Big Sur, Calirfornia

My favorite spot in California is Big Sur and I drive up once or twice a year. I was so fortunate with the weather this year – it was warm and sunny and the drive was lovely, especially listening to one of Alexander McCall Smith’s books on tape along the way. First stop were the premium outlets in Camarillo (www.premiumoutlets.com) where you can always find something you like. It is the Carmen exit off the freeway to the left and over the freeway. There must be at least 50 stores to choose from.

Lunch in Santa Barbara at the Hungry Cat (www.hungrycat.com) – delicious autumn squash salad with pomegranate seeds, toasted pumpkin seeds and arugula and the crunchy warm chocolate bread pudding for dessert!!! On and on up the 101 until the 68W into Pacific Grove where I stayed at the Green Gables Inn near the ocean (www.greengablesinnpg.com). After spending 8 hours in the car, I checked in and just
wandered around the little town, picking up a little something to eat at the red house cafe  (www.redhousecafe.com) nearby. In the morning I sat by the window and had a peacful breakfast overlooking the ocean. Since there are bikes available at the inn I chose one and rode along the water to the lighthouse and back. It was a gorgeous day!!! After a leisurely stroll down lighthouse avenue and a look into some of the cute little shops, I drove into Carmel. Visiting the art galleries and unique stores off Ocean Avenue is always a treat.

If you arrive at Sierra Mar (the restaurant at Post Ranch Inn) (www.postranchinn.com) at 2 p.m. you can tour some of the unique rooms, spa and swimming pool before lunch. The rooms are very expensive but well worth it, I am sure, as everything fits into the landscape and is environmentally friendly. Sierra Mar sits high on a hill with a panoramic view of the ocean and is particularly nice during the day. My lunch of grilled prawns with broad beans, roast root vegetables and French bread with homemade hummus was awesome. The vanilla crème brulee and homemade chocolate chip cookies were a nice finish. Afterwards I checked into Deetjens Big Sur Inn (www.deetjens.com) just a mile or two south, where I would be staying two nights. It is a charming historical inn with adorable rooms with latches. A light dinner at Big Sur Bakery (www.bigsurbakery.com) up the hill of toasted barley with roast squash/celery root and spinach and a cinnamon crème brulee as I leisurely read my book “the fall” by Simon Mawer was a nice ending to my day.

Friday morning I took a walk along the ocean before breakfast at Deetjen’s restaurant. Breakfast, to be sure, is what they are famous for. I love the yogurt parfait with its layers of homemade granola, berries and yogurt and a few very thin slices of apples on top – yum!!. My first hike of the day was down to Partington Cove about 10 minutes drive south. A bit hard to find but with careful instructions before I left I finally found it after
a couple passes. A steep but leisurely walk down to the cove takes about 15 minutes and it is a spectacular view of the ocean. Next stop a visit to the waterfalls in the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park nearby. Returning north I stopped at Coast Gallery which displays local art and even has a little café. Finally a nice one hour hike into the Andrew Molera State Park. Because of all the rain some of the trails were closed.

As it was getting close to 2 p.m. and lunch time I headed to Carmel Valley Road to find the Café Rustica (www.caferusticacarmel.com) where I had a fresh vegetable salad with peanuts, raisins, roast eggplant, carrots and blue cheese with optional fresh baby spinach instead of romaine and a warm chocolate cake with caramel sauce for dessert. Nearby is a public library which is a great place to use the internet as cell phones don’t work too well in the Big Sur area. After checking my e-mail, I drove back to Carmel for another quick look around and found a great shop selling quartz singing bowls which are used for their sound as well as their healing vibrations. The owner was very forthcoming on their history and the next thing I knew I was in the Pilgrim Bookstore nearby listening to Karma Moffett’s “ocean bowls” CD! Back to Deetjen’s for a quick shower and then up to Sierra Mar for dinner. The dining experience is different at night as you can’t see the  ocean but most of the tables face the glass windows overlooking the ocean. The food is always very innovative; although quite a bit more expensive than lunch. I had a baby beet salad with pistachios and feta cheese, a risotto with lamb and mushrooms and a mini chocolate devil’s food cake with Clementine sorbet. Sierra Mar has a very peaceful atmosphere which is pleasant to linger in. Sometimes there is someone outside on the balcony with a large telescope through which you can see the planets if the weather is clear. Last time I was there I say Saturn surrounded by its rings as clear as ever.

