summer bliss

Labor Day has come and gone... but I can't stop thinking about the great food I ate all across America this summer!!

Early morning beignets in New Orleans.... lunchtime muffaletta (best sandwich of my life)!



Red beans and rice, shrimp poboys--as Ina would say, "how bad can that be? Jumping up to the Northeast, say hello to farms full of peaches, tomatoes and blueberries... all make cooking and baking so effortless.

Lucky for me, friends and family are good cooks---Dennis on the crab boil, Mia on the grilled pizza!

Then there's me.... a happy to have a full plate, a glass of wine and a jigsaw puzzle. Not letting go of summer yet!

baking from the farmer's market

  

I love teaching baking at Della Fattoria in Petaluma because the fruit is straight from the farmer's market-- fresh, seasonal, and best of all-- it's ripe! The Webers, who own the bakery/cafe, sell their amazing bread at two farmer's markets a week, and return to the kitchen with a van full of beautiful produce.

Shortcakes! Who can resist luscious berries, whipped cream and a sweet, flaky biscuit? The class also made hand-pies, one of the "new" pastries showing up on menus (everything old is new again!)

Everyone wants to learn to bake pies right now--and I have such a easy technique for flaky crust that never fails! 

Nectarine Cobbler... Apricot Upside-Down Cake.... it's hard to stop baking when the fruit is so beautiful!

channeling my inner martha

In the beautiful world of pastry, so many things entice me...French macarons, brioche, tarts, mousses and meringues... and one always sits squarely at the bottom of my list--cake decorating.
You either love it or you hate it. You know where I stand.
So when a client asked for six dozen decorated Easter cookies, I smiled bravely and said "but of course!"

I baked the cookies (no prob)... mixed up quarts of royal icing (piece of cake)... then looked for divine intervention.

The mistress of all things cute answered my call. Martha.
She gave me strength to dig out those tips, fill those pastry bags and get to work.
I decided to dip the eggs for a smooth look... so far, so good.

Then it was time to build-a-bunny... and I went into production mode.

A little toothpick art for the spring butterflies..... and I was actually having fun.

Then Mia wanted to join team for the Olympic event of piping-and-flooding chicks and eggs.. followed by wet-on-wet dots, beaks and eyes. We needed a few glasses of wine after that one .

At the end of the day, I have to admit that although I felt like a preschool teacher with a spring art project (missed that glitter, though!), it was fun in a goofy sort of way. I have nothing but admiration for people who decorate so effortlessly... and beautifully. As for me, I'm dying to get my paws on some bread dough!

ode to asparagus

Asparagus is one of those less-is-more vegetables. Buy beautiful, bright green spears with tightly closed tips--thick or thin, whichever you like--then don't mess around with them too much so their delicious, grassy flavor really shines.

Here's my go-to method for preparing asparagus, which also happens to be the world's easiest recipe (how convenient!)
 Preheat your oven to 400F. Trim off the tough ends of a bunch of asparagus. Put them on a baking sheet. Drizzle them with a nice amount of olive oil, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, then roll them around so all sides are coated and they're laying in a single layer. Roast for about 8-10 minutes,  until they're as done as you like them. My test of doneness is when the tip of a paring knife can easily pierce the asparagus, but you may like them crunchier or softer. Take the sheet of asparagus out of the oven and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, rolling them around until they're coated. That's it!
If your grill is hot, you can also grill the oil-coated asparagus and finish them the same way.

Roasted asparagus (with or without the balsamic) are delicous tossed with hot pasta with a little more olive oil and some shaved parmesan. Or do like the Italians and place 4-5 spears on a plate and top with an over-easy egg... dipping the spears into the yolk for the perfect sauce. I had that dish in someone's home in Florence 30 years ago (yes, my best memories always involve food...) and I've never forgotten it!

she's gotta have 'em

This is the time of year when I am absolutely tomato-starved. I've spent all winter opening cans of San Marzanos--which are good for that soup or stew, sure.... but what I really want is to bite into a sun-warmed tomato with that unmistakable flavor and fragrance of summer.
So, in the meantime, I've come up with this plan--roasted cherry tomatoes, tossed with one of my all time favorite vegetables, fennel.

