Culinary Adventures with Camilla

To go with the warm lobster salad for my dad's birthday dinner, my mom requested braised lamb shanks. I had done them for Thanksgiving last year . So, I did a variation for last night. This time - inspired by a story I'm writing - I decided to braise them in an earthy mixture of coffee, beer, and the soaking liquid from the dried mushrooms. I made a smoked paprika-cherry glaze for my dad's party; for what we ate at home, I left it as a mushroom demi-glace. Ingredients 6 Tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced eight 3/4- to 1-pound lamb shanks white whole wheat flour mixed with 1 Tablespoon ground cardamom for dredging 2 cups coffee 2 cups beer (I used a coffee stout) 1 Tablespoon honey 1 Tablespoon ginger syrup 1 cup boiling water 1 cup dried shitake mushrooms 2 cups sliced fresh oyster mushrooms freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper Procedure Place dried shitake mushrooms in a bowl an...

I've never been one for lavish presents on my birthday. But I do require good eats, good drinks, some adventure, and good friends. And, to ring in my 40th, I had lots of that. Big Sur Bakery and Restaurant Jake and I dropped the boys off at school of Friday and high-tailed it down the coast first thing in the morning. We stopped for a quick breakfast at the Big Sur Bakery and Restaurant . I've read about that place for years, but it was never a convenient stop. I had a ham and cheese quiche with a buttery, to-die-for crust and washed it down with some liquid gold, AKA potent espresso. Then we grabbed two ham and cheese croissants and a cinnamon bloom for later. Here... we noshed on the croissants, perched on a rock above the Partington Creek. Delish. And on the way back up the coast, we paused at The Restaurant at Ventana for some drinks. I stuck with their organic lemonade. Jake tried the Big Sur Breeze - 12-year-old rum + grapefruit soda + fresh lime. ...

For the past eight years we have held Dylan's birthday party for his friends the first weekend in December, to coincide with Sint-Niklaas Day...since he is our Dylaney Niklaas...and to keep it distinct from Christmas. We celebrated as a family on his actual birthday. But this year, we are only have one party, on his actual birthday. Still we are going to celebrate today with some Dutch-inspired treats. Quick background: I lived in Holland for three years as a kid. I went to pre-school and kindergarten there. I spoke Dutch fluently; well, fluently for a five or six-year-old. And I thought that I really was Dutch. I lamented my black hair, brown eyes, and weird name; I wanted to look like my friends. I swore to my mom that when I turned eighteen I was going to dye my hair and legally change my name to a Dutch name. Thankfully, that was a fleeting fancy. I am very happy with my dark looks and unusual name now. But I still have my klompens and I still put carrots and celery in th...

The wait it over...and the Garneaus and Gonzalezs wasted no time. Lokal opened this week, after an excruciatingly long process of undoing red tape with the County, for breakfasts; tonight was the first dinner and Pia made the first reservation. Just for us. Table for six. Yes, please! I've been dreaming about the culinary innovations of Chef Brendan since we attended the Edible Monterey Bay pop-up supper club in March . While we perused the menu, consisting of three sections - Veggies + Sea - Land = - we started with a round of Chock Rock Vineyard's Pinot Noir and made our way around the table with celebratory toasts. "To culinary adventure." "To wonderful wives." "To lasting friendships." "To laughter." And more. Cheers! Jenn and I started with the Beet Salad , a mosaic of red and golden beets and a creamy river that I thought was creme fraiche, but the menu read "coconut/goat dressing." I don't know whethe...