Kids Rally for A Fair Farm Bill

We are so lucky to live in Berkeley and have parents and neighbors who understand what good food is and what we need to do to

get small and medium farms the kind of support that previously has only been made available to big ag. It is such a travesty that our local family farms are having a hard time supporting their families because big ag is cheapening our food supply and with our government's help, squeezing out our local families who have been farming for generations.

I must also say, that there is a reason that big ag doesn't want you to know about their unethical practices. They are killing your family, slowly. The government subsidies of such corrupt corporations are training Americans to think that food should be cheap.

But the real cost of bringing that chemically processed, unethically produced product to your table and mine is staggering. And it goes against every single thing that your parents, God and the Universe teaches us.

I am truly afraid of what greed buys. Our world, our way of living, our effect on the planet and each other is suffering so greatly.

Isn't it time to STOP? Isn't it time to listen to that inner voice that says, perhaps I shouldn't feed my kid milk which has HFC added? Perhaps I should let cows eat what God made them to eat.....grass? Perhaps I should let that baby cow stay with his mother and let him see the light of day ? Perhaps I should try to understand that the USDA just passed an insecticide that labs use to CAUSE CANCER to spray on our strawberries?

What madness made someone decide that these decisions are okay and how much money does it take to make the very government that we create, suddenly think that giving kids cancer on their summer fruit is the right thing to do?

I just don't get it.

I know, that we are all jaded. I know that we are bombarded with political bullshit and tough decisions in our daily lives. But just like in so many other ways that our country has gone wrong, how long will it take for us to get back to the real issues and for our hearts to find a place again for doing the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do?

My kid knows what is right. Her classmates do too. And somewhere, I venture to guess, deep inside.....in the place where you keep hidden the little child, just learning about the world that you once were....you do too.

Be proud of this one thing that you do today to make the world, your own neighborhood, a better place. Give of your heart today.

I dare you.

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/farm-bill-2012/

Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies

It is a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon here in Berkeley. We have just returned from our Sunday routine, broken only for really rainy weather. Lucia and I get up, lounge around for a couple of hours, we both are notoriously early risers. Me with my Four Barrel coffee and her with her warm chocolate milk....watching Curious George or Olivia, reading the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times. This am, the dappled sun shining warmly in the window of our West Berkeley home, we were more inspired that others.

We awoke Troy finally at about 8am and by 9am we were out of the house and on our way to Mama's Royal Cafe on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland for breakfast. The kitchen was a little slow this am, but we had little to complain about with the temps in the mid 60s (yes....it is January folks!) and (gasp!) no line at all out front. True, we had to wait nearly 20 minutes for our food to arrive, but the wonderfully diverse, tatood servers were in amazingly friendly form and the coffee strong and good. We also, never go out to breakfast without Lucia's bag of tricks. For those of you without little folks in your everyday life, this is kid-code for color books, reams of drawing paper and several sets of washable markers. I ordered a version of eggs benedict (their hollandaise is light and lovely tarty lemony creamy goodness) with smoked salmon in place of the ham. Perfect eggs, really nicely brown and crisp potatoes with caramelized onions and of course the light yellow heaven on top.

As is our Sunday am tradition, we always go for a long, brisk walk after our Sunday breakfast out, and today, we found our way up to Lake Temescal in the hills approaching the Caldecott Tunnel. We parked the car in the shade, got our dog Bella out of the car and headed up the gentle rolling hills around the lake. It seemed that everyone was smiling today, happy for the sunshine and mild temperatures, bicyclists, kids, dogs, families playing soccer. It was lovely. After a stop at a playground for Lucia to cavort and burn off some energy and Bella to stare longingly at a handsome chocolate nosed would be boyfriend canine across the way, we headed home.

Daddy and daughter landed at the computer to play games and I.....who had been craving chocolate like crazy for several days on end, headed into the kitchen.

Having bookmarked several appealing recipes for chocolate cookies lately, I quickly read over several and landed on David Lebovitz's version of Cotilde's Very Chocolate Cookies. As I am a chef, and not a pastry person, I never (NEVER) follow a recipe to the letter. I should (sometimes) but alas, I don't. Today was no different. But in keeping with one of my vows for the new year, I actually wrote down the changes that I made.

