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There is something magical about Camont. Â I had a feeling when I first met Kate over dinner with Pim. Â Pim had a sparkle in her eyes when she talked about Kate’s little haven in Gascony.
We had no idea what to expect as we boarded the train to Agen. Â The ride was picturesque , rolling green hills, dotted with vineyards and castles tucked away. Â Like a fairy tale actually. Â Once we arrive into Agen, we grabbed a cab, which we found out later …. no one does when they come to Camont. Â The drive was short but our anticipation was heightened as we turned the corner, saw the rustic sign Camont and recognized the farmhouse from Kate’s site.
The welcome was warm, like family we have not seen in a long time.  Bacon, Kate’s fearless companion gave us a sniff and a bark.  Kate’s sister, Stephanie was visiting and greeted us with open arms.  As well there was Betsy who is an old friend of Kate’s from Boulder and Erika and Chris, who are there in Camont until November.  The only person missing was Kate.  And  our friend, Dominique.  This is when we found out, no one ever takes a cab to Camont.
We spent a glorious week bonding with Kate, Erika and Chris. Â As well as many other’s who were in and out for the week (more to come on that). Â One of the many things we loved about Camont was the laughter that was enjoyed everyday. Â Everyone really came together as one and enjoyed each other’s company. Â It was nice. Â It was comforting. Â Most of all, it was loving.
(Want to learn to take a delicious photos like this tart? Â Details can be found here on how where to take a workshop w/Tim Clinch & Kate Hill)
One rainy day, Kate came home with a crate of fresh apricots. Â The first summer apricots. Â I have fond memories of apricots being eaten, ripe, warmed by the sun and just plucked from my grandmother’s tree. Â This was the next best thing … perfectly picked and ready to be devoured.
That same rainy afternoon, as the clouds were slightly parting and the sun was just peeking through, Ericka and I decided to bake apricot tarts to photograph (more on that later) as well as for that nights dessert. Â Erika worked her magic on the pastry crust, which was outstanding and I took over the apricots. Â I wanted to keep the tart simple by using what we had right there. Â I seasoned the apricots with a little sugar, fresh lemon juice and thyme from the herb garden outside the kitchen door. Â We had enough dough to make one large tart and two small ones. Â The larger one had a slight layer of frangipani under the apricots. Â The second one had a layer of fresh creamy goat cheese under the apricots with a generous drizzle of honey over the top and the third had a layer of creamy goodness made out of a deep dark brown sugar that was mixed with the left over goat cheese and frangipani, covered with apricots and more honey. Â Each was baked until golden brown and then finished with a sprinkling of fresh thyme. Â Easy. Â Delicious. Â Very Gascony!
Recipe: Â Apricot and Thyme Tart
Gascony Photos
Every afternoon we treat ourselves to a small present. Â A celebration of life, love and us. Â As well as a little bit of, we are just really happy to be where we are.
Every patisserie in Paris takes such great care when wrapping your purchase.
Unwrapping it is so exciting, even if you are the one who purchased it.
It makes it even more special.
Sometimes it is so pretty you just want to look at it. Â But, you don’t ….. instead you savor it or in our case devour it!
We were talking over coffee this morning about how we eat so much better when we are in Paris. Â And, this is funny because we eat pretty well back home, but here, we tend to eat small little meals.
For instance our day usually starts with ultra creamy (we are talking CUSTARD) yogurt, fresh baked pastries and fresh fruit just picked up from the market and coffee, lots of coffee and we linger in the apartment, listening to music, taking every Parisian breathe in and just enjoying each other. Â It is really bliss.
We eventually head out and the first stop is the Tabac for a couple espressos, at which time, we figure out our day. Â Keep in mind we have been here often, so we usually hit somewhere we have not been or we just wander the streets, taking it all in, with stops for more espressos or maybe a vin rouge. Â Our big meal out is usually lunch, which means a quiant little French Bistro and lots of delicious food. Â More wandering and then we head “home”.
I take great joy in going back out after putting my feet up for a bit, to pick up pastries, a bottle of wine and a bag full of  cheese, baguettes, endives, radishes, jambon and more wine.  The pastries are our afternoon snack.  By the time we take the last sweet bite into our mouths, we are on California time and we catch up on emails, phone calls and work.
After a few hours, it is time for dinner which usually is more creamy French cheese, baguettes, fresh produce, jambon and lots of wine. Â We then explore a new neighborhood or take an old one in, even further. Â We enjoy some music, a walk and a little vin rouge. Â That is our perfect Paris.
Want to see more of Paris on a daily basis? Â Then come with us!
I am a huge peanut butter fan. Â I mean … HUGE. Â Nothing like two pieces of bread, slathered with a lot of peanut butter and a touch of jam; Â preferably strawberry or grape. Â Heck, let’s be honest here, nothing like a big soup spoon full of peanut butter and inserted into MOUTH. Â I am not choosy either, creamy or chunky, bring it ON.
