In and Out of the Garden: A Blog

In this blog I hope to venture in and out of the garden as I write about food, travel and, of course, my garden itself.

I love to cook and have years of experience as a completely self-taught, fully amateur cook for family and friends, or as I like to call them, the ever willing victims of my experiments. My cooking has been influenced by several trips to Italy, several stints with vegetarianism and an addiction to television cooking shows stemming back to my childhood when Julia Child’s “The French Chef” aired on the same station as Sesame Street.

I recently joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at Fairview Gardens. It is a simple but brilliant concept. Consumers pay upfront for a portion of the harvest. Each week I pick up an assortment of organic, freshly picked, seasonal fruits and vegetables. It varies each week and the surprise of it all has really influenced the way I cook and eat. I’m looking forward to sharing the recipes and ideas that the CSA experience has given me in this blog. And I encourage you to seek out the CSAs in your area and consider joining one.

As for my own little garden, it has felt a little neglected since I’m enjoying Fairview Garden tomatoes instead of planting my own this year. But my herb bed is thriving and the grapes are filling in the arbor, so it is still my favorite refuge and outdoor room. So, in or out of the garden, let the blog begin.

For the 4th of July I decided to try making a raspberry pie. I wanted to do something with just fruit so that I could make some lavender creme Anglaise to go with it. This pie turned out to be exactly what I was hoping it would be. It's a light fruit tart with intense raspberry flavor but not too much sweetness. I served it with a little pool of the lavender creme Anglaise and that was exactly the sweetness and creaminess it needed to offset all that berry flavor. It turned out great, though I think next time I would use a little half and half in the creme Anglaise. I used only whole milk and it is a little on the thin side. But it is still delicious. And now for the recipe...

I got a wonderful supply of produce this week from Fairview Gardens where I am a member of their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. I have become quite the fan of these programs. Not only do they enable you to support your local, organic farmers, but you get the benefit of really tasty and fresh produce. I look forward each week to the email that tells us what they are expecting to harvest that week.

This week my share consisted of: arugula, green beans, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, basil, dill, mandarins, strawberries and lots of peaches. I’ve already used up the green beans and some of the strawberries, zucchini, arugula and basil. And today I have plans for the peaches. I think something simple like a Peach Crumble - basically pie without the crust. I really like an Alice Waters recipe for a Comice Pear Crisp and I think it can be modified just slightly to make a delicious Peach Crisp. Stay tuned for how it turns out.

The other night I got a wonderful opportunity to participate in a class taught at Cook It School. Their guest instructor was a woman I had long wanted to meet, Judy Witts Francini, the proprietress of Divina Cucina, a cooking school in Florence. Known as Diva on the Slow Travel Message Board, Judy is a wealth of knowledge about food and Florence (her home since 1984). Judy’s cooking emphasizes the importance of marketing — finding all the wonderful local, seasonal products that are the hallmark of her classic, Tuscan cooking. Nothing could be more compatible with my own style of cooking, so I was sure that this class would be just the thing to inspire me.

The evening’s menu featured a delicious summer dinner of Grilled, Marinated Eggplant, Almond, Artichoke and Olive Pesto on bread, Panzanella Salad, Fregola* with Clam and Zucchini Sauce, Pollo al Mattone, and for dessert we had a lovely Panna Cotta.

The class was held in a commercial kitchen with plenty of space to set up stations for people to participate in the cooking. But most of the time all eyes were on Judy. She has the kind of personality and style that would translate well to her own television show. Her warm, outgoing and enthusiastic nature is combined with a comfortable and capable expertise in the kitchen. She gave us some really interesting and simple tips.

For instance, it never before occurred to me to harvest the pollen of the wild fennel that grows here as a common roadside weed. But Judy did just that to add an extra note of flavor to the chicken. She said to pick the floweres when they're nice and yellow, then dry them (hang in a dry place or use the microwave). The little yellow grains of pollen have nice spicy anise smell to them. They both look and smell like summer.**

Judy also immersed herself in the Santa Barbara marketing scene - picking up fresh produce at the Farmer’s Market, cheese from C’est Cheese and fish from the Harbor. Before she even began cooking she discussed all the ingredients and the importance of finding quality ingredients for your cooking.

I spent a lovely day with Georgia, the daughter of my dear friend. Georgia is almost five and, in fact, her birthday is one day after my own. I tried telling her that that made me one day older than she was, but I don't think she bought it. She's a very clever little girl, but she did learn about at least one thing during her day with me.

Ants on a Log
I don't have a lot of kid friendly recipes up my sleeve, so when I thought about what to make Georgia for lunch, I thought I would do at least one thing that was familiar — ants on a log. Hasn't everyone had this childhood favorite of celery with peanut butter inside the groove and topped with raisins? Well, apparently I was the lucky one to introduce this delicacy to Georgia. First I had her guess what the ingredients were. I told her about the peanut butter, she was able to guess the raisins, but the celery was something new to her. She liked the way it crunched and was actually quite happy to eat the celery by itself before I was able to add the other ingredients. But once she tried the completed dish, she was sold. She thought it was the best part of our lunch.

