I’m an avid reader of Cooks Illustrated. The magazine, founded and edited by Chris Kimball, is about recipes, of course, but the interesting difference is the fine tuning the developers do with each and every subject. Now you can buy special book editions of Cooks Illustrated recipes.

I’ve been a magazine subscriber, though, for probably 20 years. They take no advertising whatsoever, and each issue is about 24+ pages long. Each contains maybe 10 articles altogether, so it’s not overwhelming. They take a subject — like cabbage, let’s say, or brownies in this case — and they not only develop the recipe or a group of recipes, but the writer explains the process in great length and detail. I like that – I enjoy reading about the trials and errors. That may not be for everybody, however. So they talk about the ingredients process, sometimes the chemistry behind food combinations, and explain why using something in the recipe didn’t work and how she/he/they finally found the “right” recipe. Of course, it’s just their opinion, but I’ve rarely been disappointed by any of C.I. recipes. They also do taste tests of canned or bottled items – like tomatoes, (Muir Glen won the last time they tested them) or paring knives, or pie crust shells. That kind of thing.

So, back to brownies. This recipe was printed in April, 2004. The recipe developers and authors, Erika Bruce and Adam Ried, worked on this recipe for awhile to come up with their combination. After reading the article I just had try it. I was doing a dinner party that weekend for a fairly sizable crowd, and wanted something like finger food for dessert. The brownies were prepared, baked, and about an hour before the guests arrived I carefully cut them up and delicately balanced rows of them on an elevated cake stand and covered them with plastic wrap so they wouldn’t dry out before people got around to eating them. People began to arrive and someone oohed and aahed over the large stand full of brownies. She reached in and grabbed one and ate it right then. She was in ecstasy, she said. So, someone else had to have one. Then someone else. About a third of the brownies were gone before I’d even served appetizers (*$%!+$). But the consensus was that these were the best brownies. Do I agree?Absolutely. I’ve made them several times since then, just not recently.

So when I was telling my younger daughter, Sara, about the creation of my blog a couple of months ago, she immediately piped up and said,”Mom, the Best Ever Brownies have to go on your blog.” Now she’s an affirmed chocoholic from wa-a-ay back. But, this being 2007, I’d almost forgotten about them, lo these many years ago (3). Since I had a hankering for some chocolate today, and I’m meeting my friends Joan, Janet and Darlene later this afternoon for coffee, I thought I’d surprise them with a little treat. We have a new Peet’s that’s opened up about 4-5 miles away (we have another one closer, but it’s small). The new one is large and has lots of outdoor seating. And it’s not that crowded yet. I do love Peet’s coffee – they have a corner on the foam market in my book. I know, some people don’t like or want foam, but I love it. Theirs is dense and flavorful. Always. We buy our regular drinking coffee from Peet’s and have for years. I make espresso mostly, but Dave drinks Peet’s Decaf Sumatra nearly every day.

These brownies aren’t all that unusual, really. If you put the ingredients side by side with other brownie recipes you might not find much difference. It probably has more eggs – 4 – and not a lot of flour (although it is cake flour) which gives them a bit of a chiffon texture, so they’re not as cakey as some. There is a punch of chocolate in these, but they make 24, so really 6 ounces isn’t all that unusual. The color of the finished brownie is more like cocoa, or milk chocolate, but there isn’t any of either in the brownies. The chocolate flavor is certainly there, but it’s not like these are dense or chewy.
I’ve used Ghiradelli chocolate and Lindt too. And now I really like using Scharffen Berger. But in’04 people hadn’t gotten into designer chocolate like they have now. When I entered the recipe into my recipe program I noted back then that I didn’t have any unsweetened chocolate (which is what it calls for), so I’d used Valrhona dark instead and cut down on the sugar. Funny thing. I didn’t have any unsweetened chocolate today, either, so I used Trader Joe’s Bittersweet (it’s a Belgian chocolate) and reduced the sugar by about 1/3. The pan preparation is a bit unusual – you line the pan in both directions with foil (leaving the edges hanging over the sides, which you use to grab ahold of when you’re removing them), then spray the foiled pan with baking spray (the kind that has both oil and flour in it). I forgot to sprinkle the pecans on the top of these, as directed, but mixed them into the batter instead. Whatever you do, don’t overbake these, and it’s easy to do. I rely on my handy-dandy cake tester whenever I bake. My oven runs a few degrees hot, so I always cut down the temp by at least 5 degrees, sometimes 10, and reduce the baking time. These took 27 minutes today at 315 degrees.

