Culinary Adventures with Camilla

While many recipes are focusing on apples, the darlings of Fall, I've been shining the spotlight on one of my other favorite seasonal fruits: the pear! I recently made a Madagascar Bourbon Bean & Bartlett Jam. It was so tasty and so easy. So, I was really excited that Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories selected Pears + 10 Ways. And I really, really loved that all of those recipes were savory.  In case you don't have a copy of Bittman's book, read his 10 pear salads online here . His pear salsa and relish will certainly be on my table soon. And I do love the combination of pears with fennel. Before I get to my salad, please visit Karen and Wendy's posts this week. Our Pear Creations An InLinkz Link-up Recipes that poach pears in tea have long intrigued me. There's the Food Network's green tea-poached pears with marscarpone and brittle ; Gourmet's tea poached pears with tapioca and satsumas ; and The Meaning of Tea's lemon ging...

Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm asked the Festive Foodies if we wanted to share a last hurrah for summer. Sure thing! And I'm not sure this even really qualifies as a recipe. I mean, it's three ingredients and about five minutes of work. But, for every picnic or party to which I'm schlepped these, they are always a hit. So, I'll share. First, though, here's the rest of the Festive Foodies' last hurrah on this Labor Day weekend... Summer's Last Hurrah Campfire Cake by Red Cottage Chronicles  Honeyed Chevre Figs by Culinary Adventures with Camilla  Lemonade No Churn Ice Cream by Cooking With Carlee  Mozzarella Butternut Zoodles Salad by Cindy's Recipes and Writings  Pumpkin Deviled Eggs by Our Good Life  Tomato Cucumber Salad Recipe by Pook's Pantry Honeyed Chevre Figs serves 12 1 dozen organic fresh figs (I picked black mission) 5 ounces chevre honey for serving Cut the stems from your figs. Slice the...

  This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf Goldschmidt Vineyards, one of the  #MerlotMe   event sponsors. Complimentary wine was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own. When I got a text from one of my best friends to stop by for dinner on our way home from San Francisco this weekend, I texted back 'yes!' and that I would bring wine. She told me to just bring ourselves, but I had this bottle in my bag and we hadn't uncorked it. I did some reading, when I received the bottle for #MerlotMe, because this was a completely new-to-me vintner. Nick and Yolyn Goldschmidt are based in Healdsburg. Though they are originally from New Zealand, they have traveled, lived, and made wine all around the world. They have designed their labels to showcase single varietals and single vineyards.  Nick's social media profile reads: "All Wines are 100% single variety, 100% single vintage,...

Pizza night at the Manns is an exercise of topping the dough with whatever happens to be in the fridge. Last night I found a package of venison sausage (thank you, Corralitos Market and Sausage Company!), a log of chevre, and leftover roasted red peppers. Sweet! It sounded like a great combination...and it was. So easy. And, by the time everyone was done with homework, pizza was ready. Pronto al tavolo! Ingredients  makes 1 large rectangular pizza approximately 10" x 13" Crust* 3/4 C white rice flour (you can use brown rice flour instead) 1/2 C tapioca flour  1/3 C sorghum flour  1/3 C buckwheat flour 1 t xanthan gum 1 t sea salt 1/2 C whole milk 1/4 C water 2-1/4 t active dry yeast (or 1 packet) 2 t organic brown sugar 1 - 2 eggs (2nd egg if the dough is too dry) 3 T olive oil + more for baking the crust Also needed: parchment paper Toppings fresh tomato sauce chevre venison sausage, cooked and thinly sliced ...

I love making little savory truffles. You can't go wrong with cheese, right?! With some help from #FreshTastyValentines event sponsors -  Bob's Red Mill   and   Gourmet Garden  - these were super easy to make. Normally I make pesto in the blender, but because the  Gourmet Garden  pastes are ready-to-go, I just squeezed the pastes into a bowl and stirred. So. Easy. Ingredients Hemp Seed Pesto 3 T basil paste  (I used basil paste from  Gourmet Garden ) 1 T lightly dried basil  (I used lightly dried basil from  Gourmet Garden ) 1 T garlic paste  (I used garlic paste from  Gourmet Garden ) 1/4 C hemp seed hearts (I used Bob's Red Mill ) 1/4 C grated parmesan juice from 1 organic lemon (I used Meyer lemon because we have a tree in our backyard) olive oil, as needed Savory Truffles 4 ounces chevre 1 T hemp seed pesto 1 to 2 T lightly dried basil  (I used lightly dried basil from  Gourmet Garden ) ...

