Farm to Table, Indeed

Our friends, Jim and Arnold, bought a home almost a year ago in Long Beach, and while they are still deciding what to do with the inside, they have had no problem putting roots down on the outside. And I do mean putting roots down literally. Their new backyard had been neglected for 6 years, but with a lot of water, a lot of dirt and a lot of sweat equity, they have a miniature farm right outside their backdoor.

We were invited over for a straight-from-the-garden dinner party a couple weeks ago. Jim and Arnold are wonderful hosts, and they made this a fun, interactive party. Everyone contributed by marching out into the garden, picking vegetables and turning them into one of the many dishes we ate that night. We even made homemade butter and queso fresco as we sipped on our beers and chatted the afternoon and evening away.

Anson couldn't make it, so I took plenty of pictures to show him...

This photo hardly does justice to the depth of the garden which is overflowing with herbs, squash, carrots, beets,  tomatoes, chard and more. It's amazing to wade through the plants.

Neighbor Bill brought over plums from his tree as an appetizer.

Shake Shake Shake, Shake Shake Shake, Shake that Butter.

Et voilà, cream becomes butter.

The butter beauty shot.

Could this qualify as a cornucopia?

More payload from our garden harvest.

Arnold is the proud father of two baby...carrots.

A delicious dinner just steps from the garden it came from. These are the kinds of days that summer was meant for. Thanks for the great time guys!

Napa and Sonoma: All Wined Up

Last week Anson and I got back to Napa and Sonoma again, one of my all-time favorite places, for a couple days.  Wine country anywhere is always high on my list but Napa & Sonoma are the quintessence of wine country for me.  I just love it.  I imagine living there one day, making a living by photographing the vineyards, the people, the artists, the food.  Take a look.

Our first stop was Viansa, an impromptu detour on our way north on Hwy 121.  A sign on the road advertised an Italian Festival and that was right up our alley.

We were so glad we stopped, we had an awesome time with Kimberly who poured us wine, chatted like an old friend, and took this picture of us.

Unlike many of the wineries in the area, Viansa did not overlook a vineyard, instead a bird sanctuary.  It was cool to see how the land would look without intervention.

We went to Gloria Ferrer next because, after our trip to Pommery, we were intrigued to see the "wine caves" they were purported to have.  Ummm...don't go for the wine caves.

The grounds were beautiful though.

Some immature pinot noir grapes at Gloria Ferrer.

Great spot for a portrait.

"Happy cows come from California."

Some more bubbly at Domaine Carneros.

We walked around back and found this very tall stack of crates, awaiting the harvest.

The next morning we hit up the farmer's market in the parking lot of the Oxbow Public Market where we ooohed over the produce and picked up some pumpkin flatbread with garlic sauce and a bavarian croissant.

Local honey straws.

Beautiful root vegetables.

This reminds me of the markets in Paris...sigh.

The inside of the permanent building houses more than a dozen gourmet food purveyors.

The Olive Press offers flavored olive oils, vinegars and olives and they'll encourage you to taste them before you buy. I couldn't resist--I brought home a bottle of blood orange olive oil.

The Whole Spice Company had dozens of jars of ground and (surprise!) whole spices.

A fresh and bright Kanaloa Seafood Market offers up the day's catch on modern digital screens.

The lady at Heritage Culinary Artifacts was incredibly warm and gave us a great suggestion for dinner later that night.

We bought a couple beautiful little cupcakes, but they melted in our car before we got to them.  So sad.

By this time, Anson was getting anxious to hit the tasting rooms, so we headed up to Rombauer where we met some fun people (hey Steve and Andree!) who followed us to Benessere, which you may remember from last year's trip.

At Benessere we met some more fun people (what up Eric and Nancy!) who invited us to join them at Alpha and Omega, right off Hwy 29.  They were club members so we even got a barrel tasting.  I know, fancy, huh?

 Don't tell me you couldn't get used to this?

Oenotri was such a great suggestion, we loved the rustic/modern style, the huge wine list, the inventive menu and the precocious service.  We had agretti for the first time (anyone else never heard of it before besides me?) and almost tried the pigeon ravioli.  I'm glad I opted for the pasta with pork ragu. It was perfect.

Like many restaurants in the area they concentrate on local and seasonal food, but what made them special was their house-made charcuterie.  We devoured a charcuterie plate with fresh mozzarella before dinner and I declared this the best pepperoni I've ever had. Fabulous dinner. Fabulous trip.

