After two months of relishing the transient taste of summer fruit, I've reached the midsummer doldrums. Suddenly I'm not as obsessively smitten with the cavalcade of fruit available this time of year. Of course I still enjoy eating a ripe peach or crisp cherries, but after spending most of May and June smelling and caressing each peach or apricot as I pick through the lot to find the perfect one, I'm a little over it. Nope. At this point I now simply toss four or five pieces of stone fruit into a bag, cart them home with everything else, place them in a bowl on the counter and hope that someone eats them in the next day or two so they don't molder and collect fruit flies. The more I think about it, the more I find that my relationship with summer fruit is sort of like a romance. You start off all hot and bothered by the unique amazing characteristics that make you fall in love, and end up taking the object of your devotion for granted later when life returns to normal. But that doesn't mean that my time romancing summer fruit is over, because baking brings out a whole new sense of wonder.

Each summer I try to find one or two new fruit recipes. Last year I couldn't seem to make my cherry almond tea cake enough, and I still find that recipe to be very appealing. This summer it's an apricot cream tart. Like so much in life, a series of mishaps led to the creation of this recipe. I was going to make a peach tart, but then the peaches I had bought turned out to be flavorless (more evidence of my waning devotion to picking the perfect summer fruit). So with only eight apricots on hand, I stared at my blind-baked tart crust and began to imagine new possibilities.

The idea of a cream tart sounded intriguing, and so with some advice to check out Julia Child's Tarte Normande aux Pommes recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I proceeded. As with most Julia Child recipes, the cream filling in the recipe had a lot of actual heavy whipping cream in it, an ingredient I didn't have on hand. Plus I am trying to reduce the use of whipping cream in my life (and arteries). So after doubling the recipe and altering some key ingredients, I laid my apricots on top of my crust with some sprinkled sugar and then poured in the filling. After about a half hour I opened the oven door to find one of the prettiest tarts I've made in ages. But would the taste live up to the presentation? As a matter of fact, it did. The cream filling was rich and dense while the apricots nestled within offered not only sweetness, but also a welcome hint of tartness to counterbalance the flavors.

My love affair with summer fruit is now revived.

APRICOT CREAM TART

An apricot tart with cream filling inspired by the Tarte Normande aux Pommes recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: One 10-inch tart

Ingredients:

1 pre-baked tart crust (recipe below)
8 medium to large apricots (you can also use peaches, apriums, pluots or nectarines)
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar for the cream filling plus 1/4 cup for the fruit
1/3 cup flour
1 cup whole milk
1 Tbsp brandy or 1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp apricot jam (optional)

Instructions:

1. Line the bottom of the pre-baked tart crust with apricot jam if using.

2. In a medium bowl, whip the eggs with 2/3 cup of sugar for about one minute. Add in the milk, flour and brandy (or vanilla extract) and then whip until fully incorporated.

3. Cut the fruit in half and remove the pits and mix with the remaining sugar. Lay the fruit on the tart crust in a circular pattern.

4. Gently pour the filling into the crust, being careful not to cover the fruit.

5. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the filling is just firm.

6. Remove tart from oven and let cool before serving.

CREAM CHEESE TART CRUST

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Yield: One 10-inch tart crust

Ingredients :

1 stick cold unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
3 Tbsp cold cream cheese
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 Tsp salt
~5 Tbsp cold water

Instructions:

1. Mix butter and salt into flour with your fingers, a pastry cutter or in a food processor while pulsing until mostly incorporated.

2. Add in cream cheese the same way you added in the butter.

3. Slowly mix in the water (being sure that it's very cold) until the flour mixture starts to hold together and then stop.

4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or dump in a large ziplock bag (I prefer the latter) and refrigerate for at least a half hour (or up to one day).

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or 325 in a convection oven) while you roll out your dough and then place in a 10-inch tart plate.

6. Poke some holes with a fork on the bottom of the tart crust, line the dough with foil or parchment paper and then lay some pie weights or dried beans on top.

7. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove the pie weights/beans and foil/parchment paper and bake for another 7-10 minutes or until just barely turning golden.

8. Remove crust from oven and let cool.

Fruit, glorious fruit, now is your time. The farmers' market doesn't come alive until the strawberries and cherries show up, and now with stone fruit season in full, chin-dripping swing, we have months of glory ahead. Perfect timing, then, for Plum Gorgeous, by Romney Steele, subtitled Recipes and Memories from the Orchard.

