Heath Ceramics Spring Line

Saturday was a beautiful morning in the Bay Area, so we took the ferry from Oakland over to the San Francisco Ferry Building (a 15 minute trip for $6.50,cheaper than parking and a much better view) and hit up the numerous cheese stands, stocked up on produce and noshed on freshly made Italian Doughnuts.

I couldn't resist perusing the Heath storefront in the Ferry Building. Their seasonal collection for summer is out, and the color is pretty much perfect. All of these have landed on my "want" list.

Thoughts on a Monday

I think it's time for some posts that are not food-related (though it tends to weasel it's way in) and this is what I'm thinking today:

1. I resolved not to buy a rice krispie treat one or more times a week from the cafeteria at work. 1 week + 1 day with 0 rice krispie treats and counting! So far, resolution has been very successful. I have willpower.

2. Saturdays in Dolores Park with friends +sun + picnic things are glorious. Even better when topped off with burgers at Benders and a dance party at Brian's.

3. Sundays in Healdsburg with the girls are wonderful. Sun + wine + vineyards full of mustard + Frannie = Heaven.

4.Sunny weekends in general are the best.

5.Brian took the picture above at our dinner at Pizzaiolo last week. I like it.

6.Feeling blue on Friday night, but Boyfriend took me to a movie, turned on a shower for me so that the water was hot by the time I got in it, and poured me a glass of wine when I got out. Then he watched an hour of very bad TV with me without complaining once, just because I wanted to. He is thoughtful. And the best.

7.I am addicted to this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X61BVv6pLtw

8. And lastly, this is a picture of my Best Friend Forever from my Birthday weekend/NYE. I heart it.

Leah's Birthday - Russian River Trip

This weekend found 14 friends piled up in a house on the Russian River together to celebrate our dear friend Leah's 30th birthday. She couldn't have picked a more beautiful spot, perfectly suited to this crew of avid innertubers, sunbathers, cooks and cocktail experts. We launched the tubes from a few miles up river, and headed downstream to end up at our own private beach, just down the bank from the house. From the tubes it was into the hot tub to warm up, and then onto the board game portion of the trip.

There's nothing quite like a getaway with friends. To just hang out, enjoy each other's company, cook and enjoy a heated game of Trivial Pursuit. It's just about the best thing ever, and I for one, did not want to leave that house.

And I think Leah had a good time. We all enjoyed some of her favorites through the heroics of group cooking. Bahn Mi sandwiches, fish and shrimp tacos, barbecued ribs, honeymoon pancakes and, as requested, a Carmel Banana Birthday Cake.

We're a very spoiled group when it comes to food.

Recipe for the Carmel Banana Cake to come later, and maybe Sonya's amazing Peach Gallette, and Sam's "Bomb Mi" Sandwiches...if I can persuade them to share their secrets! In the meantime, I'm recovering and planning the next river trip...

Pictures taken by Brian

Aced!

I'm not positive, but I would venture a guess that I might be the only person in history to go to Palm Springs for the weekend, and come back with bronchitis.

It just doesn't make a lot of sense.

It was hot in Palm Springs. Really hot. Sweltering and dry desert heat. The kind where you drive in to town, mouth agape as you watch the thermostat steadily climb and climb and climb up to 110. I mean, HOT.

The kind of hot where the thought of getting out of the pool is unbearable. Where the thought of venturing into a room where the air-conditioner is set any higher than 65 is ridiculous. Where ice becomes the most essential part of any beverage concoction. Well, except for the rum or gin, of course. We were all about priorities in Palm Springs.

My dear friend Brigid is getting married this summer. She suggested a girl's weekend in Palm Springs to begin the celebratory festivities. I had never been, thought it was a fantastic idea, and quickly did some research. I stumbled upon a room special for the Ace Hotel & Swim Club, which, on the website looked like some kind of hipster paradise. We booked, we went, it was and I can't recommend it highly enough. It's like they designed the place with the sole idea that you should never have to leave the hotel for any reason. Vespa rentals? Check. Free bikes to ride around the grounds? Check. Two luxurious pools with cushions, cabanas, misting systems, lawn chairs and umbrellas? Mmm-hmm. Old-school photobooth? Check. The ultimate desert dive bar? Oh yes. Great, kitchy restaurant? Yep. Stumptown Coffee? Oh man, yes. Pool side service from very good looking men? Yes. That too.

The Ace has just about everything you could want. Including BBQ's, DJ's and the most fantastic people-watching experience I've had in quite awhile. Everyone was friendly, everyone was looking to have a good time. All in all, it was one of the most vacationy vacations I've ever had.