The next morning after a walk along the ocean and another delicious yogurt parfait for breakfast, I headed home, only stopping at La Super-rica Taqueria in Santa Barbara for a No. 8 (chicken with peppers, onions, mushrooms and 3 tortillas) and a No. 20 (gordita filled with spicy refried beans). There is always a line but the place is casual and the food is good so it doesn’t really matter.

I am already planning my next trip back up to Big Sur!

Pork Tenderloin with bacon corn relish

Pork Tenderloin

2 pork tenderloins, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
1/2C Italian parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1/4C basil leaves
olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
 

Bacon Corn Relish
4 slices bacon, sliced thin
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
4 ears corn, shucked
1 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves
1/4C maple syrup
salt and freshly ground pepper

In a food processor, process the parsley, garlic and basil until chopped.  With the machine running add just enough oil to make a paste.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Rub the tenderloins in the herb mixture and set aside.

For the bacon relish:  Sauté the bacon and onions in a sauté pan until the bacon is almost crisp.  Add the corn and basil and sauté until the corn turns bright yellow.  Add maple syrup, salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil.

Preheat oven to 400F.  Heat a sauté pan until hot; add 2 tablespoon oil and heat.  Sauté the pork on all sides, cover lightly with foil and bake until tender.  Slice pork and divide among plates. Pour pan juices into the bacon corn relish and spoon on top.

 
MAKES:  6 servings

Paris and Spain: two of my favorite places...

The best time to travel to Europe is the beginning of October when the tourists have left and it is the “low” season. I always fly in and out of Paris as what better way to start a trip but in the “city of lights”.  I book a stay through parissweethome (www.parissweethome.com) and choose the Alesia apartment on a cute little street, a 5 minute walk from the metro stop.  As I have been to Paris many times I like to take the train to somewhere new each year.  This year I went to Vaux Le Vicomte (www.vaux.le-vicomte.com), a castle built for Nicholas Fouquet in 1656.  It takes about one hour by train to get to Melun and another 10 minutes by bus or taxi to the castle.  Le Notre designed the beautifully crafted gardens and went on to design the gardens of Versailles. 

One of my favorite places to dine is Le Salon d’Helene Darroze (www.helenedarroze.com) where incredible tapa style dishes such as the foie gras de canard with fig chutney are served.  Daniel Rose’s Spring (www.springparis.blogspot.com) had a fabulous prix fixe menu, the sea bass wrapped in a green chard leaf being a highlight.

I left Paris on the overnight train to Barcelona where I “sat” in a reclining chair from 10 p.m. until arrival at 7:35 a.m. the next morning and slept very well indeed!!!  A 5 minute walk from the Francia train station was my delightful little hotel called la casa de marcelo www.casademarcelo.com .  From their window, I could see Cal Pep, the best tapas restaurant in town, but, desafortunadamente, being a Sunday it was closed!!!!  My last trip to Barcelona I missed seeing the Fundacio Miro (www.fundaciomiro-bcn.org), located near the Parc de Montjuic so that is where I headed first, finding it easily by local bus.  After wandering through Miro’s masterpieces for 2 – 3 hours, I sat at the counter of Tellar de Tapas nearby and had a delicious little rocket salad with quince cubes, shaved goat cheese and toasted whole almonds and a small platter of crisp baby artichoke slices - yummy.

Gaudi’s Casa Batllo (www.casabatllo.com) was next as I hadn’t seen it as yet and I find his works so whimsical.  My last stop was the La Sagrada Familia, an ongoing work also by Gaudi, which may never be finished but is breathtaking all the same.

In the morning I caught the train to San Sebastian arriving at 2 p.m. as the train was delayed.  San Sebastian is a delightful city with its famous playa de la concha.  Dinner at Urepel was rather old fashioned but the sautéed cepes with foie gras were exceptional. 

The next day I rented a car and drove to a little port city outside of town, took a ferry across to the other side and just wandered around until lunch time.  My 3 hour lunch at the famous three star Restaurant Arzak (www.arzak.es) was one of the best meals of my trip.  The plates were small, very creative and delicious.  Elaine, who cooks with her father, came out to greet me and I was able to visit the kitchen after lunch.

On to Bilboa where I arrived about 8 p.m., parked my car and walked to the Guggenheim Museum.  It is so beautiful to see it at night reflected in the water.  In the morning I visited the old indoor market and then   the museum where there was a fabulous exhibition by Amish Kapoor (www.anishkapoor.com), the artist who created the cloud gate in Chicago as well as many other very impressive pieces displayed all over the world.

