Recipe : Blood Orange Marmalade {with a dash of Campari}

Blood orange marmalade with Campari recipe

When life gives you oranges, make orange marmalade {or marmalade tart} …

Of all winter citrus fruit, blood oranges are by far my favorite. More tart and aromatic than the average orange, I also love the different shades of color each fruit flesh reveals: from sunny orange to rich crimson to dark purple tones - there seems to be an endless range of sunny color variations.

Sunday picnic & galette des rois with a view {Epiphany Day 2014}

the location.
a picnic table on treasure island, san francisco, california
the menu.
~ prosciutto, paté, salumi, cheese, quince paste & savory nibbles
~ baguettes, crackers & flat breads
~ dessert: galette des rois {& king & queen for the day!}

A sunny winter day in Point Reyes & oyster picnic by the sea

the location.
a picnic table at drakes beach, point reyes, california
the menu.
~ rustic baguettes with salted butter
~ fresh shucked  drakes bay oysters with a cilantro sauce mignonette
~ dessert: marzipan stollen bread

A holiday brunch with family & friends { Merry Christmas 2013! }

the location. 

julia & frank's flat, san francisco, california

the menu.

~ sicilian meatballs with pine nuts, raisins & parsley

~ frittata with goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes

~ farmer's market bread with homemade jams

~ marzipan stollen bread

~ bavarian butter cookies

An expat holiday brunch in the neighborhood ...

the location.

soledad & richard's victorian, san francisco, california

the menu.

~ cara cara orange mimosas

~ red pepper fritatta

~ smoked salmon, cream cheese & bagels

~ marzipan stollen bread

~ strawberries & melon platter

A francophile potluck dinner in the Berkeley Hills

the location.
florence & arnaud's house, berkeley, california
the {potluck} menu.
~ maxime's salmon ceviche with capers & shallots
~ julia's oven roasted tomato tart with fresh herbs {recipe}
~ arnaud's paupiettes with braised vegetables & oven roasted fingerling potatoes
~ philippine's apple crumble
~ philippe's {almost} flourless chocolate tart

~ canelés bordelais

A wild coast escape and Thanksgiving dinner at Big Sur Bakery

thanksgiving dinner at big sur bakery

A last minute escape from the holiday rush. Three unseasonably warm days along Big Sur's rugged coast filled with coastal hikes, beach picnics - and a cozy Thanksgiving dinner at Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant, a longtime roadside favorite on this wild stretch of California coast {menu below}.

It was a great getaway - and although we only got to spend three days, it felt like the perfect time slot to recharge the batteries and make the most of this year's very late days of Indian Summer {in late fall!}.

TBD Restaurant, campfire ambience & wood fired hearth cooking

the location.
tbd restaurant, san francisco, california
the menu.

~ autumn lettuces with butcher's vinaigrette

~ beef tartare, cheedar & beer, bitter herbs

~ {pinkie's bakery} toasted bread, butter & seaweed 

~ cabbage, local clams, hot peppers, bonito

~ heirloom carrots, lentils, sesame

~ lamb breast, preserved peaches & urfa

~ arepa flatbread, aged jack, maitake mushrooms

Le Diner a San Francisco, a pop-up picnic dinner with friends {& 4000 others}

Le diner en blanc san francisco white pop-up dinner

Le Diner à San Francisco, an annual elegant all-white pop-up picnic dinner with a long tradition in Paris was held in San Francisco for the third time this Friday. The secret location {Civic Center Plaza} was not revealed until hours before the picnic - and by late afternoon long rows of tables set up under the plaza's allées of pollarded sycamore trees were slowly turning into elaborately decorated all-white picnic tables, with thousands of diners following the all-white dress code {bringing fabulous foods & wines to the tables} ...

Recipe : fig crostata & plum crostata {straight from the tree}

fig crostata plum recipe

We only spent a few days in Anderson Valley, but an overbearing fig and Santa Rosa plum tree bursting with ripe fruit made for the perfect excuse to bake not one, but two Indian summer fruit tarts. The crust for both tarts was based on Elizabeth Minchilli's infallible shortcrust {no long kneading, no chilling, no rolling pin!}, a recipe that has become a dessert staple around our kitchen since the first cherry crostata earlier this summer - so here's to sharing it again ...

Recipe : Oven Roasted Plum Rosemary Jam

It was the peak of plum season in Anderson Valley last month and I don't think I have ever seen fruit trees laden with more ripe fruit: there were two plum trees in the fruit orchard {a yellow Mirabelle and a purple Santa Rosa variety} and each tree's branches were covered in heavy clusters of sweet plums. While picking a small basket for lunchtime plum crostata, ripe plums literally started raining down from the heavy branches - so, two full baskets later we decided to make jam with the sudden harvest bounty!

Indian summer days in Anderson Valley

A rustic ranch in the hills above the Anderson Valley. Days of homestead living with chickens and roosters, sheep and goats, a wise dog, two barn cats and a hog named Piggy. Amazing sunset views over the coastal range in the distance. And a fruit orchard bursting with ripe fruit - bright yellow mirabelle plums, golden Asian pears, tart red apples, sweet green apples, fragrant Santa Rosa plums, sweet figs and the tiniest of grapes {more on some baking here & canning here} ...

Market: Shed, a modern grange in Healdsburg

Shed in Healdsburg

On a recent rainy Saturday, on the way to Anderson Valley, we met our friends Grace, Scott & Tasman* at the new Shed in Healdsburg {* find T. below} ...

What a gorgeous space: a huge modern barn structure with recycled steel siding & all-glass facade opens to an open, airy space divided into three retail sections {cooking, farming & eating} sharing space with a coffee bar, cafe, fermentation bar, larder and grain mill.  The second level is a beautiful event space, a  bright hall opening to two observation decks with various seating areas and an open prep kitchen. Gorgeous tile details & amazing woodwork throughout.  From seasonal produce to European bee hives, from old-school cooking utensils to local wines, it's a new mercantile concept taking inspiration from the traditional agrarian grange, connecting local producers to the community and supporting sustainability.

A rainy morning in the country & breakfast with Mr. Boots

Waking up to a grey and rainy Saturday {fall is in the air!} brightened by a very sunny breakfast: 

ripe local peaches and black mission figs, ricotta cheese drizzled with Camp Meeker honey and skillet warmed scones from Wild Flour Bread ... 

It's aperitivo time at Sweetwater ...

the location.

michael's barn in sonoma county, california

the menu.

~ local marinated goat cheese & gruyere with caper berries

~ humboldt fog goat cheese with concord grapes

~ la quercia prosciutto with black mission figs

~ michael's famous butter toasted ciabatta crostini
~ marinated olives & bosc pears