Culinary Adventures with Camilla

This week's challenge for the  Food Matters Project was chosen by Jess of Cheese Please . Naturally, caseophile that she is, she picked a cheesy recipe, Bittman's Cheese-Nut Balls. Here's her post: Cheddar Cheese and Almond Nut Ball . Bittman writes that "cheese balls take well to additions, like olives, fresh chiles, cranberries, dried fruit...." Done. While I opted to stick with his parmesan and gorgonzola combination, I added roasted figs for some extra flavor. Then I drizzled the ball with some raw, local honey and served it all with some multi-grain baguette slices. It was the perfect start to our Sunday feast. Roasted Figs   Destem and halve your figs. Lay them on a baking stone and sprinkle them with some organic granulated sugar. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the figs are softened and caramelized. Let cool. Cheese Ball 1/2 C ground almonds juice from 1 lemon freshly ground salt and pepper to taste 1/4 C grated ...

Yesterday we were at one of our favorite breakfast spots and Jake ordered a slice of crumb cake. He's never done that before. We usually gravitate towards the heartier fare - eggs benedict, omelettes, or pancakes. He took one bite and left the rest of it; he complained that it was okay, but nothing spectacular. I told him he was a food snob. And he told me that was my fault. Fine. The boys happily polished it off for him. But, all three of them levied this challenge: you can make a better crumb cake, can't you? Well, I'll give it a shot. This morning I had some leftover roasted sweet potatoes. So, I decided to make a spiced sweet potato cake with a crumb topping. I added a layer of spiced apples in the middle...for added autumn flavor. Oh, and a quick note on the name - crumble versus crumb. That's an homage to Riley-ball. The boy is one of the messiest eaters ever. Dylan calls him "Mr. Crumble-Crumble." Funny story: when Pia and I went on the Car...

It's that time of the month: the time when the Foodie PenPals from around the country singlehandedly keep the US Postal Service in business. As much as I love the immediacy of email, I love getting mail. And I especially love getting packages! Click here to see what goodies went flying around the country with the PenPals this month. Cherie of Cherie Runs This , my penpal for the month, emailed: I just checked out your blog and see that you're quite the foodie! Do you have any special dietary needs/preferences? Any particular likes or dislikes? Would you prefer healthy snacks or treats? I replied that I am allergic to fava beans and oysters, prefer savory to sweet, and gravitate towards healthy snacks versus treats. That was all I wrote. And when I opened my box, I was delighted...and got quite a chuckle. All the way from Mebane, North Carolina... Besides a lovely note, the first thing I saw was oysters. Well, it was a reusable bag with the word 'oysters...

Okay, these are totally gratuitous, but I love them: elderflower marshmallows. Light, fluffy, airy, sweet, and elderflower-laden! It's the perfect end to my first Edible Flower Friday . butter or canola oil powdered sugar 1 C cold water, divided 3, 1/4-ounce envelopes unflavored gelatin 2 C organic raw sugar 2/3 C elderflower simple syrup Prepare a 9×13 inch pan by oiling it with canola oil or butter. Dust powdered sugar over the oiled sides of the pan. Place 1/2 C of water in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water and allow to soften, 5 minutes. Place remaining water, sugar, syrups, and salt into a large saucepan. Melt all of the ingredients together, without stirring, and bring to a boil. Boil until the syrup reaches 240 F on a candy thermometer. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour hot syrup down the side of the bowl, being sure to avoid the whisk as it will splatter the syrup and could possibly burn you. Once all of the syrup is incorpora...

  It's Edible Flower Friday and I am cooking with the blossom of the month: the elderflower. First I made some elderflower simple syrup . Now, I'm using that in a batch of elderflower mini macaroons, inspired by the Young Austinian's recipe . What a find! Too bad I can't follow a recipe to save my life. How did I read '4 C coconut' as '2 C coconut'?!? And I flipped the amounts of syrup and blossoms. Whoops. I just baked them for longer. So, below is what I actually did. Click on the link above to see what I supposed to do. I also do not have a food processor, so these have larger strands of coconut. They were still a hit! 2 C raw organic, unsweetened coconut 1/2 C organic evaporated cane sugar 3 egg whites 3 T elderflower simple syrup 2 T dried elderflower blossoms In a large mixing bowl, blend all of the ingredients until everything is completely moistened. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Using a melon baller, scoop portions of the cocon...