These recipes are as much inspirations as instructions, of the why-didn't-I-think-of-that variety. Once you read a description like Strawberry, Nasturium, and Cucumber Salad, Heirloom Tomatoes and Peaches with Burrata, or Honey-Baked Figs with Lavender and Wine, you almost don't need to bother with the cups and teaspoons; the idea is enough. Which is how the generous, bohemian-spirited Steele wants you to cook, anyway. Get the adorable but steely-hearted Miette bakery cookbook for your Louboutin-wearing, alpha-domme gal-pal, the one with the pink KitchenAid mixer, unchippable nails and spotless counters. Plum Gorgeous is a little more messy, much more colorful and a lot more forgiving. Starting with great fruit, it would be pretty hard to screw up any of these unfussy, casually delicious dishes, both sweet and savory, all seasoned with a dash of whimsy. The chapters follow the fruit of California's seasons: winter's citrus, spring's berries, the stone fruits of summer and the figs, apples, quinces, grapes, and pears of autumn.

Strawberry, Nasturtium, and Cucumber Salad. Photo: Sara Remington

Leafing through the book, it’s impossible not to be charmed at first sight. Read it cover to cover, though, from chirpy, service-y headnotes to poetic musings, and you might see how the whole thing risks falling into the sugar-coated, envy-making genre I'd call how nice for you. In her previous book, My Nepenthe, Steele told the story of her grandparents, the founders of Big Sur's fabled restaurant Nepenthe, and her family's involvement with the place through the decades. She alluded, gracefully and with the lightest of touches, to the challenges and complications of combining business, family, and the coastal counterculturalism of the 60s and 70s. Here, though, there's almost nothing but sweetness. Not every cookbook needs to be a memoir, especially not one whose ostensible purpose is simply fruit and fun. But without revealing a real story, a backbone of truth, writing that's aiming for a romantic, color-drenched poetry of the senses can end up reading like advertising copy, breathless and aspirational.

The photographs, by Sara Remington (who also shot My Nepenthe), are absolutely gorgeous, ravishingly styled and lit to look perfectly effortless. I wanted to live in the place captured by these photographs, and I also wanted to know if the cute skirt and candy-colored wellies on page 15 came in my size, and if there was express-shipping for polka-dot red dress blowing in the breeze on page 106. Was this a cookbook, or the latest Anthropologie catalog? The more Steele pushes the poetry of the idyllic years she spent raising two children in a mountainside cottage, surrounded by fog, flowers, and fruit trees, the more the reader notices how much she's assiduously sponged out. No sharp edges, no stress, just children spooned in the same bed "warm and tender like new-rising bread." Whispers run throughout: a murmur of returning home to Big Sur both "discontent and comforted by the coziness of home," of “closeness being at once beautiful and a challenge, heartbreaking and poetic.” But what happened? How did she end up, presumably a single mother, in that tiny house? A little more heartbreak explained might have balanced all that honey.

Kumquats and Toasted Couscous with Halloumi. Photo: Sara Remington

Maybe I'm just being crabby, envious of those azure Big Sur mornings and her memories of baking tarts surrounded by the lemon-yellow walls of Henry Miller's kitchen. Or perhaps it was too many lines like this one: "By this time we were drinking wine and nibbling on the last of the kumquat and couscous salad—just photographed for the book—under the shade of a grapefruit tree in the garden as the sun went down, and lavishing spoonfuls of rose petal jam onto toast with runny cheese for dessert." Well, how nice for you. This is the sort of thing that can take a lot of Raspberry Ratafia to swallow. Honestly, I could deal with the grapefruit tree, the sunset, even the kumquats. But did the jam really have to be "lavished?" Wasn’t a spoonful enough?

Of course, no one’s buying cookbook-memoirs called My Trip to Safeway for Another Box of Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies. Every book like this, however based in real experience, is packaging a fantasy where the grapefruit trees are shady, the jam lavishly spread, and the kumquat salad always ready for its close-up. So enjoy the view, whip up the Rhubarb Mustard, Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Moscato Apricots, Plum Blackberry Sorbet, or Tomato-Grape Ricotta Flatbread, and imagine you’re in a cottage overlooking Big Sur. Now where I can find that perfect polka-dot dress?

Plum Blackberry Sorbet. Photo: Sara Remington

No matter what you call them -- ICEEs, Slurpees or slushies -- frozen fruit drinks are one of the best ways to quench your thirst on a hot day. This is especially true if you're a kid. But what do you do if you're a mom and aren't particularly fond of the idea of your kids gulping down frozen high-fructose corn syrup beverages all summer? Make your own, of course.

My foray into homemade slushies has been fairly recent. When my kids became old enough to realize what a slushie was, I was only too happy to take them to our local mini mart to indulge. After all, I spent my childhood riding my bike through cow pastures so I could purchase my own Slurpees from 7-11. During the age of sugar innocence -- up til about age 8 by my calculations -- my daughters accepted the occasional ICEE as a little chance gift. It wasn't until last summer that they started begging for these drinks each time we drove through town, and I was relieved when the machine broke down for a while.