I drove to Santillana del Mar after a quick lunch at the Guggenheim Museum and was delighted with my spacious room at Parador Gils Bras (www.paradores-spain.com).  Santillana del Mar is a small, tourist town but I found it charming.  I had dinner at Gran Duque Restaurant and was the only diner so had a delicious meal of fresh fish/salad and great service!! 

Nearby are the original caves of Altamira which have been closed to the public for many years.  I was able to visit the replica which was made in 2001 and gives you a good idea how the bison looked painted on the ceiling.  There is also a great prehistoric museum.  Afterwards, I stopped in the little town of Comillas nearby to visit El Capricho, charming summer home built by a young Gaudi in 1883. 

Gijon was my next stop as it was too far to drive all the way to Santiago de Compostela in one day.  I stayed at the delightful Casona de Cefontes (www.casonadecefontes.com), one of many such casona all over Spain.  These are old, restored houses, 10 or 15 minutes from the center of town.  I had dinner at the Michelin starred La Solana (www.restauranatelasolana.es) where the pork short ribs with pineapple confit were succulent and the “pastel” oozed with rich chocolate.  The next afternoon I arrived in Santiago in pouring rain after a stop in Lugo, a very interesting walled city.

Santiago de Compostela (www.santiago-compostela.net) is the Mecca for pilgrims who start a 780 km walk from St. Jean Pied de Port, France and walk for 6 – 8 weeks to Santiago.  They stay in albergues (hostels) along the way and carry all their belongings on their backs.  They have a card stamped each day to prove they are underway and arrive at the Cathedral in Santiago where they receive their Compostela, proof that they had made the pilgrimage.  I met three English ladies on the train to Paris who had completed this trek and thoroughly enjoyed hearing about their experience.

Santiago is an old, medieval city filled with churches, museums, quaint cobblestone streets, etc.  I spent two days wandering around the streets, in and out of churches, etc.  My most memorable meal was at Casa Marcelo (www.casamarcelo.com) where the food was incredible.  From the crab “cappuccino”, wild raw and cooked mushroom soup to the fresh coconut sorbet, the unique and wonderful dishes never wavered.

I drove back to San Sebastian, stopping in A Coruna to visit the lighthouse, Luarca to visit the port city and on to the Picos of Europa National Park, a beautiful side trip through lush countryside and gorgeous lakes.  

It was nice to have another whole day in San Sebastian before taking the train to Paris.  You can walk to the west end of La concha (the beach) and take a funicular up to the top of Mount Igeldo for a breathtaking view of the city.  Lunch at Bodegon Alejandro (www.bodegonalejandro.com) was a delicious last meal in Spain.  My favorite dish was large slices of sautéed cepes (mushrooms) served with a poached egg to dip them in!!!

Our train to Paris was delayed so I ended up with only an afternoon which I used to just wander the Latin quarter and soak in the atmosphere of this great city.  My final dinner was at a little French bistro called L’Ardoise (www.Lardoise-paris.com) where my lamb and crispy potatoes were expertly cooked and the chocolate tart was scrumptious!!!  A perfect ending to a “grand voyage”.

San Francisco/Napa Valley

The Trip:

San Francisco is always a great city to visit as it houses great museums, restaurants and unique neighborhoods for wandering. I stayed at a great hotel called Crescent (www.crescentsf.com) – centrally located and very reasonable.

Museums: The Asian Art Museum (www.asianart.org) has a wonderful exhibit on Shanghai and their museum shop is always eclectic.  The De Young Museum (www.deyoungmuseum.org) is open late on Friday nights so, after a nice wander in golden gate park, I saw the birth of impressionism exhibit which is on loan from the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.  The exhibit contrasts realism and impressionism in a very interesting way.

The Comtemporary Jewish Museum (www.thecjm.org) has an ongoing “exhibit”.  A trained female scribe is writing the entire text of the torah by hand and periodically is available to answer questions.  There are many rules regarding the quill, ink, paper, etc. which must be adhered to as well as the fact that each word must be spoken out loud before written.  Quite incredible!!!

Restaurants.I had lunch at A16 (www.a16sf.com) where I sat at the counter watching food being prepared and had a delicious thin crusted mushroom pizza. Sunday brunch was at their sister restaurant SPQR (www.spqrsf.com) where I had a unique little burrata and pepperonata “salad”.  Dinners were at Nopa (www.nopast.com) which included a delicious roast broccoli “salad” with fingerling potatoes, bacon and poached egg and Baker and Banker (www.bakerandbanker.com) where the quail stuffed with quinoa and bacon was only exceeded by the XXX chocolate cake!!!

