"Purple Crudite Basket"

Those were vegetables I've got for "Crudite"

At this time, I had no idea how the basket will look?

But, I knew I was going to have fun making it.....

Hope everybody had a wonderful "Thanksgiving". 
We went to our friends' home to celebrate.  We have been going there for Formal Thanksgiving Dinners for past many years.  They have been hosting it for a long time.  Every guest was bringing something to the table.  My contribution for the dinner party was making a "Vegetable Basket".  It became my thing to bring for any party.  Last year, hosts of the party even gave me a basket for it.
I didn't know what I'm going to put in the basket.  It is always decided by what I saw at Farmers' Market one day before Thanksgiving.  
This year many farmers were having a poor selection of produce, because we had that very bad flood from the storm at end of the Summer.  But I was still able to find some vegetables I have not used for the "Crudite Basket".
When I was choosing which vegetables to use for the basket, I noticed that many of them are Purple.  Such as Purple Radishes, Purple Top Turnips,  Purple Cabbage.   And I remembered that I have a "Purple Basket from Africa" which I bought at the "Sackler Museum" on the Mall in Washington DC, many years ago. So, I was going to make "Purple Basket" for the occasion.  That will be a very different from the one I made last year.  If you care to see the difference with in 2 Crudite Baskets, you will be able to see the last year's vegetable basket in my blog called "Crudite Basket  for Thanksgiving".

Preparation for the "Purple Crudite Basket"

This is how I clean the vegetables.

Keep them in bowls of water for a few hours.

Some of them I kept under running water for a while.

Water does most of work for you.

One medium sized Purple Cabbage. 

I carefully peeled each leaf, because

Those leaves became Bowls to hold cut & sliced vegetables.

Watermelon Radishes & Chiogga Beets were peeled then thinly sliced. 

 Now, Fun Part starts ! 

Packing the basket with vegetables I washed and cut and sliced.

First, put a plastic sheet for protection for veggies 

and basket itself from the moisture.

Then put reserved Cauliflower Leaves as the liner. 

Each bowl, made with Purple Cabbage,

gets filled with different vegetables.

Transporting is a always big problem. 

But, the shape of this year's basket made carrying it very easy.

"Cocktail Carrots" were carefully washed and kept Green Tops on.

As always, I used Bell Peppers for dips. 

This is what I created for "Cocktail Hour" on Thanksgiving Day.

Dips for Vegetables were,

Miso/Goma, Greek-Yogurt with Pickled Pepperdew Peppers, Avocado/Basil 

The Party was just about to begin !

"Scent of Autumn"

The Sunlight coming thought Autumn Leaves.

We are having very unusual weather this year. 
August was very wet, September was very warm, in October we even had snow on a day before Halloween.  November has been very warm, we never felt Autumn had arrived until last weekend.  That was a very lovely weekend.   
I felt the arrival of new season for the first time.
On the way to the Farmers' Market saturday morning, I could see some big differences.  The street was roofed by trees with full of fall colored leaves.  Those Autumn leaves were getting lots of morning sunshine. That warm strong morning sunlight intensified the Autumn colors.  I even smelled the "Scent of Autumn" for the first time.  Do you know what I'm talking about ?  
Something very Fall was everywhere !
Streets and sidewalks are covered with falling leaves.  Some of them were brown, some of them had colors, such as Yellow, Orange, and Red.
Thanksgiving is next week.  After that it will get cold very soon.  
This means  my favorite season will be gone very soon.  So I just have to enjoy this beautiful season while I can...

The Neighborhood where I live in Manhattan.

There is a shop called "I Hate Perfume" in Willamsberg Brooklyn. 
It was in the middle of nowhere when I started to go to that very special shop.  
But now I can even see other shops and restaurants popping up around that store.  After all, it is Willamsberg, every block changes so quickly.  
Christopher Brosius makes original scents.  Perfumes for you and your home.  
He makes many fragrances.  Some are very unusual, like "Roast Beef " 
"Pumpkin Pie".  Some things are even strange, like "Wet London Pavement", "Rubber Cement", "Bubble Gum".  The shop displays samples for you to try.  
If you like perfumes you will have great time in there.  
I always ended up trying those delicious scens for hours.  
I get "Fresh Cucumber" to wear from Spring to Summer.  
I always have a few home fragrances from that shop.  At this time of the year, I spray "Burning LEAVES".  This one makes our home just like the hills of the country side, smelling the bluish smoke from burning falling leaves.