So, not that it really requires a recipe, but if you really want the technique, here goes:

Several ribs of celery, trimmed in 5 inch or so lengths
Peanut butter
Raisins

1. Fill the groove neatly with the peanut butter. Top with raisins set in a row. Serve.

I didn't get a good picture of the finished pieces, but you can see one on this shot of our lunch plate:

The anticlimactic rest of the lunch consisted of a lovely chicken salad with red grapes and pecans served in a radicchio cup, as well as a colorful cabbage slaw of red cabbage, carrots, scallions, apple and sunflower seeds.

Dessert was a hit, though. We made fresh peach ice cream with some tiny Nutella panini along the side. While we ate dessert we watched Georgia's favorite movie, Barbie Mermaidia which, as Netflix describes, is "an enchanting undersea adventure in this animated follow-up to Fairytopia." So, I guess I learned quite a few things about fairies and little girls from my day spent with Georgia. And I'm looking forward to the next time I see her.

Above is the produce that I picked up today at Fairview Gardens. This week we received a large head of lettuce, tomatoes, a cucumber, zucchini, green beans, basil, sage, plums, nectarines and lots of peaches. Everything is very freshly picked and ripe.

I'm not sure how all CSAs work, but at Fairview Gardens we pick up the produce at the farm itself and it's self serve. When you walk up you give your name and they check you off the list. You can sign up for either a full share or a half share. I have the half share and so far it has been just the right amount for me and my husband. All the produce is set up on long tables, and they put up a couple of boards with the produce and the amount you are to take. There are bags and scales. It's really pretty easy and everyone is friendly and helpful. If there is something that you don't want that week, you can put it on the free table. And if there's anything there that someone else left, you are welcome to take it.

I also like the fact that the regular produce stand is adjacent to the pickup area, so if you want to buy any additional produce, it's convenient (and 10% off for CSA members). This is my first year as a member of the Fairview Gardens CSA, and so far it has been a great experience.

I collect old cookbooks. I have somewhere between 70 and 80 and they are mostly from the 1940s and earlier. One of these days I really should round them all up (they are divided up between three bookcases) and document each one and put them in a spreadsheet or something really efficient like that. But in the meantime (and it could be a very long time), I do like to browse through them every so often.

It started when I was in college. After taking a class on films of the 1940s, I became interested in the role of women during World War II and what everyday life was like for them. When I came across a cookbook from the 40s in a used book store, it occurred to me that this was just the perfect glimpse into what life was like. How people cook, what they eat, how they entertain and serve their meals are all critical facets of people’s lives. So, I bought a book here or there when I came across them. Once I started looking, I realized that the ones from the 30s and even earlier were just as fascinating, so the scope of the collection grew.

I love the design of some of the books — the classic typography, the funny little illustrations or the antique looking photographs. I especially like the chatty tone that some of them have when they are giving household tips or entertaining tips. The household tips might be something along the lines of how to use an electric ice box — the types of foods that should or should not be put in one. The entertaining tips might be how to serve a dinner with just one maid, or even with no maid at all!

Above is the produce that I picked up today at Fairview Gardens. This week we received a large head of lettuce, basil, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, 2 cucumbers, green beans, edamame, potatoes, carrots, 2 melons and some plums. The edamame and the cherry tomatoes were new this week. Tonight for dinner I roasted a couple potatoes and some green beans with just some olive oil, salt and pepper.

I think I may use the cherry tomatoes for a pasta sauce this week. I've been reading a number of recipes for cherry tomato sauces — some for roasting the cherry tomatoes and some for sauteing the cherry tomatoes. They all sound good, so I guess I'll have to just pick a technique and hope that we get cherry tomatoes next week, so I can continue to experiment.

I won't even need a recipe for the edamame — just boil for a few minutes and then sprinkle with coarse salt and serve them as they do in the Japanese restaurants. Now, if we start getting edamame every week, then I'll branch out and start looking for some things to do with them. As much as I love green beans, I've had them for quite a few weeks in a row. I am getting bored, bored, bored. And I don't think you can sneak them into cake batter the way you can with zucchini. So, I am in search of new and interesting things to do with green beans. I may have to resort to pickling. I may have to resort to using a recipe of Emeril's. He has a Lemon Rosemary Pickled Green Bean recipe, that he uses for his Bloody Mary recipe, that looks pretty amazing. I am tempted.

I had a little dinner party last night and when I say little I mean there were just three of us — my two neighbors (Harriet and Alan) and me. These two neighbors of mine are really quite a bit more than neighbors. They are dear friends and we count on them for so many things, including the sharing of many meals. Last night was one of those spontaneous dinners. I had all my lovely produce from Fairview and my husband was out of town, so I asked Harriet if they would come over and help me eat some of it. I have to say that it was Harriet who did most of the work. She picked up some delicious proscitto from C'est Cheese and we used that to make a very simple and rustic starter of Prosciutto e Melone.

