How we spent our 2017: a medley

Hello there, and happy new year!

As we reflect on the past year and look ahead to 2018, we thought we’d share with you a little about what we’ve been up to.
 
We were busy with events in 2017, ranging from retreats in the woods to company launches to beautiful, multicourse weddings; from dropped-off platters to custom menus.
 
The fires in Sonoma and Mendocino this year destroyed a lot of homes, crops, and venues, and we wanted to help. We were grateful for the quick thinking and organization of SF Fights Fire, which made it easy for us to send food; and we contributed snacks and raffle prizes to a Love > Fire fundraiser.

Photographing the food is still a missing piece for us a lot of the time, but this year we did a styled shoot with the amazing Freda Banks at a new venue, Switzer Farm, on the beautiful northern California coast.

 

The 17th Street chickens ate a good portion of our kitchen scraps, thanks to Menyui Leung, who biked many a large bag of carrot tops and fish bones across town to them. Don’t they look pleased? A lot of our herbs and flowers this year came from Jennifer Bolak’s beautiful plot at Potrero del Sol Community Garden.
 
Through it all, we’ve been blessed with clients who support our vision of well-sourced, personal, handmade food; hard-working, meticulous and flexible co-workers (and their chickens and gardens); and the excellent community of farmers, ranchers, and cheesemakers from San Mateo to Marin counties.
 
Our hearts are with women in our industry who have suffered sexual harrassment—that’s basically all of us (as well as some men), if you’re counting—and are heartened to see some of the abusers being called out. We continue to be utterly committed to providing a safe work environment for the people whose skill, time, and very hard work makes our existence possible.

We are still big fans of cooking at home. If one of your resolutions this year is to cook more for yourself and loved ones, we can recommend Tamar Adler’s An Everlasting Meal, and Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat for reaching for that beyond-recipe place with your refrigerator. We are happy to share recipes, too; if you ate something we cooked and would like to recreate it, just ask.
 
Thank you for supporting Potliquor! We hope to see you soon.

All our best for 2018, 
Jennifer, Laura, and all of us at Potliquor
 

Crates on hiatus.

We are so grateful for the support you all gave to the meal project! We want to let you know that we are taking a hiatus while we plan for a possible larger relaunch in the future.

Your thoughts and feelings about your experience with the crates at any level would be most useful for us, as we consider the possibilities for what’s next—would you share them with us? Send an email to hello@potliquorsf.com, with the subject line “Crates.”

In the meantime, we’ll be using this email list and the blog to send occasional recipes, menus and photos from events, and to keep you updated about what we’re up to. There may be a dinner series in our future, and you’ll be the first to hear about that. We will be focusing on our event catering, as well: do consider getting in touch with us the next time you throw a party!

Finally: we will be collecting crates and jars and refunding deposits on a couple of days in September: Tuesday, September 6, and Thursday, September 8. You can sign up to have your crate picked up here, or just reply to this email with your preference.

Many thanks, and see you soon.

All our best,
Jennifer & Laura

flowers by Misti Boettiger

flowers by Misti Boettiger

July 13 and 14: Summer, and a pop up!

Hi there,

We’re thrilled to be announcing a couple of things: a new menu for the heart of summer, and another pop-up at Neighbor’s Corner, in San Francisco!

The menu:
Sticky smoked pork ribs, summer succotash, cider barbecue sauce, collard greens, southern potato salad, fresh tomatoes, pickled green beans, and chocolate pudding.

The pop up:
On July 13, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm, your very own Laura McGrath and Jennifer Lynch will be hanging out at the adorable Neighbor’s Corner, selling elements from the menu above and Trek cache crates. You should really come say hi to us if you’re in the area, and pick up some delicious. 10% of all sales for the pop up will benefit Project B. Dance Company. Their coffee is beautiful, too, and they have unique and wonderful pieces from local makers like h-filaments for sale. Come see!

The crate:
We’ll deliver on Thursday, July 14, to addresses in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco.

What do all the types and sizes mean?
We offer each menu in a small size, feeding 2-4, and a regular, feeding 4-8. The vegetarian version of this menu contains the succotash, the omnivore’s version contains the ribs, and the all-in contains both main dishes (and therefore feeds more people, though you may want to get some extra pudding if you have a crowd coming).

Order yours!

More about the menu:

Sticky smoked pork ribs
Pastured, long-smoked, sweet and smoky, and requiring commitment.

Summer succotash
Summer in a jar: corn, fresh beans, summer squash, new onions, peppers, herbs.

Cider barbecue sauce
Apple-based, tart and sweet and spicy, for making everything better.

Collard greens
Long-cooked, with onions and smoky salt and vinegar.

Southern potato salad
Our version of down-home: homemade lemony mayo, medium eggs, celery, pickled garlic scapes, scallions, a little crème fraiche.

Fresh tomatoes
Best of the moment, for adding to your succotash or eating on their own.

Pickled green beans
Our latest batch, with lemon verbena.

Chocolate pudding
With TCHO chocolate, in individual jars—two for the small and four for the regular. You can add more pudding in extras, if you like.

You can order any element or a small all-in crate for pickup at Neighbor’s Corner on Wednesday, July 13, or any crate for delivery on Thursday, July 14. The Trek cache crate is still available, too!

We’ll see you soon!

