Breakfast: French toast with homemade jams

Breakfast: salad with poached egg, toast with jam, and cappuccino with a heart on top

Lemon souffle omelet with huckleberry jam

Separate four eggs. Beat the whites, with a little cream of tartar, to stiff peaks. Into the yolks, whisk a little lemon juice and a little lemon extract, and then fold in the whites.

Preheat the broiler. Melt some butter over medium-low heat in a cast iron pan, and pour in the egg mixture. Cook on the stove-top until the bottoms just start to set, and then move the souffle into the oven under the broiler. Bake until the top is browned and the omelet has started to separate from the sides of the pan.

After separating the souffle omelet onto two plates, top each with some homemade huckleberry preserves. Serve with cappuccino.

Brunch: baked eggs in tomatoes

Select unblemished, firm early-girl tomatoes, and hollow them out: remove the stems and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Sprinkle a little salt on the inside of each tomato, and set them in a muffin tin. Crack an egg into each tomato, and sprinkle the top with grated parmesan or romano cheese. Bake under the broiler about fifteen minutes: the goal is to cook the white most of the way through but leave the yolk runny.

Carefully scoop the cooked tomatoes (and any white the spilled out) out of the muffin tins, and serve in shallow bowls. Garnish the baked tomatoes with capers and nicoise olives.

Breakfast: sweet omelet with a trio of homemade jams

We have had such a success at preserves this summer. Yes, the strawberries were a failure, but the cherries, olallieberries, and huckleberries were (and continue to be) all fantastic. So most mornings our breakfast consists of poached eggs, toast, and jam. But occasionally we have no bread in the house, and want to try something different.

Over low heat, melt a tab of butter in a wide non-stick pan. Whisk together thoroughly two eggs and just a little flour. When the butter is melted but not yet bubbly, pour the eggs. Let the eggs cook over very low heat, slowly thickening from the bottom. In your mind, divide the circle of eggs horizontally into four strips of even thickness. When there is a full layer of cooked egg on the bottom, place small mounds of homemade preserve (one to two teaspoons each, depending on how much, and how many, jam(s) you have) in the second strip from the end. When the eggs are done (I like them still just slightly runny on top) run a soft, plastic spatula along the edge of the pan to release the now-mostly-cooked eggs, and fold the eggs over the jam: begin with the first strip (the one between the jam and the edge) and then fold the remaining half-circle over everything. Place a plate over the pan and flip the omelet onto it, and finally fold the remaining strip over the omelet.

If you are feeling particularly fancy, transfer to a cast-iron pan, or do everything in well-seasoned cast-iron, and, after cooking and wrapping the omelet, sprinkle it with some sugar and stick it under a very hot broiler. (We weren't feeling that fancy.)

Serve with cappuccino.

Camping: poached eggs on sliced bread

Breakfasts and lunches at Indian Lake

We don't have a lot of variety in our breakfasts: we poach eggs very well. Each morning at Indian Lake we began by sleeping in, and then having a late breakfast of poached eggs on english muffins, strawberries and blueberries, and a full pot of strong coffee. Over breakfast, we would appreciate the view of the lake and plan that day's hike.

With only two full days at the lake, there were many hikes we did not do, but the two we did were great. Our neighbors immediately to the south are also our cousins: my grandmother met my grandfather because they had neighboring summer homes, and the (now-extended) families have kept the properties. They encouraged us to borrow two of their kayaks, and sent us across the lake (about one mile) to a cove directly on the opposite side. "Go across, look back to see if there's any weather coming, and if it's clear, just beach the kayak, and follow signs for the trail" we were instructed. Sure enough, the weather was clear, and the hike to the top of Baldy was a blast.

For our second day, we baked bread (letting the dough rise overnight and doing the baking in the morning) and made sandwiches with brie, apples, and basil. We climbed Snowy, which ends with a fantastic scramble up what is essentially a dry-ish waterfall rock pile. On our last day, we took leftovers down to the dock before driving to the airport, and wished we could stay at Indian Lake longer.

Breakfast: poached eggs on lettuce, with croutons, strawberries, and olallieberry vinnaigrette

Breakfast: poached eggs on lettuce, with figs, peaches, plums, and balsamic vinaigrette

Three days in Yosemite National Park

S joined us for a wonderful three-day camping trip to Yosemite National Park. It's very fun going to such a fantastic place with a geologist. Since this is a food blog, I'll illustrate the day-by-day just with food pictures — the 300-picture slideshow is at the end.

On Tuesday we left Berkeley after an early breakfast and drove the four hours to Yosemite. We stayed at the very nice Summerdale Campground, about a mile from Fish Camp and about a mile from the south entrance to the park. After pitching camp, we drove into the park. There are two seasons in Yosemite — winter and road construction — and we were stuck in traffic for a while. We took a lovely three-mile hike leaving from Tunnel View and climbing up to Inspiration Point. That evening we had grilled snapper and a potato salad that I had made the day before.


Wednesday morning we had toast with poached eggs and cherry jam.


