Cooking with your neighbors
Not like the HOOD hood, like next to the Greyhound station or East Oakland hood, but more like the "sirens at all hours of the night, helicopters, graffiti, don't walk around by yourself late at night because you might get mugged" hood. That being said our little home and urban farm is our sanctuary. In a recent trip to Napa, CA (where I'm from by the way) a bartender asked us where we lived. When I told him we lived in Oakland, he replied with "I'm sorry.""
Oakland is unapologetically awesome. But not everyone gets it and thats okay. Not everyone is into having to have an alarm system on their house after having several B&E's. I'm on my third MacBook Pro in a year (thanks assholes). But to me thats a small price to pay to live in a city with practically no laws where you can do whatever the ef you want and be as creatively free as you like. Those of us living in Oakland have a bond. We've all had a bike stolen and had to search for it at the flea market the next day, but we've also seen the sunset on Lake Merritt on bikes, with 40's. And we get it.
That being said, there is a profound importance for social gatherings- especially when they involve food. The simple act of cooking with your neighbors. Usually we run into a handful of people at the farmer's market and we come up with a place to make a meal. Last minute, thrown together and amazing.
Olivia Wright recently bought a house around the corner from us. In addition to being a good friend, she is a savvy business owner, a brilliant photographer and a master gardener. We decided to collaborate on weekly dinners- I cook, she photographs. This is the first of a series.
In my most humble opinion, a cocktail or glass of wine is the most important component to a meal. The cook and guests must be at ease. In this case, we started with a Bourbon Cocktail with freshly squeezed orange juice, lime juice and muddled mint. Refreshing.
I picked up some beautiful butter lettuces and pears from the market. We quartered them, grilled them in a cast iron pan and topped them with a lemony creme fraiche dressing.
Creme Fraiche Tarragon Dressing:
This recipe requires way more lemon than you would think. With a mortar and pestle puree the garlic with a pinch of salt. Add tarragon and continue. Then add creme fraiche, then lemon, tasting as you go. Add more salt if needed.
This beet, orange and goat cheese tart is gluten free. I was actually really surprised at how delicious it was. I used an assortment of chick pea, sorghum and brown rice flour- but don't worry- I was sure not to skimp on the butter.
Beet, Orange and Goat Cheese Tart:
Combine all dry ingredients in a food processor. Chop cold butter into half inch cubes. Pulse the food processor while adding the butter, one cube at a time until the butter is reduced to pea sized pieces. Add a beaten egg and continue pulsing. Add a tbsp of ice cold water. Pulse a few more times. Remove dough and refrigerate for an hour.
Line a tart pan with a removable bottom with the dough. To do this, take small pieces from the dough ball and press each piece into the tart pan until the bottom and sides of pan are completely covered. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.
In a covered baking dish, roast olive oil drizzled beets in a very thin layer of water for about 45 minutes. Test beets with a fork. When beets have finished cooking, the skins should slide right off.
Slice beets as thinly as possible and layer them in a circle around the baked tart crust. Incorporate orange slices. Get creative in your pattern, you can’t go wrong. Top with chunks of goat cheese, drizzle with olive oil and bake until the goat cheese has melted.
Celery root is one of my all time favorite ingredients to cook with. Even in a rich dish like a gratin, the celery root is able to stand up to the cream and cheese leaving you with a light and fresh taste.
Slice Celery Root and Potatoes as thinly as possible with a mandolin. Butter the bottom of a baking dish. Lay the celery root and potato slices to cover the bottom layer of the gratin. Sprinkle cheese and sage leaves. Layer celery and potato. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese and sage leaves. Repeat. Once you’ve reached the brim of the baking dish pour cream generously and evenly over the top and let the cream seep down the sides to fill the holes.
Cover baking dish with foil and bake for an hour. Carefully remove the foil and continue to bake for another 25 minutes or until the cream is bubbling and the top of the gratin is golden brown.
Special Thanks to Olivia Wright- for the neighborly love and beautiful photographs.
You can find her at her Online Magazine:
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