 

June 9, 2016: Messy

We have a summery, sandwichy menu for your next week: Messy, with Texas-style chopped beef, vegan sloppy joe, rolls from Firebrand Bread, zucchini relish, our version of the classic broccoli salad, a fresh spring slaw, creamy horseradish sauce, and stone fruit from the market. You can cozy up with this one, or make it into a picnic, depending on what the fog does. It will make for an easy, festive graduation celebration, or a few days of more casual meals.

We’ll deliver this crate next Thursday, June 9, between 5:00 and 8:00 pm, to Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco. It comes in a regular size, feeding 4 to 8, and a small, feeding 2 to 4.

The vegetarian version contains the vegan sloppy joe.
The omnivore’s version contains the chopped beef.
The all-in has both main dishes and extra rolls.

Questions? Special dietary requests? Get in touch with us! We like to make it work for you.

Chopped beef in mop sauce
BN Ranch chuck, smoked and chopped and given in a brothy, spicy sauce for piling high on a roll with slaw and horseradish sauce. Yep.

Vegan sloppy joe
Lentils, chickpeas, and aromatic vegetables; saucy and flavorful and ready to be your tasty vegetarian sandwich (see menu title).

Rolls
The good ones, from Firebrand Bread.

Zucchini relish
Sharp, sweet, and spicy, with horseradish and spring onion.

Spring slaw
Crunchy sweet spring vegetables with cabbage, for elevating your sandwich, both literally and figuratively.

Broccoli salad
Like your grandma makes, if Laura and Jennifer were your grandmas. Currants soaked in sweet vinegar, shaved carrot, pickled spring onions.

Creamy horseradish sauce
Sandwich dressing of the highest order, creamy and sharp.

Stone fruit
It’s getting pretty gorgeous out there; we’ll give you some of the most delicious, drip-down-your-arm tree fruit happening next week, to eat out of hand, slice into salads or make into pie.

While you're at it, order a Trek cache kit  to be delivered on Thursday or picked up at our kitchen, for your upcoming summer adventures.

See you Thursday!
Jennifer & Laur

May 26, 2016 (and beyond!): our first cache kit!

We’re so excited to announce a new thing we’re doing, starting now: cache kits! They’re more shelf-stable and snackable than our usual meal project crates, and they’ll be available for an entire season. We’re calling May through July travel season, so the first cache kit is Trek. It’s suitable for all your late spring and summer travel, whether you’re taking a 23-hour flight, camping with your dearests, backpacking to a pretty river, or making forts in the living room.


 
How do you get one?
Well. If you order by 3:00 pm on delivery day, we’ll deliver one to you in Berkeley, Oakland, or San Francisco this coming Thursday, May 26, at the usual time: 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. And then: they will continue to be available  with any crate you order from now through July! You can also come pick one up at our kitchen in Berkeley, with a day’s notice. We recommend getting one now to have around, so that you can be well-provisioned at a moment’s notice.
 
What’s in it?
It comes in one size, and this one is vegetarian, so there’s just one version (if you’d like a vegan version, let us know and we’ll set you up). Each one will be packaged in a reusable basket that you can keep. It’s like this:
 
Fruit and seed bars, four
A more varied version of our famous date bars, these are delicious and sustaining.
 
Roasted chickpeas, pint jar
A crunchy, spicy little snack with cardamom and chile that is light enough for your backpack and delicious enough for guests. Maybe you should have a party at camp.
 
Cheddar crackers, 1 dozen
Cheese crackers, salty and rich and so very good, at home or away.
 
Housemade graham crackers, 24
Extra delicious with honey and brown sugar, and essential for your…
 
Housemade marshmallows, 12
These are extensively tested for roastability. You are welcome.
 
TCHO chocolate, 8 ounce jar
Little discs, perfect for melting onto your s’more or just eating out of the jar.
 
Herb infused almonds, 12 ounce jar
Supremely crunchy and carrying lots of heady verbena and mint flavor.
 
Cranberry quince rosemary fruit leather, 6 pieces
A bright, sweet, herby pick-me-up.

Order yours

Thanks for supporting Potliquor--we'll see you Thursday!

All our best, 
Jennifer & Laura
 

 

May 12, 2016: Roots & Shoots

We have another iconic spring menu for next week, with pickled ramps, cold spring pea soup, long-roasted pork belly, steamed baby root vegetables, fresh mizuna, and garlic scape herb sauce. And cherries!

All that, and we will bring it to you, too. We’ll deliver this crate to Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco on Thursday, May 12, between 5:00 and 8:00 pm.

The vegetarian version contains the pea soup, the omnivore’s version contains the pork belly; if you’d like both main dishes, order the all-in version.

We offer a small size, feeding 2-4, and a regular size, feeding 4-6. The regular all-in can feed up to 8. The crate is suitable for one big dinner party, a weekend getaway, or several everyday meals. We’ll include our usual leaflet with serving suggestions, reheating instructions, recipes, and a shopping list for getting creative.

Order yours

FullSizeRender(6).jpg

The menu:

Long roasted pork belly
With onions, fennel, wine, and herbs—a decadent savory something to enjoy with all the spring freshness to follow.

Cold spring pea soup
It’s peak pea season, so we are making this for you, our most beloved pea soup, green and creamy and miraculous.

Steamed baby spring roots
Baby carrots, new potatoes, Tokyo turnips, and baby golden beets, pretty as a picture.

Pickled ramps
This singular wild allium, Allium tricoccum, has a brief season (now!). We like to pickle them so their unique onion-garlic flavor can last awhile longer. They will go beautifully with the pork, in a tangle with the steamed vegetables, or anywhere you want a complicated, flavorful crunch.

