A Gingerbread Holiday Tea

The Gingerbread House 

I've had tea at some of the quaintest tea rooms in England.  I've enjoyed afternoon tea in the beautiful tea room at The Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC.  And now I can add afternoon tea at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel to my tea room list. 

I celebrated my birthday with the Fairmont's Gingerbread Holiday Tea.  Weekends were booked so my husband took a day off of work to fulfill my birthday wish.  Sadly,  I was disappointed in the tea experience at The Fairmont.

More tea, please!

Service was certainly lacking for the price charged.  I was served a very tiny pot of tea at the same time they served us our champagne.  Then so much time elasped before the silver tea stand arrived at our table that my tea was cold.  I was never even offered more tea or hot water.  In fact, once our tea stand was delivered, our server never even checked on us.  

The Laurel Court Restaurant

Looking back now, perhaps when you look forward to something so much you do set yourself up for a little disappointment?  Or, am I just a tea snob now?  Or was it really that bad?  I did enjoy the culinary touches of the sandwich presentation which will inspire me for tea parties at home.  And, I did love the interior of the Laurel Court Restaurant whose grandeur does transport you back to another era.  I suppose, I just longed for that type of hotel service from another era.

The Gingerbread Holiday Tea Stand

Traditional silver afternoon tea stand with sweets and savories.

The Savories

Deviled egg, smoked salmon pinwheel, Dungeness Crab Mango Salad on Pumpernickel, Roast Beef with Horseradish Cream on sourdough, and English cucumber and Chevre with winter quince on rye. 

The scones

Traditional orange peel and cranberry Fairmont scones and aged cheddar and chive sonces.  Accompanied by Devonshire cream and lemon curd.

The Sweets

Selection of holiday season petite pastries.

Mushroom Soup

 Mushroom Soup

 I recently made mushroom soup for the first time at home which was inspired by our recent Oregon travels.  After deliberating over a number of recipes, Anthony Bourdain's Mushroom Soup from his Les Halles Cookbook won out.

Mushroom Mix

The only change I made to the recipe was that I used a mixed variety of mushrooms instead of all button mushrooms.  It was delicious!

Here is the restaurant and trip that inspired me to make mushroom soup at home...

The Barlow Room

While exploring Oregon's Willamette Valley wine country, we ventured over one evening to the small town of Dayton.  We headed to Dayton because of the Czarnecki family whose cooking revolves around wild mushrooms.  They own the world-renowned Joel Palmer House and recently just opened The Barlow Room, a more casual restaurant in a really cool old brick building.  We opted for The Barlow Room on this trip. 

Joe's Wild Mushroom Soup

The famous mushroom soup, a Czarnecki family recipe for over 50 years, did not disappoint.  

The Joel Palmer House

There's always a reason to come back to Oregon.

Next time, we're in town, we're dining at The Joel Palmer House.  Their entire menu is based on creative local cuisine, where wild mushrooms are the star!

Pomegranate Season

 Pomegranate Seeds

Growing up in California, pomegranate season has always been a sign that summer is ending and fall is beginning.

Now that I live near a farm in Yuba County, I have been able to watch pomegranates grow, ripen and come into season over the past few months.  According to my local farmer, Lacie Robertston "they are ready now with the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness".

At the farm...

 Pomegranate buds in early August

Pomegranate in late August

 Pomegranate in September

It's late September and the pomegranates are ready now.  Besides just cracking them open and eating the seeds, we loves them in salads, too.  

Pear Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Pomegrantes

This beautiful fall salad by Georgeanne Brennan was inspired by a cheese plate.  Having just returned from vacationing in Oregon where we sampled a lot of cheese plates...I couldn't wait to make this salad.

  I made it today with just picked pomegranates and Barlett pears from local farms along with Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company's Original Blue.  I highly recommend spending the extra money to buy a really good blue cheese like Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese. (Locally both Raley's and Nugget Market carry it.)

You can find the recipe in the Williams-Sonoma book Salad of the Day by Georgeanne Brennan or here at this link on the Williams-Sonoma website:

Pear Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Pomegranates

I can't wait to make it again and try it with hazelnuts next time for a little more Oregon flair!