Between the vacation, the bronchitis, and a trip up North for my Nephew's high-school graduation, you can probably understand why there hasn't been a whole lot of cooking going on around here. And by "whole lot" I mean none.

But as you can see. We did get to the roadside attraction outside of Palm Springs that is the Robotic Dinosaur Museum, so...there's that. I figure this picture alone is worth about 3 food posts. Right? Right.

Guest Post by Pearl

My six year old niece, Pearl, has asked that her photo of her dinner be included on the blog. I am more than happy to oblige her. I happen to know that she is an excellent cook: masterfully arranging chocolate chips in cookies, raspberries in raspberry tarts, eating chocolate and licking spatulas clean.

I can tell you that her favorite meal is salmon sushi. She prefers it without rice. She also very much enjoyed the Pina Colada's (virgin) I made in Hawaii, but she prefers them without too much fresh pineapple, because the pineapple makes her tongue swell up.

So here is dinner by Pearl. Sweet potatoes, and chicken on peas. Very healthy and well-balanced, I must say.

It is obvious she has an eye for this thing.




Well done, Pearlyque!

Ease Into It - Brown Butter Risotto with Sherry & Poached Shrimp

In the span of five days, I went from Maui's 90 degree temperatures, warm blue waters and white sandy beaches with palm trees, to the 30 degree snowy slopes of Squaw Valley in Tahoe. Life is feeling very full at the moment.

And as I always say, the best way to ease out of one vacation is to throw yourself into another. I have no problem doing that with gusto.

The problem is, now I'm out of planned vacations for awhile, with nothing to tide me over. That is not an enjoyable feeling. I think I'm going to have to come up with an affordable idea or two. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to summer.

Here's a confession: spring is probably my least favorite season. Oh, I know it's when things are blooming, starting to come out of the ground, everything has a fresh taste and smell to it. It's lovely, but it's just not summer. I'm looking forward to a hot sun; swimming, windows open and down, summer tomatoes, peaches and berries. I can't wait!

But, in the meantime, there's still enough chill in the air for cozy dishes like risotto.

My fridge looked pretty bare when I came back from Hawaii, and seeing how I was leaving again so quickly, I thought the thing to do would be to rummage through the pantry to come up with a quick dinner. I had Arborio rice, sherry, an onion, chicken stock, butter, frozen shrimp and some Parmesan. Great for a basic risotto, but how to make it even better? So easy. Can't believe I'd never thought about it before. I simply browned the butter. It lent a wonderfully nutty flavor. A great way to add a bit of flare to an totally simple dish.




Brown Butter Risotto with Sherry and Poached Shrimp

8 frozen shrimp
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
3 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
chives for garnish (optional)

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Keep hot over low heat. After the risotto has been cooking for about 10 minutes, add the shrimp to the remaining broth and poach until shrimp is cooked through. Remove from the broth with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to foam and then turns brown, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Add the onion and cook, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the sherry and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of stock and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue adding the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of stock to absorb before adding the next. Cook until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with shrimp and garnish with chives

Maui - A Tropical Vacation is the Best Kind of Vacation

I'm having phantom smelling spells. I keep getting whiffs of plumeria, sunscreen and coconut. I'm having Maui withdrawals, obviously. I don't think I would have survived the transition back to the mainland, were it not for my dear friend Amber, who works at the bar on my street. She has been feeding my Pina Colada addiction, gunning full speed with her industrial strength blender and trigger finger.



One of the most exciting things about my recent trip, was that I conquered my fear of snorkeling. To be fair, I hadn't tried snorkeling since I was about 8, and at that age I was terrified of being nibbled by fish. This time, I had a hard time getting myself out of the water, especially when I realized I could hear the songs of the humpback whales underwater. It was an amazing experience to hear that, and to swim through the coral reefs. Add tons of green sea turtles to that, a few pods of dolphins, some white sand beaches and palm trees, and it all adds up to a pretty great vacation. I'm feeling very relaxed, though I'm sad to be back. And actually, kind of refreshed work-wise.




Not only did I encounter all kinds of magical sea creatures, but I also had a magical creature sighting on land. While wandering through a tiny local market, my Sister turned to me and said, "See that guy at the end of the aisle? Isn't he on TV?" I turned and looked, and there was Mr. Big from Sex and the City. I'll admit, I stared a bit (he's pretty damn good looking) but aside from that and a quick perusal of what was in his shopping cart (Fig Newmans, yogurt, milk and water) there was no conversation. Just some ogling on my part. He's Mr. Big! Who wouldn't ogle!? Best celebrity sighting I have ever had.



