“Variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor”, 18th century poet and writer William Cowper. I like to try a little bit of of everything: a spoonful of lemon curd on a small scone, one egg scrambled with cheese, a slice of smoked salmon, a taste of greek yogurt with honey, almonds, … Continue reading
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Brunch / Dinner / Lunch / Uncategorized
First Lobster Rolls of the Season
My first lobster roll of the season is at Jennifer’s home in late May or early June. A couple of years ago she started serving the salad on thick slices of ripe tomato when she noticed we were leaving buns on our plates to save room for extra chips, wine, and/or dessert. Last week, bolstered … Continue reading
Brunch / Lunch / Side Dish / Uncategorized
Gus’s Crabcakes
Apologies for not providing the recipe for Gus’s Crab Cakes before Oxbow won the Preakness; they would have been perfect for your racing day menu. Never mind. Make them for late spring and summer dinners going forward. We recently served them with a dollop of homemade tarter sauce on a bed of fresh pea shoots … Continue reading
Baked Good / Cake / Dessert / Uncategorized
Decadent Chocolate Chocolate Cake
Marie, who often has chocolate chips for breakfast, was disappointed when I didn’t bring a chocolate dessert to last month’s Discussion Group meeting. I’m determined to satisfy her expectations tonight. This recipe for an almond flour based cake with a ganache icing is inspired by one served at the very cool Foreign Cinema in San Francisco. Continue reading
Burnt Honey Orange Scones
If, IF, you have any Burnt Honey Caramel Sauce left from last week, try these scones. The slight smokiness of the burnt honey plus the brightness of the orange zest make them the perfect vehicle for a little butter and as much Blood Orange Marmalade as you like. Because we’re using (liquid) sweetener, the body … Continue reading
More on Kitchen Muses
Hanging up the wine glasses I noticed that Peter accessorized our wooden artist model not featured in an earlier (musing) about kitchen muses. He/she is running next to the bar sink with a cork from a bottle of wine from Pride Mountain. The trek up Spring Mountain outside St. Helena, CA is worth the view and … Continue reading
When to buy Organic
Local organic eggs laid by chickens that walk around (Gary or Mary’s) garden taste better. They just do. Making “Perfect Scrambled Eggs”? First step: get the best, freshest eggs possible. Same with butter. Butter made locally from organic cream is worth the calories on toast, scones, muffins…. (It’ll be so expensive you’ll savor small amounts … Continue reading
Baked Good / Brunch / Cake / Dessert / Uncategorized
Toasty Sesame Cake with Chocolate Ganache
Toasted sesame seeds in a rich cake topped with bittersweet chocolate ganache. Make it once and it’ll find a way into your repertoire. It’s easy to prepare and has a cool first step: heating the seeds in a skillet until they start to crackle and pop, removing from the heat, adding cold milk, and stirring … Continue reading
Baked Good / Breakfast / Brunch / Cake / Dessert / Uncategorized
Rhubarb Streusel Cake
The rhubarb is up in the garden. Stalks are short and tender, but red enough to harvest for a first Rhubarb Cake of the season. I didn’t like it as kid. Mom celebrated spring by baking Strawberry Rhubarb Pie or Crumble, but I was alway happy when it was no longer available in the market. … Continue reading
Less is More – favorite bowls
The square Duralex Storage Bowls in our cupboard get washed every day. Their round bowls used to be the service work horses, and we still use them, but there is something satisfactory about a square glass bowl. I had trouble tracking them down until I discovered that they’re sold for food storage and come with lids. (I sort … Continue reading
Gluten Free Gus 