(Farm photos taken at Robertston Family Farm in Yuba County, CA)

Plums & Pluots

Dapple Dandy 

Nothing tastes better than fresh fruit picked right off the tree.  This summer we've been enjoying the local bounty of fruit, including plums and pluots.  In July, Dapple Dandy pluots made their appearance in our weekly CSA produce box for a number of weeks.  And, now going into late summer we are enjoying late plums and more varieties of pluots.  

Robertson Family Farm Orchard

Here in the Yuba-Sutter area, we have an abundance and variety of crops.  I recently discovered that not every one has heard of pluots including my British pen pal, Teresa.  In Britain they have damsons which are small plums native to Great Britain.  She had not heard of pluots.  So for Teresa and anyone else who isn't familiar with pluots, they are a hybrid and later generation fruit from plum and apricot parents.  Some varieties taste more like plums and some varieties taste more like apricots. 

Plum or Pluot?

 So is it a plum or a pluot?  And, how can you tell the difference?  I'm not really sure because plums and pluots (especially the purple ones) usually look alike to me.  I rely on my local farmer to keep me straight.  Last week at the farmers' market,  I came home with bags full of both plums and pluots from West Butte Orchards.  Both varieties are juicy, sweet and a bit tart!

Elephant Heart Plums

The elephant heart plum is now my favorite plum!  My dad has been talking about them all summer long and told me to watch for them.  Now I know why.  They are delicious! 

  They are also known as a blood plum.  With their deep ruby red color and shape you can easily see how they got their name.  I read that they are often referred to as the king of Japanese plums.  A title well deserved!

This plum variety ripens in September and shows up at market long after other plums are gone.  I was so excited to see them at our market this past week.

Flavor King Pluots

The Flavor King pluot looks and tastes the closet to a plum to me.  I've been enjoying eating them fresh and baking with them,too.  They were excellent in my Spiced Pluot Crostata and Spice Pluot Cake that I made this last week.

Sadly the season is winding down now.  I just found out from Paula Bicknell of West Butte Orchards that this coming week will be her last farmers' market of the season.  My fingers are crossed that she'll still have elephant heart plums for my dad and me. 

(Farm photographs taken at Robertson Family Farm in Yuba County, CA.)

I made a Crostata!

 Spiced Pluot Crostata

I had five gorgeous, deep purple pluots from the farmers' market ripening on the counter...

so I decided to make a crostata.  

I'm not really a pie baker, so I knew I would love making an easier rustic crostata.  If you don't already know, a crostata is just an open free-form tart similar to a French galette.  There are no special pastry skills required to make one...just a good crust recipe and fresh fruit! 

 Rustic Tart Crust 

I turned to Martha Stewart for my crostata crust recipe.  I wanted an old world Italian style crust and liked that Martha's had fine yellow cornmeal in it.  It was easier than pie to make!  

You mix everything in your food processor, of course, using really cold butter and really cold ice water.  The dough comes together magically in the the food processor.  Next you turn your dough out, knead it a few times and flatten it into a disc.  You wrap the disc in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour.  Then you roll, fill and bake!

Spiced Pluot Crostata

For my filling:

1 1/2 lbs firm-ripe pluots, sliced (approx. 5-6 large pluots)

2/3 c. granulated sugar

3 T. corn starch

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. allspice

Combine the ingredients together until moistened.   Mound the pluot filling in the center of your dough right away.  Don't dillydally here.  I mixed my fruit and then rolled out my dough.  Those few extra minutes created a lot of juice in the pluot mixture.  Next time, I will roll out my dough first and then mix up my fruit filling.  

My other tip, is to have sanding sugar in your pantry to sprinkle on the crostata (after the egg wash) before you bake it.  I didn't have any so I used granulated sugar this time.

Thank you Martha for a wonderful rustic crust recipe.  Here's the link where you can find it:

Rustic Plum Tart

Farmhouse Bread & Butter Pickles

 Homemade Pickles

Pass the pickles, please!

In  July, our weekly CSA produce box included three Kirby cucumbers also known as pickling cucumbers.  They were the perfect nudge that I needed to give pickle making a try. 

Making Pickles

 I decided to make a small batch of quick process pickles.  I opened up my canning books and consulted my grandmother's Kitchen Guide (that she cooked with on her Pennsylvania farm back in the 1930's/1940's) for pickle recipes.  

I discovered that not much has really changed with pickle making from when my grandma would have made them on the farm to now. Inspired by the recipe in my grandma's Kitchen Guide book, I created my own updated version.  In her memory and my Pennsylvania farm roots,  I'm calling them Farmhouse Bread & Butter Pickles.  

