Table of contents for June 2017 in Sunset

SO MANY OF MY FAVORITE food moments in the West have taken place outdoors in summer. The impromptu beach picnic to which our neighbors lugged a cooler full of oysters and a small Tupperware of mignonette sauce. The late-season blackberry brambles, laden with fruit, that beckoned along the bike path outside the town of Olga on Washington’s Orcas Island. A ceviche tostada and ice-cold cerveza I slurped down on a sailboat on the Sea of Cortez during my first trip to Baja one July. Everyone has a cherished warmweather food memory—and, in “My Delicious Summer” (page 64), Sunset food editor Margo True enlists six noteworthy cooks to share those they made in the West. All of the accompanying recipes are stellar, but I could happily eat Denver chef Dana Rodriguez’s…

PERFECT DAY Beyond the neon lights and casinos of downtown Reno is a different kind of strip—one lined with indie shops , museums , restaurants , and breweries . Once a quiet pocket of Victorian homes bridging the Truckee River Arts District and Midtown, the Cal Ave neighborhood drew in a flurry of new businesses and residents a few years ago, becoming a district in its own right in 2012. Today, it’s the city’s hub for all things cool . Spend the day shopping for vinyl, books, and Burning Man–approved accoutrements, and pass the evening sipping cocktails on a rooftop bar— without a slot machine in sight . 8 A.M. Kick off your day at Old World Coffee Lab (old worldcoffee.co ) with a nitro draft latte and a seat…

Flowers run in Natalie Bowen Brookshire’s family—her mother is a garden designer, and her grandmother once owned a floral shop. But at first, Brookshire resisted the call. “I wanted to work in an office and wear a power suit,” she says. “Turns out I need to work with my hands, and I’m not great with computers.” Opening her own floral design studio in San Francisco 14 years ago was the right move; Brookshire is now one of the area’s most sought-after florists, known for her free-flowing seasonal arrangements (nataliebowen designs.com). Behind her design studio, Brookshire plants greenery like abutilon, fern fronds, jasmine, and fuchsia to clip for bouquets. Mostly, though, she uses the small backyard to host parties, from impromptu cocktail hours to giant birthday bashes. Whatever the event, Brookshire…

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA “ Need a refresh? Dress up pots but keep your plants.” JOHANNA SILVER, GARDEN EDITOR PLANT Pair a dreamy cerulean Salvia patens ‘Patio Deep Blue’ in a pot with a bright yellow Rudbeckia hirta such as ‘Prairie Sun’ for a sensational combo that will bloom into the fall. Sow seeds of beans, corn, cucumbers, melons, and squash, including pumpkins for Halloween. If you’ve never grown pumpkins before, a mini version such as ‘Mini Jack ’ (renees garden.com) is a forgiving and quick-maturing choice. Plant basil seedlings every three to four weeks for a steady supply of the herb all summer. Basil likes full sun, regular water, and rich garden soil. Pinch off flowers and harvest leaves regularly for bushy growth . Echinacea, gaillardia, marigolds , and zinnias should…

Chef and owner, Sqirl, L.A. In spring of 1984, I was almost 3 years old. My mother had a 10- by 10-foot garden box in the back of the house, which she considered her art space. She grew zucchini, basil, sunflowers—how much fun we had harvesting the seeds!—and most of all, cherry tomatoes. Now tomatoes, generic cherry tomatoes to be exact, were one of my worst childhood fears. For some weird reason, I had an aversion to fruit—and fruitlike vegetables—as a child. Some thing about the texture made me cringe. Maybe it was the firm skin followed by the pop of flesh that was too much for my mouth to handle. So when my mother said she was planting tomatoes one day, I waddled into the kitchen, grabbed the clamshell…

Chef and owner, Paley’s Place, Imperial Restaurant, Portland Penny Diner, DaNet, and Headwaters, all in Portland In our little town in Belarus, wild plums surrounded us everywhere. We used to harvest them when they were still green, and my grandma would cook them until they were so translucent you could see the pit. We’d eat the plums as jam, on toast with tea. Everything she made was seasonal, from the market or the backyard, and she cooked from her soul, from her heart. Now I live on the west side of Portland. The topography in Oregon is similar to Belarus, and wild plum trees are everywhere here too, in my backyard and just down the hill on Sauvie Island. I ride my bike around the island two or three times…

