Get Outside!

SNOW ADVENTURES

HAPPY
NEW YE AR!

UNDISCOVERED HAWAII

Fresh &
Healthy Recipes

Heart y
Dinner Salads
Guilt- Free
Snacks
Chefs Favorite
Citrus Dishes

GLUTENFREE

YOUR DREAM
HOME
on a

BUDGET
P. 40

Orange
Cake
P. 88

EXPERIENCE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
the WEST

anuary
49

LET IT SNOW

Experience the Wests

world-class powder
with our guide to cozy
lodges and winter
funon and off the
slopes. Essays by Josh
Dean & Pam Houston

62

TREASURED ISLAND

A couple revisits the

backroads and secret
beaches of the Big
Island, where they
fell in lovethis time
with a ukelele-mad
10-year-old in tow.
By Peggy Orenstein

70

MEYER LEMON LOVE

Chefs recipes for

marrying our favorite
backyard citrus with
crab pasta, braised
chicken, and more.
By Elaine Johnson
ON THE COVER
Snow adventures p. 49
Undiscovered Hawaii
p. 62

The magic of the Big Island

is that it feels both old and young,
harsh and gentle.
TREASURED ISLAND, p. 62

Photograph by

T H O M A S J. S T O RY

Fresh & healthy

recipes p. 70, 79, 84,
90, 94

Dream home on a
budget p. 40
Cake cover: Photograph
by Thomas J. Story; food
styling by Karen Shinto.
Hawaii cover: Photograph by Thomas J. Story.

EXPERIENCE the WEST

January
THIS MONTHS
RECIPES

CONVERSATIONS

BEST OF THE WEST

SNACKS

Furikake Popcorn ..................96

Garlic Parmesan Popcorn ....96
Salt & Pepper Popcorn .........96
Smoked Paprika Popcorn .....96

9 Napas
truffle fest (and star
dog), Ted Turners ranch deal,
THIS MONTHS PICKS

new cruise terminal, and more

SOUP, SALADS & SIDE

TRAVEL

Classic spots
17 and
new favorites in San
Diegos Balboa Park
ASK A LOCAL

33
HOME & GARDEN

Our favorite
33 stone-fruit
trees, from a classic
peach to new hybrids, and
PLANT NOW

Chicken with Preserved Meyer

Lemon & Olives GF/LC .....77
Coconut Milk Shrimp
GF/LC .................................96
Crab Pasta with Prosecco &
Meyer Lemon Sauce LS .....76
Orecchiette with Escarole,
Capers & Olives LC/V.......91
Sablefish with Savoy Cabbage
& Fennel Slaw GF/LC........80
Scrambled Eggs with Meyer
Lemon Salsa Verde GF/V..77
Spicy Lamb Tacos LC/LS .....90

Nature vs. nurture in

92 winemaking
techniques
94 From-scratch
corn tortillas,
instant appetizers, and more

DESSERTS

MASTER CLASS

FAST & FRESH

39 What
to do in your garden
in January
GARDEN CHECKLIST

A PERFECT DAY IN

editions)
North Hollywood (SoCal)
St. George, UT (Southwest
& Mountain)
Read all three on Sunsets
interactive Digital Edition
(sunset.com/learnmore).

26 pilgrimage
to Aberdeen,
WA, Kurt Cobains home-

WANDERLUST Making the

town. By Bill Donahue

How one
40 couple
built their dream house
on a real-world budget
SMART SPACE

46 Adding
character with paint,
plus other tips from our team
IN THE WESTERN HOME

SIP

IN THE SUNSET KITCHEN

FOOD & DRINK

Mild and
79 sweet
savoy will make you
a cabbage convert.
PEAK SEASON

MAIN COURSES

to
84 bake with gluten-freeLearnflours.
90 meals in 30 minutesWeeknight
or less

a guide to growing them

22 San
Franciscos Presidio
(NorCal & Northwest

Grilled Chicken & Kale Salad

with Tahini Lemon Dressing
GF ........................................91
Lettuce Snap Pea Salad
with Meyer Lemon Cream
GF/LC/LS/V ......................76
Savoy Cabbage Gratin
LC/LS/V..............................81
Savoy Cabbage Soup with
Tiny Meatballs LC/LS ........82

Answers to
102 your
questions, including
a big-city culture fix
ASK SUNSET

Buckwheat Gingerbread
Muffins GF/LC/LS/V ........87
Corn Flour & Orange
Blossom Chiffon Cake
GF/LC/LS/V ......................88
Meyer Lemon Cornmeal
Upside-Down Cake V ........76
Oat Flour & Almond Sabls
GF/LC/LS/V ......................86
PANTRY

Candied Orange Zest ..........89

Homemade Corn Tortillas ....94
Whipped Cream &
Crme Frache ....................89

GET MORE PHOTOS + VIDEOS

IN OUR DIGITAL MAGAZINE
Take Sunset wherever you roam with our interactive Digital
Edition, available on iPad, iPhone, Android, and Kindle Fire.
Youll get every story from our print magazine, plus bonus
contentthis month, see a photo essay on Nirvanas birthplace
and watch our ingredient-prep videos, including how to roll an
orange for easiest zesting. Learn more: sunset.com/learnmore.

RECIPE GUIDE
GF: Gluten-free; LC: Low calorie;
LS: Low sodium; V: Vegetarian;
VG: Vegan
Our full guide to nutrition,
ingredients, and techniques:
sunset.com/cookingguide.

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J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5 S U N S E T

 2014 Torani/R. Torre & Company

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CONVERSATIONS

NEW YEAR, NEW FACTOIDS

PEGGY NORTHROP, EDITOR-IN- CHIEF

@Peggy_Sunset | readerletters@sunset.com

JA N UA RY P HOTO C ON T E S T

Winter in the West

Weve discovered, via our social media pages, that Sunset readers are fantastic photographers. The proof: This image by Michelle Bird of the fog-encased view from Mt.
Davidson in San Francisco, the winner of our most recent photo contest. This month,
we want to see how youre playing in the snow. Share shots of your favorite winter
moments around the West for a chance to be featured in the magazine. Follow our
Facebook and Instagram pages for contest details starting January 1, 2015.
6

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

Trying to eat
freshagain
Sugar. Caffeine.
Alcohol. Red meat.
Sarcasm. Last January,
for our Eat Fresh
Challenge, 11 intrepid
Sunset editors atoned
for holiday indulgences
by giving up one vice.
Participants prepared
differently: Some
shopped diligently for
healthy food, while
copy editor Trina
Enriquez scarfed the
last of her chocolate
stash, Mardi Gras
style. One travel editor
dumped her sweets in a
bag and hid it, and
associate garden editor
Johanna Silver
confessed, I am
unprepared mentally,
physically, spiritually,
grocery-ly. Working
here didnt help:
Sunset.com managing
editor Gina Goff called
the Test Kitchen a
real-world Temptation
Island. Some caved
(blame hunger pangs,
internal conflict, and
Barbra Streisand),
while others stayed the
course. In the end, we
rewarded ourselves
withwhat else?Sugar.
Caffeine. Alcohol. Red
meat. Sarcasm. Keep
us honest this year:
Follow along at sunset.
com/eatfresh.

PORTRAIT: THOMAS J. STORY (HAIR AND MAKEUP: PRESTON NESBIT/AUBRI BALK, INC.); BOTTOM: MICHELLE BIRD

Snow fun, then and

now: Working on
this months feature
(page 49), we
were inspired by
iconic snowy cover
stories from the
pastlike Sequoia
Winter Magic,
from December
1981.

With every issue of Sunset, I refresh my store of what I call

cocktail party facts: curious bits of knowledgesometimes even
usefulthat I cant wait to share with someone else.
If you run into me at a party sometime this season, you might
hear me spout off about the following:
CHICKEN STOCK Who knew, but the best and heartiest is made
from boiling the leg bones onlywith kelp (aka kombu) added
for even more body. That one is thanks to food editor Margo
True, who learned this while spending a week in the kitchen
with the genius chefs of San Franciscos Bar Tartine (youll read
that story in an upcoming issue).
TRUFFLE DOGS A good truffle-hunting canine can earn $150,000
a year. (Now if only my dog, Riley, would get with the program.)
And did you know that dogs are not only just as good at
hunting truffles as pigs areone-third of dogs brains are
devoted to the sense of smell, after allbut they also dont bite
off your fingers the way pigs tend to?
FAKE SNOW Every snowflake is uniqueunless it comes out of a snow-making
machine. Snow machines form flakes with identical dendritic arms. Just saying
dendritic arms makes me feel like an expert.
THE DEARTH OF SNOW COCKTAILS IN COLORADO Its generally illegal to collect
rainwater in Denver, so there is some confusion about whether youre allowed to
collect snow and put it in a glass with some liquor and sell it. Which means that
when we were trying to get a bartender to craft a snow cocktail for our feature
story on page 49, we couldnt. (But hey, smoke as much pot as you want!)
Heres hoping you find something startlingly new and deeply useful in our
pages this month. At the very least, your fingers are now safe from truffle pigs.
(Youre welcome.)

CALIFORNIA BOASTS

the freshest local

produce and most
extraordinary wine
in the country and
its reected in
culinary offerings
found throughout
the state.

Join us this January

for California
Restaurant Month
a celebration of
great destinations,
fantastic food, and
delectable drinks.

Learn more online

at DineinCA.com

BEST
WEST
OF THE

W H AT W E R E T R AC K I N G T H I S M O N T H

Were your parents truffle

dogs? Yesmy breed is from
Emilia-Romagna, but my actual
parents are from Sicily, which is
where I was trained when I was
just a little bitty pup.
How are truffle dogs trained?
The way theyve been training my
breed since about 1540: They
would sew a truffle in some cloth
and theyd throw the truffle for me
and Id retrieve it, and then theyd
hide the truffle, and theyd say,
Dove, Rico, dove? Which means,
Where, where? And Id go look
for it. And then they would bury
it, and theyd say, Dove, Rico?
and Id dig it updig dig dig dig.
Have you ever eaten a truffle?
Some of us like to eat them and
some of us dont. Sometimes, if
we find undesirable truffles, the
handlers give those to us; otherwise we just get a treat.
Which is what? For me, organic
buffalo hot dogs. Its got to be a
pretty darn good treat for me to
not want to eat the truffle.

BEST
WESTERNER

Rico the truffle dog

The absolute highlight of the Napa Truffle Festival is the truffle-hunting demonstration at Robert
Sinskey Vineyards. (The festival is presented by the American Truffle Company, which convinces
Napa Valley landowners to plant black-truffle orchardsSinskeys will be the first to produce
the fungus, beginning this year.) Why? The star of the show, Rico, whos a four-year-old Lagotto
Romagnolo, an Italian breed of retriever. When hes not digging for treasure, he lives in the East Bay
with his owner and tartufio (truffle hunter), Bill Collins, a psychologist whose day job is treating traumatized veterans. (Rico helps him out with that too.) We chatted with Rico recently about his work.
Photograph by

JOHN CLARK

Do you need to be a Lagotto

Romagnolo to hunt truffles?
Any type of dog can learn to do it.
Really, what makes a good truffle
dog is temperament. You want a
dog that wants to please and has
a good sense of concentration.
When Im hunting and there are
other dogs, I let them know, Hey,
Ill play with you, but not right
now. When I hear the magic
word, doveits game on. Nothing else matters. Thats what separates me from the others who
just hang out and eat truffle
cheese. Which I do like, by the
way. You got some?
Festival events from $60; Jan 1619;
napatrufflefestival.com.
SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

David
and
Goliath

BEST
DODGED
BULLET

Pacific Gas and Electrics plan to build a nuclear power plant on the
headland above Bodega
Bay, Californiaand,
ahem, the San Andreas
faultprogressed alarmingly far before townspeople convinced regulators to block it in
1964. (You can still see
the reactor pit, now
filled with water.) Hole
in the Head: The Battle
for Bodega Bay and the
Birth of the Environmental Movement, at Santa
Rosas Sonoma County
Museum, tells the almost
forgotten story of arrogant officials, crusading
geologists, and an undercover waitress. No,
this isnt a blockbuster
exhibition, but big isnt
always more powerful.
Just ask PG&E. $7;
closes Feb 9; sonoma
countymuseum.org.

Bonanza

BEST
AIRPORT GIFT
SHOPS

Youre waiting for your flight and you suddenly remember...the cat sitter. Your coworkers. Your kids. Whomever it
is you forgot to shop for. It may not be too late to buy a legit
souvenir of the city you just left. At Sea-Tac, the record label
that brought us Nirvana opened its first airport store in May
what sullen teen wouldnt love a Sub Pop knit hat? A clutch
of Tattered Cover bookstores in Denvers airport highlights
the work of local writers, and at San Franciscos renovated
Terminal 3, theres Marin-pressed olive oil at the McEvoy
Ranch pop-up. Now you have an answer to that eternal question. seatacshops.com; flydenver.com; flysfo.com.
J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

BEST GEAR
WITH
BENEFITS

In 1996, Ted Turner bought a onetime

cattle spread on the northern border
of New Mexico and turned it into his
own private bison reserve. Over the years, hes opened the 925-square-mile
Vermejo Park Ranch, as its called, to small ecotours while continuing to host
the elk-hunting parties and corporate retreats that pay the bills. (The ranchs
eight-bedroom, LEED-certified Costilla Lodge, added in 2010, costs high rollers a cool $10,000 per night.) For one month each winter, though, the rest
of us can stay at the lodge for a mere $300 a night, which includes not only
three meals a day but also guided snowshoeing and cross-country ski outings.
And this high in the Sangre de Cristo Range, snow is almost a certainty. The
Winter Escape deal starts at the end of January and runs through March 1:
Better book now. vermejoparkranch.com.

WHAT DID YOU

BRING ME?

10

DO-RIGHT
SITE

BEST
WAY TO
GO
MOGUL

BEST
REBOOT

Feel-good story
Two Bunch Palms, the Desert Hot Springs, California, getaway in whose mud baths Tim Robbins
and Greta Scacchi frolicked in The Player, has just
overhauled its guest roomstrading the Brat
Pack decor for 1970s revival (in a good way).
More important, in a saving-the-world sense, is
the 3.5-acre solar array that is due to come online this monthitll provide enough electricity
for the compounds use and then some, using a
lot less water than would the equivalent conventional power plant. From $219; twobunchpalms.com.

Not quite
a year old,
the Utah-based gear
e-tailer Cotopaxi
is more than just
another outdoorsy
start-up: Formed as
a benefit corporation, its legally
committed to making
the world a better
place. For instance,
a part of the proceeds from each
backpack, garment,
or water bottle goes
to a specific cause
for the Pacaya
insulated jacket
(above, $199), its
midwife training
in Guatemala; for
the Inca daypack
($109), its hiring
a tutor for an orphanage in Bolivia
and Cotopaxis
factories all promise
good working conditions and betterthan-living wages.
Plus, the companys
goods are well made
and seriously stylish.
cotopaxi.com.

Being a firefighter, Ive seen a lot of car accidents.

I feel very safe with my family in the Prius.
The Plummers, Prius owners

toyota.com/prius
Actual Prius owner made previously aware their likeness and statement may be used for advertising. 2014 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

BEST
WELLNESS
TECH

You,
new and
improved

A yoga mat wired with

sensors to critique your
poses. A cushion for
your chair that nags you
about your posture and
urges you to take a walk.
A scale that analyzes
the nutritional benefits
of your meals ingredients. A glowing orb
(below) that sits on your
nightstand and monitors
your sleep, waking
you at the optimal nongroggy moment. A human
hamster wheel, designed
to be used with a standing deskway more
exciting than a treadmill!
These products are all
here or coming soon,
thanks to Western ingenuity and crowdfunding
sites like Kickstarter and
Indiegogo. Actually, you
cant buy the hamster
wheelbut you can build
one with the help of the
website Instructables.
All youll need is some
plywood, four skateboard
wheels, a couple of
lengths of pipe, 240 wood
screws, a pint of glue,
and a good attitude.
What could possibly
go wrong? SmartMat
yoga mat: $297; smart
mat.com. Darma cushion:
$149; darma.co. Prep
Pad scale: $150;
theorangechef.com.
Sense sleep monitor:
$129; hello.is. Hamster
Wheel Standing Desk:
instructables.com.

Can anyone remember a time when the properly accessorized garden or tabletop tableau
didnt include succulents? In fact, theyve become such a crucial decor element that not
having the requisite sedum or sempervivum just might trigger an existential crisis. Dalla
Vita to the rescue! Based in Santa Barbara, the brother and sister floral-design team offers
a same-day succulents-delivery service anywhere in the countya business idea were
sure will be spreading like ice plants on a beach. From $35; dallavita.com.
12

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

BEST
ONLY IN
THE WEST

TOP: HEATHER HACKNEY

Succulents on standby

WHERE THE MAJESTY OF ALASKA MEETS THE MAGIC OF DISNEY.

The difference is specialized itineraries.
And hand-selected excursions.
A magical world of natural beauty.
And authentic Alaskan cuisine.
Its creating the ideal vacation for the whole family.
The difference is Disney.

Visit disneycruise.com/alaska,
call 1-888-325-3819 or
contact your Travel Agent.

Sailing summer 2015

Skagway

Ketchikan

Tracy Arm

Vancouver

Juneau

HERE
COMES
THE
SUN

BEST
EXCUSE TO
HIT BAJA

BEST LOOK
FORWARD

Even in California, land of January citrus (mmm, Meyer lemons

see page 70), chefs and civilians get a little weary of the kale
and rutabagas cluttering the
farmers markets. (When will
the strawberries arrive?) We
cant accelerate time for you,
but we can suggest you pick up
Maria Schoettlers Eat Local
Calendar. Her delicate gouache
paintings of whats available at
her own Oakland markets each
month are a pledge to all of us
snowbound mountain dwellers
includedthat spring and sunshine are indeed on the way.
$34; mariaschoettler.com.