It finally occurred to me only this year that I could actually make my own slushies out of fresh seasonal fruit. Although I know some people use Italian soda syrups to make similar concoctions, I wanted my slushies to actually have something worth ingesting in them. So after purchasing an overly large watermelon recently, I decided to experiment with it. The recipe I used is similar to watermelon granita, except unlike that delicacy, my watermelon slushie is not frozen through. Rather I simply freeze the drink in my ice cream maker until the consistency is icy and similar to that of a slushie, and then pour and serve immediately.

Now let's be honest here. Kids aren't stupid, and when mine were faced with a homemade slushie instead of their favorite ICEE they were skeptical about how it would taste and a little irritated that I was trying to dress up frozen fresh fruit as a summer treat. But once I put the concoction in a fun glass with a straw, the complaining ceased as they quickly finished off their slushies. Will they beg for an ICEE the next time we're at the local market? Sure. But were they happy with the watermelon slushies I made? Absolutely. Plus I could eat two and not feel guilty.

Recipe: Watermelon Slushies
A frozen beverage made with fresh watermelon

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 cups

Ingredients:
5 cups hulled and cubed seedless watermelon*
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 juicy lime (or two semi-juicy limes)
* You can also just remove the seeds from a regular watermelon.

Instructions:
1. Heat sugar and water in a pot and simmer for 5 minutes or until the consistency of maple syrup. Let cool.

2. Place watermelon in a food processor (you may need to do this in batches depending on the size or your container). Pulse until smooth.

3. Place watermelon liquid into a bowl and add in the cooled simple syrup and lime juice. Stir.

4. Set frozen ice cream-maker containers into your ice cream machine and then pour the watermelon mixture into them (you'll need to process only half at a time if your ice-cream machine has only one container). According to your ice-cream maker's directions, process for about 10 minutes or until thick. You may need to stir about halfway through.

5. Place in fun cups with straws and serve to unconvinced children.

6. Smile when they exclaim that it's delicious and then feel smug.

Note: If you want something a little more grown up, just pop the mixture into a container and then place in a freezer until solid. After that you flake with a fork to fashion a granita.

Maggie Foard has a table next to me at the Marin Country Mart Farmers Market. She's a fairly new vendor there, but we're such a tight-knit vending community that when there's some down time in the morning hours, there's chatting and catching up and networking... and lots of coffee. Perhaps most importantly, there's time to try each others' treats. So after sampling Maggie's decadent goat's milk fudge, I knew I wanted to learn more about her process, the evolution of her company, and where she sees herself in the next few years.

First it must be said that there's a bit of a stigma surrounding the word "fudge." For so many, it conjures images of an overly-sweet, gooey confection. Often you really can't even taste the cocoa or chocolate, and it ends up seeming overly processed and fake. But Maggie's fudge is the exact opposite. The flavor profiles are complex, the cocoa distinct -- this is a very special product. I fell in love with the Dark Chocolate Almond Fudge right away. It's fantastic to slice off slowly with tea in the afternoon or to sneak into the kitchen late at night for small slices to accompany fruit or sliced peaches. Maggie's goats butter shortbread cookies are also noteworthy: they're a little more subtle in flavor than cow's butter shortbread which tend to be decadent with a rich butter flavor. These have the same texture and crumb, but are lighter and quite lovely, especially when dipped in Maggie's goat milk caramel sauce. The product certainly speaks for itself, but Maggie's passion and drive certainly help, too. A product and a face to get to know if you're not yet familiar.

1. Tell me a little about your business and how/why you decided to start it.
I had an epiphany with goat cheese a few years ago. After avoiding dairy products in general for many years, I discovered that I could eat goat cheese and goat milk products instead of cow's milk and I felt better. That sent me whirling into a whole new food group and the next thing I knew I was under contract to write my cookbook, Goat Cheese. This brought me into the local wonderful world of cheese and milk. The fudge came about in a flurry of desserts -- making up for all those years of avoiding sweets because they all had cow's milk in them! I began making goat's milk fudge for my local goat dairy a couple of years ago and it was so popular that I decided to take the fudge to the big city! That is how Kidding Around with Chocolate was born, just last September. Cheese Plus on Polk Street and Rainbow Grocery were my first two customers.

2. Do you think living in the Bay Area allows your business to flourish? If so, how so?
I am a native of San Francisco so I can't really imagine living too far from the city for very long. I do live in the coastal mountains an hour south of the city where I keep a few goats and chickens of my own. So I am not a city dweller any more but still crave the hustle and bustle of the city. It's in my blood. The entire Bay Area is such a "melting pot" and people are so open to trying new things. The newer the better, in fact, kind of like little food thrills. It's a foodie mecca.

