Fresh Tart

OK, assuming that you used about 1/2 cup total of creme fraiche for Part I: Softly Scrambled Eggs and Part II: Sauteed Apple with Honey, you should be all set to finish off the container with this dish.  And if not - who cares?  This chicken is so obscenely delicious that it would totally be worth throwing away the rest of the container for!  Bonus: It's as easy as putting on lipstick, so tuck this in your back pocket for when your in-laws are in town and you want to impress.  (But really, just make it tonight.  So.  Good.)

I asked the kind butchers at Whole Foods to bone - but leave the skin on - four chicken breast halves for me.  All chicken breasts should have the skin on as far as I'm concerned - it's the best part and makes for a much more tender piece of meat, and if you don't want it, just toss it!  But I'm in the minority here, as I am on most things, so you'll have to either bone the breasts yourself or ask your butcher to do it for you.  Of course you could make this dish with boneless, skinless breasts but...you'd miss the skin!  Especially when it gets utterly, shatteringly crispy and golden brown, protecting the tender meat beneath.

The sauce is just lemon and creme fraiche.  And oh, the golden bits from the pan, very important.  Rich, creamy, addictively tangy - you can't screw up this dish and can't not adore it either.

The green beans are sadly the last of the season, at least here in Minnesota.  I boiled them until just-tender and tossed them with a little walnut oil, toasted walnuts, and mushrooms sauteed in butter with shallots.  It was all so pretty together.  I will miss good green beans.  Until next June...

The chicken?  We'll be eating it all winter!

Amanda Hesser's Lemon Chicken
Serves 4

1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 whole chicken legs with thighs attached (I used skin-on, boneless chicken breast halves)
coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c. creme fraiche

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  After 3 minutes, add the butter and oil.  Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.  Place the chicken, skin side down, in the skillet and brown well on both sides, turning once.

Transfer the skillet to the oven.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a knife.

Return the skillet to the stove top.  Transfer the chicken to a platter and keep warm.  Remove all but 1 Tbsp. of fat from the skillet.  Place over medium heat, add the lemon juice, and stir to scrape up any pan drippings.  Simmer for 1 minute, then add the creme fraiche and lemon zest and stir until melted and bubbling.  If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with additional pepper.  Serve hot.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I quit eating gluten (after noticing that when I ate wheat products, I would suffer terrible heartburn, stomach cramps, and water retention).  I immediately - and dramatically - felt better.  I'm not interested in replacing pasta and bread with a bunch of gluten-free packaged products - they're expensive, full of fillers and chemicals, and just another form of refined carbohydrates.  In fact, I've taken the opportunity to completely avoid grains and sugar and oh my goodness, what a difference!  I wasn't a big bread or dessert eater anyhow, but I've lost weight, my eyes are no longer puffy, and my appetite is level (but not absent, thank goodness, I would never want to lose my appetite!).

Diabetes runs in my family and while I do not have diabetes, I was definitely experiencing early symptoms of insulin resistance.  Big hits of carbohydrates - for me, that means grains, even the small amount of whole grains I was focusing on - are not my friend.  I'm instead eating a moderate amount of carbohydrates in the form of abundant fresh (non-starchy) vegetables and fruits, as well as nuts (and adequate protein, of course).  So delicious!  And easy, given that I already ate plenty of plants and prepare most of my own food anyhow.  It's interesting to note that I have had zero cravings for bread, sugar, or desserts.  Bonus: Fruit tastes like candy!

No one else in my family is interested in eating this way, by the way...  So the recipes I prepare and post here won't change, especially since I've always leaned toward planning menus around vegetables, adding meat, fish, eggs and/or dairy as I go.  And I'll still make desserts and treats for family birthdays and holidays.

So, given all of that, here's what I'm reading this week...