You could make a half of a recipe, which might be less dangerous to have around. These freeze nicely, however. See how long these last in YOUR house! And Sara, these are for you.
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It seems that I’m on a Hugh Carpenter roll. Maybe I’d better buy his cookbook, Hot Barbecue, since I’ve prepared several recipes from that cookbook and like them all. Yesterday was a beautiful Southern California day, perfect for a backyard grilled dinner. Since Dave is a diabetic, I tend to not prepare sweet barbecue sauces except on rare occasions. And that’s probably why I was attracted to this recipe because it has a limited amount of sugar in it. (And, in fact, I forgot to add the honey to the recipe at all, but next time I will.) I remember when I attended the grill class and these ribs were prepared for everyone – I enjoyed them then, and we enjoyed them yesterday. The ribs came from Niman Ranch, and they’ve been in my freezer for several months from an order I placed with them back then. If you’ve never had any Niman Ranch meats, you’re in for a treat. Only available by mail order or phone, they raise very healthy animals, no antibiotics, no hormones. Although, their bacon (which is excellent and contains no nitrates or nitrites) is available at some Trader Joe’s, and occasionally you can find their pork chops there also. If you get on the Niman Ranch email list, they’ll tell you when meats are on special. Find a friend who will order as well and the shipping will be less that way. These ribs were exceedingly lean. Maybe not healthy-lean, but certainly better than any ribs I buy locally.

First you make a sauce/marinade: peanut butter, soy sauce, Hoisin, ginger, garlic, sherry and some Vietnamese chili sauce, among other things. You marinate the ribs in the sauce for an hour or two. Or three, or up to 8 hours. The sauce isn’t hard to make – whizzed up in the blender – then you pile the ribs into plastic bags with the sauce and just let them stew in the refrigerator. Really very easy.

Carpenter has developed his own method for using the grill. He likes high heat at first, then you lower the temperature to let meat settle in for some long, slow cooking. This method is very similar to the Ribeye Steaks with Amazing Glaze that we made several weeks ago. Click HERE to refer to that recipe.

We sat outside overlooking our beautiful view of the California coast, under our new pergola, in the shade, sipping on a magnificent bottle of 2002 Iron Horse Alexander Valley T Bar Vineyard Merlot. We watched blue jays swoop down to our small table and grab little pieces of corn chips, while the ribs were slowly baking. The birds seem almost tame, as they would come within about 6 inches of my hand to pick up crispy pieces I’d toss their way. We’ve seen these birds before. They may even have a nest somewhere on our slope as they’d dive just over and down behind the foreground palm tree in the photo. Very entertaining. And very peaceful and relaxing. Off in the distance in the photo is the Pacific Ocean, looking toward Long Beach and Palos Verdes. It’s about 10 miles to the ocean, although it’s kind of hazy out in the distance. What a lovely end to a nice weekend.
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It seems that alcoholic beverages of all varieties are very much in vogue again. And with variety like we’ve never seen. Everything from alcoholic smoothies, to the be-all, end-all Martini. My friend Linda T’s daughter Kris introduced me to this drink on Christmas Day, 2006, at her mother’s home in Carlsbad. We were en route to our daughter’s home in Poway to celebrate Christmas Day and dinner, and stopped for a brief visit. Kris was bartender for the day, and was offering two mixed drinks: one made with Pimm’s, or this one, a rum-based drink with fruit juices. I opted for the latter, and have enjoyed this concoction numerous times in the ensuing months. As long as you have the ingredients on hand – tangerines, limes, ginger ale, and mint, you’re in business. Normally I’m out of tangerines and limes, maybe even ginger ale, so I need to plan ahead. Currently we’re out of tangerine season here, so I’ve used orange juice, and particularly like the color when I’ve used blood oranges. I’ve used sugar-free ginger ale and added Splenda to sweeten the drink, with no appreciable change in flavor. It’s the fruit juices and mint that travel through, and the rum is subtle, as long as you don’t overdo it.