And yes, there was the typical tropical fare. As previously mentioned, I downed more than my share of Pina Coladas; but also fresh pineapple and papaya with lime, fresh fish, bananas right off the tree...a pretty wonderful way to eat. When everything is abundant, fresh and healthy, it seems you need less, but enjoy it more.

Corresponding recipes coming soon...

Form & Function - My *Very* Tiny Kitchen

Earlier this week my friend and fellow blogger Kim posted some pictures of kitchens from around the blogosphere. I love sneaking a peak at other people's kitchens, both for inspiration and design ideas. People always say that the kitchen is the heart of a house, and I, for one, certainly believe that to be true. I love seeing how people's personalities are reflected in this particular space.

Kim asked me for a few pictures of my own kitchen. It took me awhile, but I've finally gotten around to it, and I thought I might as well post them here.

This is my tiny, nay, minuscule kitchen. This space is obviously not without its challenges. For prep space, I have a pull-out cutting board next to the sink. It tilts down at a good angle, and I'm still working at corralling all my ingredients so they don't roll onto the floor when things get cluttered, or when the angle becomes too extreme.



As you can see, there's not much space for a rolling kitchen-island type of thing. If I had the room, it would be the first addition on my list. Yet, as much as I can complain about a lack of space, it does force me to be creative and concise about what I bring into the kitchen area. Everything must have a place and a purpose.

In general, when you inhabit as small a space as I do, storage is at a minimum, and nearly everything is on display. If I don't want to look at it everyday, I don't buy it. While function is first and foremost, I've learned to combine it with form. The result is a small (tiny!) space that I like to spend time in, and that makes me feel good. You'd be surprised at the number of things you can cook and prep in even the tiniest space.




So now I'm curious. Anybody have a space that they'd like to share? Anybody have a space smaller that this?! If so, I'd love to see it! I'm sure there are kitchens smaller than mine, though it is hard to imagine...

California ABC Cracks Down on Bay Area Beverages

Photo by Kat Wade of the SF Chronicle

In San Francisco (and the greater Bay Area in general) the mixing of a good cocktail is considered an artform. People take it very seriously. They know who the good bartenders are, where they are, and what time their shift starts. Ask almost anybody around here where you can get a decent Gin & Tonic, and they'll ask if you like your tonic homemade. They can point you in the direction of a good Pisco Sour, the best Manhattan, or a proper Gimlet.

Small batch distillers tend to do pretty well around here, and there are a ton of places infusing their own liquors. Finding a house-made infusion on a menu tends to make my eyes light up (it's something I've attempted on my own in the past with Meyer lemons and vodka, and I loved the results...) but those concoctions may be a thing of the past in California, if the Alcoholic Beverage Control has it's way. They're cracking down on establishments infusing their own liquors: a policy that makes no sense, considering that these infused liquors pose basically no health risk.

The master distiller at one of my favorite local spots, St. George Spirits in Alameda, had this to say in response to the crack down, "alcohol is a fantastic solvent. Not only is it biologically intert - nothing can survive in it - it also has a way of pulling all of the flavorful oils from the skin of whatever you're working with."

Today's San Francisco Chronicle has a front page article about the crack-down and the response. The Bay Area is already up in arms about it. I'll be interested to see if the ABC has evidence of actual cases where house-infused liquors have made anyone sick. It doesn't seem likely, and in truth, seems like a totally frivolous use of resources and funds in this already cash-strapped state.

You can read the article here.

Knife Skills, Thoughts and Commis in Oakland

Awhile ago, I started getting more serious about cooking. I began to notice that this was what I turned to, to relax. It's where I was doing my best thinking, chopping onions and mulling over whatever happened to be going on in my life at the time. It's also where I was having the most fun, and it's what I wanted to share with the people I loved. It's where my thoughts were more frequently turning to during the day . . . What recipe to try next? Which new technique to experiment with, and to hone? Which restaurant to try?

I tracked my obsession: sitting at a bars, craning my neck, trying to catch a glimpse into various kitchens to see what was going on in there.