Roasting both of these vegetables brings out their natural sweetness and concentrates their flavors.
This is a very quick side dish, delicious with a lovely piece of pan-roasted fish or chicken, but I also love it as a vegetarian main dish--just add some cannellini beans and a little shaving of parmesan.
One pan.. stove to oven... perfect!

Roasted Tomatoes and Fennel

• 2 large fennel bulbs with fronds attached
•  1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes
• 4 large fresh thyme sprigs
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ tsp dried crushed red pepper

   Preheat oven to 425°F. Trim fennel bulbs and cut each bulb into 1/2-inch-wide wedges, leaving some core attached to each wedge.
   Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, then add fennel wedges in single layer and sprinkle with salt. Cook until fennel begins to brown and soften, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Add tomatoes, thyme, garlic, and crushed red pepper, season with salt and pepper, folding together gently.

   Transfer skillet to oven. Bake fennel and tomatoes until soft, about 20 minutes.   Serve warm or at room temperature.
Yield: 6 servings (adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe)

if life gives you lemons....

The only saving grace of the cold, wet weather we've been having is when the sun finally peeks through, I can feast my eyes on a miraculous sight--a tree full of Eureka lemons in my front yard and a tree full of Meyer lemons in my backyard.
OK, the Meyers aren't really mine... but isn't there some rule about if it hangs over your fence you're allowed to eat it?

So I fill buckets with lemons, promise myself I'm going to be a good girl and juice them and freeze them. Instead, I make a big jar of lemonade and this killer and incredibly easy chicken recipe, full of lemons, thyme and rosemary (for the recipe, look under September on this blog for a post called Perfect Fall Chicken ). 

If I'm in the mood for something sweet (like every day...), I take all that lovely lemon juice and zest and make these Lemon and White Chocolate Mousse Parfaits with fresh Strawberries, a recipe I saw in Bon Appetit Magazine and tweaked a little.  Yes, it takes a minute. You make a lemon curd (with any kind of lemon you like), a little white chocolate ganache, whip a little cream, and dice up some berries. Layer the mousses in a pretty glass, and it's guaranteed to make you forget it's still winter!

Lemon and White Chocolate Mousse Parfaits with Strawberries

• 5 large egg yolks

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

• 4 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
• Pinch of salt

• 1/4 cup plus 2 2/3 cups chilled heavy whipping cream

• 1 3.5-ounce bar white chocolate, chopped

• 5 cups diced strawberries (about 2 pounds)


Whisk egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt in medium metal bowl to blend. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until mixture is thickens but doesn’t boil, about 6 minutes. Pour through a strainer into a clean bowl and cool to room temperature. This is your lemon mousse base.


Combine 1/4 cup cream and white chocolate in another medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir constantly until chocolate is melted. Remove bowl from over water and cool to room temperature. This is your white chocolate mousse base.


Beat remaining 2 2/3 cups cream in large bowl until firm peaks form. Divide whipped cream between both mousse bases, folding in 1 cup at a time (about 3 cups for each).


Make layers of white chocolate mousse, strawberries, and lemon mousse in 8 parfait glasses or wineglasses; Spoon strawberries over top of each parfait, if desired, and serve.


Yield: 8 servings

whole lotta baking goin' on!

Wow--if ever there was a season of baking for me, it's been this fall and winter!
I've had the pleasure of teaching enthusiastic students in Marin, Emeryville and Sacramento and have loved every minute of it!




It's so great to see people "get it"--whether it's how to make a flaky pie crust or a fluffy buttercream.

I also love getting emails about how students are using the new techniques they've learned at home and getting rave reviews!

Mile-high Lemon Meringue Pie at a Thanksgiving Baking Class.... a classic Fresh Fruit Tart at a Pie and Tart Class.. or Lemon Currant Scones and Blueberry Muffins at a Breakfast Class....
To quote Martha.... It's all good!