3. What have been the highlights of being a small business owner in the Bay Area thus far?
Getting to meet other small food producers and gaining an appreciation for just how much work goes into really good products. It's mind blowing when you find out how much time it takes to produce real food. How much milk it takes to make that pound of goat cheese and how much work it took to get to produce that gallon of milk that went into it. Thankfully somebody is producing the goat milk that I use to make the fudge and caramel. I can't imagine having to run a dairy farm AND produce food from it. Cheese makers have a hard life. They are an interesting bunch.

4. What challenges are you facing right now in terms of growth or vision?
Moving product around is the hardest part. I have driven 5 hours round trip in the pouring rain to get a pan of fudge to a new grocery store customer. You lose money by the time you pay for the gasoline, but you need every new customer you can get. I am hoping to get picked up by a local distributor that serves the specialty food and cheese shop world so that I can focus on making the product and on new product development. Right now, there just aren't enough hours in the day.

5. What inspires you, day to day?
Nothing puts the smile on my face more than when somebody tastes the fudge for the first time. They say things like "Oh my God, that's the best thing I have ever tasted." And the kids love it, too. Their eyes go wide. They drag their parents to my booth at the farmers market. This really keeps you going.

6. What are your goals for the future of the company?
I can see myself producing a whole line of goat milk confections & sweets as there are so many people like me that truly love goat dairy products. You can see this now in just about any grocery store. Whole Foods in Mill Valley, for instance, has 4 different brands of goat milk side by side. Several brands of goat milk yogurt, goat milk kefir and even goat butter. And the front and center stars of the cheese dept -- the local goat cheeses. In the last few years, goat cheese has gone from being an obscure little known gourmet only food that used to be only imported from France to a local everyday staple in many households. California goat cheeses are world class. People really want a variety of foods made with goat dairy and that includes desserts made with goat milk!

Rebecca Rouas of SF Pops has a contagious enthusiasm for her business, her product, and just for people in general. It's obvious she's a former educator; kids practically flock to her farmers market booth and it's not just for the popsicles themselves: her warm smile and encouragement to try new, potentially unfamiliar flavors (chocolate avocado!) elicit excitement from customers and vendors alike. On an average afternoon, you'll see Rebecca's chalkboard sign advertising flavors including Strawberry Chocolate, Vanilla Orange, Strawberry Lemonade, Mandarin Beet, and Blood Orange Mint. New additions appear when inspiration hits or when new seasonal fruits hit the stands.

On an early Saturday morning full of little sleep and lots of schlepping, Rebecca and husband Sean's warm smile and positive energy are always a welcome sight. And some of this absolutely must be one of the reasons their business has taken off so quickly, so I set out to learn more about the origin of the company, why Rebecca and Sean hang in there even on rainy days at the market, and how she envisions the business growing.

1. Tell me a little about your business and how/why you decided to start it.
SF POPS makes seasonal fruit ice pops made from locally-sourced produce. Our goal is to provide a sustainable, tasty treat for kids and adults alike. I really enjoy experimenting with innovative flavor combinations like plum honey cardamom, but it is also a pleasure to make the kid pleasers like strawberry lemonade. The idea for SF POPS stems from a recent trip to Oahu where I had an Ono Pop-- a locally sourced fruit pop. I had the Passion-Orange-Guave (POG), and it was incredible. I realized that the abundance of awesome local produce in California would allow me to do something similar in the Bay Area.

2. Do you think living in the Bay Area allows your business to flourish? If so, how so?
Absolutely. Bay Area folks appreciate a healthy, local, sustainable product. Also, the love of food in the Bay Area results in a lot of interest in my product. Finally, and most important to me, I am able to get all of my produce from within a 200 mile radius of the North Bay.

3. What have been the highlights of being a small business owner in the Bay Area thus far?
The social aspect. For me, I am able to interact with people when I work, which beats sitting at a computer any day. I have also become educated about local produce, seasonal availability and varieties, and I also use my business as an opportunity to educate my customers about the same. Finally, I enjoy watching people eat a Meyer Lemon Honey Mint pop so I can watch them pucker at first lick.

4. What challenges are you facing right now in terms of growth or vision?
My biggest challenge right now is getting SF POPS from the stall to the grocery store freezer. Although the farmers markets are a wonderful sales outlet, the ice pop season is limited and will be wrapping up at the end of September. Ideally, SF POPS will still be available for purchase without me having to sit out in soggy, cold weather.

5. What inspires you, day to day?
Motivated people. When I meet or hear about people who have their acts together I am inspired. It has been exhausting starting a small business, and I often felt like calling it off and taking a seat back on the couch.

6. What are your goals for the future of SF Pops?
Keep on selling pops, push to get pops at birthday parties, get pops into small grocery stores, and come back next season with even more incredible ice pops!

