4. Blog: Joy the Baker

What inspires you to write a food blog?

In my mind, food and story are inseparable. What's a recipe but the story of how to make something beautiful. It's the story of a balsamic vinegar that's been carefully aged in seven different types of wood for a hundred years. Those drops of vinegar tell the story of the generations that worked to produce it. It's the story of me, standing on my tip-toes in my grandmother's kitchen, helping my aunt roll buttery Mexican Wedding Cakes in piles of powdered sugar.

When I discovered food blogs, I found a community of people as crazy about food as I am. They inspired me to create a place to share my stories about food and family, and how to make something beautiful.

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What sort of posting really gets your readers excited (good or bad)?

You know what gets people excited? Butter. Loads and loads of butter, mixed with sugar and chocolate. I think my readers get most excited about sweet treats that they can whip up for their families without much fuss. People go nuts for these Easy Cinnamon Roll Muffins. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are another favourite, which can be thrown together in one bowl in about 15 minutes.

Which cookbook can you not do without and which chef is your hero/heroine?

First of all, I love cookbooks. I've been known to fall asleep at night clutching a cookbook. My bedroom floor is littered with open and dog-eared cookbooks with notes and ideas. Right now, The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri and Eggs by Michel Roux are the two books that I fall asleep with most often.

The chefs I admire most are not likely to be household names. I know a chef who can take the simplicity of freshly shaved Brussels sprouts, toasted hazelnuts and satsumas and turn it into a salad so beautiful I barely blush when I tell the waiter I'd like a second order of the same salad. This chef simply shares her love of food through the intimate space she creates and the food she makes. That's what I admire most.

Tell us something about food from your part of the world?

Southern California seems to only have two seasons: spring and summer. It's a place where you can literally sit in the shade of a giant blossoming orange tree, humming with honey bees. The food here is influenced by the abundance and variety of fresh, year-round produce. Southern California dining is eclectic, casual and market fresh.

Share a seasonal recipe with us... and a tip for a local restaurant?

In the late summer my favorite thing to do is slice up a handful of ripe, farmers' market strawberries and toss them in a few generous pinches of granulated sugar. I drizzle the strawberries with a teaspoon of aged balsamic vinegar and pour the whole mixture over a bowl of vanilla ice cream. The sweetness of the strawberries meets the acids of the aged balsamic just beautifully. Throw in the creaminess of vanilla ice cream and you've got an irresistible refreshing summer dessert.

My favourite bakery in Los Angeles is a little neighborhood cafe called Clementine. Their baked goods look and taste like they came out my grandmother's kitchen. Their seasonal menu of salads and pastas is creative and absolutely inspired. They are the only place I know of that can dedicate an entire month to the grilled cheese sandwich. I look forward to it all year long.

What would you eat for your last supper?

I'm sure that people might think I'm the type to head straight for an eight-layer chocolate cake as my last meal. Well, I just happen to have an unreasonable affection for hot dogs - all-beef, store bought hot dogs with fresh sauerkraut, wholegrain mustard and side of crunchy oven baked fries.

I'd finish the meal off with a tall glass of whole milk and a plate of my dad's famous chocolate chip cookies. His recipe is so top-secret he calls them Cliff's-Lock-in-a-Box-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies and only a few trusted family members are graced with the knowledge of the secret ingredient.

Which other food blogs do you read regularly?

Drop me in the kitchen with David Lebovitz and Deb from Smitten Kitchen, and the three of us would have a blast. David's adventures in Paris cooking always leave me laughing and Deb's photography is an absolute inspiration. By the end of the day our bellies and cameras would be filled with delicious treats.

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