The cookies, are delicious and as David plainly posts, you may not get to the baking of the cookies as the dough is soooo dense and chocolaty. The texture is slightly dry, but the lack of eggs in the formula quickly made me think that this recipe would easily and deliciously be made vegan by subbing out vegan chocolate and vegan margarine.

So, the next time the chocolate bug strikes, try these little gems. Use the best butter and the best chocolate that you can afford, and even if you think a little salt is weird with your chocolate, try a few sprinkled with Fleur de Sel. I am absolutely addicted to the combination. Also, make sure to cool the little disks completely before moving them as the dry texture firms up quite a bit when cool and they crumble easily when warm.

½ cup (70 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (55 g) whole-wheat flour
¼ cup (25 g) unsweetened Ghiradelli cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
5 ounces (140 g) Guittard 60% dark chocolate chips
1/8 cup (30 g) espresso powder
½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon (125 g) salted butter, at room temperature
½ cup (100 g) (packed) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
optional: fleur de sel

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

1. In a small bowl, sift both flours, cocoa powder and baking soda together.

2. In a clean, dry bowl, microwave melt of the chocolate (2½ oz, 70g) to melt, then let cool to room temperature, (in my microwave it was 1 minute).

3. Beat the butter with a standing electric mixer just until smooth. Beat in the sugar and vanilla extract. Stir to incorporate.

4. Stir in the melted chocolate, then the flour-cocoa mixture. Then finally the chocolate chunks and espresso.

5. Scoop the dough with a teaspoon and roll into little balls. Place evenly-spaced on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten into disks with the palm of your hand. Sprinkle with fleur de sel, if desired, then bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies take on a slightly dry sheen to the top. Tap each cookie lightly with the flat part of a spatula about 2 minutes before removing from the oven. Cool completely before removing from the parchment.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.davidlebovitz.com

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/

Reflections in Food 2010

My Husband Troy is constantly giving me feedback about my food, and it is his that means the most to me, as I know that he truly wants the best for me personally and for my career. Often times he tells me I should write things down that work particularly well. I don't. I almost always do it different, which, although fun, may not be the best strategy when it come to ideas that really work. It would be nice to truly reproduce something. So perhaps in 2011, my vow should be to write down recipes that work. We will see how that goes.

Occasionally, when you cook as fervently as I do, and are constantly trying new things, a recipe doesn't turn out the way that you expect. Especially when like me, you tend to deviate.

During the time that I have had off over the holiday with my daughter Lucia, I have been going through our pantry, organizing and accessing ingredients. In 2009, I was a canning dervish. I canned my favorite Oven Roasted Tomatoes from our garden, raspberry jam, fig jam, peach jam and even deviated into sugarless jams (Troy is diabetic). Based on the favorable out come of the previous preserves, the last thing that I "put up" in 2009 was a Strawberry Balsamic Jam. My own idea using good Italian balsamico and strawberries from Lucero Farms. Right out of the pot, the jam was a viscous, delicious spoonful. I opened the last jar today and found that since canning this luscious flavor combination, it had morphed into a really really firm gel resembling more fruit leather and less something to spread onto your morning toast. Hmmmm.

What to do? I couldn't just toss it out....not this lovely combination. Could I roll it out between a couple of sheets of plastic wrap and add homemade fruit snacks to Lucia's lunch? Not really....we get ants too easily in Berkeley. So I decided to try making a cracker with a bit of the emulsion in the middle. Like a savory thumbprint cookie.

The results were terrific first time out of the gate! In he heat of the oven the jam melted and the results were beautiful. Lucia, my side kick and always willing tester, said that they were delicious and came back for seconds and thirds. I hope that you will like them too.

Happy New Year to all my friends and family. May the year 2011 bring us all closer to our dreams in the ardent comfort of each other's love and support.

Blue Cheese and Jam Biscuits

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 cube of salted butter at room temperature

4 oz blue cheese

ground black pepper

your favorite preserves

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the flour, butter, blue cheese and black pepper into the bowl of a sturdy stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or you can use a

food processor, but I don't like them too much). Mix slowly until all the ingredients are just incorporated. Do not over mix.

Scape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat into a flat log. Roll the log out into a sheet of about 1/8 inch with a lightly floured rolling pin. I turned the dough a couple of times while rolling, to insure that it did not stick.