Mark Sisson writes the comprehensive and popular blog Mark's Daily Apple.  He advocates a "primal" lifestyle, otherwise known as "paleo" (as in Paleolithic).  He argues that humans did not evolve to eat a high-grain, high-carbohydrate diet - although this is no Atkins.  Plant foods make up the bulk of the primal diet, as well as high-quality meats, tree nuts, and intact fats.  I found his site by googling grain-free recipes and I've enjoyed the depth and breadth of information on the site (including recipes like the delicious coconut pancakes recipe below).  And oh, if you're frustrated, injured, and exhausted from endless running and biking, you must check out his exercise advice, it'll blow your mind a little bit.

In that same vein, check out this month's Lifetime Fitness Experiencing Life Magazine (excellent publication) and this article about Wild Workouts.  Cavemen are the shiz these days, oh yeah.  It just so happens that there's also an excellent article about gluten - and the prevalence of and serious health risks associated with gluten intolerance.  It's one the best gluten articles I've read, don't miss it.

Also in that same vein, check out this article by Susan B. Dopart, MS, RD, about Appetite Control, Understanding Your Hunger Hormones.  Bottom line: Avoid refined carbohydrates and get adequate sleep, or be starving and eventually fat.  I'm already on it.

I am loving the food blog Honest Fare.  The photos are gorgeous, the feel is so peaceful, and the recipes are delicious.  Check it out.

I'm making these today at the Minneapolis Farmers Market - come out and visit!  The demonstration is at 10:30 a.m., rain or shine.  In fact, because it will be raining, we'll be next to Blue Gentian Farm's stall, under red roof #3.  Handy, since I'll be preparing a big ol' rack of Blue Gentian Farm pork ribs!  (Update: We lucked out with no rain so the demonstration was in the usual spot.  Thank you to Brenda Score of the beautiful blog A Farm Girl's Dabble for stopping by!  And thank you to the market's Sandy Hill and Emily Noble for making the demonstration so fun and easy!)

The weather stinks (although I am not complaining after our lovely fall), which just happens to make today a perfect day for this dish - slow roasted ribs, falling-off-the-bone tender, a little sweet, a little spicy, next to crusty root vegetables.

I'll post the recipe when I get home...rushing...typical.  I hope to see you!  (Update: Recipe posted!)

Oven Roasted Pork Ribs with Root Vegetables
Serves 4
Minneapolis Farmers Market Demonstration, October 24, 2010

1 Tbsp. each chipotle chili powder, salt, garlic powder, oregano, dried sage
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
4-5 lbs. pork back ribs (ribs pictured are from Blue Gentian Farm)
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 small turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 new potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage leaves
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. soy sauce

At least four hours before you plan to eat, preheat oven to 275° F.  Set out a rimmed baking sheet.

In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, salt, garlic, powder, oregano, sage, and brown sugar. Rub mixture generously into all sides of the ribs.  Lay rib rack on the baking sheet in one flat layer.  Cover pan tightly with foil.  (Can be done one day ahead; chill ribs, bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

Bake ribs for 2 hours.  A few minutes before the 2-hour mark, place vegetables and chopped herbs in a large bowl.  Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle generously with Kosher salt, and toss.  In a small bowl, stir together the honey, mustard, and soy sauce.

Take ribs from the oven (leave oven on) and gently remove the foil (reserving foil).  Scatter vegetables around the ribs, brush the ribs with the honey mustard glaze, and replace the foil covering.  Return pan to the oven and bake for another hour or until vegetables are fork-tender and meat pulls easily away from the bone.

Transfer ribs to a cutting board and cover with foil, leaving the vegetables in the pan.  Increase oven heat to 400° F.   Stir the vegetables around a bit in the pan drippings and return the pan to the oven, uncovered.  Roast vegetables until browned in spots, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Slice the ribs between the bones and serve with roasted vegetables.

