Kathleen Hill: Pies, Spam and tuna

Food news from around the Valley.|

Pies and π

Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter; its name and symbol derived from the lowercase Greek letter π, sometimes spelled out as pi.

If you remember that part of math, go ahead and figure it out – but the only pie diameters we're interested this season are for the ones with an 'e' at the end.

Basically, most holiday pies, and most pies for that matter, are nine inches in diameter. (Unless you get big ones at Costco or somewhere similar.)

This Christmas we have more bakeries creating interesting holiday desserts, with some who previously made them dropping out of the pie-making scene.

Ramekins is not making pies for Christmas this year. And Teen Services' Lovin' Oven will not make pies as they do at Thanksgiving, but are making cookies to gift to members and volunteers, who are also making the hundreds of cookies.

Here are a few local holiday desserts and their bakers:

Jen Demarest, with vast baking and pastry experience via the family's Harvest Moon Café among other top restaurants, will make almond cranberry star bread, chocolate chestnut roulade, apple cranberry pie and a 6-inch chocolate peppermint layer cake ($23 to $38) for the holiday. All orders must be pre-paid by Dec. 18. Order at Demarest's booth at the Friday farmers market near Depot Park or via Jenharvestmoon@gmail.com. Pick up at Harvest Moon Café Sunday, Dec. 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Jen and Nick Demarest have hired Kevin Lely to remodel the former Rocket space on Highway 12 in the Springs into their Baker & Cook bakery, café and retail shop, hopefully to be ready in two months. Lely now specializes in restaurant remodels and oversaw the recent Mint and Liberty renovations.

Crisp Bakeshop, Andrea Koweek's establishment, is now part of the Girl & the Fig. Koweek was Sonoma's breakout baker and now offers even better goodies such a Bûche de Noel, a White Christmas Cake, Derby Pie, Sonoma Apple Pie, pumpkin cheesecake, petite eggnog cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes and chocolate chunk sea salt cookies. Pies and cakes $36 to $50; cookies and cupcakes $12 for four to six pieces. Order by 6 p.m. on Dec. 19 at figcaters.com, click on crisp bakeshop; pick up at the Rhône Room Dec. 22 and 23 noon to 5 p.m. and Dec. 24 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 20816 Broadway, Sonoma.

Honey & the Moon is located within the Mint and Liberty restaurant and creates a Chocolate Stump Cake with bittersweet chocolate frosting and meringue mushrooms, 9-inch double crust fruit pie and bourbon pecan, pumpkin chili and chocolate cream pies. ($42 to $80). Order via melissa@sonomasunflower.com by Dec. 22. Pick up Sunday, Dec. 23 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or Monday, Dec. 24 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. 19101 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma. Co-owner Melissa Cameron says they will host a bake sale on Dec. 23 for those who didn't get an order in on time or just want to grab something last minute; 10 a.m. until they run out.

Les Pascals in Glen Ellen will take orders for a variety of traditional Bûches de Noel in the authentic French style, packaged in special boxes the owners brought from France during a recent trip.

They'll offer croquembouche, a beautifully decorated pyramid of choux (delicate pastry) filled with pastry cream and dipped in hard caramel sugar; Christmas apple tarts, hand cut and filled in the shape of a Christmas tree; specialty candies from Lyon, ribboned boxes of macarons, and meringue snowmen.

The shop will also have lots of holiday goodies in case you forgot to order.

Order by 6 p.m. Dec. 22 at 934-8378. Closed Wednesdays. New hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. 3758 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen.

Scandia Bakery will have pumpkin, apple, cherry, French apple, and pecan pies ($15.95 to 20.95) in addition to its always great 'snails,' or Danish pastries. Order by Dec. 22 at 938-5820. 500 W. Napa St. near Sonoma Market or scandiabakery.com.

Sweet Pea Bakeshop, Sonoma's brand new bakery that makes fabulous croissants (crispy on the outside, perfect inside), will offer an 8-inch chocolate peppermint cake filled with candy cane infused buttercream to look like a candy cane; chocolate pecan pie – a classic pecan pie filled with dark chocolate chunks and drizzled with chocolate; a tiramisu Bûche de Noel vanilla cake with marsala espresso simple syrup, mascarpone and chocolate ganache filling; and holiday macarons in eggnog, peppermint bark and gingerbread fillings. $25 to $55. Order in person, by phone at 934-8797 or at info@sweetpeanapa.com. Pick up Christmas Eve from 7 a.m. to noon. 720 W. Napa St., Sonoma.

Tuna tanks while Spam surges

According to the producers of both canned tuna and Spam, sales of canned tuna have tanked while sales of Spam have surged.

Speculation as to why these trends have occurred simultaneously is that people are concerned about mercury in tuna and suggestions that millennials don't own can openers, while Spam does not require a can opener because it has a pull tab on top.

While I confess that I collect flavors of Spam, just out of curiosity, my can of 'Oven Roasted Turkey Spam – Made with 100 percent white lean turkey' (I guess they can't say 'turkey breast) also contains turkey broth, salt, modified potato starch, sugar, dextrose and sodium nitrite. Each 2-ounce serving also contains 520 milligrams of sodium, and since there are 12 ounces per can, that would make six servings.

While its 'best by' date is September 2020, my can is actually bulging at the bottom, so I might take it out to the garage and record its explosion date. Turkey Spam for Christmas?

'The Bite Goes On' podcast launches

Never one to gather any moss, restaurateur and local philanthropist Sondra Bernstein just launched a weekly podcast called 'The Bite Goes On' via the Radio Misfits Podcast Network Family.

Sonoma-based 'The Winemakers,' which features John Myers, Sam Coturri and Brian Casey, all of whom have appeared on Sonoma's community radio station KSVY, was the inspiration for Bernstein's new project.

In fact, Brian Casey joins Bernstein in this new endeavor.

Bernstein is the owner of the Girl & The Fig restaurant in Sonoma, the Fig Café & Wine Bar in Glen Ellen, the Fig Rig food truck, Suite D and Girl & the Fig Catering on Schellville Road and the Rhône Room on Broadway.

Having graduated with a degree in photography from the Philadelphia College of Art, Bernstein accidentally kicked off her career in food as a server at a TGI Fridays in Bala Cynwyd on Pennsylvania's Main Line.

Bernstein says she discovered her love for the restaurant business at TGI Fridays, and went on to opening several other TGI Fridays in various locations, landing in Sonoma more than 25 years ago to work at the first incarnation of Viansa Winery.

At Viansa, Bernstein met local chef John Toulze, now president of the Girl & the Fig, and together they have built one of Sonoma's larger employers.

Brian Casey grew up in Sonoma and around food.

He started as a dishwasher at age 15 and eventually moved to San Francisco to work almost 10 years for Kimpton hotels and Four Seasons hotels, traveled throughout Europe learning cooking styles and methods and wine pairing.

He came back to Sonoma and worked at Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen and became a sommelier and then wine director at the Girl & the Fig, and now as assistant sommelier at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn's Santé restaurant.

On 'The Bite Goes On' podcast, Bernstein and Casey will tell all sorts of food stories through guests such as chef John Ash, Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo Beans, Preston Raisin of Sonoma Broadway Farms, Susan and Jeff Mall of Volo Chocolates. (Disclosure: this writer will appear monthly as a culinary historian.)

Check out the podcasts on iTunes, Google Play, Blubrry, Stitcher, Tunein, and Spotify.

Correction

We misspelled the name of the new restaurant to replace Shiso Modern Asian Kitchen in Maxwell Village shopping center – the restaurant will be called Shige Sushi. The owners, originally from Japan, also have a Shige restaurant in Cotati.

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