 Pickle Making Tips

Here are the best tips I gathered for making pickles according to good country cooks:

Use pickling variety cucumbers.

For best results, use firm and fresh cucumbers within 24 hours of harvest. 

Always cut off 1/16th of the ends off the cucumber.  (The blossom end contains enzymes that can cause spoilage and softness.)

Toss your sliced cucumbers with salt and ice cubes and chill for 3 hours in the refrigerator to crisp them up before pickling.

Modern 5% acidity vinegar flavors pickles and preserves them.

White distilled vinegar gives pickles the best color.

Cider vinegar may darken pickles but adds flavor.

And, to save you from running all over town (like I did)

you can find a vegetable crinkle cutter at Target.

Here's my recipe
along with a printable recipe.

Farmhouse Bread & Butter Pickles

(Small Batch)

1 lb Kirby pickling cucumbers (approx 3)
1 sweet or white onion, thinly sliced
2 T. Kosher salt
Ice cubes

Wash and crinkle cut the cucumbers.
(I cut mine just under 1/2" thickness.)
Combine the sliced cucumbers with the sliced onions.  Toss these with salt and ice cubes and chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours until crisp and cold.  (Add more ice cubes if  necessary during crisping.)  Rinse and drain them in a colander.  They are now ready for the pickling liquid.

Pickling Liquid

1 c. white granulated cane sugar

1/2 c. distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)

1/2 c. apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)

1 t. mustard seeds

1 t. celery seeds

1/2 t. tumeric

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. black pepper 

Combine the pickling mix ingredients in a non-reactive pan.  Once the sugar is dissolved, boil  for 1 minute.  Add the cucumbers and onions to the pan and heat thoroughly.  Pack into sterilized 1/2 pint canning jars. Ladle pickling liquid to fill jars leaving a little head space.  Wipe jar tops clean and place lids on and screw bands on firmly.  Cool completely before refrigerating.  Refrigerator for at least 2 days to cure.  Store in the refrigerator for up to two months. 

Makes approx. four 1/2 pints.
Printable Recipe

Fried Green Tomatoes

Green Tomatoes

Fried green tomatoes are a Southern thing.  Here in California though, I've been hearing a lot about fried green tomatoes.  My local farmer, Lacie Robertson tells me she has customers who are absolutely passionate about fried green tomatoes.  So I decided to give them a try and picked-up some green tomatoes from Lacie at a local farmers' market.  

The Southern way!

I'm not a Southern girl but I actually do have

some Southern roots.   My great grandfather hailed from Kentucky.  So I am thinking, I'm a little bit Southern after all.  And this means if you're going to make fried green tomatoes, you've got to make them the Southern way...which means you gotta use corn meal and a cast iron skillet!

I chose a Southern recipe for my batch by Food Network celebrities  Gina and Patrick Neely.  Like true Southerners, they recommend using hard green tomatoes.  I was amazed at how hard an unriped tomato actually is!

 I sliced my tomatoes into 1/4" slices and then seasoned them up with Nature's Seasoning.  Next they got battered up.  I liked that the Neely's recipe is traditional but updated.  Their breading is a traditional corn meal base combined with panko.  (I substituted Italian bread crumbs for the panko.)  The results were incredible...and my husband even liked them!

Tart & Tangy

So here you go y'all.  Here's the recipe link for fried green tomatoes.  And, after I made my batch, my Southern friend Ruth in Oklahoma (who loves fried green tomatoes) said

 "warning...you might start speaking with a Southern twang!"

Fried Green Tomatoes with Basil Mayonnaise

Tomatoes & Basil

Tomatoes and basil are one of my absolute favorite summer

combinations.  Both have been plentiful in our weekly CSA Produce Box from Robertston Family Farm.

Roasting Tomatoes

This month, I've been roasting a lot of tomatoes.  Even on hot summer days, I crank-up the oven to 400 degrees and roast tomatoes.  The kitchen gets really hot but it's worth it.  Roasting tomatoes really brings out their natural sweetness.  I normally roast them in extra-virgin olive oil (sprinkled with Kosher salt and course ground pepper) but recently roasted them in Sutter Buttes Traditional Aged Balsalmic Vinegar (a local company) and they were delicious served over pasta with a home-made pesto sauce. 

