Fall 2007
St. George Spirits
Jump to recipes Alchemy and Innovation on Alameda Island Story and Photos by David Szanto Many years ago, seeking to escape persecution for their distinctive practices and break free from the traditions that bound their way of life, a hardy group of travelers sought a new home on a distant shore. They traveled…
Read MoreWill Sunbathe for Food
Jump to Recipes By Sarah Inez Levy It’s one of those perfect summer afternoons in Orinda when there’s not a cloud in the sky and you can’t hear the groaning motors of Highway 24 above the birdsong. I’m sitting on Wendy Helms’s back porch eating lunch. She’s served a lovely garden salad with avocados and…
Read MoreOur Golden-Green Harvest
Story and Photos by Cheryl Koehler Like many avid cooks with a penchant for the cuisines of the Mediterranean, I use buckets of olive oil in my kitchen. Being a thrifty sort of gal, I’m invariably swayed toward that bargain bucket among the extra-virgin olive oils on the grocery store shelf. (Of course, I…
Read MoreDebbe Holeman’s Chard Tart
From Things are a’buzzin’, a’bleatin’, and a’gobblin’ in Knightsen Recipe by Debbe Holeman 1 pound Swiss chard leaves (about two bunches) 3 large eggs Salt/pepper to taste 1 cup grated Parmesan or crumbled goat milk cheese 1 cup unbleached flour A pinch of salt ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup chard water Wash the chard…
Read MoreSimple Roast Chicken
From Oh Give Me a Home Where the Araucanas Roam Set oven to 375º. Cut off feet at knee joint as well as head, if applicable. Trim and discard any extra fat from around cavity entrance and neck. Rinse and pat chicken dry. Season well inside and out with salt and…
Read MoreOh Give Me a Home Where the Araucanas Roam
It’s called Soul Food Farm By Bonnie Azab Powell | Photos by Bart Nagel Only 10 years ago, Alexis Koefoed was living in Vallejo with her husband, Eric, and their three young children, working for a winery in Yountville, and dreaming of someday having a farm. A bit later, when 55 acres of prime pasture…
Read MoreThings are a’buzzin’, a’bleatin’, and a’gobblin’ in Knightsen
An East Bay woman’s passion for nature’s bounty raises the bar on fresh and local. Story and Photos by Wanda Hennig If you think the idea of the pioneer woman is at odds with that of the 21st-century inventive, adaptive, independent superwoman, you haven’t met Debbe Holeman. To visit her down-home spread in…
Read MorePear, Blue Cheese & Endive Nibbles
From Where Have All the Pear Trees Gone? By Devany Vickery Davidson, Dinner Party Cooking School 8 ounces mascarpone cheese 8 ounces Point Reyes Blue Cheese (or Maytag Blue) 2 tablespoons butter, softened 3 green onions cut into one-inch pieces 2 tablespoons rough-cut peppercorns (I like to use a blend of red, green and black)…
Read MoreGran’ma Lillie Simple Sweet Potato Pie Filling
From Pie to Die For by Wanda Hennig Recipe by Beverly Jefferson’Dasté Beverly Jefferson-Dasté, who worked for the postal service for 33 years, started baking sweet potato pies commercially—and the old fashioned way. “I always had my dream of going into business for myself,” she says. One day she woke up to the fact…
Read MoreGrilled Pear, Ham and Cheese Sandwich
From Where Have All the Pear Trees Gone? By Devany Vickery Davidson, Dinner Party Cooking School 8 slices good sourdough bread Butter Honey mustard ½ pound medium sliced Gruyére ½ pound Brie, chilled and sliced ¾ lb. thinly sliced ham (rosemary ham or Black Forest ham) 2 Barlett pears, cored and sliced 2 medium onions,…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season: Peppers
By Barbara Kobsar Photos by Helen Krayenhoff In California, peppers are the quintessential fall fare. Red, orange, and yellow bell peppers mirror the colorful hillsides while mildly spicy to blazing-hot chili peppers warm the soul. Peppers slowly ease us into the cooler months, but shout out loud that fall is here. Peppers are…
Read MoreRoasted Pears with Almonds and Wine
From Where Have All the Pear Trees Gone? Recipe by Devany Vickery-Davidson, Dinner Party Cooking School 6 Bartlett pears, cut in quarters and cored (use a melon baller) ¼ cup local honey ¼ cup light brown sugar ¼ cup dry red wine 1 teaspoon freshly grated cinnamon ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Place pears in…
Read MorePear Quesadilla
From Where Have All the Pear Trees Gone? Recipe by The Peasant & the Pear Pear chutney: ¼ cup dry white wine ½-inch wedge of red onion, sliced thin 2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 1 Bartlett pear, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks 2 tablespoons of water, or…
Read MoreWhere Have All the Pear Trees Gone?
By Devany Vickery-Davidson As long as I can remember, I have had a love affair with pears. Their supple juiciness, sweet buttery flesh, voluptuous shape, tender fragrance, and long season all contribute to keeping the affair steamy. Also fanning the flame is the way they work with my favorite cheeses and how brightly they shine…
Read MoreInvoltini di Pepperoni (rolled, roasted yellow sweet peppers)
From What’s in Season: Peppers by Barbara Kobsar with photos by Helen Krayenhoff Executive Chef Peter Chastain from Prima Ristorante in Walnut Creek uses this recipe in several ways. It is meant to be an antipasto and comes from Puglia originally, but it can also be “deconstructed” for use over pasta. Toast the breadcrumbs…
Read MoreFall 2007
Features Editor’s Mixing Bowl California Grasses and Cattle Ranching: parallel changes in our East Bay universe Lessons in Mindfullness on a Lafayette Ranch Nourishing Talent at Creative Growth What’s in Season: Peppers To Raise a Child in Richmond, it Takes a Farm things are a’buzzin’, a’bleatin’, and a’gobblin’ in Knightsen More Dirt on the Happy…
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