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By Root 223 0

can tell what will happen in Big Sur, just as the summer season was getting under way, a lightning storm started what became a massive forest fire near the Bakery. Mike’s house burned down early in the fire and he once again found himself sleeping on the Bakery floor, comforted by waking to the smell of freshly baked bread. Yet, despite the destruction, there was still beauty in Big Sur—and a sense of community that only grew stronger as the fires spread. Michelle, Phil, and Wayne snuck away and caught fish for a feast for friends and family; a few nights earlier, we served a huge pizza dinner to the firemen to thank them for keeping us safe.

We eventually had to evacuate until the firemen could control the blazes, but just two weeks later, we were back, open for business, and looking forward to the season ahead. Even in the worst of it, when we looked up at the charred hills and smelled the fire’s smoke, we were reminded just what a fragile, special place this is—and how lucky we are to call it home.

Photographs by Sara Remington

Basics

Fingerling Potato Confit

Preserved Garlic

Pizza Dough

Basil Oil

Homemade Mayonnaise

Meyer Lemon Dressing

Tomato Sauce

Candied Meyer Lemon Zest

Chicken Stock

Equipment

Techniques

Recipes

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Fingerling Potato Confit

Confit is a French term referring to a preservation method where food—usually meat like goose, duck, or pork—is slowly cooked in fat and preserved with the fat packed around it as a seal. In this recipe, potatoes are submerged in oil and cooked slowly over low heat, steaming in their own jackets. We add these to our Fresh Garbanzo-Bean Stew, but you can also eat them on their own—they don’t actually absorb the oil they’re cooked in.

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INGREDIENTS

1 pound Russian banana fingerling potatoes, similar in size

1 rosemary sprig

3 garlic cloves

6 black peppercorns

1 tablepoon kosher salt

4 cups rice bran oil or canola oil

Makes 1 pound of potatoes

Place the potatoes, rosemary sprig, garlic, peppercorns, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cover the potatoes with the oil, and bring to a slow simmer over medium-low heat. Cook until the potatoes are just tender (check them with a toothpick), about 30 minutes. (Don’t overcook them, or they’ll be mushy.) Let the potatoes cool in the oil.

As with other types of confit, the potatoes will keep in the oil, refrigerated, for several days.

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Preserved Garlic

Peeling the garlic might take a while, but once it’s been preserved, it will keep for a long time in the refrigerator. It’s so delicious, though, that you shouldn’t expect it to last for long. Substitute this preserved garlic in any recipe that calls for raw garlic—it’s particularly good in Caesar salads, or even just spread on toast.

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INGREDIENTS

Cloves from 1 garlic head

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup rice bran oil, canola oil, peanut oil, or any vegetable oil that’s neutral in flavor

Makes ¾ cup

Peel the garlic cloves and put them in a food processor. Add the salt and ¼ cup of the oil, and process for 10 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and process for another 10 seconds, until the garlic is chopped very fine. (If you like your garlic pieces bigger, that’s fine, too—just make sure the pieces are somewhat uniform in size.)

Transfer the garlic to a small saucepan, cover with the remaining ¼ cup oil, and cook slowly over very low heat for 20 to 25 minutes. The garlic is ready when its flavor changes from sharp to mild and its color turns from bone white to cream. Let the garlic cool in its cooking oil, and store (in the oil) in the refrigerator for up to several weeks.

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Pizza Dough

This is our basic pizza dough recipe, which we created when we first started experimenting with the wood-fired oven during our first couple of months in Big Sur. We like to use this dough the day after it’s made. And it’s even better two days after.

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INGREDIENTS

½ teaspoon active dry yeast

1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons bread flour, plus extra for dusting

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Makes dough for two 12-inch