She also made the gorgeous rustic pasta, which we tossed with some yellow cherry tomatoes that had been lightly sauteed in a little olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes, and we sprinkled a little grated Parmesan over the whole works. Harriet also made a variation on one of her signature dishes. She topped a slice of mozzarella with a slice of tomato spread with a little of her delicious homemade pesto. These are simply put on a baking sheet and broiled for a few minutes. Sometimes she puts this on top of a slice of bread, but in this case we had it without. Absolutely delicious. And for our protein, I made the wonderful chicken dish (Pollo al Mattone) that I learned from Judy at the cooking class that I went to in July (see blog entry).

It was a delicious combination of flavors and a wonderful meal. The wine we had with dinner was a 2005 Montepulciano d' Abruzzo by Pirovano that was extremely good. For dessert I took the easy route and served chocolate ice cream "affogato" — drowned with a shot of espresso. By this time we were having so much fun that I forgot to take a picture of dessert. So, I guess the only thing nicer than the meal was the conversation and company of my dear friends.

Here's the latest batch of produce that I picked up from Fairview Gardens. It included: lettuce, collard greens, basil, cilantro, 4 ears of corn, carrots, a cucumber, yellow cherry tomatoes, lemons, 2 melons and a watermelon. I felt I really had to post another photo of my CSA produce after seeing Kim's porn CSA veggies. And it was thanks to Kim that I got interested in joining a CSA... little did I know what her CSA was like!

Anyway, it is the first corn and the first watermelon that we have received this season. I already have a watermelon salad that is tried and true. So, now I'll have to look around for a corn chowder recipe.

Our houseguest bought us this beautiful bouquet of flowers at the Farmer's Market. We were there this morning picking up a few things for tonight. I'm planning a veggie feast. I've already made the soup - Yukon Gold Potato, Yellow Squash and Corn Soup. Now I'm going to head into the kitchen and start on dessert - something with peaches and raspberries. Stay tuned.

Last night was my first time hosting our dinner group. About a year ago our dinner group formed with a total of 4 couples and the idea that we would each host a dinner once a year. So each quarter we get together for big feast. The host picks a theme and does the main course, the other couples rotate between bringing appetizer, dessert and cheese course. It works amazingly well.

So, for my turn I picked a Tuscan theme and did ravioli in a sage butter sauce for the first course and Judy’s Pollo al Mattone for the second course along with spinaci and white beans. One couple brought a beautiful plate of appetizers (including an amazing thing with figs that had me begging for the recipe). Another couple brought a gorgeous fig tart for dessert and another couple brought the cheese platter (complete with little banners and detailed descriptions of the cheeses!). The thing is, we had such a good time eating and socializing that we pretty much failed in the act taking any pictures of the food.

I did manage this photo as I was setting the table that somewhat shows the mannikins I used as place cards. The mannikins had little photos of each guest taped to the face, and they held a little candy box. People enjoyed putting the mannikins in various poses throughout the night, and the fun and conversation went well past midnight.

I was just reading an interesting blog called The One Block Diet. Sunset Magazine has embraced the local food movement with an experiment to grow and raise everything they need for a big feast. They have teams of people in five areas: beer, chicken, garden, olive and wine and the blog tracks their progress and their learning curve.

It does remind me that every year about this time I start looking at the olive trees growing at the end of the driveway and I think about picking and curing olives. I have tried before, but I have not had much success. Some years there aren't many olives. One year when there was a big crop, I put them in a brine solution. Unfortunately they didn't stay submerged, and I ended up with a moldy mess. But maybe this year will be different. I will keep an eye on the olives. I seem to remember that they are ripe in late October, early November so I have plenty of time to research curing methods.

I became really interested in eating more of my food from local sources after reading Michael Pollan's The Ominovore's Dilemma and Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. For years I've loved going to our Farmer's Markets, but I found that it was sometimes too easy to skip going. I realized that my diet relied far too much on grocery store produce and unseasonal foods. So this year I joined a CSA, and I haven't looked back. I still enjoy going to the Farmer's Market, but now I have a guarenteed batch of local, seasonal produce every Thursday afternoon. The variety and quality have been good, and I enjoy the fact that I don't really know what I'm going to get that week until I pick it up. The element of surprise is a nice thing.

As for really eating locally and growing my own food, I'm not really set up to do it at this point. I do have a small number of edibles in my garden: grapes, a plum tree, 2 orange trees, 1 dwarf blood orange tree, a tangerine tree, a lemon tree and some peppers. But none of these produce a large crop. I just enjoy even the small amount they are willing to give me. The trees would probably benefit from more water and fertizer than I currently give them. So someday when I have more time for the garden, I would like to have a lime tree and perhaps an avocado tree and a small plot of seasonal vegetables. Of course I would also have to find room for them.

