Culinary Adventures with Camilla

This round Rachel, at  The Crispy Cook , selected  Sustenance & Desire: A Food Lover's Anthology of Sensuality and Humor  by Bascove for our December 2014-January 2015  Cook the Books   project. Click to see  her invitation . T his post contains an Amazon-affiliate link at the bottom  - for the book. This was the perfect selection to span the holidays. There was no plot to follow, characters of which to keep track, all the while trying to balance holiday parties and general end-of-the-year mayhem. This was a delightful collection of poems, paintings, and short editorials that could be read, furtively, while waiting for the kids to fall asleep so Santa could crumble the cookies and fill the stockings! There were many moments of inspiration. I considered doing something with artichokes... The artichoke of delicate heart  erect in its battle-dress, builds its minimal cupola... -Pablo Neruda ...or something with cheese... ...

After attending the cooking class at the Big Sur Foragers' Festival - read my blogpost about Cooking Foraged Foods with Incredible Chefs - I was inspired to try my hand at crisping mushrooms as Chef James from Affina did during the class. We are not a fungi-averse household, but crisping mushrooms elevates the experience of eating mushrooms to something exquisite. And who knew it was this easy? The key: use a big enough pan and leave them alone. Ingredients mushrooms (Chef James used hedgehog, yellowfoot, and black trumpet mushrooms; I used canary oysters, oysters, and shitakes) butter freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper Procedure Melt butter in a large, flat-bottom pan. When the butter begins to brown, lay your mushrooms in the pan. Make sure that you can see the bottom between the mushrooms and that the mushrooms aren't touching. Let the mushrooms brown and crisp. Flip the mushrooms and crisp them on the other side. Only after they are crisp should...

Forage - ˈfôrij,ˈfärij (verb) - to search widely for food or provisions Do you forage? When I first mentioned this assignment, a friend from high school asked for clarification. "'Traditional Foraging' as in the fields and woods? Or 'Urban Foraging' like the hipsters do in SF dumpsters?" she queried. Hmmmm...the former. I don't even know what a hipster is. So, after I packed a picnic lunch for my boys and friends as they headed out to the archery range, I drove down the coast yesterday. If I had to work on a Sunday, at least this was my commute... My assignment was to photograph the five local chefs who were doing cooking demonstrations with foraged foods. I have to admit that watching the chefs was simultaneously inspiring and intimidating. I was duly humbled by their talent and skills. They were truly incredible. Class participants were divided into five groups, then they were treated to a cooking demonstrations by each of the chefs. We w...

What do you do when you look at the dessert you had planned - Lychee Panna Cotta - and you realize that it's not setting up firm and your dinner guests are arriving in less than two hours? Panic? For a second, yes. I did. Run to the store for a pre-made dessert? Not my style. So I took a deep breath, opened my cupboards, and realized that I always have ingredients to make brownies. So, I split the brownie batter into two pans, found some chestnut paste to use in place of frosting, cut out a heart-snowflake, asked D to use his Hand-Dipped Candles , and dusted the whole thing with powdered sugar. Crisis averted!  Do you have a go-to sweet that you can whip up in case of a dessert emergency? Ingredients 4 large eggs 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 C organic coconut sugar 1 T raw honey 1/2 C butter, melted 1-1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder 1 t organic chocolate extract 1 t coffee liqueur 1/2 C white whole wheat flour 1/2 t freshly ground salt chestnut puree,...

I recently had to answer a question of how long I had been blogging. I had no clue. But, going back, I realized that my first post was 5 years ago today - 17 January 2010. Happy birthday to me..or rather, happy birthday to my blog Culinary Adventures with Camilla. I know there are more than five candles there...this was from a real birthday celebation! It's actually quite horrifying funny to look at those posts. No real structure. Some photos. Yikes. We've come a long way, baby. My very first post: Spiced Hot Chocolate had no ingredient list and no real procedure. But it  did  have a photo. And from the two dozen views one comment and, at least someone found it useful. "I mixed equal parts unsweetened cocoa powder with raw sugar, added milk, and simmered it all together on the stove with some cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and a splash of vanilla. Keep it thick and decadent!" I wrote. Looking forward a year - 2011 - I didn't post exactly on Januar...

I have been a fan of   Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales  ever since they were one of the featured breweries in a documentary we watched about beer several years ago. Their flavor combinations are outrageous. and this one - Namaste - is no exception. The gesture Namaste -  hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest, with a small bow - means "I bow to the divine in you."It conveys an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another; it's a show of mutual respect and admiration. The brewers write: "it's a great single word summary of the inspiration behind this brew." Namaste Tasting Notes Made with dried orange slices, fresh-chopped lemongrass and a tad of coriander, this Belgian-style white beer has strong honey aromas and finishes with a hint of yeast and saffron. Food Pairing Recommendations Spicy food such as a Indian or Thai. We enjoyed it with some Mexican after a very bad day. It de...

I have read about savory granola, but never made it myself. I've made sweet granola tons of times - Coconut Lychee Granola was one of my favorites! - and had some rolled oats leftover from my Mushroom Ginger Oat Congee so I decided to give a savory version a try. Thanks to some prepped herbs from Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices * , an intriguing sauce from Not Ketchup , and hops from a friend's garden, this was delicious, unique, and not too difficult. You'll see this on a salad, instead of croutons, for my dinner party this weekend: A New Year, a menu inspired by seeds, sprouts, and buds. Ingredients 2 C rolled oats 1 C raw shelled pistachios ½ C raw pumpkin seeds ½ C raw sunflower seeds ½ C raw pecans ¼ cup raw sesame seeds 1 T fennel seeds 1 T white sesame seeds 1 T black sesame seeds 1 t chia seeds 3 hops blossoms, dried and pulled apart 1 t  freshly ground salt ½ t freshly ground pepper 1 large egg white, beaten ¼ C olive oil 1 T gin...