THE KITCHEN OF WHAT's HAPPENING NOW

COCKTAIL -A guest brought a bottle of chardonnay wine all chilled and ready to go.  I was polite but really did not like it. Next night I turned it into a delicious cocktail by adding Quady VYA red vermouth and a few drops of FEE whiskey barrel fermented bitters. (Thanks to SFChronicle for telling me its in my neighborhood wine shop, Blackwells, on Geary and 21st avenue.) Very tasty. A drink without the big punch of distilled alcohol.

APPETIZER - I was looking for tinned fruit pastes for a long time.  At the recent New Zealand wine tasting in the Presidio, there is was paired with some strong white cheeses.  Soon afterward there was a Baker's Dozen luncheon at the Foreign Cinema and I saw again, the grocery store across the street that said  it specialized in Central and South American delicacies, or things, or something.

I found 2 pastes, guava and quince, 2# tins under $5.00 each. I presented the guava paste with 2 white cheeses (placed on grapevine leaves from my rooftop garden) with a homemade bread on a marble tray, part of a celebration for a wedding this week, held in a glorious penthouse with amazing views.

Today I made delicious appetizers with the guava paste sandwiched between the Monterey Cheese and a fresh apple slice. I like the milder cheese in this combination. Another step away from crackers!  More on that later.