Book Club -- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Living 25 curvy miles away from the 15 other Book Club members, haven't hosted Book Club in the past five years. (Not to mention our little mountain cabin is in no shape to host guests at present.) Felt like I owed the ladies something special after their hosting many wonderful, memorable nights. So, I hauled my wedding china to work, where 12 were hosted.

My husband noted that the ladies in my Book Club don't eat much, many of them are slim. Last book club some wanted to stick to the appetizer plates instead of moving to the dinner-sized plates to help them with their portion control. That got me thinking, I could get away with just using my salad plates, instead of hauling dinner, appetizer and dessert plate along the twisty-turn-y roads!

The book the Nightingale is about two sisters in World War II occupied France. One works in the resistance and the other copes living on old family land in a small Loire Valley village. As things during the war start to get dreary and messy, the elder sister Vianne makes a Sunday picnic and a "normal" Sunday meal. These contrast to future war rations (as one Book Club member pointed out).

Therefore I made Vianne's dinner for her family (as described on page 10): pork tenderloin in thick-cut bacon (at eight o'clock--right on time--), apples glazed in a rich wine sauce, browned potatoes, a bowl of fresh peas swimming in butter seasoned with tarragon. Of course baguette, and for dessert ile flottante (toasted meringue floating in a rich creme anglaise).

One part of the book that stood out to me, was when the sisters were disappointed with a ration of octopus they received when things were tough. After standing in line for hours, with the food supply dwindling during WWII, makes one reflect on our modern conveniences.

The Nazi officer who lived with Vianne would give her daughter Sophie chocolates. I happened to find one that had a French-sounding name and made in Germany, thought it appropriate. I placed a bowl of a few MandMs on the table, maybe to give a small sense of scarcity during the war.

I think the 12 lovely ladies were happy. Hoped for a beautiful, relaxed feeling one might get as a visitor to Vianne's home during better times. The Book Club members were so kind to help with 100% of the clean up (just like the clean up in the book after dinner).

Live Earth Farm, Watsonville, CA

Our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) hosted a Fuji Apple and dry-farmed tomato u-pick. Although the weekend was busy, I made the time to drive an hour to Live Earth Farm to pick the apples. We love them and it was the only opportunity this year to do so. Last year's apple u-pick was rained out, and they won't be combining the Harvest Festival October 29 this year with the apple u-pick. The apples are crisp, sweet and juicy. Very flavorful.

Ad Hoc Restaurant's 10th Birthday

My dear Ad Hoc Restaurant's birthday is September 16. They threw themselves a festive 10th Birthday Party in the back garden for about 300 people on the previous Monday, September 12, 2016. We were greeted at the sign-in table with a giant art chalkboard and a pulled pork waffle cone. Platters of mini lobster rolls came from the kitchen. There were three food stations outside in the back garden: oyster and prawn cocktails; baby roasted piglet, corn on the cob and wood-fired pizzas; finally there was fried chicken, beans and the fixings. Later, there was a large dessert buffet table. Wandering inside the kitchen there was a birthday cake displayed made by The French Laundry. Inside the restaurant a charcuterie platter, cheeses with bread were available. It was a lovely party.

Benu Restaurant San Francisco, CA

photos and descriptions for Kim:

My husband turned 45 years old, so we made our way to Benu in San Francisco, California. This is California's fourth 3-Michelin Star Restaurant. Korean Corey Lee, chef/owner, is a creative genius.

We started with "small delicacies," that lasted over an hour and a half. (starting at top and moving left to right)
1. Caviar with winter melon and chicken cream
2./3. Mackerel with lotus leaf and pickled plum / Tomato seasoned with plum sauce
4. Grilled sea snail with citrus and chive petals
5./6. Cured unlaid hen egg with bacon and lily bulb / Acorn black truffle Imberico ham Parmesan pickled red onion
7. Oyster with pork belly and kimchi
8./9. Wild bamboo fungi stuffed with scallop and butter / Fried okra with salted shrimp and shrimp roe

Traditionally, Korean meals were served with brass chopsticks/spoons. Thus the meal began with a beautifully hand-hammered brass charger and brass flatware.