Find SF Pops at the following Farmers Markets: Fairfax Market Wednesdays 4-8 p.m., Civic Center San Rafael Market Thursdays 8-1, p.m., Marin Country Mart Saturdays 9-2.

Follow SF pops on twitter for new flavors and locations
Like SF Pops on Facebook to stay in the loop

It's that time of year again -- the grills are uncovered, fireworks stands [used to] start popping up near busy intersections, and everyone and their mother is digging through cookbooks in search of Fourth of July recipes. This week, kids will be running around with sparklers while mom and dad solidify plans for their annual Independence Day barbecue.

While grilled goodies are usually at the top of everyone's mind on July 4th, there's still the all-important matter of dessert. It seems like every year, someone makes the traditional sheet cake that looks like the American flag. You know the style: It's huge and white with a square of blueberries for the star portion of the flag, and row upon row of strawberries and frosting dollops to make up the stripes. It's a good cake, one that I've eaten and enjoyed countless times. Yes, I said countless. Which means I'm really, really bored with the same old flag cake, which I've been eating for 30-something years.

This year I decided to shake it up a little. I eschewed the white cake for something richer (chocolate! ganache!). Since it's Independence Day I decided to keep the red, white and blue decorations, but I sat down and thought about the best way to go about using these colors without recreating the hackneyed flag design (to you lovers of the flag cake, really, no offense). After a few days of pondering I decided to create a layer cake for a more interesting look, with half of the fruit on the inside of the cake, peeking out the sides.

I think you'll like the end result: A rich, smokey cake with light, colorful accents of summer fruit and whipped cream. Kids will love the headiness of the chocolate, and adults will appreciate the departure from the norm.

A Tower of Chocolate: The Three-Layer Fourth of July Chocolate Cake
Makes: One really thick 9" cake, which will be cut into three layers servings
Prep time: 60 minutes, including decorating
Cook time: 50 minutes

While making this cake, I decided to go the lazy route and used a 9-inch cake pan that's 3-inches deep. I poured all of the batter into one pan and then sliced it into three thinner layers with a cake leveler. There is also a gluten-free version of this Fourth of July cake.

Ingredients

For cake:

• 2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 6 tablespoons hot coffee
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large egg whites

For decorating:

• 4 cups of whipped cream
• 1 carton fresh strawberries, cleaned, cored, and sliced in half
• 1 handful each of fresh blueberries
• 1 handful each of fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup chocolate ganache, warmed and ready to pour

Instructions

To bake the cake:
1. Butter single 3-inch deep, 9-inch cake pan, lining the bottom with a round of parchment or wax paper (trust me, this will make your life much easier). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Over a double boiler, melt both kinds of chocolates together with the 6 tablespoons of coffee. Stir until smooth, then set aside until the chocolate reaches room temperature.
3. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 1/4 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. While beating, slowly drizzle in the melted chocolate, following with the egg yolks one at a time.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. Mix half of the sifted dry ingredients into the creamed butter, then add the buttermilk and vanilla. Follow with the rest of the dry ingredients.
6. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
7. Fold half of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it up a bit, then fold in the rest, stopping just when there's no trace of egg white visible. Do not overbeat or you will flatten the batter.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan with a parchment round in the bottom. Smooth the top of the batter with your finger and bake for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Cool cake completely before decorating.

To decorate the cake
Note: If you're going to slice your cake horizontally, I'd recommend putting it in the refrigerator overnight (or at least a few hours) to firm up before slicing. The firmness of the cake will allow for more effective slicing. I highly recommend the use of a cake leveler, though a serrated knife will work in a pinch.

1. Level your cake by removing the rounded top where it rose in the oven. You can either use a long serrated knife or a cake leveler. I use the leveler, because it's a cheap tool that does the job very well, and it's a lot easier to make straight layers by walking the leveler in a sawing motion, instead of making crooked layers with a serrated knife.
2. If you poured all of your batter into a single 9" pan, cut it into three layers of equal thickness.
3. Place your base layer of cake onto a lazy Susan or other turnable decorating surface. Trust me, this will make your life easier.
4. Scoop whipped cream into a pastry bag, and using a large star tip of your choice, pipe a series of swirls around the edge of the cake, with a large swirl in the middle. It should look like this:

   

5. Decorate each dab of whipped cream by adding a piece of fruit into the middle. Do not add any fruit to the large swirl of whipped cream in the middle.
6. Using the pastry bag, add a small dab of whipped cream between each larger swirl. Top each dab with a blueberry. When you're done, it should look something like this:

   

7. If you have three layers, gently place the middle layer of cake on top of the decorated layer, making sure it's straight. Decorate with whipped cream as you did the first layer, so that they look the same.
8. Place final layer of cake on top of decorated layer. Pour 1/2 cup ganache into the center of the cake, and using an icing spatula gently push the ganache to the edges, allowing it to artfully dribble over the sides. NOTE: You don't want a lot of ganache flowing all over the place. You just want a few drips down the side as an accent.
9. Set the cake in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to solidify the ganache.
10. Decorate the top of the cake with more whipped cream and fruit, like you did the other layers. You can be as creative as you want here, so go all out! When you're done, push more fruit into the visible whipped cream between the layers where it needs a little color. You should have something similar to the photo below.
11. This cake should be put in the fridge overnight to tighten up the whipped cream, which may droop and run in hot weather. Refrigerator until about an hour before serving. If it's especially hot that day, leave it in the fridge until just before you cut it.

