Cafe Fernando

Bagels

I am feeling homesick. It has been 3 years, 5 months and 11 days since I last visited San Francisco. Old tricks run short nowadays. Cruising rentals in the Marina at Craigslist just doesn’t cut it. I am getting bored watching the “Weeping Maidens” and the sandwich shack on the Marina Green. I am constantly on the look out for other peeping opportunities. A recent discovery is a science fiction TV series called “Journeyman”. It is about a San Francisco reporter who travels through time and changes people’s lives. After almost all of his travels, he wakes up somewhere in the Marina – usually at the Palace of Fine Arts. And I go, “Ohhh, that’s my old neighborhood”, “Ahh, that’s the street corner where I made out with…” Anyways, what I really want to say is, I want my 450 square feet studio back! I missed the flower guy across the street with 5 feet long hair and dirty nails. I missed the mini quakes each time the bus turned the corner. And, most of all, I missed my tiny kitchen..

So what do these all have to do with bagels, you ask… The short answer is, I needed a familiar taste to soothe me.

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Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Pudding

Last week, we feasted on a selection of delicious cheeses Mahir and Vera brought back from their trip to Amsterdam. These two generous friends not only shared their cheese but also fed me with incredible side dishes and cocktails. While Mahir was busy preparing us Mojitos, Vera was arranging the side dishes on her grand collection of antique plates – handpicked from flea markets around the world.

Brie with chives, cumin Gouda, Camembert, Parmigiano Reggiano and Oude were some of the cheeses we tasted alongside Vera’s roasted vegetables, tapenade, some other cold cuts and finally the dessert I prepared for the occasion: Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Pudding.

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Celeriac with Green Apple and Orange

It may look like a giant wart, but once you get past the knobbly exterior you are greeted by a deliciously-perfumed flesh. Celeriac, often called the vegetable world’s ugly duckling, is a fragrant root vegetable that tastes like celery minus the fibrous texture. To me, it is actually much tastier than celery due to its amazing ability to absorb flavors. Everything you throw in the pot together with this vegetable ends up in the final bite.

There are many things you can do with celeriac: The French classic celerie remoulade, a hearty soup or a braised celeriac dish, to name a few. The recipe I am going to share is an adaptation of a classic Turkish dish.

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