Conchiglie with Roasted Tomatoes

We loved this summer pasta dish!  I recently made Conchiglie with Roasted Tomatoes with a recipe from Williams-Sonoma.  (You really can't go wrong with their recipes.) Tomatoes and basil along with goat cheese were the stars in this dish.  It was easy to make and a dish worthy to serve to dinner guests.  Here's the link for the recipe:  Conchiglie with Roasted Tomatoes. Give it a try...I know you'll love it too!

Caprese Salad

It wouldn't be summer without Caprese Salad.  Vine-ripened tomatoes are so plentiful in our weekly CSA Produce Box that we've been enjoying a lot of Caprese Salads!  Sometimes I drizzle them with extra-virgin olive oil and sometimes with just a thick aged balsamic vinegar. To season the tomatoes, my grandmother always used Morton's Nature's Seasoning and that is what I use to season my Caprese Salads.  If you've never tried it, Nature's Seasoning is a seasoning blend of salt, pepper, onion, garlic, celery and parsley.  It is a fine blend which I like for presentation and it's not too salty tasting.  

(Farm photos taken at Robertson Family Farm in Yuba County, California)

Trying new things

 Chinese Long Beans

One of the best parts about getting a weekly CSA Produce Box is that

 it's a surprise every week with what produce will be inside the box.

Let's Stir Fry

Recently our weekly box had beans in it that I had never seen before.  I found out they are called Chinese long beans or snake beans.  So I did a little research, got out my wok and did a Chinese stir fry with them. 

Dow Gok Chow Ha Kau

I found a recipe for Prawns with Chinese Long Beans (Dow Gok Chow Ha Kau)  in one of my older cookbooks,  Chopsticks, Cleaver and Wok by Jennie Low.  The recipe called for hot bean sauce and I substituted black bean garlic sauce and it was delicious.  

I discovered that Chinese long beans when stir fried stay crispier than other beans.  I'm a fan now and can't wait to try more recipes with them and my wok.


(Farm photo taken at the Robertson Family Farm in YubaCounty, California.)

Farm Tour

 Touring the Farm

I had the ultimate "farm to fork" experience yesterday...

My day began with a farm tour out at the Robertson Family farm with Lacie Robertson and her special guests, Chef Oscar and Manager Amy from Bistro 885 in Yuba City, California.  Lacie showed us around her bountiful farm garden and then she did a little pickin'.

Watermelon Limeade

Next we sat under the shade trees near the garden and Lacie fired up her grill for a bbq sampling of her Italian sausage, one ball squash, bell pepper and red onions.  I brought Watermelon Limeade for a refreshing beverage (made with watermelon from the farm and a recipe by Emeril) and Amy brought a delicious home-made Bumbleberry pie.  Yum!

Amy & Chef Oscar

After lunch and a nice visit, Chef Oscar and Amy left the farm with a sampling of Lacie's tomatoes, peppers, squash and a huge bouquet of basil.  Later that afternoon, I received a text from Chef Oscar that he was creating his dinner menu specials around Lacie's produce from the farm.  I immediately called my husband and asked "will you take me out to dinner?" 

 Here are a few photos of the menu specials that Chef Oscar created last night with the Robertson Family Farm tomatoes and basil.  I've never had a better "farm to fork" experience!

Chef Oscar's Farm to Fork Specials

Caprese Salad 

(with Juliet tomatoes and Basi)

Mixed Summer Squash Cream Soup

(I love the basil garnish!)

Spaghetti Margheritta 

(with Juliet & Sun Gold tomatoes and Basil)

(Farm photos taken at the Robertson Family Farm in Yuba County, California.)

Basil

At the farm

In my Kitchen

 Basil

I treat fresh basil like fresh flowers.  When I bring basil home from the farm or farmers' market, I immediately put it in a water-filled mason jar and store it on the counter. I cover the jar with a plastic bag that creates a little "green house" for it.  Storing fresh basil this way really makes it last longer.

In the best BLT ever!

My secret to the best BLT ever is basil mayonnaise!

I make a delicious basil mayonnaise from a recipe by Ina Garten.  Ina says "use a really good mayonnaise."  I grew up on Best Foods Real Mayonnaise (known as Hellman's east of the Rockies) so that's the brand I use.

You can find the recipe here:

Tomato Sandwich with Basil Mayonnaise

(Farm photo taken at Robertson Family Farm in Yuba County, California)