December Menus

December 11: Soup
December 18: Warmth

Hello there,

We have two menus to offer you this December: the first is Soup, with rich brews and homemade sriracha, to keep you well as the holiday approaches; the second, Warmth, with all sorts of special things like duck rillettes, preserved quince, bay nut candy and mushroom truffle terrine, to give as gifts or serve to guests or eat with spoons.
 
We’re selling them through Square Marketplace on a first come, first served basis, for pickup in Berkeley and San Francisco. Soup will be available on Wednesday, December 11 in Berkeley (4pm to 8pm) and Thursday, December 12 in San Francisco (4pm to 7pm).
 
Warmth will be available twice: on December 11 in Berkeley , December 12 in San Francisco (4pm to 7pm), and also on December 18 in Berkeley (4pm to 8pm), December 19 in San Francisco (4pm to 7pm).
 
Ordering will be open from now until the Monday morning before pickup, or until we sell out.

Soup, December 11 & 12
all in: $155
omnivore: $130
vegetarian: $130

 
Chicken and guinea hen soup: green onion, ginger, carrot, cabbage, celery–two quart jar
Rich, cold-curing, chill-banishing; made extra special with the guinea hen.
 
and/or
 
Vegetable soup: varietal mushroom, delicata, ginger, green onion, carrot, celery & root– two quart jar
Super powered with mushrooms; earthy and a little sweet.
 
Brown rice, one pound
from Massa Organic
 
Fried shallots, 4 ounce jar
to add magic to your soup.
 
Cilantro shiso paste, half pint
A brightly perfumed finish for soup or vegetables.
 
Jarrahdale pumpkin puree, pint jar
The color of the sun, silky and deep: great for pies or soup.
 
Pomegranate seeds, half pint
Freshly pulled from the fruit: antioxidant luxury!
 
Broccoli rabe, steamed with garlic, quart jar
Grow up big and strong.
 
Homemade Sriracha, 12 oz
Cayenne and Corno di Toro chiles: because we love you.
 
 

Warmth, December 18 & 19
all in: $190
omnivore: $165
vegetarian: $130

 
Duck rillettes, pint
Shredded duck confit with sherry vinegar, mustard and lots of black pepper. Great for serving at a party, eating on toast with pickled prunes, or giving as the best host gift ever.
 
and/or
 
Beet walnut puree + salsa verde, pint jar
Deeply red, bright and amazing, with a cap of salsa verde to mix in, if you like. Equally great with crudité or cheese.
 
Mushroom shallot terrine with truffle, half pint jar
Super special. Contains cream and eggs.
 
Spicy sweet almonds, pint jar
Sugared and tossed with our favorite sweet and hot varietal chiles. A cocktail party essential.
 
Pickled prunes, half pint jar
The ultimate agrodolce: a great foil for anything rich (rillettes, cheese, stew).
 
Fruitcake, six-inch round
Our own white version with dried and hand-preserved fruit and nuts. This year’s includes some very special Filigreen Farms plums, candied grapefruit peel, pistachios, pears and tart cherries, and is soaked in rye whisky and kirschwasser. Singular. Contains eggs, butter, wheat, tree nuts and alcohol.
 
Celery salt, four ounce jar
A great salt to add flavor at any point, but especially to finish poultry or vegetables.
 
Preserved quince, pint jar
Oh, where do we even start? Cocktails, cheese platters, punch, stuffings…
 
Bay nut candy, 3 pieces
The fruit of the California Bay Laurel tree, roasted and crushed with sugar into a candy that tastes like coffee, like chocolate, like leaves. A very rare treat.


Thanks very much for supporting Potliquor! We wish you a cozy and satisfying holiday season.

All our best, 
Jennifer and Laura

 P.S. If you have a crate from a previous offering, we’d love to get it back! We’ll even come pick it up. Let us know.

Here are some scenes from preparation we’ve been doing for the Winter Provisions crate, coming soon. We’ll post the full details next week, stay tuned!

November 20: Autumn

Hello there,

We’ve been busy this fall! We moved into our very own new kitchen and set it up, and it’s dreamy: just big enough for us, with lots of natural light and everything we need. We had a busy wedding season that’s just coming to a close, and are excited to start up the meal project. 