BY LAND When it’s completed in 2020, Oregon’s Historic Columbia River Highway and State Trail will cut 73 miles through the heart of the Columbia Gorge, from The Dalles to Troutdale. The trail is about 85 percent of the way there, which means you can take your pick of hiking and biking. Or hop in your car for the 35-mile stretch from Bridal Veil to Warrendale, which takes you through gorgeous cascades, including Multnomah Falls, the tallest waterfall in the state. For a dose of river history, hit the Lewis and Clark Recreational Site, the spot where the namesake explorers camped nearby in 1805. oregonstateparks.org. BY PADDLE With enough time and the right set of skills, a person could kayak all 1,200 miles of the Columbia. But let’s face it:…

SERVES 9 / 13⁄4 HOURS, PLUS 2 HOURS TO COOL As this soft, fruit-laden coffee cake bakes, the pistachio streusel sinks a bit, or “buckles.” If you’re lactose-intolerant, feel free to swap in almond milk. TOPPING 1⁄2 cup sugar 1⁄4 cup flour 1⁄4 tsp. each cinnamon, ground cardamom, and kosher salt 1⁄4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-in. pieces 1⁄2 cup chopped pistachios BATTER 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan 11⁄2 cups flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt 3⁄4 cup sugar 1 large egg 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1⁄2 cup regular milk or unsweetened almond milk 3 cups raspberries (completely dry), divided 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Make topping: Whisk sugar, flour, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt in a medium bowl. Add…

TIP OF THE MONTH BRING ON THE VEGETABLES Anytime you fire up the grill, it’s a chance to get ahead on your weeknight cooking: Just throw extra vegetables (tossed with oil and herbs) on the grate, and work them into your cooking throughout the week. Add charred corn kernels to pasta and soup, or over salmon. Pile browned onions onto burgers and steaks. And serve grilled tomatoes with chicken or fish, or chop them for bruschetta. SUMMER STAPLE BURNING LOVE Whether you’re flipping potluck burgers or cooking brisket slow and low, sometimes you need your charcoal grill to keep going (and going). That‘s where Kingsford Long-Burning Charcoal Briquets (from $4.65; kingsford.com) come in. When we tested them on the Sunset grilling patio, they lasted 25 percent longer than regular briquets,…

Get fired up for grilling season Our top 100 recipes for juicy chicken, ribs, chops, and steaks—like these grilled rib-eyes with blistered Padrón peppers—are now online. Add a crowd-pleasing side like chili lime corn for a casual summer meal: sunset.com/grilling. Smart-home starter guide From gadgets to apps, our expert tips and road-tested product picks make it easy to add tech to your home: sunset.com/smarthome. Plant an edible garden It’s not too late to grow backyard veggies this summer. We’ll show you how: sunset.com/ ediblegarden.…

The pavement is still glistening with hailstones from an earlier storm in Yountville, California, but that doesn’t stop Matthew Accarrino from clipping into his pedals. Lean, compact, and dressed head to toe in Lycra, the 39-year-old looks every bit the part of a serious cyclist. And he is: In the past year, he’s competed in more than 25 amateur races, finishing first or second several times. But Accarrino is also the seriously talented chef behind San Francisco’s acclaimed SPQR restaurant, making him perhaps the only American road racer with a Michelin star and a James Beard nomination. Rather than vying for Accarrino’s attention, however, the two passions feed one another. He uses his time on the bike to visit farmers, dream up new dishes, and occasionally pull over to forage…