The infamous monster size at Polly Ann Ice Cream, a classic city shake

I’ve been a student of San Francisco shakeology (the science of city milkshakes) for my whole life, but I have noticed an in-town trend towards outrageousness just over the past few years. Many chills, thrills, and bellyaches have been experienced to be your Dairy Queen and bring you this survey of just how crazy it gets out there these days. Shake it up, baby!

The Twinkie shake at Burger Bar

High atop Macy’s in Union Square, Hubert Keller’s Burger Bar playfully pokes fun at the American obsession for fast food with incredibly over-the-top versions of staples including a burger with foie gras, fries cooked in high-quality truffle oil, and heart-stopping milkshakes in child and adult (read: alcoholic) form. In the kid column, the craziest item one can order is the Twinkie shake. Rather than a research error, we deliberately did not ask how many of those Hostess bombs are stuffed into the blender with the vanilla ice cream, but we do know that a whole one is cut and thrown in the glass as a garnish -- and maybe an extra f*ck you to those nuts enough to try it?

Salted coffee caramel shake at Greenburger's

Greenburger's, which opened in mid-March in the Lower Haight, has a milkshake and sundae bar that you can sidle up to for a sip. Though it hasn’t been around too long, word of its excellent shakes is starting to travel, and we were taken with the salted coffee caramel, made with Strauss vanilla ice cream, French organic coffee, caramel sauce, and fleur de sel. In addition to the salted coffee caramel, vanilla, and chocolate, there is a weekly changing special that tends towards the extra-decadent; recent flavors include carrot cake and bananas foster.

The green chile apple pie shake at Chile Pies (& Ice Cream)

Chile Pies (& Ice Cream) in the Panhandle offers ice cream by the scoop from Bay Area company Three Twins, but it seems silly to go for a cone when the Green Chile Kitchen offshoot features pie shakes: Milkshakes with a generous slice of house-made pie blended into it. We suspect that there is no pie there that wouldn’t make for an incredible shake (particularly the Mexican chocolate with pecan, hello). However, it’s only proper to opt for the signature pie, an apple studded with green chiles and surrounded with a cheddar-baked crust. A cheese shake doesn’t sound that appetizing on paper, nor does a chile one, but it truly is all a taste combination actually worth experiencing. A spoon is essential to capture chunks of crust too large to blend. I won’t tell anyone that these shakes are about 1000 calories in a glass if you won’t. (There. It never happened.)

Ube and Grasshopper shakes from Mitchell's

Come to think of it, it’s always been easier to get a wild milkshake at city stalwarts Mitchell’s Ice Cream and Polly Ann Ice Cream than to get something relatively plain. Mitchell’s in the Mission is known for its exotic fruit flavors, and the bright purple ube (yam) is certainly the most wonderfully hued shake in town. Mitchell’s offers three suggestions for shakes, and three of them surprisingly contain Oreo cookies. The one to get is the Grasshopper, which blends grasshopper pie ice cream (mint with Oreos), more Oreos, and chocolate syrup. It’s the beverage equivalent of downing a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints in one go.

A Star Wars shake at Polly Ann Ice Cream

Exotic fruits are also a mainstay at Polly Ann, where it’s difficult to find much in the way of conventional flavors -- which is why I’ve loved it since before I was able to walk. I’ve never had the guts to try a shake with durian, the fruit that famously smells like gasoline, but I am curious. I also wonder what it would taste like to make a shake out of Polly Ann’s gummi bear flavor, but that’s perhaps best kept as a mystery for anyone over the age of 10. A shake made with Star Wars (mint ice cream with marshmallows) is a sleeper of outrageousness, especially considering that the ice cream probably starts with the highest fat content in this 7x7 town without the marshmallow assistance. The Sunset mainstay has offered a “monster” size, which clocks in at more than a quart, for more than 30 years. Guess we’ve always been crazy around here.

As far as I'm concerned, ice cream is the perfect dessert. There's nothing more relaxing and comforting after a hectic day with kids and work than a little hillock of lush and frosty ice cream sitting in a bowl. But lately my cholesterol has been creeping a little higher, making my nightly indulgence unsustainable. So after some months eating mostly store-bought sherbet and frozen yogurt, I decided to try something new -- almond milk ice cream -- and I'm so glad I did.

