I couldn’t wait to taste every morsel of this locally-sourced meal. When I received the tickets for this event, the food was the thing I awaited with the most anticipation. To be honest, I’m not a die-hard organic purist and I would never consider myself a locavore. I am a big fan of freshness and creativity, however. The idea or eating something that has been recently harvested and creating a menu from ingredients immediately available intrigues me.

Upon arrival at this picturesque farm surrounded by mountains, we were served wine and appetizers. Crostinis with carmelized onions, pixie tangerines, and pesto were passed before our tour of this farm with an interesting history. Rio Gozo used to be a state prison that produced many of the vegetables consumed by the California penal system. Now locals join the Rio Gozo CSA to receive fresh fruits and vegetables every week.

After the tour, we gathered at the communal table for four more courses. We began with fresh bread and avocado spread served with beet, avocado, and blood orange salad with mint and goat cheese. Next came grilled squash, meyer lemons, fennel and wilted romaine. The main course included braised short ribs, carrots, and the most delicious creamed chard I can imagine. We finished with limoncello and mulberry brioche french toast for dessert.

While I enjoyed each dish (especially that chard), I was surprised by my experience at Outstanding in the Field. I expected that the food itself would be the most important element for me. In fact, the most powerful part of the experience for me was the people. We talked with a couple from Palo Alto about Paris and gardening. Two couples who sat with us during dinner shared about their careers, supper clubs, and language studies. I met the president of a southern California historical society and a young dentist from Atlanta.

What a joy it was to be with such interesting fellow diners sharing a meal in a beautiful space. I’m glad that the table was so enriched by these people and that the experience was truly outstanding.

I planned the menu with a few elements in mind. Because Erin is a foodie, I wanted to have really good eats and lots of them. She has a masters degree in Food Science and I wanted her to feel like the menu for her party was really something special. I also knew that I wanted to serve several courses but not spend the entire evening in the kitchen.

Here’s what we ended up with for our six courses:

une
Salty Pear Martinis and Lemonade
Pomme Frites with Red White and Bleu Dipping Sauces
including
Ketchup
Bleu Cheese, Walnut, & Bacon
and Garlic Aioli

The Salty Pear Martini was derived from a drink Erin & Tim both had at A Restaurant in Newport Beach. He taught me his secret recipe just for the party.

deux
Pear, Red Onion, and Candied Walnut Salad with Shaved Parmesan
Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

The salad was uncomplicated and had just the right acidity with lemon instead of vinegar in Ina Garten’s Green Salad Vinaigrette from Barefoot in Paris. I served the salad with salt-crusted homemade bread.

trois
Asparagus, Mint, and Mascarpone Raviolis

I used Jamie Oliver’s recipe for Ravioli of Minted Asparagus with Potatoes and Mascarpone from The Return of the Naked Chef. Tim received a pasta maker attachment for our KitchenAid Mixer for his birthday. We used it to make these and have eaten all the homemade pasta we can make since. It is so easy to use that we can’t get enough.

This was not that week but I did bake two and they were delicious. Warm and fresh. Wow! I love bread in general and homemade bread is extra special. It always makes me think of my mom’s (and my) dear friend Billie. She was my Sunday School teacher many-a-year. Our families vacationed together everywhere from California to Pennsylvania’s Amish country. I’ve eaten innumerable delicious and comforting meals around her table and she has taught me much about God, connecting, forgiveness, and love. She even had our wedding rehearsal dinner at her house and then made homemade bread for communion during our ceremony.

Billie’s bread (and any recipe I’ve received from her actually) is something I love to make but love to eat even more. I’m not going to pretend to be the world’s best baker (Tim’s already challenged me for the title) but here’s the recipe I use when I make a batch from scratch.

Billie’s Bread

2 cups warm water
4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoon sugar

Dissolve the yeast in the water then add the sugar and mix.

Add:

1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons corn or vegetable oil
1 egg (beaten)

After mixing in these ingredients, begin adding bread flour. Stir in flour slowly until it is handleable (is that a word?). I generally use 5-6 cups. Most people will then flour a cutting board for the kneading but I usually keep it in the bowl to avoid flour-covered everything when I’m done (I’m sort of a messy cook). I knead the bread dough until it is smooth and elastic.

It may be a bit tricky to figure out when it is done. I believe the key is experimenting. Try making two recipes at once. Knead one to death. Stop the other one short. See what feels right (not in a follow-your-heart-and-the-world-will-become-puppy-dogs-and-rainbows way) or toss it out if it gets too tough. Just keep trying.

Here’s a quick demo of me showing off my almost-pro kneading skills

How To Knead Bread Dough from Allison Howell on Vimeo.

