5-Minute Vacation: Summer Eating in Tahoe

 

It's a cold and rainy morning, and I just came across this photo of one of the spreads from last summer at the cabin in Tahoe. Eating outside every night, surrounded by family that loves to cook and loves to eat, has come to be one of my absolute favorite parts of the year. I'm already looking forward to next August, and planning what I'll make. I'm thinking tamales might be in order, since I recently got (from Kerri) a recipe for the best pork tamales I've had in my entire life. Also, I think the ice cream maker will be coming along this year. I'd love to recreate the success of the mint julep ice cream I made by combining the Chez Panisse Desserts recipes for fresh mint ice cream and Bourbon ice cream. And I'd love to make an herbal ice cream sundae of some sort, with basil ice cream and thyme ice cream, topped with candied nuts.

Pie Photo Shoot

 

Just published America's Most Unforgettable Pies. What a fun story to research, taste for, and write. Found out all sorts of interesting things, including the following:

- Most key lime pie is made from key lime concentrate, not fresh squeezed limes. And that can make all the difference.
- "Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy" is a great song that gets easily stuck on autoloop in the mind. But with lines like "Makes your eyes light up, your tummy say 'howdy'," it's not a hardship.
- You don't have to live in Northern Michigan to enjoy sour cherry pie from Northern Michigan. That's what overnight shipping is for.
- Buttermilk pie makes people weep with happiness.

Pictured above is the green chile apple pie with a cheddar crust and apple streusal from Chile Pie (& Ice Cream) in San Francisco. Last weekend, Joel and I went out for a little tasting and photo shoot. The operation was a success.

Taco Rainbow

 

Found these cactus tortillas at Monterey Market, roasted gypsy peppers and steamed purple potatoes for an alternative to taco night. Sauteed leeks and chard, and added some of the pinto beans I made earlier in the day. The results aren't particularly authentic, but celebrate the best of what's fresh, and make for leftovers that I'm going to enjoy right now.

Grilled Pizza Success

 

Put together a super-team for pizza grilling, with results bordering on perfection. I've grilled pizza before, but never have I ended up with such magnificent pizza: Thin and crunchy crust with just a hint of smokiness, toppings like chanterelles and tallegio.

One note for future reference: mature dandelion greens are really, really bitter. The sort of bitter that no advice from Mark Bittman about braising and lemon acidity can counteract. We ended up composting it because it was simply inedible. I'm stiking to young dandelion greens from now on.

Carnitas at La Costa in Brentwood

 

We stumbled across this place (a local chain, as it turns out, in Brentwood) on our way back from Bear Valley a few years ago, and were blown away by the carnitas. Flavorful, chewy and crisp, we then talked about them for a year-and-a-half before planning a Delta trip with the purpose of eating here again. Here is the documentation of that second trip, this time with Monica, Frank, Matt (pictured), Kathyn, Nathan, and Joel. We took a rather strange naturalist-guided boat trip, stopped in at Locke and then at that bar with all the animal heads, and ended the afternoon with these carnitas.

Love for Old Kitchens

 

At least in fabulous and well preserved historic homes. This one is from Vikingsholm in Tahoe.

Camping Food

 

I call this Junk Food Chicken, because it has a sort of junk-food sweetness to it. It's a combination of shredded chicken, chipotles, vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, and a few other ingredients, all simmered together and then put into tacos or burritos with some cooling avocado. I made a big batch for a lunch while we were camping.