In the meantime I have a number of perennial herbs: sage, rosemary, thyme, lemon verbena, lemon thyme, lemon balm, oregano, chives, winter savory, curry plant, lavendar, and bay. They all are relatively care free. I usually plant at least parsley and basil each season. And so, for now I am happy with my small amount of local produce.

A shot of the curry plant with citrus in the background.

Last weekend we attended a most amazing gathering of people from Slow Travel. It was hosted by Palma and Brad in their beautiful home in Palm Desert. And I have to digress for just a moment and say how much I love the name Palma and the fact that this particular Palma lives in Palm Desert. Palma is also an exceptional cook, a master of entertaining and her love of Italy and all things Italian shows in everything that she does. So, this was a get together that was not to be missed.

We started at about 4:00 on a quite warm afternoon and I don't think we left until 1:30 am or so. What on earth did we do that whole time? Well, eating accounted for a lot of it. Talking was almost continuous and laughter was the glue that held it all together.

After lavish appetizers, we had a leisurely three course sit down dinner and later we had dessert. Every bit of food was delicious and I still cannot get over how amazing those chocolate dipped homemade caramels sprinkled with sea salt were.

And lest you think it was all about eating, let me reassure you that there was quite a bit more going on. Palma performed for us by singing her own words to classic songs, and she was backed up by a group of "slow chicks" adorned with feather boas. There was also a clever "show and tell" game where people brought something Italian in a bag. One of the favorites was Grappa in a Spray Bottle!

But by and large the main purpose of the event was for us to meet old and new friends, so the non-stop talking and laughter was ample evidence that the party was a roaring success. My thanks to Palma and Brad for giving so generously of their time, their hospitality and their friendship.

For more perspectives on the get together, check out Palma's blog, Jerry's blog, Sandi's blog and the Slow Travel Photo Album (that has over 180 photo from the event!). Video footage may be coming soon, I'll keep you posted.

My Halloween treat to myself is that I just signed up with a group called Plow to Porch Organics to have local, organic produce delivered right to my door each week. Ever since the season ended with the CSA that I joined this year (Fairview Gardens), I have been missing a regular supply of good produce. Plow to Porch sounded like just the right solution — and they even deliver!

So today I got my first box of produce, pictured above. It contained: 1 bag of Shepherds salad mix, 2 Granny Smith apples, 1 lb Pixie tangerines, 1 basket of cherry tomatoes, 1 grapefruit, about 7 tiny Persian cucumbers, 1/2 lb green beans, 1 bunch of carrots and 1 head garlic. A perfectly nice assortment of produce, but I have to confess that I’m a little disappointed that there isn’t a pumpkin. It being Halloween and all.

I will console myself with my favorite carrot soup, which is, at least, the appropriate color. I may even get crazy and garnish it this time with some chopped black Kalamata olives. Recipe follows.

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. I am incredibly fortunate to be spending another Thanksgiving with my dear friends, who happen to live next door. There is really nothing like being able to walk to your holiday celebration. It will be a huge feast with fantastic food and lots of friends. We’ll have a couple friends and my brother-in-law staying with us for a few days, so it is about time for me to start getting ready. And since I’m not hosting the big event, I feel compelled to bring plenty of side dishes and desserts, which I'm going to share with all of you in the next few days.

One side dish that my hostess specifically asked for was a Jalapeno Creamed Spinach that I brought last year. This is really a perfect extra side dish for Thanksgiving because it’s green and it’s spicy—a marked contrast to everything else on the table.

The first time I had something like this was at a dinner party over a decade ago with some co-workers. One of the women I worked with (named Laurie) was a really terrific cook, and she was from New Orleans. She made a spicy creamed spinach dish that everyone went crazy over. I always meant to ask her for the recipe, but before I knew it she left the company and went back to New Orleans.

Then I came across a recipe from another Laurie—one of my favorite food writers, Laurie Colwin. It was in her book Home Cooking and it looked very similar to the other Laurie’s recipe. The flavors sounded right, but the ingredients seemed all wrong—evaporated milk, canned jalapenos and frozen spinach. So I had to come up with my own version, which I am now quite happy with.

So, back by popular demand, I give you:

Jalapeño Creamed Spinach

8 cups fresh spinach
1/2 small onion, diced (optional, I’ve left it out for onion hating friends)
1 clove garlic, minced
a couple tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup grated jalepeño jack cheese
a small handful of bread crumbs

1. Steam or saute the spinach. Chop it coarsely and press it to get as much liquid out as possible.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onion (if using) and garlic and then the flour. Whisk the flour into the butter and cook a little, but do not brown. Slowly add the milk, stirring until slightly thickened. Gradually add the cheese, a little at a time, while stirring, and cook just until smooth and melted. Add the spinach and mix to combine thoroughly. Add some salt and a little pepper to taste.

