Dear Friends,
It's been a busy few months with my book tour and opening Cindy Pawlcyn's Wood Grill and Wine Bar (CP's), but I did sneak out to Minneapolis for my Mom's 94th birthday in late September. I'm so very lucky to still have her in my life!
CP's is off to a rip-roaring start. Thank you to everyone who has come in to check us out, and double thank you to our wonderful repeat customers! We are having a blast cooking for all of you.
Live music on the patio will continue every Thursday evening as long as the weather holds. Keep an eye out for the red "Live Music tonight" sign in front of the restaurant. Our 15% off Wednesday and Sunday locals' special expires Halloween so if you live in the Napa Valley come in NOW.
At Mustards Grill, we are ushering in fall with harvest dishes and great red wines for Thursdays' Pour-Off Pair-Offs. I couldn't begin to describe all the amazing offerings and pairings on this month's "POPO" menu, so please check it out here. Meanwhile, in the garden patch, Laura has a greenhouse full of tiny cabbage, kale, chard, and lily starts (leeks, onions, garlic) for the winter. I'll miss summer's giant sunflowers and tomatoes, but so go the seasons.
Have you tried the new fall salad with bacon-wrapped pears at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen? I'm addicted to it. I'm also very excited about our October Supper Club - harvest celebrations from around the globe Wednesdays and Thursdays. We start with a German Thanksgiving called Emtedank and tasty dishes like spaetzle and sauerbraten, then it's Canadian Thanksgiving for fun with maple syrup, cheddar and venison. On to Belarus, Russia and Oseniny for hearty borscht, rich stroganoff and more, then Jewish Sukkot with delicious heartwarming classics like sweet and sour stuffed cabbage and cake filled with raisins, coconut and walnuts. For our finale, our Celtic Samhain promises fresh mussels, salmon, pork, baked apples and of course lots of cream. It's been fun planning the menus and working on the dishes. The complete menus are posted here and I guarantee you they'll inspire you to come in for a celebration.
My Supper Club book has received many fine reviews, the latest from the Boston Globe. My favorite line: "Cooking from it is like reading a writer with an enormous vocabulary: challenging at times, but also palpably mind-expanding." It's really an honor to be featured in an East Coast paper since some consider me a "West Coast chef."
I hope you enjoy this month's recipe for buttery balsamic figs. It's super simple and great with cheddar cheese, polenta cake and/or ice cream. And since harvest time means I've been canning, I've included an additional recipe and one of my favorites: tomatoes with chilies and lemongrass.
Happy autumn everyone. Hope to see you soon,
P.S. I'm looking at two loaded quince trees in my backyard as I write. Look for a quince recipe next month!
