Romney Steele - Plum Gorgeous: Recipes and Memories from the Orchard

Plum Gorgeous copyright 2011 Romney Steele. Photography copyright 2011 Sara Remington. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC
an Andrews McMeel Universal company
1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

E-ISBN: 978-1-4494-0854-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2010937868
www.andrewsmcmeel.com

APPR

Cover photography by Sara Remington
Cover design by Lisa Berman

Design: Lisa Berman
Photography: Sara Remington
Food styled by the author
Paintings by
Line drawings by the author, except and
flourishes by Lisa Berman

www.romneysteele.com / www.mynepenthebook.com

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With love,

to Kate and to my sister Sara,
who shared the joys and sorrows of time and place

to Trevor, Nicoya, Isabella, and Sumner,
the little ones that this book reminisces

and to Elena, who taught me what to do
when faced with a glut of gorgeous fruit

To be happy you must have taken the measure of your powers,
tasted the fruits of your passion, and learned your place in the world.
George Santayana

The seed for this book first came to me years ago, on a drive south along the California coast from Big Sur to Santa Barbara with my friend and gardener Kate Healey. Together, we were always dreaming and talking about food, whether about the events we collaborated on professionally or a recipe or preserve we might make with all the fruit and vegetables she was growing in her garden and orchardthe one I would eventually live at. The warmth of Kates English-style country kitchen with its jumbled shelves chock-full of home-canned tomatoes and preserved fruits became my home away from home, where I tended my young children and shared a great many meals and jam sessions. It is really because of her and her family that I have a story to write in the first place.

Back then, it was a delicate balance of dreaming about writing and doing the daily work that life on a mountaintop demands, along with working and caring for a family. Im not sure that I was always good at it, but I will say that I loved working with beautiful fruitthe bought, gathered, and givenand still do. My earlier travels and experiences engaging with natures bountywhether picking grapes in France, living in the tropics surrounded by exotic fruit flavors, or in orchards closer to homehave always influenced my writing and cooking and are really at the heart of this book.

In putting Plum Gorgeous together I discovered that Im not one to simply write a cookbook in the traditional manner. For me there is always something more that is necessary and true, an artistic drive and curiosity beyond the plate that cant be denied. Its the story, imaginary and actual, that Im afterthe memories, dreams, places, and poetry that come with the journey. The stirring of a pot of rosy colored raspberries with rose petals and sugar matters not only for what it becomesa lovely jambut also for the story it unfolds and reveals.

One evening, more recently, while at my sisters home out in the country working on this book, she had a delightful longtime friend over who asked about my Blenheim apricot jamshe literally swooned and fluttered over it. How was it I maintained that golden amber color, she begged. The discussion turned to Meyer lemon curd, and how each year she makes it, using only egg yolks, for the nuns at the mission. There is no sin in eating something so delicious and rich, she cried out with obvious pleasure. By this time we were drinking wine and nibbling on the last of the kumquat and couscous saladjust photographed for the bookunder the shade of a grapefruit tree in the garden as the sun went down, and lavishing spoonfuls of rose petal jam onto toast with runny cheese for dessert. Bunnys food memories stretching across the globe were only getting more generous, and we were delirious with laughter. I thought to myself, this is exactly what this book is aboutthis moment, this food, and what is unfolding now.

Plum Gorgeous is surely a book about the sensuous and enchanting nature of fruit and what to do with it in the kitchen. But more than that, its about the pleasures and joys of the table: my own longing for a touchstone and a place to return to; the memories, maps, and connections that abound around each recipe; and the stories and tales that come with each. A delicious outcome is enhanced by the time spent in the kitchen chopping and putting together a painters salad of peaches and heirloom tomatoes with burrata cheese, and the spontaneous gatherings around the table that follow. Its recognizing the gorgeousness that food, and particularly fruit, can be all on its own.

Food keeps us fed and nourished, so why not have it be gorgeous and ecstatic too? For me its so important that food is beautiful, that it not only looks ravishing on the plate, but that it is also delicious and encourages tasting with all the senses. What I love both about cooking and making books, and have tried to illustrate in Plum Gorgeous, is the creative process inherent in both and how they play off each other. I take great pleasure in how Sara Remingtons photographs so intimately and beautifully capture a sense of place and inspire a feeling of magic and romance.

That said, this book is very much a cookbook and definitely about fruits and the seasons in which each grows. It has recipes that are written in the traditional way and, like other cookbooks, hopes to inspire and engage you in the cooking process. For the most part, I believe recipes are just guides; they are a good place to start and I very much encourage you to play with your fruit. Look for fruit that comes from a local farm, if not from a neighbor or a friendly orchard; ask about its province, its story. Youll be surprised at what you learn and at how that translates into what you make with it.