After kneading, oil a bowl and put the dough in it. Place a damp towel on top. Let it rise until doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide in half. With each half, stretch the dough into a rough rectangle and then roll tightly into a loaf shape. Pinch the seam and the ends. Place on a cornmeal-covered baking sheet with the seam-side down. I use a baking stone but a regular cookie sheet with do. If you don’t have cornmeal, you can use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Slash three (or more) slits in the top of the loaves with a serrated knife.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set the bread aside. Let it rise until doubled or roughly 30 minutes (if it isn’t doubled by then, that’s fine). Before baking, brush loaves with an egg wash (beaten egg with a little bit of milk splashed in) for a golden color.

Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when you thump it on the side.

I hope you’ll try this recipe and enjoy homemade bread as much as I do. Billie encouraged me to experiment with the recipe. Sometimes I use 2/3 bread flour and 1/3 whole wheat. She adds cinnamon and raisins to her bread or sometimes dill seed on the top. I’ve seen her add cottage cheese or other flavors and seasonings she has on hand. Once you get the basic recipe under your belt, you can really throw in whatever you want.

Can’t wait to hear what you add to your next loaf.

As a token of my appreciation for the apple tree and truck to transport it in, I baked a few desserts. Since I was dreaming of homemade homegrown apple pies at the time, it seemed that there was only one option: miniature apple pies.

I took inspiration from several recipes that I enjoy for these little treats. Here’s what I came up with:

Billie’s Oil Pie Crust:

3 c flour
4 T sugar
1 t salt
1 c vegetable oil
4 T milk

Mix all ingredients together. Press into pie pans. Form edges.

I used this recipe for 6 mini pies (approximately 4.5 inches in diameter). I usually use half this recipe for one regular-sized pie.

Filling:

5 large granny smith apples (peeled and diced to 1/2″)
1/2 c sugar
1/4 flour
3/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t vanilla extract
juice from 2 limes

Topping:

1/2 c sugar
1/3 c flour
1/3 c butter

Mix all filling ingredients and then put in the crusts. Bake pies at 350 for 15 minutes.

Combine topping ingredients in bowl of a food processor and pulse until size of peas or use a pastry cutter to make topping by hand.

Add Topping to the pies and bake 30 more minutes.

Serve warm.

My friends who tried the pies seemed to like them quite well (one even described it quite graphically… yikes! and another offered to let me borrow his truck everyday in exchange for a pie). To be honest, I personally think they need to be tweaked a bit for next time. Feel free to try them as is or make these modifications:

• Use 1/8 c flour in the filling instead of 1/4
• Use this recipe for 8 crusts (not six) or alternatively use 3/4 of the dough
• Use brown sugar instead of white for the topping.

I used to hate tea. When I tried it, I felt like I was drinking dirty water. Sitting down for a cuppa was totally unappealing to me.

Then I moved to England.

Oh, the land of cream tea. The first time I had a tea and scone in England was at a little establishment called The Nosebag. For such an strange name, they certainly did have some good eats. That is where tea became a comfort to me and where scones with clotted cream and jam changed my life.

I still find sitting down with a cup of tea to be a wonderful thing. While I don’t do it often enough, sipping tea with cream out of a proper teacup helps me slow down and feel a little peaceful. I love to enjoy tea with friends but even alone, it has a calming effect on me. I think that the warmth is important but also the ritual of it and the strong memories of my days in Oxford have a powerful impact on me.

A good cup of tea just isn’t the same without a small bite to accompany it, however. I can’t indulge in scones with clotted cream all the time but one thing I do enjoy is a shortbread cookie. Just one (okay, more like two, three, or four) with a soothing cup of tea can make up my perfect afternoon.

Here is a recipe I often use that I adapted from the crust of my favorite tart:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks

Combine flour and sugar in a food processor. Add cubed butter. Pulse until crumbly. Add vanilla extract and egg yolks. Pulse until dough just comes together. Dump out dough onto plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out dough on a floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into squares or use cookie cutter approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Prick cookies with a fork. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until they just begin to get golden.

I like to enjoy them when they are still slightly warm.

Of course, I don’t do anything simply. In fact, I think I subconsciously make my life more complicated than it needs to be; even when I’m trying to make it easier with pre-made meals. Once I had decided to make all my meals for a month ahead, I also thought it would be keen to invite all my friends to join in the process. My reasoning was that if I could buy in bulk, I would save money.

As I may have mentioned here previously, I’ll go to great lengths to save a penny. My goal was to have helping upon helping of delicious homemade meals ready to eat in minutes for less than $1.60 per serving. Eleven of my friends (you should read victims) gathered in a neighborhood church kitchen for what I estimated would be a four-hour cookathon. Four shopping trips, twelve hours, and what seemed like seven thousand meals later, we carted our stash home to pack our freezers.

