Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I love the Fantastical Food Fight coordinated by Sarah of  Fantastical Sharing of Recipes . For more information about the event, click  here . I haven't been very good at participating, but this month, I couldn't resist. We were given the challenge of making a recipe with honey. So. Many. Possibilities. And besides loving honey, I love bees and have been toying with the idea of getting a hive or two. Until then, I just make sure to meet as many local beekeepers as I can to get on their list for when they spin and sell their honey. The Fantastical Food Fight Honey Pot An InLinkz Link-up Honey-Candied Kumquats After my cover and article on honey - Bee Yourself - was published in Edible Monterey Bay 's Summer 2013 issue [cover above!], several publishers sent me honey cookbooks. And, for Mothers' Day this year, after four moves in the past eight years, Jake gave me a bookshelf. So, I was able to finally unpack all of my books ...

Most Friday evenings all I want to do is come home from work, slip into comfy clothes, whip up a filling dinner, and lounge with my boys, playing games or watching a movie. But every now and then, Jake and I ditch the kids for uninterrupted conversation and a little romance. After seventeen years, I now know the formula for the perfect Friday night: art, libations, and food. And it fell into my lap when I saw the announcement for  Carmel Belle 's Pop-Up dinner at the  Monterey Museum of Art , La Mirada. One week late for a Valentines' celebration...but, hey, romance happens all year long, right? No need to stick to February 14th. And thank goodness I didn't hesitate, the tickets sold out in less than a day for this inaugural event. So, along with 58 other people, we lined up, checked in, and were ushered down the corridor to a cocktail reception with drinks from the elegantly effervescent and lovely Lauren of Lauren De Vine Beverages . I had seen her post on facebo...

When I saw #peterbsbrewsandbitescontest - a cooking contest to create an appetizer using one of their brews - announced on Peter B's Facebook page , I   was instantly inspired. I wanted to create a dish showcasing my favorite Peter B's brew: Legend of Laguna IPA. I am definitely not a hop-head; I am typcially not a fan of IPAs. But the first time I tasted the Legend of Laguna IPA, in a tasting flight, I was enamored. It was my favorite of the six for sure. I went back to try it a second time and had the same reaction: I love the citrusy, everygreeny taste! It's bright without being too bitter. I'm definitely a fan. So, to play on those orange and pine flavors, I created some carnitas-topped polenta cakes made with citrus juice and pine honey. If you're local, here's a link to all the places you can purchase bottles , and the brew pub also has growlers & growlettes to go! Here we go...what I made for #peterbsbrewsandbitescontest... N...

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Candied Kumquats inspired by Laurey Masterton's  The Fresh Honey Cookbook: 84 Recipes from a Beekeeper's Kitchen This subtle and silky dessert has quickly become one of our favorites. I like that it's easy and not too sweet. It's also a fantastic canvas to showcase a more exotic flavor. R wanted to use a whole vanilla bean in the panna cotta; I thought it would work well under my Honey-Candied Kumquats . Ingredients 1 envelope gelatin 1/4 cold water 2 C organic half-and-half 1/4 C organic granulated honey 1 vanilla bean, caviar scraped and pod reserved Procedure Dissolve the gelatin in cold water.  Place the other ingredients - including vanilla bean caviar and pod - in a medium saucepan and heat till it begins to steam. Do not let it boil. Let steep for 10 minutes. Strain out the vanilla pod. Pour the cream into the gelatin and stir till completely dissolved. Pour the mixture into your serving containers and let chill...

I am not big on plain ol' oranges. Blood oranges, clementines, pumelo, any other citrus and I am excited. So I shouldn't be too surprised that when we were selecting citrus to candy for his holiday panettone , Riley picked kumquats, grapefruits, and limes. Okey dokey. And a quick note: use organic. You're spending time and money to eat the peels; you don't want to be consuming chemicals and pesticides! Ingredients 2 C water 2 C organic granulated sugar + more for rolling 12 oz kumquats, washed and dried 1 grapefruit 2 limes Procedure Slice the kumquats into quarters. Peel the grapefruit and limes and slice into strips. Place all of the citrus in a large, flat-bottom pan. Add cold water until they are floating. Bring the pan to a boil. Drain. Add cold water until they are floating and bring to a boil again. Drain. Repeat a third time. Then create a simple syrup by bringing the water and sugar to a simmer and cooking till t...

This is typically how I make  Columba di Pasqua for Easter each year. Since I am not using the traditional dove-shaped pans - 'columba' means 'dove' in Italian - I'll just call it 'pane dolce ,' sweet bread. Ingredients Breads 2 T active dry yeast 1/2 C warm water (approx. 110 degrees) 1/2 C butter, room temperature 5.9 oz package almond paste (in the baking aisle of most grocery stores) 1/2 C organic granulated sugar 4 T candied kumquat 1 T pure vanilla extract 1 t pink Himalaya salt 4 large eggs, room temperature 1/2 C warm milk (approx. 110 degrees) 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 C white whole wheat flour 1/2 C raw pecan 1 t bee pollen 1/2 t fennel pollen Glaze 1/2 C organic granulated sugar 1/2 C ground almonds 2 large egg whites 1 C sliced almonds raw turbinado sugar Procedure In a small cup or bowl, stir the yeast into water to soften. In a large bowl, cream the butter, almond paste and sugar until light and flu...

1/4 C olive oil 1/2 C organic granulated sugar 2 t honey liqueur 1 T organic honey 2 eggs 1-3/4 C white whole wheat flour 1 t baking powder 1/2 C candied kumquats , chopped 2/3 C organic, raw cacao nibs 2 T bee pollen Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together oil, sugar, and honey until well blended. Mix in the honey liqueur, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in candied kumquats, cacao nibs, and bee pollen by hand. Divide dough in half. Form two logs on a cookie sheet. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 250 degrees F. Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides. Bake 15 minutes. Flip over and bake for an additional 15 minutes until dry. Cool and serve with a strong coffee.