I have not eaten a peanut butter cookie in years, except maybe an occasional girl scout one, if someone has them laying around their house (I don’t buy them for obvious reasons). Â Nor have I made peanut butter cookies, mainly because all of the recipes require you to chill the dough. Â You see, I like making cookies, I am just not into the chilling for at least 3 hours before baking. Â I want instant gratification.
 
I decided to make my nephews a big box of cookies for their birthdays and wanted to mix it up with the token chocolate chip so I have been working on a peanut butter recipe that did not require the “3-hour chillin”. Â The first couple times I made this recipe I used creamy peanut butter which worked out really nicely but I wanted texture. Â The next couple times I used an organic chunky peanut butter from Wholefoods. Â I not only loved the flavor of this peanut butter but I loved the slightly chewy and slightly chunky texture of the finished cookie. Â It was perfect. Â And the great thing …. neither way required any chilling time. Â Simply make the dough, roll into balls, flatten and bake.
Recipe: Â Peanut Butter Cookies
Short ribs are available year round so why do I only make them in the summer months? Â I love them, I should be making them year round. Â Now I cannot blame it on the balmy sunny summer weather for peaking this interest in me as we live in San Francisco. Â I really should be making these more often as they are amazingly delicious. Â Slightly spicy. Â Slightly sweet. Â And a little bit zippy thanks to the addition of fresh ginger.
I am going to apologize immediately for the recipe as it is made by taste. Â I don’t measure anything, I just pour, mix and pour a little bit more. Â We prefer them a little spicier so I add a lot of sriracha as well we love ginger so I go a little heavy on that. Â I feel the longer you marinate them the better, so allow at least 3 hours if not overnight. Â Then fire up the grill and cook them to perfection. Â These ribs are perfect served with grilled white corn or a hearty green salad. Â No matter what you serve with them you are going to love sinking your teeth into their meaty and juicy goodness.
Enjoy! Â Have a safe and memorable long weekend!
What will you be grilling this Memorial Day Weekend?
ps… recipes are below. Â Having problems with google docs & PDFs … no pretty pictures but the recipes are there. Â Will try to fixed next week!
Recipe: Â Sriracha Marinade
Recipe: Â Grilled Corn
This farmer’s market update for Eat Boutique is long overdue. Â I apologize. Â The nice thing about being a bit behind is that mother earth had a chance to bring us some beautiful spring time treats!
This weekend I ventured down to Half Moon Bay. Â I have been jonesing about this market since I heard about it in January. Â You see, I love Half Moon Bay for two reasons, one of my favorite beaches is down there and 3 of my favorite people live there! Â I love making the scenic drive down there, even if it is only to sit on the beach for 20 minutes (not kidding, that is all Lenny can take) or to grab fish and chips at our favorite little hole in the wall.
Half Moon Bay is a seaside town about 25 minutes south west of the city. Â There are two routes from the city, one is mainly freeway, while the other is coastal. Â We prefer coastal. Â It is curvy, steep and winds past hidden beaches and crashing waves. Â Even though the city is small, it has a lot of offer as it is a fishing port as well as an agricultural mecca. Â It truly is a little slice of heaven less than 30 minutes from the hustle bustle of the city.
We had planned to make a day out of the venture down to the market. Â Yes, that is a “we”. Â Lenny would road bike down to Santa Cruz and then make his way back to Half Moon Bay. Â I would meet up with the Richards for coffee and the market. Â I was happy to wake up to a damp and cold morning as this gave me the perfect reason to talk Lenny into having coffee with us before starting his ride. Â Despite the thick as pea soup atmosphere along the coast, the morning was beautiful. Â The sun was stretching it’s arms as hard as it could to give us glimmers of warmth for the drive. Â We noticed on the way that the ocean was an unusual and unbelievable glassy blue and the sand was so shinny that it almost blinded us while driving. Â I love mornings like this. Â We met up with the Richard’s at the Blue Sky Farms Nursery and Cafe, for coffee, scones and conversation before Lenny left for his ride and we headed to the market. Â In my opinion this is the perfect way to start the day.
This particular farmer’s market is known as the Coastside Farmer’s Market and they offer two locations from now until December. Â The first is in Pacifica and it is held on Wednesday from 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm. Â Pacifica is about 10 minutes north of Half Moon Bay. Â The other is, Half Moon Bay and is held on Saturday from 9:00 am – 1:00pm. Â The market is set in the parking lot of the Shoreline Station so there is ample parking available.
As I did my first walk through, to tease my taste-buds a bit, I felt as if I had skipped Spring as there was the first glimpses of sweet summer time corn and cherries. Â Don’t get me wrong, I love both; Â but, I am not ready to say good-bye to fresh favas, spring time peas, green garlic, baby red onions and tender greens. Â In addition to the last of winter’s citrus there was an abundance of red ripe strawberries, that were as sweet as candy, I picked up three huge baskets. Â First impression of the market is that it is small and compact, which I don’t mind. Â As well the first thing I could smell was fresh baked tamales, not a bad thing either. Â The market offers a variety of fresh from the farm produce as well as pottery, French charcutier, ready made pastries, pasta, condiments and fresh roasted coffee beans. Â As well there is live music which will have the little ones dancing the morning away. Â One could say there is a little of something for everyone and the market makes you feel like you are at “home” as everyone knows everyone and there are smiles and hellos every turn.
