I don’t know what it is lately, but we’ve been eating a lot of snapper.
And not of the deep fried variety, although that will never get old.
No, Brad has been buying whole snapper…
…fileting that baby down with his fancy Japanese knives…
And creating the most delicious tiny bites of sashimi you could imagine.
You might remember this plate from my birthday celebration. Snapper with kumquat, Serrano and mint. Continue reading
In seventh grade, we had the choice to start taking Spanish or French in school.
I very adamantly insisted on taking French. I remember thinking it was such a beautiful, exotic language. I thought it was the language of love. It was the country of butter and croissants and pastries and delicious things galore. It seemed exciting and romantic in a gorgeous way that, at the time, I didn’t find Spanish.
I don’t think my parents were thrilled – Spanish is so much more practical in our country – but when a kid is excited about learning a new language, who’s going to stop them?
I ending up sticking with French up until my junior year in high school. When I graduated, I could absolutely hold a formal conversation with someone in the language.
In college and beyond I became interested in wine, which – of course – included those of the French varietals. I was thankful I had the background to understand a little extra from the labels.
And now, as the wife of a chef, I have found so much happiness in baking. Recently, I even tried my hand at what looked like a relatively simple recipe for Four Hour Baguettes. Because who doesn’t love a hot, soft loaf of bread with dinner? Continue reading
I don’t know if you remember, but in September Brad was auctioned off at Weiser Farms right in front of my very eyes.
After bidding hit about $200, I realized I could no longer afford my husband. I was going to have to share.
For a good cause, of course.
A lunch for 8 at Coleman Family Farms was sold to the buyer who had $1400 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand. They scheduled and planned, and then rescheduled for after the crazy holiday season – which ended up being yesterday.
With me and the Barolo Joe guys in tow, Brad put together a 5 course lunch for what turned into a group of 16.
We drove up to Carpinteria super early (for us), explored the farm a little, and then hand-picked fresh greens, flowers and herbs for lunch.
Then, it was off to the races. We set up and prepped…
…and prepared the most amazing five courses for the lucky sixteen people around the table.
Snapper Crudo with serrano, kumquat, mint and lime.
Leafy Farm Green Salad with blood oranges, fennel, balsamic vinaigrette and almonds.
Hand Cut Linguini with farm herbs, white wine and parmesan.
Manilla Clams with cherry tomatoes, garlic and lemon.
Whole Braised Oxtail with sprouting broccoli, radish and bordelaise.
Weiser Farms Potato Salad with Wooley bacon.
Strawberry Tart with honey, flowering thyme and vanilla ice cream.
I seriously wish I were sitting at that table.
xoxo
“She turned to the sunlight and shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor: “Winter is dead.”
― A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young
I guess yesterday was the last official market of the winter here in Santa Monica.
But it sure looked like spring had arrived a teeny bit early.
How many different kinds of eggs can there possibly be??
Good thing I went to the market alone yesterday, because there wasn’t much room left in the car for Brad.
I’m flying to Maryland tonight for a memorial service for my grandfather. I hope I can bring a little bit of this Southern California springtime with me via raisins and strawberries.
And maybe some other goodies I pick up along the way…
xoxo
Just so you know, you still have about 364 days to go until the next giant explosion of love and chocolate and roses. So I hope you didn’t use up all of your love yesterday. (and by love I mean strawberries) This … Continue reading
Ok, maybe love is more than a Strawberry Tart, but I’m going to go ahead and say that there is a definite correlation between the amount of love you feel and the amount of this tart you eat. Just ask … Continue reading
THE KEY OF KELS 