Mexican candy-making in East LA

My tribute to El Día de los Muertos...

I want some of these candies now. I wonder if they ship internationally.

The Artisan: La Zamorana, making candy the old-fashioned way (LA Times, 28 Oct 2010)

Enjoy!

Iranian Seder in Beverly Hills

Read this delicious article about Iranian/Jewish cuisine at Passover! There are some related recipes as well... Now I understand why the kosher shops in LA also sell Iranian food products.

Iranian Seder in Beverly Hills - NY Times

The almond cake with cardamom and pistachio sounds divine.

Celebrate Passover Iranian style!

Goat Heaven

As I sit here on a rather wet, London day, I wish I were in California with my mom and uncle who are lucky enough to be heading out to Harley Farms this morning to hug baby goats!



If you haven't been, it's worth the trip over to the sleepy coastal village of Pescadero. Harley Farms is on the edge of town and supports quite a herd of goats who dutifully line up each evening to be milked. Their milk is made into delicious, award-winning goat cheese which is available for purchase. At this time of year, the farm is overrun with newborn goats. Apparently they are expecting over 200 this year and the current count is at 173. You have to book to go see them, but what could be better than spending time with rambunctious kids? Sadly, Bart, the goats' 'guard llama' recently passed on.



The cheese is SO good at Harley Farms. You can sample them at the farm shop and read more about them here:
http://www.harleyfarms.com/cheese.php
My favorite is probably the cranberry-walnut cheese, but the ones with edible flowers are beautiful. They're all really tasty!

When you're weary of goats (how could you be, but I suppose everyone gets a bit of fresh-air poisoning), head down to Duarte's Tavern (pronounced "doo-arts") and have some of their world-famous artichoke soup and olallieberry pie! It's and old-style diner that's been around since 1894. I absolutely love their crab melt in the winter, but try out seasonal salads with locally sourced ingredients, too.



Finally, have a stroll around and visit the little shops and my favorite, Arcangeli's, which is stocked with cured olives, local jam, sauces, Harley Farms cheese and their own, wonderful variety of Italian-style breads. Delicious!

Watch this nice little video on Arcangeli's:


I usually come home from Pescadero very happy and incredibly full! On a nice day, head down to the local beach and digest as you watch the sun set into the Pacific Ocean. It's only an hour's drive from Silicon Valley - perfect for a day out.

Back to business

Yup, those are purple tomatoes... photo courtesy of BBC News online

Alright, the slacking on my part has got to stop!  I promise we've all been cooking up a storm, but I am ashamed it hasn't been shared.  Thanks to those of you who keep looking at the blog!  To get back in gear, here are a couple of news stories.

Five ways California vintners are weathering climate change - San Francisco Chronicle

A good introduction to how winemaking is going to need to adapt in the next century.  Friend and local winemaker, John Chiarito, who makes some great wines out of Sicilian varieties like Nero d'Avola, is interviewed.  

Purple tomato 'may boost health' - BBC News online

We all knew that purple was better.  Purple potatoes are far superior in taste to their white counterparts; carrots were originally purple; purple sprouting broccoli packs a flavorful and healthy punch; and who can resist blackberries?  Now they've made some snazzy purple tomatoes.  I SO want some seeds so I can make spaghetti with purple sauce!