Uptown

I love this old theatre in Napa. When we were living there it was never used, just grand and empty, a party waiting to happen. On our recent trip I snapped this late summer view with my newly borrowed polaroid- thanks H!

Putting up Food

canning tomatoes

I finally got around to canning these gorgeous San Marzano tomatoes that I got at Zweck's Organic Family Farm. I did it on a rainy Saturday with some great advice from here and here.

It took the better part of the afternoon, but I felt like a rich woman with all the jars on the kitchen counter. I don't actually think one saves any money canning this way, but there is something very pleasurable about the process and knowing that the marinara you will have in the middle of a snowstorm this winter will come from the summer harvest at a local farm.

If you are in the Bay area check out these canning hipsters.

poached nectarines

Lucien and I often play this age old game: "If you could be any animal, what would you be?" or "If you could be any fruit, what would you be?" Yesterday's answer was "a nectarine!" Those smooth, juicy stone fruits that ooze of some paradisaical Persian garden or a sun bleached terrace in the Greek isles. There I was, a sun ripened, round, sunset colored nectarine in Mykonos.. okay, you get the idea.
This is a super simple dessert and a great way to use very ripe fruit.
Adapted from a recipe by Sara Quessenberry.

Poached Nectarines

I bottle sparkling wine ( I used Segura Viudas Cava)
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 C sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean
6 halved nectarines

In a large, non-reactive saucepan, bring the wine, sugar, honey and cinnamon stick to a boil. Split open the vanilla bean and scoop out the inside. Add seeds and pod to the pan.

Add nectarines and simmer gently until the fruit is tender, approx. 15 minutes, then remove from pan.

Continue to simmer the liquid until reduced to 1 cup. Discard vanilla pod and cinnamon stick and pour the syrup over the nectarines. Serve warm or refrigerate until chilled.

Before/After

We went over to Curtis and Laura's last night for a last huzzah of summer. Curtis, who comes from Trinidad by way of Brooklyn, was cooking his signature haute comfort food: barbecued chicken. He caterer parties, so if you are local you can find him:
Curtis Marshall
Zabbuca
303.921.2220
cfmarshall7@yahoo.com

Last picnic of the summer