Happy Friday everyone!  Just in time for the weekend, here's another quick idea for using creme fraiche.  If you, like I, try to eat as little sugar as possible, then creme fraiche can be your new best friend.  Want to add the creaminess of ice cream to a bowl full of berries?  A small dollop of creme fraiche fits the bill in the loveliest way, adding the richness of ice cream for about 50 calories and no added sugar.

Or, if you're having a hard time putting your hands on good berries (there goes the season, sniff...), try this quick-n-lovely sauteed apple, one my favorite fall treats.  In 10 minutes your house will smell of cinnamon and your mouth will be full of soft warm apple, creamy and slightly sweet with a drizzle of honey (that's a jar of heavenly Ames Farm Dutch Clover in the background).

The creme fraiche melts over the apple slices, gah, so incredible. Top with a few chopped almonds for crunch.

Sauteed Apple with Honey & Creme Fraiche
Serves 1

1 tsp. butter
1 apple, cored and sliced thin
shakes of cinnamon
1 Tbsp. creme fraiche
honey (optional)

In a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter.  Add apple slices and a few shakes of cinnamon and stir to coat.  Cover the pan and cook the apples until nicely soft but not falling apart, stirring a few times, about 8 minutes.  Serve warm apple slices topped with creme fraiche and a drizzle honey, if using.

Do you cook with creme fraiche?  Non?  Oh, you should, you should, it's a breeze to use and makes everything it touches absolutely luscious.  Creme fraiche is technically French-style cultured cream, somewhat similar to sour cream, but easier to cook with because it can be whipped as well as boiled without curdling.

Even better, it's as lush as Angelina Jolie's lips, with a softly nutty flavor that beautifully elevates...eggs, for instance.

I'm going to focus on creme fraiche for a few days, to give you a reason to buy a small container and then use it all up.  I'm starting with scrambled eggs because you'll never make them without creme fraiche again.  (OK, you probably will, but you'll wish that you'd made them with creme fraiche.)

I am ridiculously picky about scrambled eggs.  I like them soft, but they repulse me if undercooked.  I've tried stirring cream cheese into them as they finish, but for my taste that takes the temperature down too far, because they also repulse me if they're not piping hot.

Annoying?  No!  Not if the scrambled eggs are made with a generous dollop of creme fraiche!  Beat it into the eggs with lots of chives, scramble slowly in a spot of butter, cook them until they're nicely done yet still soft.  Creamy, fluffy, lush scrambled eggs, every time.

The picture of my dog?  Gratuitous cuteness.  (He's getting a hair cut on Monday!)

Softly Scrambled Eggs with Chives & Creme Fraiche
Serves 1

1/2 Tbsp. butter
2 large, organic eggs
1 Tbsp. creme fraiche
1 Tbsp. minced chives
1/4 tsp. salt + more to finish
freshly ground black pepper

Put butter in a large nonstick skillet and set over medium low heat.  While the butter melts, in a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, creme fraiche, chives, salt, and a grind of black pepper until uniform.  When the butter is melted, stir in the egg mixture.  Slowly cook the eggs, stirring with a rubber spatula the whole time, until eggs are just set (if they're cooking too quickly, just pull the pan from the heat and continue stirring).  Serve immediately with a bit more salt & pepper.

I posted this recipe a few weeks ago at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.  It's hard to say much more about Sweet Potato Fries than: They are easy.  They are delicious.

I spotted sweet potatoes at the farmers market the other day and immediately imagined sweet potato "fries," roasted in the oven until tender and just-browned, served with plenty of crunchy salt, mmmm...  While I enjoyed the image, I also pictured my husband and teens turning up their noses at the sight of them (sigh), so I only bought a few, just enough to make a pretty photo to share with you.

As I peeled the potatoes, both kids asked what I was making.  I know how this goes - I say tomato salad, or green beans, or roasted cauliflower, and they at best say no thanks.  But tonight, they both said, "Great, I love sweet potato fries."  Huh?  While it was tempting to remind them that no, they don't like sweet potato fries (I enjoy being right more than I enjoy most things), not even I am that thick.  So I raised only one eyebrow, not two, and smiled to myself as they cheerfully split the last fry.

