For those lucky enough to venture to Paso Robles, you will be rewarded with scores of delightful wineries and restaurants. Peachy Canyon, a long time favorite, continues to thrive while the exquisite new Niner Wine Estates is destined to be a culinary destination with its demonstration kitchen. The most amazing find of this trip, however, was Artisan Restaurant. From the delicious starter of burrata with peaches, prosciutto, smoked almonds and chervil to two other courses which inspired me to create the dishes for this evening’s dinner. Roasted artichokes, fava beans and fingerling potatoes with goat cheese and butter and seared halibut crowned with shrimp and cherry tomatoes absolutely melt in your mouth. The gifts of inspiration!
All Over The Map
ChezHelvetica Hostel guests this evening casually supped on an international smorgasbord of left-over garlic noodles from PPQ Dungeness Island to house favorite Danish Potato Salad to Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini to the crème de la Crème Fraîche on berries. AllRecipes provided the delicious recipe for the giant zucchini (a gift from the Carpenter Gardens) using the trifecta of savory cheeses – ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan – seasoned with basil, lemon juice and lemon zest. A recent San Francisco Professional Food Society event opened a new world with the introduction of sumptuous cultured cream from Kendall Farms Crème Fraîche. Mixed with a little vanilla, this heavenly topping crowned bowls of juicy blueberries for our dessert. So remember, thinking globally and eating locally with family is the greatest comfort in the world!
Roulades
The word Roulade originates from the French word “rouler” meaning “to roll.” In tribute to Bastille Day (commemorating the storming of the city’s fortress-prison), this Walnut Stuffed Chicken Roulade recipe from Martha Stewart’s “Whole Living” became my French lesson du jour. Sauteed shallots, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, fresh thyme from our garden, and walnuts filled the butterflied, pounded chicken breasts. Although the recipe also called for spinach, I chose to substitute basil and serve the spinach as the bed for the chicken. Once rolled up and strung with kitchen twine, bread crumbs and ground walnuts coated the roulades. Trader Joes’s whole wheat couscous with mini heirloom tomatoes was just the simple side needed after all that work. And voilá, French vanilla ice cream dotted with luscious blueberries and strawberries concluded our fête!
All American with an Italian Accent
Benjamin Franklin must have originally written “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness through Grilling” in the Constitution and later changed it, the way he had replaced “subjects” with “citizens”. This dinner featured grilled salmon (beautiful wild salmon fillets from Costco), basted with Mostarda Di Anguria Bianca or White Watermelon Mostarda from Le Tamerici, a delicacy I had found at the Fancy Food Show. The salty-sweet-acid dynamics of plums and pesto, conjured by Ubuntu Chef Jeremy Fox, materialized in our Green Bean and Plum Salad. Delicate Italian green beans and sweet Tory Farms pluots from the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market – and a parsley, almond pesto – indeed created a dynamic dish. The conclusion to our meal, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, pays tribute to a new American hero. A salute to Stephen Colbert and his AmeriCone Dream!
Honored Guest #3
ChezHelvetica Hostel opened for summer season with a flurry of reservations from family members. Our honored guest this evening was my Mom. Mouth-watering Shenson’s corned beef, oven-roasted rather boiled, was the featured entree served with Stonewall Kitchen Horseradish Cream Sauce and Grey Poupon Country Dijon Mustard. Crudites and a piquant Danish potato salad completed the main course. A delicious Ficklin Port satisfied my Mother’s preference for sweet wine while we also served a smooth Renwood Old Vine Zin. What better to have for a summer dessert than a Fruit Tart? Apricots, blackberries and walnuts crowned puff pastry, embellished with Safeway‘s Homestyle Vanilla Ice Cream. Welcome to this season of warmth and long days!