Yountsville.  I have always wanted to eat at Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc Restaurant (www.adhocrestaurant.com) in Yountsville so I rented a car on Saturday and was on my way but not before visiting the Farmer’s Market at the ferry building in San Francisco.  On Saturdays from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. vendors from all over the bay area come with fruits, vegetables, pastries, cheese, etc. to the ferry building to sell their wares.  Restaurants such as Rosa Pistola set up stands to serve pulled pork sandwiches, fried eggs and potatoes, espresso, pastries and breads of all kinds.  It is a wonderful place to have breakfast and browse with the view of the bay bridge always in sight.

Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen (www.cindysbackstreetkitchen.com) in St. Helena was my lunch stop and the rare tuna salad with nori and udon noodles was beautifully prepared and flavorful.  I wandered around St. Helena a bit and then drove into Yountsville where I stayed in a cute little room at the Bordeaux House (www.BordeauxHouse.com), walking distance from Ad Hoc.  Yountsville is filled with little shops and great restaurants such as Redd, Bouchon, Hurley’s, etc. so it was fun to just meander before dinner.  Dinner at Ad Hoc is prix fixe so there are no decisions to make.  However, if meat is on the menu as it was the night I dined there, a fish option is offered.   The menu was:  haricots verts salad with mini potato wedges, olives, prosciutto; halibut (or steak) with corn, peas, mushrooms and pea shoots; cheese course with pine nuts and honey and a little mini paris brest filled with praline cream – absolutely superb and the cost - $49 + tax and beverage – not bad for a Thomas Keller experience!!

When I return to San Francisco on my next trip I think I will take the ferry to Sausalito and eat at Avatar, an Indian Restaurant I have heard is quite wonderful.

Pumpkin Beyond Pie

Photo by Suzana Maria Brega

Great pyramids of orange await us now, in the aisles of grocery stores and piled high along the roads in front of farm stands—it's pumpkin season again. More than three centuries after the Indians first showed Captain John Smith how to grow it, pumpkin is still regarded as an incredibly versatile ingredient. Many of our present-day varieties have been growing in the Americas for close to 5,000 years. It is little wonder that in 1683 a Colonist rhymed: "We had pumpkins in the morning and pumpkins at noon. If it were not for pumpkins, we'd be undone soon."

After arriving at Must Pumpkin Always Be Pie? I learned that pumpkin was indeed one of the foods that sustained the pilgrims during the early years in the New World. The pilgrims loved the spicy English savory meat pies, and pumpkin was a perfect ingredient to use in making them, along with the spices they had always loved and had begun to import.

A Pumpkin By Any Other Name...

Pumpkins have been cultivated since ancient times in Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. The word "pumpkin," though, goes back only to the 17th century, deriving ultimately from the Greek for melon, pepon (the earlier word we used was pompion). This means "cooked by the sun"—ripe, in other words. The French potiron, originally meaning "hugh mushroom" (from the Arabic word for morel mushrooms), settled down to become pumpkin only in the 17th century, the century of Perrault and his tale of Cinderella and her coach. The older French word, still used by farmers in remote parts of France, is citrouille, referring to the citrus yellow color. All derivations lead to the sun and all recipes come from climates hotter than ours.

Pumpkin belongs to the Cucurbita pepo species along with other winter squash such as delicata, acorn, turban and spaghetti. They are a mature fruit—one of the largest in the gourd family—and always cooked. They are planted in summer, harvested in summer or fall, and called "winter." Terminology like that was never meant to confuse—it simply dates back to a time when the seasons were more crucial to man's survival than they are now. "Good keepers" became known as "winter" vegetables if they could be persuaded to hold up even through December, and hard-shelled squash do their duty well, although fall is their peak season.

Most varieties of winter squash require warm days to ripen in the field after being cut from the vine. Some varieties will also need to cure in storage for four to six weeks before they are at their best for eating but pepos variety, which are generally yellow-fleshed, require little or no curing time after the initial ripening period. They are also, however, the first to fade, losing their flavor and becoming fibrous after three or four months in storage.

Most pepos pumpkin varieties are rather disappointing when cooked and used alone in recipes calling for pumpkin. A much richer flavor will result if pumpkin is combined with delicata or butternut squash to boost its flavor. To roast squash, cut it in half. Scoop out the seeds (roast these if desired— recipe follows) and place cut side down in a large Pyrex dish filled with about 1/8" of water. Roast uncovered in a 350ºF oven until tender, then scoop out the flesh, puree in a food processor and use as desired. To estimate yield, plan on obtaining approximately 3/4C of puree per pound of whole pumpkin.