Endless
summer

BEST
LOOK
BACK

A jeweled tower 43 stories tall. A Palace of Agriculture

boasting an 11,000-pound cheese. A Joy Zone offering, among
other attractions, burlesque shows and a replica of Old Faithful Inn.
A Fountain of Energy (above) designed by Stirling Calderyes, Alexanders father. The wonders of the Panama-Pacific International
Exposition, which began its nearly yearlong run a century ago in
what is now San Franciscos Marina District, could fill a book. And
they do. From Berkeleys Heyday Books and the California Historical Society, San Franciscos Jewel City, by historian Laura Ackley, not
only provides a guide to the 635-acre fair but also tells how it fulfilled its unspoken mission: proving to the world that San Francisco
was back on its feet after the 1906 quake. $40; heydaybooks.com.

Anchors aweigh

When San Franciscos James

R. Herman Cruise Terminal
opened for business last fall, the
citys tourism industry cheered. After all, the blue-glass box on Pier 27, below Telegraph
Hill, is a far better billboard than drafty old Pier 35 ever was, and itll lure more dollars
too (cruise-ship traffic for 2015 is already up 10 percent). But what will it mean for you,
the passenger? This month, mostly a less gloomy boarding experience for the midsize
Princesses on their traditional midwinter HawaiiMexico rounds. But Pier 27 can handle the next generation of monster vessels, the kind with enough space for climbing
walls and ice rinks and ziplines. Not coincidentally, Royal Caribbean, which specializes
in such behemoths, will test the waters, literally, in May with its Jewel of the Seas. Time to
dig out your carabiners? For a list of cruise ships calling this year, go to sfport.com.

BEST
WELCOME
MAT

14

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED

SUNSET

CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: THOMAS J. STORY, JAY ACH

Calling what takes

place in Todos
Santos for two long
weekends this month
a full-on festival
might be an overstatement, but the
Todos Santos Music
Festival does boast
genuine stars among
its 12 (count em,
12!) headliners:
indie rocker Conor
Bright Eyes Oberst,
the Drive By Truckers, The Jayhawks,
and M. Ward, who,
with Zooey Deschanel, was She & Him.
Festival founder
Peter Bucklead guitarist for REM, who
was born in Berkeley
and now splits his
time between Portland and Seattle
performs too, and
theres a locals showcase at the Hotel California. Reserved tickets cost only about
$20 a day, its January, and youre in
idyllic Baja Sur...not
bad. Jan 1517,
2124; todossantos
musicfestival.com.

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Travel
ASK A
LO C A L

THE REAL
BALBOA PARK

San Diegos gorgeous park turns 100

this year. Heres how to make the
most of its gardens, museums,
restaurants, and
amazing zoo.

Photograph by

D AV E L A U R I D S E N

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

17

Travel
ASK
A LOC A L

At 100, San Diegos premier

playground has never looked better. It
has 17 museums, 19 gardens, 65 miles
of hiking trails, and that famous zoo.
So where do you start? How about
with two locals who know the terrain.
AS TOLD TO CASEY HATFIELD - CHIOTTI

San Diego
Natural
History
Museum
$17; 1788 El Prado;
sdnhm.org.
RICK SCHWARTZ

Timken
Museum
Free; 1500 El Prado;
timkenmuseum.org.

you can play with

that helps you understand how magnetic fields attract
and repel.
WHAT NOT
TO MISS AT THE SAN
DIEGO ZOO

The
Elephant
Odyssey
$46; 2920 Zoo Dr.;
zoo.sandiegozoo.org.
RS This exhibit is
interesting because
it tells the story of
the Columbian

DANA SPRINGS
Director of San Diegos
Commission for Arts and Culture

here today. We love

to refer to it as a geriatric herd because
these are all pretty
old elephants
some are former
circus performers,
some are from other
zoos, and some
have been here in
San Diego for the
past 40 years. Its
designed so all the
elephant care is
done right in front
of the public.
DS In the evening,
when its cooler, you

DANA SPRINGS

I love the comfortable setting at the

Timken Museum.
Theres an abundance of natural
light, so it feels like
youre walking into
someones living
roomexcept you
can see a Rembrandt and works
by other European
masters. My favorite painting is Venetos Portrait of a Lady
in a Green Dress. It
makes me think
about what life in a
royal court was like
and how women
ever got anything
done with their hair
up so tight.
18

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

run around at their

feet. Its like this crazy elephant/rabbit
cocktail party.

FAVORITE GIFT-SHOP
SOUVENIR

Mingei
museum
1439 El Prado;
mingei.org.

The Collectors
Gallery started
carrying Maru
Lopez jewelry.
Lopez works at the
museum, and the
shop buyer was so
taken with the
painted brass
jewelry she wore
that she began
stocking it. Its cool,
like jelly beans set
in gold. Why didnt
anyone think of this
sooner? I also like
the is-it-stone, is-itglass, is-it-plastic
double takes. The
pieces are elegant
and fun but not silly.
DS

there too. There are

wave machines, and
you can see how
land formations are
created; theres an
area full of magnets

mammoth, which
once roamed Southern California and
is a direct ancestor
of the Asian elephant herd we have

get to see the elephants feed themselves, which is fun,

but then all the little
wild rabbits in the
park come out and

TOP LEFT: JOHN DURANT; BOTTOM: DAVE LAURIDSEN

MUST-VISIT
MUSEUMS

Maybe its because

of my neurotic love
for science and nature, but Im crazy
about the San Diego
Natural History
Museum. Especially all of the interactive exhibits for
kids. Honestly,
adults should go

RICK SCHWARTZ
Animal care supervisor at
the San Diego Zoo

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Travel

to myself, Ill stop

there for a bit. It
transports me.

Great Maple
$$; 1451 Washington
St.; thegreatmaple.com.

Its just outside

the park, over in the
Hillcrest neighborhood, and they
make some fantastic drinks. They do
these half-serving
cocktails that I love.
It allows you to order minis to make
cocktail pairings
DS

the Balboa Park

institutions.

Pigment
MOST OUTSTANDING
PATCH OF GREEN

3801 30th St.; shop

pigment.com.

Fern Canyon

DS North Park
has lots of terrific
shops, and Pigment
is one of my faves.
I love that they have
curated themed sections so that it feels
like there are a
bunch of tiny stores
within one store.
They carry handmade jewelry by
local craftspeople,
and the last time I
was there, I noticed
these cool notecards and leather
bags. Great store to
find gifts. They
have something for
everyone.

$46; 2920 Zoo Dr.;

zoo.sandiegozoo.org.
RS

Its actually

a walkway with
stairs and its kind
of hidden, but Fern
Canyon in the zoo
is pretty great.
Most people ignore
it because there
arent any exhibits
there. But take
two or three steps
into the canyon,

with each phase of

your dinner. The
Chanilla Drop
vodka cocktail is
my favorite. I like
the sweet, salty,
smoky flavor of the
burnt lemon.

and you feel like

youre in the rain
forests of Borneo
or South America.
Its breathtaking.
Theres a waterfall
and everything.
If Im looking for

NO -FRILLS LUNCH

The Big
Front Door
4135 Park Blvd.; bfd
sandiego.com.
DS The Big Front
Door is close and
has great variety.
Its an artisanal deli
with the most delicious roast-beef
sandwich, made on
a roll with provolone, broccoli rabe,
Roma tomato, and
housemade aioli. Ill
run down there and
end up bumping
into staff from all

20

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

MORE SHOPPING,
PLEASE

a quick moment

WHERE CAN I ESCAPE

THE CROWDS?

Art museum
garden

1549 El Prado; sdmart.

org.
DS Theres a secluded seating area
behind the restaurant Panama 66
with some outdoor
lounge chairs. Its
in the shade, and
you get to sit next to
this reflecting pool
and look out into
the May S. Marcy
Sculpture Garden,
which is just beautiful. Ill go there to
catch up on some
work or talk on the
phone, which you
can do now because
the park has Wi-Fi.
BEST PERFORMANCE
SPACE

The Old
Globe
1363 Old Globe Way;
theoldglobe.org.
RS Ive seen shows
at the Old Globe
and Starlight and
I love them both.
What I like about
the Globe is that you
get a real feel for the

performances. You
can see everything
from the Grinch to
touring Broadway
shows.
BEST VIEWS
ARE FROM...

The Skyfari
Aerial Tram
$46; 2920 Zoo Dr.;
zoo.sandiegozoo.org.
DS If you take the
tram near dusk,
youre basically
floating through a
San Diego sunset
with a 360 view
from the zoo. You
can see the lights
of downtown, the
Point Loma peninsula, and all the
way around to East
County. Absolutely
gorgeous.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: JIM COX/THE COMPANY OF A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM, RYAN BENOIT, KEVIN ANDREW FALK

COCKTAIL TIME :
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Travel

D I S C OV E R

1. The Presidio puts its

barracks to new use.
2. Golden Gate Bridge
Plaza. 3. Traci Des Jardins Commissary has a
Spanish accent. 4. California history on display in
the Heritage Gallery at
the Officers Club.

THE PRESIDIO
A PERFECT DAY IN

San Franciscos former military post embraces its past and looks toward
the future, with new hikes, bites, and sites. By Christine Ryan

The history is alive

The Presidios Main Post is finally coming into its own. Site of
the original Spanish garrison
built in 1776, this tidy square,
framed by brick barracks and
white clapboard and stucco
buildings, hasnt offered visitors
22

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

much beyond The Walt Disney

Family Museum and a bowling
alley. But last falls reinvention
of the Officers Club has put
the square front and center. The
37,000-square-foot building
acts as a combination visitor
center, museum, and gathering

place; its Moraga Hall is a real

sit-down-and-relax lobby, complete with fireplace, in the tradition of the grandest park lodges.
The Heritage Gallery, though,
reminds you that the Presidio
wasnt always a place for recreation, but the last stateside stop

for tens of thousands of soldiers

heading to far-off wars. Soldiers
with names like Sutliffe Bither
and Hiram Harlow, who wrote
letters and kept diaries and
whose words came home, even
when they didnt. Free; 50 Moraga Ave.; presidio.gov.
Photographs by

D AV I D F E N T O N

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Travel

Golden
Gate
Bridge

PRESIDIO

101

Park Presidio
Blvd.

GETTING HERE

The Presidio is in the north corner

of S.F., off U.S. 101. From Crissy
Field, take Lincoln Blvd. to Arguello
Blvd. to Moraga Ave.

A mess hall
with roots
Dont expect to find chipped
beef or military MREs at the
Officers Clubs new eatery,
Arguello. Named after the
Mexican governor who once
ruled Northern California,
Traci Des Jardins restaurant
serves fish tacos and squashblossom quesadillas in a publike dining room (beamed ceiling, reclaimed-wood tables) and
on an adjacent heated patio. Just
beyond the patio, youll find
Earth Wall, the third and latest
Presidio installation by artist
Andy Goldsworthy: a ball of
roots seemingly excavated from
a stucco wall. $$; 50 Moraga
Ave.; arguellosf.com.

After the Gold Rush

Joining the Disney museum in
the barracks lining the western
edge of the Main Post is Des
Jardins other Presidio restaurant, The Commissary. Here,
the menus inspired by the forts

Spanish origins (think jamnwrapped trout and white Rioja

by the glass). Nearby are two
other old-new attractions: the
Presidio Trust Gallery and
the Society of California
Pioneers. Through March 8,
the gallery recaps the imaginative art projects that the ForSite Foundation has staged in
the park. The societys gracious
main room houses entertainingly curated collections of objects (an amputation kit!) and
paintings, but the real treasure
lies in its library of historical
documents. Dont miss John
Sutters diary, which rode out
the 1906 quake and fire in a safe
in the societys South of Market
clubhouse (itself destroyed) and
is on view in the vestibule. Commissary: $$$; 101 Montgomery St.;
thecommissarysf.com. Gallery:
Free; 103 Montgomery; presidio.
gov. Society: Free; 101 Montgomery; californiapioneers.org.

Long before the Spanish arrived,

the Ohlone people had settled
what eventually would become
the Presidio, and in Tennessee
Hollow, you can see why: El
Polin Spring. Even during
the driest months of another
drought season, the spring
trickles on. The Presidio Trust
has been restoring it and its
watershedeventually a trail
will follow the stream as it
heads to the bay. But for now,
hike 1.4 miles from the Main
Post up the Ecology Trail to the

The Society of California Pioneers was originally

a mens drinking club. It now hosts both sexes,
but to be a member, you have to be descended from
someone who was in California in 1850.

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

Walk this way

FACTOID

24

5. Moraga Hall, the Main

Posts new chill zone.
6. The Vigilante Bell at the
Society of California Pioneers. 7. Whole shrimp with
cilantro rice from Arguello.
8. Andy Goldsworthy continues to bewilder with his third
sculpture in the Presidio.
8

Inspiration Point Overlook,

then drop down the connecting
switchback path to the new picnic area next to the spring. End
of MacArthur Ave.; presidio.gov.

Back to the future

The Main Post isnt the only
part of the Presidio undergoing
change. Remember that big orange bridge? When the Golden
Gate Bridge Plaza was reconfigured in 2012, a spiffy gift

shop and visitor center replaced

the cramped art-deco Round
House, which in turn became
a staging area for guided tours.
Now the Golden Gate National
Parks Conservancy is turning
the Round House back into
what it was originally and
should have been all along: San
Franciscos coolest diner. We
cant wait. Bridge: goldengate
bridge.org. Round House: parks
conservancy.org.

Fall in love
all over again.
Plan your
sunny escape.
visitgreaterpalmsprings.com

9 resort cities. One beautiful oasis.

palm springs | desert hot springs | cathedral city | rancho mirage | palm desert | indian wells | la quinta | indio | coachella

Travel

HERE WE ARE NOW

For 20 years, Aberdeen all but ignored its most

famous son. Now, with a host of new memorials
to Kurt Cobain, the Washington town hopes
to attract adoring fans. Writer Bill Donahue goes
on a pilgrimage.

Bill Simpson, is a sweet older fellow who used to

sell mens slacks at the local JC Penney. Hes bald and round and when he
laughs, his bifocals ride his cheeks up toward his twinkling eyes. This is a
very special day for Aberdeen, he begins.
Im standing at the back of Moores Interiors, a local flooring shop. The
rug samples have been rolled away, and two dozen of the towns dignitaries
are milling about, nibbling on cucumber hors doeuvres. Weve gathered
here for the unveiling of a new mural, titled Nirvana and Aberdeen, which
stretches 68 feet along the outside wall of Moores Interiors and is financed
by Our Aberdeen, a booster group whose recent efforts include the dedication of a healing gallery at the local hospital and Critters on the Map, a selfguided walking tour of the towns whimsical metal sculptures.
And its my great pleasure to introduce ...
To the microphone steps Krist Novoselic, bassist for Nirvana, and Aberdeens second most famous native son. Novoselic, 49, used to perform barefoot, his pale white, size-14 feet a gleaming statement of punk freedom.
Today he looks dapper in a black bowler hat, with salt-and-pepper flecks in
his beard. I am very grateful, he says of the mural, in silky tones. Heres
to our great future. Heres to the future of Aberdeen.
The future of Aberdeen, a downbeat logging town an hour west of Olympia, Washington, has been a buzzy subject lately. And to understand why,
youd need to know something about its first most famous native son, Kurt
Cobain. The oldest child of divorced working-class parents, Cobain lived
here in a series of cracker-box homes. As a teenager, he cut class at Weatherwax High and stole stone crosses from a local cemetery. In 1987, he started
his seminal band in a ramshackle garage. At the height of its success in the
1990s, Nirvana was the biggest rock band on the planet, selling some 75 million records worldwide and spawning a new musical genre, grunge.
When I first heard Nirvana in 1991, it fed my veins. The music was such a
pure expression of what it is to be young and angry and unsure, and when I
squint a little in Aberdeen, I swear I can still see Cobain rising from the mist: wraith thin, unshaven, a
The Young Street
ratty mustard-colored cardigan hanging from his slenBridge, one of
der frame as he screams, Waaaa! Waaaaa! No words,
Kurt Cobains favorite hangouts.
just the throaty, guttural sound of a confused heart

THE MAYOR OF ABERDEEN,

Photographs by

JOHN CLARK

WA N D E R LUS T

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

27

Travel

opening upthe five sequential yells that appear on the

Intro track of his second posthumous album, From the
Muddy Banks of the Wishkah. The one we all listened to
knowing that in early April 1994, 27-year-old Kurt Donald Cobain took his own life with a 20-gauge shotgun.
The mural is one of a handful of official Cobain tributes that have sprung up the past few years. On State 12,
theres now a sign that reads welcome to aberdeen.
come as you are, a reference to a Nirvana song. Cobains favorite Aberdeen hauntthe underside of the
Young Street Bridgehas officially become Kurt Cobain
Landing, a well-tended pocket park that annually draws
about 5,000 solemn visitors from all over the world.
Meanwhile, last year on Cobains birthday, February 20,
the mayor of Aberdeen marked the citys first-ever Kurt
Cobain Day by unveiling a concrete statue of the musician. We hope, Simpson told a rapt audience, that
Aberdeen will be just as big as Graceland.
Certainly, the town needed to reinvent itself. In Aberdeens circa-1900 heyday, when its canneries and logging
operations thrived, downtown was a crime-ridden hive
of brothels and saloons. The economy never fully
28

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

bounced back after the Northwest timber industry all

but died in the mid-1980s.
Still, the mayors posthumous embrace of Cobain is jarring. For 20 years now, Aberdeen has
largely shunned him, even as fans have trickled
into town to roam the same streets and riverbanks
their idol once did. For one weekend, Id join them,
riding my bicycle along the flat streets of Aberdeen, through a sleepy town where, it seems, everyone remembers Kurt.
Kurt used to play in my yard when he was little,
my waitress, Sue Muhlhauser, tells me, as she refills
my $1 cup of coffee at the VFW hall. I could probably sell the blades of grass if I wanted to.
Ive stopped by for a ham-and-eggs breakfast,
and also to take the towns temperature on its evolving relationship with Cobain. I dont care for his
music, a woman at my table intones. But then
again, Im a country-western person myself.
Terry Holderman, quartermaster of VFW Post
224, introduces himself. Celebrating Kurt is a good
thing, he says. Theres such creativity in his music.
I think Aberdeen needs to hold on to that, because
for a while it felt like we just gave up.
Were outside now, and I notice a man standing
nearby, smoking a cigarette. John Bryant works as
the Posts janitor. He, too, knew Cobain. Oh yeah,
Kurt could be sarcastic, he says, taking a long, contemplative drag. I was one of the guys old enough
to buy beer for him and his friends. But he was a
good kid. He just pushed the envelope a little too far.
I leave the VFW and pedal past Rosevears Music
Center, where Kurt took his only guitar lessons. I
Mayor Bill Simpkeep going past the elegant Aberdeen library, then
son: We hope
along modest residential streets to an old armory
that Aberdeen
thats now The Aberdeen Museum of History. Inside,
will be just as big
as Graceland.
a concrete statue of Cobain sits, a bit incongruously,
amid an array of old fire engines and Model T cars.
Sculptor and onetime high school teacher Randi Hubbard created the statue in
1994, not long after the musician died, shaping it with the help of local high
school students at her husbands muffler shop. It was a raw time, Hubbard
tells me when she meets me at the museum.
The statue was Hubbards attempt to bring about healing. But when she tried
to display it publicly back then, the Aberdeen City Council balked.
Concrete Kurt looks larger than life-size and unnervingly stiff; his fingers are
rigid as they splay on his guitar, and a single tear streams from his eye. I think we
all have a little Kurt Cobain in us, she says. I knew him when he was a boy. He
lived near me, and he was precious. He played with a foster child who lived in
the neighborhood. He just loved the real people in this world.
We talk for maybe an hour, and by the time we finish, Hubbard is focusing
her bottomless maternal affection on me: I cant let you ride your bike back to
the motel, she says. Its just too far.
So we throw my bike into her husbands pickup and drive there, a flat mile,
with my bike rattling in the back atop a heap of rusted-out mufflers.