Now no one would ever proclaim me a vegan -- after all, I have far too many recipes on Bay Area Bites that use pork shoulder as a main ingredient -- but I do love the idea of cutting cholesterol and fat from my diet. So, noticing refrigerated almond milk at Trader Joe's, I started to wonder how it would fare as an ice-cream base. The container claimed it was "rich and creamy" and I also saw it was free of cholesterol and saturated fat. So far so good, but would it taste like ice cream? As someone who's never really liked soy ice cream -- it has too much of an aftertaste for me -- I was skeptical but ready to give almond milk a try.

I made three types of ice cream and, no surprise to many vegans out there but sort of a surprise to me, they were all amazingly good, exceeding my expectations on every level. My ten-year old daughter Maddie even exclaimed about the chocolate version "This is better than store-bought ice cream! It's my favorite!" I have to agree. My three flavors were almond, strawberry and chocolate (recipes below). All are vegan. The first two were delightful but the chocolate was really special, and all are cholesterol and fat free. But don't make these because they're healthy for you; make them because they are creamy and luscious. Basically they are everything that ice cream should be, minus the artery clogging component.

It's no secret that I'm a fan of sweets, and macarons are at the top of that list. I've written about macarons extensively on my blog, and made hundreds of them while testing recipes for a macaron cookbook. I've eaten them at every location in San Francisco that I learned made them, and it's not uncommon for me to BART over to SF just to visit Paulette.

I was in Paris this week, and the very first adventure I went on was to go find the two most famous pastry shops in town and try their macarons. That's right -- I went on a macaron pilgrimage, visiting both Pierre Hermé and Ladurée in the same day. I bought a couple in each location and put them to the test to see who had the better pastry.

Ed note: You'll notice I used the term "pastry" instead of "cookie." That's because every time I called macarons "cookies" in Paris, I was corrected. According to the Parisians I talked to, macarons are most definitely not cookies. Lesson learned!

After a little digging, I learned that both Ladurée and Hermé had locations on Rue Bonaparte, not far from the Seine River. Headed to a perfectly central location on the left bank, I planned my day: I would buy a handful of macarons at each bakery, then enjoy them in the sunshine while sitting along the river. The weather was topping out at 72 degrees that day, and I couldn't think of a better way to spend my afternoon than nibbling gourmet goodies in the Parisian sun.

My first stop was Ladurée, where the scent of pure sugar wafted out the door and down the street to greet me at the corner, beckoning me to the shopfront. I was immediately swept away by an incredible assortment of pastries in all sizes and colors, including a selection of ten or so flavors of macarons and a handful of larger macarons that were three times the normal size. The decor was delightfully, classically "French," or at least what this American girl thinks of when she dreams of French pastry from thousands of miles away in California. Think rich greens, blues and browns, pinstripes, and matching seafoam-green ribbons on every box. I felt like I was walking into a Parisian pastry fairy tale.

The line was out the door, but no worry; that gave me plenty of time to gawk without looking like a loafer. After staring in awe at their selection of sweets, I chose two flavors of macarons -- salted caramel and chocolate orange -- and headed out the door to visit Pierre Hermé's shop down the street.

Pierre Hermé was less classically decorated than Ladurée, and was instead very sleek and stylish. The place was decked out in glass and dark teak-looking wood, rounded out with black accents. Here, the desserts provided all the color to the joint, and I suspect that was the whole point. In the dark environment, each little treat glowed like it was Louis XV's crown jewels.

Here I selected two more macarons -- passion fruit and vanilla olive oil (!!) -- and made my way to the Seine River to put these little jewels of egg white and sugar to the test.

The Test
Visually, both shop's macarons were gorgeous. Their colors were bright and they flaunted themselves, unashamed, in the Parisian spring sunshine. The first thing I noticed, though, was that Ladurée's macarons were a little lacking in the filling department, and their shells were a little cracked, while Hermé's macarons were literally bubbling over with filling and the shells were perfectly in-tact, with not a crack to be seen. Upon the first bite, though, it turned out that one of Hermé's macarons -- the passionfruit -- had soaked up the moisture in the filling, making the shell soggy. Also, the passionfruit was really, really tart, and almost made me turn my face inside out. While I did like the flavor, it was a little shocking considering the fluffy texture of the buttercream filling.

Here it's important to note that both bakeries use the Italian meringue method for making macarons, since it yields a more stable batter (anyone who's made macarons knows how volatile the process can be) and a somewhat denser finished product. While Ladurée's macarons had less filling to boast and the shells were a little worse for wear, they both displayed consistency in quality -- the shells were crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, and had a lovely little crunch when bitten into. Hermé's on the other hand, were softer and lighter, floating on your tongue like little sugary clouds, like the very first bite of cotton candy you tried when you were four years old.