Without any further ado:

We’re happy to announce our first meal project from the new kitchen: a balanced menu, comforting and bright. This one will be for pickup in Berkeley only, Wednesday, November 20, 4pm to 8pm, and you’re welcome to come to the pickup open house whether you have a crate or not, to have a snack and see the new space! If you still have a Potliquor wooden crate or jars, we’d love for you to bring them by.

Menu:

pickled chanterelles, half pint jar
great with special cheeses or other treats for your thanksgiving table, or as a decadent snack

celery root soup, quart jar
silky and rich with lots of leeks, an iconic fall flavor.

creamy polenta (no dairy), quart jar 
we cook it forever, but leave the finishing richness your choice.

nasturtium leaf butter, 4 oz
peppery, and crunchy with salt. save for your turkey next week, or use it to finish polenta or toast!

fennel stock, 24 oz jar
heady, anisey, light

gremolata, half pint jar
a bright, herb-based sauce, perfect for the braise and vegetables, or really anything in this menu.

whole baby chicories, sherry vinaigrette with currants
to be enjoyed cold as a salad, or sear the chicories with salt and olive oil, and dress in the pan for a warm fall dish.

for omnivores: braised Marin Sun Farms beef shanks with aromatic vegetables
cooked long and slow; silky, nourishing and warming.

for vegetarians: roasted white beans and vegetables, squash, carrots, turnip, shallots, herbs
golden-edged shards of some of our favorite elements of the season, roasted with good resiny herbs.

As ever, all our food is sourced for the best practices, as nearby as possible; more information about the origin of everything will be on the packing slip, along with details about how to use every element, and a shopping list for making the most of your food.

We’re selling through Square Marketplace this time; if there are extras available, we’ll post them there by Tuesday morning.

Finally, we’re happy to be offering autumn table bouquets from our friend Misti Boettiger at Flowers in Your Hair this time—her work is beautiful, seasonally poetic and uniquely sustainable; she only uses organic and wild foraged elements. The bouquet she’s making this week will dry beautifully and be well suited to your table, next week and all season.

Thanks for supporting Potliquor! We can’t wait to see you.

Best, Jennifer & Laura

We’re in!

Our fridge is cold and our papers are signed: we’re very happy to announce that Potliquor is really happening! We’re throwing a lot of weddings in the coming weeks, and there will be another meal project offering very soon, stay tuned.

People, we have refrigeration. It goes together with a giant Allen wrench, like so much Ikea furniture. We are only a little excited about our walk-in. FEEL THE COLD. More exciting appliances coming soon, stay tuned!

We signed the lease yesterday! Wahoo!

News!

We’re excited to update you on what we’ve been up to recently with Potliquor, instead of making food for you. We have some very good news: we are signing a lease this week for our own little kitchen, and hope to be settled into it by August!

There will be opportunities to participate in crowdfunding, presales, kitchenwarming parties, and more! We’ll be posting updates as the kitchen progresses, and hope to resume crates sometime in August. In the meantime, we are still taking catering jobs, so please do send us your betrothed and party needing friends.

To be the first to hear about new developments, join the email list (link above)!

March 5: Warming

**Sold out! Thank you!**

We’re pleased to announce the fourth Potliquor crate, a warming menu that we’ve been looking forward to offering you since the beginning. This one will be available as a vegan ($115) or omnivore’s version ($125), or you can get all possible options (one extra item) for $140. Crate and jars deposit is $25, or the return of your previous ones.  As always, there will be a packing slip with details about how to use every element.

Pork stew, quart
Lightly spicy, green and bright
and/or
Hominy stew, quart
in a comforting red broth

Heirloom beans, quart
Cooked slowly with aromatics and bay—one of the best quick meals in any kitchen.

Curtido, pint
Fermented cabbage with carrots, onion and chile—the perfect condiment for everything else in the crate.

Pumpkin seed lime citronette, half pint
For dressing salad or cold beans, dipping vegetables

Roasted varietal squash puree, 20 oz
Sweet and satisfying, and an incredibly versatile element to have about.

Hot sauce, 4 oz
Our own, made with Aji Amarillo chiles. Treasure. (Laura wants me to say Liquid Gold.)

Market fruit
Likely avocados, limes, and a surprise.

A limited number will be available for pickup in San Francisco on March 5 and in Oakland by arrangement; if you’d like one, please email us at potliquorsf@gmail.com to let us know which sort of crate you’d like (vegan, omnivore’s or all in) and where you’d like to pick up. We’ll email you with a confirmation.