Kris got this from a little cookbook of drinks, Highballs High Heels – a Girl’s Guide to the Art of Cocktails (currently out of print). This is very refreshing drink and will make a really nice break in a warm, almost hot, sunny Southern California afternoon. The picture was taken in Linda’s kitchen a few weeks ago when I spent a very fun weekend with her in Carlsbad. She remembered that I had enjoyed the drink and provided the ingredients, so we both had one. What fun! Thanks, Linda. Thanks, Kris.
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A week or two ago I mentioned Hugh Carpenter, a very talented chef, author and restaurant consultant. I think his name cropped up in the Los Angeles Times Food Section one year (this was back in the mid-80’s) because he was consulting with several new restaurants, helping them develop their menus and specifically the food. Back then he was really into Asian food, but was one of the early advocates of fusion – Asian fusion – Pan-Asian, or Pan-Californian. We zipped up to L.A. on several occasions to try the food in these restaurant establishments and were very interested in the food combinations and layers of flavor. He lives up in wine country, but must spend some time in L.A. So when Carpenter began teaching at the Bristol Farms facility in South Pasadena, I drove up there to take some classes. I was impressed. He’s a very engaging, entertaining guy, high energy and skinny as a rail. Still is. He must not eat a lot of the food he prepares, or else he’s one of those kind of guys who has a very natural high metabolism. His wife, Teri Sandison, was there with him, and we learned that she helped in the kitchen, but her angle was pottery. More than one of the Carpenter cookbooks contains nothing but his wife’s plates, platters, bowls, etc. and she’s listed as a co-author.

This recipe was from one of the classes, although it could have been from a more recent one rather than years ago. I’m not sure, nor do I know which of his cookbooks this is from. I’ve made it several times, and it seemed very appropriate today since we’re going to an afternoon barbecue with a group of friends. All I do know is that it’s tasty. I happen to love watercress. It has a peppery tang that dances on my tongue. It’s a little difficult to find these days . . . I don’t know why, but it is. The salad is different (because of the jicama, the watercress, and the abundance of pecans), crunchy (also because of the jicama), and the dressing is a cloud of flavor with every bite (unique because of fresh lime juice and honey). But you just gotta use the walnut or pecan oil. Under no circumstances should you substitute olive oil or even vegetable oil. Actually I don’t think I’ve ever seen pecan oil, but walnut oil isn’t too hard to find these days. Just remember to keep the oil in the refrigerator – it doesn’t have a long shelf life at room temp. Give yourself ample time for all the chopping and mincing. I think it takes about an hour from start to finish, but it’s good to chill everything before actually serving, so if possible, allow an extra hour for that.
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Ramekins, the cooking school Cherrie and I visited last Saturday and Sunday is in Sonoma. It’s been in existence for a long time, and first came to my attention because Joanne Weir, one of my all-time favorite cooking instructors, mentioned that she occasionally demonstrated there. Also, Tarla Fallgatter, a local Orange County teacher, also taught there in years past. Over the years I’ve looked at Ramekins‘ website and watched who was visiting there to teach, when, etc. One trip to wine country I even dropped by the school and peeked in to see what it was like, and was fortunate to be able to see some of the guest rooms (it’s a B&B also). That’s when I decided that someday I’d go for a class and an overnight.The cooking school is housed in a lovely building about 3 blocks from the main square in downtown Sonoma, just next door to The General’s Daughter, a fabulous restaurant we visited one night last week. Unlike some cooking schools which are side rooms of cookware stores (often cramped), this one was set up to be a cooking demo and participation kitchen. Actually the building also has a very large banquet room (and accompanying commercial kitchen) to seat about 100+ people, and they do large parties, weddings, etc. there. A lovely patio adds to the charm of the place. In the picture, the banquet room is on the left, the kitchen school on the right, the B&B rooms upstairs (which are just lovely) and the delightful patio under those leafy trees.

The cooking school kitchen has ample room for seating or prep tables. Most of Ramekins’ classes are participation style (you are given an overview of the class, then everyone digs in and prepares a part of the meal). We chopped, minced, sautéed, pureed, tossed, etc. whatever our assignment was, then went to tables outside (both days were just beautiful weather, ideal for sitting out under their big shady trees) and the staff served us the meal we’d all fixed.