When it came to decorating her L.A. home, actress Stephanie Turner had an ace up her sleeve : her cousin, celebrated interior designer Nathan Turner . The two Angelenos are sibling-tight—and in sync stylistically too . “We’re both drawn to mix-matched patterns and antiques,” says Nathan. “A nd we share a love of California.” That love played out in every inch of the 1920s bungalow that Stephanie purchased with her husband, Chris Ganan , a few years ago . “Nathan’s suggestion was to embrace what it already was: a cottage-y house,” says Stephanie , who worked in Nathan’s eponymous West Hollywood showroom for five years . Together, the Turners worked room by room over a ninemonth period to combine the pieces Stephanie already owned with budget-friendly finds from eBay and…

Chef and owner, Night+Market and Night+Market Song, L.A. I can’t think of anything that’s more SoCal than avocados. They’re like an everyday kind of gold. But this story is a case where beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder. I grew up in L.A., and when I was 12 or 13, one of my closest cousins, James, came to visit from Bangkok for the first time. He was 3 years younger and looked up to me, but we couldn’t have been more different. I was this L.A. kid who wore pants that were six sizes too large, a flannel shirt, and skate shoes. His dad was a retired four-star general, so he grew up with that regimented lifestyle. When he came, I was really pumped to show off…

Blogger, Nom Nom Paleo, Palo Alto, CA For the past 10 years, for a week every summer, my family and I have been going to a relaxing little place on Maui called Ka‘anpali. My husband, Henry , and I realized that we would rather spend money on experiences than on things, because that’s what our kids will remember. They won’t remember the Lego set. Back home, Henry works in Silicon Valley—which is a crazy pressure cooker—and I’m running a social media–oriented business while parenting. It’s impossible for me to unplug completely. But when we fly into Maui’s airport, he inhales that island air and visibly decompresses, and so do I. Starting that very first morning, we walk over to this hippie-dippy grocery store. There are all these free samples—lots of…

SERVES 6 TO 8 / 11⁄4 HOURS, PLUS 2 HOURS TO CHILL Sweet and tangy, crunchy and creamy— this recipe delivers a perfect combination of flavors and textures in each bite. A touch of gelatin in the lime curd helps it set enough to slice cleanly. 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes Cooking-oil spray or vegetable oil 1 tsp. unflavored gelatin 6 tbsp. plus 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter 1 sleeve (9 rectangles; 4.7 oz.) graham crackers 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar Pinch of kosher salt 2 tsp. lime zest, divided 3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk 1⁄2 cup lime juice 3⁄4 cup heavy whipping cream 21⁄2 cups raspberries 1. Preheat oven to 375°. Toast coconut on a rimmed baking sheet until golden brown, 3 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile,…

SALMON with COCONUT LIME CILANTRO SAUCE SERVES 4 / 25 MINUTES Mustard seeds add flavor and crunch to this sauce, inspired by Samin Nosrat’s Indian chutney in her new book , Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking (Simon & Schuster , $35 ). We love it on salmon, with spiced coconut rice (basmati rice mixed with toasted mustard seeds and unsweetened shredded coconut). 2 tbsp. virgin coconut oil* or canola oil, divided 1 tbsp. brown mustard seeds 1 tsp. cumin seeds 4 pieces boned wild salmon fillet (1 to 11⁄4 in. thick) 11⁄2 tsp. kosher salt, divided 1⁄2 tsp. freshly ground pepper 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus 1⁄4 cup cilantro leaves 1⁄2 cup sliced green onions 1 medium jalapeño, chopped 3…

RIESLING Poor Riesling is the victim of a reputation earned decades ago, when much of it in the West was made in a sweet German style but without that country’s characteristic acidity for balance. The result was a syrupy starter drink, something to put behind you when your palate grew up. Come back now, though, and you’ll find far more balanced versions. Some are truly bone-dry ; others have a bit of sweetness. (Many are using a scale on their label indicating the level of dryness or sweetness, so you know what you’re getting.) The best ones are grown in places where they retain the variety’s natural crispness. Add to that honeysuckle and jasmine aromas; green apple, stone fruit, and citrus flavors; minerality and nuttiness—and you have one of the…

