I was first introduced to this Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake recipe in pastry school. It was my assigned project during Cake Week. I had never heard of it before then, but it is a beloved treat that originated in San Francisco. It was invented in the 1940’s by Ernest Weil at Blum’s confectionery shop in Union Square, the first of several locations. A staff member overcooked some candy and Ernest smashed it into pieces to decorate the sponge cakes. And thus, the Koffee Krunch Cake (original spelling) was born.
How to Make Stovetop Clotted Cream
It isn’t a proper afternoon tea without clotted cream. I discovered that it is quite easy to make; it just requires a long in-active cook time. For my first batch, I had great success cooking in the oven for 8 hours, but there is a faster way. For the second batch, I used the “quick” method, which is just 1 hour on the stovetop. With either method, you will still need to chill the cream in the fridge to let it thicken, but overall, the latter method does speed things up considerably.
No-Bake Concord Grape Swirled Ice Cream Tart
This no-bake ice cream tart is my take on the amazing PB&J ice cream pie that was served at San Francisco’s Tartine Manufactory when it first opened in 2016. I posted it once and again and another time just in ice cream form. My love for Concord grapes came from eating this particular dessert. Sadly, a year or two later, they stopped making the pie. I still have such a fond food memory of it, so I decided to make my own and I’m quite pleased with how it turned out.
How to Make Pesto from San Francisco’s Flour + Water
Come summer, when basil in abundance at the farmers’ market, I immediately grab a fragrant bunch to for this easy pesto recipe. Blanching the basil leaves is the secret to keeping the pesto’s vibrant color. I tossed the pesto with corzetti pasta. The stamp molds are linked below.