So, on Saturday, the class was French Bistro favorites. We had the soup (below), a country paté, mussels in broth, steak with Béarnaise sauce, pommes Anna and chocolate soufflés. I doubt I’ll make any of the other dishes, but the tomato soup was outstanding. One point the teacher, Lisa Lavagetto (the cooking school manager), told us was the importance of using only San Marzano canned tomatoes. You may already know about these, but I didn’t, and having tasted them right out of the can today, I can definitely say they’re
far sweeter and more tasty than any canned tomato I’ve ever met before. They’re not at your neighborhood chain grocery – you’ll need to find an upscale grocery or an Italian deli. The 28 ounce cans I bought were $3.69 each, but well worth the expense. The soup isn’t hard to make, at all. You just have to have the ingredients at the ready – onions, carrots, celery, tomato paste, the San Marzano tomatoes, some fresh herbs, chicken broth. Oh, and some heavy cream. This isn’t exactly low calorie or low fat, but a cup of heavy cream for 8 people is only 2 tablespoons per person.
That’s not bad! And this soup will definitely be a staple in my repertoire from now on. I doubled the recipe so I’ll have some to freeze.
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This isn’t my recipe. It’s from a new book on the horizon called The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz. So, how’d I find out about it? From reading food blogs, of course (The Traveler’s Lunchbox, to be exact)! Early in my blog reading, I heard about David Lebovitz and soon subscribed to his very entertaining blog.

David is an American in Paris (can you hear Gershwin’s music trilling?), although he worked for 13 years at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. I talked a bit about the dinner we had last week at that restaurant, and I recall one of the waiters mentioning the favorite dessert there is whatever cobbler is on the menu. Interestingly, David Lebovitz just wrote up a blog posting about a new rendition of cobbler using polenta, click here, and he talks about his stint at Chez Panisse. And totally off the subject of food – I sent out (to a bunch of my friends) a link to his blog after reading his “take” on Europeans, the French, the Italians, and the Americans on the subject of B.O. It’s also about the very American expression we hear everywhere, “Oh my God.” His write up is LOL (that’s cyberspeak for laugh out loud) funny. If you’re interested, click here. If you read it, read the comments at the bottom – they’re almost as funny as his blog posting.

How do you segue from body odor to ice cream. With difficulty, I think. But trudge on, I say. I tried this recipe from reading the blog, and once the book came out I ordered it for myself on Amazon for $16.47 (hardback). The book is chock full of very unusual combinations. Here’s a sampling of ice creams, sorbets or granitas in the book: Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Maple-Glazed Pecans, Roquefort-Honey Ice Cream, Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream, Malted Milk Ice Cream (one of his favorites, he says), Chocolate-Coconut Sorbet or Black Currant Tea Ice Cream. He also includes some cookie or bar recipes that he calls “vessels” for serving ice cream. And he adds in a few toppings like glazed or candied nuts or fruits.

After falling in love with Banana Gelato at Gelato Vero in San Diego (see previous post about this) I was certain I’d like this rendition. You roast the ripe bananas in the oven with brown sugar and butter, then scrape out every last bit from the pan, and mix with the milk base, chill, and freeze. The brown sugar comes through, and it has a very full, rounded flavor of the bananas and caramel. It disappeared in no time, although I did serve it to guests, so there wasn’t much left after that. The best part is it’s low in calories and fat – yes, really, just 4 g of fat per serving – see nutrition info just below the recipe.
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Years ago I began following the cooking of Cindy Pawlcyn. She cropped up on the Napa Valley radar when she opened Mustards, in the early 1980’s. She is an innovative chef, but rounds out her food with all the trappings of comfort food. As I believe I mentioned earlier, this was where I first tasted roasted garlic. Since it was very difficult, then, to even get into Mustards, one always had to wait for a table, even with a reservation. While waiting, what more obvious a thing to do than have a glass of the ubiquitous white wine of the decade (chardonnay, of course, because just about everybody was drinking the varietal at that time), and as you became more and more hungry watching and smelling the trays of food whisked from kitchen to tables, you might order a little something to slake your raging appetite. I remember asking the barman what we should have. He grinned and said, “the roasted garlic, of course.” I’m sure I must have made a face: even though I love garlic, I knew nothing about roasting it and about how the flavor changes so dramatically. To utter smoothness, to cream.