Garlic scape herb sauce
Garlic scapes are the flower stalk the plant sends up as it prepares to flower; the stalk is basically garlic vegetable. We pickled these and like to slice them small to use like capers—this will be a garlicky salsa verde style sauce, with olive oil and parsley.

Fresh mizuna
One of two market items in this crate, mizuna is a delicately peppery, beautiful, spiky leaf, wonderful for eating raw, piling into soup, dressing with garlic scape sauce, or eating simply with lemon and olive oil.

Cherries
They’re here, they’re here! We’ll give you the best ones we find: a pound and a half in the regular size, one pound in the small.

Coming soon:
The next crate after this one will be the launch of a new thing we’re doing: cache kits! These are crates with longer-lasting provisions to keep around, for making your life better at a moment’s notice. Each one will be available throughout the season, rather than for just one day. The first one will be called Trek—suitable for camping, hiking, airplane trips, or even just snacking while you watch a movie. You can get it delivered on May 26 at the usual time, or with any other crate through July! You will also be able to order a kit to pick up at our kitchen on a day we aren’t delivering. We’ll send more details about the contents soon.

From late summer to fall we’ll offer a Picnic kit, then a Holiday one through the late fall and early winter.

Stay tuned!

All our best,
Jennifer & Laura

 

 

 

 

 

April 28, 2016: Forage

We have an extra special something for you next week: Forage, celebrating the sprouting, fruiting, blossoming, coiled-up, hiding treasures of spring, with smoked quail and huckleberry sauce, wheat berry & morel risotto, fiddlehead ferns & fava beans, bay nut meringues, and more. See, we were not kidding about the extra special.

The basics: We’ll deliver it to Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco, on Thursday between 5:00 and 8:00 pm. We offer a small size, feeding 2-4, and a regular size, feeding 4-6. The regular all-in can feed up to 8. The crate is suitable for one big dinner party, a weekend getaway, or several everyday meals. We’ll include our usual leaflet with serving suggestions, reheating instructions, recipes, and a shopping list for getting creative. The vegetarian version contains the risotto, the omnivore’s version contains the quail, and the all-in contains both.

Orders are open until next Tuesday at 3:00 pm, or until they sell out.

Click here to order one.

The menu:

Whole smoked quails & huckleberry sauce
To enjoy warm or cold with a deep, rich sauce of wild huckleberries.

Morel & wheat berry risotto
A simple, elegant risotto of Full Belly Farms’ Frasinetto wheat berries, to show off the morel mushrooms tucked into it.

Fava beans & fiddlehead ferns
We are just standing on the roof shouting “SPRING” around here.

Flower butter
Nasturtiums, borage, begonias—sharp, spicy, and cucumber flavors, plus butter: tasty and pretty.

Miner's lettuce
The ultimate foraged salad. Look for this growing along your hiking paths this spring and summer, especially where the ground is wet. We love its earthy, succulent character.

Charred beets
A little anchoring sweetness, a foil for all the bright unfurling hallelujahs.

Bay nut meringues
Foraged in the fall, these nuts are dark and taste similar to cocoa nibs, which makes them perfect for studding sweet and crispy meringues.

Extras this week include Morell’s sunflower bread, our own turkey stock, and Nuthouse granola. You can always request an extra of any element on the menu, or a custom version if we are making something you cannot enjoy.

Order yours!

Have a wonderful weekend—we’ll see you Thursday!

All our best,
Jennifer & Laura

April 14, 2016: Ugly Duckling

We have a new spring menu for you, as gangly and full of promise as a wet baby swan: chicken in a salt crust, a spring roots and shoots soup with matzo balls, cardoon salad with fava greens, nasturtium leaf pistou, duck eggs, and more.

As usual, we’ll deliver it to Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco, on Thursday between 5:00 and 7:30 pm. We offer a small size, feeding 2-3, and a regular size, feeding 4-6. The crate is suitable for one big dinner party, or several everyday meals. We’ll include our usual leaflet with serving suggestions, reheating instructions, recipes, and a shopping list for getting creative. The vegetarian version contains the soup, the omnivore’s version contains the chicken, and the all-in contains both.

Order yours!

The menu:

Chicken roasted in a salt crust
A lumpy golden parcel of crust acts as seasoning and oven for the pastured chicken within, resulting in a beautifully moist and tasty bird, not to mention an impressive presentation: the perfect thing emerging from the wreckage of its shell.

Soup of spring roots and shoots, matzo balls
We’re a little early for Passover, so we’re giving this in straight-sided jars in case you’d like to freeze it for next week. It’ll be rich with spring treasures and fluffy matzo balls; you can keep it vegetarian or add some of the chicken to it.

Swiss chard gratin
A pile of Swiss chard with a little cream, Gruyere, and Vella’s Mezzo Secco. Hearty and irresistible.

Nasturtium leaf and green garlic pistou
For your soup, for your chicken; for elevating and brightening everything it touches.

Cardoon, celery and fennel salad
Cardoon is the ultimate ugly duckling: thorny and gawky and requiring lots of attention, but beautiful in the end, tasting a little like artichokes and looking like celery. We’ll do the hard part for you, and pair it with celery, fennel, fava greens and a sweet-tart dressing.

Fresh duck eggs
Rich and silky, wonderful for custards (we’ll give a recipe), for poaching in your soup, or scrambling. Plus, we’re suckers for a metaphor.

Strawberry pop tarts
Our homemade strawberry jam in a flaky butter crust, because we like you.

