. I find just showing you paid attention will always get you brownie points.

Favorite dessert?
As cliché as it sounds, you can’t go wrong with chocolate. And I know there are myths around it but I still love a great chocolate soufflé. Be it a professional or home chef, it still gets people excited. Take it another step forward and make a really lovely salted caramel ice cream, and put a small scoop straight in the middle. The contrast between the hot and cold is always very sexy!

If you weren’t eating at home, where are a few of your favorite romantic spots in the Bay Area and why?
Lately I’m in LOVE with Barbacco. Modern and really beautiful ambiance, great service, and just really tasty bites, and very reasonably priced. Last time I ate there everything was so great, I am already looking forward to the next time.

Jessica Boncutter: Bar Jules
A typical romantically-minded meal?
That would have to be beef fillet roasted medium rare with salt roasted potatoes, baby carrots and horseradish cream.

Favorite Dessert?
Definitely finish it off with a chocolate pot de creme and a little Serge Gainsbourg on the record player!

If you weren’t eating at home, where are a few of your favorite romantic spots in the Bay Area and why?
Romantic places in the San Francisco Bay Area are upstairs at Chez Panisse for lunch or Manka's in Inverness for the night or Tosca for a drink or of course Bar Jules is so romantic. Chez Panisse lunch during the week feels like you are playing hooky from work with a lover. Manka's, well you just have to stay there one night to experience it. Tosca is a classic always feels special no matter who you are with.

Chefs Jeff Banker and Lori Baker + Jackson Banker. Photo credit: Craig Lee

The savory and sweet finds at San Francisco's Baker & Banker quickly catapulted the space into a must-visit for food lovers. Opened in late 2009 in Pacific Heights, the bakery slash restaurant is in an old apothecary and is the lovechild of husband and wife team Chef Jeff Banker and Pastry Chef Lori Banker, who together have over thirty years cooking experience and have been married for ten years.

San Francisco Examiner's Patricia Unterman noted Baker & Banker's "small, changing menu of gently imaginative dishes characterized by big, voluptuous flavor," and the San Francisco Chronicle's Michael Bauer gave the restaurant a three star review in 2010 and included it in the Chronicle Top 100 List of Restaurants that same year.

Lori Baker has worked at EOS, Home restaurant, Slow Club, Gordon's House of Fine Eats, Bizou, Postrio, Bix and Fifth Floor. Chef Baker also staged at Hotel Metropole in Brussels as well as L'Angolo Dolce in Lucca, Italy. She was most recently a professor of pastry at The California Culinary Academy and is a graduate of Johnson and Wales.

Jeff Banker's early stints include Patina Los Angeles and Postrio--more on the Postrio love connection in a bit. He worked at Acme Chophouse, Bix, Home and staged at Lucas Carton in Paris while attending Le Cordon Bleu on a scholarship awarded by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). The couple said they both have also filled in at their friends’ restaurants NOPA and Delfina. Bay Area Bites caught up with Jeff Banker just in time for Valentine's Day. They live in the Sunset District.

What are you baking and serving up for Valentine's Day?

We are creating some unique bakery goods special for Valentine's Day including: Mexican hot chocolate crackle cookies, raspberry Linzer heart sandwich cookies, strawberry Champagne cupcakes, which are champagne-soaked yellow cake with strawberry frosting, red hot red velvet cupcakes and handwritten "Hostess" cupcakes with salted caramel.

Valentine's Treats from Baker & Banker. Photo credit: Craig Lee

Also on the sweet menu is: vanilla bean cheesecake, with a chocolate wafer crust, and raspberry hearts swirled in; and conversation heart cakes that are Devil's food cake with Grand Marnier ganache.

Hugs and Kisses Heart Cakes. Photo credit: Craig Lee

And… Passion fruit cheesecakes with guava caramel, champagne cake truffles, jalapeno caramels and chocolate covered bacon.

What are your Valentine's Day restaurant favorites?

It’s hard to find a more romantic dining room than Fleur de Lys -- the food is decadent and very Valentine's Day appropriate -- the French do romance best! Bix is also a great space with an amazing menu.

What are your favorite spots to shop for food?

Fatted Calf is an awesome place to get fresh meat. We also religiously shop at the Marin Farmers' Market for ingredients for the restaurant -- the produce is so fresh and there is such a great selection of goods. I actually visit there every Thursday. Finally, for something a bit more exotic, the Richmond New May Wah Supermarket, an Asian Market on Clement and 7th, is an amazing source to find unusual ingredients.

What are your favorite eating and drinking spots?

I have to admit, having the bakery, restaurant and new baby takes up a lot of time, but when we do go out we love to stop by Flour + Water or Pizzeria Delfina for some amazing pasta and pizza.

