figs

A few of you have been giving me a hard time lately about not posting in such a while. :) I am sorry about that and hope to get back in the groove sooner rather than later. But for now, I thought I'd share one of my favorite things while there are still a few figs in the stores.

Grilled Figs Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Wrapped in Prosciutto

Make sure you choose ripe figs. They should not be hard. In fact, if you felt any other fruit give this much you probably wouldn't buy it. I tend to use Black Mission figs but you can use any variety that looks good. Here's how it goes: trim the top of the stem end off and cut the fig almost all the way in half. Then put about a teaspoon of goat cheese in between the halves and close. Now wrap a piece of prosciutto cut in half length lengthwise around the fig to keep it closed. I like to put a few of these figs on one long metal skewer but you can leave them off if you like. Now comes the best part. Grill the figs for a few minutes until the prosciutto is crispy on the edges. They are. so. good. I promise you'll be hooked. The cheese is creamy and melty. The figs are sweet, warm and rich tasting and the prosciutto is a fantastic salty crispy foil for the two other parts. Mmmmm... In fact, some of my friends who are convinced they don't like figs, love these. Let me know if you try them or have a favorite variation or other way you like to eat figs!

Matt Costa

A while back I shared the "Mr. Pitiful" video from Matt Costa and just because he currently one of my favorite artists to listen to, I had to share another. This one is great too, and it comes from his "Songs We Sing" album. The "Unfamiliar Faces" album is good too, but I think I like this one more. Hard to choose a favorite!

dave eggers

four reasons why I like dave eggers:

1. His book "What is the What?". You may remember me mentioning I was reading it back in January. It is the autobiographical novel about one of the "Lost Boys" of the Sudan. It was so well written, and while at times difficult to read, it was also difficult to put down because the story was so incredible. Makes you realize how Ameri-centric we can be sometimes and know so little about what else people across the world have to go through every day.

2. His book "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius". I am only in the early pages of this book but am so struck by the honesty of his writing. The way he describes little mundane details is so rich that you feel like you are an unseen visitor in his world. The book talks about how he came to gain custody of his 8 year-old brother at age 22. I am excited to finish it!

3. He opened 826 Valencia a few years ago here in San Francisco in the Mission district. It is a writing and tutoring lab for young people and you can hear more about it in the video linked to in number 4. What I think is particularly cool about it is that it is a true neighborhood institution which is there to support its community. They began by offering free tutoring to neighborhood kids, first from the people that worked in the back for McSweeney's (a literary publication), later by any adult volunteers who wanted to give one on one tutoring to kids in their space. And, in the front of their office is a pirate shop- yes a pirate shop. How cool is that?

4. He is a winner of the 2008 TED award. His wish video is here. You must watch it. It is incredibly inspiring. His wish is to collect 1000 stories of people giving their talents and help in some valuable way to their local public school. Even if you don't have kids. Even if you never volunteer for anything. Use what you have to offer to enrich a kids' life and greaten their chances for inspiration and success.

you must make this recipe

A friend just asked yesterday if I had baked anything good this summer and I realized I have still been taking a break from all my usual business and no, I really hadn't been doing a lot of extracurricular kitchen crafting! But, twice I have made this fabulous dish. It's very easy, very comfort-food-ish and great for breakfast or dessert. It comes from Torie Ritchie's "Tuesday Recipes". She is a local cookbook author who emails out a new recipe every Tuesday and you can subscribe to her list here. It's worth it. I have made a few keepers from her emails!



french toast bread pudding with warm peaches

serves 6
prep time: 20 minutes
chill time: overnight
bake time: 45 minutes

1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 loaf (about 1 pound) cinnamon-swirl bread, challah or brioche bread
6 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Peaches:
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 ripe peaches, sliced (you are definitely going to want to double the peaches, but nothing else)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

The night before serving, smear the 1 tablespoon butter over the bottom and sides of a 13x9x2-inch baking dish or other 2-quart baking dish. Tear the bread into small pieces and scatter in the dish. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, milk and vanilla. Pour over the bread. Tamp down the bread with a spatula to submerge each piece in egg. Cover with foil, gently pressing down so the foil is right on the surface of the mixture. Refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, remove the dish and slide it into a cold oven with the foil on (otherwise, the dish will crack). Turn oven on to 375°. After 25 minutes, gently pull off and discard the foil. Continue to bake until mixture is puffed and golden brown, about 20 more minutes. At this point, prepare the peaches by melting the 4 tablespoons butter in a wide nonstick pan then stirring in the brown sugar. When mixture is bubbly, add peaches and cinnamon and cook, stirring, until peaches start to look glazed, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside (mixture will be really hot).

When bread pudding is cooked, let it cool for a few minutes on a rack, then spoon onto plates and top with warm peaches.

the best ice cream

Last week I went to Bi-Rite Creamery. I can't believe I've been missing out all this time! They were closing right as we arrived and we had to make a really quick decision. I chose the salted caramel without even really seeing my other options. I'll never look back. I think I'm in love (sorry David). It. was. so. good. I'm trying to mastermind the way I can get back there as quickly as possible. It tasted like really rich, super creamy, almost burnt sugar. Just the way I like it. The flavor was complex, sweet- but not too. A grain of sea salt every so often to bring out the flavors, and every once in a while- a small creamy nibble of caramel. Wow. I couldn't stop thinking about it for the next 24 hours.

Oh, and I love that they have little wooden ice cream spoons and biodegradable cups. And that their tasting spoons are REAL spoons. That they wash. And reuse. And that they use Strauss Creamery dairy products.

photos

While we were on vacation I got to go out with a couple of my sisters, David and my dad a couple of times for a photo "field trip" to capture Driggs and the surrounding valley. I thought these turned out pretty well.

nature shots

Here are some of my better nature shots from the trip.