Endive, Apple & Walnut Salad with Roquefort

Serves 6

Wait to cut the endive just until before serving-like an apple, it browns quickly once cut.

1 ½ Tablespoons sherry vinegar
Scant ½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup walnut oil
1 small handful watercress (1 ½ ounces) or flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 medium eating apple, such as Braeburn, Red Delicious, or Fuji
4 heads Belgian endive, wiped, brown leaves removed
3 ounces (3/4 cup) walnuts, lightly toasted and crumbled
4 ounces Roquefort cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and salt; slowly whisk in the walnut oil. Put the watercress in a salad bowl. Quarter and core the apple, slice it 1/8 inch thick, and then cut the slices in half crosswise. Add the apple to the salad bowl. Slice the endive heads on a sharp diagonal into ¼ -inch-wide strips, turning the heads as you slice and whittling down the core. Add the endive to the salad, along with the walnuts. Toss the salad with the vinaigrette and arrange on plates. Crumble the Roquefort onto each serving, finish with a few grinds of black pepper, and serve.

-Alan Tangren
 
From Cooking New American (Tauton 2004, p 32)

U.S. Half Marathon

Happy to be crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.

On November 2, 2008, Sam and I ran the U.S. Half Marathon in San Francisco. It was my first half marathon–and the longest distance I had ever run: 13.1 miles. It was Sam’s fourth half marathon, so he was confident we could pull it off.

We first met on the Iron Horse Trail at Forward Motion’s weekly running club, so deciding to run this half marathon is something we were both really excited about. Between the 8-miles runs on Wednesday nights with Forward Motion, the deathly hills of Mt. Diablo and the scenic (and flat!) Iron Horse Trail, we were ready to tackle the U.S. Half.

The U.S. Half, which is only seven years old, has won the Best of the Bay award from Competitor magazine since 2002. Even if no one has ever heard of Competitor  magazine, we think it is a fitting and fairly-won award. The race begins at Aquatic Park near Fort Mason, winds through the Presidio, shoots across the Golden Gate Bridge and loops back to the start. 

The day before the race we went to the Sports Basement in San Francisco to pick up our race numbers and it was pouring rain. Thankfully the rain passed and we returned to San Francisco at 6:30 am the next morning to almost clear skies. It was also indisputably the most ideal day of the year to race because Day Light Savings Time occurred the night before. Instead starting at 7 am, it felt like the race began at 8 am. Crisp air, temperatures in the mid-50s and over four thousand runners milling about were enough to invigorate us. Come the 7 am start, we were ready to go.

Still enjoying the run.

Taking our cue from the tale of the tortoise and the hare, we conserved our energy for the first half of the race and enjoyed the beautiful scenery: the brilliant green grass of Crissy Fields, the salty waves crashing against the rocks and the astringent yet sweet aroma of Eucalyptus permeating the air. After running along the flat streets of the Marina and braving the first hill in the Presidio (which was not all that bad compared to the Diablo foothills), we were about to cross Golden Gate Bridge. A light rain rejuvenated our tired bodies and the sun broke through the clouds, rainbow streaking triumphantly across the sky.

Concentrating hard.

One of the reasons I chose to run the U.S. Half is because it is only one of two races that crosses the Golden Gate Bridge. Surprisingly, though, my favorite part of the race was running through the natural beauty of the Presidio rather than crossing this magnificent landmark on foot. Runners struggled to pass one another on the narrow sidewalk and my shins weren’t too happy to be running on concrete.

Sprinting to the finish line!

Mile eleven marked the beginning of the mental battle: why in the world did I sign up for this race?!!  The onlookers gathered along the sidelines cheered us along; the Sports Basements crew even had drums motivating us toward the finish line. I thought it was rather cruel that the last hill was at mile 12.5, almost to the finish line. It turned out, though, that the last hill was only very steep for about 20 seconds, then the grade of the hill only gradually increased. The good thing about going up this hill is that we got to come down the other side — down to the finish line. Since we’d conserved energy in the beginning, we were able to sprint to the finish line, finishing the 13.1 miles in 2 hours 3 seconds. My parents met us at the finish line and congratulated us on finishing the race.

Would I do it again? You betcha! For now, though, I’ll stick with the 10K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving.

Taylor’s

The day before our half-marathon (blog post to come!), Sam and I went to San Francisco to pick up our race packets. And of course, one doesn’t travel into SF without taking advantage of SF’s many restaurants, so we opted for lunch at Taylor’s in the Ferry Building Plaza. It was pouring rain, but the crowd inside Taylor’s was energetic and happy – probably because they were enjoying good food.

Ahi Burger

I ordered the Ahi Burger: “Fresh Ahi tuna seared RARE with ginger wasabi mayo & asian slaw on a toasted egg bun.” Whether the tuna was really “RARE” is questionable, but the ginger wasabi mayo and Asian slaw had great flavor–a little bit of bite, interesting, bold. The egg roll was fluffy and a lovely golden color, but did not stand up to the wetness of the tuna and the slaw; the roll became soggy. This also happened with the Ahi Burger I had at Danville’s Sideboard Cafe. Perhaps it is the fatal flaw of Ahi Burgers, but I think there must be some balance between a roll hearty enough not to get soggy and yet delicate enough to complement the fine flavors of the tuna and accompaniments.

Fish Tacos

Sam ordered fish tacos: “Grilled Halibut in spicy taco marinade, served in corn tortillas with Mexican slaw, salsa & jalapeño-cilantro sour cream.” The fish tasted fresh and was grilled rather than deep-fried, but the marinade helped one forget they were missing any deep-fried goodness. The salsa and jalapeño-cilantro sour cream added welcome heat and punch to the tacos. Though quite good, they didn’t measure up to Sam’s favorite fish tacos in Oakland and my favorite fish tacos in L.A.

A view of Coit Tower from our window seats at Taylor's.

The food at Taylor’s was good, but could have been better. The quality of the ingredients was great (they are in the Ferry Building Plaza afterall!), but the execution of the menu items needed improvement. The atmosphere in Taylor’s, though, was fun and lively–the tables are in high demand and we were lucky to find seats. The location doesn’t get much better: inside the Ferry Building Plaza, right on the Bay, with views of Coit Tower and the hills of San Francisco. Taylor’s is great for a casual, yet modern diner experience. Even if the food is lacking, the lively ambience of the restaurant is enough to cheer one up on a rainy day.

Raw Milk

Last week when we were at Whole Foods, Sam and I decided to try Raw Milk, which is milk as pure as it gets–farm fresh, unpasteurized, the real deal. There’s no quibbling between skim or 1% or 2%; Raw Milk is unabashedly whole milk. There is also an element of excitement in drinking Raw Milk: not being pasteurized inherently increases risk of sickness due to bacteria. Is it worth it? We thought so. After all, it is how our forefathers used to drink milk.

So how did it compare to regular TJ's or Lucerne milk? Stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth creamy, wonderin'-if-this-is-grass-I-taste earthy and altogether pure and unadulterated. Am I making the switch from regular to raw milk? Not yet, as it's not as economical as regular milk and Sam hasn't been able to convince me yet that I should drink whole milk. But Raw Milk certainly makes for a good milk moustache.