Needless to say, by the end, I realized my brilliant plan was a little lack-luster. I did save money but I didn’t really get the quality of food I hoped for. It took a lot longer than I anticipated and because several of the participants weren’t experienced cooks or recipe-followers, I ended up with some food that was downright gross. I also realized that I don’t particularly like food that has been cooked, frozen, and then reheated. If it is raw when it is frozen, it isn’t too bad but rubbery pork isn’t my idea of deliciousness.

One dish that I made recently is freezer-friendly, however. Over a month ago, I cooked a recipe of Ina Garten’s Chicken Stew with Biscuits from Barefoot Contessa Family Style. I prepared half to freeze (with the biscuits stored separately). This week, after a 9-day long cold, I didn’t feel much like cooking and this chicken-potpie-like dish was what I craved. Glad that I had a frozen portion remaining, I popped in in the oven. When I pulled it out, it was just like the day I originally made it. Buttery flaky biscuits with yummy flavorful filling; a perfect comfort meal.

While I may never again experiment with turning potatoes black in the freezer or spend from dawn to dusk cooking for a month at a time, I will definitely make this delicious dinner again and freeze some for a later date.

One of my standbys is the world’s easiest homemade appetizer: cheese crisps. Piles of cheese that is heated to crispy deliciousness.

I made these on my Breville Indoor Grill but I also make them in the oven. Here is my recipe:

1 cup shredded cheese (I prefer parmesan but cheddar also works)

Spread 1 tablespoon of cheese on the griddle or cookie sheet lined with a nonstick silicone baking mat. Cheese should be about 2-3 inches in diameter. Repeat to fill the pan with no overlap. Cook on griddle until brown. Flip over.

If baking in the oven, bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is dry and crispy.

Remove immediately to wire cooling rack. Serve while still slightly warm.

It is amazing that something so simple can taste so good. It is also a great garnish for a salad or soup. Try them and let me know what you think.

They are both wrong. Very wrong.

While I do not claim to be the world’s best baker, I think I’ve baked some pretty tasty treats in my day. I can make a delicious berry pie. I make darn good chocolate chip cookies. I can bake up a storm when I’m in the mood.

If there is any problem at all with my baking, it can only stem from one source: my dislike of cake. Quite frankly, I lack motivation to hone my baking skills beyond my already-stellar capabilities because the pay off is not high enough. I just haven’t had enough good cake in my life to make it worth the effort. Honestly, I’ve had a lot of bad cake. Dry, flavorless, greasy, or otherwise unappealing cake can ruin a girl’s day.

This brings me to my main point: I have challenged Tim to a Bake-Off (at some yet undetermined point in time). While he may think his innate baking abilities are already at the top of the game, I will undermine him and win because I am going to practice. My disciplined regiment of pastry-making began last week.

Tim was finishing a family practice rotation at a clinic which apparently has a tradition of baked good goodbyes. I offered to make one of his favorites: red velvet cupcakes. I had never made them before but thought it would be the perfect opportunity to perfect my culinary skills before our competition and to make cake that I actually like.

After scouring the internet, I found a seemingly delicious recipe for red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. While I may not be a cake fan, I do like some good frosting and this seemed like a winner.

If nothing else, the batter for these beauties was fabulously red (I used 8 oz. of red food coloring, yikes!). I quite enjoyed the process of making and baking the cupcakes from scratch. I doubled the recipe so that would have plenty for my experiment. After delivering 28 to Tim’s office, I still had over two dozen to play with.

My goal was to take the cake to “wow” level. Thinking that I would like any cake better if I got to enjoy chocolate simultaneously, I made two kinds of ganache using a recipe similar to this. My proportions were a little off however. I used 3.5 oz. of Lindt milk chocolate with about 1/2 cup of hot cream. This was much too thin. For the semisweet version, I used about 8 oz. of chocolate chips with 1/2 cup of hot cream. That thickened the ganache but it ended up being too thick once it cooled.

Despite my consistency disappointments, I filled the cupcakes with my too-thin and too-thick ganache using a pastry bag for the side-by-side taste tests. The flavor of the ganache was what I was most interested in anyway.

After tasting original red velvet cupcakes with no filling, cupcakes filled with semisweet ganache, some containing milk chocolate ganache, and others with both kinds of ganache, I tallied the results. The pressure heightened as I braced myself for the big reveal. After slaving over experimental recipes and techniques I’d never tried, I couldn’t wait to see the marked improvement in my finished product.

The end result: I still don’t like cake.

The fillings were okay. The cake was okay. The frosting was delicious. Maybe I’ll try another recipe. Maybe I’ll avoid the over-hyped red velvet creations in the future (who likes those anyway?). Maybe I’ll try a new technique or a new experiment. But for now, I’m blaming the cake and not my mad baking skills.