So anyway, that began my enjoyment of Cindy Pawlcyn’s food. And discovering how terrifically easy it is to make roasted garlic. Years have gone by, and I did enjoy many a dinner at Mustards, although now it’s been some years. But when I began planning this trip, my friend Darlene raved about Pawlcyn’s newer place, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen. The name is thus because the restaurant sits in a cute and funky little house on the next street over from the main drag through St. Helena. The town itself is small. There’s really just the one road that wends through the town, Highway 29. Tra Vigne is at the southern end of town, and Cindy’s place is about in the middle of town. A month ahead it was difficult getting a reservation here, but I was successful only with an early hour. Our waitress was funny as a stitch. She told us about the specials of the day and went non-linear about the soup. She just insisted we
HAD to try it – a Tomatillo, Poblano and Asiago Soup. She said the wait staff was in love with it. So, what could we possibly do? We each ordered it. Oh – my – gosh! I cannot begin to tell you. I wanted another bowl. I did my best to get information about what was in it, other than the obvious. She didn’t think there was cream, although she said it was thickened with masa. (To me, it looked like there was some cream.) So, today I did a search on the internet, and lo and behold I found a recipe from the chef at Stephan Pyle’s restaurant in Dallas. [Since I posted this story, the recipe has been taken down; the chef – not Stephan Pyle – left the restaurant and had gone elsewhere – likely that’s why.] I’ve never been there, but have certainly heard a lot about Stephan Pyles over the years. I haven’t tried this yet, but I will. I can promise you I will because Cherrie and I went nuts over this soup. I’ll let you know whether it compares with Cindy’s. When I make it I’ll try it without the flour, but with masa, and I’ll taste it before adding any cream.

Cherrie ordered one solitary oyster with spinach, shallots and a melting cheese. I ordered the stuffed zucchini blossoms (with Jack, cheddar and Asiago, with a dollop of guacamole) lightly sauteéd. We also ordered a delicious grilled chicken dish, Chicken Pollo Loco (we shared one order) that was moist and tender.
It was stuffed with Jack cheese and California chiles and spinach, maybe flash fried with shallots and extra virgin olive oil.

Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen is a winner. The food was outstanding. The wait staff was very fun. The atmosphere very enjoyable. Where I was sitting I looked out a window – isn’t this cute?

Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, 1327 Railroad Avenue, St. Helena, California

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Did we have fun? YES
Did we eat a lot of good food? YES YES YES
Did we shop ’til we dropped? Oh my, YES
Did we stay in some great places? YES
Would you go back? YES, most definitely
And lastly, is it good to be home? Well, yes it is.

It’s really, REALLY fun going on a road trip with a girlfriend. You can stop at any store you see out of the corner of your eye. You can stop for a latté whenever you feel like it. You can lounge in the B&B over cups of coffee, at leisure in the mornings. And, you can taste wine if you feel like it, or not. With our husbands along on such a trip we decided we’d really have required two cars. The guys in an SUV with a storage tow trailer for all the cases of wine they would have purchased. Us in the luxury car so we could sight see and shop. The boys would have been hyperventilating about reaching as many wineries as possible in a day, and Cherrie and I would have wanted to stop and linger over a book store, a coffee store, or the myriad of wonderful kitchenware, housewares stores which abound in northern California. And I must put a disclaimer in here: probably our husbands would both be willing to travel our way. Maybe for a day. Or two. But not for 7 days.

Most likely I’ll write a couple of posts about some of the places we went on this trip. But for now I’ll say that our favorite meal was at Ravenous in Healdsburg. Worst meal was at Cyrus in Healdsburg (that was the much-hyped, very expensive restaurant that requires a credit card to make a reservation and charges $100 if you don’t show up). Best place we stayed? Probably the B&B at Ramekins (the cooking school) in Sonoma. Although we really enjoyed the Victorian style Camellia Inn in Healdsburg too (we had a really cute room with separate bedrooms at a very reasonable price). It was about 2 blocks from the square in Healdsburg, so it was easy walking in every direction. We also stayed at the Marriott in Napa (okay), and a nice, but non-descript hotel in Emeryville.