Order your crate

Extras this week include Morell’s Full Belly Wheat, Nuthouse Granola, and our own stellar chicken bone broth and strawberry jam.

Thanks for supporting sustainable farmers and handmade food! We’ll see you Thursday.

All our best,
Jennifer & Laura

March 30 and 31, 2016: Spring, and a pop up!

We’re excited about next week’s menu for two reasons: it’s spring, and time for lamb meatballs, artichoke salad and chickpeas, turmeric sesame yogurt, and dandelion greens; and we’re doing our very first pop-up, at Neighbor’s Corner in San Francisco (for real this time)!


 
We’ll be delivering crate orders as usual, on Thursday, March 31, between 5:00 and 8:00 pm, to Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco. On Wednesday, March 30, we’ll be at Neighbor’s Corner from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm selling elements from the menu to go, as part of their pop-up series. 10% of all sales from Neighbor’s Corner will benefit Nihonmachi Little Friends. You can read more about Neighbor’s Corner here--they are a wonderful new neighborhood hub, beautifully curated local market, and café. You can pre-order what you'd like to pick up there on Wednesday, and we'll have it ready for you, or just come by!
 
Crates are available in a regular size, and a small. We find that the food in any given crate lasts for several meals, for a range of about two people with a small vegetarian crate, to as many as eight with a regular all-in. The vegetarian version contains the artichoke and chickpea salad, the omnivore’s contains the lamb meatballs, and the all-in contains both.
 
More about this week’s menu:
 
Lamb and pork meatballs, Greek oregano, green garlic
Lemony, rich meatballs, in a little sauce for warming them up.
 
Artichoke and chickpea salad, almonds, olives, herbs, preserved lemon, olive oil
A pile of delicious, for serving warm or cold.
 
Pickled beet salad with blood orange, sunflower sprouts, fennel, citronette
A pretty, pink, tart and sweet and crunchy salad, equally suitable for dinner and lunch.
 
Turmeric yogurt
With sesame and green garlic, creamy and savory and the color of a daffodil.
 
Crispy olive oil lavash
For dipping, for piling high, for crumbling.
 
Seed and spice mix
A surprising and wonderful mixture for adding crunch and heady flavor to everything else in the crate, and beyond. Dried thyme and savory, sesame, dried shallot, sumac and nigella.
 
Dandelion greens
Greek style, cooked and dressed with lots of good olive oil and lemon.
 
Fresh asparagus
Harbinger of the season—it’s here!
 
Extras this week include our own excellent chicken bone broth, Morell’s sesame bread, and Nuthouse granola.
 
Order your crate for delivery on Thursday
*
Pre-order for Wednesday’s pop-up at Neighbor’s Corner
 
 
Thanks for supporting Potliquor! We’ll see you next week.
 
All our best,
Jennifer & Laura

March 16, 2016: Lucky

Hello, and welcome to our third annual Irish-American inspired menu, Lucky: naturally brined corned beef, fava green and turnip pasties, kale colcannon, carrots in Guinness, roasted cabbage, good cheddar, and oat digestive biscuits!


 
This crate is for Thursday, March 16; we’ll deliver orders to Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco between 5:00 and 8:00 pm. You can also pick up your crate from our kitchen, 2701 Eighth Street No. 105, in Berkeley, between 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm.
 
The crate is available in a regular size, feeding about four; and a small, feeding about two. This one is particularly suited to feasting, but you can also use it for several lighter meals throughout the week. It’s wonderful for weekend trips, too. As always, we’ll include a sheet with recipes for using and complementing the food we give you, a shopping list of elements that will add beautifully to it, and instructions for serving everything. The vegetarian version contains the pasties, the omnivore’s version contains the corned beef, and the all-in contains both.
 
It’s like this:
Naturally brined pastured corned beef in broth
We love making this every year: pastured brisket, brined with beet broth for pinkness instead of saltpeter.

Fava green & turnip pasties: spring onion, green garlic, mint, cumin crust
Spring, in pie form.

Roasted cabbage with butter and whole grain mustard
Buttery cabbage and mustard, to enjoy warm: the simplest food is sometimes the most transcendent.

Kale colcannon
Mashed potatoes and kale, the classic Irish dish, by way of California.

Carrots & Guinness
Glazey dark-sweet lovelies.

Caraway horseradish cream
This week’s sauce, sharp and creamy and tart, for everything

Fiscalini bandaged-wrapped cheddar
Extra mature and very tasty.

Oat digestive biscuits
A memory from childhood: buttery oat biscuits, very slightly sweet, to dunk in a hot cup of milky tea. Beautiful with cheese, too, of course.

Extras available this week include our beautiful chicken broth, Morell’s spelt bread, Nuthouse granola, and extras of horseradish caraway cream and pasties.

Order your crate!

If you would like to make adjustments to this or any other crate for dietary reasons, just let us know—we’d love to make it work for you.

All our best,
Jennifer & Laura

March 3, 2016: Menü

Hello there, 

We’re deep in spring and our thoughts are turning to…German food! Spaetzle with pea shoots and mushrooms, pork schnitzel with lemon, and lots of salads:  celery root and celery, kohlrabi & potato, fresh baby mustard greens. Our sharp and sweet stone fruit mostarda is an extra special element in this one. Serve it as one beautiful feast to people you like, or use it for everyday eating over a period of several days. If you’re planning to leave town this week, our crates are great for taking with you to a mountain cabin, a friend’s house, or even camping.

