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Simply Sam
By Peter Rowe
Here's the thing about Sam Zien: He fails.
As business manager for a San Diego biotech firm, he failed to adopt a corporate image: "I was always the guy who wanted to be more funny than serious."
In the summer of 2001, he …Read more.
Redemption in the Kitchen
By Keli Dailey
Trembling and near tears are the last things you'd expect from such a tough-looking guy.
"It brings me such joy to see a little kid tasting something and describing the basic flavors: sweet, bitter, salty," Ricardo Heredia …Read more.
Shortcake Is a Showcase for Ripe Strawberries
By Chris Ross
This time of year, I get the urge to make an old-fashioned strawberry shortcake. It's a dessert that showcases our luscious local berries.
Here's a no-frills version, courtesy of the California Strawberry Commission. For other ideas on …Read more.
A Healthy Frozen Treat
By Chris Ross
Camp Pocono Trails in Reeders, Pa., is a 350-acre summer camp for children where losing weight is the emphasis and camp activities range from tennis, drama and boating to fitness training and cooking instruction.
Nicole Selinsky, …Read more.
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Potluck Sure ThingBy Caroline Dipping With just a couple of weeks to the winter holiday season, it's time for people to dust off their covered dishes and start thinking of that hallowed tradition — the potluck. Many a home cook have built their party prowess on a single dish, and professional chefs, cooking teachers and caterers are no different. They have their go-to dishes that guests expect of them when they walk up to the front door. Andrew Spurgin, for example, is known for the lavish affairs he and his crew cater all the county with Waters Fine Catering. His trick, when invited to a potluck among friends and family, is to not cook at all. He is expected to bring the cheese platter. "Not only because it is easy and I work so much, but because it has an educational element to it," Spurgin said of his cheese trays. "It's kind of a 'save the best for last' kind of thing. "I find later at night, it is fun to bring out the artisanal cheeses, especially ones from America, which is what we predominantly use anyway." Blues from Rogue Creamery in Oregon. The A cappella from Andante Dairy. He augments his platters with figs and Marcona almonds, all without having to fire up the oven. "The thing is, I find people tend to hang out late and tell tall stories. You get more of that element in the evening when everyone is a little more relaxed and unhurried and a little peckish," Spurgin said.
Casting our net, we asked other good cooks in San Diego what they like to bring to holiday gatherings with their friends and family. The responses ran high on sweets (but what's a potluck without a groaning table of desserts?). LEMON MOUSSE CAKE 24 ladyfingers 1Ú3 pound cold butter 1 (6-ounce) package lemon-flavored Jell-O 1 cup hot water 1Ú2 liter heavy cream 10 ounces cream cheese 4 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Makes 1 (12-inch) cake Line a 12-inch springform pan with parchment paper. In a food processor, process the ladyfingers to a fine crumb. Add the cold butter in chunks. Mix until combined, and press into the bottom of the springform pan. Mix Jell-O with hot water. Stir until Jell-O dissolves. Place in refrigerator until it cools but is not gelatinous. Whip the heavy cream. In a stand mixer with a paddle, mix the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice, and add the dissolved Jell-O. Fold in the whipped cream and spread on the ladyfinger crust. Chill for two hours before serving. — Sarah Linkenheil of Sally's Seafood on the Water
Caroline Dipping writes about food for The San Diego Union-Tribune. COPYRIGHT 2009 THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM. 
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