Flavor-wise, both were lovely, but I felt that while Ladurée's macarons were more consistently better, Hermé's flavors were more creative. The vanilla olive oil variety was particular unique, and incredibly satisfying, but the passion fruit was a little too much of a sock in the face for me to enjoy it. Ladurée's chocolate orange was smooth and creamy, and the salted caramel divine, but they were flavors I'd expect to see in a macaron, and therefore didn't stand out beyond their high quality of overall flavor.

The Verdict
If I had to pick a winner (and I guess I do, given the title of this post), I'd say that the Macaron Oscar goes to Pierre Hermé, with his vanilla olive oil variety. Hermé also packed in the filling, which made for a better visual experience and a more satisfying first bite, making the overall package a sheer dream. That said, Ladurée certainly held their own in the battle; their macarons were more consistently good, but the shortage of filling and the cracked shells were kind of a bummer.

My final word? Visit both. If you're in the left bank area, the two shops are only like three blocks apart, so stage your own battle!

Pierre Hermé
72, rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris, France
Tel : +33 (1) 43 54 47 77
Near the Saint-Germain des Prés Paris Metro station

Ladurée
21, Rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris, France
Tel : +33 (1) 44 07 64 87 ‎
Near the Saint Sulpice Metro station

Easter is coming up, and what better way to prepare than by planning out all the sweet treats you and the children in your life will be devouring? Vegans love Easter candy just as much as the next person, and, luckily, many vegan candy makers are happy to oblige. Below is a round-up of what is available (we wanted to give you early notice, since many of these may have to be ordered and shipped).

Just remember that while the Easter bunny is adorable and fluffy, it is always best to stick to the chocolate variety. Please don't purchase a rabbit for your child as an Easter gift. Every year thousands or rabbits are bought as cute gifts who then end up being abandoned at animal control where they will almost certainly be euthanized, or thrown out into the wild, which results in certain death in a matter of days. Rabbits can live for up to 12 years and require just as much care as a cat or dog who they equal in intelligence and emotional bond to humans (they know their names and can be litter-trained!). The responsibility and the the fact that they do not enjoy being cuddled and held (they prefer you hang out next to them instead) often turn owners off soon after purchase, resulting in their abandonment. However, if you do feel that you or your child can (after doing proper research and meeting with a rabbit organization) adopt a bunny into your family, please seek out a rescue organization and not a breeder or pet store. SaveABunny is an award-winning, wonderful organization that is truly a leader in rabbit rescue and they are always looking for good homes for their rescues. And if you cannot adopt but still want to give some love to a bunny, then donate money, sponsor a rabbit, or give supplies.

And now for the candy:

1. Who doesn't adore Cadbury Cream Eggs? This intensely sugary treat was an Easter staple during most people's childhoods. Luckily, vegansaurus just did a "Vegan Cadbury Creme Egg TASTE OFF!" and has two great options they recommend that mimic the creamy candy perfectly.

   
   Vegan "Cadbury" Eggs from Queenbalch on Etsy and VeganSweets Vanilla Cream Eggs at Pangea
   Photos by Laura Beck of vegansaurus

2. Everyone knows those sugar-covered, brightly-colored, fluffy chicks and bunnies that appear in stores every year. Unfortunately Peeps are made of marshmallows, which contain gelatin. So they are actually not even vegetarian, let alone vegan. But masters of vegan marshmallows, Chicago Soy Dairy and Sweet and Sara, are here to satisfy our cravings.

   
   Chicago Soy Dairy's Tweets available at Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe (photo by Quarry Girl) and Sweet and Sara's Easter Peepers and Skippers available at Sweet and Sara's shop or Cosmo's.
   

3. Purveyors of fine vegan chocolates, Sjaak's never disappoints for holiday (and everyday!) vegan chocolates. You can go for a tub of simple easter eggs or a an adorable box of truffles. But my favorite is the chocolate bunny basket.
   
   Sjaak's Organic Bunny in Basket
4. Finally, here is a great line of candy bars from Go Max Go. They are not specifically for Easter, but they are damn good and, thankfully, available year-round. Meant to mimic chocolate bars we all know well--like Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, and Almond Joy--these bars use creamy rice milk chocolate to envelope nuts, coconut, and vegan caramel and nougat. The company is coming out with peanut butter cups and a crispy rice bar very soon.

   
   Go Max Go rice milk candy bars

If you still can't decide on what to buy, check out the other Easter selections at Vegan Essentials, Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe, Pangea, and Sjaak's.

And if you want to forgo candy all together and focus on just decorating some eggs, pick up a few wooden or cardboard eggs at your local craft store, and get painting!

Happy Easter, everyone!