Cut 1 inch rounds with a biscuit cutter, and place onto the parchment lined baking sheet.I fit six down and four across on a

regular 1/2 sheet pan. Gently gather and re-roll bits and pieces until all your dough is cut into lovely little rounds.

Using a teaspoon, place a tiny dollop of jam into the center of each round. Be careful not to use too much, since you are not

making indentations to hold the jam. I would imagine that jelly would be too loose to use in this application, so to insure

the success of your biscuits, use a firm, fruit-filled jam or even a finely chopped chutney would work. Repeat

until all the little rounds are adorned.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the bottoms of the biscuits are golden brown and the jam is bubbly and melted.

Let cool on the parchment for 10 minutes, then remove each biscuit to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen biscuits.

Organic Tomato Tart

Tomatoes are finally in season again and paired with a shallot, garlic, some good olive oil, a little sea salt, basil and whatever cheese you have laying around that needs to be used and some puff pastry purchased from Whole Foods.....well you have a completely delicious dinner at hand within 30 minutes.

There are a couple of tricks to this amazing tart however. If you follow them, it will yield a tart with a crisp and buttery "crust" and perfectly chewy, intensely flavored tomatoes. The recipe, and the tips follow. Please, even though it is warm, please don't run out to some fast food joint right now! Take my word for it....this is an easy recipe. It is worth the 30 minutes.

Organic Tomato Tart with Cheese

1 purchased sheet of puff pastry, defrosted and pricked top to bottom

2 pints of organic cherry tomatoes, washed and halved

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, smashed and finely chopped

3 TBSP good olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

Black Pepper, freshly ground

Fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Parmegiano Reggiano, grated coarsely

Basil, torn or julienned

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put all the tomato halves, shallot, garlic and olive oil together on a cookie sheet. Toss to coat, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Bake until slightly shriveled and fragrant. Notice if most of the liquid is gone from the tomatoes. This is the perfect time to remove from the oven and cool. About 15 minutes time total.

Top the defrosted and pricked puff pastry sheet with the thinly sliced mozzarella, placed along the tart being careful not to put too much, as too much filling with make the tart soggy. Layer the seasoned, oven roasted tomatoes atop the cheese, spreading around evenly. Top with grated reggiano.

Bake at 45o degress until edges are puffed and really brown. About 10-15 minutes, depending upon your oven. If the tart puffs too much, stick the tip of a knife into the puffed part to release the steam.

Remove from the oven. Cut into 8 slices and top with the julienne of basil and a sprinkling or coarse sea salt.

Serve hot or cold.....great picnic food!

Happy Birthday Alice!!

It is no surprise to anyone who knows me even casually that I am president of Alice Waters and the Edible Schoolyard's fan club.

Alice has been so fundamental in my culinary sense and development. As I have become a Mother and grown in my own career as a Chef, I have seen first hand the magic in her philosophy and the work that has been the passion of her life.

I work with kids for whom it has been a big deal to get to go to Mc Donalds. I cook for these kids and their families, who's lives have been filled with nothing but processed foods. These families come to Seneca for help and counsel and I am the lucky one who has the privilege of introducing them to the freshest, local fruits and vegetables. Foods that they never have seen let alone tasted from organic farms grown locally in season. The looks on their faces when they first see an heirloom tomato with its tiger stripes and funky irregular shape! Then, finally, when they screw up the courage to try the thing......a sweet smile of amazement fills their faces as drips of tomato juice drip down their eager chins and I am filled forever and reminded why I do what I do!!

Both my parents, food mavericks in their own ways, and Alice are responsible for this. My career, my joy in the farmers at the markets hawking their home grown wares with the excitement of a new parent, my amazement in sharing my world with my own precious daughter Lucia, my deep appreciation for my sweet husband Troy who's motto since meeting and wooing me has become "shut up and eat it, it will be wonderful", and my devotion to sourcing the best for "my kids" at Seneca.....all of this, I give up to Alice.

Alice.......with all of my heart, thank you for your determination. Thank you for your commitment to all of our children and putting the future of food squarely in their eager hands. And lastly, thank you for your patience, for 30 years, waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.

Happy Birthday Alice!!