East of Eden Cooking

2012/10/152017/12/31

Indian Summer Orzo Salad

Late Summer Tomatoes

“The afternoon was golden, for the yellow dust in the sky gilded the light.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

The last shards of summer are heaped in a pile waiting for my attention. I have made excuses. Not enough time, out of town visitors, trips north and south along the coast, a migraine and it’s flattening aftermath. I could make a longer list; but truly it’s all about summer. The months of September and October are traditionally what we call our Indian Summer. The dismal grey fog disappears mid morning and we are blessed with the glorious warmth and sparkling light of sunny days. The fog stayed late this year and our Indian Summer was just a mirage the entire month of September. How can we be ready for fall when summer just arrived? I marvel at pounds of ripe tomatoes, harvested inland, in the heat. Like shards of broken pottery, I hold onto the remnants of a greater thing, a summer almost missed. READ MORE . . .

2012/09/202017/12/26

Serendipity, a Celebration Cake and a Tangy Ending

A Secret Garden

“Our species is the only creative species, and it has only one creative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of man.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

A whim and curiosity to learn more about growing herbs and edible flowers led me to Jacobs Farm in Pescadero. I had purchased their exceptional organic products at Whole Foods and my local Nob Hill grocery store. When I attended the Monterey Bay Greenhouse Growers open house in June I brought home samples of their edible flowers and made my first batch of tangy infused vinegar. It was on a trip to Gidzich Ranch in Watsonville for olallieberries that I saw Jacobs Farm company sign along a back road and thought about visiting. READ MORE . . .

2012/08/252017/12/26

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sunflower Seeds

The seeds of inspiration: Marion Cunningham

“If one were properly to perform a difficult and subtle act, he should first inspect the end to be achieved and then, once he had accepted the end as desirable, he should forget it completely and concentrate solely on the means. By this method he would not be moved to false action by anxiety or hurry or fear. Very few people learn this.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Many years ago I was given a copy of the The Fannie Farmer Baking Book written by Marion Cunningham as a birthday present. It is the 1984 edition which includes over 800 baking recipes. Holding a place of prominence on my bookshelf, it is a cookbook that has stood the test of time. My daughter now uses this cookbook. My favorite scone recipe is here. I have tried other scone recipes, but I always return to Marion Cunningham. My daughter uses the The Fannie Farmer Baking Book for “Soft Oatmeal Cookies” and the recipe I adapted for this post “Chocolate Chip Cookies”. She likes this recipe with peanut butter; just hold the peanuts. For years it was the only baking book I used. I was busy, working full time while raising a family. When I baked I needed to be sure the final product was a stellar success. There was no time to experiment. This is the book I used. READ MORE . . .

2012/08/062017/12/31

Lavender and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Candied Orange Peel

Lavender Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Candied Orange Peel

Summer Lavender Harvest

“It was a fair place even in the summer when the sun laced into it. A line of river willows and sycamores banded it in the middle, and the western hills were yellow-brown with feed.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Between Monterey and Santa Barbara lavender farming is thriving in California. Just inland from the coast in the area between Paseo Robles and Santa Ynez the Mediterranean like climate is perfect for lavender cultivation. It was time for a road trip to Paseo Robles to visit the lavender fields of Central Coast Lavender before they closed for their annual harvest and the local Lavender Festival. The farm was quiet and calm; yet the bees hovered and buzzed about as lavender was bundled in preparation for the weekly farmer’s market. It was a warm afternoon filled with all things lavender. READ MORE . . .

2012/07/182017/12/26

Olallieberry Financiers

Summer Berry Mania

“Wouldn’t it be funny if she never left Watsonville, thirty miles away? She could even slip in over the line and see her friends if she wanted to. Maybe she came to Salinas sometimes. She might be in Salinas right now.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

It was mid June. It was time for the local olallieberry harvest at Gidzich Ranch in Watsonville. If I held my breath it would be over. I grew up with the olallieberry harvest at Gidzich Ranch every summer. During those years I found my mother’s fixation with the olallie to be a bit obsessive. Often we would go pick berries each week of June and the beginning of July. We would leave early in the morning when it was still cool so my mother would have time to process the lush berries on the same day they were harvested. I am beginning to follow my mother’s path. I have been to Gidzich twice for olallies. I made pie, jam and froze olallieberries just as my mother did. But this year I tried a new berry recipe with my olallies. And I am very glad I did! READ MORE . . .