It was 15 years ago that I last enjoyed Serrano ham. I had been invited by a Swiss colleague to accompany him on a two-day trip to Madrid to review restaurants for an airline magazine and as I was already in Switzerland for a weekend-long chocolate and pastry tour I couldn't resist tailoring the trip to tack on two or three days at the beginning to visit Spain.

In addition to the fantastic meals we experienced I fell in love with the Jamón Serrano (Serrano ham), so much so that I purchased an entire ham to bring back to my husband in NY. Much to my disappointment, this ham(which was probably illegal to bring in at the time and heavy to boot) turned out to be so salty that finally I had to discard it.

When recently I was invited to a Serrano ham dinner in New York, I leapt at the chance to revisit this specialty and was so glad I did. There is now a ConsorcioSerrano that governs the standards of this glorious ham to maintain consistency of quality. And it was great to discover that Serrano ham is now being shipped (legally!) to the US.

The dinner was held at La Fonda del Sol, located right next to Grand Central Station. The evening began with a demonstration by master ham carver Cortador Ricardo Garrido Robles from Spain.

As he magisterially cut translucent-thin pink slices of the ham, plates were passed for serving and none of us could stop eating the samples.

The ham was so perfect just by itself we would have been happy with that alone until we tasted the cuisine of Chef Josh DeChellis who briliantly integrated the jamón into each and every course. Pictured below were three of my favorites:

The day after surgery he completed this version of my Chocolate Apricot Roll with Lacquer Glaze for his paddling friend Toney's birthday. Awesome!

i transformed ROSE'S heavenly CAKES: Chocolate Apricot Roll with Lacquer Glaze (page 163), from a roll into a heart.

Sponge rolls are an adorable classic of fine pastry, and I love them! but I reshaped this cake into a heart for my paddling friend Toney on her birthday. Toney is a 5-star dear friend to everyone paddling. Toney always teases me that I shall start making her wedding cake, yet also find her a groom! So I designed this large chocolate black heart for Toney's as a symbol of her big heart and wedding fantasy!

I baked the cake on the 16x2-inch Wilton heart pan which volume equals to two 11x17x1-inch half sheet pans, so I whipped a 2x batch of biscuit roulade. I know from experience that biscuit cakes bake well at any width. The cake baked flat gorgeous.

Then, following the proportions of the original chocolate apricot roll recipe, I filled the cake with a 2x batch of apricot jam filling. I made a 4x batch of ganache so I could frost the heart to perfection. The cake was assembled a week ahead of time, so no syrup was necessary. The generous amount of ganache made up for any lack of syrup, too.

To "fill" this thin layer cake, I "julienned" the cake into 1-inch strips, reattaching the strips with apricot filling and ganache. The end results resembles Rose's charlotte pattern.

(Apologies for this blurry photo but I had only my cell phone and romantic lighting to blame.)

This past spring, my dear friends Karen Paige and Andrew Dornenburg recommended that we go to a neighborhood trattoria Bellavitae to have, among other things, chef-owner Jon Mudder's pesto which he made to order at the bar in an actual marble mortar.

We visited Bella Vitae on Mother's Day and loved the food but it was too early for pesto. I anxiously awaited the start of the fresh basil season and returned to be rewarded by a most exceptional pasta and pesto. Jon revealed it's secret: He imported the basil from Israel! He explained that the Israeli basil was more tender than the basil commonly available here. The result was a pesto that seemed to melt on the tongue. The pasta had just the right firmness and sure enough it turned out that Jon was using my favorite and most expensive Latini pasta. Can you imagine the cost for these ingredients! Could this be why the wonderful restaurant, joyfully and recently discovered by me closed a few weeks after my third visit?

Hopefully Jon will open a restaurant again soon but in the meantime you can visit him on his highly rated blog. Here's the link.

