One of my earliest food posts in Jun-Blog is a succinct 41-word tribute to a scoop of Bi-Rite salted caramel ice cream. I must admit I am always at a loss for words to describe the blissful state I find myself in whenever I indulge in delicious Bi-rite. Even on the chilliest of San Francisco summer evenings, I wouldn’t mind a scoop or two of roasted banana or toasted coconut. Colder nights are actually the best time to go when the queue to get in their tiny store, which was recently expanded, does not wrap around Dolores. But seriously, anytime is a good time to go and treat yourself to some delicious salted caramel or just plain vanilla.

Not too far from Bi-Rite, in the Mission, is another San Francisco favorite, the fabulous Humphry Slocombe with their witty tweets and their quirky flavors. Who could resist their delightful Secret Breakfast — bourbon and cornflakes? I certainly could not.  And Marlowe’s couldn’t either.  After licking my fingers clean of horseradish aioli from Marlowe’s mind-blowing burgers the other night, I indulged in their upside down apple crisp with bourbon ice cream and brown butter caramel sauce.  I loved it even though the ice-cream-to-crisp ratio was a bit on the high-side, which left me craving for more delicious crisp.  As much as I love the Secret Breakfast, I find some of Humphry Slocombe’s flavors too over-the-top like salt and pepper, which is just too — well, salty and peppery. Call me old-fashioned but I’d rather stick to the sweet classics. And for the record, I consider bourbon and cornflakes as classics!

As we continue the countdown to Jun-Blog’s first year, I made Tartine’s incredible caramel sauce to go with some Bi-Rite toasted coconut ice cream. Taken from the Tartine cookbook, this caramel sauce is amazingly simple to make and so incredibly delicious.   Sprinkle chopped pecans on a scoop or two of Bi-Rite ice cream topped with Tartine’s caramel sauce and that’s what I call a classic sundae.  Next time, I’ll do hot fudge.

Making the Caramel Sauce

2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 of one vanilla bean
1-1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
3/4 tsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp unsalted butter

Pour the cream into a small, heavy saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the tip of a sharp knife to scrape the seeds from the pod halves into the cream. Place over medium-high heat and bring to just under a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low to keep the cream warm.

In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water, salt and corn syrup. Use a good-sized pan because the caramel will boil vigorously and the volume will increase dramatically as soon as the hot cream is added. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then let the mixture boil, without stirring, until the mixture is amber colored. Watch the sugar mixture carefully as it cooks to avoid burning the sugar. From the time the mixture started to boil, it took over 15 minutes to reach an amber color. Remove from the heat.

The mixture will continue to cook off the heat and become darker, so make sure to have the cream close by. Carefully and slowly add the cream to the sugar syrup. The mixture will boil vigorously at first. Let the mixture simmer down, and then whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Cut the butter into 1-inch chunks and add them to the caramel one at a time, whisking constantly after each addition. Then whisk the caramel periodically as it continues to cool.

Pour the caramel sauce in an airtight container such as a glass jar and store in the refrigerator. This will keep for up to a month.

Bi-Rite Creamery
3692 18th Street at Dolores
San Francisco 94110
415.626.5600

Humphry Slocombe
2790 Harrison Street at 24th
San Francisco 94110
415.550.6971

Tartine Bakery
600 Guerrero Street at 18th
San Francisco 94110
415.487.2600

Every New Year’s Eve, it has been my mom’s tradition to gather 12 round fruits to bring us good luck in the coming year.  It has to be twelve, she says, one for each month of the new year.  And it has to be round-shaped for prosperity, abundance and wealth.  So she buys grapes, oranges, melons and even watermelons to ring in the new year.

This year, I’m starting my own tradition. I’m gathering 12 round shaped sweet treats to welcome the New Year!  These are my San Francisco favorites culled from past blogs plus teasers for future posts.  It’s definitely not a comprehensive list since I can only cram twelve.  And I guess, that’s what the New Year is for, a whole new year to try new tasty treats!  Send me a note and let me know what’s on your list.

And by the way, I define round shaped very loosely here.  It can be spherical or circular in shape or served in a spherical or circular container.

Fried Dough.

1. Dynamo Donut’s maple glazed bacon apple doughnut. “The saltiness of the little chunks of crispy bacon complements the sweetness of the maple glaze very well, which makes the maple glazed bacon apple an instant favorite.”

2. I Preferiti di Boriana’s bomboloni. Italian doughnuts filled with chocolate ganash and tossed in sugar. Pure bomboloni bliss.