This crate is for Thursday, March 3, 2016; we’ll deliver orders from Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco between 5:00 and 7:30 pm, or you can pick up at our kitchen in Berkeley from 3:00 pm.

We offer the crate in a regular size, which feeds about four, and a small size, which feeds about two. The vegetarian version contains the spaetzle, the omnivore’s version contains the schnitzel, and the all-in contains both.

pea tendrils

It’s like this:

Pork schnitzel
Humanely raised pork loin, breaded with crumbs from Morell’s bread, quickly fried and given with lemon.

Spaetzle, pea tendrils, spring mushrooms, herb butter & pecorino
Buttery spring goodness. We’ll give you the spaetzle frozen, so that you can pan-fry it or dunk it in boiling water when you’re ready to eat it.

Celery & celery root salad, horseradish & herbs
A fresh, bright slaw, with the occasional curl of fresh horseradish, to keep you on your toes.

Fresh baby mustard greens
Pretty little leaves, with a bracing bite, equally suitable for eating as a salad or wilting as a side dish.

Carrot puree
A little anchoring sweetness, to complement the sharp and rich things going on around here.

Kohlrabi & potato salad with dill
So simple, unique and tasty.

Stone fruit mostarda
Okay, yes, this comes from a tradition rooted in Italy—but it will be wonderful with so many elements in this menu that we had to give it to you anyway. It’s made with apricots, peaches and prunes, whose natural sweetness is balanced with lots of mustard seed, along with vinegar and wine. Use it as a condiment with spaetzle or salads, or keep it to serve with cheese or charcuterie for a special occasion.

Order your crate!

Extras this week include our own chicken bone broth, Nuthouse granola, and Morell’s rye bread.

Thanks for supporting what we do—we’ll see you Thursday!

All our best,

Jennifer & Laura

 

February 18, 2016: Cosy

We’re happy to announce a British-inspired, tasty and sustaining menu for these sunny and cloudy times, which we’re calling Cosy. Chicken pot pie, nettle and potato soup, peppercress herb sauce, buttery turnips and the rest will keep you feeling well cared for all week.

If you live in Berkeley, Oakland, or San Francisco, we’ll deliver your order to you between 5:00 and 7:30 on Thursday, February 18. If you live outside our delivery area or just prefer to pick up at our Berkeley kitchen, 2701 Eighth Street, No. 105, you can do that between 3:00 and 7:30 pm.

The crate is available in a regular size, feeding about four, and a small, feeding about two. The vegetarian version contains the potato and nettle soup; the omnivore’s version contains the chicken pot pie, and the all-in contains both.

As always, we’ll give a careful sheet of recipes, instructions and a suggested shopping list. Most people find that the food lasts two to three days by itself, more when combined with other food, and that it is possible to throw one glorious feast and eat it all in one go. How you use it is up to you!

These are lamb pies from 2015. The chicken ones will look a little different from these.

These are lamb pies from 2015. The chicken ones will look a little different from these.

It’s like this:

Chicken pot pie
The classic, with buttery pie crust and an iconic filling of roasted chicken, aromatics, root vegetables and herbs.

Potato & nettle soup   
A spring preview, deep green and wild, with sweet alliums and satisfying potatoes. A little butter, a little cream.

White bean and leek salad
We love this warm, spooned into sturdy lettuce leaves with a little herb sauce over. It will also make a great cold salad, or the beginning of a more involved soup.

Peppercress herb sauce
This week’s beauty, for finishing everything.

Buttery turnips
White tokyos or bright scarlets, depending on what’s best: either way, they’ll be silky and buttery and miraculous.

Spigariello with garlic and olive oil       
Simple, deep green, practically succulent.

Breen lettuce      
For your warm bean & leek salad, or a simple peppercress-dressed one.

Extras this week include our own chicken bone broth, Morell’s Full Belly wheat bread, and Nuthouse granola.

Order your crate here!

Thanks for supporting Potliquor! We’ll see you Thursday.

All our best,
Jennifer & Laura

 

 

 

 

Sportsball III!

Well, football is coming to our town for the 50th Super Bowl ever, you may have heard. There will be feats of glory, people bashing into each other, yelling in living rooms! Who will win? And also, what will you eat?
 
We have some ideas about that. The second thing, not the first thing.

​
 
The crate:
We’re offering our now-traditional Sportsball crate, with red beef and golden vegetarian chilis, cornbread and honey butter, smoky caramel corn, molasses beer nuts, and more. You can get it delivered to your door on Thursday evening between 5:00 and 7:30 pm if you live in Oakland, Berkeley or San Francisco, or you can pick it up at our kitchen in Berkeley from 3:00 to 7:30 pm. The vegetarian version contains the golden vegetarian chili, the omnivore’s contains the red beef chili, and the all-in contains both. We’re offering it in a small size, feeding about two, or a regular size, feeding about four. If you’re feeding 8-10 people, say to watch a football game together, you can get more than one crate! You can also customize your own, as we’re offering each element as an extra, as well. (If you care not a whit about the football, this crate is also suitable for non-themed dining.)
 
The platters:
If you’re having more people than that, we’re offering a Sportsball version of our platters menu! It’s good for feeding up to 50, and we'll deliver platters to you on Sunday, before the game.
 
Have questions? Send us a message or give us a call! We are here for you.
 
The crate menu is like this:
 
All-meat BN Ranch beef chili
Basically meat and sauce, cooked forever, like they do in Texas. Real chili, fiery and beautiful.
 
