Berries and Fruits

How to Make Prickly Pear Syrup

Here's how to make prickly pear syrup without the sticky business of scorching and peeling the tunas, as the fruit are called. It's all in how you strain the juice...

Berries and Fruits

How to Eat Manzanita Berries

Manzanita berries are ripening all over California right now, but few know that they are not only edible, but are well worth your time to collect. The secret? Grind the dry, apple-like berries to make a sort of manzanita sugar.

Sweet Things

Huckleberry Muffins

It's huckleberry season here in the West. And while my favorite way to eat hucks is in a bowl with cream, I also love huckleberry muffins. My version has a bit of a tang to it from sour cream.

Recipe

How to Make Verjus

Verjus, or verjuice, is the juice of unripe grapes - wild or cultivated. It is a classic French alternative to vinegar, and it is pretty easy to make. Here's how.

Berries and Fruits

Blackberry Syrup

Blackberry syrup was my favorite at the International House of Pancakes when I was a kid. It's still one of the few syrups I still make every year, mostly to mix with seltzer water (or vodka) for drinks. Here's how to make it.

Recipe

Beer Sauce with Duck

Duck breast. Beer. Wild berries. What's not to love? This is an original recipe very, very loosely inspired by an Icelandic dish that uses beer and malt (or beer) vinegar as the main component in the sauce. It's one of the first times I've used beer this way, and it won't be the last.

Foraging

Paw Paw Ice Cream

Paw paws, the Hoosier banana, custard apple or Indiana banana. America's largest native fruit, is indeed a little bit like a banana -- and it makes a great ice cream.

Recipe

Venison Tenderloin with Blueberry Sauce

Pairing venison with fruit is an age-old thing, and blueberry or huckleberries are a particularly good match. This recipe is an Icelandic version that is not sweet at all. The blueberries are balanced with mushrooms and wine to make a really classy yet easy dish.

Foraging

Exploring California Coffeeberries

First off, did you know that coffee comes from berries? Probably. Now, did you know that there's a California coffeeberry? Probably not. Actually, there are several varieties. And yes, you can make your own coffee from them. And yes, it's really good!

Sweet Things

Elderberry Ice Cream

Elderberries are in season here in California, and one of my favorite ways to enjoy them during our hot summers is in ice cream. Here's how to make it.

Appetizers and Snacks

Homemade Energy Bars

I hit the road again on Saturday for the final leg of my "Duck, Duck, Goose" book tour; I'll be tour the Southwest and Deep South this time, and I will be carrying with me a stack of these homemade energy bars. In honor of my next book dinner, in Santa Fe, these are Desert Style "Clif" bars.

Fish

Walleye Minot: Why Not?

I call this recipe Walleye Minot because it is an ode to North Dakota, and because I caught the walleye on Lake Sakakawea near Minot, ND. Pretty much everything in it speaks to that state, which was so good to me when I visited in October.