I've written about pesto at least twice on this blog, and this being the height of the basil season, it seems like a good time to offer my favorite recipe:

wanuts halves/100 grams/3.5 ounces/1 cup
basil leaves: 200 grams/7 ounces/14 cups
5 large cloves garlic, smashed
extra virgin olive oil: 216 grams/7.5 ounces/1 cup
salt: 1 teaspoon
sugar: 1/2 teaspoon
black pepper, freshly ground: 1/2 teaspoon
cayenne pepper: 3 dashes
grated Parmesan: Reggiano: 200 grams/ 7 ounces/ 2 1/3 cups

Place the nuts in processor container and pulse until coarsely chopped. Remove the nuts to a bowl and set aside.

Place the basil in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped, stirring down the leaves from time to time. Add garlic and process a few seconds until evenly mixed into the basil. Add oil and seasonings and process only until mixed. Add the Parmesan and nuts and pulse just until uniform.

Freeze 2 tablespoon size portions in aluminum foil packets. Add ½ tablespoon of butter when serving. Pass additional grated cheese.

This amount yields 26 servings!)

I just have to share this with all of you!

Last night I made a cheesecake I'm testing for the next book to bring to a birthday dinner party at my friends the Meneguses tonight. I covered it tightly (thank goodness) with plastic wrap and set it in the downstairs fridge. When I went to admire it this morning, to my horror I saw that the cake pan was sitting in a pool of water! My first thought was that somehow, magically, horrifyingly, the cheesecake had lost all of its moisture. But then I saw a little pool of water on top of the plastic wrap. I tasted it and it did not taste like cheesecake but rather like the spring water that I had filled the water container with and set on the rack above the cheesecake not expecting it to drip slowly through it's spout.

How ironic that after having baked the cheesecake in a water bath, protecting it from absorbing water by placing the pan in a silicone pan, it then was exposed to water from above during chilling.

Luckily I had used a new Wilton springform that has such a tight seal none of the water leaked into the ladyfinger-lined bottom. I think it didn't. I'll know for sure tonight!

Recently, Hector e-mailed me about a bidding he was doing on e-bay for an antique Wilton two-piece angel food cake pan. I asked him to let me know if he ever saw another one as I love hearts so much I even wanted to use them as bullet points in my book but it got vetoed. (I did manage to get two heart-shaped cakes in the book!)

A few weeks later a package arrived and it was the pan. This was truly a gift from the heart.

I just learned that Hector had surgery yesterday as a result of a bizarre incident: When paddling in his one man canoe, a flying fish leapt out of the water, leaving several of its teeth embedded in his leg. Please join me in wishing him a speedy recovery.

I'll be away until Sept. 8 catching up on rest and postings! I'll try to answer questions that are time-sensitive when I can but will not be on the computer all day and night the way I usually am (at least I hope I can resist the temptation.

Please continue to answer each other as you do so generously.

Blissful Summer Baking!

Love,
Rose

I will add to this posting as I find out about more events so if you are interested in following this, please click on "post/read comments" and then on the little box at the bottom: "let me know if someone adds a comment"

Wednesday August 18, 9:00 PM, Thursday August 19 12:00, Saturday August 28 all ET/PT, the Food Network, Throwdown with Bobby Flay! I am one of the two judges. Here's the description of what was a terrifically fun event:

Tired of the rat race, friends and co-workers Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito left the grind of jobs in advertising to follow their tasty dream of opening a bakery. This led to the creation of their Elvis-inspired banana cream pie that has fans flocking from all over to their Brooklyn bakery to get a taste of this dessert that is fit for a king! Can Matt and Renato cream the competition with their heavenly dessert, or will Bobby's take on the classic pie reign supreme? The judges will likely scratch their heads until they declare a winner at this Banana Cream Pie Throwdown!

Sunday, May 9, 12:00 noon >to 12:30, Heritage Radio Network, host Katy Keiffer.

