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. Continue reading Savory cake with goat cheese →

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. Continue reading Peaches shine in galette →

When temperatures soar and appetites wilt, nothing is more appealing than a salad packed with cool, crisp greens.  Add a little protein and dinner is ready for the table.

This summer, I’m enamored with the pork tenderloin salad with warm strawberry dressing I found in “The Berry Bible,” by Janie Hibler.  Nominated for a James Beard award when it was first published in 2004, the cookbook is one of the books Amazon Encore is bringing back because customer reviews and other sources indicate they were overlooked and under-appreciated when they were first released. Continue reading Strawberries make the salad →

Summer books should be entertaining page-turners.  Who wants to get bogged down in obtuse economic theory or convoluted political arguments while stretched out on a beach towel or curled up in an Adirondack chair?

Fortunately for food lovers, there’s a whole crop of fun reads out this year that explore the culinary world.  You don’t even have to be a cook to enjoy these memoirs.  Here are my choices:

Spoon Fed, by Kim Severson (Riverhead Books, 2010, $25.95).

Kim Severson, one of the best food journalists in the country, has been at the New York Times since 2004 but she began building her reputation at the San Francisco Chronicle six years earlier.  I’ve always admired her as an excellent reporter with a great eye for the stories that define our times.  She’s also an engaging writer with a cheeky sense of humor. Continue reading Food books to take to the beach →

We don’t buy salad dressing at the supermarket anymore.  It’s just too easy to make our own now that I’ve switched to shaking them up in a jam jar.  And the flavor is so much better, not to mention the purity of the ingredients.

I hate to admit it, but I’ve never been adept at creating an emulsion by whisking a thin stream of oil into vinegar in the classic technique for making a vinaigrette.  Far too often the dressing separates before I get it to the table.

So I’ve experimented with all sorts of alternatives, from salad dressing bottles with their own stirrers to jars with markings on the sides for measuring out ingredients.  Nothing works as well as a wide-mouthed jam jar with a tight-fitting lid. Continue reading Jam jar dressings →

Of course you can grill hot dogs and hamburgers at the Fourth of July barbecue. That’s what most people will expect.

There’s a whole world of great grilling traditions to explore, though, if you’d like to try something new.  One of the best is Korean-style barbecue with its sweet and spicy rendition of beef short ribs known as kalbi.

These are the same tasty, tender ribs you may have cooked over a tabletop grill in a Korean restaurant.   They’re almost as easy to make at home and they’re guaranteed to wake up the palates of guests expecting the old standards at the annual Independence Day festivities.  We’re such a diverse nation, who’s to say what’s American food now? Continue reading Fire up the grill for kalbi →

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. Continue reading Best of June in a crisp →

Yes, hummus traditionally is made with chickpeas.  Its name, in fact, is derived from the Arabic word for the little round legumes you might know as garbanzo beans.

So this dish doesn’t really qualify as hummus.  Yet fresh fava beans, with their faintly sweet, herbal flavor and beautiful pale green color, make such a terrific variation on the now familiar dip that it would be a  shame to get hung up on authenticity.

In the bowl, the savory spread may look a bit like guacamole, but in the mouth its antecedents are clear.  Garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and the creamy sesame paste called tahini bring classic flavors to this new take on the Middle Eastern original. Continue reading Savory hummus with favas →

Suddenly, the days are downright hot at our house and all we want to do for dinner is grill.

A couple of inventively seasoned handmade sausages from our favorite farmers market vendor, Chris LeVeque of El Salchiero, and some seasonal vegetables hot off the Weber make a terrific meal when the temperature hits 90 degrees on the deck.  But I always like to add some complex carbs to the mix, too.

This salad of whole grain rice and crunchy nuts is just right for those evenings.  It offers a fascinating mix of textures and flavors set off by a vibrant orange dressing.  Although it’s ideal for a warm evening at home, it would be just as welcome at a summer potluck. Continue reading Wild and brown rice salad for summer →

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. Continue reading Sweet cherries, terrific tart →