It was...awesomely weird.

So if you're in the mood for odd teenage behavior, as well as easy, delicious sweet potato fries, this recipe is for you.  The crispy sage only takes a minute to prepare and makes the potatoes particularly addictive (and in fact will have you fantasizing about other dishes to crumble it on).

Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic & Fried Sage
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, November 2008
Serves 4

1/4 c. olive oil
12 fresh sage leaves
2 large garlic cloves, minced to a paste
1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled, halved, and cut into 1/2"-thick pieces
coarse salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F with rack in upper third of oven.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then fry sage leaves in 2 batches, stirring, until crisp, 30 seconds to 1 minute per batch.  Transfer with a slotted spoon or tongs to paper towels to drain.  Remove pan from heat, reserving oil.

Put potatoes and garlic in a large bowl. Toss with reserved oil, sprinkle generously with coarse salt, then toss again.  Spread potatoes evenly on the lined baking sheet and place in the oven.  Bake for 10 minutes, turn potatoes over, and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender and browning and spots.

Roughly crumble fried sage over the potatoes, add more coarse salt to taste, and serve immediately.

Gorgeous, hip, fun, smart, and famously delicious - San Francisco is my dream town.  I regret that I was so busy with the BlogHer Food blogging conference I attended that I didn't get to do much sightseeing.  But I did enjoy several fantastic, not-Minnesota meals, and of course incredible California wine.

Here's the overview in case you're heading to Cali any time soon (and if you are, I am deeply jealous)...

Our first night, John and I hit Incanto, in the Noe Valley, on Andrew Zimmern's recommendation.  Chef Chris Cosentino tweets as @offalchris, a nod to the fact that, as their website notes, Incanto "almost always includes one or two dishes featuring 'odd cuts' and offal because serving these parts of the animal honors the whole animal and helps preserve an important, yet increasingly overlooked, part of our culinary heritage."

And also - because the parts are delicious!  Especially in Chef Cosentino's talented, adventurous hands.  John and I enjoyed heavenly crispy pork liver, tender and rich.  The "best bits" chicken risotto with gizzards & crispy skin is the essence of chicken, pure and intense, melting into creamy rice.  It's serious risotto, not to be missed, so leave room for it.  We also fit in slabs of silky-sweet foie gras (so rich, so full, so lucky), washed down with one of the best series of wines I have ever - ever - enjoyed.  Big credit to our our fantastic waiter for an unforgettable meal.  If you're interested in cooking the "odd cuts," and you can handle the visuals, check out Chef Cosentino's blog Offal Good.

Saturday night we headed to Namu, a Korean-fusion spot recommended to us by Andrew, as well as my friend Danielle from Bon Vivant.  Let me back up and say...San Francisco is not a cab town.  But John and I got lucky with a ride to Namu with the coolest, smartest guy - Felix - who gave us his card and told us to give him a call after dinner.

John and I walked into Namu and dug the vibe immediately: relaxed, comfortable, with a fascinating menu.  From the pickled vegetables to fried tofu (dream about, crave, inspired the recipe below) to the grilled okra to the braised beef short ribs - Eat. Here.  And then if you're lucky, call Felix for a ride, because that is the only way you're going to get home.

Sunday we were free!  Conference over, we rented a car and planned a scenic drive.  While John picked up the car, I had brunch with my friend Denise of Chez Us.  I first met Denise last spring at the Penny de los Santos food photography workshop I attended in San Francisco.  It was a blast to see her again and catch up!  She suggested we meet at Cafe de la Presse, a lovely spot for a delicious French brunch.  As fun as it was to be in San Francisco with John, he couldn't really talk shop with me.  After two days of the conference, I was ready to gossip and put it all in perspective.