Nothing signals summer like the scent of hardwood smoke and grilled food. To kick off a season of cooking outdoors, we’re partnering with Traeger Grills (traegergrills.com) to give away a swanky Timberline 850—featuring WiFire to connect the grill to your phone’s Traeger app for easy temperature regulation and access to thousands of grilling recipes. Traeger culinary director Matthew Domingo (at left) will also fly out to help demo the grill before cooking a recipe at the home of one lucky winner in the Lower 48 (a prize package worth $3,000). For more on this Instagram contest, go to sunset.com/grillcontest (May 16–Jun 12).…

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA Accarrino has cooked for training camps around this part of the state and is a big fan of its quiet country roads. Many recreational cyclists enjoy a 12-mile loop through Ballard Canyon, beginning and ending in the Danishinspired town of Solvang. The chef suggests pairing a ride around the area with a visit to The Hitching Post II steakhouse, the place made famous by the movie Sideways. hitch ingpost2.com. NEW MEXICO For years, Accarrino has made food for a cycling team at the prestigious Tour of the Gila, held in April. While the pros tackle 100-mile days, the chef tells everyday riders to try a backroads climb from Silver City toward Pinos Altos. A full round-trip is about 30 miles, but you can turn around at any point…

PLANT NOW ‘VIOLET INTRIGUE’ LAVENDER for deep purple flower color ‘SILVER FROST ’ LAVENDER for drought-tolerant landscaping ‘GROSSO’ LAVENDER for essential oils and cooking Rose Loveall could have taken the obvious route when she opened a nursery, stocking it with the usual crowd-pleasing mix of flowers and shrubs. But she decided to follow her passion and include a blowout selection of herbs. “I love everything about the plants,” she says. “Their medicinal quality, their scent, their beauty, their ability to solve landscaping problems.” Setting up shop on a portion of her parents’ walnut farm in Vacaville, California, Loveall opened Morningsun Herb Farm in 1995. Since then, she’s made it her mission to expose customers to the plants’ usefulness as well as their resilience. “With so many herbs, you can treat…

Chef and co-owner, Work & Class, Denver I grew up on a small farm in Chihuahua, Mexico, with no running water or electricity, where we raised our own animals and grew grains and a few vegetables—everything clean and simple and delicious. I’m the only child and was always closer to my dad. He made green chile, and tortillas, by hand. We would take that with us to eat when we went in the truck to Hidalgo del Parral, three hours away, to buy groceries. Then we’d travel around to all the farms near us, sometimes for days, selling out of the truck or trading for what they had. We’d heat up our chile and share it with them. When I first tasted green chile in the United States, I said,…

“Honey, I’M OFF TO BINGO!” was something I never imagined myself saying. But here I was, cruising the Columbia River somewhere near Stevenson, Washington. The paddle wheel cast a shadow over us as I sat with Daisy and Blazer, a former prison guard and his gal. Already, a woman at a rival table had won three rounds; we called her Bingo Barb. Our cruise director, Lindy, worked the cage, and one quite elderly lady kept yelling out, “Bingo!” though none of her numbers had been called; eventually, our cabin-neighbor Samantha confiscated her card. The bartender, Dan, with a great scar on his head, stood in his gold vest and cleaned the glassware. Blazer turned to me and asked, “Where’s your…” I saw him searching for the word. “Partner?” “Upstairs,” I…

SERVES 4 OR 5 / 10 MINUTES This refreshing drink has all the makings of a signature party cocktail. It can be adjusted to taste (using light rum instead of the gin will tilt it toward a mojito). And the pitcher-size format means more time with guests rather than shaking drinks. 1 cup raspberries, divided 1⁄4 English cucumber, thinly sliced 2 tbsp. packed fresh mint leaves, plus 4 or 5 mint sprigs 1⁄4 cup sugar 3 oz. lemon juice 8 oz. gin 1 bottle (12 to 14 oz.) cold seltzer 1. Put 1/3 cup raspberries, the cucumber, and 2 tbsp. mint in a pitcher. Add sugar. Mash with a wooden spoon or muddler until raspberries are crushed and mint is aromatic. Add lemon juice and gin and stir until sugar…