3. Place in a casserole and top with bread crumbs. Bake at 300°, uncovered, for about 45 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Next in my series of Thanksgiving countdown recipes is an Apple Endive Salad. Salad isn’t usually a big hit on the Thanksgiving table. In fact when I was growing up, the only salad you’d see at Thanksgiving was a nasty lime green jello salad with completely unidentifiable things floating in it. I realize that some people have fond childhood memories of certain holiday foods, but for the life of me, I do not understand the appeal of a jello salad. Why is it even called a salad? Bits of canned fruit and possibly mini marshmallows wrapped up in a mass of green jiggly goo are considered a salad? Now, I’m sure some fabulously famous chef will someday reinterpret the jello salad and it will become wildly popular. But until that day, I offer you another option for your Thanksgiving table.

This Apple Endive Salad is beautiful, tasty and easy, and because it doesn’t have greens, it can be dressed and left to sit on the buffet table without turning into a wilted mess. (I think there are some people who wish they had all these attributes!)

Apple Endive Salad

2 tart apples (Jonagolds, Macintosh or your favorite local apples)
Juice of half a lemon
7 Belgian endives
2 stalks of celery
1/2 walnuts (or pecans or your favorite nut)

Dressing:
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1. Core and dice the apples, squeeze some lemon juice over them to keep them from turning brown while you prepare the rest of the salad. Trim the bottoms off the endive and reserve enough of the outer leaves to put in a ring around the platter you are going to serve the salad on. The slice the endive into rings. Dice the celery.

2. Toast the walnuts or other nuts on a cookie sheet in a 300 degree oven for about 3 minutes, or just until lightly brown. Chop them coarsely.

3. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and add salt and pepper to taste.

4. In a large bowl, combine the apples, chopped endive, celery and walnuts and toss with the dressing. Put the salad in the middle of a platter with the reserved outer leaves of the endive ringing the rim, with their tips pointing to the outside. If you like, you can get creative and alternate red endive with the pale green endive.

Serves plenty as part of a holiday buffet.

Mashed potatoes are such a traditional part of the Thanksgiving menu, that I doubt anyone thinks about adding roasted potatoes to the meal. But I have a dish that combines potatoes with fennel and green beans, so it seems more like a vegetable side dish than a starchy one. The trick to making it tasty is lots of good olive oil, salt and pepper. There really aren’t many ingredients, which makes it incredibly easy to prepare. But you do have to seek out good quality ingredients. It is worth it. You end up with a side dish that is really delicious, and yet so guilt-free that you might be able to talk yourself into having an extra helping of dessert.

Roasted Green Beans, Potatoes and Fennel

2 pounds of small Yukon Gold or red potatoes
2 large bulbs of fennel
1 1/2 to 2 pounds green beans
1/2 to 2/3 cup olive oil
Good coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Thinly slice the potatoes. Cut the tops off the fennel and discard or use as garnish. Thinly slice the fennel bulb. Trim the ends off the green beans.

3. Combine just the potatoes and fennel in a large bowl with the oil and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and then spread them out on a baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes.

4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and add the green beans. Toss to coat the beans with the oil and seasoning. Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.

Serves plenty as part of a holiday buffet.

Even though I love the Plow to Porch produce deliveries that I’ve been getting, there is nothing like a visit to the downtown Farmer’s Market on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. You go for all the great organic produce, but it always ends up being an interesting experience as well.

I loaded up on some beautiful apples for my apple pie, I decided on a half and half mixture of Granny Smith and Pink Lady. I also got celery, fennel, green beans, baby Yukon potatoes, walnuts and, of course, some fresh flowers.

As I was strolling down State Street, I noticed this amazing turkey strutting about. My first thought was that someone was selling fresh heritage turkeys! But no, this was someone’s pet and he was a show turkey, definitely not for eating. His owner brought him to the Farmer’s Market to get attention for a California ballot initiate that they were collecting signatures for, one that I was most interested in signing. Californians for Humane Farms is working on collecting 650,000 signatures to place a measure on the California ballot called the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act. The act provides simply the most basic protection to farm animals: allowing them to turn around and extend their limbs. It’s aimed at preventing the three most inhumane practices of factory farms, namely veal crates, battery cages, and gestation crates. It seems to me that the initiative could go a little further, but I guess they have to start somewhere. All three of these practices have already been legislated against in the European Union.

So, I got my produce, I got my flowers and I got an education about factory farming practices. I am ready for Thanksgiving!

This is a very rich and extremely delicious apple pie—a perfect holiday treat. I once entered it in a company picnic pie contest and it took first place! I think part of the appeal is the streusel topping. There is something about those sort of crumble toppings that people just love. And how can you go wrong with the combination of caramel and apples? The only drawback to this pie is that it takes a bit of time to make. You are best off dividing the work over the course of two days. Make the streusel topping and the pie crust the day before. Then the following day make the filling and finish the pie. Don't worry, the effort is worth it.

