My love affair with jarred black bean sauce.

Can you believe this is the female part of a tomato plant?

Toast your Valentine with this lovely, blush-pink sparkler.

Dungeness crab stars in dishes throughout the Bay Area.

What do you get when you cross orange zest, orange liqueur and copious amounts of almond paste? These dainty macaroons.

My updated, healthier version of sweet & sour pork — on the grill.

A three-course meal with a romantic view of the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean. All for just $45.

A favorite chocolate company introduces new coffees that taste like your favorite truffles.

“Top Chef” contestant Laurine Wickett cooks two special dinners this weekend in SF.

This little piggy is going to “Pigs and Pinot,” the food-wine extravaganza put on each year by Chef Charlie Palmer.

It looks innocent enough, but this is 106 proof.

A new bakery opens in N. California with the surprise of “golden tickets” hidden inside cupcakes that are redeemable for fab prizes.

Coi’s Daniel Patterson and Manresa’s David Kinch team up for an extraordinary dinner to benefit the Bocuse D’Or’s USA foundation.

Apple muffins made with an heirloom apple that’s widely available for the first time.

A gnarly looking fruit to discover.

Can you really make potato chips in the microwave? Oh, yes, you can. And they’re fantastic!

My very favorite bowl of noodles — for very personal reasons.

Tangerine beer. Say what?

Award-winning Pastry Chef Emily Luchetti’s lovely, luscious lemon bars.

The country’s oldest, most expensive cheddar.

Fleurir’s intensely flavored Grand Marnier Orange Blossom bonbon.