What are your favorite local Mom & Pop joints?

We love the modern spin of Mom & Pop joints that are taking off here in the city. For example, eVe restaurant in Berkeley is also a husband and wife team who are doing it all themselves. They have a really artistic touch to the dishes on their menu and we love the intimate setting and food. Also, Sons & Daughters in Nob Hill is an interesting place -- the chefs/owners Teague and Matt are two young guys living the dream of opening their own restaurant. It's inspiring to see fellow chefs venturing out on their own and having full autonomy to create and share the food they love.

What are your favorite date nightspots?

At the moment, our favorite date spot is home. Since Jackson's arrival, there is something truly wonderful about being home and making a home cooked meal for the family in the house. We are at the restaurant or bakery nearly seven days a week -- so to be able to stay at home and use the kitchen is a treat!

What is your guiltiest food pleasure?

The foie gras duck stuffed sandwich at Naked Lunch. Amazing.

How did you two meet, and how long have you been together, etc.?

We both worked at Postrio around the same time. We had a mutual friend who worked there and he set us up on a blind date. He is the pastry chef at Bix now and is still our best friend. We have been married for nearly ten years. [Our baby] Jackson is 4 months old and his name is Jackson Banker.

Does Jackson have any favorite foods yet?

He’s still a bit too young -- breast milk is still his favorite but we're expecting him to be quite the foodie growing up in a bakery and restaurant.

Where are you from?

I am from Orange County and Lori is from Cincinnati.

What's new on the horizon?

This past weekend we had the crew from Unique Sweets come and film us for a day. It was an amazing experience. You’ll be able to see Lori's tantalizing desserts have their close up on the Cooking Channel this spring.

There's a lot about this post that feels a little self-indulgent largely because I'm writing it and it's all about my new baking business, Marge. I've been waiting for the right time to announce it here on Bay Area Bites, and now seems as good a time as any. Although really this post is more about launching a small business without a storefront in the confusing (and expensive!) world of health permits, legal documents, licenses and occasional slammed doors. So without further ado, meet Marge.

The idea for Marge began last spring. I decided I'd open a bakery. I've always loved baking, had signed up to study at San Francisco Baking Institute and mentor at Comforts in Marin. I was already baking for private clients at the time and knew that what I really wanted out of a career was to work for myself. It wasn't important to me to have enough expendable income to fly to Hawaii every Christmas, but being able to support myself selling pie sounded pretty darn good. So begins the fun part. Real estate! Vintage wallpaper! Pretty display cases with distressed wood! And that lasted all of three weeks. Three glorious weeks, but three weeks nonetheless. And then reality hit. Those of you who have built-out a kitchen from scratch (or know someone who has) know how expensive it is. And for those of you who have ever looked for a charming, affordable retail space with a lovely pre-existing kitchen all ready and waiting for you-- you know they're a rare (read: almost never) find. So I regrouped.

I decided I needed a business license. It seemed like a good logical step and you basically just fill out a form, write a check, and 'Bam' you've got yourself a business. Perfect. Or so I thought.

My visit to City Hall went something like this:

Clerk: Ma'am we're confused about the category of your business.
Me: It's a baking business. We'll have a storefront someday, but right now we're going to do pop-ups, deliveries, catering--you know, keep it casual.
Clerk: Ma'am, there's really no category for "casual."
Me: Look, I don't know. Call it whatever you want.
Clerk: Ma'am you need to choose a category.
Me (flustered, confused, wishing I could coerce him with pie): I understand. I just need a business license in order to get a health permit in order to get my commercial kitchen in order to get my business bank account. Can you just help me out a little here?
Clerk: Well we need a physical address.
Me: O.k....
Clerk: Why don't you put down the location where your accountant and bookkeeper do the books.

I stood there smiling and thinking to myself, "If you only knew that you're staring right at the accountant and bookkeeper, the owner and the baker."

And so began all the legal/totally unfun stuff. It's all very cart before the horse: you need one document before you can get another but the timing doesn't work and none of the agencies talk to each other and you lose a little sleep. And some nights, a lot of sleep. This was nothing like picking out vintage wallpaper. Instead, it involved health inspections and a lot of bureaucracy. Even for a small business like Marge, inspectors often come to check out your kitchen, where you store your ingredients, and your processes for packaging. It's daunting when you're not quite sure what all your processes are yet. And it all seemed a little odd because I still wasn't quite sure how I was defining the business. I now had all of these forms in place but nowhere to actually sell my product.