I made my first loaf of bread. I made cheese. I perfected a chicken dish that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I slugged my way through four different chocolate chip cookie recipes (which, for sanity's sake were then foisted upon friends) in effort to find the ultimate cookie. I fell asleep with cookbooks open across my chest, and Gourmet, Bon Appetit and Saveur magazines strewn across the floor. I poured over other food blogs, watched cooking demonstrations on youtube. I was more than a little thankful at that point not to have cable, as I'm sure if I did, the Food Network would have been on almost constantly, and I would have found Mario Batali's appearance on Iron Chef America a compelling reason to never leave the house.

(No cable for me!)

I toyed with the idea of culinary school, but at an easy 60k for 2-3 years, it didn't seem like the best option. I considered a smaller program in Berkeley, but when I sat in on a class there, I quickly realized it wasn't the kind of program I was looking for.

So I decided to start small. I took a cooking class at a company in Berkeley called Kitchen on Fire. I started with their Spanish Seafood cooking class, which offered 5 recipes. Seafood is something I love, but tend to be intimidated by when cooking it myself. The class was fantastic. It was so much fun, and I was so excited to be doing something really hands-on. After sitting at a desk and staring at a computer for most of the day, it was more than a welcome relief.

Last night I took their knife skills class. I figured I'd better be sure my fundamental skills were correct if cooking is something I'm going to pursue any further. Turns out, I have a lot to practice. Anyone need some onions chopped? I dove through about 10 of them last night, along with 7 carrots, 8 celery stalks, 10 cloves of garlic, half a bunch of parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, 3 bell peppers and 4 zucchini.

I've never been the front row student, you know, the one who turns in a paper a day early, or arrives a good 20 minutes before class to go over the lesson plan. The person whose hand shoots up at the request for a volunteer. I've never been that girl. Until now. I pounced on that bag of onions. I had no qualms about speaking up, asking questions, asking for advice or a demonstration when needed. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it, or how excited I was.

I wish I had some pictures for you. It completely slipped my mind. But I can say that I'll be taking more classes there. They have a 12 week "Boot Camp" course that covers just about everything, starting with the knife skills, moving on to sauces and stocks, braising, bread, grilling, etc. I can hardly wait.

So who knows where this will go? If I had my way, I'd somehow be making my living off of this sort of thing, though I have no idea how. At some point, I'd love to do an internship in a kitchen, becoming an unpaid chopper of onions, and segmenter of citrus.

But until then, I'll continue with the classes, and I'll continue to sit at the bar of some great restaurants, trying to sneak peeks.

On that note, I did remember to bring my camera to the newly Michelin-starred Commis on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. Unfortunately, the pictures didn't turn out so well (and also, I hate to be that person who takes pictures of all their dishes in a restaurant, and I try to avoid it as much as possible) so I only have a couple to indicate the quality and beauty of what we ate. If you get a chance, I can't recommend this place enough. It was truly a great experience. If you go, I recommend splurging for the wine pairings.

Duck cooked sous vide with sour cherries, mustard greens & parsnip puree

Panna Cotta with berry gelee & Muscat pairing

It Has It's Own Day.

Did you know that today is World Nutella Day?

It's true. I read it on Google.

Look, here's a picture to prove it!



So in honor of this most holy of days, I've decided to re-post the only Nutella Cake recipe you will ever need. Fellow Bloggers, Readers, and Lovers of Nutella, I give you Nigella Lawson's Nutella Cake...


These days it seems I look for every and any excuse to make cake. I have been on a bit of a baking rampage, and my tiny studio kitchen is nearly groaning under the weight of so many cakes. It's gotten quite ridiculous. Not that I personally have a problem with cake for breakfast every day, my waistline, however, does indeed have a problem with that. There's the chocolate one resting comfortably in the freezer, the lemon berry cake on top of the stove (with enough slices taken out to cause it to bear an eerie resemblance to Pacman) and now there's the birthday cake on the counter. So. Much. Cake.

Pacman in cake form.

And so I pawn them off on friends and co-workers. I offered to make this latest cake for a friends be-lated birthday. When I asked what kind he wanted he mentioned something with hazelnuts and chocolate. That of course, brought to mind one thing. Nutella! Genius! Had anyone ever thought to make a cake out of nutella before? Of course. Nigella Lawson, in fact. I should have guessed. She cooks, she speaks in a gorgeous English accent, she's pretty easy on the eyes and she makes cakes out of nutella. This woman could obviously rule the world if she chose to do so. Luckily she chooses to simply share her recipes instead.

I poured over the recipe. It was madness, for sure. Not only does it call for a whole stick of butter, two full chocolate bars, and rum, but it uses an entire jar of nutella. This cake is obviously not for the faint of heart, but considering the culinary requirements for an earlier cake experiment (4 sticks of butter!) I was not to be intimidated. Now that cake was crazy!