Caramel Apple Pie

For streusel:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 each teaspoon of clove and ginger OR 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

One round of chilled pie pastry for bottom crust only

For filling:
3 pounds apples (about 8), peeled, cored, cut into chunks (use a tart apple that holds up when cooked, such as Jonagolds or Granny Smiths)
1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Plus more caramel for drizzling on top (optional)

---------------------------

Make streusel:
Mix flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt in medium bowl to blend. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture forms pea-size clumps. (Dough and streusel can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate streusel. Keep dough chilled. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)

Roll out dough on floured work surface to 14-inch round. Transfer to 9 1/2-inch-diameter ceramic deep pie dish. Crimp edges decoratively and refrigerate until needed.

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F.

Make filling:
Combine apple wedges and 1/4 cup flour in 2 medium sized bowls lined in foil (the foil is just for easier clean-up, the caramel turns rock hard when it cools). Toss the apples to coat. Let stand while preparing caramel.

Stir sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy large saucepan (unlined copper is great for this) over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil syrup just until it turns amber colored, brushing pan sides with a wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes or maybe longer, depending on the amount of heat and the pan you are using. You need to keep an eye on it—stop when it turns a nice amber color, do not overcook. Remove from heat. Add butter and 2 tablespoons cream (watch out, the mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir until smooth.

Pour caramel over the apples in each of the two bowls as equally as possible; toss to coat. Let stand until apples release juices, tossing occasionally, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile put water in the pot that you used for the caramel and bring to a boil, otherwise it will be impossible to clean.

Spoon apple mixture into prepared crust. Sprinkle streusel over pie.

Bake pie until apples are tender and streusel is golden, covering crust edge with foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool at least 1 hour. If you like you can drizzle with some additional caramel sauce. Serve pie warm or at room temperature, with or without vanilla ice cream.

Serves about 10.

This incredible gingerbread Santa and his sleigh was given to me by one our sales reps. Isn’t it amazing? He does these sort of lavish gingerbread creations every year, and this year I was one of the lucky recipients. I think it is just what I needed to get into the holiday spirit. Now it's time to start thinking about my own holiday cooking and baking.

The presents were wrapped and unwrapped, and my cat Peeka was intrigued by either the presents or her reflection in the mirror. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and that you are continuing to enjoy the holiday season.

We had a wonderful dinner out on Christmas Eve at Bucatini. This is one my favorite restaurants in Santa Barbara. We started off with their Cozze alla Marinara and their Warm Seafood Salad and then I had one of their specials, the monkfish served with a Puttanesca sauce, roasted potatoes and spinaci with roasted garlic. Delicious!

We skipped dessert because I had a cookie platter at home. First I had some cookies already made and just waiting to be baked in the refrigerator. These were a variation on the Apricot Crescent Cookies (I updated that entry with new photos). This time I elevated them quite a bit by using homemade fig jam sent to me by this slow travel friend. They were amazing. In fact, they may need to be permanently renamed Fig Crescent Cookies.

I also had on hand a cookie platter with toffee and molasses spice cookies made by my friend Trish and Bacon Chocolate Chip cookies made by my neighbor, Alan.

They were all excellent, especially with a Pinot Noir from J. Wilkes. In fact the wine was so good that we decided to have it again the next night with Christmas Dinner... which will be the topic of the next entry.

We feasted well this year on Christmas Day. We had one of those nice, long, leisurely meals filled with delicious flavors, great conversation and plenty of laughter. My neighbor and I collaborated on the meal and planning it was just as fun as actually making and eating it. We decided on only four courses:

A Trio of Seafood Starters: Scallops in an Orange Sauce, Shrimp with Tropical Salsa and Crab Cakes with Aioli Sauce

Chocolate Brownie Cake with Homemade Honey Ice Cream

Harriet made the outstanding seafood trio as well as the delicious pasta. I made the main course dishes and the dessert. It all went together beautifully.

I went to the Farmer's Market this morning to see what could be had in Santa Barbara in the depths of winter. The market was a bit more empty and the selection definitely sparse compared to the rest of the year. The fall produce is on the way out, though I did still see some peppers and a few butternut squash. And the spring produce is not ready yet, though there were a few sightings of strawberries and sugar snap peas. Also, there was less in the way of certified organic produce than I am used to seeing.

But as you can see from the photo above, I did manage to find enough to fill my basket. And the whole lot only cost about $18. Most of it was from certified organic growers, though the tangerines and the potatoes were merely pesticide free and the Brussels sprouts were conventionally grown. Here is the itemized list:

4 Pink Lady apples
6 Pixie tangerines
2 tomatoes
1 small bunch of Italian parsley
1 small bunch arugula
1 bunch of green onions
2 small heads of broccoli
1 small bag of mixed lettuce greens
3 small russet potatoes
1 bag of Brussels sprouts

I bought this unusual variety of broccoli at the farmer's market this week. Broccoli Romanesco looks like a cross between a cauliflower and a broccoli that has been painted bright chartreuse green and shaped into a cluster of conical fractal shapes. Technically it's a Brassica oleracea in the Botrytis group which includes cauliflower and broccoflower (Broccoli is in a different group of Brassica oleracea, so perhaps the name should have been Cauliflower Romanesco).

