It’s hard to believe but on Sunday May 6 UCLA and the Fowler Museum will once again host KCRW’s Pie Contest. This year is our 9th. We started nine years ago in the atrium of the Topanga Westfield Mall with 200 pies and 400 observers. This year we have well over 400 pie entries (some of us think we may hit 500 pies) and the “observers” have turned into thousands of eaters. Just do the math. 400 pies cut into 10 pieces each is 4,000 slices of pie. Judging all that pie is a gargantuan task and we have a large and talented pool of judges ready. Just…Continue reading »
I’ve been quiet on the newsletter front. Really I haven’t known what to say at a time that every unthinking focus on deliciousness makes me flinch. I wrote an essay right after the election but didn’t know if it was “appropriate” to share. All these months later I still find it hard to focus on purely foodie centered stories and my twitter feed is like a whiplash between difficult social issues and yay, ice cream! (Not that there’s anything wrong with ice cream). So in order to move on I’m sharing that essay I’ve kept on ice until now. For a month after the election I slogged through each day…Continue reading »
This year’s fig output is rivaling the most bountiful zucchini harvest ever. If like me you’re racing to scoop figs off the pavement before the summer sun turns your backyard into a fermentation zone it’s time to get on a ladder, pick everything that is nearly ripe and make some jam. (Shoutout to Kate and friends for spending a couple of hours to clear the tree of fruit). Yes, I said nearly ripe. By the time figs are ripe on the tree often they are so blown out that they are already fermenting. Pick those too, but really go through your harvest and cull those that smell funky….Continue reading »