It was a dreary, drizzling kind of day. I hauled myself off to the gym to try and make up for the breakfast problem of the week, and then started in with Elliott Smith to accompany me. Elliott makes a fine cooking companion. Of all the albums in my possession, his are the ones I never tire of. If only there were more of them.

And here is the result! So dense and delicious and full of nutella! I'm quite pleased with it, and it really couldn't have been easier. Nothing to fear...as long as you have plenty of people to share it with, of course.

Oh baby! Nutella in cake form!

Nutella Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache
from Nigella Lawson

Cake:
6 large eggs, separated
pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 13-ounce container Nutellla
1 tablespoon rum
1/2 cup finely ground hazelnuts
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and
cooled

Ganache:
4 ounces whole hazelnuts
1/2 cup half and half (she calls for heavy cream but I was out, half and half worked well)
1 tablespoon rum
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Whipped egg whites, yolks, butter and the *secret* ingredient

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; butter a 9-inch springform pan. In a large bowl (preferably metal),
whisk the egg whites and salt until stiff. In another bowl, cream the butter and Nutella, then add
the rum, egg yolks, and ground hazelnuts. Fold in melted chocolate.


Add a blob of beaten egg whites to the chocolate batter, and mix gently until well-combined. Fold in the remaining whites, one-third at a time, very gently but thoroughly. Pour into springform and bake for 40 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting tester, which should come out mostly clean; lightly pressing finger into top to check for a slight bouncing-back; and observing edges beginning to separate from pan. Let cool completely, in pan, on a rack.


Toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet, or toaster oven shaking them around frequently. Do it for about 4 minutes, or until they are lightly browned, then let cool completely. If hazelnuts came with skins on, put them in a towel after toasting and rub around; this will remove most of the skins.


Chop chocolate, and add to sauce pan with half and half and rum over medium-low heat. Once chocolate is melted and components are combined, whisk until mixture reaches desired thickness, then cool. Remove rim of cake pan and pour cooled ganache over, spreading lightly to create a smooth, shiny surface, and apply hazelnuts all over.

Back Into It - Mixed Herb Gremolata

I can't even say I feel guilty about being away from here for so long. There was just too much to do and too many people to love in real life.

Life has been a whirlwind for the last several weeks. I closed a show, packed my bags, flew to Portland and spent the most time with my family ever since being out of college, and on the day I turned 29, I flew back to the Bay, repacked a bag and drove to Tahoe with friends to celebrate the New Year. After much snow, sledding, fiery bloody mary's thai food and chocolate birthday cake, I then drove back and met up with good friends for a hike to the Tourist Club on Mt. Tam in Marin. It's been a spectacular few weeks. And now (as is always the case after the holidays) the adjustment back to reality is proving to be difficult.

Back to work, back to life, back to the computer screen and the studio apartment and the laundry, the cleaning and the stocking of the refrigerator. Oh vacation, I will miss you so.

In the spirit of mourning the days that are now past, I bring you recipes past. We'll start out slow, easing our way back into the blogging. This is the Gremolata that accompanied the fantastic Cabernet Braised Short Ribs I made for my family before Christmas. Keep your eye out for the accompanying Polenta with Gorgonzola and Cream, it was the height of comfort food.

Mixed Herb Gremolata

adapted from Bon Appetit

1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley

3 tbsp finely grated lemon peel (I used meyer lemons)

2 garlic cloves (I sauteed the garlic for about 30 seconds in a tiny bit of olive oil, removing it before it turned brown)

1 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped

You can choose to saute the garlic or add it raw. Mix all ingredients together and add lemon juice to taste. Sprinkle on top of the short ribs, or whatever protein you choose.

Nicholas Kristof - Cancer from the Kitchen Article in the NY Times

Are you putting your plastic containers and tupperware in the dishwasher? Do you microwave food in them? Here's why you shouldn't.

List of Foods to Stay Away From

I worked late last night and arrived home at about 7pm. I was planning on roasting a chicken for dinner, but sadly, my local butcher closes shop at 6:30. I decided to venture into Safeway across the street to see if they had whole chickens. They did, but all they had was Foster Farms, no organic chicken.

Several years ago I noticed that when I ate commercial chicken or eggs I would get sick afterwards. The more research I did, I started to realize that I must be allergic to some of the hormones used. That scared me and really made me think about what I'm ingesting into my body. Since then, I've made an effort to change my eating and buying habits. It's more expensive, but it doesn't make me sick. It's also better for the environment.