Saturday, April 17 KRON TV, host Henry Tenenbaum, out of SF exact time to be determined (Beranbaum means pear tree, Tenenbaum means fir or Christmas tree..hmmmm).

Saturday, April 17 KGO Radio--Dining Around with Gene Burns, one of my favorite radio hosts of all time. I was on his Cookie Exchange many years ago when he was in Boston and the last time I was on his show in SF was a few years ago for the Bread Bible.

Saturday, April 17 Omnivore Books--signing--from 3-4. This is a relatively new book store in Noe Valley, SF (3885 Cesar Chavez Street) and I've heard terrific things about the place. It happens to be right next door to one of my brother's Pet Food Express stores so you might get to meet him too! Woody and I will both be signing books and if you can't make it at that time, do call in and reserved your personalized copy.

Saturday, April 24, Powell's Book Store in Portland Oregon at 1005 W. Burnside. I'll be going over to sign books around 3:00 (this is not an official signing but this is a wonderful store that I'm sure you know about if you live in the area so if you happen to be nearby do come by and say hi!)

Wednesday, February 10, Joan Hamburg WOR Radio "Recipe of the Week" 12:06 to 12:25 East Coast.

Friday, January 15, Martha Stewart Serius Radio, Everyday Food with Betsy Karetnick: 12:15 to 12:40

Friday, December 11: 12:00 Eastern, Ann & Peter HaighOn the Menu Internet based, podcast www.onthemenuradio.com

December 11: Lynne Rossetto Kasper, The Splendid Table will become available to stations around the country. Check out the podcast or when it will appear on your local station: http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/listings/

Thursday, December 17, Martha Stewart Serius Radio, 4 to 5:00 Eastern

Monday, December 21, 12:40 to 1:00 Eastern, The Leonard Lopate Show, WNYC

Wednesday, December 23, 12:00-1:00HearSay with Cathy Lewis live out of Norfolk Virginia
WHRV-FM/WHRO

Tuesday, December 29, 12:30 PM KWMR Marin County, Simulcasts: www.kwmr.org Pleasures in Taste

I was just scanning through the cake of the week on the Heavenly Cake Bake Along when I found this wonderful photo on Vicki's Blog called Grandma's Gonna Bake Cake.

I would assume this exquisite little girl is her granddaughter. And it is whipped ganache in the bowl--a component of The Chocolate Feather Bed Cake.

Matthew Boyer has given us an invaluable gift. He has baked his way through the Bread Bible and offered this detailed summary and photos of brilliantly executed breads. You can now see, all in one posting, what each and every bread looks like! I had no idea he was doing this until he sent this e-mail and I was overcome with joy! (Note: Marie Wolf, on her blog also worked her way through this book with terrific step-by-step photos and her engagingly humorous and instructive commentary! These are the books behind the book and they tell the whole story. Here's Matthew's description of what he has done:

Dear Rose,

I began baking my way through the Bread Bible in the spring of 2007 with virtually no prior bread baking experience. I made all of the breads by hand mixing and kneading (though I did use a hand mixer for some of the batter breads). The infamous rosemary focaccia was my only insurmountable hand-kneading challenge, but I was able to work up to 100% hydration, short of the 113.5% hydration in the recipe.

This project has been a wonderful--and delicious--way to learn about the craft of bread baking. The Bread Bible covers such a wide array of breads and techniques, that over the past 3 years, I feel as though I've had the privilege of attending a baking master class each week. Now, onto the Pie and Pastry Bible!

