Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Another stop on the Rockridge Food Tour was La Farine — Boulangerie Patisserie. We crowded around a table and sampled their morning buns. Think buttery croissant dough rolled thin and spread with brown sugar and cinnamon, then baked in muffin pans for a portable decadent bite. Yes, it was as delicious as it sounds! And, yes, I will be trying to replicate it as soon as possible. Almost as old as my husband - I'm allowed to write that because I'm older than he is! - La Farine was on an undeveloped part of College Avenue, had only a handful of employees, and served mostly people who lived in the neighborhood. Now there are three locations and nearly 100 employees. But, La Farine's roots remain. They serve high-quality French baked goods. And, in keeping with their commitment to the neighborhood, La Farine donates leftover products to area food banks and senior centers. Amazing baked goods with a generous spirit. You can't beat that.

Yesterday when Jake and I went to the new French bakery in town - Lafayette - we tried lots of different things. This was my savory-loving palate's favorite thing: a tartine. I knew that Tartine was a bakery in San Francisco; I've perused the cookbook, but I didn't really know what a tartine was...until yesterday. I am definitely going to add this to my rotation! A tartine is essentially an open-face sandwich. This version had a smear of "white gravy" - I'm guessing that's a beciamel sauce -; slices of ham, melted gruyere, and topped with shredded bacon. Oh, my! I loved hearing the sharp staccato of French carrying through the store as all of the family members behind the counter conversed about what they were doing and what they needed next. It made me realize just how rusty my French is. Je suis désolé, Monsieur Pucci!  We will definitely put this on our list of places to go when I don't feel like making breakfast! Lafayette is f...

"Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, and sweet as love."  ~Turkish Proverb My husband has loves the Big Sur Bakery . Don't get me wrong, I like it. A lot. But he really, really loves the pastries. Being the savory gal that I am, I could live without the pastries, but I utterly adore the coffee. It's as the Turkish proverb says it should be.... The home of the Bakery was built in 1936 by Frank Post’s daughter Alice and her husband Steve. Over the years, the building has continuously been used as a place to restore weary hungry travellers and it continues to keep the tradition alive today.  When we headed down the coast to go to the INDYpendence Day Lunch at the Henry Miller Library, we ducked in for some of said coffee and a strudel ahead of time.  The line was out the door and we decided to share a slice of the apricot. Unfortunately, the gal in front of us took the last slice, so we settled on the plum strudel. It was buttery, yeasty...