Golden vegetarian chili
Yellow Indian Woman beans from Rancho Gordo, aji amarillo chiles, winter squash and aromatics. Medium spicy, velvety, sustaining.
 
Broccoli and carrot salad
Our version of the Midwestern classic, with currants, sunflower seeds and housemade mayo dressing, sweet and tart and creamy and actually a little bit good for you.
 
Buttermilk cornbread & honey butter
For your chilis, and because is there anything nicer on this earth than warm cornbread and honey butter?
 
Spinach and kohlrabi dip
The classic, made real with a lot of love. Suitable for serving cold, or baked; with potato chips, or an assortment of your vegetables and bread.
 
Smoky caramel corn
Enough smoky salty crunchy salty goodness to share with friends. No nuts, but if you like it crackerjack style you can add your…
 
Molasses beer nuts
Massa almonds, Full Belly walnuts, and pumpkin seeds, with a gritty molasses & brown sugar coating. So good.
 
Extras this week include everything on the crate menu so that you can customize, plus lots of additional elements to add to your crate, like pulled pork, sweet jalapeno chicken wings, four-onion dip, and more. There's also Morell’s Tordu (a twisted baguette), Nuthouse Granola, and our concentrated chicken bone broth.
 
As always, if you have questions about the menu, or can’t eat a particular thing and would like to switch it out for something else, please get in touch with us! We want to make it work for you.
 
All our best,
Jennifer & Laura

January 28, 2016: Home

Hello there,
 
We have a cozy menu for your rainy next week, which we’re calling Home: what better place to eat when it’s cold and wet outside? May water keep falling from the sky, and may you be with people you love, warm and well fed.

​
 
We are officially delivering to Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco! If you live in one of those three cities, we’ll deliver your order to you between 5:00 and 7:30 on Thursday, January 28. If you live outside our delivery area or just prefer to pick up at our spiffy Berkeley kitchen, you can do that between 3:00 and 7:30 pm.
 
The crate is available in a regular size, feeding about four, and a small, feeding about two. The vegetarian version contains the lentil & sunchoke cottage pie; the omnivore’s version contains the spring onion & herb meatloaf, and the all-in contains both.
 
It’s like this:
 
Meatloaf with spring onion, green garlic and herbs 
A beef and pork meatloaf with lots of green alliums and herbs, with eggs in the middle to remind you that spring is coming. There won’t be any gluten in this one, though there will be oats.
 
Lentil and sunchoke cottage pie, squash mash thatch
Saucy and savory, and an excellent tongue twister for your dinner companions.
 
Braised collard greens
With smoked salt and chile, cooked long.
 
Roasted cauliflower
Brown edges, creamy middles.
 
Beet salad with arugula and citrus         
We’re giving this to you jar-salad style, so you can dump it out into a bowl and--ta da--have a freshly dressed salad, or take it with you for lunch.
 
Sorrel parsley sauce
A brighter than usual version of the classic salsa verde, with olive oil and lemon.
             
Meyer lemon marmalade butter cookies
To nibble with your tea.

Order Online  

Extras this week include Morell’s sesame bread, Nuthouse granola, and our concentrated chicken bone broth, to heal whatever ails you.
 
We’ll see you Thursday!

All our best,
Jennifer & Laura

January 14, 2016: Wild

Hello, and happy new year!

For our first crate of the year, we have a beautiful menu we’re calling Wild: choucroute garnie with wild boar sausage, pork belly and housemade sauerkraut; and mushroom and parsnip soup with squash dumplings. There will also be pickled chanterelle mushrooms, quince butter, little buttered potatoes, roasted turnips—everything you need for some truly cozy meals next week while the water falls from the sky. Don’t miss this one!

This crate will be available on Thursday, January 14, 2016 for delivery to San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland between 5:00 pm and 7:30 pm. You can also pick up at our kitchen, 2701 8th Street in Berkeley, between 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm.

As usual, we’ll offer a small size, feeding about two, and a regular size, feeding about four. The vegetarian version contains the mushroom soup, the omnivore’s version contains the choucroute, and the all-in contains both.

Photo by Niki Shelley

Photo by Niki Shelley

It’s like this:

Choucroute garnie: wild boar sausage and pork belly in wine broth with sauerkraut and cabbage
The classic Alsatian dish and a champion warmer, made extra special with smoked wild boar sausages and housemade kraut.

Mushroom and parsnip soup with squash dumplings
A wonderful deep broth of maitake, king oyster and chanterelle mushrooms, with European-style winter squash dumplings and parsnips. Hi, winter.

Buttered marble potatoes
We love these tiny dry-farmed potatoes from Little Organics; we think you will, too.

Roasted turnips
Creamy white Tokyo turnips, roasted until their edges get a little sugary.

Quince butter
Some big love went into this one: it is creamy smooth, perfumed and sweet. A wonderful accompaniment to the choucroute, with cheese, or on any toast.

Pickled mushrooms
Chanterelle mushrooms pickled with vermouth and herbs.

Riesling mustard
Bright and floral, for your sausages, for your potatoes!

Extras this week include Morell’s rye bread, and our own deeply good pastured chicken bone broth.

Order your crate

See you on Thursday!

All our best,
Jennifer & Laura

December 17, 2015: Gather

Hello all,
 
We hope you’re enjoying your holiday season, and are happy to offer a little something to make it easier and more delicious. We’re calling this menu Gather, after our best wishes for your December days: that you have people you like around your table, and good warm delicious things to feed them. Braised beef shanks, celery root and squash risotto, baby vegetables and special greens, and even a cranberry upside-down cake make this one extra good for that.