Matthew Boyer

Chapter 2A
Cinnamon Crumb Surprise, Cranberry-Banana-Walnut Quick Bread, Carrot Bread, Zucchini Bread (Variation), Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Bread with Coffee Syrup (V), Southwestern Corn Spoon Bread, Quintessential Corn Muffins, Blue Cornmeal Muffins (V), Corn Fingers, Blueberry Muffins, Big Banana Walnut Muffins, Banana Chocolate Swirl Muffins (V), Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (V), Banana Poppy Seed Loaf (V), Butter Biscuits

Chapter 2B
Ginger Biscuits (V), Touch-of-Grace Biscuits, Angel Light Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Flaky Currant Scones, Dried Cranberry Scones (V), Lemon Poppy Seed Scones (V), Rich and Creamy Ginger Scones, Stollen Christmas Scones (V), Royal Irish Soda Bread, Royal Irish Soda Rolls (V), Levy's Bagels

Chapter 2C
Bialys with Onion Poppy Seed Filling, Flat and Crisp Bialys (V), English Muffins, Pretzel Bread, Crumpets, Butter Popovers, Rosemary Romano Popovers (V for Yorkshire Popovers), Dutch Baby with Apple Filling, Baby Dutch Baby (V)

Chapter 3A
Perfect Pizza Dough: Pizza Margherita, Oven-Dried Cherry Tomatoes with Ricotta (V), Arugula Pizza Bianca (V), Mushroom Pizza Bianca/White Pizza (V), Red and Gold Bell Pepper, Onion, and Gorgonzola Dolce (V), Alsatian Onion Pizza (V), Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza (V for Grilled Pizza Margherita with Steamed Clams), Potato Flatbread Pizza with Mushroom and Onion Topping, Dinner Rolls (V)

Chapter 3B
Rosemary Focaccia Sheet, Focaccia with Pockets of Garlic (V), Focaccia Layered with Fresh Herbs, Grilled Focaccia, Sicilian Vegetable Pizza Roll, Pita Bread, Whole Wheat Pita Bread (V), Mediterranean Matzoh, Paratha with Yemenite Green Sauce

Chapter 4A
Basic Soft White Sandwich Loaf, Butter-Dipped Dinner Rolls, Little Round and Parker House Rolls (V), Cloverleaf Rolls (V), Rosy Red Bread (V), Lagniappe: Little "Oyster" Mushroom Loaves (V), Pullman Loaf Sandwich Bread (Pain de Mie), Cinnamon Raisin Loaf, Herb Spiral Loaf (V)

Chapter 4B

Potato Sandwich Loaf, Purple Potato Bread (V), Banana Feather Loaf, Sweet Potato Loaf, Cheddar Loaf, Ricotta Loaf, Cracked Wheat Loaf, Buckwheat Loaf (V), Flaxseed Loaf

Chapter 5A
Basic Hearth Bread, Velvety Buckwheat Bread (V), Hearth Bread Sandwich Loaf (V), Slightly Sour Artisan Loaf (V), Heart of Wheat Bread, Sacaduros, Potato Buttermilk Bread, Potato Dill Bread (V), Tangy Cornbread (V), "Levy's" Real Jewish Rye Bread, Authentic Pumpernickel Bread, Raisin Pumpernickel (V), Denser Pumpernickel with Altus Brat (V), Baguette, Baguettes au Chocolat (V)

Chapter 5B
Spicy Herbed Bread Sticks, Brinna's Pugliese, Tuscan Low-Salt Bread, Ciabatta, Oval Cloud Rolls (V), Pugliese, Golden Semolina Torpedo, Sundried Tomato Ring (V for Prosciutto Ring), Beer Bread, Mantovana Olive Oil Bread, Olive Bread, Puttanesca Bread (V)

Chapter 5C
Mushroom Bread, Tyrolean Ten-Grain Torpedo, Café Beaujolais Austrian Sunflower Bread (V), Swedish Limpa Bread, Raisin Pecan Bread, Cranberry Walnut Bread (V), New Zealand Almond and Fig Bread, Walnut Fougasse, Walnut Onion Bread

Chapter 6A
Basic Sourdough Bread, Sourdough with Extra Flavor (V), Quicker French Country Boule (V), Sourdough Rye, Sourdough Pumpernickel, Quicker Sourdough Raisin Pumpernickel (V), Sourdough Wheat Bread with Seeds, Low-Risk Sourdough Bread, French Country Sourdough Boule

