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Fresh Ham with Citrus Peel & Fennel Seed Herb Crust
Pie Ranch recently butchered one of their Berkshire pigs and I was lucky enough to get a fresh ham for our French Cooking on the Farm class. Although fresh ham is not typical in France (they love to...
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Wheatberries and Wood Fire Roasted Fennel, Spring Onion, & Bacon
Wheat berries have become part of my regular repertoire when I cook at Pie Ranch. This ranch is named for its layout that is shaped in two pie slices which they call the “upper slice” and the “lower...
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Tarte Au Chocolat : Chocolate Tart
Oh yes, this is a rich, silky, take-your-time-savoring-each-bite bittersweet chocolate dessert. I use pâte brisée (shortcrust) for the pastry shell with a pinch of extra sea salt to balance the rich...
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Flaky Pie Crust
“Statistics are to baseball what flaky crust is to Mom’s apple pie” (Harry Reasoner) Call it what you will: pie crust, shortcrust, or pâte brisée – it’s one of my favorite things on this planet and I...
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Tarte au Citron: Lemon Tart
“When life gives you lemons, don’t make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don’t want your darn lemons, what the heck am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life’s manager!...
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Watermelon Radish, Fennel & Mint Salad with Lavender Vinaigrette
I’m totally smitten with lavender right now. How can I not be? This is what greets me as I pull into the driveway at Potrero Nuevo Farm – a stunning lavender field – eat your heart out Provence!...
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Mini Quiche Lorraine Appetizer in Egg Shell Cups
What to do with these gorgeous Tunitas Creek Organic eggs? How to preserve the color and shape without just handing my guests (at our very exclusive private event) hard cooked eggs to shell for...
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How to Roast a Whole Hog On a Spit
I’ll tell you how to roast a pig on a spit – it’s easy – you call Cowboy Jeremiah at Leftcoast Grassfed and you see if he might rent his motorized spit (that he built) and provide pit master/fire...
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Pig Roast Sides: Cowboy Up Cattle Beans
There’s no such thing as a pig roast without a plethora of sides. Lucky for me when I cook at Tunitas Creek Kitchen on Potrero Nuevo Farm I have a stunning array of seasonal produce to choose from...
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Pig Roast Sides: Smoked Potato Salad
This salad will always remind me of howling coyotes on a full moon at Potrero Nuevo Farm. I prepared part of this dish the night before our pig roast and the farm kitchen, which is open on one side...
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Pig Roast Sides: Dragon Lingerie Succotash & Hot Bacon VInaigrette
Listen you weirdos, ‘Dragon Lingerie’ is a type of bean okay? It’s not lacy sleepwear for winged fire-breathing vixens…. Dragon Lingerie Succotash: Jay Jackson Photography I wanted a colorful chunky...
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Pig Roast Sides: Sautéed Greens with Pine Nuts
You just need some simple greens at a pig roast amidst all the heavy dishes. Sautéed greens from the farm to the frying pan. Jay Jackson Photography (As if succotash, smoked potato salad, cowboy-up...
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Cornmeal Crusted Fried Green Tomatoes with Homemade Ranch
Your’e right, November is an odd time to be posting about a summer fry basket, but I’m trying my best to get in all my Pig Roast Sides before the New Years. Probably by March I’ll be posting about the...
View Article1979: Giving Thanks & Growing Up in Restaurants
The year is 1979. Musically speaking ‘My Sharona’, ‘Bad Girls’, and ‘Le Freak’ (Chic) are topping the charts. ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy’ is not far behind. ‘Ohhh Baby Baby’ by Linda Ronstadt is way at the...
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Smashed Parsnips and Rutabaga with Bay Leaf Olive Oil
Every time I buy either parsnips or rutabagas at the store, without fail, some one always asks me what do with them. Sunchokes too. No one seems to know what to do with those funny little tubers....
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Pecan Pie
If you’ve ever celebrated Thanksgiving outside the United States you know how valuable this pie is. Pecan Pie Pecans are worth more than gold in Paris and sell out of the Ex-pat stores quicker than you...
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How to Make Pumpkin Pie From Scratch
I’m blessed to work with so many organic farms in Pescadero, California who grow such beautiful winter squash that the thought of using anything out of a can is just, well, unthinkable. I don’t find...
View ArticleTurning 40, Letting Go, and Loving Life
This story has been sitting in the field for a few months and needs to get cut off the leash before it composts away in our warm Winter sun and before the new year catapults us yet again into another...
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Giving Up Gluten? Lemon Polenta Cake with Brown Butter & Walnuts!
Two weeks ago I stand facing my kitchen with arms crossed ready to do battle. My husband sits perched at our bar Americain watching cautiously, sipping his morning tea. I fling cabinets open and toss...
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Super Bowl Spareribs with Guajillo BBQ Sauce
Yes, over half the country is experiencing record freezing weather, while we spoiled Californians are lying out on roof decks sun tanning and enjoying the BBQ. Here’s a recipe for pork spareribs that...
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