​
 
This crate will be available, in a regular size feeding about four, and a small size feeding about two, on Thursday, December 17: for pickup from our kitchen in Berkeley from 3:00 to 7:30 pm, and for delivery in San Francisco from 5:00 to 7:30 pm. If you order a Winter Gift collection as well (or parts thereof), you can get them at the same time. The Vegetarian version contains the risotto, the Omnivore’s version contains the beef shanks, and the All-in has both.
 
It’s like this:
 
Braised BN Ranch beef shanks (a quart and a half/one quart)
Classic and velvety, with red wine and vegetables.
 
Celery root and squash risotto (24 ounce jar/one pint, plus fennel squash broth and cheese)
Comforting comfort food, rich and sustaining: we’ll give it to you with a jar of stock and one of grated Pecorino Romano, and instructions for finishing it perfectly.
 
Baby turnips & parsnips (24 ounce jar/pint jar)
Poached in wine and broth and butter.
 
Braised mixed greens
Grow up big, strong and delicious.
 
Gremolata (8 ounce jar/four ounce jar)
This week’s magic maker--for shanks, risotto, and swirling into future soups--is greater than the sum of its parsley, lemon, garlic and olive oil.
 
Mâche (quarter pound)
This tender, nutty, tiny green is special treasure this time of year; we’re excited to give it to you.
 
Marinated crottin (2 cheeses/1 cheese)
Whole small cheeses in olive oil with herbs, to serve right away or keep for a bit.
 
Sage walnuts (12 ounce jar/8 ounce jar)
Crispy, herbed nuts, equally suitable for midnight snacks and festive cheese boards.
 
Cranberry upside-down cake (a cake feeding about 6, or one feeding about 3)
We have a crush on this cake, and we think you will, too. For surprise guests, or breakfast, as you like.
 
Extras this week include our own addictive little rye caraway crisps, Nuthouse granola, and Morell’s rosemary bread, as well as elements from our Gift collection, while they last.
 
Finally, a reminder that we are offering platters for holiday parties this season, for pickup or delivery.
 
A very warm and joyful season to you! We’ll see you soon.
 
All our best,
Jennifer & Laura

Holiday Platters

We are offering a brand new thing this season: platters of beautiful food for your holiday gatherings, available throughout December (you can even get them for New Year’s Eve). We will deliver them to you just as we would a crate, but on reuseable platters, on the day of your party. The menu ranges from crispy sage walnuts and small-batch cheese platters to stews, salads, hand pies and cookies.
 
A menu with prices is here; you can call us to place an order for your party, or fill out the order form and send it by email.
 
We recommend the platters for small to medium gatherings, up to about 50 people; if you have more people than that, get in touch with us and we’ll make a custom proposal for your event!

Wishing you a warm and happy season,
Jennifer & Laura
 

faithandfir

Winter Gifts, 2015

We have a wonderful gift collection for you this year, which we’ll give in a reuseable wooden produce basket, wrapped in cheesecloth and tied with red and white twine. You can give it as is, divide it up among your dearests, or simply serve everything to guests, making every gathering around your table extra delicious.
 
There is nothing perishable in the gift collection this year, so feel free to take it with you on car trips and airplanes, or even to send it in the mail.
 
How to get it?
 
They will be available throughout the month of December: you can always pick up during business hours at our kitchen, and we’ll deliver them in San Francisco on December 10 and 17, between 5:00 and 7:30. Can you order one for a friend and have us deliver to them in San Francisco? Oh yes, you can. Have a request for a different pickup or delivery time? Get in touch with us! Individual elements are also available.

​
 
What’s in it?
 
Fruitcake, one pound

2015 marks the 10th year that Jennifer and Laura have been baking fruitcake as a holiday tradition; every year is a little different. This year: dried peaches and apricots from Knoll Farms, French prunes from Filigreen, wild black walnuts from Wine Forest, Germain Robin brandy, St. George spiced pear liqueur, all in our signature light batter. You might say that we outdid ourselves. Note: no children were involved in the production of this fruitcake.
 
Fig mostarda, 12 ounce jar
With Knoll Farms figs, grapefruit, and mustard, this singular sweet-tart mostarda elevates everything from cheese and charcuterie to a roasted vegetable sandwich.
 
Woodsy salt 2015, 4 ounce jar
Our woodsy salt is becoming a tradition, and we’ve been talking about this year’s version for some weeks. French grey sea salt, Douglas Fir, juniper, long pepper, bay, and cubeb pepper will brighten your stews and warm your heart.
 
Pickled chanterelle mushrooms, 8 ounce jar
Wild, beautiful chanterelles from the forest, pickled with champagne vinegar, vermouth, shallots, juniper, and thyme.
 
Chestnuts in honey, 8 ounce jar
Something new for this year: roasted chestnuts from Inzana Ranch in Hughson, in eucalyptus honey from Bee Love in Santa Rosa. Simply that. The honey flavors the chestnuts, the chestnuts flavor the honey. Beauty.
 
Winter tea spice, 8 ounce jar
A careful mix of 14 spices and roots and peels and petals add up to a gorgeous mulling spice for wine or cider, or a warming chai-style tea.
 
Order the complete collection
Order by element
 
We wish you a happy and delicious holiday season this year.
 
All our best,
Jennifer & Laura

Thanksgiving 2015

New: updated with earlier pickup times! 