But this moment was different. I was inspired. I was imaginative. I was hungry. After gathering the rest of my ingredients, I rushed home to make our scrumptious meal.

My old standby Zucchini Corn Pizza was first. I use Fresh & Easy Pizza Dough (I prefer traditional but lots of folks love the whole wheat). I also swear by parbaking. While I’m prepping my ingredients, I stretch out the dough and bake it for 5 minutes. Then I add the toppings and finish it off. This ensures the dough is done but the toppings aren’t overcooked.

For the Zucchini Corn, I brush the crust with olive oil and then add salt and pepper and a little mozzarella. A layer of thinly sliced zucchinis is next (I like them 1/4″ or thinner). I top that with frozen corn and finally with shredded Parmesan. This goes in the oven until the cheese is melted and the crust has browned.

For most of my life, I thought I would never find another pizza to replace this first love. The buttery corn flavor, the soft zucchini, the salty parmesan… what could be better? The answer, my friends, is my new invention: Apricot, Bacon, Chicken & Gouda Pizza. Wow. Life-changing.

Well, maybe this ABCG Pizza wasn’t life-changing but it certainly has the potential to be. I started with the same parbaked dough. I added diced grilled chicken (I cooked mine on my Breville Indoor Grill and then diced it), cooked chopped bacon, grated smoked gouda, a little bit of mozzarella, and some chopped dried apricots. After 10-12 minutes in the oven, the result was a smokey, salty, delicious masterpiece with a hint of tangy sweetness. Yum!

Lauren & I both decided that my prototype was great but a bit dry. In my excitement, I had forgotten to add the olive oil to the crust. Including it would definitely add moisture. It needed more apricots too. We used about 15 but I’ll include 25 next time. I might also think about blanching the apricots or somehow hydrating them. Perhaps even some kind of sauce is in order. Now that I’m an inventor, the possibilities really are endless.

After a few rounds of Speed Scrabble, we enjoyed Chocolate Cream Pie. I found this exotic and complicated recipe on the side of the box of Jell-O Pudding. Sometimes the simple things in life are the best.

And sometimes brilliant new inventions are.

And now, on to the final installment of the saga.

When Maine Lobster Direct called about our trapped lobsters, the best option was to reschedule. Thankfully, our gracious guests were available on Rescheduled Lobster Day (I think I might actually lobby for two national lobster holidays). New lobsters would be sent straight away (with clam chowder thrown in). All of the menu could be made as easily on Friday as on Thursday. In fact, it worked out for the best for all involved.

I danced with glee when I heard a knock at the door on Rescheduled Lobster Day. As soon as I found the box on the doorstep, my mouth started to water. I must admit that cooking lobsters sort of intimidated me. I’m not usually an apprehensive cook but I also don’t often work with ingredients that aren’t easily replaceable. We only had one shot with these lobsters. I wanted them to turn out just right.

After our cheese and salad courses, the moment of truth arrived. Tim steamed them in the can they came in with 3 cups of salt water. The reviews we had read made the process seem “idiot-proof.” We were happy to find that it was genius-proof too. After cooking with a “full head of steam” for the entire 16 minutes, the precious crustaceans were ready to serve.

We made drawn butter (a combination of melted butter, flour, and water) for our lobsters to dip in but I actually preferred regular melted butter. Herbed roasted baby yukon gold potatoes and simply blanched green beans accompanied our main dish. I also had a loaf of crusty sourdough bread at the ready but forgot to serve it. The lobster was by far the most exciting part of the meal and we actually didn’t really even need the sides.

I’m quite glad our guests Nate & Char had lobster experience. Cracking and dissecting the things wasn’t quite intuitive to me and we didn’t want to miss even one tasty morsel. After a wardrobe change (those things are messy!), we dove right in. True to form, Tim also read instructions for eating lobster aloud while we ate. Maine Lobster Direct had sent one cracker and two fork/picks. We should have ordered another but our can opener actually worked well as a substitute tool.

The lobster was sweet and tasty. It was easier to prepare than I had imagined and much more delicious than I expected. A fabulous experience all around.

To end our evening, we served Key Lime Pie. A nice light finish to the feast; tart and tangy with a sweet graham cracker crust. Tim found the recipe from Cook’s Illustrated. He usually isn’t one to sign up for subscriptions but the reviews of this pie made him think twice. He tried the trial and it was definitely worth it. We modified the recipe a bit using key limes instead of regular limes and Cool Whip instead of whipped cream. Delicious!

Now that we’ve successfully tackled lobster, no seafood can frighten me. The world is my oyster.