Hello Friends,

I'm sure many of us these days are thinking about what makes us American, those things we hold close that define us in terms of this country with all its faults and beauty. Last night, I spent the evening at the Hollywood Bowl listening to a Gershwin program. At one point I found myself tearing up. It was, for me, an essential example of my American experience. The lush harmonies and drama of "Rhapsody in Blue" floating out into the LA sky, sitting with a kind-of-community, backed up against the hills.

It was a punctuation to the weekend before, spent up north in Monterey County. We were a group of four women, friends from King Jr. High and Marshall High School, visiting those places we hitchhiked to as almost out-of-control teens. Carmel Valley, Big Sur, a meal at Nepenthe where the views still astonish. The beauty and vibe endure. We discovered Star Market in Salinas where the cheese counter is wildly unexpected and crazy affordable. We went overboard and I'm left with so much cheese that, fortunately, I learned how to turn it into an easy sauce on this week's show.

After decades of making and eating pizza nearly every day, speaking to Alexandra Stafford reminded me that I need to bring pizza night back into my life. And with Caesar salad being feted for its 100th anniversary, why night make Alyse Whitney's Ceasar salad dip? It's got a ton of romaine whizzed into it! Recipes below as always.

I'd like to draw the wine aficionado's attention to a very special event taking place next weekend up at Cuyama Buckthorn. A truly unique opportunity. See details below.

I find myself reading more and more newsletters. The subjects are so vast and varied, like a candy store of mind fodder. I'd love to know which food-focused newsletters you subscribe to and enjoy. Let me know.

Evan

If you're not already making pizza at home, Alexandra Stafford's approach should convince you that it's not only possible, but it's also not that hard. Her new book is Pizza Night: Deliciously Doable Recipes for Pizza and Salad. She shares four different doughs with variations depending on when you want to make your pizza and hydration tweaks for outdoor vs indoor ovens. The salad recipes are a bonus!

Alyse Whitney's Caesar salad dip, which uses an entire head of pureed romaine lettuce as the base, is a favorite. "I wanted to have a refreshing, lighter bite, kind of reminiscent of aji amarillo in Peruvian cuisine," she says. "I love that the dip — using all the ingredients that would normally be in a Caesar dressing paired with this entire head of lettuce — makes the dip green, refreshing, and bright." Her exuberant book is Big Dip Energy

So you have a hankering for something cheesy and super smooth with no graininess. Like better liquid nacho sauce made with a combo of cheeses, or uber-rich mac and cheese that's like the ultimate stovetop version. Well, have you looked in your medicine cabinet for Alka-Seltzer? The kind with no aspirin? Industrial engineer and recipe developer Swetha Sivakumar insists she has a surefire way to make a smooth, creamy queso from just about any melting cheese using this hack. Listen!

What kind of person decides to eat poison oak? One like Jeffrey Horwitz, who's done getting itchy rashes every time he goes hiking or foraging for mushrooms. He writes, “The taste of young poison oak is surprisingly mild, grassy, and only a little bit tart." He chose to eat the plant to promote immunity to his allergies. Remember though, what goes in, must come out. 

Tomatoes have been trickling into farmers markets for weeks and they've finally arrived in abundance. Chef Alex Barkley of Botanica learned to use vanilla with tomatoes. He slices MaiTai and Benevento varieties thickly and rubs them with vanilla salt, then tosses them with lemon juice and red wine vinegar. Gosh, that sounds good! 

Did you know that 90% of the nation's apricots are grown here in California? The season is fleeting so go to a farmer's market and stock up. From apricot strudel to a Greek yogurt apricot tart and jams, of course, we have recipes for you to use up that luscious fruit.