I skipped the chicken last night and went with a plain old pasta dish.

With that in mind, when I came across this list of foods created by experts in food safety that they choose to stay away from, I paid attention. I've never even heard about problems with canned tomatoes before. This list is here, and it's worth a read.

Bon Appetit - Molly's Sweet Potato Biscuits

I am beside myself with glee every time a new Bon Appetit lands in my mailbox. Joy came this Saturday evening with the December issue, and I am dying to try these Sweet Potato Biscuits from Molly Wizenberg's monthly column, served with good mustard and some holiday ham, there's something to warm and cozy about these, and there's certainly nothing wrong with the smell of biscuits wafting through the house at this time of year.

Get the recipe here.

About Delancey - sfgirlbybay interview with Molly from Orangette

Not even two hours later and I'm blogging again. Two of my favorite bloggers have combined forces, Victoria from sfgirlbybay and Molly from Orangette. Victoria has posted an interview with Molly about Delancey, the pizza restaruant in Seattle (Ballard to be exact) that Molly and her husband recently opened. Molly's book, A Homemade Life, is a favorite of mine. A fantastic collection of essays and recipes. I'm dying to get up to Delancey one of these days.

Check out the interview here.

Something Every Cook Should Read

Trolling around on the food blogs today, I came across a David Lebovitz post on TheKitchn called 10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Cooking. Tips involve lots of shallots, good quality chocolate, fresh herbs, upgrading your oils and vinegars, and more. Just wanted to share, I think it's something every home cook should read.

Find it here!

Before Today - Persimmon Jam

Recently a co-worker of mine mentioned that she had a tree full of persimmons. Trouble was, the tree hangs over her neighbors yard and the fruit inevitably ends up on the wrong side of the fence. She said I was welcome to the persimmons if I brought an apple picker and was able to get to them. I called Leah, and we headed over this morning, apple picker in tow.

At this point I should mention one tiny detail. I don't actually like persimmons. Well, actually, that's not quite correct, I didn't like persimmons before, before today that is. Before today, I'd only ever had them in cookies or in persimmon pudding, neither of which were favorites of mine. The trouble is, persimmons are extremely hard to ignore at this time of year. They seem to be everywhere. It seems there's at least one persimmon tree in everyone's yard, heavy and practically groaning with fruit. The farmer's market is overrun with them. And the thing is, they're so beautiful. You can't help but admire such a exotic looking fruit. I only wished they tasted as good to me as they looked.

My co-worker mentioned she was going to try to make a chutney with them, and on the drive back home I pondered what to do with mine. "Jam!" Leah said.

A good idea. And so that's exactly what I did.

I cut off the tops of each fruit, peeled them, chopped them and removed the cores. I tasted one of the pieces raw, skeptically. No good. Too sweet and just not much going on. I dumped them into a saucepan with some sugar and lemon juice, and turned up the heat. Five minutes later a delicious smell permeated my apartment, and I knew I had something good going on in that pan. Some kind of magical alchemy had occurred and the persimmons had been transformed into something sweet, tart and slightly early. The taste reminded me of fresh apricots. Once the jam was finished, I sterilized a couple jars, ladled in the jam and sealed the jars.

It was so easy to make, I even set aside a couple jars for friends, and one jar will come with me to Portland for Thanksgiving, to be served alongside some cheeses, or to be spread on toast the morning after. But, the best part is now knowing what to do with that gorgeous orange fruit.


Persimmon Jam
makes 2 small jars

5-7 Fuyu persimmons
1/3 cup sugar
juice of 1 lemon

Peel persimmons, remove top and cores. Chop into small pieces. Put persimmons into a medium saucepan with sugar and lemon juice. Turn heat to medium and cook, string occasionally for 25 minutes, until fruit has broken down. Ladle into jars. If you decide not to seal the jars, jam will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Nutella Cake Featured on TheKitchn!

It's the cake that refuses to be ignored, and it's back up on thekitchen!

This is a recipe that I found from Nigella Lawson, and it's more than deserving of a place on your Holiday Table. Check out the recipe here and visit the post on thekitchen here!

Email Info

Hi All,

Several people have let me know that they're unable to comment on this blog. While I'm not sure why that's the case, I have added an email link on the sidebar to help remedy the situation. So if you have a question, a comment a recipe suggestion or would rather converse in private, just go ahead and email me. I promise to try and return all emails in a timely fashion. Thanks! Carry on.

-Elissa