Garden Variety

Hard to believe it's halfway through July and we've hardly had any sun here at the beach.  I'm not one to complain about cool days, but the garden had suffered as a result.  It looks great, but it hasn't exploded like it did last year and actually, I think it's for the better. We've been able to keep on top of the caterpillars (none yet!) and aphids and haven't lost a plant so far.  The slower growth means less overcrowding too and we're hoping the tomatoes last longer into the fall than last year.  

We've really added variety this year, with broccoli, cantaloupe, pumpkins and this beautiful cabbage.

We've got four different chile plants.

Zucchini again (and one that sprang up in the middle of a row, leftover from last year). This bee has been going to town on this zucchini blossom for days.  Is that a good sign?

The tomato plants are beautiful and healthy.  We spread them out across the rows this year to try to prevent mold. I can't wait until these little beauties are ripe.  I'll be making pomodori al forno like a mad woman. 

Not bad for an apartment garden, huh?

An Apple Rhubarb Crostata That Won't Get You Drunk

Rhubarb is not something that people on the West Coast have fully come to appreciate.  In the Midwest during the summer the mouth-puckering vegetable goes into just about everything--cakes, crumbles, crisps, cobblers, pies, bread, jam, sauces, etc.  Just about anything you add sugar to and bake often enough will have rhubarb in it, and will likely be combined with strawberry. It adds a nice tang to summer-ripe fruit desserts, balancing the sweetness and adding another layer of flavor.


Rhubarb doesn't just go into desserts though. There's also my mom's rhubarb slush recipe, which is similar in that it is made with rhubarb and sugar, but strays from other recipes in that the main ingredient is a gallon of vodka. And it doesn't get baked, but rather combined in a Kemp's ice cream bucket and stored in the freezer to be scooped out when appropriate, or when necessary. This is rhubarb that will get you quite tipsy as you float out on the lake on a hot Fourth of July. 

I had an idea to make a rustic crostata for a dinner we were invited to, and the bright red, celery-like stalks of the rhubarb jumped out at me from the produce section. And though I've eaten plenty of rhubarb desserts in my life, I don't think I've actually made one.  Here was a chance to honor my Midwestern roots! I combined the chopped rhubarb with diced apple and cinnamon, made a quick pastry crust, dumped the mixture in the middle and folded over the edges. Perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Pretend you are swatting mosquitos as you eat it and you will have the classic Midwestern experience.

  

Blueberry Clafouti: Pancakes for Lazy People

For the last month, there has been a glut of blueberries in the market and I've taken this as an opportunity to eat a fruit I don't usually bother to buy.  It's not that I don't like blueberries, I just don't think there's much bang for the buck.  They can be pretty dull and in my opinion, their only saving grace is their potent antioxidants.  If not for that, they would probably go into the "iceberg lettuce" category of produce for me--good for some people, but not worth the time it takes to make it taste good.

The little berries were so pretty and perfect though, and I have these beautiful Fire King cups.  I thought I could make something happen in my camera.

The spendthrift that I am, I certainly couldn't let these go to waste, however I am way too lazy to put a lot of time into baking something. Hmmm...how to make the most of them?  I wracked my brain and finally turned to my Williams-Sonoma Baking book and found a recipe for Pear Clafouti.  I liked it because 1) it didn't involve a crust  2) still high from our trip to Paris, I could feel like a bit of a Julia Child making it 3) I had all the ingredients if I subbed blueberries for pears.

So what's a clafouti?  According to the book, it's a "rustic raised fruit 'pancake' from the Limousin region of France" and it's "traditionally prepared with unpitted cherries." But before you get all eye-rolly, just know it's super easy.  You make a pancake batter with some booze, then pour it over fruit and bake. It all goes into one pan and you cut it into slices when you're done. No standing over the stove, ceaselessly pouring batter and flipping flapjacks. This I could do.

Blueberry Clafouti 
adapted from Williams-Sonoma Baking

1 lb. blueberries
1/4 cup pear brandy (or whatever flavorful alcohol you might have, I used apple brandy)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used coconut milk instead because I had some left over)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash the blueberries and deposit them into a 9-inch round baking dish, prepared with pan spray or butter. (I used creme brulée dishes and made individual servings.)

Whisk together the brandy, eggs, flour, sugar, cinnamon, milk, cream, lemon zest, vanilla and salt.  Let rest for 5 minutes then pour over blueberries.  Bake for 35 minutes or so until puffed and set inside. Cool and dust with powdered sugar. Cut into 6 servings.