Exciting things are in the works, stay tuned for details!

All our best, 

jennifer and laura.

Thanks, everyone! We wish you a deeply nourishing January. See you soon.

January 15: Renewing

***Sold out! thank you!***

We’re pleased to announce the third Potliquor crate, a renewing menu meant to support your best existence as we head into 2013. This one will be available as a vegan ($115) or omnivore’s version ($125), or you can get all possible options (two extra items) for $145. Crate and jars deposit is $25, or the return of your previous ones.  As always, there will be a packing slip with details about how to use every element.

 

Ginger green onion sweet potato broth, 20 oz.
A rich and nourishing vegan broth

and/or

Pastured chicken ginger broth, 20 oz.
Practically a registered drug.

 

Varietal mushrooms and herbs, pint
A mix of our favorites.

 

Seaweed salad with cucumber, pickled carrot and radish, almond oil, pint
Sourced from Mendocino, unique and delicious. Might give you superpowers.

 

Nettle parsley pistou with garlic and almonds, half pint
A very different one from last time, with a bit of extra wild dark-green goodness.

 

Firebrand rye toast, 2-quart jar
We love these curly, sturdy, thin crackers–nourishing and satisfying and a great foil for anything you want to put on them, from bright to rich. If you’d rather not have any gluten in your crate, we can leave these out and credit you the difference.

 

Shredded raw beet salad, parsley, lemon, pint

Bright, earthy, sweet–a great salad for anytime, wonderful with apples, spicy or sweet greens, fresh cheese, or by itself.
 

Tea, 1 oz
Curated by our friend Sina at Red Circle Tea. Special.
 

Olive oil poached fish (exact fish depending on best availability) with fennel and grapefruit peel, pint. 
This is delicious, rich, and among the most nutritious foods a person can eat. We hope you will try it! Beautiful for a picnic, on toast (see above), over some spicy greens with pistou, in a bowl with rice and seaweed…just lovely, really.

and/or

Olive oil poached celery root, fennel and capers, lemon peel, pint: 

Ready to eat on its own or as an element with toast, eggs, tofu, in broth, as a skillet hash…the olive oil flavors and is flavored by the other elements and is beautiful as a finishing element for other food, too.

 

A limited number will be available for pickup in San Francisco or Oakland on January 15; if you’d like one, please email us at potliquorsf@gmail.com to let us know which sort of crate you’d like and where you’d like to pick up.

 

We’re looking forward to making lots of food for you in 2013–stay tuned for more details, coming soon!

 

All our best, 

jennifer and laura.

December 19: Winter Provisions

We’re happy to announce the details of our winter provisions offering, available for pickup in San Francisco or Oakland on December 19. It’s a crate of treats savory and sweet, suitable for giving, keeping or a combination of the two: the wool socks and crackling fire of food. $115 for the omnivore’s version, $105 for the vegetarian, plus $25 crate and jars deposit (or a trade for your returned ones!). Here’s what will be in them:

Duck rillettes, pint: 

Shredded duck confit with our favorite sherry vinegar, mustard and lots of black pepper. Great for serving at a party, eating on toast with chutney, or giving as the best host gift ever.

The vegetarian version will be a lemony Italian butter bean puree (vegan), with garlic and a layer of herbs and olive oil.

Citron syrup, half pint: 
A rare and special treat: the Buddha’s hand, preserved! Great for cocktails, punch, or to glaze a pound cake.

Squash chutney, half pint: 

A surprising chutney with squash, apples, and dried fruit, tart and sweet, perfect with leftover turkey, duck rillettes, grilled vegetables, any sandwich.

Citrus or heirloom apples: a bag of whatever we love best at the market.

Espelette chile, half an ounce: 

This fruity, spicy chile is our favorite warming finish to nearly any dish. 

Mulling spice blend, 3 oz: 

Hand-chosen spices in a muslin bag; these can be reused 3-4 times to spice cider or wine.

Nutmeg, 2 oz: 

Because everyone should have whole nutmeg to grate on things at this time of year.

Fruitcake, 6" round: 

Our own white version with dried and hand-preserved fruit and nuts, soaked in fig liqueur and brandy. Singular. Contains eggs, butter, wheat, tree nuts and alcohol.