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Travel
I come back across town at dusk,
past Grays Harbor Stamp Works and
Aberdeen Office Equipment Co. and
B&B Appliances, until Im in a residential district right by the Wishkah River.
There, with its blinds drawn, is the
house Kurt Cobain lived in until his parents divorced. Its a modest little yellowand-brown affair, built in 1923 and assessed last at $67,000. Wendy OConnor,
Cobains mother, has spent the last year
trying to sell it for $500,000.
When I pull up out front, the place
elicits a dark memory for me. In 1994, I
covered Cobains death for a gossip magazine. It was one of the most difficult
things Ive ever done. At one point, I got
a fax from my editor saying, Go interview his mother. I got to the house and
it seemed so small, so sad and lonely,
that I couldnt bring myself to knock. I
told my editors she wasnt home, and as
I slinked away in my rental car, I felt
desolate. Nirvana was playing on the
radio, and Cobains voice was brooding
and shadowed like the fog-shrouded
hills near town. Every so often, his songs
crackled with a glossy pop riff, sweet as
candy. Here we are now, entertain us,
he cried over melodic guitar riffs in Nirvanas hit Smells Like Teen Spirit.
There was something unguarded in his
voicea purity of spirit that was lacking
in my own little paparazzo mission. I admired him, and
I felt sorry for him.
I consider stepping toward the house to peer in past
the shades. Then I remember the peppy real estate listing: Kurt left his mark, quite literally, in his upstairs
bedroom, including some artwork drawn directly on
the walls and a hole in one wall where he punched it as
a teen, almost breaking his hand.
I already know enough, I decide, and I just gaze at the
house from the street. It looks just as it did two decades
ago: still and silent, without a flicker of life in it.

meandering route to the Young Street

Bridge, first climbing through the trees
on Think of Me Hill, then wheeling along
a quiet backroad outside town, toward
Lake Sylvia.
When I get to Kurt Cobain Landing,
theres a man with a goatee pulling weeds
beside a statue of Cobains guitar. A few
feet away, a plaque honors Cobain as our
beloved hero. Tori Kovach, 71, tells me
that he spent five years beautifying the
land here, once a blackberry thicket cluttered with years of accumulated refuse.
I did it for selfish reasons, says Kovach, whose business card reads Town
Curmudgeon. This place abuts my
property.
But as he got deeper into the project,
Kovach learned that he and Cobain had
much in common. I was from a dysfunctional family too, he says. Both of
us grew up trying to prove something to
ourselves and to others. He was an underdog, and he deserves recognition.
As I leave, a group of teens make their
way through the pocket park to the
bridge. I sit there, on a bench, watching
the pilgrims arrive: a couple from Michigan, three women from Spain. Everyone
is solemn, almost silent. I just needed to
stop, says one woman. It strikes me
that listening to Nirvana is essentially a
private experience. Unlike, say, The
Grateful Dead or The Rolling Stones, its not party music. Its one person opening up his heart and singing his pain into another persons ears. And so the
graffiti under the bridge reads like so many solitary prayers to a saint: Kurdt,
come back as you were. Thank you for keeping me alive and letting me know
I am never alone.
I head back to the mural at Moores Interiors, and I meet its principal artist,
Erik Sandgren, a Grays Harbor College instructor with a wispy beard and the
weathered mien of a Norwegian fisherman. We grab a window seat at the Pizza
Hut across the street and look up at his work. Nirvana and Aberdeen is a quarreling medley of images la Picassos Guernica, and it pays homage to history. It
intermingles 90s-era rock iconographyCobain playing guitar, a pink MTV
logowith glimpses of the land where Nirvanas music took root. Heres an
18-wheel logging truck rumbling up a hill. Here are a few Native American gillnetters; here are the hourglass-shaped towers of the nearby, never-used Satsop
Nuclear Power Plant.
Sandgren tells me that as he painted the mural, he meditated on that bond.
The guys in Nirvana were like young loggers, he says. They took risks, and
that risk-taking goes right back to the roots of what this place is, back to when
my grandparents came out to the Pacific Northwest to start a new life.
Cobain roamed the worlds stages in a flannel loggers shirt. Truth is, he never
really left Aberdeen. In his 2002 biography of Cobain, Heavier Than Heaven,

Aberdeens embrace
of Cobain isnt just
a money thing.
It is also forgiveness.
Its love in its most
hard-bitten form, and
like all expressions of
love, it opens the door
to new possibilities.

involve expectations. If we go to
London, to tread the same cobbled streets Charles Dickens strolled, we half-want the buildings to be decrepit
and blackened by coal dust. If we travel Cuba for the
Hemingway tour, we keep our eyes peeled for the big
fish. And in Aberdeen, paying homage to Cobain, we
want bleak, we want gray, we want broodingand, yes,
its there, but not unremittingly.
On my second morning in town, I take a long,

ARTISTIC PILGRIMAGES

30

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

writer Charles R. Cross notes that Cobain rarely did an

interview without discussing [Aberdeen], as if it were a
lover hed left behind. Once, driving back there late at
night, after a long time away, he told an old friend how
much he loved the verdant landscape and its unrehearsed people.
So Aberdeens embrace of Cobain isnt just a money
thing. It is also forgiveness. Its a family taking its runaway kid back into the fold. Its love in its most hardbitten form, and like all expressions of love, it opens the
door to new possibilities. Like this mural, which is a
piece of robust art sprouted out of the dark wreckage of
Cobains ashes. Neither Sandgren nor I say it, but the
mural carries the possibility that maybe in time Cobains memory will inspire more hopeful gestures. And
maybewho knows?all these gestures put together
will carry Aberdeen to a comeback.
On my last night in Aberdeen, Sandgren invites me to
a party hes hosting to celebrate the mural. When I arrive at his book-lined home, I find its an artists party,
with guests spilling comfortably into the kitchen, cradling paper plates of hummus and vegetables. After a
while, two young guys start strumming guitars. Then a
woman begins to sing. Sandgrens mother-in-law is 87

Freestyling in Big Sky

and bird-boned. Shes a lifelong cabaret singer with her own stage name, Pearl
Cot. She is singing and swaying her arms, belting it out until all conversations
stop and everyone watches, transfixed.
I cant help but think of another, long-ago performance: Nirvana playing unplugged, with two acoustic guitars, at MTVs New York studio in late 1993;
Cobain, sleep-deprived, ravaged by addiction, finding it within himself to deliver what many regard as the performance of his life. The show ends with a
Lead Belly cover, and the words, halfwhispered, half-screamed, I would shiver the whole night through.
Cot keeps singing: Sentimental Journey, The Beatles Blackbird, then a litAberdeen lies 110 miles
tle impromptu scat. From the doorway,
southwest of Seattle via I-5
her daughter watches, slender and birdand State 8.
boned herself. She is leaning into the
Mural: 201 S. Broadway.
music now, coaxing her mother along.
Statue: The Aberdeen
When the show is all over, she rushes toMuseum of History. $2;
ward the couch. She presses her mom
aberdeen-museum.org.
close to her and kisses her once, fiercely,
Sign: West side of State 12.
on the cheek.
Kurt Cobain Landing:
Young Street Bridge.

MAKE A
PILGRIMAGE

More pilgrimage sites across the West:

sunset.com/memorials.

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And just 50 miles down the road, youll see why Yellowstone is a national treasure.
Come out West for the best. Head to BiggestSkiingInAmerica.com today.

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For weekend activity information and updates, please visit Health.com/TotalWellness.

Home & Garden

P L A N T N OW

THE GIVING
TREES
Our favorite stone-fruit
varieties deliver big
flavor come
summer.

Juicy fruit
THE BEST PEACH
FOR PIE
P. 35

Photographs by

T H O M A S J. S T O RY

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

33

Home & Garden

THE PICK
OF THE CROP
Even the best store-bought plum
cant rival one grown in your backyard
the most flavorful stone fruit is often
too delicate to be grown commercially.
After touring the Modesto, California,
orchards of Zaigers Genetics
(the leaders in fruit tree breeding)
and Dave Wilson Nursery (the largest
fruit grower in the country), weve come
up with our top backyard picks,
from a classic peach to some
Seussian-sounding new hybrids.

LEAH COT
APRIUM
New this year,
this apricot-plum hybrid
has fist-size fruit
that tastes like candy.
RIPENS
MID-JUNE TO
EARLY JULY

SPICE ZEE
N E C TA P L U M
Prized for being both
ornamental and edible,
this nectarine-plum
has magenta blooms
and bright red
new growth. Ripe
fruit has white flesh,
and both the nectarine
and plum flavors
come through.
RIPENS
MID-JULY TO
EARLY AUGUST

Best
color

DAPPLE
SUPREME PLUOT
This plum-apricot
mix needs only
300 chill hours to be
loaded with fruit,
meaning its suitable
for mild climates.
Dappled red skin
covers juicy, sweet
blood red flesh.
RIPENS
MID-JUNE TO
MID-JULY

By

J O H A N N A S I LV E R

Home & Garden

Best
for
baking

S W E E T T R E AT
PLUERRY
This plum-cherry
hybridthe first of
its kindmixes
cherrylike sweetness
with plum size and
tartness. The fruit
hangs on the tree for
six weeks, much longer
than a traditional
plum tree.

KAWEAH PEACH
This classic peach tree
yields large fruit
with balanced flavor,
perfect for eating fresh,
baking, or canning.
RIPENS
LATE AUGUST
TO LATE
SEPTEMBER

RIPENS
EARLY JULY TO
MID-AUGUST

Best
overall
flavor

SPLASH PLUOT
Coral and yellow
skin covers juicy yellow
flesh that is perfectly
sweetand equally
good fresh, dried, or
cooked in desserts.
RIPENS
MID- TO LATE JULY

EMERALD
DROP PLUOT
Medium to large fruit
with green skin
and yellow-orange
flesh. Harvest when
its still on the firm side
for more tartness,
or let it turn slightly
soft for an almost
honeylike flavor.
RIPENS
MID-JULY TO
EARLY AUGUST

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

35

Home & Garden

PLANT
NOW

GROWING GUIDE
Twiggy bare-root trees dont look like much at the beginning, but planting them at
this stage gives them the best kick-start for growth. Heres what you need to know about
planting and caring for bare-root trees, plus landscaping options for small yards.

Buy

Nurseries are well stocked with bare-root

trees now. You can also order from bay
laurelnursery.com. Trees come with roots
packed in damp sawdust and wrapped
in burlap. You can keep them in the sawdust for a day or two, but its best to
plant right away.

CARE
WATER whenever the soil is dry 2 inches

deepas little as once a week in winter,

or as much as once every three days in
the heat of summer.

PL ANT

FERTILIZE trees in early spring (after

blossom set), midsummer, and early
fall. Use an organic fertilizer formulated
for fruit trees (synthetic nitrogen can
easily burn plants).

Soak
the roots in a bucket
of water for 45 minutes before planting.

Trim
any broken pieces
on the roots.
Clip the rest of the
roots by an inch.

REMOVE any leaves infected with peach

leaf curl (theyll be thick and twisted);
the next round will grow uninfected. To
prevent this fungal disease, which diminishes fruit production, keep smaller
trees dry during the rainy season by
tenting them with floating row covers.

Dig
a hole twice as deep
and as wide as the
root system; form
a firm cone of soil
to set the plant
on, making sure the
crown sits just
above the soil level.

THIN marble-size fruits to about 8 inches

apart. For any tight clusters, remove all
but the largest fruit. As painful as it may
seem, thinning fruit is good for the tree.

Backfill
the hole with a mix
of 50 percent native
soil and 50 percent
amendment, such
as organic compost.

PRUNE lightly around the summer solstice to control plant size. The waning
season will discourage vigorous growth.
Winter is the best time to prune for
shape and structure. Pruning in late
winter is almost useless for controlling
size, as plants will bounce back.

Form
a basin of soil
around the tree to
keep water concentrated on the roots.

MULTIGRAFTED
TREE
36

Although youll be limited to the varieties

the wholesaler offers, a tree grafted with
multiple types of fruit is a great way to get
a whole fruit salad from a single tree.

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

DIGITAL BONUS
Learn to care for your
backyard orchard:
sunset.com/fruit-trees.

ESPALIERED TREE
In a narrow, sunny space, train your tree
to grow flat against a wall, fence, or
trellis. Youll need to tether it to stakes
or wires for support, then prune it to
direct its growth horizontally.

In mild-winter areas,
choose trees with a low chill
requirement.

HIGH-DENSITY
PLANTING
Grow two or even three trees in one
hole, with plants placed 18 inches apart.
Choose varieties that pollinate one another and have successive ripening
times for the longest harvest. (Dont
plant standard and semidwarf rootstocks together in the same hole.) Prune
as a single tree, so limbs dont overlap.

KEEP
IT SMALL
Cut your new tree
to knee height.
This creates lower
branching and a
shorter tree later
on. Learn more
in the book Grow
a Little Fruit Tree
(Storey Publishing,
2015; $17).

Illustrations by

J O E M C K E N D RY

Control your lights. Anytime. Anywhere.

Turn lights off while youre away

Never enter a dark home again

Control lights from your bed

Install a dimmer in minutes.

Place the remote where you need it for convenience and
security. Available for overhead lights or plug-in lamps.
For control with your smartphone or tablet, add a
Smart Bridge and download the FREE Lutron app.

Find out where to buy at www.ChooseCaseta.com

Pico remote, dimmer, Smart Bridge, and
smartphone with app

EVERY RELATIONSHIP

WAR M S UP
o
UNDER A BLANKET

OF SNOW.

Follow me, Mom! I wont go too fast. The best vacations are made of moments like these and when spending time with family and friends,
Park City has you covered. Literally. Just 35 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport, youll nd the highest concentration of ski-in/
ski-out luxury lodging of any North American resort town. Youll also nd our three world-class winter resorts, numerous award-winning
restaurants and countless memorable momentsall under a blanket of the Greatest Snow on Earth. Relationships are the warmth of
life, rekindle them here. Visit ParkCityEasyEscape.com to see how quickly and easily you can arrive and begin creating your moments.

U TA H

Home & Garden

CHECKLIST

NORTHERN
C A LIFORNIA

PLANT

Start perennial edibles,

including artichoke, asparagus,
and rhubarb. Put them in rich,
well-draining soil in a spot
that gets full sun, and youll
be able to harvest for years
to come.
In mild-winter areas, plant clematis as soon as its in nurseries.
Place vining types close to a
trellis or obelisk in an area that
receives at least a half-day of
sun. Dig a hole 2 feet wide and
deep with plenty of room around
it (clematis doesnt tolerate root
competition well).
For seasonal color, tuck hellebores in partly shaded areas
that get ample irrigation. Their
bell-shaped flowers in soft pink,
purple, or pale green add interest to winter gardens.
I D E A W E LOV E
MAINTAIN

To keep houseplants from

growing leggy, move them to
bright indoor locations. Give
them a quarter turn every week.
Feed grapefruit, kumquat,
lemon, and orange trees every
six to eight weeks during bloom
time with a granular fertilizer
formulated for citrus.
Water garden beds and trees
when frost is predicted at night.
Well-hydrated plants are better
prepared to withstand the cold.

THOMAS J. STORY

Catch rainwater from downspouts in buckets and use it on

houseplants.

Pocket gardens
In this Southern California backyard, garden designer Molly Wood created a series of mini but
mighty planting beds. While laying the Italian porcelain pavers, she deliberately left several empty
spaces for drought-tolerant plants, including silvery green Senecio Orange Puffs, grassy Miscanthus sinensis Adagio, and orange-yellow Sesleria autumnalis. The plantings create a graphic pattern
when viewed from the deck, visually soften the expanse of paving, and allow for permeability
when rain falls. mollywoodgardendesign.com.

Prune back overgrown groundcovers such as ivy, periwinkle,

and star jasmine to control their
size and encourage new growth
in spring.
PLAN

For the best selection,

order summer-blooming bulbs,

corms, and tubers like begonias,

Fans of the PBS drama will

dahlias, gladiolus, and lilies

swoon over the new Downton

now. Dutch Gardens USA

Abbey series of roses. Annas

(dutchgardens.com) and McClure

Promise, the first in the series,

& Zimmerman (mzbulb.com)

has a two-toned bloom with

offer a large variety. For dahlias

peach petals that reverse to

only, our favorite source is Swan

bronze. It will ship in spring.

Island Dahlias (dahlias.com).

brecks.com.

What grows in your climate zone? Find out at sunset.com/zonefinder.

Reported by

L A U R E N D U N E C H O A N G & J O H A N N A S I LV E R

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

39

Home & Garden

$
BUDGET TIP

A new build can be

cost-efficient: This
house cost about $100
a square foot less than
the median selling
price in the area.

