Pandemic polenta. Not the best photograph, mind you, but absolutely the best polenta I've ever had. And I made it from scratch! The ingredients for entire pan of polenta cost only about 2 dollars.

Hope you are staying safe and well during these unprecedented and weird times. Love to you all.

Pasta in Place

Outside of one week on the west coast, I've been sheltering in place on the east coast for about five weeks now. I swear I have never cooked so much in my entire life. But I'm thankful for each day, taking nothing for granted anymore.

Problem – we both had a hankering for raviolis. I do have a nice Italian pasta machine, but no ravioli attachment,
no ravioli roller, no ravioli tray. What to do?

Solution - realized we may still have an ice cube tray or two from back in the day. Found one and scrubbed it up and enlisted it in the weird ravioli project. Weirdiolis!

Ground turkey, garlic, bread crumbs, egg, parmesan, salt and pepper. Tres delish.

Dark Red Apple, Late Summer

You know how you wake up one morning and you go outside and you are hit with a little coolness, a little crispness, that signals the wake up of the fall season? Yeah, it's like that.

Still Life with Squash Blossoms

 

Every now and then in this messed up world, I see something and my heart just aches with an overload of beauty.

Well, this photo I took this morning of fresh squash blossoms from the garden is really doing it for me. Almost inspiring me to get back into food photography once again.

Hope you enjoy it too.

Tomatillo Time!

The tomatillo skins and fruits are extra colorful this year. It's going to make for a wild salsa!

Today I am trying to capture some decent food images with my old Lumix (Leica lens). I'm actually pretty happy with the result.

The Lumix will serve as my temp camera while I try to find a camera to replace my beloved Nikon D800. Yes, after much angst, I've decided that the D800 is far to heavy for me to use on an ongoing basis. It actually wonks my back after a while. And if I use it with a heavy lens while I'm out tromping around a vineyard for a few hours? Flat on my back for a day or two. Yikes!

So it's time to move on to something lighter. Research mode!! I'm excited to see what I find : )

Rustic Summer Sandwich

Is there anything better than a rustic summer sandwich for lunch during the dog days of August? Warm tomatoes off the vine, just picked basil, artisanal mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, and crusty bread. Just yum!

The Beauty of Imperfect

 

 While hanging in Santa Barbara this week, I came across these blemished beauties at the Saturday Farmer's Market. I was struck by the vibrance and color of these second class fruits. Ideal for jams, ideal for sauces and compotes, but discounted and overlooked by most. 

This got me to thinking, why does everything have to be perfect these days? It didn't used to be like that. Perfect fruit, perfect shoes, perfect dress, perfect house, perfect shampoo. Sadly, I even buy into this mindset somewhat. Clearly it's time in the world to start embracing, even celebrating, the imperfect. The world holds many vibrant gems that sport a few dings and scratches, but are perfectly fine in every other way. Viva la imperfections!

Julia Child's Cherry Clafoutis

Well, I was SO not going to waste my beautiful local cherries that I purchased a few days ago. So I thought maybe some beautiful jam, a cherry pie, or...? Then I remembered my fave! I dug up the Julia Child clafoutis recipe, huzzah!! It's a recipe that you think might be difficult, but really it's not so much. Your fingers get a little stained from all the juice, but it's a small price to pay for the custard-y heaven that is clafoutis. Julia's clafoutis. Nom.

Here's a link to the recipe on Food.com - http://www.food.com/recipe/julia-childs-cherry-clafouti-239454?photo=361982

Flourless Orange, Almond and Ginger Cake

I'm loving many things about the Portland, Oregon area. Many things! 

One of my favorite new eateries here is the St. Honoré Bakery and Cafe. It's a casual little place with fresh soups, killer vol au vonts, savory caprese sandwiches. And hecka amazing flourless orange and almond cakes! It's one of those places where the food is just as beautiful as it is delicious.

Time for another run!!!

Experiencing the Oregon Truffle Festival!!

Wow folks. What an awesome experience. I just recently found out about the Oregon Truffle Festival (OTF). The yearly festival celebrates the burgeoning local truffle industry.

Had an opportunity to catch up with the event at the OTF marketplace today. My gosh, truffle cheeses, truffle charcuterie, truffle ice cream : ) And some amazing local wines as well! All in all, a very tasty day.

Now it's time to find some yummy truffle recipes. First up? It's truffle fondue!!!

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...

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!!

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.

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...