In any case I think this Romanesco is actually centerpiece gorgeous, and if it didn't taste so good that's what I'd do with it. But I bought a head last week and sauteed it with some garlic and tossed with pasta and a light cream sauce, and now there's no turning back. The taste is more similar to cauliflower than to broccoli (another reason for a name change), but it has a nuttier and more subtle flavor than cauliflower. It's delicious.

It's probably difficult to find outside of farm stands and farmer's markets. You don't find many recipes specifically calling for it in cookbooks either. Luckily you can treat it pretty much the same way you'd treat broccoli or cauliflower. Feel free to substitute it in any recipe for broccoli or cauliflower. The florets are not separate the way they are in heads of broccoli, so you'll need to cut it up the way you would a head of cauliflower or try steaming it whole.

Like any member of the cabbage family, it pairs well with robust flavors like garlic and Parmesan cheese. I haven't tried making a soup out of it yet, but I think it would be both pretty and delicious as a pureed soup with some reserved tips as garnish.

My hope is that it will become more popular and readily available because I want you all to try it.

I am heading to Paso Robles this weekend for the second annual Slow Travel get together, affectionately known as the Slow Bowl, since it’s held on Super Bowl weekend. But the purpose of the get together is primarily for wine tasting, with food consumption a close second. We'll be visiting Castoro Cellars and Tablas Creek Vineyard and perhaps another winery if we have the time. There is also a group dinner and a brunch at Artisan.

I had planned to make a cake as my contribution to the group dinner, but had to make a last minute substitution. Instead I made some delicious Lemony Semolina Cookies from Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by Gina DePalma. This is one of my new favorite cookbooks and although this was the first recipe I made from it, it won't be my last. I love the photos in the book and the really thorough descriptions of Italian ingredients and baking tips. One reason I thought I'd start by trying her Lemony Semolina Cookies is that I had read about them on Kim's blog. Now, I have to admit that I did make mine a bit on the large size. I realized after I made the first batch that I should have been making them smaller, but by then I figured I might as well make them all the same size. So, my dough made 4 dozen instead of 5, and my cookies are a bit bigger and more dome shaped. The picture on Kim's blog shows them how they are supposed to look. And since Kim will also be at the Paso Robles get together, I can have her taste one of my cookies and see if the flavor is at least the same. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at our big slow party!

I was going through some old photos tonight, and I believe I now have evidence that I've always loved chocolate cakes — or at least as far back as age four. I was really looking for a photo of the house I grew up in. This photo was taken when we lived in a house on Archer Street from the time I was about three and half until I was seven. Turning four was the first birthday I remember. Really, it's one of my first vivid memories in general. I remember the chocolate cake, and I remember that I had a doll that had a matching dress to the dress that I wore.

It was one of those simple family parties at home with aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins that I don't think any one ever does anymore. It's a little hard to tell without their heads, but behind me is, I believe, my aunt in the blue and white and my grandmother in the orange. To the side of me is my cousin Randy, who I am certain is anxiously awaiting the moment when the candles are blown out because he wants to lick the frosting off the bottom of at least one of the candles. I am sure that I would have claimed at least one of those candles, too. Because, you see, I've always loved chocolate cakes.

Inspired by Ed Levine's New York Eats blog entry...

If I had to pick just five favorite foods to wind up with me when I was stranded on a deserted island, I wonder what they would be...

1. Chocolate. I’m afraid I wouldn’t last long on Survivor without a ready supply of chocolate in some form or other. I love hot chocolate, chocolate truffles, brownies, chocolate mousse and all sorts of other chocolate creations. Oh, and I’m quite happy to just nibble on a nice dark chocolate bar.

2. Bread. There is really nothing like a really delicious, crusty loaf of bread. You can eat it straight, toast it, spread with all sorts of things, make sandwiches, crostini and bruschetta out of it, put it into soups (think French onion soup and ribollita), and when it it’s finally too stale to do anything else with it, grind it up in your food processor for bread crumbs.

3. Pasta. I’d really like to pick all of Italian regional cooking as one of my choices, but that doesn’t seem fair, so I’ll pick one of my favorite elements of Italian cooking, the ubiquitous pasta. There are only about a zillion different pasta dishes, so I’m probably still cheating, but who could choose only one type of pasta? Probably one of my favorite types of pasta is ravioli filled with butternut squash or pumpkin with a sage butter sauce. Yeah, I could live on that.

4. Ginger. Beyond simply having a wonderful flavor, ginger is medicinal. Ginger has been used for stomach upsets, motion sickness, circulation problems and the common cold. Ginger tea is one of my favorite beverages. I love desserts with ginger: gingerbread, candied ginger (especially dipped into chocolate), gingersnaps. And then ginger has that whole culinary side to it, flavoring savory dishes such as carrot soup, curries and all sorts of Asian dishes.

