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Butternut squash gratin

Her love for gratin dishes started at age 15, when Alethea Harper spent a summer abroad in central France. Her host mother, Annie, was a “genius” in the kitchen and one of her dishes was Gratin Dauphinois, which pairs thinly sliced potatoes with cheese. In the U.S. this French dish is commonly known as scalloped potatoes or potatoes au gratin. Harper insists that her gratin could never be as good as her host mothers. “Somehow her potatoes would just melt…

Jean Quan embraces “underdog” status in mayor’s race: “I’m not intimidated”

Jean Quan will be the first to admit she is not expected to win next year’s Oakland mayor’s race. But she’s also the first to say her chances are better than a lot of people think. “I have, in every race I’ve run in, been outspent and have been the underdog,” Quan said in a phone interview. “I’m not intimidated.” An Oakland City Council member since 2003, Quan issued a press release in mid-September announcing her decision to form an…