Nutritional Benefits

A University of California at Davis study of 25 vegetable crops found winter squash to be among the most nutritious, rivaling cabbage, carrots, potatoes and spinach. It is a tasty source of complex carbohydrates and fiber and provides potassium, niacin and iron. The orange flesh is very high in beta carotene, the source of vitamin A; the deeper the color, the higher the beta carotene content. In fact, of all canned fruits and vegetables, pumpkin is the best source of vitamin A: a half cup has more than three times the daily U. S. recommended daily requirement. Winter squash are also low in sodium and in calories, ranging from 29 to 43 calories per 4-oz. serving.

Types

There are two types of pumpkin available in the market. The first is the field pumpkin, which has a very mild flavor. These pumpkins do tend to be tough, stringy and tasteless, but they grow tremendously large with pretty shapes and strong, durable walls, and are therefore perfect for Halloween jack-o'-lanterns. Of course, if the messy process of pumpkin carving gives you the shivers, you may want to visit Virtual Jack-O-Lantern and enjoy the wonderful world of pumpkin carving online—you will need a VRML viewer like VR Scout to view your results. (If you would like to learn more about the history of Halloween itself, you might visit The Origins of Halloween.

The second type, the sugar pumpkin or cheese pumpkin (so called because its paler color resembles that of cheese) is grown for cooking and baking purposes has a more pronounced flavor. If you are looking for an eating pumpkin, choose one that's small (4 lbs. or under), light, golden orange and squat in shape. Whatever type of pumpkin you choose, make sure that the stem is still on and that the shell has no cuts or breaks. Look for sturdy, heavy squash with fairly glossy skin that is unblemished by soft spots or uncharacteristic discolorations.

Pumpkins will keep for long periods of time in a cool (50-55º F), dry, well-ventilated place. Never refrigerate them or leave them outside in the cold. Plan to use pumpkins stored at room temperature within two to three weeks. Once a pumpkin is sliced up, however, flavor and nutritional value rapidly diminish, and mold can appear in a few days. Don't worry—it is worth buying a whole one to make a magnificent Halloween lamp or tureen for a stew or soup. The surplus flesh from the hollowed out pumpkin can be cooked in a small amount of water (just enough to set it going), drained and stored in the freezer for a later use.

An inexpensive and plentiful food as well as a most desirable fall cooking ingredient, pumpkin lends its distinctive taste and smooth texture to a variety of both savory and sweet preparations. Enjoy the full rich taste of it in a hearty pumpkin soup (recipe below) and the velvety creamy texture of it in a delicious warm spicy pumpkin pudding.

Pumpkin Soup in a Pumpkin

One 6-lb. pumpkin (preferably a sugar pumpkin)
3 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, finely diced
4C chicken stock (or more as needed)
1 bay leaf
1/2C cream
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Slice off the stem end of the pumpkin 2-1/2" from the top, reserving it, scrape out the seeds and the membranes, reserving the seeds for toasting as described below. Brush the inside of the pumpkin with 1-1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted. Top the pumpkin with the reserved stem end, bake it in a shallow baking pan in the middle of a preheated 375ºF oven for 1-1/4 hours, or until the pulp is tender, and let it cool in the pan until it can be handled.

In a large, heavy pot cook the onion in the remaining 1-1/2 Tbsp. butter over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is softened; add the carrots and sauté lightly, then add the stock and bay leaf and simmer the mixture until the carrots are tender. Discard the bay leaf.

Discard any liquid that may have accumulated in the pumpkin and scoop out the pulp carefully, leaving a 1/4" thick shell. Puree the pulp in a food processor with the carrot mixture in batches, transferring the mixture to another pot as it is pureed. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, heat the pumpkin shell if necessary in a preheated 375ºF oven until it is warm, and ladle the soup into the shell. Grate the top with a little fresh nutmeg and serve hot.

MAKES: 12C, serving about 8 guests

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

fresh pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp. oil
salt to taste

Remove any fibers from the fresh seeds and spread them on a baking sheet to dry overnight. Toss with the oil and bake them in the middle of a preheated 350ºF oven, stirring occasionally, until they are golden and crisp, between 15 and 20 minutes. Pat with paper towels, sprinkle with coarse salt and enjoy.