When life gives you oranges ... help supporting the Big Sur Bakery

It has been a crazy winter in California. After five years gripped in a near existential drought, this has been the wettest winter on record, with near biblical storms causing destructive landslides, flooding and irreparable devastation to the state's infrastructure.

One region hit especially hard is Big Sur, the wild coastline between Monterey and Santa Barbara and one of our favorite destinations for an escape from the city ~ e.g. this fall Big Sur road trip and a memorable Big Sur Thanksgiving a couple of years ago. After a summer of ravaging wildfires, evacuations and longtime road closures, Big Sur once again finds itself cut off from the outside world: with a canyon bridge damaged beyond repair by a recent landslide, Highway One was closed indefinitely last week, cutting off access to this remote coastline and to Big Sur Bakery, one of my favorite Big Sur destinations.

With another rain storm approaching this weekend, Big Sur has been on my mind as I find myself browsing the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook, a favorite in this kitchen. And with a basket of sunny citrus on the kitchen counter, I thought I would share an all-time favorite recipe from the archives along with some Big Sur photos ...

Gluten-free baking in Anderson Valley { apple + fig crostata with polenta crust}

I have posted variations of this crostata recipe {a standby dessert favorite!} before ~ upon first discovering it in Umbria {cherry ricotta}, at last fall's orchard harvest in Anderson Valley {plum and fig} and earlier this summer at the Russian River {apricot}. Credit for baking inspiration and for the original crostata recipe goes to Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome, whose blog posts are a constant source of inspiring recipe ideas.

This fool proof crust can be whipped up from just a five pantry staples, takes almost no prep time {no kneading, no rolling, no chilling} ~ and turns out a buttery shortcrust every time! This time it's an adaptation of Elizabeth's recipe ~ with a gluten-free twist ...

Recipe : summer baking under the redwoods {apricot crostata}

It's finally summer stone fruit season again! And sun ripened nectarines, apricots, peaches, plums, pluots and/or cherries make the best topping for a summer fruit crostata, my favorite impromptu dessert of late.

I discovered this quick & easy crust recipe last summer {via Elizabeth Minchilli } and it's become the baking staple around here ever since, especially while traveling - e.g. there was a sweet cherry ricotta crostata in Umbria and Indian Summer fig & plum crostate in Anderson Valley. This time we were at the Russian River with a basket of California grown apricots …

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 : Cherry Ricotta Crostata {made in Umbria}

... the taste of summer! An amazing house in Umbria, bowls of sweet local cherries and a travel companion who loves to bake - this is how we ended up baking three cakes in just one week, each variation {cherry/ricotta, apricot/apple & cherry/almond} based on the perfect crostata crust recipe by our gracious host Elizabeth Minchilli.

Recipe : Marmalade Tart {Big Sur Bakery Cookbook}

Orange Citrus Marmalade Tart

When life gives you oranges ... make marmalade tart!

Recipes : a simple menu for a summer dinner with friends

dinner with friends

the guests.

diane, andy + nell
the menu. 
✳ figs with goat cheese and peppered honey { recipe }
✳ ottolenghi's marinated mozzarella with heirloom tomatoes { recipe }
✳ tonno del chianti with arugula-cannellini salad and pickled onion { recipe }
✳ minted strawberry salad with strawberry infused whipped cream { recipe }

Recipe : a simple goat cheese {cheese}cake

dinners with friends 

I made this goat cheese cake {or is it goat cheese cheesecake?} for Frank's birthday picnic in Marshall last week - and promised to share the recipe ...

Recipe: Apple Galette a la South Park Cafe

dinners with friends

The dessert selection at South Park Cafe in San Francisco changes with the daily menu, but usually there's an amazing tart or galette on the list - often times paired with house made ice cream.

Chef-owner Ward Little let me peek into the kitchen while he was preparing the other night's apple galette and shared the recipe ...

Recipe : Frank's Alpine Apple Tarte

dinners with friends

A rainy day in a mountain chalet high up in the Swiss Alps, a bowl of crisp apples and a husband who loves to bake ...

Recipe : Panna Cotta with Caramalized Mango

It's a classic, but also one of the easiest desserts to whip up. It will need time to set, but actual prep time should be under 5 minutes ...

Kaffee & Kuchen at Sweetwater Springs ...

the location: 
michael's barn, guerneville, california
the occasion: 
a afternoon visit
the cake:
raspberry marzipane tart from the bovine bakery in petaluma

Recipe : Mousse au Chocolat with sea salt

This is the perfect stand-by dessert recipe, I always keep a stack of good chocolate at hand and the mousse can be whipped up in no time. The key is very dark chocolate (I use 70% cocoa) - and the drizzle of sea salt adds a nice new twist to the classic dessert ...

Recipe : Eika's Almond Tart

Eika made this beautiful tart for Chloe's birthday dinner last month and was kind enough to share the recipe. I cannot wait to try it myself (update: I did in the meantime, see some making of picks below)

Recipe : Blood oranges and pomegranates with orange flower water

The perfect dessert to brighten a grey winter night: fragrant blood oranges and slightly sour pomegranate seeds get an extra flavor boost from a drizzle of orange blossom water ...