There’s a reason, of course, that stone fruits and almonds are such a natural match, flavorwise–the pits of peaches, nectarines and apricots contain a kernel that is called the “poor man’s almond” because it tastes almondy, if a bit bitter. The kernel also contains cyanide (it sucks to be poor). It’s also what amaretto liqueur and those delicious little amaretti cookies are flavored with, as the cyanide apparently dissipates when the pits are roasted or processed. (Booze and cookies, the poor man’s salve.)

This cakey cobbler, or cobblery cake, pairs almonds and summer fruits with delicious results. It’s a very light dessert, perfect for a summer brunch or breakfast. I enjoy it straight, but you can gussy it up with Greek yogurt or a dollop of sweetened sour cream or mascarpone. Read on… »

In an ingenious response to all the illegal-immigrants-steal-American-jobs hooplah, the United Farm Workers have launched the Take Our Jobs program. While acknowledging that “since the late 1990s, at least 50% of the crop workers have not been authorized to work legally in the United States,” the UFW declares that we are “in denial about our food supply.” To prove their point, they have set up a program to match unemployed American citizens with farm employers. Think it’s easy picking lettuce? Try it. There’s a reason undocumented workers are the only ones willing to harvest our food–long hours, low pay, migration, pesticides… Read on… »

Summer is my favorite food season. I know, I know–I just said that spring was my favorite. But I was just caught up in the lamb and peas and fava beans. I’ve also repeatedly claimed the fall as my favorite–all that squash, and pie!–and winter, since I love pot roast and potatoes. But in summer, we grow our own bounty chez moi, and there’s just nothing can beat that.

One of our annual harvests is the olallieberry, which winds delicately around our patio and every year gives us just enough berries to top our cereal or desserts. (An almond-milk blancmange I recently concocted was a natural fit.) I was first introduced to olallieberries when I was a kid and spent summers in Santa Cruz. We made a pilgrimage most Julys to Phipps Farm in Pescadero, CA, where we ate and picked our way through the day, and then went home purple-faced to stuff our freezer full of berries for the year to come. Read on… »

This October, Slow Food International holds its 8th annual Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre events. The Salone is an international exhibition and marketplace of artisanal food and wine products, while Terra Madre is described as a “world meeting of food communities.” The theme this year is “food += places.” Or, to put it more clearly, “there could be no food without the places it comes from.”  Who can argue with that?

What: Salone del Gusto & Terra Madre 2010

When: October 21-25, 2010

Where: Lingotto Fiere Exhibition Center

via Nizza 294

Turin, Italy

Tickets for the Salone are 60 euros for a five-day pass, available at salonedelgusto.it, with discounts for seniors, young folks, and Slow Food members.