Fall/Winter Holidays 2020
Coming Up Oysters
Reflections on teaching, forensic diving, oyster farming, and running a restaurant By Steven Day, co-owner of The Cook and Her Farmer in Oakland Photos by Clara Rice “Teachers have three loves: love of learning, love of learners, and bringing the first two loves together.” —Scott Hayden It started with a bad day at work.…
Read MoreZero-Waste Warriors and Art Activists Do Battle with Plastics
If Wishes Were Fishes Untangling the plastics problem during the pandemic An interview with Martin Bourque, Executive Director of the Ecology Center No amount of wishing has made the pandemic depart our shores, nor will it do away with the plastics polluting our planet. Can the East Bay, a stronghold of environmental action, make headway…
Read MoreGetting to Fair Share with Town and City Permaculture
Getting to Fair Share By Troy Horton | Introduction by Joshua Burman Thayer “Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product…
Read MoreEditor’s Mixing Bowl
The Sweetness Inside the Oyster Even during this difficult time, our editors’ experience creating this holiday issue of Edible East Bay has been sweet. Certainly, much of that has to do with all those recipes for pies, candied yams, cookies, truffles, and fruity drinks. But the true pleasure has been in all the connections…
Read MoreGot Bay Nuts?
Time to make truffles! Story, recipe, and photo by Alexandra Hudson In the height of midsummer’s plump heat, little green orbs begin their biennial-ish sprout from the branches of the California bay laurel. Over the following months, these baby nuts mature into their avocado-green-and-maroon–fleshed fullness. Come fall, they drop in prolific bounty throughout…
Read MoreKristina’s Holiday Bookshelf 2020
Good Books by Local Authors for Reading and Giving By Kristina Sepetys J. Kenji López-Alt(photo: Aubrie Pick) Every Night is Pizza Night by J. Kenji López-Alt, illustrated by Gianna Ruggiero Norton Young Readers, 2020 From Bay Area author and chef J. Kenji López-Alt and Oakland-based illustrator Gianna Ruggiero comes a charming children’s book about…
Read MoreJammy Tomato Anchovy Sauce
From: Kristina’s Holiday Bookshelf 2020 Good Books by Local Authors for Reading and Giving By Kristina Sepetys EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL: A Memoir with Recipes by Phyllis Grant Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020 The Berkeley-based author of the popular blog-turned-Instagram account Dash and Bella, Food52 contributor Phyllis Grant describes her childhood in Berkeley, making her…
Read MoreOma’s Einfache Ausstecher
Gets a Much Better Butter Update By Tina Wolfe | Photos by David Dranitzke The original inspiration for my business came from a childhood memory. When I was a young girl, I traveled to visit my grandmother in Bavaria. I loved sitting in her tiny kitchen with the table covered in oilcloth while…
Read MoreA Traditional Mulled Wine Goes Herbal
Recipe and photo by Anna Marie Beauchemin of East Bay Herbals A classic holiday beverage, this spiced elixir can be enjoyed any time throughout the winter. This version combines the immune-supportive properties of astragalus with the heart-opening energy of hawthorn, making it a welcome drink for the colder months. A festive take on…
Read MoreA Holiday Pie Party
Recipes, photos, and videos by chef/photographer Judy Doherty Don’t let the pandemic ruin your holidays! Baking pie will make your house smell delicious as you channel your granny and all those good times with friends and family in years past. Master these three recipes with the help of expert chef and photographer Judy Doherty.…
Read MoreWinter Squash Pie
From A Holiday Pie Party Recipes, photos, and video by chef/photographer Judy Doherty To watch Judy make this pie, click here. Any type of winter squash will do for this delicious, easy-to-make pie, even a pumpkin! You’ll start by roasting the entire squash, which will yield more pulp than needed for this pie, so think…
Read MoreHomemade Pie Crust
From A Holiday Pie Party Recipes, photos, and videos by chef/photographer Judy Doherty 1 scant cup pastry flour Pinch salt ¾ stick cold unsalted butter (dairy or *plant-based) 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon ice water In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Cut the butter into the flour and mix by…
Read MoreChocolate Silk Pie
From A Holiday Pie Party Recipes, photos and video by chef/photographer Judy Doherty To watch Judy make this pie, click here. For the crust ½ cup butter (1 stick or 4 ounces) 1 cup flour (whole wheat pastry flour works well if you have it) ½ cup confectioners’ sugar ¼ cup cocoa powder ½…
Read MoreTarte Tatin
From A Holiday Pie Party Recipes, photos, and video by chef/photographer Judy Doherty To watch Judy make the tart, click here. The dark apple tart called Tarte Tatin has Provençal French roots. I learned to make it as a teenager when I was a line cook at La Vieille Maison, a five-star restaurant in Boca Raton, Florida. It…
Read MoreA Lake County Bottle
Prima Materia brings out the hidden county’s wine charms By Meredith Pakier Copious sunlight beats down on obsidian-laced soils between the Mayacamas Mountain Range and volcanic Mount Konocti in Lake County, where Pietro Buttitta tends his grapevines. He’s grafted most of his rootstock with scions of rare native Italian varieties—robust sagrantino, silky refosco, and savory negroamaro—which…
Read MoreEgg Fried in a Spoon in the Fireplace
By Kristina Sepetys Always Home: A Daughter’s Recipes and Stories by Fanny Singer, forward by Alice Waters Knopf, 2020 Fanny Singer is a writer and cofounder of the design brand Permanent Collection. Always Home is her very personal culinary memoir about growing up as the daughter of revered chef/restaurateur Alice Waters. Singer shares dozens of…
Read MoreGranny’s Secret Vanilla Oakland Yams
By Chef Mimi Robinson | Illustration by Dawline-Jane Oni-Eseleh What I remember most about my Granny’s kitchen is the smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla when she baked what we called her Oakland Yams. Granny grew her own yams right in her backyard in North Oakland. When I was young, she would tell me stories…
Read MoreHoliday Spritzer
From What’s in Season by Barbara Kobsar | Illustration by Charmaine Koehler-Lodge Serves 4 2 cups fresh apple cider ½ cup pure pomegranate juice 1 cup sparkling water Juice of 2 limes (4 tablespoons) 4 to 6 ounces vodka (optional) 1 lime cut in half moons ¼ cup pomegranate seeds In a pitcher, combine cider, pomegranate…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season?
By Barbara Kobsar | Illustration by Charmaine Koehler-Lodge The holiday season is an especially good time to appreciate our farmers’ markets and the local growers, makers, and farm workers who supply so much valuable food to our communities every week through good times and bad. Paulina LaBelle and Alfredo Gonzalez are among the many helping…
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