If we can cook it, you can cook it!

Category: California Cuisine

CHEZ PANISSE’S CARAMEL ALMOND TART

CHEZ PANISSE’S CARAMEL ALMOND TART

THIS PHENOMENAL CARAMEL ALMOND CONFECTION WAS ALMOST BOUNCED OFF THE MENU OF ALICE WATERS’ CHEZ PANISSE A baker named Lindsey Shere created this wonderful almond and caramel dessert. Andrew’s been offering it up all summer.  My favorite indicator of just how good it is was…

SIZZLING TURMERIC-DILL FISH TACOS

SIZZLING TURMERIC-DILL FISH TACOS

These are easily the best Fish Tacos and Salsa I’ve ever made This month’s Bon Appetit was a treasure trove of great recipes. And the one that really caught my eye was this incredible combination: what Bon Appetit called ‘a mash-up between fish tacos and…

Baja Fish Tacos with Avocado Salsa and Slaw

Baja Fish Tacos with Avocado Salsa and Slaw

A Trip to California and an unforgettable food discovery. The first time I had this soft tortilla shell stuffed with crispy, beer-battered cod topped with avocado salsa, pico de gallo, and slaw, I was hooked.  The crispiness of the fish was irresistible. The soft flour…

Shrimp Tacos

Shrimp Tacos

“Taco Tuesday” has never been easier…or faster for that matter I love Tacos and I am particularly fond of Shrimp Tacos since I ate my first one at our local Taqueria, El Mitote (208 Columbus Ave, New York, NY 10023 Phone: (212) 874-2929). There, the…

An encounter with Wolfgang Puck and his recipe for Chinois Chicken Salad

An encounter with Wolfgang Puck and his recipe for Chinois Chicken Salad

A return to California with a recipe and reminiscence of one of the true greats of California Cuisine. I came out to California this week as a guest of Viking Cruises. They’re naming the newest of their Ocean Cruise Ships, Jupiter and they are introducing…

Blueberry Buttermilk Scones from Huckleberry Bakery and Cafe, Santa Monica, California

Blueberry Buttermilk Scones from Huckleberry Bakery and Cafe, Santa Monica, California

It’s been quite a while since the baker in our house appeared on Chewing The Fat.  Truth is, Andrew does almost all his baking in Bridgehampton.  That’s where the stand mixer is and all those other baking necessities. But to make these scones didn’t require…

Ina Garten’s Roasted Salmon Tacos and How to find the perfect Avocado to make them.

Ina Garten’s Roasted Salmon Tacos and How to find the perfect Avocado to make them.

You’ve got to hand it to Ina Garten.  You might have thought that Tacos were out of her wheelhouse. But no. This recipe, from her  TV series “Cook Like a Pro”, was served up on a recent program and labelled “Weeknight Dinners”.  It’s that alright:…

How to make Cheese a part of every Holiday Celebration

How to make Cheese a part of every Holiday Celebration

There are times when all the work  I put into Chewing The Fat truly pays off.  And certainly this holiday season got off to a great start with the arrival of a sensational group of cheeses from Marin French Cheese, the French-owned California Cheese Company…

Watermelon Blueberry and Radish Salad with Laura Chenel’s Goat Cheese Medallions

Watermelon Blueberry and Radish Salad with Laura Chenel’s Goat Cheese Medallions

Salad lovers are in sheer heaven now and will be through the rest of the summer.  The ingredients for perfect salads are everywhere. And the earliest part of the season yields the tenderest of greens. Arugula has its bite but it’s far from bitter which…

Butternut Squash and Bacon Bread Pudding

Butternut Squash and Bacon Bread Pudding

         Last October, when I was out in California visiting my son Alex’s family, I picked up a freebie publication called California Home Design.  In it was an article about a wine making family in Healdsburg who, with the help of local chef, put together…

Tyler Florence’s California Osso Buco with a Classic Gremolata

         When I started cooking Osso Buco, it was a sumptuous meal on a beer budget.  The Veal Shanks at the center of the dish were afterthoughts at the butcher’s counter.  It’s hard to imagine but I think they ran about $4.99 a lb. at…

Fig-Almond Tart from Marinus Restaurant at Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley, California

Fig-Almond Tart from Marinus Restaurant at Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley, California

Andrew made this recipe not once but twice and it was big hit. He encouraged me to post it.  But for the life of me, I could not find it. I must have used every search word combination I could think of.  The truly pathetic…