"Edwardian on Duboce"

This is the entrance stairs to B & K's Edwardian House.

When B & K decided to move out of their old home in "Haight-Ashbury" we are sort of disappointed.  Because, we loved their Antique-filled Golden Floor.  
It was so close to Golden Gate Park and many leftover stores from hippy era we could wailk into were near by.  But they told us that it was time them to start looking for the house. They wanted to find a Victorian House.  But they didn't see anything that spoke to them.  Then they came across this Edwardian House on Duboce Avenue in Mission.  B & K  belong to the SF Historical Study Group, therefore they researched the history of this house.  The house was build by judge in the fashionable Edwardian Style of the time.
They kept saying to us that it is in a transitional neighborhood, but it will change into a trendy area very soon. They said that the evidence is in the air.....
Sure enough, it did become that.  At our first few visits we have to drive to other area to have great dinners, but within few more years we no longer needed to get in the car.  We can walk a few blocks, then we started to see great looking restaurants within 5 minutes walk.  Now we have choice of which cusine we wanted to have and which one is better ?
I still remember like a 15 years ago, they said  "We discovered a fantastic Vietnamese Restaurant.  We have to take you there for Summer Rolls."  It was on Valencia Street where we could get to it by walking.  Yes, we had to wait for a while, but we got a table before we finished studying the menu.  As I selected wine to start,  I looked up and realized that Door of the Restaurant was slanted. That was our first time dining at "Slanted Door"  Very famous & most popular SF's best known Restaurant.  Of course they moved out of  the neighborhood, but the space is still there with its famous characteristic doorframe..... 
But B&K's House has not changed too much since they moved in, at least from the out side, it has gotten a few paint jobs since the begining.  It has & always will have some GOLD on exterior of the house.  Gold is always B's signature color. And the house is filled with many things Golden, Wall Papers to Drapes, Furniture to Lighting Fixtures, Dishes to Eating Utensils in the dinning table.
They travel a lot, especially is South East Asia in the Last 5 years.  
Before that mainly to Europe.  So they have collected lots of treasures from every destination. But their main focus still remains  Antique Furnitures & Table Wear, Depression Glass Dishes.
I still remember how long it took for them to find the original Water Tank  & Toilet for Second floor "Water Closet."  Yes, the second floor Bathroom and Water Closet are separated.  The bathroom has their greatist find, a Brass Hospital Shower Unit. That is my favorite Showers in the world. 
We have given nicknames for each room on Second Floor.
One of them is the room for us to stay when we are SF.  
Third Floor is Master Bedroom Suite, nothing else, but that.  Oh it comes with a balcony,  "Robusto" their beloved cat guards the top floor.
First floor is all about GOLD,  Both the Parlor and Dining Room are filled with Gold, Wall & Ceiling paper. They've got Gold Furnitures and lots of Antique Chairs which they collected for many years.  
I have shown you their Dinning Room and Kitchen in the Previous Blog Post.  
And Depression Glass plates, I have no idea how many of those they've collected. They are every where in Kitchen & Dinning Room.  Every cabinet you open in those rooms will reveal more. 
I think I need to organize them some day so that next time when I cook in SF I know what kind of table setting I can use for meals. I don't like to cook in other people's kitchens, but their kitchen is exceptional.  I feel like making a meal on a Stage Set of some sorts....

THIRD FLOOR

"Boudoir"

SECOND FLOOR

"Media Room"

"The Pink Room ( Guest room #1)"

"K's Office"

"The Turkish Room "

"The Perfect Room (Guest Room #2)"

"Bath Room"

This is my favorite Shower Stall in the world.

The bottom loop release needle-like spray of water at the body.

PARLOR FLOOR

"Kitchen"

"Dinning Room"

"Golden  Parlor"

There are more pictures of rooms and furniture and table ware I took during our stay at Duboce Avenue.

But I just didn't want to post photo after photo of each room.  
I focused on Lighting Fixtures & Antique Telephones.  Each Room on the Second Floor, the Parlor and Kitchen has Antique Telephones.  They have been converted to Land line.  We can make phone calls from any of those.

B & K have extensive collection of things all over the house, but I decided to not include everything I found in the house for this post.  
After all this was not our last visit to SF, therefore I must leave something to blog about for the next stay at Duboce Avenue.