DIARY OF A NEW BUILD

Youre not Employee Number 2, but you still dream
of building your own home. Learn how one Seattle couple
did it on a real-person budget.

40

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

SM ART
SPAC E

pushed Julia Kuskin and Joel Bell to look for

a new placeone, ideally, with two floors above ground so the
couple could move their home offices out of the basement (Julia
is a photographer; Joel is a private-practice therapist). But a
house with enough room for work and their son, Ian, was out of
their price range. Then the couple discovered a tear-down in Seattles Sunset Hill. They bought the lot and decided to build. Julia
tells us the lessons she learned while tracking every penny.
A SEARCH FOR LIGHT

H O M E A T L A S T The couple with

their son, Ian, shown above in
the living room of their new
house. The exterior, opposite,
features cedar privacy
screensa budget-friendly
alternative to siding the
whole house. The trees were
donated by Seattle reLeaf,
a city greening program.
Photographs by

T H O M A S J. S T O RY

Home & Garden

We wanted to see if
normal people
could afford to build
a house that was
environmentally
soundand had nice
wood oors.
JULIA KUSKIN

We find an architect who isnt scared off

by our budget. We met with two architects
we found through the AIA website (aia.
org) and had intense conversations with
each one about our plans and budget. We
feel like Chris Serra (bjarkoserra.com) can
translate our vision into an understated,
modern house. He calls our $170-persquare-foot budget aggressiveas in
lowbut is willing to give it a try.
FIRST FLOOR

SPRING 2011

UTILITY

Drawing plans, changing plans. Since

Im visually opinionated, I have clear
ideas of what I want. We started off talking to Chris about basic layout preferences and looking at photos of houses we
like. Then we let him take it from there.
We go through four or so designs, whittling away features to make the budget.
For example, storage is an issue. A basement is too pricey, so we decide we cant
hold on to too much crap. Every time
friends come over for dinner, we make
them take home a box of books.
42

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

JOELS
STUDIO

IANS
BEDROOM

JULIAS
STUDIO

SECOND FLOOR

MASTER
BEDROOM

DEN
KITCHEN

LIVING
ROOM

DINING
ROOM

DECK

K I T C H E N The room,
top left and above, is
free of ornamentation
but gains warmth
from the walnut
cabinets. Julia Kuskin
worked closely with
Nathan Hartman
of Kerf Design
(kerfdesign.com) to
plan cabinetry for
the way they live: The
mugs and glasses are
in short open shelves
by the sink, and the
island bookshelves
are sized for her
cookbooks.

L I V I N G R O O M Lightstarved no more: A
27-foot-long window
that stretches from
the kitchen to the
living room, above
left, as well as
clerestory windows
allow sunshine to
reach across the open
space. The living room
is plumbed for a gas
fireplace, which the
couple hopes to add
someday.

ILLUSTRATION: MARGARET SLOAN

SUMMER 2010

$
BUDGET TIP

Local craftspeople
may be open to a
trade of services
to cover some
costs.

M U LT I P U R P O S E R O O M When a separate guest room proved too costly, Julia added a fold-down
sofa to her workspace. The poured-concrete floors on the lower level saved money for big-leaf
maple on the second floor.

SUMMER 2011

Learning our limits. We want a guest

room but cant afford a house larger than
2,100 square feet. We decide squeezing
in another room that would get used only
a few times a year feels like a waste.
EARLY FALL 2011

Experience the
Lynx Lair, and the
largest selection of
BLUE Wilderness
cat food.

I pick up extra duties. Our great relationship with Chris means we can talk openly
about what we can afford. Thats how I
start keeping the minutes for our monthly
construction meetings instead of Chris.
He says hes never had a client do it, but
Im happy to. It makes me more aware
of what has been done, potential issues,
and money spent.
LATE FALL 2011

Exclusively at

We change our minds. A lot. I promised

myself there would be no change orders
[changes that require the architect to
redraw construction plans], but we have
about 12. For instance, we have a tiny
44

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

broom closet in the original design but no

pantry. So we reconfigure the space and
put one in. That translates into paying for
a change in design and to build. Ch-ching!
WINTER 2012

We splurge. Furniture designer Nathan

Hartman built two pieces for our first
house that we loved. So he is my choice
for designing the kitchen for this house.
Oh, and a wardrobe and side tables for
the bedroom, and a bookshelf built into
the stairwell ... thats all still on the wish
list. But we are getting our kitchen.
FALL 2012

Moving in! Did we keep our initial budget

intact? Honestly, no, but I dont think anyone does. The house is great, no question,
and we love living here.

DIGITAL BONUS The 10 questions

you should ask an architect before
you build: sunset.com/architect.

Inside every cat lives the spirit of the wild.

And a love for meat.

BLUE Wilderness is made with more of

the chicken, duck or salmon cats love.
All cats are descendants of the lynx, which means
they share many similar traitsincluding a love for
meat. Thats why we created BLUE Wilderness.
Made with the finest natural ingredients, BLUE
Wilderness is formulated with a higher concentration
of the chicken, duck or salmon cats love. And BLUE
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If you want your cat to enjoy a meat-rich diet like
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WildernessPets.com

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Love them like family. Feed them like family.

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Rocky Mountain Recipe.TM

Home & Garden

In the Western HOME

T I PS
FROM OUR
TEAM

My favorite part about

this project? No need to
paint around ceiling trim.
JOANNA LINBERG, HOME EDITOR

ASK A DESIGNER

Living in
style

IDEA WE LOVE

Quick
character

This month, Cisco Pinedo

brings his sustainable,
made-in-L.A. pieces to a
new showroom in San
Francisco (ciscohome.net).
We asked him for his living
room dos and donts.

In a room with zero architectural features, try this trick:

Paint two-thirds of the wall
in a color, and the top onethird and ceiling white.
(Strong hues could make
ceilings seem lower, so we
favor neutrals for this.) The
color becomes a frame for
furniture and a hanging
guide for art.

What advice do you

have for pulling an
eclectic style together? Find pieces that
appeal to youmaybe
they remind you of
your grandfather or
you just love the shape.
Then find the thread
that will connect them
in your home. It might
be color. I have one
common thread in my
house: white. And
then trust that you do
have taste.

BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE

On trips to Denverwhere were building our 2015 Idea Houseweve
discovered dozens of furniture makers (does everyone in this city know
how to use a block plane?). One to note: Scott Bennett of Housefish.
He recently added the Lock Chair to his line of modular pieces made
from responsibly harvested U.S. wood. The seat has no-brainer assembly: Just click the locking notch into place and screw it together
to secure. From $269 ($279 as shown in walnut); housefish.com.

THIS IS SMART

PRIVATE
EYE
46

Renters, behold your smart security system. Like many devices, the Canary
captures live video of your home from its wide-angle lens. But unlike other
systems, there are no wall-damaging sensors to install. Simply place the 3- by
6-inch cylinder in a central spot and connect it to Wi-Fi. The app lets you put
the Canary in privacy mode (camera off) when youre home, and choose a
trusted backup to receive alerts when youre not reachable. $249; canary.is.

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

Most common mistake

people make when
buying a sofa? You can
not compromise on comfort. And color; if you
pick the wrong color,
youll be miserable.
Whats a do-it-all
piece everyone should
own? Im obsessed with
small end tables. Theyre
perfect for when you
have friends over and
they need a place to put
their drink and phone.
I have one called Rotor.
We make it out of the
brake of a car, with a
metal frame and a little
piece of glass on top.

TOP, FROM LEFT: GLUEKIT, THOMAS J. STORY, COURTESY OF CISCO HOME

WESTERN MADE

A SUNSET ADVERTISING PROMOTION

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For a unique winter vacation, visit Montanas premier

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The Wests Best

Snow Town, Cozy New
Lodgesand More!
Choose Your
Perfect Snow Day

DIORAMA PHOTOGRAPHS: JEFFERY CROSS

A Tribute to Snow
by Pam Houston

Let It
Snow

Dioramas by

LISA SWERLING

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

49

SUNSET PICKS

The Best Snow

Town in the West
A great snow town lets you ski fast, sleep well, and eat adventurously. The West has lots
of great ones. And Jackson, Wyoming, is the greatest of them all. By Josh Dean

80 INCHES

3 42 I N C H E S

Average snowfall in Jan

Average annual snowfall

24 INCHES

from one snowfall in Jan 1996

Biggest powder day

70 I N C H E S
Average base depth

Clockwise from above:

The resort; elk-antler
arches anchor downtown; a bull moose.

SUNSETS 2015 WINTER TRAVEL GUIDE

telling you how

much I love Jackson Hole, a place that
until fairly recently was still under the
radar in winter. Ive had most of my favorite days on snow here, knee-deep in
Teton powder, or slicing around lodgepole pines, as puffs of the light snow that
seems to fall every day from December
through April blast me in the face.
Jackson Holes remoteness used to
distinguish it from the other large skiresort areas of the West, with their
direct-air service from both coasts. It felt
exclusive. With 4,139 vertical feet of skiing and a notoriously vast backcountry,
it could also feel intimidating.
But in the past few years, the sleepy
resort where ski bums slept in cars has
transformed into a world-class destination. What hasnt changed is the gigantic mountain, or the spectacular
Teton Range that contains it. Or the
Old West town of Jackson, an easy
20-minute drive from the resortif
you dont get stuck behind a family of
moose in the road.
Jackson has fine dining and honkytonks, designer shops and chaps-andboot sellers, Harrison Ford and Dick
Cheney, and the cowboys who take care
of their horses. Skiing might be the
thing that brings you here the first time,
but its not necessarily the reason youll
keep coming back.
The test of a successful vacation is
how you feel at the end. A good trip
leaves you feeling like it went too quickly, wishing that you could extend it for
just a few more days. Jacksons pull is
even more powerful for me. Every time
I get on a plane to head back home, I ask
myself why I dont just move to the
Tetons full-time.

I ALMOST FEEL GUILT Y

TAYLOR GLENN (3)

(Turn the page for more.)

SNOWSPEAK

POWDER

Lightweight, fluffy, and dry;

freshly fallen.

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

51

SUNSET PICKS

YOUR IDEAL WEEKEND:

JACKSON, WY
S TAY H E R E
AT THE MOUNTAIN

A decade ago, there

were only a couple
of hostels and a cluster of condos at the
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Now,
theres a Four Seasons, the Teton Mountain Lodge, and our
favorite, Hotel Terra,
which melds modern,
eco-friendly design
with a more mountainlike vibe. From
$263; hotelterra
jacksonhole.com.
The Wort
Hotel, opened in
1941, is one of the
few places with the
kind of historical
character that befits
the dusty old cowboy
town Jackson once
was. From $289;
worthotel.com.
IN TOWN

HIT THE
SLOPES
MUST-DO Even if
youre not a skier,
take the famous tram
to the top of the resorts 10,450-foothigh Rendezvous
Bowl, then admire
the views with a beer
and a Belgian waffle
at Corbets Cabin.
FOR BEGINNER
SKIERS Jackson

Holes reputation is
that its steep and
challenging. Thats
true, but its also
huge, with terrain for

skiers of all levels.

The Aprs Vous
Mountain side of the
resort is basically
a beginner and intermediate playground,
and Kids Ranch, located in a building
just off the gondola,
is one of the best
programs in the industry for teaching
little ones.
FOR THE MORE
EXPERIENCED Jack-

son Hole is famous

for sidecountry,
a term coined to
describe the open
resort boundaries
that lead to trees,
chutes, and other
off-piste terrain that
you can ski and then
still return to the lifts.
You get the thrill of
skiing wilder runs
without the misery
that backcountry
typically requires
in particular, long
hikes with skis or
snowboards strapped
to your back. From
$104/1-day lift ticket; jacksonhole.com.
MEET THE
L O CA L S
WILDLIFE SPOTTING

You often see the elk

before you see the
town of Jackson.
Most days, theyre
right along U.S. 26
on the way in from
the airport. In winter,
you can see them
(relatively) up close
in safety, on a horsedrawn sleigh ride in

the 24,700-acre
National Elk Refuge.
Tours run daily from
December through
the first week of
April. $20; fws.gov/
nationalelkrefuge.
TAS T E
T H E T OW N
BREAKFAST Housed
in a rustic log cabin
halfway between
town and the resort,
Noras Fish Creek Inn
got a James Beard
Award in 2012 for
having one of the
best breakfasts in
America. The huevos
rancheros are justifiably beloved. $;
5600 State 22, Wilson; norasfishcreek
inn.com.

No place in
town has better
views than Couloir,
set at the top of the
Jackson Hole gondola at 9,095 feet.
Start with the duck
wings, no matter
what else you order.
$$; 3265 W. Village
Dr., Teton Village;
jacksonhole.com.

LUNCH

DINNER Transplanted
Chicago restaurateur
Gavin Fine has a
mini empire growing
in Jackson, and
youre in good hands
at any of his seven
eateries. Rendezvous
Bistro ($$) is the
original, and its
home to the best
hamburger around,
topped with bacon,

Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) is served by American,

Delta, Frontier, and United airlines. The town is 9 1 2 miles south of
JAC via U.S. 191, which is open all winter.

GE T TING HERE

52

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

white cheddar, and

roasted-garlic-anddill aioli. Bin22 ($),
his latest, is a wine
bar with tapas. The
best part? You can
buy wine in the attached shop and
drink it at dinner
with no corkage fee.
jhfinedining.com.
RAISE
A G L AS S
THE CHEERS OF
JACKSON Sure,

its
touristy, but its also
authentic and adored
by locals. The Million
Dollar Cowboy Bar is

the center of Jackson

social life, with cheap
cans of beer, live
country music, and
Texas two-step.
Commandeer one
of the barstools,
each of which has
an actual saddle in
lieu of a seat, and sip
a bottle of the local
Snake River Lager.
That stuffed grizzly
in the glass case?
Its allegedly the
largest bear ever
killed by a man with
his bare hands.
25 N. Cache St.;
milliondollarcow
boybar.com.

Clockwise from right: Whiteout bliss; the resorts

famous tram; Gavin Fines salumi and cheese.

SUNSETS 2015 WINTER TRAVEL GUIDE

In January
and February, you can
always count
on getting
great powder
conditions
and quality
snowreally
light and dry,
just the way
I like it.

TAYLOR GLENN (4)

tommy moe, 20-year

resident of jackson and
1994 olympic skiing gold
and silver medalist

SNOWSPEAK

CHAMPAGNE POWDER

Extremely lightweight and

fluffythe gold standard
for skiers and boarders.

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

53

SUNSET PICKS

YOUR PERFECT SNOW DAY

What do you want to do?

Bond with my kids

on the slopes.

I want to
take it easy.

Up on the
mountain.

I have little
ones.

Deer Valley
Resort puts
beginner and
intermediate
skiers at ease
with plenty of
groomed runs
and inviting
views to match.
Take advantage
of the free,
twice-daily
tours, when
guides can
point you to the
best terrain for
your skill level.
$114/1-day lift
ticket; Park City,
UT; deer
valley.com.

Diamond Peaks
Last Tracks
program grants
bragging rights
and a buzz. For
$34, you get to
catch the days
last chair up
the mountain,
enjoy wine and
appetizers at
7,450-foot-high
Snowflake Lodge,
and then ski
down while
watching the sun
set over Lake
Tahoe. $64/1-day
lift ticket; Incline
Village, NV;
diamondpeak.com.

Angel Fire Resort beckons

families with
base-camp babysitting and the
new High Five
deal, which lets
young first-time
skiers earn a free
season pass after
taking five lessons. Kids in
need of a ski
break can make
their own Frosty
with DIY snowman kits. $53/
1-day lift ticket;
Angel Fire, NM;
angelfire
resort.com.

Play in the
snow, sans hills.

Crosscountry
skiing.
Much of Glacier
National Parks
beloved Goingto-the-Sun Road
closes to cars in
winter. But you
can still see the
routes beauty by
skis. Glacier Adventure Guides
offers full-day
excursions, including instruction for newbies,
from December
through May.
From $180; Columbia Falls, MT;
glacieradventure
guides.com.

Challenge me.

Off the mountain.

I have teens.

Snowshoeing.

Steep runs, deep powder

thats what youll find at
Mt. Bachelor. Catch the
Northwest Express lift to
access glades of old-growth
hemlocks, perfectly spaced
for skiing, or venture to the
Low East area, 650 acres of
newly opened terrain.
$79/1-day lift ticket; Bend,
OR; mtbachelor.com.

At Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort, revelers

can rent a heated yurt
close to Lee Peaks 11,289foot summit, ski during
the day, and then hop a
45-minute limo ride to
the Strip. Schuss City
meets Sin City. $48/1-day
lift ticket; Las Vegas;
skilasvegas.com.

Brundage Mountain
Resort is a super place
for older kids to test
their limits. Many intermediate runs sit next to
widely spaced trees,
making it easy for adventure seekers to give ungroomed terrain a try.
$50/1-day lift ticket; McCall, ID; brundage.com.

At Snoqualmie Pass,
U.S. Forest Service rangers will outfit you with
snowshoes, show you
the basics, and guide you
on a beginner-friendly,
90-minute hike through
the Cascades. $15 suggested donation; Snoqualmie
Pass, WA; reservations:
(425) 434-6111.

SNOWSPEAK

BROWN SNOW

Infused with mud,

usually shows up
in spring.

54

Revel in the
aprs scene.

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

SNOW HALL OF FAME

film blanc
Five movies starring
Western snow

SUN VALLE Y SERENADE

(1941) This corny musical

with Norwegian skating sensation Sonja Henie made a

star out of the Idaho resort.

JEREMIAH JOHNSON (1972 )

Actor Robert Redford was so taken with the Utah filming locations,
he bought land nearbyto start
a little place called Sundance.

JON MULLEN/GETTY IMAGES; BELOW: EVERETT COLLECTION

Ski, plain
and simple.

SUNSETS 2015 WINTER TRAVEL GUIDE

KNOW YOUR SNOW

WHERE TO GO,
AND WHEN
Have funwithout
breaking a sweat.

Memorable
scenery
and killer
photo ops.
Kick back in
a cozy sled on
a mushing tour
with Jeff Ulsamers Dog
Sled Adventures. Ulsamers Alaskan Huskies
lead hourlong
rides through
the old-growth
fir of Stillwater
State Forest.
From $100;
Whitefish, MT;
dogsled
adventures
montana.com.