Tara of Tara's Multicultural Table wanted to organize a surprise baby shower for Lauren of Sew You Think You Can Cook . What fun!  To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of baby showers. It's not that I don't think it's a milestone worth honoring - it is! - I just despise playing those baby shower games. In fact, when one of my best friends hosted my baby shower, I said 'no games!' Or maybe that was for my bridal shower. I don't remember.  In any case, I agreed to participate for Lauren because it didn't involve any games and it did involve creating a recipe. Congratulations, Lauren! Candied Walnuts by Love and Confections Carmelized Pear Upside Down Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm Hasselback Sweet Potatoes by Curious Cuisiniere Maple Scones by Life on Food No Bake Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake by Caleigh's Kitchen Party Pecan Pie by Food Lust People Love Pecan Pie by Tara's Multicultural Table Pumpkin Spice...

It's time for Group B's  Secret Recipe Club   July reveal. This month I was assigned to   Jane's Adventures in Dinner  a blog written by - you got it! - Jane. Jane loves food, loves to cook and, "a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away [she] trained as a chef." Gosh, I remember those "other lifetime careers." But she still feeds everyone with whom she comes into contact and throws lots of fun parties. Her husband calls her "the food pusher." She can push food my way anytime! I seriously had to stop myself from sticking a fork in my monitor for many of her posts. I've been following Jane's adventures for awhile, as our culinary circles have collided in other cooking ventures, but it was great fun to actually sit down and explore her blog for awhile. I was intrigued by her Bacon Maple Cocktail ,  Coq au Vin Skewers , Chicken Curry Muffins , Saffron Orange Tapioca Pudding , and her Coconut Squash Soup . Those will a...

Welcome to #SundaySupper's giant virtual picnic in preparation for U.S. Independence Day on July 4th and Canada Day on July 1st. I'd say that's grounds for a picnic, don't you? Years ago our city used to do festive parades. With budget cuts and all that...it is no more. But here are a few (old) photos of my mini-patriots from back in the day... So, in the vein of red, white, and blue, I'm sharing a recipe for Savory Red, White, & Bleu Truffles. I got the idea from this week's hostess, Jane of Adventures in Dinner  when she shared her  Savory Truffles  during a #BrunchWeek event this year; I had bookmarked them and adapted to make them Independence Day appropriate. Ingredients 1 C chevre, divided into two bowls 1 T fresh blueberries, smashed 1 T fresh raspberries, smashed 2 T chopped fresh herbs (I used a mixture of parsley, dill, and mint), divided into two bowls 1 T parmesan, grated 1 T bleu cheese, crumbled 1 t chili paste,...

I was inspired by this post at Cupcake Muffin: Zucchini-Lemon-Goat Cheese Pizza . It made me miss the fresh, seasonal pies at The Cheeseboard Collective in Berkeley and when I saw that my CSA box, from Fogline Farm , had zucchini today, I knew what I was making for dinner. Here's my version. Thanks for the inspiration, Sara! Quick and Easy Pizza Dough 1 T active dry yeast 1 T organic granulated sugar 1 C warm water 3 C white whole wheat flour 1/2 C ground almonds 2 T olive oil Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let bloom until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour, ground almonds, and oil. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes. Press dough - with floured fingers - onto baking stone.  Toppings 2 organic Meyer lemon 4 oz goat cheese, at room temperature handful of fresh cilantro, thinly sliced freshly ground sea salt freshly ground black pepper drizzle ...

While this is not a new-to- me cheese, it was a new one for my caseophiles-in-training! If you've never tried Humboldt Fog by Cypress Grove Chevre , get thee to a cheese shop. Stat. Click to read the great story behind the company . Tangy, but subtle, the real treat is the distinctive layer of edible vegetable ash sandwiched between the creamy goat cheese. While the younger cheese boasts light citrus notes, as it matures, the aroma grows more herbaceous and floral. I served this with fresh grapes, a fennel seed salami, and some sparking wine.

Saison ( "season" in French) is the name originally given to refreshing, low-alcohol pale ales brewed seasonally in farmhouses in Wallonia , the French-speaking region of Belgium, to refresh farm workers during harvest season.  Lightly spiced with organic ginger, orange peels, black pepper and Grains of Paradise (Melegueta peppers), Lost Abbey's Red Barn Saison Ale matched a blueberry chevre perfectly.