I took many pictures of sights I adore in the house.  Strictly what pleases my eyes. So here are some pictures I had to include in this page.

Things that intrigue me

Epitome of Elegance to me.

"Cooking with K"

I think we are discussing the Menu for the Supper.

During our stay in San Francisco, B & K requested me to give them a few recipes. Such as "Miso Soup" "Pickled Carrots with Orange & Ginger"  So I suggested I'd make a Supper for them after my visit to Farmers' Market.  The menu will include those items they requested, except "Pickled Carrots"
"Pickled Carrots" must stay in fridge at least over night to serve.  
This means even if I make it right after my visit to the Market, it still won't be ready on time for the dinner. 
We chose to add "Miso & Goma Marinated Fish" for the menu, and rest is up to the Market.  I was getting excited as I started thinking what kind new things I'll be seeing this visit.
Food is becoming very big part of my pleasure when I'm traveling. 
In San Francisco Japan Center, you will be able to find a Japanese Super Market. I couldn't remember the name of it, but I knew where it was.  
I needed to get a few things from there for the dinner.  So we had to make a special trip to that part of town.
I was so surprised to find there is not even close to the selections we have in NYC.  For example, we may have 20 kinds of "Miso" to chose here, but there I got 30 or more.  And vegetables, I'm talking about Japanese Vegetables, are so much closer to the ones we get in Japan, even the packaging of it.  Are they coming from Japan, certainly much closer to there.....
So I couldn't help myself to get "Gobo" and seasonable Japanese Sweets, besides the things from my shopping list.  If we have that kind Japanese Shop in New York City, it will make my cooking repertoire so much better !
One thing left to do is Going to the Market on Saturday morning.

This is The Ferry Building without Farmers' Market.

Atmosphere changes so much on Saturday Morning.

At many farmer's stands, this is what you will see.

Having samples for you to try.  Make sense, doesn't it ?

If we are lucky, we get only one kind of Asian Pear in NYC.

But Markets in SF, I get to choose which one to have !

On my last visit to Farmers' Market at Ferry Building, I found a few new favorites.

I tasted very pretty vegetable call "Watermelon Radish".  I have never seen it nor heard of it.  It has a very specific taste, I loved from the first bite.  Without the offering of samples at many Farmers' Booths I would never have discovered this fantastic vegetable.  Sliced up those Radishes are almost like miniature Watermelons.  They were so pretty and fresh, it was difficult not to reach for it.
After that I started to look for it at our Union Square Farmers' Market in New York.

I don't remember when, but it certainly became not so difficult vegetable to find here.  I won't take credit for it, but I think I'm helping them to become a more popular vegetable.  Among my friend's circuit it is no longer a strange vegetable.  They've all tasted it.  So, they must started to ask farmers where they are ?  
And I'm sure they are buying as much as I do every Saturday Morning.....

Funny thing is that at this visit I did not see them at all !

Other discovery was "Dried Persimmons"  They make them just like Dried Apple Rings.  They are so sweet, and reminds me of the Fall.  "Dried Persimmons" are wildly  popular in Japan in the Fall.  
Although Japanese drying method is totaly different from the ones I found in SF, nevertheless finding them in USA was so unexpected.  

So this visit, I got enough of them for the Whole Fall Season.  Because this one is still in search mode in this city.

This is where I cooked with K.

I think they had this stove when they lived in their previous house.

Which was a long time ago.

It is remarkable to see an Antique Stove is still working very well.

"Dinner is Served !"

We started with "Miso Soup" 

then

"Kinpira Gobo (Sautéed Burdock Root)" 

"Faro with Roasted Cherry Tomatos and Mushrooms"

"Jerusalem Artichoke with Orange Gramarata"

"Miso & Goma Marinated Cod"

Those are the ones I found in the Japanese supermaket.

Many of them have Sweet Red-Bean Paste.

But in the Fall, we can find sweets with Chestnut Paste.

*******************************************************************************

Next Morning 

Having Fruit we've got at the Market for Breakfast.

When we stay with B & K we always have breakfast in their Dinning Room.

That room is one of my favorite rooms in the House.

Dominated by Gold, but Sage-Green & Burgundy & White to bounce out.

The Room has a Fire Place, a Huge Table, and Chandelier.

I always feel like I'm having coffee somewhere in Europe.

and

It is always Sunny when the Sun is out .