Chapter 7A
Basic Brioche, Sweet Potato Brioche Loaf (V), Black Pepper Giant Brioche (V), Dairy Dinner Challah with Browned Butter (V), Sticky Caramel Buns, Maple Bungee Buns (V), Chocolate Sticky Buns, Monkey Bread, Panettone, Traditional Challah, Chocolate Almond Swirl Kugelhopf, Poppy Seed Kugelhopf (V), Stud Muffin, Wheaten Croissants, Chocolate-Filled Croissants (V)

Wow--this is so wonderful!The James Beard Foundation in their newsletter announced they were sharing the video tribute to Michael and Ariane Batterberry that we viewed at the 2010 Award Ceremony when they were given the life-time achievement award. Now you can all see it and I can view it again and again. And it is, indeed, like having Michael back again. Just to hear his voice......

click here

One of my fondest summer childhood memories was picking blueberries with my grandmother. It began with a visit to the hotel kitchen (her uncle owned Spring Lake Hotel in Parksville, NY) to ask for two large empty cans. A short walk away into the hilly countryside always rewarded us with several bushes of wild blueberries. We picked until the cans were full which took a while as I would eat as I picked. As you can see from the blue cast on my teeth in this photo, little has changed.

The bushes in the Catskills that once towered over my head as a child were replaced with the huge Pensylvania bushes at the George Schmidt Berry Farm that also towered over my head.

The farm offers many seasonal products for sale as well as a pick-your own berries. The blackberries were at least as large as those in Portland and Seattle which are the largest I'd ever seen prior to this day.

Picking blueberries this summer was part of a day-long and long-overdue tour of the area within an hour's drive from Hope. Maria Menegus joined me picking the berries which made it even more fun.

My resolve to retire some day to Hope was reaffirmed when the Meneguses introduced me to some of the many treasures of the area. I fell in love with it all: the charming Allentown with it's farmer's market that is the oldest in the country and beautiful old theater, Yuengling Brewery, also the oldest in the country, Wegmans ( oh joy!), Klein Farms Dairy & Creamery (raw milk and yogurt--double oh joy!) and Diedricks which has the most amazing selection of meat and other treasures such as bacon horseradish cheese and hickory nuts.

I will be revisiting these places, hopefully for years to come.

I asked Hector to do a writeup on the 2010 Kona Mango Festival as he had the honor of being their star presenter. Here's the stunning mango cake he offered:

To see a gloriously detailed description of the event complete with photos, do read on!

Chef Eric Cayton

Derry Church Bonbon--My Top Favorite

Whenever I travel to far off places I am always delighted to see the amazing work being performed by passionate artisans in every corner of the world. Traveling isn't easy--especially these days with all the hoops set up by security--but what I love most about travel is that it expands the boundaries and limitations of my own personal experience and perception.

Traveling the virtual Internet, however, has made actual physical travel seem less necessary. I can sit here on the back porch in Hope, turn on the computer, and welcome in the world.

A few months ago I internet-met a very special chocolate artisan who e-mailed me about his work and offered to send samples. I'd now like to share virtually with all of you what a treat they are.

Chef Eric Cayton uses my favorite milk chocolate: Max Felchlin's Maracaibo Criolet from Switzerland so it is no wonder his milk chocolate bonbons pleased me the most. But I urge you to try the dark chocolate bonbon collection as well as he also uses the Felchlin dark chocolate which he writes: ...is considered among the very finest estate-class chocolate in the world, and is produced from a type of criollo cacao that is genetically very similar to the same type of cacao that the Mayans and the Aztecs would have consumed. This particular origin is called Arriba, and it's a 72%, and you are definitely right about the extremely strong flavor profile...