Tony Crocker loves two things: skiing and

stats. His website, bestsnow.net, combines
both, with 40-plus years of snowfall
dataand tips on how to find the freshest
flakes. His advice:

1
2
3
4

Okay, maybe
a few thrills.
Snowtubing provides
the wind-in-your-face
adrenaline boost of
skiing and boarding
but doesnt require the
skill. Try the thousandfoot-long lanes at Whistler Blackcomb. $21/
1-hour pass; Whistler, B.C.;
whistlerblackcomb.com.

IF YOU WANT TO SKI IN JANUARY

Mountains that get a lot of sunlike Steamboat and Vail in Colorado, and
Jackson in Wyomingare good bets right now. Jackson Hole sees more snow
in January than any other month: an average of 80 inches of fresh powder.
FOR PRESIDENTS DAY
OR SPRING BREAK,
BOOK IN JANUARY.
Make plans too far ahead of time
and you wont know where the
snows going. By January, youll
have a clear idea of which mountains are getting a good snowfall.

SNOW HALL OF FAME

Over-the-top
billing
Ski-run names gone wild.

OR, WAIT UNTIL MARCH.

Summit County, Colorado, is a
good spring-break option. It has
numerous high-altitude resorts,
such as Breckenridge and Keystone, that preserve snow exceptionally well.

WYATTS BURP
(Alyeska, AK)

DEVILS CROTCH
(Breckenridge, CO)

HUEVOS GRANDE
(Mammoth, CA)

NAUGHTY GIRL

IN THE LATE SEASON,

AIM HIGH.
Ski conditions in March and April
are driven more by altitude and exposure than by the seasons snowfall. The higher the peak, the colder
it is, and the more snow itll keep.
When you need to plan ahead, pick
a high-elevation spot, like Mammoth in California, Mt. Bachelor in
Oregon, or Telluride in Colorado.

(Brundage, ID)

NUTHER MOTHER
(Pajarito, NM)

X-FILES
(Deer Valley, UT)

THE DUMPS (Aspen)

DITCH OF DOOM
(Kirkwood, CA)

BRAIN DAMAGE
(Crystal Mountain, WA)

WIDOW MAKER

AND DONT PANIC

THERE WILL BE SNOW.
Despite the drought in California,
Western snow conditions are still
strong. The 201011 season was
the best ski season in more than
40 years. When in doubt, Utahs
Cottonwood Canyon resorts, like
Alta, are a safe choice for good
snow all season.

THE SH INING (1980 ) A family

getaway to a luxury resort? What
could go wrong? Colorado, Montana, and Oregon all claim to be
the true locale.

DUMB AND DUMBER

(1994 ) Lloyd and

Harry take on snowy,

snooty Aspen. And
Aspen loses.

(Heavenly, CA)

SNOWSPEAK

CORDUROY

Groomed by a snowcat
machine into grooves.

FROZEN ( 2013 ) Okay, it was

set in an animated Scandinavia.

The saga of Elsa and Anna is
still the triumphant product of
Burbank-based Disney.

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

55

SUNSET PICKS

the new classic lodges

Know where the snow is amazing? Outside the frosted window of a fire-warmed inn.
Here are our top five base camps this winter.
WASHINGTON
SCHOOL HOUSE
HOTEL

Park City, Utah, has

grown over-the-top posh
in recent years, and our
favorite spot to splurge
is the Washington School
House Hotel. Hidden
just off Main Street is
a newly renovated stone
schoolhouse turned
hushed inn thats well
worth the sticker shock.
Your stay includes
everything from omelets
in the morning to warm
cookies at night, access
to the rooftop heated
pooland, believe it or
not, all alcohol. Then
theres the space itself:
16-foot-high ceilings,
100-year-old crystal
chandeliers, and white
marble bathroom floors
(heated, of course). From
$1,125; washington
schoolhouse.com.
S L E E P O N T H I S Every
winter, the Sundance Film
Festival draws 45,000 attendees to Park City
more than eight times the
towns population.

BASECAMP

South Lake Tahoe, California, has always

been known more for casino buffets and highrise hotels than for hipness. But when Basecamp opened in 2012, young, budget-minded
snow chasers were first in line, ready to scout
the revamped 50s motel within boot-stomping
distance of Heavenly. What they found was
a high-style crash pad straight out of a Wes
Anderson movie. The 50 guest rooms all come
with comfy Pendleton blankets, walk-in showers, and rustic lanterns to help you find your
way to the outdoor firepits for a smoresathon. New this season: a 20-person hot tub
and a beer garden with Texas-style barbecue.
From $109; basecamphotels.com.
S L E E P O N T H I S The nearby Heavenly
Mountain Resort opened in 1955, 10 years
before South Lake Tahoe existed as a town.

56

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

SUNSETS 2015 WINTER TRAVEL GUIDE

SNOW HALL OF FAME

THE WOOD
SLEDMADE
BET TER

THE SNOWPINE LODGE

Built in 1938, The Snowpine Lodge in Alta, Utah, is the oldest of

the resorts five ski-in/ski-out innsand after years of neglect,
it began looking like it. But a couple of years ago, new owners
gave this intimate, 21-room lodge the love, care, and cozy couches it deserves. Plus: an outdoor hot tub, plush beds, and a relaxed dining room with four-course suppers where slippers are
acceptable and the chef takes requests. From $130 for bunk,
$339 for private room, including meals; thesnowpinelodge.com.

Consider it rideable art. The

heirloom-quality Ultimate
Flyer, from Colorado-based
Mountain Boy Sledworks, is
handcrafted from birch, with
willow handrails, stainless
steel hardware, and customized skids on the bottom for
increased speed. The entire
front section pivots for added
control and steering. $180;
mountainboysleds.com.

S L E E P O N T H I S After a controversial 2014 decision to ban

snowboarders, Alta is one of three ski-only resorts in the country.

VOICES OF THE SNOW

KNOB HILL INN

For years, Knob Hill Inn was too frilly and pink, desperately playing the part of the only luxury hotel in Sun Valley. Then in 2011,
new owners swooped in with $1.2 million to give a town steeped
in tradition something fresh. The contemporary hotel is home to
just 29 roomssome with wood-burning fireplaces, others with
prime views of Mt. Baldy, all with heated marble bathroom floors.
Best of all: Its within walking distance of downtown Ketchum.
From $329; knobhillinn.com.
S L E E P O N T H I S The first two chairlifts in the country were built
in Sun Valley in 1936.

LODGE AT VAIL

Back in 1962, when Vail Mountain first opened with one rickety
gondola and $5 lift tickets, there
was just one 30-room hotel in Vail.
Now, that hotel is a 165-room
resort, which sparkles this season
after a big-deal, multiphase renovation: 56 newly redone rooms
with fireplaces and panoramic
views of the peaks. The pool is
fresh off a million-dollar facelift
too, with two new hot tubs and
gas firepits. From $547; lodge
atvail.rockresorts.com.
S L E E P O N T H I S Vail Ski Resort
was established by three WWII
vets who had trained for alpine
combat in a nearby valley.

SNOWSPEAK

SLUSH

Halfway to
melting,
very heavy
and wet.

YES, THERES
SNOW IN HAWAII
A couple of days after a big
front moves in, we might open
the road to Mauna Keas
summit. Then youll see them,
4x4s full of locals hauling snowboards, inner tubes, Boogie
boards. There are no lifts, so one
person goes down, then waits
to get driven back to the top. Its
no place for a beginner. Were at
14,000 feet above sea level,
with very steep slopes and hard
lava rock underneath the snow.
Ive never done itno way.
I know my limits.
RANGER SCOTTY PAIVA ON DOWNHILLING
THE WORLDS TALLEST VOLCANO

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

57

VOICES OF THE SNOW

SUNSET PICKS

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SNOWY

The Sierra Nevada snowpack is like a
frozen reservoir. Its runoff supplies
30 percent of Californias waterand
everybody needs to drink water. We
start measuring the snow February 1.
We ski out to 250 sites across the state
and use snow samplers, poles you stick
in the ground. We also use automatic
snow sensors that emit data electronically. Last years snowpack was one of
our worst ever. Maybe Im delusional,
but Im hoping this year will be better.
DAVE RIZZARDO, CHIEF OF SNOW SURVEY SECTION,
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

THE BEST
MEALS AT HIGH
ALTITUDE
Everything tastes better
at 10,000 feet, where just getting
to the dinner table is half the fun.
Here are six ways to dine high.

ALPINE MEADOWS,
LAKE TAHOE, CA
KNOW YOUR SNOW

Meet your maker

Expert snowmaker Jon Wax is so good at filling in the flakes
at Washingtons Mission Ridge Resort that Sochi tapped him for the
2014 Winter Olympics. We share his take on the fake stuff.

What is fake snow?

Fake snow is just snow made
from high-pressure water and
compressed air, then launched
140 feet from a machine. The
only real difference is that it
doesnt have dendritic arms,
which are the crystal structures
that ensure no two snowflakes
are alike.
How do you make good
fake snow?
A lot of hard work and studying
the forecast for temperature,
humidity, and wind. Things can
change quickly. We spend a lot
of time moving the machines
around, then the winds shift and
we have to move again. We joke
and say that its pure magic,
but its not.
Can the average person
tell the difference between
real and manmade?
It depends on the conditions
you had when you made the
snow. Snow made at 26 is
going to be a little different from

snow made at 12. Theres also

a cure time involved with manmade snow. Ideally, you make
it, then you dont touch it for
24 hours to let the moisture
evaporate. If you get short on
time, you start pushing stuff
before its ready, and the snow
isnt as smooth.
What was it like to make
snow for the 2014 Sochi
Olympics?
Amazing. They had one of the
largest fan systems in the world.
The firepower was incredible.
The temperature wasnt always
ideal, but when it got cold
enough, we were full-on. For
perspective, when were rocking
at Mission Ridge, we convert
1,800 to 2,000 gallons of water
to snow every minute. In Sochi,
we were doing 12,000!
So without fake snow,
there would not have been
a Sochi Olympics?
Im confident there wouldnt
have been.

The Chalet, at midmountain, has been

transformed into
a Swiss-style beer
garden. Ski to the
door for a pint, or
come back via snowcat for a country
meal. New this season: Private Snowcat Dinners ($220;
15 people min.). And
on peak weekends:
Snowshoe Dinners
($69) under the stars
for 50 strangers
who no doubt leave
as friends. squaw
alpine.com.

SNOWSPEAK

HARDPACK
Densely
packed,
almost icy.

ARAPAHOE
BASIN, CO

If snowshoeing up
to 12,000 feet under
the light of a full
moon for a Bavarian feast sounds
appealing, reserve
now. A-Basins
monthly Moonlight Dinners are
insanely popular.
Not down for the
45-minute climb?
Hop the chairlift
and be greeted by
live music, a familystyle spread, and
picture-window
views of the Continental Divide. $85;
arapahoebasin.com.

SUNSETS 2015 WINTER TRAVEL GUIDE

SUNSET PICKS

Elsa. Experienced
guides will take you
through ice tunnels,
ice slides, and a
series of grand
rooms, including
one where lunch
will be served.
It could be fresh
sushi or braised
lamb, paired with
ice wine, of course.
From $10,000
U.S./group of 4;
headlinemountain
holidays.com.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: CAMARA PHOTOGRAPHY, THOMAS J. STORY, LYNN DONALDSON; RIGHT, FROM TOP: NORBERT MILLER/
AFP/GETTY IMAGES, STEFAN WACKERHAGEN/IMAGEBROKER/ALAMY; PAGE 56, BOTTOM LEFT: EVA KOLENKO

LONE MOUNTAIN
RANCH, BIG SKY, MT

ASPEN

The Cloud Nine

Alpine Bistro atop
the Aspen Highlands was a ski patrol station until the
late 1990s. Now its
one of the Rockies
best ski-in restaurants, its menu
packed with local
game, fish, and produce. The signature
raclette (gooey, firemelted cheese
served with potatoes and cured
meats) will make
you want to linger
well after the frost
has disappeared
from your nose. Or
until the ski patrol
sends you back

down the mountain.

Lunch $45 prix fixe;
aspensnowmass.com/
cloudnine.

WHISTLER, B.C.

Looking for an
over-the-top dining
experience? Local
outfitter Head-Line
will helicopter you
to the Pemberton
Ice Fields, where
youll snowmobile
to a maze of ice
caves fit for Queen

The weekly Sleigh

Ride Dinners at
this all-inclusive
6,500-acre guest
ranch near Yellowstones northwest
gate are legendary.
Hot cocoa and wool
blankets keep you
warm as a team of
2,000-pound draft
horses pulls you
through the winter
wonderland to a
remote cabin in the
woods. For the next
two hours, its lamplit ambience, slabs
of prime rib with
roasted potatoes,
and a real-deal cowboy singing tunes
about the Montana
range. $115; lone
mountainranch.com.

SNOWSPEAK

THREE
SNOWMAZING
SPORTS

CORNICE

Balcony-like overhang created by

wind; some skiers
and boarders like to
launch from cornices,
but they can snap off.

1. SNOWKITING
WHAT IS IT? A massive

kite that propels you

and your skis or board
across the snow.
PLAY HERE Telluride
Snowkite School,
Telluride, CO. $75/
3-hour clinic; telluride
snowkite.com.

INTRODUCING
THE ROVING
CHAMPAGNE
BAR
Theres skiing Champagne powder, and
then theres sipping
Champagne in the
powder. The Oasis
on Aspen Mountain
lets you do both.
How it works: Skiers
and snowboarders
check Twitter or
Facebook to find
where the mobile bar
will pop up nextand
then show up in their
boots ready to kick
back in actual lounge
chairs, listen to solarpowered tunes,
spoon fresh caviar,
and tilt back flutes of
bubbly. Because skiing at 11,000 feet
doesnt make you
light-headed enough.
From $15; thelittle
nell.com.

2. SKIJORING
WHAT IS IT? A combi-

nation of cross-country skiing and dog

sledding. Your pooch
does the pulling; you
do the steering.
PLAY HERE Devils
Thumb Ranch Resort,
Tabernash, CO.
$40/2-hour clinic;
devilsthumbranch.com.

3. SNOW BIKING
WHAT IS IT? Mountain

biking in the snow,

using bikes with
special oversize tires.
PLAY HERE Jug Mountain Ranch, McCall,
ID. $50/day bike rental,
$10 trail day pass;
jugmountain
ranch.com.

DIGITAL BONUS
From snowy
wonderlands to urban
fun, the very best places
to visit in winter: sunset.
com/wintertravel.
SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

59

KNOW YOUR SNOW

LEADERS OF THE PACK

The West has always had the best snow in the whole countryand we have the stats to prove it.
MT
S N O Q UA L MI E
L ARGEST SKI RESORT
IN THE U.S.

SNOWIEST YEAR IN THE U.S.

CA S CA D E S

1,140 inches
(95 feet)
BEND

mt. baker ski area, wa

elevation: 5,089 feet
jul 1, 1998jun 30, 1999.

5,800-acre
Big Sky Resort

M CC A L L

big sky, mt
elevation: 11,166 feet.

WY
JAC KSON

ID
R O C KY M O U N TA I N S

S I E R R A N E VA DA

BIGGEST SNOWSTORM
IN THE U.S.

189 inches
(15.75 feet)

CO

PA R K C I T Y

BRECKENRIDGE

NORTH
L AKE TAHOE

mount shasta
ski bowl, ca
elevation: 3,554 feet
feb 1319, 1959.

SNOWIEST DAY IN THE U.S.

RED RIVER

75.8 inches
(6.3 feet)
silver lake, co
elevation: 10,220 feet
apr 1415, 1921.

SNOWIEST MONTH
IN THE U.S.

DEEPEST SNOW
IN THE U.S.

390 inches
(32.5 feet)

451 inches
(37.6 feet)

tamarack, ca
elevation: 7,000 feet
jan 1911.

tamarack, ca
elevation: 7,000 feet
mar 11, 1911.

NM

SUNSET PICKS

THE BEST SNOW EVENTS

INTERNATIONAL SNOW SCULPTURE CHAMPIONSHIPS (CO)
JAN 27FEB 8

60

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

At first, theres nothing but a half-dozen blocks of snow, pressed

into enormous cubes. Then the teams arrivetrios from around
the globeand unwrap the strangest batch of tools ever to make
it past airport security: serrated saws, garden spades. For days,
they saw, scrape, and sand, until the night before tools down,
when judging begins. The sculptures are smooth as glass, all traces of snow swept away. Team Netherlands is finishing a mash-up
of a corkscrew and a beer opener. You better pick a design you
like, says one of its sculptors. Because its days of cold, hard,
wet work. In the morning, the sculptures will stand white and
gleaming against a bluebird sky, until, winners and losers alike,
they soften, start to drip, and collapse under their own weight.
Get the scoop firsthand in Breckenridge. gobreck.com.

SUNSETS 2015 WINTER TRAVEL GUIDE

SNOWSPEAK

CORN

Springtime snow,
melted and
refrozen into
icy pellets.

VOICES OF THE SNOW

AFTER THE FALL

B Y PA M H O U S T O N

M C CALL
WINTER
CARNIVAL (ID)
JAN 30FEB 8

FROM LEFT: CARL SCOFIELD (2), TAYLOR GLENN; MAP ILLUSTRATION: SUPRIYA KALIDAS

Opens with
snow sculptures, ends with
a fireworks display. mccall
chamber.org/
winter-carnival.

NORTH
LAKE TAHOE
SNOWFEST
(NV)
FEB 27MAR 8

Get all goosebumpy at

the Polar
Bear Swim,
or chill out at
the parade.
tahoesnow
festival.com.

FUR RENDEZVOUS (AK)

FEB 27MAR 8

Snow-packed
activities in Anchorage, from
sled dog races
to the crowning
of Rondy royalty. furrondy.net.

WINTER
CARNIVAL &
PARADE OF
ICE (NM)
JAN 911,
1619

Ice sculpting,
parades, and
snowmobile
races in Red
River. redriver
newmex.com.

