halloween : spiders, critters and bugs

halloween for the babies in sycamore park and we decided the kids needed some bugs and critters next to our chili con carne and cocktails.

sunday dinner : strawberries + cream scones

the farmers market is over flowing with strawberries– they are completely gorgeous and delicious.   as my refrigerator is overflowing with berries, i have been craving strawberry shortcake like my mom used to make.  during the summer, she would serve it to us girls for dinner as a special treat.

tonight, i decided to try alice waters‘ or as cw refers to her, pol pot’s recipe.  this reference comes from an anthony bourdain who likened her to the cambodian dictator,  “she’s pol pot in a muumuu. …. she used six cords of wood to cook one egg for lesley stahl.”  i saw that episode of 60 minutes and have to agree that was a completely ridiculous breakfast but i will say that alice water’s the art of simple food is a great cookbook and this dessert came out perfect. so alas back to the subject, the strawberries and cream scones with recipe below….

strawberry shortcake (6 servings) adapted from alice waters’ the art of simple food

ingredients :

strawberry component : 4 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced, 1/4 cup sugar

whipped cream: 1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon sugar, or to taste (i omit)

cream biscuits : 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 4 teaspoons sugar (optional), 2 teaspoons baking powder, 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces, 3/4 cup heavy cream

powdered sugar (optional)

to make:

make strawberry component: in a medium bowl, combine the strawberries and sugar.

remove 1 cup of the strawberry mixture, and purée it in a blender or food processor. Return the purée to the rest of the strawberries; stir. Set aside at least 15 minutes.

make biscuits: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

in a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar (if using) and baking powder.

cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or your fingertips. The pieces should be the size of small peas.

measure cream; set aside 1 tablespoon. add the remaining cream to the flour, and stir with a fork until the mixture just comes together. lightly knead the dough a few times in the bowl, turn it out onto a lightly floured board, and roll out about 3/4 inch thick.

cut six 2-inch circles or squares out of the dough. reroll the scraps, if necessary.

place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment, and brush the tops with the tablespoon of cream.

bake for 17 minutes or until golden and done.

make whipped cream: let cool and make whipped cream: In a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, whip together the cream, vanilla and sugar until it starts to form soft peaks.

serve: slice the cream biscuits in half. for each biscuit, spoon the strawberry mixture onto the bottom half, and add a dollop of whipped cream. Top with the other biscuit half, and dust it with powdered sugar.

figs + figs

i couldn’t resist photographing these beautiful figs that a colleague brought in from their fig tree.  served over bi-rite vanilla ice cream and topped with sea salt. . .  almost perfect.

butternut squash soup with fried sage leaves

although the weather in san francisco has been incredibly warm, autumn is upon us.  this week we tried kd’s favorite recipe for butternut squash soup– delicious and so easy.    the recipe below is adapted from the bon appetit recipe.

prep :

1  2.75lb butternut squash halved, peeled, seeded, chopped . about 5 cups

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion, coarsely chopped 

1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

5 cups chicken broth

24 fresh sage leaves

soup :

melt 2 tbsps butter in large heavy pot medium heat.  add onion. cover and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes.

add chopped sage; stir 1 minute.

add squash and broth.

increase heat to high and bring to boil. reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 25 minutes.

cool slightly. using immersian blender, puree soup until smooth.

return to heat and season to taste with salt and white pepper

ornament :

meanwhile, melt 2 tbsps butter in saute pan over medium heat. add sage leaves and sauté until crispy, about 2 minutes.  let dry on paper towels.

ladle into bowls and top with sage leaves and sea salt.

zucchini blossoms

at saturday’s market, the zucchini blossoms were so beautiful that we decided to give deep fried cheese stuffed flowers a try.  i spiced the joy of cooking recipe up a bit and served them over an heirloom tomato sauce.   the opening and stuffing of the flowers is pretty intense but definitely worth the process– once again, a happy husband. 

12 large squash blossoms

sauce :

1 heirloom tomato 

1/2 tsp sugar . 1/2 tbsp basil . dash of red pepper flakes . salt and pepper to taste

e v o o

slice the tomato into thin wedges . in small saute pot, heat evoo and tomatoes . press and stir until the sauce thickens and the skins seperate. add basil, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes . stir, remove from heat and let sit.

stuffing :

1/2 minced white onion . salt 

3/4 cup ricotta

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 + tbsp basil . 1 + tbsp parsley . pepper . dash of red pepper flakes 

place all ingredients into a bowl . stir together . slowly open the petals of each blossom and stuff 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the base. twist the tops of the petals together.

frying :

1/2 cup flour . 1 + tsp chili powder . 1 + tsp salt . 1 + tsp pepper

1 egg

e v o o

place the flour, chili, s+p onto a plate and mix together.  put the egg into a shallow bowl and softly beat.  dip the blossoms, one at a time, first into the egg, letting the excess drip off, and then into the flour, shaking off the excess.

heat ½-inch of olive oil in a medium skillet, over medium heat.  fry the blossoms, 3 to 4 at a time, turning occasionally until golden, 2-4 minutes.  drain briefly on paper towels.  serve immediately and sprinkle with sea salt.

late summer dinner : squash + ravioli

this is the first recipe that i created s-style and cw has requested– ravioli with 3 kinds of squash. . . . . its so easy, i thought it may be worth sharing, let me know what you think.

i picked three squashes randomly at the farmers market– zucchini, yellow squash and a hybrid 

thinly slice squash and prepare corn

saute onions in olive oil until translucent

add salt, red pepper and white pepper

add squash . saute until soft . add corn 

mix in cheese ravioli

serve . top with parmesan cheese, basil and sea salt

sonoma

we spent the weekend with 100 degree weather in sonoma– wine tasting [hanna . white oak and j for the birthday girl] followed by dinner at zazu.   

 

sunday night dinner

tonight, i made a salad with all our great farmers market finds and cw prepared thomas keller‘s favorite roast chicken.  everyone should try this simple recipe which is based on my favorite ingrediant – salt.   paired with edna’s sauvignon blanc. . . the perfect sunday dinner.

  

john pawson . lifestyle

for a girl that loves simple food, living on the water, and believes white is a color, john pawson is my man.  so for now, more inspirational photos [and one of my favorite recipes from living and eating, first edition] :

b60 sloop . “in essence white is not so much a color but the visible absence of colours and yet at the same time the concrete of all colours” – moby dick, herman melville 

wow . salad servers and bowls

living and eating by john pawson and annie bell

 

east coast lobster, west coast style

inspired by cw’s shorts, we decided on a lobster dinner party tonight and took a spontaneous spin to to the new england lobster company.   classic summer dinner with great friends.

grilled lobster .  red leaf lettuce with green goddess dressing . french bread