Perhaps it served me right to have been so giddy with joy at finding a job and company I truly enjoy and perhaps I should not have been so vocal about my happiness to certain people but hubris caught with with me today and served up a slice of humble pie along with a shot of crow.
I’ve been starved for time lately with the new job and all. But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to starve my sweet tooth.
This easy dessert took just 25 minutes to prep and cook!
All I did was to slice up one ripe peach, add a teaspoon of small tapioca pearls, and throw on a crumb topping I had made last week and kept in the freezer for days like this. This sweet little thing sat in a 350 degree oven (pre-heated) for 20 min and now will make its way to my happy belly!
P.S. The tapioca pearl addition is a trick my friend Beth taught me. It helps to stabilize the juices without the muddled taste of cornstarch.
I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is over already and I barely had time to curl up on the sofa and savor the proverbial crumbs from Trial Thanksgiving the week before as it was truly epic. Within a matter of moments, everyone’s careful menu planning and diligent cooking was laid to waste by a hungry horde and all that was left was a decimated turkey carcass and a pile of dishes in the sink. My job has hogged most of my brain cells so all I can offer is a visual account so you can fill in the blanks.
Rye Pecan Pie made by the Doctor
I finally made my way to Ad Hoc a couple of Sundays ago for brunch amidst a healthy downpour from the sky. It was one of those Sundays that should be spent cozied up on the couch with a cup of tea in hand, gazing out the window at the wet. But as it was, I had a reservation and nothing should get in the way of Thomas Keller grub, not even kamikaze raindrops.
Babyfigs and I plodded our way into the restaurant around 10:30am and got a window seat that gave us a good look at idle streets bereft of tourists, a rare sight in Napa. While the weather continued its course outside, the two of us started plotting our next trip while waiting for our meal. With food as the key driver, Portugal had emerged as the top candidate, with Italy a close second (Spain is always a possible side trip. Always).
In between spoonfuls of creamy, home-made yogurt with crunchy blueberry granola, we dissected the merits of Portugal vs. Italy.
Fennel-Apple-Wormwood
When Jeremy Fox announced that he was blowing the coop last month, you could literally hear the collective pain of foodies like me, kicking ourselves for not having made a trek out to Ubuntu while he was still behind the stove. Billed as a high-end restaurant that happened to utilize only vegetables, Ubuntu had received rave reviews for the past couple of years and many would say that the restaurant’s success was mainly due to his creative vision. So when Fox parted ways with the restaurant and with no mention of future plans, I figured it would be a long while before I would get a chance to taste his cooking. But as luck would have it…
While the Saints (Who Dat!) and the Colts squared off on the turf in Miami, the feathers were flying in another Indiana vs Louisiana showdown at our Superbowl viewing party. Yep, it was a fried chicken face-off between the best of the chains, or rather, the only two major franchises we really have. Although we set this up on a lark, I didn’t realize until later how closely we were mirroring the regional rivalry of the two teams in the Superbowl.
The Doctor's Saveur Turkey, oven-roasted
Thanksgiving is obviously my favorite holiday, and that of my friends, who dutifully heed the call of a nationally-sanctioned day of feasting. With all the fun that goes into sharing a great meal with friends and family, my East Coast friends have long been having annual Trial Thanksgivings as a precursor to the real deal. This year, some bay area friends decided to host a pre-Thanksgiving potluck before we all scattered away to our respective roosts for the Holiday. It promised to be a delicious extravaganza so I answered the cattle call and hopped on a Southwest flight for a traditional Thanksgiving with all the trimmings.
A Savory Life 