Street Sweets

3. Creme Brulee Cart’s Cap’n Crunch Creme Brulee. “But as he sprinkled colorful Cap’n Crunch pieces on my cup, for some reason, I got so excited. I knew I was in for a sweet treat!”

4. Wholesome Bakery’s Sweet Potato Pie. Healthy baby sweet potato pies that actually taste great.  The sweetness of the sweet potato shines.

I Scream for Ice Cream

5. Bi-Rite Salted Caramel Ice Cream. “One of the best things in life is real good ice cream. And Bi-Rite Creamery’s artisanal ice cream is beyond good.”

6. Humphry Slocombe’s Ice Cream. Yes, you read it right: salt-n-peppa ice cream. Crazy, one-of-a-kind and out-of-this-world, yummy flavors are what makes Humphry Slocombe truly special.

Cupcake Heaven

7. Kara’s Cupcakes. “A pink box full of Kara’s pumpkin spice cupcake, moist carrot cupcake, and banana cupcake with caramel filling, all topped with Kara’s silky smooth cream cheese frosting, makes me extremely crazy, stupid happy.”

8. Baked’s Red Velvet Cupcake. This small bakeshop in Potrero Hill is a real neighborhood find with baked treats like cookies, peanut brittle, and delightful red velvet cupcakes.

Filipino Finds

9. House of Silvanas Bakeshop’s Ube Silvanas. “They are best enjoyed frozen. The crunchy wafers and the yummy buttercream just delightfully melt in your mouth.”

10. Hilda’s Hopia. Hilda’s Filipino favorite bean filled pastry is flaky, buttery and sweet.

Breakfast Bites

11. Dottie’s Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes. “The neighborhood may be dicey and the wait may be long but breakfast at Dottie’s is always a treat. The food is simply scrumptious.”

12. Tartine’s Bread Pudding with Apples. There are so many tasty treats to try at Tartine (and a lot of alliterations, too); from delicious croissants and tarts to amazing bread pudding.

One of the best things in life is real good ice cream.

And Bi-Rite Creamery’s artisanal ice cream is beyond good.  Made with Straus Family organic dairy products and organic fruit and flavorings, Bi-Rite ice cream is real good beyond words.

I am so glad to be back in the city!

Last weekend was our first weekend back and it reminded me very clearly of how much I missed and how much I love San Francisco.  It was a wonderful weekend spent walking around our new neighborhood in the Dogpatch, enjoying breakfast at a café, playing ball with Stanford in the park and then running down the Embarcadero later that day.  I really missed the city a lot, I realized.  And I am so excited to be back!

I first moved to the city four years ago and was instantly smitten by its charm.  I have always wanted to live in San Francisco and even though my job was in Silicon Valley I chose to live in the city and brave the long commute.  Last year, however, I joined a start-up company further down south, which meant an even longer commute. We decided to leave and move down to San Jose. We left with a heavy heart but it did not take long for us to realize that San Francisco is our real home. After ten utterly uninspiring months, we have returned.

I love San Francisco.

I love that the city is where Dennis and I met, where we fell in love and where we adopted our adorable red corgi, Stanford.  We rescued him from a shelter in Utah and drove him through the Sierras back to San Francisco.

I love that the city is where I ran my first marathon.  I can still remember that early Sunday morning when I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge blanketed in fog.  It was truly amazing!  I never thought of myself as being athletic but I have been hooked on running ever since.

I love that the city is wonderfully walkable.  I love walking up and down the hills around Union Square and Dolores Park.  Those hills are never too daunting.  I love walking to the train station, to the grocery store, to the bookstore, to the coffee shop and to almost everywhere.  I love walking Stanford in the early morning when it is cool and quiet outside, my corgi in one hand and my cup of coffee in the other.

I love that the city is a gracious host to film and theater.  I love seeing old films at the Castro Theater, from old musicals like Kiss Me Kate and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas to classic Alfred Hitchcock thrillers.  I love that my all-time favorite Wicked first played in the city before captivating Broadway.

I love that the city is foodie-friendly.  I love scrumptious Sunday brunches at Dottie’s, Brenda’s and Town’s End.  Fried chicken at Town Hall and Hard Knox Cafe.  French at Chapeau and Fringale.  And tasty treats at Bi-Rite Ice Cream, Hot Cookie and Happy Donut, where it’s never too late for a quick sugar fix.

I love that the city is a photographer’s paradise.  I love its cool and interesting neighborhoods, each with its own character and charm.   I love its cool and good-looking people, too.

I am so glad to be back in the city. There is so much to explore and so much to discover. There is definitely no place like home.