When we left last Monday we zipped through Los Angeles. What? How’s that possible, you ask? Because it was 7:30 am on a HOLIDAY. Otherwise it would have taken hours to slog through traffic. That was a real blessing, as only Southern Californians know with the gridlock traffic that exists in nearly every direction. We live in Orange County (near Disneyland), so we have to get through O.C. and then the huge metropolis of L.A. to head north. Anyway, we made the drive to Berkeley in record time, then had dinner at Chez Panisse. The restaurant has two floors – the lower floor is their set menu section. We opted for the more casual upstairs one with a varied menu. Cherrie had never been, so she was all eyes watching the chefs nearby as they prepared food. It was quite dark where we were sitting, and my photos just didn’t turn out. I think it’s kind of bizarre to see people taking pictures of their plates of food, so I try to be as unobtrusive as possible. And never use flash. So sometimes they just don’t turn out. Particularly I enjoyed the fresh fruit tart – it looked like a piece of pizza, but it was a very nice, thin tart shell with fresh fruit and dried cherries and a blob of vanilla bean ice cream.

The next day we did the tour of the Scharffen Berger chocolate factory in Berkeley, which was very interesting. I’ll write up a separate post about that. Following the tour we set out for parts north. Arrived in Healdsburg just past lunchtime, so enjoyed a light meal at the Oakville Grocery right on the square. Shopped. And shopped.

Our dinner that night was at Cyrus. After all I’d read about the place, maybe we were expecting too much. It’s a lovely restaurant. Elegant, but in a Tuscan villa kind of way. Nice linens, very pleasant wait staff seeing to our every need. As nice as all that is, though, it’s the food you go for, especially since this may exceed some people’s entire Christmas budget in one meal. We opted not to partake of the caviar service, although we did try the sparkling wine. I didn’t keep track of everything we drank, but I didn’t care for the sparkler – I think it was a Roederer French champagne.

We ordered their 3-course meal ($68), the smallest set course you can order. A la carte is also available, but it really is a better deal to do the set courses, and it’s the same menu either way. We also opted for the 3-course wine pairings ($42, I believe). That was a big mistake. I do drink white wine, but I usually prefer red, and I was not thrilled at all with their choices. Cherrie wasn’t either. One of her courses was an Asian kind of small plate and they served it with a sake. Chilled. The waiter professed it to be an extraordinary wine. She didn’t like it at all, and she likes sake. I disliked my wine pairings so much I left most of it in the glasses. The food was okay. Rather fussy kind of plates – froths, drizzles, herb sprigs with tall things here and there. They also do much with deconstructed plates, which is fine, but that’s probably why they’re so expensive because of the extra time required in the kitchen. So, I’d take a pass on Cyrus, unfortunately.

I will tell you, though, about our best meal:

Ravenous Café, 420 Center Street, Healdsburg. Phone: (707) 431-1302. American bistro. Menu changes twice weekly. Lunch Wednesday- Sunday, 11:30am-2:30pm. Dinner Wednesday-Sunday, 5pm-9pm, Friday-Saturday until 9:30pm.

Several people in Healdsburg had told us about Ravenous, so we went there for lunch the next day. We’re SO glad we did, as it did turn out to be the most memorable. We sat outside – it was warm in the sun, cool in the shade, but pleasant. A slight breeze. A nice iced tea kind of day. And we both ordered their BLT sandwich. Not something I order very often. But oh, my, was this ever delicious. They made their own soft ciabatta roll. Maybe they even made their own mayo. What made it great was the perfect proportions – soft bread, mayo, bacon, tomato, avocado and greens. You know, sometimes when you eat a sandwich there’s too much bread, or there’s too much mayo, or not enough tomato or the bread is too firm. Seems like it’s always something. Not so in this case. And we also had a nice crunchy slaw with a ginger dressing. It wasn’t Asian. But it wasn’t your typical cole slaw, either. Very good, though. Here’s a picture of our sandwich and slaw. It may not look that special, but it surely was.

We ended up talking with an older gentleman sitting at a nearby table, especially after he and his wife devoured a dessert that looked so fabulous – a strudel with apples, dried cherries and apricots. It was tall and airy with an exquisite puff pastry with gelato. Cherrie and I shared one. A wonderful treat. The meal, the setting. Perfect. Highly recommended.