After brunch, we said good-bye to Denise, and John and I set off to drive most of the famous 49-Mile Scenic Drive.  That's our thing, taking great drives together, and as you might imagine, touring San Francisco is seriously stunning.  We put an iPad to good use - Google maps are knockout on an iPad, especially with the ease of zooming in and out.

We broke away for a drive over the Golden Gate Bridge (see previous post) and a mid-afternoon bite at Fish in Sausalito.  Fish tacos and a catfish po-boy with slaw tasted mighty fine along the water front, in that glorious California sunshine, oh yeah...

And then Sunday night, the biggest treat of all.  It turned out that our friend Maud was going to be in San Francisco visiting her brother Arthur, his wife Heidi, and their daughters Sadie and Sophia.  When we figured out that we were overlapping each other, Arthur and Heidi graciously offered to host John and me for dinner.

Yes!

I've "known" Arthur online (Facebook, Onsugar) for years but never actually met him.  Needless to say, it was a huge treat for John and me to relax with the whole group in Arthur and Heidi's lovely home, especially after several days of eating in restaurants.  Arthur is a total foodie and a great cook - he made a beautiful dinner for us.

Before we arrived, Arthur had already marinated a butterflied leg of lamb with garlic and herbs, ready to grill until crusty and pink.

My pic doesn't do the Lacinato kale salad justice, which is too bad, it was an intense and vibrant green.  To make the salad, Arthur stemmed and chopped the kale into a fine chiffonade.  He whisked together lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine vinegar and tossed it into the kale a couple of hours before we ate, allowing the acid in the dressing to "cook" the kale.  Right before serving, he tossed in crumbed feta cheese and toasted walnuts, and salt and pepper to taste.

He also made a delicious saute of rainbow chard.  He separated the stalks from the leaves, chopping both.  He sauteed the stalk with chopped onion for 30 minutes or until deeply caramelized.  Just before serving he stirred in the leaves, tossing until the leaves wilted.  He finished with a vinaigrette of honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and toasted sesame seed oil, as well as a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

Needless to say, both dishes were out of this world, a little salty, a little sweet, the perfect sides for the tender lamb.

He also shared a big pot of beans that he makes on Sundays for the week.  I hope we left him some, they were fabulous with rice, exactly what you'd want to take to work for a filling lunch or to warm up for a quick dinner.  Pure comfort.

For dessert, we gouged bites of chocolate off of a hunk of bittersweet Scharffenberger, alongside slices of ripe pear.  A feast!  A colorful, healthy, unforgettable feast!  With great wine, top-notch advice for my blog, and the best possible company, it was just a perfect way to end our trip.

So there it is.  Man, I am still wiped!  And yet still able to make fried tofu for lunch today, in honor of the delicious tofu we had at Namu.

I'll just declare that fried tofu is one of my favorite dishes, I think even Top 10.  There's something about the hot crispy coating around the silky interior and the way it all soaks up the garlicky, salty sauce it's often served with.  As a bonus, it's really easy to prepare - pan-fried vs. deep-fried, with a coating that's just a quick dusting of rice flour.  You could be swooning over it in less than 20 minutes, no problem.

Crispy Fried Tofu
Serves 2-3

1 block firm tofu
rice flour
oil suitable for high heat frying (refined almond, safflower, peanut, etc.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. mirin
1 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
2 scallions, sliced thin

Drain liquid from tofu container, then wrap tofu in paper towels.  Press down on the tofu to remove as much liquid as you can.  Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes.  Dredge cubes in rice flour.

Pour oil 1/2-inch deep in a large skillet.  Heat over medium-high heat.  While oil heats, put garlic, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, mirin, water, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and scallions in a small sauce pan.  Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes, then set aside.

When oil is hot, fry cubes until golden brown on one side.  Using tongs, turn and brown on the other side.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve cubes with warm sauce for dipping.

