Sometimes, inspiration comes just when you need it.   I had returned from a wonderful Bakers Dozen tour of Harley Farms in Pescadero last month and was pondering what I could bake with the fabulous goat cheese I had scored when I spotted an article in the New York Times about the French enthusiasm for savory quick breads.

Cakes salés—savory cakes—is the French term for these popular breads laced with cheese, meat and even vegetables.  They’re homey loaves, as easy to stir together as muffins, and they’re served at picnics, parties and potlucks in Paris and beyond.  Sliced or cut into cubes, they make terrific nibbles with a glass of cool wine on a summer afternoon. (more…)

Let’s face it, pie is intimidating for many cooks.  Why else would supermarkets sell so many of those cardboard-like frozen crusts in foil pans?

Never fear, pastryphobes.  The French have given us a marvelous alternative to the pie with perfectly ruffled edges—the galette.   A free-form cross between a pie and an open-faced tart, it makes the perfect showcase for sweet and juicy produce of summer’s stone fruit season.

What’s more, it’s a snap to make and actually is supposed to be irregularly shaped. Call it rustic and revel in the imperfections. (more…)

Rhubarb, strawberries and cherries, oh my!

How I love this time of year, when my favorite fruits are in season.  (Let’s not quibble about rhubarb. It may be a vegetable, botanically speaking, but it cooks up like a fruit.)

I have no desire to spend hours in the kitchen fussing with this bounty, however.  A simple, old-fashioned crisp is just what’s called for when the days are long and the weather balmy.

Rhubarb is the star of this dessert.  Bright and sassy, its refreshingly sour flavor balances out all the sugar in the topping.  I like it paired with the soft, sweet flavors of ripe strawberries and cherries, but it works beautifully all by itself, too. A lively burst of fresh ginger adds character. (more…)

June is here at last and in Northern California that means cherry season is in full swing.  I live for this time of year, when I can eat my fill of the sweet, juicy fruit that defines spring in my mind.

Already I’ve seen Brooks, Burlats and the occasional Royal Ann at the farmers market.  The glorious, winey Bings that I cherish are ripening in the orchards that still line the rural roads of Brentwood in Contra Costa County.  We’ll be heading that way later this week to pick our own, which always taste so much better.

The Bings will be terrific in this new tart recipe I’ve developed.  But the Brooks and Burlats have been exceptionally good, too.  And sour cherries should work well if you boost the sugar in the custard a bit. (more…)

New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman always seems to have his finger on the pulse of how America cooks.  His encyclopedic book of pared-down recipes, “How to Cook Everything,” Wiley, 1998, long ago displaced the venerable “Joy of Cooking” as the everyday kitchen reference in our house.  My husband would be lost without it.

Now Bittman has joined the smart phone age with his nifty new iPhone app, “How to Cook Everything On the Go” ($4.99). I’m not going to give up my hardback version of his cooking bible anytime soon but I’m smitten with this clever bit of technical wizardry.  It has everything in the book and more in a to-go format that is much easier to search.

The shortcake pictured here is based on the simple scone recipe I found while browsing among the strawberry entries.   The ingredient list is short, the instructions are simple, and the results are delectable.  This may be the easiest, most tender and flaky scone I’ve ever made even though I switched out half of the white flour for whole wheat pastry flour.  Use a food processor and the scones are ready to bake before the oven has warmed up. (more…)