I live at 9,000 feet above sea level in Colorado, near the headwaters of the Rio Grande,
in a high horseshoe-shaped valley wrapped on three sides by the Continental Divide.
The air is thin, dry, and cold up here. The snowstorms get stuck in the dip and swirl of
the basin, turning back and back again on themselves, sometimes dropping as much
as 4 inches an hour. On a morning in mid-November, we can wake to dry frozen
ground and flurries, and by dinnertime, the split-rail fences have all gone under. We
might not see the tops of them again until March.
That is the day that launches four solid months of worry. I fear for my elderly geldings who get so depressed standing on that frozen moonscape with their achy old-man
legs that they sometimes stop eating, stop taking the short walk to the trough. You can
lead a horse to water, you can carry a bucket of water to a horse and stick it right under
his nose, you can float carrot bits on the surface to make it more appealing, you can
even lie down on the ice in front of the bucket and pretend to slurp up water yourself,
but it turns out to be true that you cannot make him drink.
I worry, too, about the mini donkeys, who are far jollier than the horses but no taller
than the split-rail fences. They have to power through the pasture like Tonka trucks,
leaving their belly marks in the fresh powder, and I imagine them high-centered in a
drift some howling night, their little legs spinning but gaining no purchase.
I worry about my Icelandic sheep, especially Jordan, the ewe, who is prone to respiratory illness brought on by sudden cold snaps, and my chickens, who tend to attack
(and sometimes kill) each other in extreme weather of any kind. Ive been spotted
heading out to the chicken house at 5 a.m., dressed in my giant Denver Broncos coat,
mushing gloves, and pack boots, toting a space heater. I sit cross-legged under the red
lamp with the humming heater in my lap for a couple of hours while the chickens
gather around and jockey for position under my armpits.
What edges out the worry, of course, is the wonder. Because what could be better
than 48 inches in 24 hours, than a young Irish wolfhound leaping though bottomless
powder with a giant smile on his face, than a herd of 200 elk making their stately way
through the pasture toward the river? What could be better than knowing the aquifer
is getting replenished, that summer wildfire fear is assuaged, if not abated, that the
rivers will be full of trout and the pastures full of wild irises come June?
What follows the storm is utter stillness, in which nothing is moving, every living
being in the county is resting. Its a quiet so complete that I can hear when a car crosses
the cattle guard 2 miles and three bends of river canyon away.
This is my home, a place where nature still controls how we spend our days and
how we spend our lives. September is for filling the barn with hay; October for loading
the porch with firewood. Its 6 degrees below zero, but according to The Weather Channel, it feels like minus 20. Theres a pot of green chile stew in the oven, and the dogs are
snoring by the woodstove. Theres nothing I would trade this for. Now, let it snow.
Pam Houston is the author of five books, including Cowboys Are My Weakness and her latest,
Contents May Have Shifted. She lives in Creede, Colorado.

Additional reporting by Alexandra Deabler, Peter Fish, David Hanson, Rachel Levin, Megan McCrea, Andrea Minarcek, Nino Padova & Lisa Trottier

Way back when, they met cute in Hawaii.

Now, theyre trying to reconnect with this land of lava, white-knuckle
drives, dolphins gone AWOLand each other. Can they
find the magic again while chaperoned by a ukulele-mad 10-year-old?
BY PEGGY ORENSTEIN
brought my husband and me together.
It was 1991. I was still new to San Francisco, enjoying
myself in that aimless, vaguely miserable way endemic
to ones 20sunsure of what my life added up to,
where it was heading. A friend who was writing about
the rise of the Native Hawaiian rights movement invited me to tag along on a reporting trip to the Big Island.
A free hotel room? Sign me up! Steven, as it happened,
was there making a documentary film on the same
subject. We had friends in common back home, and Id
always thought he was kind of cute. So, on the pretext
of our mutual interest in hula heiaus and petroglyphs,
I wangled an introduction.
About a year later, we returned to the Big Island as a
twosome, to screen his film and, not incidentally, to

THE BIG ISLAND

marry. In a photo from that trip, Im

The Kona
Coast: palm
standing on the rim of the Kilauea
trees, soft
Volcano caldera, gazing at the steam
white sand,
that rises from its floor. Life was bethatched
roofs, gentle
ginning down there, molten and untradewinds.
predictable. I wonder if I realized that
my own life was being forged as well.
So much has happened since then: years of infertility
followed by the birth of our daughter, Daisy; professional
triumphs and disappointments; illnesses and the deaths
of parents; shared jokes; inevitable resentments. Our
marriage turned 21 last year, old enough to drink (and
some days it probably wouldheavily). That seemed the
perfect moment to return to the Big Island, the place it all
began. As with love itself, I hoped to rediscover what had

Peggy Orenstein is the author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter, a New York Times best seller. She is also a contributing
writer to The New York Times Magazine. Hear her read this story on voqel.com/sunset.
62

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

Photographs by T H O M A S

J. S T O RY

always drawn me to this placeand, perhaps, even after

all these years, to find a few surprises.
The day did not start off well. We woke at 4 to catch
an early flight and all of usDaisy, now 10, Steven, and
Iwere grouchy. Steven and I quarreled over something tiny. I cant recall what, exactly, though I am quite
sure he started it and I was in the right.
by the time we landed,
but wed let our irritation go. After all, we were in Hawaii! We dumped our things at our Keauhou Bay hotel,
assured our daughter that, yes, she could try the really
cool waterslide later, and grabbed our snorkeling gear.
Our longtime favorite spot, Honaunau Bay, was farther
south, past sleepy, polysyllabic towns chockablock with
junk stores and local dives. There was the Aloha Theatre, erected in 1932, where Stevens film once showed.
There was Kaaloas Super Js, home of the islands best
plate lunch; officially a restaurant, it doubles, I suspect,
as the owners living room. There was the Painted
Church, the legacy of a priest and self-taught artist who
hoped his vibrant imagery would lure a nonliterate
population to Catholicism. There was the sacred
Puuhonua o Honaunau, where, in the ultimate game of

WE HADNT EXACTLY RECONCILED

The thing about the

Big Island is, its a big island.
A really big island.
All the other islands put
together would fit
onto it nearly twice over.
tag, ancient Hawaiians condemned to death could find
refugeprovided they got there before being caught.
Just before the parking lot, we turned down the road
leading to Two-Step, a snorkeling spot named for the
worn lava rocks that ease entry to the ocean.
When Daisy was 18 months old, she leapt gleefully
into a swimming pool; I ducked beneath the surface to
find her fully submerged there, eyes wide open, grinning.
When she was 4, we strapped a mask, snorkel, and fins
on her for the first time; by 6, she could say humuhumunukunukuapuaa (Hawaiian for reef triggerfish, its
literal translation is fish with a snout like a pig). Now
Daisy is a mermaid, free-diving into the oceans depths,
checking beneath ledges for bashful parrot fish.
I, meanwhile, scanned for sea turtles. At some point,
Steven and I decided they were lucky, so not seeing one
64

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

somehow became the opposite. They often frequent

Two-Step, but today there were none. The pod of spinner dolphins that hangs out on the north side of the
bay was AWOL as well. Daisy didnt mind. She delighted in everything she saw: the schools of butterfly
fish, the glowing yellow tangs, the unicorn fish. After
an hour, I had not seen anything exotic and was slightly
disappointed; she had seen only the commonplace
yet was thrilled. I dont think I need to tell you who
was better off.
at The Coffee Shack, in the
town of Captain Cook, were so fresh, we could almost
taste the sun and soil that grew them. I tell you this not
only because our meal was great, but also so you wont
think that all I ate was pie. Because that is the real reason we always stop for lunch here. Yes, there is the
homemade bread and earthy mushroom soup, fabulous
breakfasts with french toast the size of my head. But the
mac nut pie at The Coffee Shack is, as the locals say,
broke da mouth. Sweet and golden, it is suffused with
rich, creamy macadamia nuts, a nut that puts all others
the lowly pecan, the humble walnut, the basic almond
to shame. (Let us not begin to discuss the peanut, which
is not even a nut but a legume. Feh.) Steven and I showed
uncustomary restraint by ordering one slice for the two
of us, then dove for it as if it were the last weapon in The
Hunger Games. It was gone within seconds.

THE GREENS IN THE SALAD

about surprises? The Keauhou

Store, along a backroad recently tagged the Kona Heritage Corridor, turned out to be one of them. Hand-built
in 1919 by Yoshisuke Sasaki, an immigrant from Japan,
and lately refurbished by California transplants Thea
and Kurt Brown, it was, in its heyday, akin to the Selfridges of the Big Island, selling a little bit of everything.
There were the requisite groceries and dry goods, but it
also peddled the first Schwinn bikes in Kona and
stocked band instruments, furniture, even sleds for the
snowy peaks of Mauna Kea. Business evaporated when
the main highway came through; when Sasakis middle
son, Ricky, who had taken over the store, died at 84, he
left behind a crumbling building packed with archaeological layers of outdated merchandise.
The Browns had been sifting through those relics
for four years, displaying the best of them in what has
become a hybrid of shop and history museum. Everywhere one looks, there is something remarkable: a
shelf of vintage Japanese baby shoes, antique radios
and telephones, childrens toys, 1950s pop records
from Japan, a scorebook for the 1956 Chicago White
Sox, a box from a Park Avenue hatter. Not all the
antiques are for sale, but the store does feature
REMEMBER THE PART

Clockwise from
above: The
author on her
wedding day;
Waipio Valley;
Sheraton Kona;
mac nut pie;
a shy couple
bayside; Painted Church;
Puuhonua o
Honaunau.
Center: Kaaloas
Super Js.

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

65

I floated alone. Until I was not.

I saw a dark shape, and
suddenly a manta ray appeared
just beneath me.

Clockwise from top: The coast just off

Mamalahoa Hwy.; four-string bliss in
Holualoa; the Volcano Rainforest
Retreat; breadfruit; line-caught tuna
at the Suisan Fish Market. Center: A
young customer at the Keauhou Store.

vintage-look T-shirts as well as replicas of old maps

and theater posters. The Browns also sell produce and
coffee grown on their own land as well as home-baked
cookies (try the snickerdoodle).
We pulled over again farther down the road at the
Holualoa Ukulele Gallery, housed in the towns original
late-1920s post office. Inside, instruments are displayed
like artworks, as well they should be. These are no touristtrap tchotchkes: Handcrafted by members of the Big Island Ukulele Guild, they are made of koa, mango, myrtle,
African mahogany. A few are even built from old cigar
boxes, a time-honored technique. They run from about
$500 to $1,650. Owner and former goldsmith Sam Rosen
offered Daisy his business card, printed with four easy
chords on the back, and within minutes, she was plunking
away, the waterslide, at least for now, forgotten.
the Big Island is, its a big island. A
really big island. All the other islands put together
would fit onto it nearly twice over. To truly experience
it, you have to movea lot. After another day of snorkeling, mac nut pie, and, yes, waterslides, we pointed
our rental car southeast. Lush coffee farms gave way to
clusters of tiny houses with rusted corrugated-tin roofs,
then to scrubby ohia trees. The blue skies darkened
with ominous clouds. A shaft of god-light broke through
just as a song by Darden Smith, an Austin singersongwriter, came on the car stereo: Skin, love is the one
true skin, we all wanna walk around in
Id listened to that tune incessantly on our wedding
trip, when Stevens skin still felt new against mine. Back
then, we canoodled in a rain forest B&B whose name we
subsequently forgot; because we could never find it
again, it attained Holy Grail status in our joint imagination. After three nights at the Volcano Rainforest Retreat, however, we have called off the quest. The Swiss
Family Robinsonmeets-Zen aesthetic of its four cabins
is the closest well get to life in an enchanted forest. Ours had a loft bed under a
peaked roof and a cozy, propane-fueled stove for (needed) nighttime warmth.
Through our windows, we could see the rain forest surrounding us in a veritable rainbow of green: a canopy of tree ferns, moss, bamboo. Maybe someday,
years from now, a moment like that will once again lead to romance. But now,
during these precious years of traveling as a family, our daughter flung herself
in between us, and the three of us popped in a DVD of The Simpsons.
In the morning, we struck out on the Kilauea Iki Trail, which descends 400
feet through the rain forest, then across the still-steaming crater floor. The first
time I hiked it, a mere quarter-century after the eruption that formed it, I was
unimpressed: It felt like little more than a jaunt across a badly paved parking lot.
You have to get into the science, the spirituality, the flow of the volcano to appreciate it; it is a window into the beginning of time, simultaneously ancient and new.
That is the paradox, the magic of the Big Island: It feels both old and young,
harsh and gentle. This is a land where, because there were no predators, mint
plants evolved without their minty flavor, nettles lost their sting, flies their
THE THING ABOUT

flight. It is a land where spiders have markings on their

bellies that resemble a smiling human face. And it is a
place, where, beneath decades of cooled rock, there is
still plenty of blazing heat.
I have a favorite treat. On
Maui, its dry noodles at Sam Satos in Wailuku. Shaveice? Only at Matsumoto on Oahus North Shore
anything else is just a snow cone. Here on the Big Island, I dream of poke from Hilos Suisan Fish Market:
cubed raw seafood alchemized into onoliciousness
through some combination of onions, seaweed, sesame
seeds, and spices, then dressed (or not) with soy sauce
or sesame oil. We loaded up on marlin, on ahi poke with
spicy, tobiko-studded mayo, on kimchi octopus and the
obligatory two scoops of rice and macaroni salad, then
picnicked beneath a banyan tree in Liliuokalani Park.
Our meal tasted like the ocean, and I pondered which I
love more: snorkeling with fish or eating them. The omnivores dilemma indeed.
Hilo, on the rainier east coast of the Big Island, is famous for its two tsunamis, which struck in 1946 and
1960. Entire neighborhoods were swept away; 220 people died in the two catastrophes. The stories of the disasters as collected by the Pacific Tsunami Museum are by
turns devastating and miraculous. Im partial to the tale
of Marsue McGinnis, a young teacher who relocated
from Cincinnati just before the 1946 tsunami hit. The
wall of water tore her cottage to bits, killing her three
housemates. McGinnis somehow survived, bobbing
among the debris half-clothed, clinging to a plank of
wood. Hours later, a small boat spotted her. On it was
the man she had been dating and would later marry.
When we checked into Shipman House, our host,
Barbara Andersen, said she remembered the shock she
had experiencing the 1960 tsunami. She grew up on
Oahu but spent every summer in Hilo at this sprawling
19th-century mansion owned for generations by her
extended family. Barbara and her husband, Gary,
bought the place in 1994 and converted it to a bed-andbreakfast. She pointed out the Steinway grand piano
that Queen Liliuokalani once liked to play, and she read
from a 1907 letter introducing Jack London to the family. Both he and his wife are plain, commonsense people, its author said. Barbara waited a beat, then deadpanned, That was a lie.

ON EVERY HAWAIIAN ISLAND,

not only the highest peak on the Big Island, it is also the tallest mountain on the planet
unlike Everest, much of it is underwater. Its 13,796-foot
elevation, clean air, and minimal light pollution make it
ideal for astronomy. Eleven countries have telescopes
on its summit, peering past our stars and planets into

MAUNA KEA IS

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

67

galaxies far, far away. Its possible to hike to

its peak, but you can also join the free stargazing program at the visitor center, a mere
9,200 feet above sea level.
First, however, you have to get there,
which for us involved a white-knuckle
drive in the dark, through dense clouds
and driving rain. When we broke through,
though, the night sky was crystalline. The
area around the visitor centers telescopes
was unusually packed, the draw a bright
speck that was hurtling across the sky: the
International Space Shuttle. We craned our
necks to see as it passed through Leos
mane, Scorpios fishhook, the bow of Sagittarius, and then it was gone.
I peered into the viewfinder of a giant
telescope and saw a perfect, tiny blackand-white Saturn. It looked fake, though
of course it wasnt: I was looking at an
actual planet! Impressive. But the temperature had dropped into the 40s. We grabbed
cups of cocoa and hustled back to the car.
In travel, as in love, not every adventure
proves worth it.
To distract ourselves for a bit from the
treacherousness of the road, Steven and I reminisced
quietly about other trips, to this island, to others, to
places farther flung. Its been a fun ride, he said as we
turned into the Shipman House driveway.
Up the mountain? I asked, incredulous.
No, he said. The last 21 years. All of it. Together.
with its high-end resorts,
for last. I knew that once we reclined into lounges on the
white sand of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, we were
done for. Not for nothing had this been votedtwice!
the worlds best beach. The Mauna Kea was the first resort on the Big Island, built in 1965 by Laurance Rockefeller. It has a luxe Mad Men vibe to it, a midcentury
elegance. But the real appeal is that idyllic crescent of
sand, its irresistible turquoise water. I swam out until
the umbrellas on shore were mere pin dots, then floated
in the warm water alone. Until, that is, I was not: Out of
the corner of my eye I saw a dark shape, and suddenly a
manta ray appeared just beneath me, its wings stretching
slowly and gracefully. I remained motionless as it circled
me once, then disappeared out to sea.
A few minutes later, I saw a lucky sea turtle; in fact,
I saw two. But by then, I had realized I no longer needed
them. I already had as much good fortune as I could
want. So I turned in the limpid water and started swimming for shore, back to my daughter and my husband.

WE SAVED THE KOHALA COAST,

68

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

Mauna Kea is not only

the highest peak on the Big Island,
it is also the tallest mountain
on the planetunlike Everest, much
of it is underwater.

Hawaii is called the Big Island for a reason. Its 93 miles north
to south, 76 miles east to west, more than 4,000 square miles
all told, and, with continual volcanic activity, growing every year.
When you visit, give yourself time; theres lots to explore.

DAY 1
Clockwise from far
left: The Mauna Kea
Beach Hotel; Hilo's
Shipman House;
the breakfast buffet
at Shipman House;
stellar sightseeing
from Mauna Kea.
Center: The pool at
the Mauna Kea
Beach Hotel.

your tropic idyll

in Kona, famed for
coffee but a region
that has a lot more
percolating than just
java. First thing, check
into the Sheraton
Kona Resort & Spa.
From $199; sheraton
kona.com.
HIT the ocean next.
Youre on the dry side
of the island, but you
dont have to forgo the
water. The snorkeling
is excellent at both
START

Keauhou Bay

and, farther south,

Honaunau Bay.
SPEND part of your
day shoppingor
simply gawkingat the
Holualoa Ukulele
Gallery and the
Keauhou Store.