Cliche?  Perhaps, but the Golden Gate Bridge is breathtaking every time that I see it, so bear with me.  Especially during Fleet Week in San Francisco, when the Navy's Blue Angels were flying in formation all around the Bay Area, including right over the bridge.  Deafening, death-defying, every driver (not just the tourists from Minnesota in the rental Mitsubishi) was braking to look.  We all had our windows down, chatting and laughing at the folly of trying to snap pictures of jets flying by at several hundred miles per hour.

The best I could do was catch this one that flew straight up, then straight back down at the bay, veering off at the last minute.  I'll leave it to you to imagine the roar of that terrifyingly powerful engine, echoing off the water, rattling in our chests.  Cool.

But John and I weren't in San Francisco for Fleet Week.  I was there for BlogHer Food, a national flood bloggers conference, and we were there together to attempt to celebrate our anniversary at the same time.  I wasn't sure how it was all going to work - trying to network and go to parties while hanging out with John - but it turned out to be the perfect combination.

I learned a lot about myself at this conference, namely: I am not as extroverted as I think I am.  Or as I used to be.  By introverted or extroverted I mean where one finds their energy - away from the crowd or in the midst of it?  I've always been an in the midst of it it type, but damn, I was fried at the end of the two conference days.

FRIED.

Perhaps it was the socializing plus information overload plus the crisis of confidence - what AM I doing with my blog?  Whatever it was, I lost my voice, had a great time, got really confused, met incredible people, and was desperate for downtime at the end of each day.

Whew.

A big highlight for me was meeting the two other Minnesota food bloggers at the conference - Amanda Rettke of I Am Baker and Shaina Olmanson of Food for My Family.  They both write beautiful, sophisticated blogs - seriously, check out their gorgeous photos and delicious recipes, then try not to drool.  It was a blast for me to meet them both in person after "knowing" them online (I'm finally getting used to knowing people on Twitter first, meeting them for real later).

Also excellent?  Seeing Penny de los Santos speak again.  You might recall that I attended a Penny food photography workshop last spring that completely blew my mind.  Well she blew my mind again, and the minds of the several hundred conference attendees as well.  Penny's warm, authentic presentation and presence was a breath of fresh air, chasing away the staleness of two days of shallow, exhausting chit-chat.  Someone on Twitter crowned Penny the prom queen of BlogHer food and I concur - she rocks.

Since I've never been to a conference like this before, I found the breakout sessions fascinating and packed with information.  In particular I enjoyed sessions about food styling, building readership, and expanding content.  In fact, I used my notes to generate the biggest damn to-do list I have ever created for myself (and I'm a list person).  If I achieve even half of the list in the next year, I'll be thrilled.

I pointedly avoided celebrity chasing but did introduce myself to White on Rice Couple, Steamy Kitchen, and Joy the Baker.  I would have liked to say hello to a few others whose work I really admire, but seriously, big-name food bloggers have groupies!  Man, I am too old to wade through groupies.  Next time...

Does that mean that I'll attend another?  Yes, I think that I will.  If you're considering spending money on a conference like this, I would say go.  It's expensive, and the snotty groupy thing is annoying, but it's also great fun to meet Twitter friends for real, and meet people you admire from afar.  I also got the information I was looking for to learn how to grow my blog, improve my writing and photography, and to hear what's shaking in the world of food blogging.  I love food blogging - I definitely walked away knowing that I want to continue.

And oh, I did indeed eat incredible food while in San Francisco!  It would be almost impossible not to - what a city.  Stay tuned for San Francisco Part II: The Food.

I just had a monster week, whew.  As I mentioned below, I attended a national food blogging conference called BlogHer Food, held at the Intercontinental Hotel in San Francisco, October 8-9 (last Friday and Saturday).  I predicted information overload...and that's what I experienced.  I met so many fantastic people and was exposed to enough new ideas to keep my head spinning for weeks.  Gah!  I haven't had a chance to type up my notes, which is my process for digesting large amounts of information, but when I do I'll pull a post together.