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I’ll be back in a week. My laptop will accompany me, but don’t know whether I’ll be able to get online and post anything. My friend Cherrie and I are taking a little trip to do some shopping, maybe try a few wines, attend some cooking classes at Ramekins in Sonoma, and enjoy some good food. Here are some of the other places we’re going to visit:

Dinner: Chez Panisse, Berkeley (Alice Waters’ restaurant – she was the earliest restaurateur to proclaim the virtues of fresh and organic lettuces and vegetables – we’re eating in the café, not the more sophisticated-menu restaurant.)

Dinner: Cyrus, Healdsburg (One of the top restaurants in the Healdsburg area – you have to pre-pay $100 for dinner here, not refundable if you change your mind. Geez! They will give you “store credit” though. It had better be worth it! . . . later note: it wasn’t worth it . . . we didn’t care for the food from beginning to end.

Lunch: The Girl & the Fig, on the square in Sonoma (Dave and I have eaten here before, thought it was wonderful. The chef has her own personal line of fig products like fig vinegar, fig conserve, etc. Obviously, she’s in love with figs! What I remember most about it last time was the great mojito I had. I know, I know, this is wine country, but I was tired of tasting wine from morning til night.)

Dinner: The General’s Daughter, Sonoma (another landmark near the square in Sonoma. Highly recommended by one of the cooking instructors/classes I frequent.)

Dinner: Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, St. Helena (Cindy Palcywn, of Mustards Grill fame, has been on my radar screen for over 20 years. First tried baked garlic at her restaurant back in the early 80’s. My friend Linda gave me the Mustards’ cookbook. This is a more recently opened restaurant, casual, highly recommended by my friend Darlene.)

Oh, almost forgot, we’re also going to the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Factory in Berkeley. We have an appointment for a tour there, which should be oodles of fun. I’m a fan of good chocolate and use Scharffenberger’s in baking, always, providing I have it on hand. The Scharffenberger family used to be into wines, mostly sparkling wine, which was one of my favorites of the champagne-style. I was quite disappointed when they sold the business. But then they decided to focus on producing the finest, European-style chocolates. It took them a couple of years to learn all about it and purchase the equipment, etc., but they’ve since had great success and acclaim.

Cheerio!

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In years gone by, I used to entertain on the fly a lot more than I do now. So I always needed recipes that were quick. My problem is that quick doesn’t always mean good or tasty to me. Or at least back in those years I didn’t have many quick recipes that were also exceptional. One of my other problems is that when I prepare a dinner for friends, at the back of my mind I’m always wanting to wow them. I’ve learned that’s just not possible with every part of a meal, but I still try. So, this recipe was a regular for me because I could make it ahead and it “lived” in the freezer until I needed some tasty hot appetizer for guests. Originally I made this just around holiday time, but it’s really just fine any time of year. I might not make it in the heat of summer just because I prefer cold foods then.

And when I tell you this is easy, I really mean easy. Bisquick dough is hardly difficult – it rolls out easily (really). But as you’ll read in the recipe itself, you simply must use a fatty sausage. No Jimmy Dean or butcher ground lean stuff. You want the grocery store tube (I used to buy Farmer John, I think, because that was what my local market carried). High fat. It’s necessary to give the biscuit dough the tender flakiness. I tell you this because I’ve made the mistake of buying leaner sausage, and it absolutely doesn’t look right. Doesn’t taste good, either. So trust me on this. The other caveat is that you simply must allow the sausage to warm to room temperature – about an hour – before you start spreading it. You can separate the sausage into smaller bits and it will take less time. So, you spread out the sausage on the Bisquick dough and sprinkle it with a tad of cayenne. A tiny tad, actually. Roll up the rolls, reshape them gently, seal the edge, cut them into smaller sections if desired, wrap in waxed paper, then in foil and freeze. The small sections allow you to use only a small amount for a few people, if that’s what you need. Otherwise you will be making a lot of them.

Here’s a picture of them in the frozen state. When you’re ready to prepare them, you must leave them out at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, maybe 20, in order to cut them. If you don’t the dough will crack off, which you don’t want, of course. As long as you warmed up the sausage ahead of time, this doesn’t take more than 15 minutes to prepare, start to finish. You can trust me on that, too.

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