Very Vanilla
From start to finish, the fragrant allure of vanilla cast its spell over this evening’s dinner. An Eggplant Parmesan recipe from “A Century of Flavor”, Nielsen-Massey‘s exclusive cookbook, catapulted this iconic dish to a new level. The vanilla accent mingled with sweet diced tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano, basil and savory onions and garlic, separated by layers of Provolone and Parmesan cheeses. A salad composed of arugula with sugar snap peas, walnuts and orange zest, dressed with Sidi Yassine Huile d’Argan Extra Vierge from Morocco, and garlic bread, juxtaposed flawlessly with the featured star. Bon Appétit’s recipe for Roasted Apricots with Honey-Vanilla Créme Fraîche deliciously concluded our meal. A little caveat was my use of peaches instead of the apricots, sending everyone scrambling for knives to cut through the thick skins!
A Veritable Fresh Fish Feast
Recent communiques from EveryDay Food piqued my interest with their focus on fish (a house favorite), with options that transform the taste experience. The Lemon-Parsley Fish Cake recipe specified cod, but I substituted tuna which jumped from “everyday” to “gourmet” with the added green onions, capers and French bread crumbs. The quickly sauteed cakes were nested on a bed of organic arugula, accompanied by buttery yukon red and gold potatoes from Zuckerman Farms. A basil aioli enhanced everything on the platter. The pursuit of trout for the Trout with Brown Butter and Olives recipe finally came to a conclusion with the pristine fillets found at Trader Joe’s. The spicy butter sauce dressed the broiled fish and an organic quinoa salad, intensifying the sweet Campari tomatoes and savory shallots. Adding to the pleasure of these meals were the platters used; the flowered ceramic one acquired at Gump’s for a few dollars at an employee only sale and the glass fish platter from what was Judith-et-Hokins, one of the first gourmet shops in San Francisco. Both beloved treasures! 
A Salute to Memorial Day
Our Memorial Day celebration embraced both the traditional significance of the day in acknowledging war veterans (in this case, the folded flag holding bullets fired at my father’s funeral) and the always fun summer barbecue with friends. Real Simple Magazine’s June feature on finger-licking fare inspired me to head to Marin Sun Farms at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market where I purchased baby back ribs. Using the classic barbecue sauce recipe in this issue, it was my first foray into making barbecue sauce. I tweaked it by adding some Worcestershire sauce.
A Caesar Salad recipe from Epicurious provided the perfect combination of delicate hearts of romaine (from Star Route Farms) and savory garlic croutons, a wonderful accompaniment to sweet corn. Vanilla ice cream with honey-poached nectarines and toasted coconut, crowned by a strawberry, was the dessert of choice, also adapted from Real Simple. Then there was the wine brought by our friends from their well-stocked cellar …. all I can remember now is that it was wonderful. And there was a lot!
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Summer Crowd Pleasers
The cover of Martha Stewart Living’s June issue promised “Summer Crowd Pleasers” and indeed two of the recipes really pleased us. The rich Penne Frittata with Ricotta and Basil tasted almost like a noodle pudding but with a sophisticated taste. In large part this was due to the fresh basil I plucked from the beautiful plant on my counter. Thank you Trader Joe’s for selling these for $2.99! It was like comfort food all grown up, especially when served with Asparagus with Capers and Lemon. This delightfully piquant dish offered a great counterpoint to the frittata. The last of the season sweet asparagus from the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market provided a fond farewell to Spring and a salute to Summer, just on the horizon!
Is the Fish Fresh?
The answer to my husband’s perpetual question in this case is a resounding YES, in fact the fish is Wild. A Martha Stewart Living recipe with the magic words “you make the main and side dish all in one pan” got me going! The succulent halibut from Alaska (purchased at Safeway) roasted alongside the baby zucchini while I made the luscious butter sauce, substituting shallots for the onion. Why cut into a whole onion for such a small amount? Whole wheat couscous from Trader Joe’s, studded with delicate shiitake mushrooms from the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market, completed the meal. A Pacific Rim Dry Reisling helped the celebration of warm weather – finally – and beginning of the Memorial Day Weekend. Halleluyah!