In the interim, if you've been wondering if a BlogHer conference is right for you, check out these post-conference summaries.  And if you're on Twitter, glance at the #blogherfood hash tag stream.  There's a lot of cheerleading and fawning going on (which is actually pretty genuine - great things happened at the conference), but some deeper commentary as well.

Brooke Burton of Food Woolf, wrote a terrific How to Go to a Food Blogging Conference post, a must-read for bloggers planning on attending next year.

Cheryl Sternman-Rule of 5 Minute Rule, followed with a spot-on (for me) conference summary and a list of How Not to Go to a Food Blogging Conference aka Food Blogging Conference Etiquette.

Jennifer Yu of Use Real Butter, spoke truth to BlogHer Food with her straightforward, funny post.  She also included her signature gorgeous photos, definitely have a look.  Bonus: a recipe for killer Snicker-Doodle cookies!

Maria Lichty of Two Peas and Their Pod, had a fantastic time at the conference and her delightful post reflects it.  She met her idol Dorie Greenspan - so fun! - and took lots of terrific pictures highlighting the fun side of getting together with a group of talented, creative friends.  She came home, whipped up a batch of White Bean & Artichoke Dip, and included the recipe.  Perfect.

I posted this recipe a few weeks ago at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.  It might be tricky to put your hands on decent peaches or plums as the season fades, but that's OK - peeled, sliced apples sauteed as described below would be heavenly too.

Have you eaten at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA?  It's one of the best-loved restaurants in the country, long known for its delicious use of and advocacy for local, seasonal ingredients.  I've not (yet!) eaten there, so I make do with the Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook, a treasure of beautiful recipes that is particularly fun to leaf through right about now, when Minnesota produce can give California's a run for its money.  (Almost.)

This cake is fun for a dinner party, when you can serve the Sauternes used in the cake right alongside it.  The cake has a soft-springy texture, with a marvelous hint of booziness.  Fresh peaches nicely complement the peachy notes in Sauternes.

In the spirit of the book, local plums would be delicious in place of peaches.  Serve them very ripe in slices or saute them with a little butter and sugar and spoon them warm over the cake.  As you might guess, you can't really go wrong with fruit, cake, softly whipped cream, and wine.

Olive Oil & Sauternes Cake with Peaches
Adapted from the Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook by Alice Waters
Serves 6

5 eggs plus 2 egg whites
3/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. grated lemon rind
1 c. sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. good quality Sauternes
1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 c. heavy whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks and sweetened with 2 tsp. of sugar
3 peeled, diced peaches

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line the bottom of an 8-inch spring-form pan with parchment paper, then thoroughly butter the entire pan and paper. (Stephanie's note: I used a 9-inch nonstick round cake pan with good result.)

Separate the 5 eggs into two bowls - the yolks into a large mixing bowl, the whites into the bowl of a stand-up mixer.  Using a wire whisk, beat the egg yolks with the sugar for 3-5 minutes until light-colored.  Add the lemon rind and salt.  Using the same whisk, slowly add the flour bit by bit to the egg yolk mixture.  Slowly whisk in the Sauternes and olive oil.  Set aside.

Using a stand-up mixer (or electric beaters), beat the 5 egg whites and 2 additional egg whites until they stand in stiff peaks.  Thoroughly fold them into the egg yolk mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the cake if necessary to ensure even cooking.  After 20 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 325F and bake for another 20 minutes.  Then turn the oven off and leave the cake in the closed oven for 10 minutes more while the cake deflates like a fallen souffle.

Remove the cake from the oven.  Invert the cake onto a flat surface, remove the sides of the spring-form pan.  (If you baked it in a 9-inch cake pan, run a knife around the sides of the cake and invert.)  Peel off the parchment paper and discard.  Cool cake completely (really - the Sauternes flavor is most pronounced at room temperature).  Serve at room temperature with fresh peaches and softly whipped cream.  (Store cake wrapped tightly and chilled.)