Many a night on the dancefloor, one of the those songs that brings it all back . . . with a smile:)
Quote: "Did that wall move or did we just experience an Earthquake" - A lit-up fool
Subject: A trip back to memory lane as I reconnect with my best friend from San Francisco
Some trips you simply can't plan or maybe, it's you simply can't imagine what would happen in that moment. Such was the case when I picked up and flew into San Francisco to follow my dreams of becoming a chef. I had little more than a thousand bucks in my pocket but more will and passion for my cause than a my stomach has to fight the battle of lactose intolerance (as I sip my evening Guatemalan roast with a solid splash of whipping cream). "Take me to the cheapest hotel, nearest to the Castro" I beckoned of the emboldened taxi driver.
The year was 1999 and the Twin Peaks Motel would be my home for the next month or so - great roommates including a Mexican transvestite, countless heroin addicts, prostitutes of both male and female gender (mostly) . . and then of course there was Abdul who was the kindly caretaker that would buzz you in through two sets of doors to access the stairwell that would take one to their appropriate 9ft x 9ft cubicle. Abdul smoked more weed than sandalwood, and that's a lot of bud folks (note: my Mom believed that Abdul was my only roommate & did not know that I was staying at a sleazy hotel with 28 rooms to a floor & one municipal bathroom).
Eventually, I landed my first job at MECCA and started school full-time at the California Culinary Academy. It took too long, but eventually I managed to scrape up the $450 to move into a lovely establishment that we shall call "Casa Revueltos" This place that would be my home for the next 3 years sort of fell into my lap . . as did Lizzie.
Many of you, most of you, some of you probably don't have the slightest clue as to the alphabet of illegal substances utilized to create various euphoric effects on an individual. There's G, K, E . . and so on and so on (each an abbreviation for the official name such as GHB, Ketamine, Ecstasy) and these elements would be as much a part of my diet as would the spices that I was fixing pots of sauce with at school. You see, "Casa Revueltos" had it's share of entrepreneurs (lest we not forget Beau and his Purple Haze #5, or Samantha and her consortia of Pharmaceuticals & Polvo). Lizzie did fall into my lap, quite literally and that is how we met.
This little blog (aka Chef Scotty Journal) is supposedly PG-13, so y'all have to wait for the book to come out before reading up on the every detail of my most very, very adventurous past. I must dearly thank Lizzie for being such an amazing addition and forefront character to my San Francisco years. I should also mention, that her phone call tonight, our first time reconnecting since 2001, saved my blog from another metamorphic trip down Eden lane. My proud past has shaped the "Sco" in "Scotty" (I've got to give the "tt" to my parents and the "y" well that's something I haven't quite figured out yet) . . you can't fully enjoy the cake if you don't take enjoyment from sharing it, let alone baking it! Oh, hell . . let's forget the damn cake and go with cobbler, can't muster a slice anyway you cut it!.
with Culinary Blessings,
Chef Scotty
RECIPE: Lizzies Oatmeal Cookie-Peach Cobbler
*something sweet, tart, nutty, cruncy, partly burnt
*note: Lizzie was a full fledged pastry chef when I met her
*choose your own fruit if you like - it's the topping that really holds this dish up to super-stardom
Ingredients - 14 fresh peaches - pitted and sliced into thick wedges
- 1/4 cup of cream of sherry (or you can sub. white wine)
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground canela (mexican cinnamon)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (I use arrowroot)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of rolled oats
- 1 cup of golden raisins
- 1 cup of walnuts, pieces is fine
- 2 tablespoons of canela (mexican cinnamon)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 lbs of unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon vanilla (add to milk)
- 1/4 cup milk (add more as needed)
- optional: Buttermilk Ice Cream by the Bounty
- MIX TOGETHER:
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, combine peaches, sherry, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon canela, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, oats, raisins, crunched walnuts, canela, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in vanilla-milk until just combined.
- Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.
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