Gewürztraminer Baby...

Ooh! A wine grape with an umlaut! 

Found some charming, blushing Gewürztraminer grapes while hiking around the vineyards the other day. Which got me to thinking, does Gewürztraminer pair well with anything besides fish? I've rarely had the wine, as I'm just not too much of a fish/seafood person.

What? It pairs with Asian foods? What? Pairs with a ham and gruyere tart? Whoa nelly. Well, I guess I have a new wine to explore!

Food &Wine has all the deets right here.

Tzatziki on the Beach

Back home now, instilled with a healthy infatuation for the foods we ate in Greece and Turkey.

I'm convinced we ate the best tzatziki on the face of the earth. We found it on the menu in the lovely taverna above Panormous beach on Mykonos. Even the Aldous Snow imitator to our right couldn't detract from the smooth coolness of the dish. It was really something special.

I've been trying to reverse engineer the dish, with some success, but it's not quite perfect yet. Tomorrow I'll try an existing recipe I found from Ina Garten - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/tzatziki-recipe.html

Wish me luck!

The foods of Istanbul

Well, we've been here for maybe 12 hours or so, and we are already just loving the churning excitement of Istanbul!

This is pomegranate and pistachio lokum, found at an incredible shop just down the street. A thing of beauty.

I'll let this picture be worth a thousand words. More soon...

White Asparagus with Saboyan Sauce

Look what I found at the market today... white asparagus! Not something you see every day around here.

Today, I'm preparing this delicacy with an elegant olive oil based Sabayon sauce. Found a great recipe on the Saveur Magazine site.

What a treat!!

Bitter and Fierce - Fun with Candied Grapefruit

I've taken Smitten Kitchen's attempt at candied grapefruit as my challenge of the week. And, oh, it is a mighty challenge.

I tried to boil and sugar the translucent gems into submission, but yeah, just like SK, I find the grapefruit turns out bitter as heck. No way around it.

I may chop up the remainders tomorrow and mix them with something sweet (naval oranges?) to make an uber marmalade. If at first you don't succeed...

Lavender Season

The lavender outside is flourishing in the hot days and cool nights of the central coast. There is so much of it now, I'm fully inspired to attempt several new recipes. I do not want it to go to waste!

First up on the to-try list is a lovely crème brûlée from Jamie Oliver - http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/eggs-recipes/lavender-cr-me-br-l-e.

Next, I'll try a savory recipe, perhaps a lavender barbeque rub. If anyone has a savory recipe that uses lavender, do let me know! Feel free to contact me offline at info@alisonparkswhitfield.com.

In Praise of Plain Berries

It used to be that every fourth of July, I would make a plump and perfect strawberry shortcake. This involved carefully picking out the strawberries, baking up an enormous homemade shortcake full of white flour and refined sugar, and whipping up pints of sugary whipped cream. 

So delicious!! But majorly unhealthy.

We live in a different age now — thankfully it's a more health conscious time. So, with that in mind, I've decided that this fourth of July, I'll go ahead and prepare a large bowl of mixed berries with nary a hint of added sweetness. Pure food... perfect, healthy, and naturally sweet. I think it's a better choice for the times. And my waistline!

Summer Figs

Fig season is here! Woo hoo!!! One of my favorite times of the year.

Time for some luscious, lightly sweet figs served on a plate with a nice soft cheese. Such an elegant appetizer.

And if you are so inspired... check out this recipe for Drunken Fig Jam from Epicurious - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Drunken-Fig-Jam-350120

 It is really something special!

Foraged Wild Ramps

Take a gander at these delicate wild ramps. Fresh picked this morning in Michigan, rush shipped this afternoon to Palo Alto, CA. What a world...

I was wondering about the full-on obsession that seems to surround this humble vegetable. Found a good history of all the hoopla at http://www.grubstreet.com/2013/04/the-history-of-ramps-popularity.html

Dinnertime!!

Fresh Orchard Apricots

"Perfectly imperfect" is one of my favorite sayings recently. Case in point, take a look at this just-picked apricot. Notice the dents, scars and divets peppering it's delicate skin. Tiny little battle wounds. But bite open the fruit, and the darned thing is ripe and juicy and tastes freaking delicious. Mmmm... perfect.

The Yearly Pilgrimage — Tartine

Ooh baby. I've said it before, but if you are ever in San Francisco, might I suggest a visit to heaven on earth, AKA, Tartine Bakery? I really think it's one of the high points for a foodie spending time in SF.

If you go, know that there will be a line out the door. And know making it through that line will be well worth the wait. From the croque monsieur, to the bread pudding, to the meringues, to the ever-so-delicate lemon tart, it is seriously all good.

And consider yourself lucky if you can catch a glimpse into the kitchen. The hero chefs are all players in a controlled symphony of baking, frosting and dolloping. Enjoy the show!

Green Tomatillos, Black Plate

So, if food can be brooding, these tomatillos are acing it!

In any case, today we are preparing these beautiful tomatillos for a chicken chile verde dish. Did you know... cooking time is the key to any chile verde worth it's salt. Lots of cooking time! Time allows the flavors to mix, mingle and develop into a savory and complex stew.

I found a great recipe here — http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-chile-verde/— although I tend to cook the stew for a little longer, about three hours total. Enjoy!