We are excited to announce our 2015 Thanksgiving crate, available now for pre-order!
 
We feel Thanksgiving deeply: everyone around the table, a memory-evoking feast, gratitude for it all. This food is the expression of that; we hope it adds beauty and meaning to your day.
 
This crate is our version of a complete Thanksgiving feast, enough for six to eight people, or four with generous leftovers. It will take an hour or two to heat everything, cook the green beans and bake the pies, but is otherwise completely prepared.
 
We are only making a limited number of these, so if you want one, you will want to act fast, as they say. If you have ordered from us in the past, you may want to read the details for this one, as there are some differences. We will offer one size of the crate in traditional, vegetarian, and vegan versions. Each element is also available individually, so you can make your own menu or add to your crate if, for instance, you are avoiding gluten, or you need extra gravy to make your dad’s famous open-faced leftover turkey sandwiches.


 
The crate will be available on Wednesday, November 25 (the day before Thanksgiving), for pickup from our kitchen in Berkeley from 9:00 am to 7:30 pm. We’ll deliver in San Francisco from 4:00 to 7:30 pm, with a $100 minimum order. If you have questions about pickup or delivery, or special requests, please get in touch with us--we'd love to make it work for you if we can!
 
Finally, the menu:
 
BN Ranch heritage turkey: roasted breast with bread stuffing, smoked quince-glazed wing, and confit leg (half of an 18-20 pound turkey, included in the traditional version)
These turkeys are a perfect example of how the most humane practices result in the most astonishingly delicious food. BN Ranch heritage birds have real flavor, and real fat. We’re giving them to you two ways: the breast will be brined and stuffed with a beautifully classic bread stuffing (you can order more stuffing, if you like), and we will confit the leg in duck and turkey fat.
 
Squash stuffed with rice, dried figs, roasted shallots (six portions, vegan and without gluten, included in the vegetarian and vegan versions)
These will be either halves of baby squashes or quarters of larger ones, with a decadent, vegan, breadless stuffing. Extra stuffing is available, and you can also order additional stuffed squash, by the pair.
 
Root vegetable gratin with cream and sage (24 ounce jar, vegetarian, no gluten)
After turkey, this is the first thing we start thinking about as Thanksgiving approaches: celery root, winter squash and potatoes, cooked in cream with garlic and sage. So simple, so good.
 
Dry farmed mashed potatoes (24 ounce jar, vegetarian, no gluten)
David Little’s Yukon Gold potatoes, milk, butter, and salt. The platonic ideal.
 
Roasted sweet potatoes, maple, black walnuts (24 ounce jar, vegan, no gluten)
We’re pretty excited about these black walnuts from Connie Green, and can’t wait to eat these caramel-edged sweet potatoes.
 
Handmade brown turkey gravy (pint jar, contains gluten and dairy)
Rich, brown, and saucy, as it should be. If you are a person who likes paler, thicker gravy, you can add a light, thick roux to this to get it the way you like.
 
Roasted brussels sprouts (1 pound, no gluten, vegan)
Kept simple with olive oil and herbs as a foil for richer dishes, but open to brown butter and lemon, or your signature finish.
 
Best of season lettuces (12 ounces, vegan)
We’re already plotting about salad greens. They will be special.
 
Pomegranate seeds (8 ounce jar, vegan) and sherry vinaigrette (4 ounce jar, vegan)
Elegant bits for your salad.
 
Fried shallots (4 ounce jar, vegan, no gluten)
To finish your salad, green bean casserole, or brussels sprouts, if you don’t accidentally eat them out of the jar.

Condensed maitake and crimini mushrooms in cream (8 ounce jar, vegetarian, contains gluten)
With dried porcinis and cream, earthy and rich; you may remember a similar version from last year.
 
Fresh local pole beans (12 ounces, vegan)
Cook these simply, or use the mushrooms and shallots to make a spectacular version of the casserole.
 
Cranberry sauce (8 ounce jar, vegan)
Kept classic, with sugar and citrus.
 
Compound butter: sage, parsley, citrus, chive (6 ounces, vegetarian)
This is a wonderful little magic trick for basting the turkey breast, stuffed squashes, brussels sprouts, or anything that needs to be more delicious. You can also serve it with bread at the table, add it to your leftovers sandwich, or even have it on toast in the days to come.
 
Ready to bake apple pie (one 9-inch pie, contains gluten and butter)
Three pounds of apples and an all-butter double crust, given frozen, ready to make your house smell amazing.
 
Pumpkin pie kit (one quart of filling and one crust. The filling contains dairy, and the crust contains gluten).
Like last year, the dough will come rolled up, ready to be fitted into your pie pan. You can make ice cream from the filling, instead, if you like.
 
Turkey bone broth (24 ounce jar)
A kickstart to your soup of leftover turkey, or a path to more gravy.

Order your crate
 
More elements available to add to your feast include:
 
Extra bread stuffing (quart jar, contains turkey broth and bread)
Morell’s Full Belly wheat and country breads, with the essentials: carrot, onion, celery, sage, chestnuts, broth, butter.

Extra rice stuffing (quart jar, vegan and breadless)
With Knoll Farms figs and roasted shallots.
 
Pickled green beans
Our own little dears.
 
Pickled French prunes
Sweet and sharp, wonderful with cheese.
 
Morell’s country bread
Naturally leavened, truly wonderful bread from Eduardo and Tamsen.

Thank you for supporting Potliquor! We'll see you soon.

All our best, 
Jennifer & Laura