Blueberry Goat Cheese Galette
Figs and goat cheese are two of my favorites. Add a glass of Sancerre and you’re in for a treat. I recently put my favorite fig aside and tried blueberries with creamy goat cheese layered in a pastry crust. This is my new choice for an anytime galette. Blueberries and goat cheese weren’t [...]
Peach Salsa That Rocks
Last Sunday I went to the Marin farmers’ market at the Civic Center. It was my last Bay Area stop after two days of glorious hiking on Mt. Tamalpais and staying at the West Point Inn. The first market booth was a presentation of the most beautiful assortment of peaches, nectarines and plums I’ve ever [...]
Harvesting the Artichoke
I pass by artichokes at the market, gazing at them, deciding if I want to take them on. They’re really not that much work but I can get lazy when it comes to artichokes. This past weekend I was at a friend’s dinner where Sicilian Chef Joe from Reno made fried artichoke hearts. They were [...]
Half Dried Tomatoes
Sitting at a cookbook swap last Saturday my friend Rick asked how you dry tomatoes. He was flipping through a book, which he held up pointing to a discussion of flavor comparisons and what happens when you dry a tomato. So what does happen? Do dried tomatoes taste better? The book, Devil in a Kitchen, [...]
Making Minty Mojitos
At last–it’s warm outside again! I’ve been craving summer cocktails even though it hasn’t felt much like summer in the last month. So now that it’s finally heating up, I need to stock up on simple syrups. If you like to make cocktails, or even mocktails, simple syrup is a must-have ingredient. We use it [...]
Asian Grilled Tofu
Sometimes I challenge myself to come up with dinners using only food in the house. Such was the case last night when I didn’t feel like going out after arriving home from a four-day trip. Having a winter into spring garden helps, as does a semi-stocked pantry. The resulting Asian flavored tofu and vegetable dish [...]
Using the Harvest: Radishes, Pickle or Not
Why radishes? Well they grow well during cooler winter months in northern California. They’re something I’ve never grown or eaten much. I’ve heard they’re a good vegetable to pickle and this has been a pickling exploration winter for me so why not explore the radish. This spicy little root vegetable, somewhat like horseradish but different [...]
Quince Slices You’ll Love
Quince is definitely not the easiest fruit to work with but if you’re willing to put some effort into it, it’s worth the eating reward. I’m finding I like this darn hard fruit more and more. I keep getting grocery bags full of seasonal fruit from various friends and just got one with the largest [...]
Summer Tart Reinvented
Fresh figs, creamy goat cheese, caramelized onions and arugula- who can go wrong with such flavorsome items found on many a menu. The perfect base for this summer vegetable tart is a buttery ground almond crust brushed with rich berry or fig jam. Finish the picture drizzling a balsamic or fruit reduction sauce and DaVinci [...]