Bagels and Leicas and Nikons, Oh My!!

Fun times today, shooting bagels. Although the shoot didn't quite go as I had planned. As is often the case. I find it's always good to be flexible and well prepared when shooting food.

Today was all about learning about my new-old Leica lllf, a beautiful camera that was created before I was even born. But before I could even dip my toes into the deliciousness that is Leica, I had to buy some actual film. Film! Haven't touched the stuff in years. I'm so happy to have a chance to reconnect. Gets me all misty...

After viewing an online manual, I moseyed on down to my fave camera store in Palo Alto, Keeble and Schucat. I chose a little B&W and a little chrome film, 100 ASA for both. Luckily I was able to score some time with the Leica guy. Yes, there totally is a Leica guy there. He knows pretty much everything about every model ever made. My kind of guy.

I was the happy recipient of a brief lesson about the camera AND the process of loading the film. Which is way more intricate than my old Nikon film cameras, but hey, it's all worth it.

Back at the ranch, I set up a rustic old table with a white parchment backdrop, and let in some beautiful natural light. I adjusted the ASA on the camera, as well as the shutter speed and the aperture, then focused through the left eyepiece and composed through the right one. SNAP! God, such a freaking satisfying sound. But unfortunately, I was only able to hear it once. After much fiddling, the film advance doesn't seem to want to advance. Sigh. So, that's that. I'll take the camera back over to K&S later this week for advice.

But in the meantime, I wasn't going to let a perfectly beautiful set go to waste. So out comes all 36 MP of my D800 and I'm back in the digital age, once again.

Kumquats, baby...

TART!!! And a little sweet. It's time, once again, for the noble kumquat to bear forth it's impeccable fruit. In the San Francisco bay area, we see these bright, sunny morsels in farmer's markets during the January, February and March timeframe.

In all honesty, this is the first year I've ever tried a kumquat. To me, they are one of the "food as a challenge" types of foods. They are eaten whole, peels and all.

I find them to be super tart, yet super yummy. And they are also incredibly healthy, it turns out. Kumquats are rich in vitamin C, flavinoids, iron, potassium and many other minerals. Good stuff!

Portrait of a Grilled Cheese in San Francisco

One of my favorite places in San Francisco is the Ferry Building. And within that favorite place, lies another favorite place, the Cowgirl Creamery Sidekick Cafe and Milkbar!

The food at the cafe leans toward gooey perfection in every way. Today they had a wonderful special — a raclette and sheep's milk ricotta grilled cheese sandwich with homemade pickles. The sandwich was warm, rich and delicious, with a tiny little "after" tang.

This is not your father's grilled cheese! Enjoy...

Well-used Copper Cookware

 

Spectacular, gleaming copper cookware found in the Filoli Gardens kitchen. Outside of the sheer beauty of the pots, I was wondering about the advantages of cooking with copper. This article elaborates on the pros and cons - http://www.essentialingredient.com.au/kitchen/cooking-with-copper/

Maybe it's time for a change!!

Portrait of a Morning Bun

There are gargantuan numbers of folks doing food photography these days. Now that I am actually lucky enough to have a chance to turn my focus back to photography, I'm faced with a dilemma. How do I differentiate my work from the rest of the pack? It's a really good question.

Maybe I'll start with this... I'm thinking of doing a series of food "portraits" after the Old Masters. Perhaps another trip to Amsterdam is in order. I get so inspired by the light there. And the art. And the pancakes.

Petite Fruit Galettes

I LOVE discovering new cafes and restaurants that really get pastry right. Found these petite fruit galettes over at the Mayfield Bakery in Palo Alto, CA. The pastry itself was flaky as all get out and the fruit was fresh and local, but the glaze was what really did it for me. The glaze was honey-based, rather than the (kind of gross) gelatin-based glaze that is so often used for pastries. A little sticky, but really mighty good. http://www.mayfieldbakery.com/

Cappuccino with Sugar

Good morning, sunshine : )  Just wanted to share a lovely, foamy cappuccino with you on this wonderful Wednesday.

Passion Fruit Dessert

Today I had the amazing good fortune to join my dear friends at the French Laundry in Yountville, CA. This was the first of, oh, six desserts or so. So beautiful, so delicious. I may never recover!

Happy New Year Beans!

Happy New Year, everyone!!!

Today we are making good luck heirloom vaquero beans in the kitchen to bring forth happiness and prosperity in the new year. I think we all could use a little good fortune for 2014 : )

This recipe is a cross between the New Years Day black eyed peas found commonly in the southern states, and savory cannellini beans from Italy, with a smidge of Napa Valley coolness on the side.

Ingredients

1 lb of vaquero (or similar) beans
1/4 cup plus one tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Soak the beans in water for 6-12 hours. Yes... 6-12 hours.
2. Transfer the beans into a large pot and cover with water. The water should be about 1 to 1.5 inches above the beans.
3. Finely chop the garlic.
4. Using a small saute pan, saute the garlic until soft in one tbsp of the olive oil.
5. Add the sauteed garlic yummieness to the beans.
6. Now add the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil directly to the bean mixture.
7. Bring the bean mixture to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 2 hours.
8. Add the salt and pepper, then continue to simmer on low for another 30 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!!