Then I decided that I may not have a storefront, but people have got to try what I'm baking at Marge or the word will never get out. I brought around samples to businesses, farmer's markets, and folks in my neighborhood. I got a business cell phone. When it rang two days later, I literally dropped it in the sink and missed the call. Orders started coming in around the holidays despite my temporary website. I did the SF Underground Farmer's Market in December -- our first public event-- and it was awesome. The pop-tarts and apple pies sold out, lots of friends came out to support Marge, and I met some great food folks starting their business in a similar fashion. And then I got a call from the new Marin Country Mart farmer's market (a quick ferry ride from the city, by the way) that they'd love to have Marge as a permanent staple on Saturday mornings. I can't tell you how thrilled I am: my weekends are now one big ol' bake sale and I can't imagine anything better.

So my strategy for now: get out there in other farmer's markets throughout the spring and summer and do local events that I'm excited about. Start getting Marge products out in local coffee shops and cafes and spreading the word about old-fashioned pies and nostalgic desserts. Make new friends. Meet new people. Forget all about vintage wallpaper (for now). And see where that takes us. Who knows? Maybe I'll be back here in the fall chatting all about our cute storefront. But for now, it's all good.

To get the latest on Marge, sign up for the newsletter and check out the website for the seasonal menu, contact information, and the full scoop on Marge. You can follow Marge on twitter @MargeBakery and on Facebook to learn about new events and markets we're doing. Come and visit us at the Marin Country Mart Farmer's Market, and of course, we deliver and cater as well. Pie is good. Having someone make it for you is even better.

With the December holidays behind me, I'm trying to be a little more heart healthy. This doesn't mean I'm dieting -- as I'm a miserable failure at all diets. Tell me I can't eat butter and I'll day dream incessantly about buttered toast. No, in my world, being healthier means trying to eat more whole grains and vegetables, which usually isn't a problem as I love both.

So to start off my new year, I vowed to make and eat more steel-cut oats. Steel-cut oats are the actual oat grain buds (or groats) that have been cut into two or three pieces by steel blades. Unlike their flat rolled oat cousins, they plump up when you cook them, much like rice or wheat berries. And although they can take 30-40 minutes to cook, the earthy nutty flavors and satisfying chewy texture are worth the wait. But waiting a half hour or more for your breakfast to cook can cramp your weekday morning routine. This is why I try to make a large batch of steel-cut oats on the weekend. You can also purchase precooked steel-cut oats at Trader Joe's (in the freezer section).

So what do you do with the oats once they're cooked? Eating them with brown sugar or honey plus a handful of nuts and/or dried fruit is a great and simple breakfast. If you're avoiding sugar, just use cooked apples or pears, which add deep fruity undertones. But if you want something really special, try baking with your precooked steel-cut oats. For years I've made Nut and Fruit Oatcakes and Strawberry Oat Squares. This week, however, I tried something slightly different and loved it.

In the mood for something a little lighter and airier, I decided to make steel-cut oat muffins. Much like my oatcakes and oat squares, I started with a base of steel-cut oats, flour and butter. Yet unlike those baked treats, I used a little less butter and instead added in some buttermilk (which is naturally lowfat) for added tangy flavor and to moisten things up a bit. For a burst of sweetness, I nestled some cherry jam into each muffin (being sure to include at least one cherry in each). Hot out of the oven, the muffins smelled and tasted a bit like cherry pie.

So if you're looking for a heart-healthy breakfast that tastes like an indulgence, or simply another way to use your leftover steel cut oats, try some jammy oat muffins. Served warm, they are the ultimate morning treat.

Note: these muffins taste best when warm, so be sure to either eat them all soon after baking, or just reheat in the microwave the next day.

Low-fat Steel-Cut Oat Muffins with Cherry Jam Inside

Makes: 1 dozen muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
½ cup bran or oat flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup cooked steel cut oats
1 egg
¼ cup brown or regular sugar
4 Tbsp cold butter cut into small pieces
½ tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
½ cup cherry jam (or another fruit preserve)
½ cup dried cherries (optional)
¼ cup slivered or chopped almonds (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, bran or oat flour, cinnamon, sugar and salt.

3. Cut in your butter (you can do this in a food processor, with a pastry cutter, or just squeeze the butter between your fingers and into the flour until you have something resembling small floury butter pebbles).

4. Mix in your steel-cut oat (do not do this in the food processor) with either a wooden spoon or using your fingers, mixing until fully incorporated.

5. In a separate bowl, beat your egg into your buttermilk and then add to the flour and oat mixture, stirring until combined. If adding dried cherries and nuts, mix in now.

6. In a prepared muffin pan (either sprayed with oil or with muffin liners inserted) divide your batter evenly for 12 muffins.

7. Using a teaspoon, indent a hole into the middle of each muffin and then spoon in about 1 tsp of jam plus at least one or two cherries.

8. Set in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

9. Serve warm and enjoy.