My highlights from the market were the fresh spring time peas and fava beans from the delightful couple who run Ibarra Cruz Organic Farms.  I also picked up a few big bunches of  sweet crunchy kale, fresh thyme and sage (they package up a very generous amount of herbs in each bundle) and spicy arugula from Farmer Johns.  Farmer John and wife Eda are a “hoot” with their funny but sweet jabs back and forth!  The cherries were not quite sweet enough yet, but I could not help myself so I picked up a pint from Busalacchi Farms.  I had to refrain from buying some of the beautiful pottery from Wild Woman Pottery , I loved their small colorful bowls perfect for hearty soups – maybe next time.  I will also be picking up some sausage from Fabrique Delices as I love French Charcuterie.  I would definitely go back to this market even though I was not able to complete my weekly shopping there.  If they add some vendors for fresh fish and meats, I would be more than thrilled!
First Spring Strawberries & Muscat Grapes
(this is a long post, please keep reading, you will not want to miss any of it ….. delicious news)
(photo taken by Sara Remington)
After months of searching high and low and endless talking about how hard it is to find digital classes up in the Bay Area, we took the matter into our hands.  We looked at the resources in front of us.  We have so many friends who work professionally in a creative space, from photography all the way to film making;  we sat with them explained the situation and the playground was born - Digital Media Playground.  We are going to keep the workshops, small and intimate.  We feel the best way to learn is by actually doing what you want to learn.  We won’t sit you in a room, hand you a manual and fly through a session.  You will get to work  side by side with the instructor.  You will ask the questions.  You will learn.  We are currently populating the calendar with an agenda;  but we currently have some exciting workshops scheduled with some very talented photographers.  We are starting off with  beginning photography, studio shooting and food photography workshops.  We personally know each photographer who will be teaching and can tell you right here and right now …. you will be learning a lot!!!
Our featured workshop for May will be with Sara Remington (the photo of the berries was taken by her).  I am really excited that Sara will be teaching this hands-on workshop about food photography.  I mean, have you seen her drool worthy photography?  She currently has 15 books out there featuring her work, the most recent being:  The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook and My Nepenthe:  Bohemian Tales of Food, Family and Big Sur .  Sara believes in shooting organically, with ingredients and natural settings.  If you want to learn how to shoot stunning photographs as well as how to style them, then this is the class for you.  I caught a glimpse of the agenda a couple weeks ago ….. I am so excited for all of you.  You are going to learn so much!!!  You will not want to miss it!  To sign up and for more information please visit this link.  Or if you have any questions please do not hesitate to drop me an email or tweet me.  As well be sure to check out some of her most recent work from shoot in Greece;  but, prepare to become very hungry from these fantastic food scenes.
Now on to these delicious financiers….
I am so happy that berry season is lurking around the corner! Â Literally just waiting to burst into our lives. Â We are big berry eaters this time of the year, all the way to the last bite. Â Lenny and I don’t discriminate, we love them all, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, oallie berries. Â You name it, you will find throughout the season over at Chez Us. Â Not only are they the perfect ingredient, but they are the perfect snack. Â Come over on a weekend and you will find a big bowl of them on the counter.
I have fond memories of berry picking and summer is just not summer without a trip to the berry farm to pick. Â Since I don’t have kids to torture, I drag MEM (they do love it) and we pick berries and we eat berries. Â I love their little berry covered faces and fingers. Â All the way home we talk about how we are going to use the berries; Â ice cream, muffins, sauces for ice cream or the best way …. stuffed into our mouths! Â It really is a great way to bring the season into our kitchen.
I had some leftover egg whites the other day and needed some new creativity, so I put a tweet out.  Normally I make macarons;  but, Pim convinced me (which was not very hard to do) to venture over to Dorie’s kitchen and to make her financiers.  If you are not familiar with them, financiers are a little square French cake.  They were created by a French pastry chef by the name of  Lasne in the nineteeth century.  They are made of egg whites, ground almonds, sugar, flour and a lot of butter (the first time I misread the recipe and added 3 sticks).  It is not quite time to hit the berry farm;  but, I did manage to find a few pre-season raspberries that looked great and were slightly sweet.  As well I had a few blueberries laying around, so I decided to add a little berry kiss to each of the financiers.  As well I did not have the square little pans that are normally used and could not find them in San Francisco.  Pim said  to use a muffin pan which worked perfectly.  These little cakes are delightful and you will definitely be seeing them more often over at Chez Us.
Recipe: Â Berry Financiers
(click the above link for a printable & down-loadable recipe)
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