For those of you who maintain that you don't like white chocolate you will be surprised by Chef Cayton's creative use of it. The white chocolate he uses from Felchlin is called Edelweiss, and is very creamy and smooth without being overly sweet.

In addition to the luscious Swiss chocolate, Chef Cayton puts the very finest ingredients into his bonbons, such as organic certified cream, and what is no doubt the most important ingredient of all: love.

Chef Cayton is located in Derry Church Pa, a small town in a farming community settled in 1724, now called Hershey because that is where Milton Hersey started his chocolate empire. I hope someday to visit Chef Cayton at this chocolate Mecca "in person."

You can order his bonbons on line at: http://DerryChurchArtisanChocolates.com

Click on each bonbon to see deliciously detailed descriptions plus historical vignettes behind the inspiration of its name.

Here are 3 more of my favorite bonbons:

Burlington: milk chocolate ganache, Vermont Maple Syrup, and pecans
(My husband Elliott said he could become addicted to these.)

Dublin: milk chocolate ganache, Bailey's Irish Cream, and coffee

Rome: milk chocolate ganache, Italian espresso, and white chocolate mousse topping--a riff on cappuccino

Note: I asked Chef Cayton how his business came to be named Derry Church and his answer along with personal history is such a great American success story I am adding it here:

I named this business Derry Church, is because I'm 5th generation Derry Church, Pennsylvania, which is the historical name for the small farming community that became modern day Hershey, PA.

I had ancestors living at Derry Church at the time of Milton S. Hershey's birth in 1857, and many of my ancestors later worked for Hershey in his original chocolate factory. My Great Grandfather, Robert Hoover, was a stone mason, and a dairy farmer. He helped Hershey lay the foundation for his factory in 1903, and also sold the man milk for his milk chocolate! For most of the 20th century, most of my family worked for Hershey, and I have some cousins that still do to this day....so I have always been fascinated with the business of chocolate, and even as a small child I would play around with chocolate in my Grandmother's kitchen.

Tomorrow's August and if it's as hot or hotter than July has been how are you going to feel justified heating up the whole house in order to have home-made bread for your height of the season tomato sandwiches or BLT's?

I've been meaning to try this technique for years and this current intense heat-wave finally spurred me into action. I was stunned and delighted by how easy it was to transition from indoor oven to outdoor gas grill.

I have a Weber Summit with 4 burners which makes it possible to turn off the two center burners to avoid blackening the bottom of the bread. I'm reasonably sure that this method can be adapted to any 4 burner gas grill but have my doubts about the charcoal grill as it's close to impossible to get hot enough to make this bread effectively.

Here's the basic method using my adaptation of the "No Knead Bread" Here's the link to the recipe if you haven't already printed or saved it.

Use heavy duty pot holders, preferably mitten-type that protect your lower arms.

Place the covered cast iron Dutch oven on the grill racks and preheat it along with the grill for 20 minutes. The grill will be about 550˚F/285˚C after 10 minutes but the Dutch oven requires an additional 10 minutes. Set a trivet or heavy duty rack alongside the grill.

Remove the pot lid (I set it back on the grill). Transfer the Dutch oven to the trivet and close the grill. Allow the Dutch oven to sit for about 1 minute to cool slightly. (I checked with my infra-red thermometer and it was 475˚F/245˚C.) Transfer the bread to the Dutch oven, cover with the lid, and set it back on the grill racks in the center of the grill. Work quickly so the heat does not escape or dissipate. Turn off the two center burners.

Bake as usual for 20 minutes. (My grill with center burners off maintained 450˚F/230˚C during this 20 minute period.) Remove the pot lid and continue baking for 10 minutes. (The grill was now 440˚F/225˚C.) Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and set it directly onto the grill racks in the center of the grill. Continue baking for 10 minutes. Turn off the burners and allow the bread to sit in the covered grill for 10 minutes.

This basic technique will probably work with a charcoal grill for breads that require lower temperatures. If you've already tried baking bread in your grill do report back!