5. Gelato. Like the perfect finish to a meal, I’m going to have to finish my list off with gelato. I don’t have a favorite flavor. It’s usually the last one that I ordered. But I have to say that a dish of vanilla or cream gelato topped with a shot of espresso is pretty near perfection. The Italians call it “affogato,” which means “drowned.” And for me it’s the perfect marriage of coffee and dessert.

I am sure this list is completely unrealistic as a list of survival foods. I mean, how would I make a lovely curry dinner with just ginger alone? Perhaps my island is well stocked with vegetables, rice paddies and some wild chickens running about. Oh, and it would be nice to have a kitchen stocked with all the other ingredients needed to compliment my favorite foods, sort of like the pantry on Top Chef. Let's hope so.

Food and books are two of my pet subjects. Deborah just reminded me about one of my favorite books about food (by the way, you might want to click her link and check out the blog entry that she has on David's Duck Fat Fried Mac & Cheese - it has to be seen to be believed). Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver is one of those books that makes you want to change your life or, at the very least, the way you eat. If you're familiar with Kingsolver's novels (like the wonderful Poisonwood Bible), you'll find this nonfiction work an interesting change of pace for her.

First of all it's a collaboration with her husband and their 19-year-old daughter. The book chronicles their move to rural Virginia and their determination to eat locally for a year:

“This is the story of a year in which we made every attempt to feed ourselves animals and vegetables whose provenance we really knew... and of how our family was changed by our first year of deliberately eating food produced from the same place where we worked, went to school, loved our neighbors, drank the water, and breathed the air.”

The book is an interesting mix of narrative mixed with factual sidebars and personal essays. The fact that it even has recipes means that I'm keeping it on my cookbook shelf. You may find that you already know much of the information presented in it about the food industry (especially if you've read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma). But what's interesting about Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is the way the information is woven into their year long story.

I actually started reading the book last year shortly after joining the Fairview Gardens CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Reading the book was a wonderful way for me to really embrace the idea of eating locally. I can't quite see myself committing to a whole year of eating nothing but local food, but I do find myself looking for more and more ways to move my diet in that direction. Now, if I could just find a source for local ducks, I could try that Mac & Cheese recipe...

The lotus flower is one of my favorite flowers. I've always been drawn to water gardens and, although I don't have a big enough pond to grow my own lotus, I do so appreciate them. Luckily I live in fairly close proximity to the Mecca of lotus gardens — Lotusland — where I took this photo.

The lotus is a member of same family that brings us water lilies, but it is its own genus called Nelumbo. I think Nelumbo has a far nicer sound to it than lotus, which sounds too much like locust to be a pretty name. But the flowers are beautiful and the huge circular leaves are dramatic. If beauty isn't enough, the flowers are also sacred to certain religions, and the roots, seeds and leaves are edible. I've never actually cooked with lotus root. I'm not sure where I would even find fresh lotus root, but I have seen it in cans. It would be interesting to try it out in a soup or salad. Now how is it that I started off writing about a flower and somehow I have ended with cooking? The garden and the kitchen are never too far apart.

I went to the Santa Barbara Farmers Market this morning and thought I would take a few photos to document my trip. My husband took the photo of me above buying some radishes at the Fairview Gardens stand.

Strolling the Aisles

The Saturday market is the biggest of the weekly markets. It is held in a city parking lot and has 4 of these main aisles, plus the side aisles. It's easy to shop because you can circle back around quickly, unlike the Tuesday market on State Street which is one big line of stalls. There are more photos in the extended entry.

My next stop yesterday after the Farmers Market was to my favorite cheese shop—C'est Cheese. I was there to buy some cheese for a dessert cheese platter for a dinner party we were going to that night. One of the owners helped me pick out a trio of delicious and complementary cheeses. So, with descriptions from the C'est Cheese website, here are the three that I ended up with:

1. Hoch Ybrig from Switzerland
An excellent cow’s milk cheese from Switzerland that is washed in white wine. It is very creamy, with a softer texture than Gruyere. The flavor is creamy, nutty, and slightly intense. A must try for those who like a cheese with a lot of body and like em’ nutty.

2. Stilton from England
A fantastic rich and creamy blue from our friends at Neal's Dairy Yard in England, with just as much complexity as any other great blue. Flavors of honey, leather and molasses. Not bland like the grocery store version, this cheese is rich and intense.

3. Mt. Tam from California
As triple creme cheeses go, this is an incredible cheese. Made in Northern California by Cowgirl Creamery, it’s a deliciously rich cow’s milk cheese, with a buttery finish and slight tanginess in the finish. Just won best soft-ripened cheese from the ACS!

To round off my cheese platter I added some fresh lemon flavored Quark that I bought at the farmers market. I also bought a tiny basket of delicious raspberries and some candied spicy walnuts. So, even, though a couple of the cheeses on my platter traveled a great distance, I think I balanced it out with some local selections. And, most important of all, everything was delicious.

I wanted to let everyone know that I will be teaching a cooking class