Tree service!

Chef's new quarters!

We don't call it Wild Abandon for nothing. Pete is staying in this treehouse when he is not cooking 3 meals a day for 10 Japanese Rock musicians at an estate that houses a recording studio up near Petaluma. He mastered a lot of Japanese food in preparation for their visit here from Japan..but after their trip to In-N-Out Burger and iHop, the bar was lowered and he's thinking of making them a traditional American Thanksgiving.

and on to dinner....

Nancy and Sean were our guests and brought wonderful sake to compliment the meal.
Pete served chicken and leek skewers, eggplant, mushroom and lotus root salad, water cress with sesame dressing....rice, and lots of sake!!

preparing lotus root , slicing ginger...

Pete cooking ....

Place setting for Japanese Dinnner...

Chawan Mushi

With Asparagus and leeks....bits of chicken...warm and smooth custardy breakfast.

HAIKU

Harvesting radishes,
he points the way
with a radish
-Issa

JAPANESE PHASE

Well, Wild Abandon has taken a turn as Pete gets up to speed on Japanese food....as he heads off for a month of cooking for several Japanese Rock musicians at a recording studio up in Petaluma....This is eggplant with ground pork and pea pods...side of green beans with ground sesame miso ...yum!

BEET SOUP

4TB olive oil
1/2 red onion sliced
2garlic cloves
1lg teaspoon cumin seeds
Several Beet root finely diced
Large potatoe diced
5 cups cold wAter
3 T red wine vinegar

Garnish with parsley (or cherry blossoms) and yogurt thinned with a lttle milk and seasoned with garlic paste, salt, pepper

Sauté the onion in olive oil, then add the garlic and cumin. Next add the beets and potatoe, water and cook for 15 minutes. Purée and season with salt & pepper and vinegar, garnish!

HAIKU

Under the trees
into the salad, into the soup-
cherry blossoms
-Basho

Our morning visitor on Tomales Bay...I think he wanted our purple potatoes for breakfast....he landed with a thud right outside our window!

On the edge of Tomales Bay....windy rainy night...get the fire going and heat up the cauliflower and carmelised onion soup with truffle oil.....warms the bones and delights the senses!

Sometimes the simpler the better....bread and butter with good honey.....a sublime desert.

On vacation....a baked purple potato for breakfast!

Eating leftovers....up at Point Reyes...roasted beets, squash, fennel.....carrots....

Gorgeous mushrooms

.....ready to roast in olive and

truffle oil. They are headed for some broccoli salad with a Vietnamese vinaigrette. We are making some pic nic type food today to take up to Point Reyes.

mmmm dinner.... I'm sick of good food! I want popcorn.

spicy, peppery and cumin laden pappadams accompany the wine as we start the dinner..with raita dip and tomato chutney which Pete has made.

Ron about to partake of pappadams and raita.

Our friend Kate getting ready to enjoy the pappadams and cucumber and mint raita!

the mise en place for the Biryani.....The rice and onions, ginger, garlic spices sautéd in oil ready to add the coconut milk, Kafir lime leaves (from my garden) sausage and shrimp. So good I forgot to take a photo of the plate ready to serve!

Making Biryani...one of my mother's standby's for a company dinner. Basmati rice is spiced with fresh ginger, garlic, turmeric, curry powder, kafir lime leaves and coconut milk......later we add some sausage and shrimp, garnished with coriander leaves. Beautiful and delicious.

We finished our dinner last night with Smoky Creme Bruleé, which is infused with Lapsang Souchong tea giving it a smoky interesting taste. One of the best jobs in the kitchen is putting the sugar on top and blasting it with a blow torch to brown and carmelise the top!

The Flourless Chocolate Cake
Dont laugh.....
It may look a bit a, rustic shall we say....but don't let looks deceive you...it is a fabulous cake...light...like a chocolate soufflé, and like a chocolate soufflé it does fall....but...Topped with whipped cream and raspberries...Yum!

The California Supper

Tender Romaine with Truffled Vinaigrette
Herbal Risotto with Baby Peas
Grilled Mahi Mahi and Toasted Almonds

Pete is cooking Porc Braise Aux Choux Rouges (Pork Braised with Red Cabbage) to take down to the folks in Palo Alto tomorrow.....It starts out so beautiful and colorful....but cooks for hours in the oven...then some browned pork roast gets added to the casserole and cooked another two hours more!

Hmm what's for breakfast today? Leftovers : 1/2 of a baked potato, tofutti sour cream, tiger eye whitefish truffled caviar, lapsang souchong tea with soy creamer and honey.....
doesn't everyone want this for breakfast? Funny thing is...it seems so decadent, but has calories similar to a carton of yoplait yogurt..roughly 265 calories! I feel indulged and virtuous and decadent ....HOW GOOD IS THAT?

The Elegant Dinner

Pete's parents were our guests for the practice elegant dinner and while they did rave about how much they loved it...they are our biggest fans. More elegant and gracious and funny company it would be hard to find.

The Elegant Dinner menu:

Dijon Shrimp with fresh dill

Buttered Saffron Rice

Sauteed asparagus & snap peas

gougére

Meyer Lemon Tart

Wild Abandon Catering

Pete Stanwood and Candace Loheed have been been cooking with Wild Abandon for many years. Most notably catering the San Francisco Folkboat awards dinner,
Greens Restaurant Christmas Party,
Freeman School Japan fundraising dinner, and many private dinners and parties large and small.

Pete is trained at the
California Culinary Academy
and was a beloved and long time fixture at the
San Francisco Art Institute creating a welcoming
and delicious environment
at the cafe there for many years.
Pete’s relaxed demeanor is a delight in the kitchen
providing a magnetic draw as
he executes the menus the couple have created.

Candace is a painter with a background in ceramics.
Her tasty and colorful palette contributes
much of the creative input of Wild Abandon.

Elegant Dinner for a Festive Occasion

The dinner starts with delicious home made baked potato chips and a dip of truffled caviar complimented by fresh dill......accompanied by champagne......an elegant and tasty start to the evening's festivities....