For my inaugural Edible Flower Friday , I picked the elderflower. So, my elderflower culinary adventures begin with an elderflower simple syrup...and it is so simple. It only has three ingredients: water, sugar, and dried elderflowers. Simple. 2 C organic granulated sugar 2 C water 3 T dried elderflower blossoms In a medium sauce pan, place all of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Let the mixture steep for 10 minutes. Allow to cool, strain out the blossoms, and bottle. I'm excited to use this in some elderflower marshmallows and some elderflower macaroons. Are you ready to cook with these blooms? Let me know what you make.

Guess who's turning one?!? Edible Monterey Bay that's who. And, in typical Edible-style, they are celebrating with a lavish Farm-to-Table Wine Dinner at Live Earth Farm on Saturday, October 13th. Click here to read the event preview. A few things to note... The anniversary party takes place at Live Earth Farm , a small family farm nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains near Watsonville, and kicks off with a tour by Tom Broz. Tom and his family founded the farm that also houses the nonprofit Live Earth Discovery Program , a program that provides local school children with hands-on education about organic and sustainable food systems. After the tour, guests will enjoy a reception featuring delicious local wines. I don't know the full line-up, but I do know that Heller Estate Organic Vineyards will be pouring. And for those who aren't imbibing, 3 of a Kind will be serving up their sparkling, seasonal libations. Brad Briske, who is currently r...

Years ago I worked as a florist in the East Bay to help pay for incidentals in college. I was fortunate enough that my parents were willing and able to foot the bill for my tuition and my apartment during my five-year stay in Berkeley. But I needed to pay for my books and my groceries. So, I worked as a florist and in one of the computer labs on campus. After classes all day and dealing with the incessant complaint that "the computer isn't doing what I want it to do", playing with flowers - and getting paid for it - was a treat. Though I don't do much with flowers other than the occasional holiday arrangements and centerpieces for tables on teachers' appreciation day, I do cook with them. So, I decided that I would highlight one edible flower on the last Friday of each month. Maybe it will inspire you to get out and cook with some blooms, too. Meet the Elderflower ... photo and information from herbfacts.co.uk - click on 'elderflower' above Most...

Though I attended a concierge luncheon awhile back, chatted with Chef Jon, met Tamie, and wrote a preview about the event for Edible Monterey Bay , nothing prepared me for the heights to which La Crème would raise the bar for the Edible  pop-up events. Calling it la Crème de la Crème is not an exaggeration. Last night's dinner at La Crème was beyond spectacular. As we stepped over the threshold, Anthony Pessagno - of Pessagno Winery - was offering flutes of sparkling wine while servers circulated with tantalizing bite-sized morsels. I didn't catch the name of what they were calling this, but it was flaky dough smeared with buttery, soft cheese topped with bacon and fresh herbs. So many textures and big flavors in such a small bite. We kicked off the feast with a pear and arugula salad paired with Pessagno's La Estancia Reisling. Warm goat cheese blanketed in bread crumbs sat atop poached pears and greens dressed with a Pedro Ximénez vinaig...

When my friend posted this on her Facebook wall, my culinary gears immediately started to spin. She wrote: "So, Auntie Cam, Gabe has a food challenge for you...Tonight in his bath he was making a concoction in a cup. He added broccoli and cucumbers and noodles...then an interesting combo of strawberries and Brussels sprouts...I told him I was going to ask  you to come up with a strawberries and Brussels sprouts recipe for him. Any ideas?" Of course I have ideas! And I just wish I could give my intrepid lil' culinary genius a hug and a kiss tonight. Thanks for the inspiration, Gabe. As soon as I get my hands on a stalk of Brussels sprouts, I am making this! Blanched Brussels Sprouts Salad with Stawberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette For Gabe with Love from Auntie Cam Brussels Sprouts, as all cruciferous vegetables do, get bitter and sulphury when they are overcooked. You can do this salad raw, but I prefer to blanch the leaves so they are a little bit more sweet. This ...

We are wrapping up the Hs of the world - in our Cooking Around the World adventure - with a simple Honduran dinner. 'Simple' because we are only making one thing: nacatamales . Nacatamales are traditionally served at Christmas time, but I loved that they are steamed in banana leaves instead of corn husks. So, off we went to the Mexican market for banana leaves and Salvadorean cream. And, because we are short on time, I made some adaptations that included cooking the meat before stuffing the nacatamales . I also skipped the lard. A bit about Honduras...at times, this Central American country has been referred to as 'Spanish Honduras' to differentiate it from 'British Honduras' which is now the country of Belize. Honduran Nacatamales First make the masa , dough... 6 C masa harina 1/2 C butter, softened 1/2 C olive oil 1/2 C lime juice 4 C organic chicken broth Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and stir till it comes together into a ...