84-5140 Painted
Church Rd., Captain
Cook; thepainted
church.org.
GET the perfect plate
lunch at Kaaloas
Super Js. $; 83-5409
Mamalahoa Hwy.,
Captain Cook; (808)
328-9566.
POLISH it off with
a sliceor twoof
macadamia nut pie at
The Coffee Shack. $;
83-5799 Mamalahoa
Hwy., Captain Cook;
coffeeshack.com.
SEE whats playing at
the Aloha Theatre,
which hosts community
theater and live music.
79-7384 Mamalahoa
Hwy., Kainaliu;
apachawaii.org.

DAYS 3 & 4

Gallery: 76-5942 Mamalahoa Hwy., Holualoa; konaweb.com/

ukegallery. Store:
78-7010 Mamalahoa
Hwy., Holualoa;
keauhoustore.com.

STEER

DAY 2

Hawaii Volcanoes
National Park, find

DRIVE

to Puuhonua

o Honaunau National Historic Park to

see the restored Royal

Grounds, complete
with a fish pond,
thatched-roof canoe
houses and burial
sites. $5/vehicle; State
160, Honaunau; nps.
gov/puho.
STOP to visit the
Painted Church,
whose more formal
handle is St. Benedict
Roman Catholic
Church. More than
110 years ago,
a Belgian priest decorated the walls with
bright 3-D paintings
that tell biblical stories.

yourself to the
southern tip of the
island and then swing
through the Kau District, a region thats
making a name for itself with prize-winning
coffee beans. At

Crater Rim Drive and

then park at the
Kilauea Iki Overlook.
STRAP on your hiking
shoes, grab some
water, and head out
on the 4-mile Kilauea
Iki Trail. It will take
you right through the
middle of the Kilauea
Iki Crater, which includes an erstwhile
lava lake. $10/vehicle; nps.gov/havo/
planyourvisit/hike_
day_kilaueaiki.htm.
REST your weary
legs at the Volcano
Rainforest Retreat.
4 cottages from $180;
2-night min.; volcano
retreat.com.

DAY 5
north to Hilo,
the islands most populous town and the
home of the Merrie
Monarch Festival,
which holds the worlds
top hula competition
every April. $5; merrie
monarch.com.
LINE UP at Suisan Fish
Market for a plate full
of poke. $; 93 Lihiwai
St.; (808) 935-9349.
WALK the grounds at
WANDER

Liliuokalani Park
& Gardens, a 30-acre

Japanese garden. $8;

Banyan Dr. at Lihiwai
St.; (808) 961-8311.
VISIT the Pacific
Tsunami Museum to
understand the ocean's
destructive potential.
$8; 130 Kamehameha
Ave.; tsunami.org.
CHECK IN at the 19thcentury Shipman
House Bed & Breakfast. 5 rooms from

$219; hilo-hawaii.com.
DRIVE toward the middle of the island to the
Mauna Kea Observatories and get in

line to look into deep

space. 9 a.m.10 p.m.,
stargazing program
610; Onizuka Center
for International Astronomy, Mauna Kea
Access Rd., 6 miles off
Daniel K. Inouye Hwy.;
afi.hawaii.edu; (808)
935-6268 for weather
and road conditions.

DAY 6
northwest to
the Waipio Valley
Lookout and over
to the Mauna Kea
Beach Hotel. End your
trip as you began it,
at the ocean. From
$550; princeresorts
hawaii.com.
HEAD

DIGITAL BONUS Our guide to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park:

sunset.com/hawaiinp.

how
to
love
a
lemOn
BY E L A I N E J O H N S O N

FOOD STYLING: KAREN SHINTO; PROP STYLING: KELLY ALL

P H O T O G R A P H S BY N G O C M I N H N G O

70

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

Scratch the skin of

a Meyer lemon and
sni. Theres citrus,
of course, but heady
owers toonarcissus,
perhapsand a hint
of pine. Just the scent
of a Meyer lemon,
a low-acid cross between an orange and
a lemon, evokes sunny
California. Cooks and
gardeners in the state
have loved the Meyer
lemon for decades,
growing trees in their
yardsor seeking out
generous neighbors
for the fruit (which was
long deemed too
soft for shipping).
But thanks to a growing number of farmers
planting them, Meyer
lemons are now
turning up in supermarkets across the
country. So ll up
your bag. These inventive recipes from
California chefs
show you how to
use Meyers in everything from morning
eggs to dessert.

C HE F HANNAH BUOYE
OF A16 ROCKRIDGE, OAKL AND

Meyer Lemon Cornmeal

Upside-Down Cake

As L.A. chef Suzanne Goin of Lucques puts it,

meyer lemons
smell like
a california
backyard.
CHEF SUZANNE GOIN

Lettuce Snap Pea

Salad with
Meyer Lemon
Cream

72

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

CHEF ROCKY MASELLI OF A16

ROCKRIDGE, OAKL AND

Crab Pasta with Prosecco and

Meyer Lemon Sauce

1908

The year Frank Meyer,

a USDA plant
explorer, brought the
lemon from China to the
United States.

750

The number of acres

devoted to Meyer lemons
in California and
Arizonaup from just 5
acres in 2005.

The number of months

from November
through Aprilyou can
find Meyer lemons in
markets. (Farmers are
finding ways to make
that season even longer.)

74

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

C H E F - O W N E R S GAY L E P I R I E & J O H N
CLARK OF FOREIGN CINEMA,
SAN FRANCISCO

Scrambled Eggs with Meyer

Lemon Salsa Verde

COOKBOOK AUTHOR PAUL A WOLFERT,

BERKELEY

Chicken with Preserved Meyer

Lemon and Olives

MEYER LEMON CORNMEAL

UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

SERVES 8 / 1 3 4 HOURS, PLUS 2 HOURS

TO COOL

A polenta cake from pastry chef Hannah

Buoye, of A16 Rockridge in Oakland, was
the model for this dense, moist dessert. As
the sliced lemons bake under the cake and
absorb butter and brown sugar, they take
on a marmalade-like quality. Be sure the
cake is fully baked before you remove it
from the oven (see step 6), or it may sink.
Cooking-oil spray
34 cup butter, softened, divided
34 cup packed light brown sugar
2 or 3 whole Meyer lemons, plus zest of
2 large Meyer lemons
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup flour
34 cup fine cornmeal, such as Bobs Red Mill
2 tsp. baking powder
14 tsp. salt
1 2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray inside of
a 9-in. springform pan with cooking-oil
spray. Snugly line pan with a 12-in. circle
of parchment paper*, pressing pleats
flat. Spray parchment with oil; set aside.
2. Bring 1/4 cup butter and the brown sugar
to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Pour into
lined pan and spread evenly.
3. Thinly slice 2 lemons crosswise, using
a handheld slicer and removing seeds
with a knife tip as you go. Discard ends.
Set a small lemon slice in center of butter
mixture in pan. Arrange more slices
in overlapping circles to fill pan (each slice
should overlap the previous one by half).
Save any extra lemon for other uses.
4. Beat remaining 1/2 cup butter, the granulated sugar, and lemon zest in a large
bowl with a mixer on medium speed to
blend, then on high until pale and fluffy,
3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 egg at a time,
scraping inside of bowl and beating well
on high speed, about 1 minute per egg.

76

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour,

cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
Combine milk and vanilla.
5. Add a third of flour mixture to butter
mixture and blend on low speed; scrape
inside of bowl. Blend in half of milk
mixture. Repeat to incorporate remaining ingredients, ending with flour mixture. Pour batter into pan; spread evenly.
6. Bake until cake springs back in center
when lightly pressed, 50 to 55 minutes (it
will be well browned). Let cool in pan on
a rack at least 2 hours. Run a thin knife
between parchment and pan; release rim.
Invert cake onto a plate. Remove parchment and cut cake with a serrated knife.
*For an even circle, use a pencil to trace
around a 12-in. plate onto parchment.
MAKE AHEAD

Up to 1 day.

PER SERVING 466 Cal., 37% (174 Cal.) from fat;

4.7 g protein; 20 g fat (12 g sat.); 69 g carbo (2.5 g fiber);
352 mg sodium; 100 mg chol. V

LETTUCE SNAP PEA SALAD

with MEYER LEMON CREAM
SERVES 6 / 25 MINUTES

In winter, when most of the country hunkers down under gray skies, Suzanne Goin
serves sunny Meyer lemon salads like this
one at Lucques in West Hollywood. To enjoy the whole lemon slices, cut them very
thinly; if your knife skills arent restaurantready, use a handheld slicer.
1 Meyer lemon
114 lbs. mixed whole small lettuces (4 to
6 in. long), ends trimmed; or use 10 oz.
salad mix
About 34 cup Meyer Lemon Cream Salad
Dressing (recipe opposite)
1 cup sugar snap peas, thinly sliced on
a diagonal
34 cup thinly sliced radishes
1 2 cup torn fresh mint leaves
1. Very thinly slice lemon crosswise, using
a handheld slicer and removing seeds
with a knife tip as you go. Discard ends.
2. Toss lettuces in a large bowl with
about 1/2 cup dressing. Add snap peas,

radishes, and a little more dressing and

toss again. Arrange salad on chilled
plates and tuck in lemon slices and mint.
Serve with more dressing if you like.
PER SERVING 187 Cal., 80% (150 Cal.) from fat;
1.8 g protein; 17 g fat (3.8 g sat.); 8.4 g carbo
(2.8 g fiber); 136 mg sodium; 11 mg chol. GF/LC/LS/V

CRAB PASTA with

PROSECCO AND MEYER
LEMON SAUCE

SERVES 6 / 45 MINUTES

West Coast Dungeness crab and Meyer

lemons, both in season now, come together
deliciously in this special-occasion pasta.
At A16 Rockridge, chef Rocky Maselli
made it with housemade squid-ink tonnarelli; we opted for fettuccine since its
easier to find.
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, sliced
1 8 tsp. red chile flakes
About 34 tsp. kosher salt, divided
11 2 cups dry prosecco
1 cup crme frache
Zest of 2 Meyer lemons
2 to 3 tbsp. Meyer lemon juice
1 lb. shelled cooked Dungeness crab
1 lb. fresh fettuccine
14 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan
over medium heat. Cook shallot, stirring
occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in chile flakes and 3/4 tsp. salt;
whisk in prosecco and crme frache.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat
and reduce to 1 3/4 cups, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Gently stir lemon zest, 2 tbsp. juice, and
the crab into prosecco sauce and remove
from heat. Boil pasta until just tender,
2 to 5 minutes.
3. Drain pasta, return to pot, and gently
toss with crab sauce and parsley. Taste;
add more salt and lemon juice if you like.
PER SERVING 595 Cal., 33% (198 Cal.) from fat;
30 g protein; 22 g fat (10 g sat.); 58 g carbo (2.9 g fiber);
492 mg sodium; 119 mg chol. LS

SCRAMBLED EGGS with

MEYER LEMON SALSA VERDE

SERVES 2 / 15 MINUTES

The combination of a vibrant Italian-style

sauce and three robust cheeses makes these
scrambled eggs nothing short of spectacular. The recipe comes from chef-owners
Gayle Pirie and John Clark of Foreign
Cinema in San Francisco.
5 large eggs
2 tbsp. crme frache or sour cream
Pinch of kosher salt
14 cup shredded Comt or gruyre cheese
2 tbsp. shredded fontina cheese (preferably
Italian)
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Meyer Lemon Salsa Verde (recipe at right)
Freshly shredded parmesan cheese
Toasted bread, such as pain au levain
1. In a small bowl, using a fork, beat eggs,
crme frache, salt, Comt, and fontina
until thoroughly mixed, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Heat butter in a 10-in. nonstick frying
pan over medium heat until it melts and
bubbles. Add egg mixture. Very gently
stir with a wooden spoon, folding egg
curds onto themselves in a figure eight,
until they thicken, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Decrease heat to low and continue to
cook without stirring until eggs are
creamy and barely set, 2 to 3 minutes, or
another 30 seconds or so for firmer eggs.
Spoon onto warm plates, spoon salsa
verde on top, and serve parmesan and
toasted bread at the table.
PER SERVING WITH 2 TBSP. SALSA VERDE 614 Cal., 84%
(515 Cal.) from fat; 22 g protein; 58 g fat (22 g sat.); 2.7 g
carbo (0.3 g fiber); 602 mg sodium; 595 mg chol. GF/V

CHICKEN with PRESERVED

MEYER LEMON and OLIVES

SERVES 4 / 1 3 4 HOURS, PLUS OVERNIGHT TO

SEASON CHICKEN

This bright and earthy braise, adapted

from Paula Wolferts The Food of Morocco
(Ecco, 2011; $45), is a regular on the cafe
menu at Chez Panisse, in Berkeley. The
restaurant cures its lemons the traditional

way; for our shortcut, see Speedy Preserved Meyer Lemons, below right.
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp. each minced fresh ginger and hot
paprika
1 2 tsp. ground cumin
14 tsp. pepper
14 cup olive oil
2 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs (4 or 5)
1 pinch saffron threads
1 large onion, coarsely shredded on
a box grater
1 cup pitted green olives, such as Lucques*
or picholine
2 pieces (1 2 lemon) Speedy Preserved Meyer
Lemons (recipe at right) or 1 2 store-bought
preserved Meyer lemon*, sliced crosswise
1 2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
14 tsp. turmeric
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
Hot couscous
1. Mix garlic, ginger, paprika, cumin, pepper, and oil in a bowl. Ease fingers under
chicken skin to loosen. Add chicken to
bowl; rub garlic mixture under skin and
all over outside. Chill, covered, overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 500. In a small bowl,
combine saffron with 2 tbsp. hot water
and let sit 5 minutes. Set chicken, skin
side up, in a deep 10-in. or regular 12-in.
ovenproof frying pan. In same bowl used
for chicken, combine onion, olives, and
preserved lemon; put on top of chicken.
Combine broth, saffron water, and turmeric in bowl and pour over chicken.
Cover tightly with foil.
3. Braise chicken in oven, turning in sauce
every 20 minutes, until tender when
pierced, 60 to 70 minutes. Skim fat from
sauce. Sprinkle chicken with cilantro
and serve with couscous.
*Find Lucques olives at well-stocked grocery
stores. To pit, set on a work surface, set flat
side of a wide knife on top, then smack with
your hand and pick out the pits. Find preserved lemons at well-stocked grocery stores
or robertlambert.com.
PER SERVING 428 Cal., 72% (309 Cal.) from fat;
21 g protein; 35 g fat (6.2 g sat.); 11 g carbo (1.8 g fiber);
2,369 mg sodium; 68 mg chol. GF/LC

MORE

L E M O N L OV E
These condiments are essential for several
dishes in this story, but fortunately the
recipes make plenty, so you can use them
in all kinds of ways.

MEYER LEMON SALSA VERDE

MAKES 1 1 3 CUPS / 1 HOUR

Combine 1 small minced shallot, 11 2 tbsp.

Champagne vinegar, and 11 2 tsp. kosher
salt in a medium bowl and let sit 10 minutes
to soften and lightly pickle shallot. Stir in
1 2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
and 2 tbsp. rinsed, chopped brined capers.
Thinly slice 1 small Meyer lemon with a
handheld slicer, removing seeds; stack, cut
in half, then into very small triangles. Add
lemon, then 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil to
parsley mixture and stir to combine. Let sit
30 minutes.
MAKE AHEAD Up to 5 days, chilled airtight
(color will fade).
TRY WITH Scrambled eggs (at left), grilled
bread, steaks, or sardines; roast chicken or
vegetables; or sandwiches.

MEYER LEMON CREAM

SALAD DRESSING

MAKES 1 1 3 CUPS / 10 MINUTES

Put 2 tbsp. finely diced shallot, 14 cup

Meyer lemon juice, and 14 tsp. kosher salt
in a bowl; let sit 5 minutes. Whisk in 1 2 cup
plus 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, then
whisk in 1 2 tsp. more kosher salt, 1 8 tsp. pepper, and 1 3 cup heavy whipping cream.
Taste and add more salt or pepper if you
like. Stir before using.
MAKE AHEAD Up to 3 days, chilled.
TRY WITH Lettuce and snap pea salad (opposite) or any other favorite green salad.

SPEEDY PRESERVED MEYER LEMONS

MAKES 1 PT. / 1 WEEK

Lemons usually need a month at room

temperature to cure, but we swear by
this shortcut, from caterer Jo Kadis of Palo
Alto, California.

Quarter 1 lb. (4 large) Meyer lemons

lengthwise, put in a medium bowl, and
freeze, covered, overnight. Thaw, then toss
with 6 tbsp. kosher salt. Pack lemons and
salt into a 1-pt. jar, pressing as you go so
some juice flows into the jar. Cover with lid;
let sit at room temperature, shaking occasionally. After 24 hours, add enough
Meyer lemon juice to completely cover
fruit. Let sit until skins look translucent, about
6 days total.
MAKE AHEAD Chill up to 1 year; lemons will
gradually get softer and darker.
TRY WITH Braised chicken (at left) or other
roasted or braised meats, and in salads and
risotto.

DIGITAL BONUS 13 Meyer lemon recipes: sunset.com/meyerlemons.

TABLE
NEW FOR
OF CONTENTS
JANUARY

THIS MONTH ON
SUNSET.COM
Go behind the scenes on our blog
Check out the new Editors Extras section of our Westphoria blog for bonus photos, audio,
and video on Sunset stories. In January, we dive into Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobains
Aberdeen, Washington, which writer Bill Donahue profiles in Here We Are Now (page
26). Learn how photographer John Clark captured moody images of the old logging
town, and hear Donahue read his story for our Sunset Voices series. sunset.com/extras

WALLPAPER 101

The right wallpaper can take a room

from boring to bold. Explore a photo
gallery of our favorite designs and
spaces to find pattern inspiration.
sunset.com/wallpaper

EAT FRESH
CHALLENGE

Follow along as our editors give

up food vices for our annual
Eat Fresh Challenge at sunset.
com/eatfresh. Share your own
experiences by posting on our
Facebook wall or tweeting
@SunsetMag with the hashtag
#SunsetEatFresh.