Bay salt, 4 oz: 

Wild foraged leaves from California bay laurel trees, infused and crushed into unrefined sea salt. Aromatic, resinous, bright: wonderful for any soup, and for seasoning any meat or root vegetable or squash.

Onion jam, half pint: 

Cooked forever with thyme and dark honey, until it becomes a magical thing somewhere between sweet and savory. 

Apple cider syrup, 17 oz: 

The list of things we use Bates and Schmidt’s beautiful apple cider syrup for is very long, and ranges from eating on yogurt to salad dressing to apple pie to putting into stews. It’s balanced, apple-y and deep; we love it, and we think you will, too.

Rosemary walnuts, pint: 

A savory snack good enough to stand up to any cookie, these are lovely as an ingredient in stuffing or sweets, too. 

A limited number will be available for pickup on Wednesday, December 19 in San Francisco (Castro) from 4:30pm to 7:30pm and in Oakland (Temescal) from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.  To reserve yours, send an email to potliquorsf@gmail.com with your name, phone number, pickup spot, and whether you’d like an omni or vegetarian kit. If you want to request a substitution, we’ll do our best to accommodate you. You can pay at pickup, by cash or check (bear with us, more payment options will be available soon!)

Coming soon:

Renewing: a nourishing and energizing menu for starting your year anew; offerings from the woods and sea to support your best existence.

Thanks for supporting Potliquor! We hope to see you soon.

jennifer & laura

Thanks to all who signed up for the very first crate! Here are some scenes from the making of it: fennel mushroom broth, caramelizing quince with honey for the tagines, delicata squash. We hope you enjoy everything! Stay tuned for details about the next offerings, coming soon.

December 3 Menu

We’re happy to announce our very first kit, a deeply sustaining, vibrant menu for omnivores or vegans.  Both versions are free of gluten and dairy and feed four . $125/$115, plus $25 deposit for crate and containers.

:

Lamb tagine/chickpea tagine, prunes, quince

Chicken broth/fennel mushroom broth

Cooked greens, garlic and citrus

Roasted squash, espelette

Rancho Gordo quinoa

Thyme pistou

Special citrus

Nourishing tisane to brew at home

A limited number will be available for pickup on December 3rd in San Francisco (Castro) from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm and Oakland (Temescal) from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.  To reserve yours, send an email to potliquorsf@gmail.com with your name, phone number, pickup spot, and whether you’d like an omni or vegan kit. You can pay at pickup, by cash or check.

Coming soon:

Winter Provisions: a special kit of some of our favorites, suitable for giving, keeping or a combination of the two. The wool socks and crackling fire of food.

Renewing: a nourishing and energizing menu for starting your year anew; offerings from the woods and sea to support your best existence. 

What's Potliquor? A FAQ.

Who are you?

We are Jennifer Lynch and Laura McGrath, friends who have been cooking together since 2000. You may know us from jenniferlunch or from Cowgirl Creamery. Potliquor is our best answer to the question of how to help people get to a rhythm of great food at home; it’s one we’ve been pondering for quite a while.

What is Potliquor?

It’s a new kind of meal service: carefully prepared and sourced food in reusable containers, given as elements that can be combined as a meal unto themselves or used to brighten and enrich ingredients you already have. We choose the menu each week, so you don’t have to; the food is interesting and seasonally based, but also accessible. We want it to feel like your food.

Do I have to pick it up?

We offer pickup at our kitchen in Berkeley–come see where your food is made!–and delivery in San Francisco.

Are there instructions?

Yes! Each kit comes with suggestions for reheating and serving, as well as recipes for incorporating leftover sauces and special elements.

What if I have questions after I get it home?

We are at your service: we really want this to work for you. Send us an email or give us a call, and we’ll be glad to answer any questions you have. 

How else can I reach you?

We’re so glad you asked! At our web shack: http://potliquorsf.com, or on Twitter @potliquorsf. Be sure to join our email list, too, if you’d like be the first to know about new kits! You can sign up here.

Will the crates sell out?

Some may sell out. We are working toward making food for everyone who wants it, so if you miss one, please check back with us! 

Thanks for checking us out! We hope to hand you a crate of lovely things very soon.

oh, tomatoes.

Some scenes from summer makings: gold cayenne for hot sauce; a bloody mary of fresh early girl juice and pickled beans, cucumbers and fennel.