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Greetings friends and family,
Look at the wonderful photo of the bee swarm in the Mustards garden. Omar our superb head gardener has gathered a bee colony and established hive boxes. The bees pollinate our fruit trees and plants and support a healthy ecosystem. Omar anticipates harvesting the first Mustards honey mid to late summer. I can't wait to taste the golden nectar.
You know I love cookbooks and books about cooking. With over 3,000 cookbooks you might ask why so many? My British friend Sarah needed a quick but perfect cake to take to her town hall Easter gathering. Sarah lives in Scotland. I pulled out a copy of How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson published in 2001 and sent her a recipe. She made the Victoria Sponge Cake. Sarah felt like a winner in an episode of the Great British Baking Show. Which if you haven't seen it is fun to watch.
Speaking of books on food I just read Jim Harrison's, A Really Big Lunch, published posthumously. How could you not love a book with that title? He is one of my favorite writers and it's not just because he mentions the roasted garlic at Mustards on page 15. "Roast these heads like they do at Mustard's famous restaurant near Yountville, California."
This month Mustards features "Cherries, Salmon and Soft Shell Crab Tostadas" for Friday's Pair Off Pour Off. I don't think the crab will make it through the last order of the night so get there early.
At Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen Jim is celebrating wild king salmon. It's such a delight to have the wild kings back. He'll feature house cured wild king salmon gravlax, salt crusted baked wild king salmon with pinot noir sauce, a pancetta-wrapped seared salmon and a miso-grilled salmon collar that reminds me of Go Fish.
Remember Mother's Day is Sunday, May 14. Both Mustards and Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen have special menus so make your reservation soon. I am thinking of having lunch at one restaurant and dinner at the other.
For this month's recipe the produce from my garden inspired me. The lettuce is beautiful and plentiful. I concocted a simple spring salad of garden greens, egg, asparagus, avocado, blue cheese and pecans. The salad is satisfying as a side dish or as an entrée for us on Meatless Monday.
"Paris Can Wait" the new film written and directed by my friend Eleanor Coppola screens at the Cameo Cinema on Monday, May 15. I'll be there serving appetizers from CBK. The movie is a delight alive with food, wine, humor and romance. Check out the Cameo website for details.
Bee Happy,
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