 10. Eel taco

Finally at 9:00pm we started with our meal:
11. Thousand-year-old quail egg, potage, ginger
Chef notes in his new book "Benu" that if this egg comes back untouched, he knows that this restaurant isn't for that diner. He has a point. This restaurant isn't for everyone, it does take a very specific type of diner to thoroughly enjoy this meal.
12. Caramelized anchovy with potato salad
13. Cucumber, sesame, black truffle (served with black truffle bun and black truffle puree with black truffles--I could eat these all day.)
14. Foie gras xiao long bao
14b. Sea cucumber stuffed with shrimp, fermented pepper, cucumber (supplement, for my husband)

15. Steamed hen, abalone, lettuce, black trumpet mushroom
16. Beef rib, tomato condiment, charred scallion
17. Porridge, “shark fin,” dungeness crab, Jinhua ham

18. Shaved milk and honey (photos out of order . . . see below, then back up)
21. Dark chocolate with seeds and marshmallows, The End.

19. Coconut, almond, strawberry

20. Date cake with vanilla icing (supplement for my husband) out of a music box

 

My husband felt loved because I know that he "suffers" from not having anymore aged wine. I ordered him some wine with age to make up for it: 1989 Dominus and a 1988 Sauterne (though that wasn't served so that we could have a nice Grüner Veltliner). The evening was a total success, all the way around. The four diners were ecstatic, the kitchen was creative, and the service people were kind. 

Our fellow diner went to culinary school. He noted, "I didn't learn any of this in culinary school." True, this food comes from the heart (wanting to share), and mind (a melding of left and right brain). It is a definite gift to be able to put this kind of knowledge, taste and energy on a plate.

Charity Auction Dinner

When faced with an Auction theme "An Evening in Paris" to benefit a local church/school, I thought, "What if my friend Chef Dave Cruz came down from Napa (California) to cook dinner?" Called up another friend, who has a great house for entertaining, and asked if she'd like to co-host a dinner with me. Neither of us knew the full extent of what we were getting ourselves into. It was a lot of work, but worth it.

Photo: François Mori/AP Photo

Part of the fun, and issue, was the theme for the dinner: Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon. My wedding china is based on the Loire Valley, which is considered France's valley of kings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Palace of Versailles isn't too far away, so Marie's Petit Trianon was an ideal theme for the dinner in mind. Queen casual.

The co-host and I mixed and mingled our china, silverware and glass sets. Each of six courses had their own setting. This caused hundreds of pieces that needed washing, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend going this route again. Instead, rent the place settings, go with fewer courses or hire help.

First course: crudités vegetables with 'green goddess' dressing. Also, an Asian-dressed watermelon and shrimp appetizer were served in the bar area with the co-host's grandmother's china. Two French Champagnes were served: Henriot Rose Champagne along with H. Goutorbe Rose Champagne. The guests liked the fruitier H. Goutorbe better. 

The second course was served at the table. Chef prepared a beet, leek, frisée and hazelnut salad. Edible flowers were gathered from the co-host's garden. This was paired with a mixed drink the co-host's husband devised that we called "Cheers to 1774," the year Marie Antoinette was gifted Le Petit Trianon by her husband.

Third course was sea bass wrapped in a French Prosciutto-style ham on top of yellow corn and red pepper. This was paired with a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley: Comte LaFond 2013 Sancerre. My favorite food and wine pairing of the evening, the balance and acid of the wine complimented the sea bass so nicely.

Our entree for the evening was Rib Eye beef, with potatoes, asparagus and mushrooms. Coupled with a Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley: Domaine Grosbois Chinon 2011 Gabare. The beef melted in one's mouth, the chef was magic.

For the cheese course we served the co-host's 2009 Chateau Rieussec Sauternes with Roquefort, and a triple creme cheese called Pierre Robert Rouzaire. While shopping for the cheese, we were told that it's becoming increasingly difficult to acquire French cheese in the US. I loved this food and wine pairing, but most guests were becoming quite full. The antique Canton Famille Rose porcelain plates from china added to the luxury of the evening.

I made a lemon basil palate cleanser from lemons and basil from the co-host's garden.

Finally, the sixth course of dessert was strawberries, crunch and coconut ice cream. The co-host made chocolate truffles, which the guests thoroughly enjoyed. We served percolated coffee or Tea Forte to the 10 guests and 5 hosts. The chef, who'd been working from 8:00am to 10:00pm (plus 2 hours of driving on both ends), gave a few words; then we drove the sated guests home with "Queen's Honey" soap and a breakfast bread to enjoy the next morning, Father's Day. We succeeded in doing a modern version of a dinner Marie Antoinette would have at her private Petit Trianon.