We then drove into the Valley, and as we got down from Tunnel View, we realized that we didn't really have enough gas to get out. No matter. After a brief stop at Bridal Veil Falls, where we were completely soaked, we drove to El Portal, which is completely down-hill from the valley along the Merced River, and so required almost no gas. (Getting from the valley to our campsite requires climbing two thousand feet, twice.) So we didn't have time for a long day hike, but nevertheless got a five-mile walk: we saw the meadow, and climbed a mile (and one thousand feet) along the Upper Yosemite Falls trail to the first lookout.

Dinner that night was sweet potatoes, baked in the fire, and bean burgers with ketchup, mustard, red onion, gruyere, and home-made sweet pickles.



I normally do dinners on the fire but breakfasts on the camping stove, but at the end of breakfast Wednesday morning we ran out of propane, preventing only a second pot of coffee. Since the gas station store at El Portal didn't have the right kind of propane for my fancy little backpackers stove, on Thursday and Friday we did breakfast on the fire. Thursday's breakfast was blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and cherry jam.



Thursday was our big hiking day. We started in the Valley, at four thousand feet, and walked the "Four Mile Trail", which is actually almost five miles each direction, to Glacier Point, a thirty two hundred foot climb. I like to run — S says "scamper" — up mountains, and winded myself near the top. But the views were fantastic: Yosemite really is beautiful. For dinner that night we wolfed down penne with tomato sauce, made from onions, garlic, a red bell pepper, home-canned tomatoes, dried tomatoes, herbs from our garden, and a fresh bay leaf from the laurels that we found growing along the hike.



Friday was our last day, but we forgot to take any photos. For breakfast we had scrambled eggs, and then we tried to walk around Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, but got stymied by a lack of parking. Instead, we got on the road, took a short walk in the national forest that surrounds the park, and had a good time at the California Mining Museum in Mariposa. Then a long drive home.

All together, the trip was fantastic. And finally, the slide show of the hikes:


As always, click on the slide show to go to the Picasa web album.

Breakfast: poached eggs on toast, berries, and cappuccino

Our standard breakfast consists of two poached eggs each, served on either toasted whole-wheat bread or toasted english muffins, and cappuccino. It's not the fastest breakfast, because we have to wait for the water to boil — it takes B about 15 minutes total to get breakfast on the table, most of which is spent while I'm in the shower. (On rushing days, we scramble the eggs: B says it takes him four to six minutes to scramble six eggs and make two cappuccinos.) But occasionally we go slightly fancier. Pictured above: one poached egg, served over toast with parsley-and-garlic butter, and cappuccino and strawberries and blackberries from the farmers' market.

Breakfast: poached eggs on English muffins

A recent breakfast

Poached eggs on home-made bread.

Skillet Lemon Soufflé

From the most recent Cook's Illustrated.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 375°F. In the standing mixer, whip together

• 5 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

on medium low until foamy, about 1 minute. Slowly add

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt

and increase speed to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.

In the standing mixer (no need to clean it), whip together

• 5 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar

on medium-high until pale and thick, about 1 minute. Whip in

• 1/3 cup lemon juice (plus zest if using fresh lemons)
• 2 Tbsp flour

until just incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Whisk 1/4 cup of the whipped egg white into the yolk mixture until no white streaks remain. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until just incorporated.

In a 10-inch overproof skillet, melt

• 1 Tbsp butter

over medium-low heat. Swirl pan to coat evenly, then gently scrape the soufflé batter into the skillet and cook until edges begin to set.

Transfer skillet to preheated oven and bake until puffed, and the center jiggles slightly when shaken, and the surface is golden, 7 to 11 minutes. Remove from oven, dust with

• confectioners' sugar

and serve immediately.

Cook's Illustrated also recommends substituting orange for the lemon, and folding in 1 oz finely grated bittersweet chocolate after folding in the egg whites.

Breakfast and lunch

Eating outdoors

Since I haven't posted any pictures from the Spring, your view of our beautiful patio has been limited. I hope to post more pictures of it soon, and in particular all of our plants, but for now, I give you one of our standard breakfasts — poached eggs on English Muffins from Cheeseboard, fruit, and Blue Bottle coffee — this time enjoyed in the summer sun.

Later that day, we also had an afternoon snack outside, but my only picture is from prepping on the kitchen counter.

Lost notes; barley and beans

I had put together a long list of meals I've made this summer, so that I could remember to write them up for you. Unfortunately, after keeping this list for two months, slowly typing up recipes, I have left it in my pocket when I last did laundry.

Some meals I remember, but will soon forget. Breakfasts are often eggs valentine — poached eggs, served over sautéed spinach on english muffin — or scrambled eggs with pesto, or oatmeal, or melon. Lunches and dinners are often some variation of rice and beans. For example, today's lunch:

Dice and wash one leek, and sauté half in a medium saucepan in olive oil. Add one cup barley, two cups water, and a little salt. Cover, bring to boil, and cook on medium until water is absorbed or cooks off.

Meanwhile, shell half a pound of beans: we have black-eyed peas right now, and also coco blanco and coco negro. Boil a few minutes. While beans are boiling, sauté the rest of the leeks in olive oil and salt. Drain the beans and add to the leeks, and continue to cook on medium until barley is done.

Wash and dice five brown button mushrooms. Mix mushrooms and beans into barley, and transfer to wide bowls. Serves two for lunch.