Napkins that matched the wedding china were made on a sewing machine 

especially for the occasion. Wrapped soap became place cards.

Brix Restaurant

Talk about blessings in disguise. Our friends wanted to take my husband out for his birthday and suggested Bottega in Yountville. I contacted an acquaintance, James Darden, on Facebook to ask him if he could help us obtain a reservation, as he works there. Instead of responding, "sorry, can't help you," he simply 'unfriended' me. This seemed a rude thing to do, as the friend hosting us said, "Food is only as good as the people."

Lucky, lucky us, our chef friend Dave Cruz [who’s currently working as the Head Chef at Brix Restaurant located at 7377 St. Helena Hwy in Napa, CA  94558, just north of Yountville--(707) 944-2749] was excited to host us for dinner. It was easy for us to obtain reservations on opentable.com, for the time we wished. When we arrived Saturday evening we had a lovely table on the corner of the patio. The wedding in the distance looked ideal and beautiful; the weather perfect.

Chef Cruz sent out a wonderful selection that pleased our palates. It was beyond expectations, simply a relaxing, well decorated and manicured place to have a meal. A friend once commented that Brix was her parent's favorite place to eat, and they would go there each time they were in town. I don't have to wonder why anymore. Brix is sensational.

figs with manchego

polenta with pesto

pork belly

salmon tartar

prawns

sweet and sour chicken wings

flat bread

butter lettuce salad

panzenella

bronzino

halibut

beef short ribs

beef rib eye with smashed marble potatoes

apricot beignets and salted caramel ice cream bars

chocolate layer cake

Backyard Restaurant

A couple of weeks ago received a message that Dave Cruz would be cooking at his friend Dan Kedan's restaurant Backyard in Forestville, CA. We immediately made a reservation.

Walking up to the restaurant after a 9 mile jaunt across Santa Rosa, passing by Willowside Meat (the butcher), and a right-hand turn onto Hwy 116, things looked familiar. Nearly 15 years ago, my husband and I ate at this restaurant before it became Backyard this past November. On a drive back from the Mendicino Coast, it was a convenient stopping place. Hearing a bit about Backyard from Chef Dave Cruz, we wanted to try it, and now that we know it's exact location, we'll be back when we're headed to the Redwood Coast.

Arriving after a busy couple of weeks, and thankful for a holiday weekend, I ordered "Tim's Mocha," which was most enjoyable. I'd drive this way just for this coffee drink, told by friends that it had whipped cream within. It's nice to know this restaurant shops the way we do at home, including dairy from Strauss Family Creamery.

The night's menu, five-courses featuring the bounties of Northern California and guest chef Dave Cruz, began with a trio of Amuse bouche. The crostini with kimchi, bacon beignet and buttered radish were served on a hazelnut wood tray.

The kind chefs sent out a flatbread with miner's lettuce, onion and sausage for us to try.

To the table came a beet and wheat berry salad with a yogurt and mint sauce. The Sonora wheat berries were perfectly cooked and made one think of the fiber and nutrients that support good living.

Pasta being made earlier in the day, as posted on Backyard's Facebook page.

and the finished product: Tagliatelle with egg, king trumpet mushroom and parmesan

Wild Alaskan halibut with quinoa flavored with flavorful carrots. Another dish that makes one think of living well, in good harmony with the earth. A dish that shows good stewardship/husbandry of the soil, plants and animals. Wish the world's population could all eat like this, we would feel better in our 'environmental skin.'

Grilled beef with potatoes, black trumpet mushrooms, asparagus and garlic butter.

Three cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery: St. Pat's, Mt. Tam and Red Hawk with marmalade were sent from the kitchen with kindness.

Lemon posset with cherry, pistachio brittle and meringue. As possets should be, it was like a lemon soup (thickened liquid). The flavors were bright, and cherry rich.

The owners Dan Kedan and his wife (her birthday, no less), are sweet and passionate about their restaurant. It has to be a good feeling to get up, work hard and know that while reaping the reward of long work, one's doing no harm to the world one's children will grow. The feeling of the restaurant is definitely family and future oriented. What a nice place to happen upon on the way to or from the Mendecino Coast, or it could strike one's fancy enough to stay in West Sonoma County permanently.