Find your perfect winter getaway

On a gray winter day, do you daydream of swooshing down ski slopes or snorkeling tropical waters? Sailing away on a cruise ship, or spending the weekend
shopping and dining at the hottest restaurants? Take our winter vacation quiz
to find the destination thats perfect for you. sunset.com/wintervaca

MORE WAYS TO START FRESH,

FROM OUR SISTER MAGAZINES
COOKING LIGHT DIET

Turn Cooking Light recipes into

a customized meal plan.
cookinglightdiet.com

DIY succulents guide

See why you should practice

gratitudeand eat more chocolate.
realsimple.com/health
HEALTHS VIDEO CHANNEL

Watch quick fitness-boosting tips

and learn new stress-busters.
health.com/videos

ANNABELLE BREAKEY

REAL SIMPLES HEALTH GUIDES

With their eye-catching forms and low water needs,

succulents make a great addition to your home. Our
new guide will teach you everything you need to know,
from the best varieties to care tips. Dig deep into all
things succulentor just watch our quick video to
learn how to make the bright centerpiece at left.
sunset.com/succulents

Food & Drink

Chop, chop!
A FRESH
WINTER SLAW
p. 80

PEAK
SEASON

A NEW
LEAF

FOOD STYLING: GEORGE DOLESE

Mild, sweet savoy will

make you a cabbage
convert.

Photographs by

ANNABELLE BREAKEY

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

79

Food & Drink

SABLEFISH with SAVOY CABBAGE and FENNEL SLAW

PEAK SEASON

SERVES 4 / 45 MINUTES

Savoy cabbage is mild and tender even when raw, making it ideal for this light accompaniment to rich sablefish.
The recipe is also excellent with 4 boned trout fillets, and the slaw tastes good with chicken or pork too.
21 2 tsp. fennel seeds
114 tsp. kosher salt, divided
34 tsp. pepper, divided
4 skin-on sablefish (black cod)
fillets, each about 6 oz. and
1 2 in. thick; or use 4 skin-on
trout fillets
1 medium fennel bulb with a lot
of feathery greens attached
5 cups very thinly sliced savoy
cabbage (from a 1-lb.
cabbage)
5 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil,
divided
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. orange zest
1 orange, cut into segments*
14 cup sliced chives, divided

By

K A T E WA S H I N G T O N

1. Toast fennel seeds in a 12-in. nonstick frying

pan over medium-high heat until fragrant,
about 1 minute. Set aside 1/2 tsp. Finely grind
remaining seeds with 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp.
pepper in a mortar or clean coffee grinder.
Rub mixture evenly all over fish and set aside.
2. Chop enough fennel greens to make 3 tbsp.
Tear off any remaining small fronds; set aside.
Trim and discard fennel stalks and any tough
outer layers from bulb. Cut bulb in half lengthwise, core, and slice very thinly crosswise.
3. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, sliced fennel, and chopped fronds.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tbsp. oil, the
lemon zest and juice, orange zest, reserved 1/2
tsp. whole fennel seeds, and remaining 1/2 tsp.
salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss with your hands until
well combined. Add orange segments and 3
tbsp. chives and toss gently. Set aside.

5. In the frying pan, heat remaining 2 tbsp. oil

over medium-high heat. Add fish skin side
down (it may spatter) and cook, occasionally
tipping pan and basting flesh with oil, until
skin is well browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and continue cooking and
basting until flesh is no longer translucent in
center (cut to test), 3 to 4 minutes longer. If
fish is thicker than 1/2 in., or if it isnt done yet,
cover pan and cook 5 to 7 minutes more.
6. Spoon slaw onto 4 plates. Top each mound
with a fish fillet. Sprinkle with reserved fennel
fronds and remaining 1 tbsp. chives.
*To segment orange, cut off peel and outer membrane,
following curve of fruit. Then cut segments (also
called supremes) free from inner membranes.
PER SERVING 466 Cal., 69% (321 Cal.) from fat; 23 g protein;
36 g fat (6.6 g sat.); 16 g carbo (6.4 g fiber); 611 mg sodium;
69 mg chol. GF/LC

SAVOY CABBAGE GRATIN

SERVES 6 TO 8 AS A SIDE DISH / 45 MINUTES

Think mac n cheesebut with vegetables instead

of noodles. This gratin is a warming winter side
dish, though its so good you might be tempted to
call it dinner.
About 4 tbsp. butter, divided
1 small head savoy cabbage (about 11 2 lbs.),
cored and cut into 8 wedges
About 34 tsp. kosher salt
About 1 2 tsp. pepper
1 garlic clove, chopped
11 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus thyme
sprigs
14 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. flour
1 cup heavy whipping cream
34 cup shredded aged gouda cheese*
1 2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1. Butter a shallow 2-qt. baking dish (about 8 by
11 in.) and preheat oven to 400.
2. Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a saut pan* or large frying pan over medium-high heat and add cabbage
wedges cut side down. Sprinkle with 3/4 tsp. salt
and 1/2 tsp. pepper; cook, turning once, until
lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Add 1/4 cup water to pan. Partially cover and
cook cabbage until its just tender, 3 to 5 minutes
more.
4. Transfer cabbage and any stray leaves to prepared dish, arranging wedges so they lie flat
(they should fit snugly).
5. Return pan to medium heat and melt remaining
2 tbsp. butter. Add garlic, chopped thyme, nutmeg, and flour. Stir until thoroughly combined,
add cream, and cook, stirring, just until thickened and bubbling, about 2 minutes.
6. Pour cream mixture over cabbage. Top with
cheese and bread crumbs. Bake until browned
and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Garnish with
thyme sprigs and season to taste with more salt
and pepper.
*Look for a gouda thats light golden or caramel
colored and aged at least 18 months. A saut pan is
a frying pan with sides about 2 in. high.
PER SERVING 235 Cal., 74% (173 Cal.) from fat; 5.8 g protein;
19 g fat (12 g sat.); 11 g carbo (2.5 g fiber); 349 mg sodium;
66 mg chol. LC/LS/V

SUNSET

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81

Food & Drink

SAVOY CABBAGE SOUP

with TINY MEATBALLS
SERVES 4 TO 6 (MAKES 10 CUPS) / 1 HOUR

Bite-size meatballs and tender vegetables make this soup

satisfying; the touch of cream and nutmeg stirred in at
the end rounds out the flavors. Homemade broth will add
depth, but store-bought works fine.
1 3

cup fresh bread crumbs

cup milk
34 tsp. each kosher salt and
pepper, divided
14 tsp. plus 1 8 tsp. nutmeg
5 tbsp. minced flat-leaf
parsley, divided
1 2 lb. each ground pork and
ground beef*
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
2 medium carrots, sliced into
half-moons to make 1 cup
14

2 medium leeks (white and

pale green parts only),
trimmed, halved
lengthwise, rinsed well,
and sliced into half-moons
1 small head savoy cabbage
(about 11 2 lbs.), cored and
thinly sliced
7 cups chicken broth
(reduced-sodium if
store-bought)
14 cup heavy whipping
cream

1. Make meatballs: In a medium bowl, stir together bread

crumbs and milk. Add 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper, 1/4 tsp.
nutmeg, 1 tbsp. parsley, the pork, and beef. Mix gently but
thoroughly with your hands. Scoop mixture by slightly
rounded teaspoons and roll into small balls, dipping spoon
occasionally in water to keep mix from sticking.
2. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add
1 tbsp. oil and swirl to coat. Brown half of meatballs, turning once and reducing heat if they start browning too fast,
5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining
oil and meatballs. Meanwhile, continue with soup.
3. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots
and leeks and cook, stirring, until leeks are soft but not
browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Stir in cabbage and remaining 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper
and cook until slightly wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Add broth,
cover, and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat
and simmer until cabbage is quite tender, about 20 minutes.
5. Gently stir browned meatballs into soup and cook, stirring
occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through and flavors are blended, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream, 3 tbsp.
parsley, and remaining 1/8 tsp. nutmeg and ladle into
bowls. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp. parsley.
*Choose ground beef with at least 20% fat for the juiciest
meatballs.
PER 11 2-CUP SERVING 370 Cal., 61% (225 Cal.) from fat; 20 g protein; 25 g fat
(10 g sat.); 16 g carbo (3.9 g fiber); 452 mg sodium; 92 mg chol. LC/LS

tOss it.

mix it.
spRead it.
stiR it.

bleNd it.

tOp it.

eveRyONe,
meet eveRythiNg.
Discover great recipes and get inspired at Mezzetta.com

Food & Drink

MASTER CLASS

BAKING
BREAKTHROUGH

Legendary baker Alice Medrich

unlocks the potential of gluten-free
flours. By Margo True
shunning wheat flour
is almost heresybut thats what master baker
Alice Medrich has done in her newest book,
Flavor Flours (Artisan, 2014; $35), written with
Maya Klein. I love to play with new ingredients, especially if theyre challenging and interesting, says Medrich, winner of more cookbookof-the-year awards than any other author. In
her expert hands, whole-grain flours like oat
and buckwheatplus rice, corn, and more
yield not the gritty, crumbly baked goods that
have plagued gluten-free baking, but startlingly delicious desserts. Each [flour] has a very
distinct flavora voice, really, she writes.
Rather than thinking of them as wheat substitutes, shes learned how to work with them on
their own terms, as though wheat never existed! Baking with Medrich in her Berkeley
kitchen, we felt, for the first time, that standard
wheat flour has some serious competition.

FOR SOME PASTRY CHEFS,

Alice Medrich
making sabls in her
Berkeley kitchen,
as gingerbread muffins
cool on a rack.

CORN FLOUR and

ORANGE BLOSSOM
CHIFFON CAKE

Power flours
Each flour has its own character, so it doesnt always work to substitute. Also, its key to weigh the floursthey can fluff up or settle, which throws
off a volume measure. (For more, see sunset.com/weighing.) Find at well-stocked grocery stores, bobsredmill.com, or authenticfoods.com.

84

WHITE RICE FLOUR

BROWN RICE FLOUR

OAT FLOUR

BUCKWHEAT FLOUR

CORN FLOUR

XANTHAN GUM

Milled from rice

thats had the bran
removed. Produces
fine-crumbed cakes
and silky puddings;
amplifies flavors.

Has the structurebuilding properties

of white rice flour,
plus a slight graininess and toasty
caramel flavor.

Powdered oatmeal,
with a sweet, butterscotchy flavor.
Makes tender
cakes and delicate
cookies.

From roasted whole

buckwheat seeds.
Typically earthy, but
can be delicate and
floral depending on
how its used.

From whole kernels;

not to be confused
with cornstarch. Yields
baked goods with
sweet corn flavor and
lovely pale gold color.

Not a flour but a

natural bacterial
by-product. Often
used with gluten-free
flour to thicken and
give structure.

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

Photographs by

T H O M A S J. S T O RY

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OAT FLOUR and

ALMOND SABLS

MAKES ABOUT 36 COOKIES / 45 MINUTES,

PLUS 4 HOURS TO CHILL

These delicate French-style butter cookies melt

in your moutha surprise, given oats reputation
for sturdiness. For more about the ingredients,
see Power Flours (page 84).
1/2

To form
the dough
into a neat
log, wrap it
in waxed
paper and
push against
it with a
ruler until
its smooth.
TIP
C

86

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

cup (70 g) whole almonds (with skins or blanched)

tsp. almond extract
1/3 cup (56 g) white rice flour
11/4 cups plus 2 tbsp. (142 g) oat flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. (75 g) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. baking soda
2 oz. (60 g) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup (11/2 sticks; 170 g) unsalted butter, softened
3 to 4 tbsp. coarse sugar, such as turbinado or
demerara
1/4

1. Put almonds, almond extract, and about 2 tbsp.

rice flour in a food processor [A] and whirl until
almonds are very finely ground. Add remaining
rice flour, the oat flour, granulated sugar, salt, and
baking soda. Pulse to blend thoroughly. Add cream
cheese and butter, cutting both into chunks as you
add them. Pulse just until mixture forms a smooth
dough. If you work it too long, the cookies
will be too crumbly. Scrape bowl and blend in
any stray flour at the bottom with your fingers.
2. Turn dough out onto a sheet of waxed or parchment paper and form it into a rough log about 10
in. long. Lay a long side of the waxed paper over
dough log and set a ruler lengthwise against the log
[B]; then press the ruler against the log, squeezing
it until its smooth (it will get longer). Twist ends
to seal. Chill until firm enough to handle, 30 minutes, and roll into a rounder shape. Chill at least
31/2 hours more (preferably overnight).
3. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven
and preheat to 325. Line 2 large baking sheets
with parchment, or butter them.
4. Unwrap dough and roll log in coarse sugar to coat
it completely [C]. Use a thin, sharp knife to cut
1/4-in.-thick slices [D]. Its good to use a ruler,
because thinness makes a difference in baking
time and texture. Also, if the dough is cracking,
dont panic. Just let it warm up at room
temperature for a few minutes before slicing.
Place cookies about 1 in. apart on baking sheets.

5. Bake cookies, rotating pans from top to

bottom and from front to back halfway
through. This is so important because
the heat in ovens isnt even. Bake
until golden brown at the edges and well
browned on the bottom, 20 to 25
minutes. Most people underbake
their cookies. You want them to get a
toasty flavor.
6. Set pans on cooling racks and let cool
completely.
MAKE AHEAD At least 2 weeks at room
temperature in an airtight container.

PER COOKIE 84 Cal., 60% (51 Cal.) from fat; 1 g protein;

5.7 g fat (2.8 g sat.); 7.3 g carbo (0.7 g fiber); 27 mg
sodium; 12 mg chol. GF/LC/LS/V

BUCKWHEAT
GINGERBREAD
MUFFINS

MAKES 12 MUFFINS / 40 MINUTES

Earthy buckwheat is blended with ginger,

spices, molasses, and toasty-tasting brown
rice flour to make an unexpectedly light
muffin thats great with sour cream or butter. Be scrupulous in your timing with the
food processor; overprocessing buckwheat
flour can make the muffins mushy, Medrich says. For more on the ingredients, see
Power Flours (page 84).
3/4

cup plus 2 tbsp. (110 g) brown rice flour

1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum*
1/2 tsp. each cinnamon and ground ginger
1/4 tsp. each ground allspice and salt
A 11/2 by 11/2 in. piece fresh ginger
(about 40 g)
2/3 cup (140 g) packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick; 115 g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup (120 g) light unsulfured molasses
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. (110 g) buckwheat flour
1. Position a rack in lower third of oven and
preheat to 375. Line 12 muffin cups with
paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk brown rice flour,

TIP

Use your finger to neatly cut

off the flow of batter.

baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon,

ground ginger, allspice, and salt together
until well blended. Set aside.
3. Peel fresh ginger. I like to use a spoon
because it gets around the curves
better than a peeler. I peel toward
me for the most control. Slice ginger
very thinly across the grain until you
have 1/4 cup (30 g). Put ginger slices and
brown sugar in a food processor and
pulse into a pure.
4. Cut butter into cubes and melt it in
microwave. Cubing it helps the butter
melt evenly and helps keep it from
spitting as it heats. Add hot butter,
flour mixture, molasses, and egg to food
processor with ginger-sugar pure and
whirl 20 seconds. Process any longer,
and the xanthan gum could lose its
thickening power. Scrape bowl, add
buckwheat flour and 1/2 cup hot water,
then process exactly 5 seconds more.

5. Pour batter into a liquid measuring cup,

then divide it among lined muffin cups,
wiping your finger across the rim of
the measuring cup to cut off the flow of
batter without dripping all over the pan.
The cups should be 3/4 full, using every
bit of batter.
6. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with a few dry
crumbs, 15 to 20 minutes. Set muffins on
a rack for a few minutes to firm up, then
carefully remove from pan (tilting it
helps) and set on rack to cool completely.
*Find xanthan gum at bobsredmill.com.
MAKE AHEAD Up to 4 days at room
temperature in an airtight container; up to
3 months, frozen airtight. Bring to room
temperature before serving.

PER MUFFIN 215 Cal., 36% (78 Cal.) from fat; 2.5 g
protein; 8.8 g fat (5.2 g sat.); 33 g carbo (1.5 g fiber);
171 mg sodium; 38 mg chol. GF/LC/LS/V

SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

87

Food & Drink

CORN FLOUR and

ORANGE BLOSSOM
CHIFFON CAKE

SERVES 10 TO 12 / 1 1/2 HOURS

If cornbread were transformed into a sweet, moist,

fluffy golden cake, this would be it, says Medrich. She
tops it here with whipped cream and crme frache,
and curls of candied orange zest, but she likes it plain
too. Youll need a 10-in. (10 to 12 cup) tube pan with
removable bottom for this recipe. For more about corn
flour and rice flour, see Power Flours (page 84).
FOR CAKE

1 cup (200 g) sugar,

divided
1 cup (120 g)
corn flour
1/2 cup (80 g) white
rice flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup flavorless vegetable
oil, such as corn or
safflower
1 or 2 organic or
unsprayed oranges

8 large egg whites, at

room temperature
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup (6 oz.) light, floral
honey, such as orange
blossom
Generous 1 tsp. orangeflower water*
Whipped cream and
crme frache (optional;
see opposite)
Candied orange zest
(optional; see opposite)

1. Put sugar into a large mixing bowl, then set aside

1/4 cup. You need a really big bowl to give you
enough room, later, to fold the batter without
deflating it. Weigh in or add corn and rice flours
to bowl. Add baking powder and salt, then egg yolks,
oil, and 1/2 cup water. Add zest of 1 orange and whisk
to blend thoroughly. Set batter aside 15 minutes to
hydrate corn flour.
2. Meanwhile, position a rack in lower third of oven
and preheat oven to 325.
3. Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in bowl of
a stand mixer. Using whisk attachment, beat whites
on medium-high until theyre creamy white and the
beater leaves tracks. Slowly sprinkle in remaining
1/4 cup sugar, beating on high speed just until egg
whites hold a firm peak when you lift the beater
(they should not be dry). If youre in doubt, think
about the egg whites as balloons. The more
beaten and expanded they are, the more likely
they are to break in the oven (since the heat
will expand them even more). Underbeating
88

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

TIP

Beat your
egg whites
just until
they hold a
firm peak.

DIGITAL BONUS
For more gluten-free
recipes, including Medrichs
pancake recipe (which
can be used to try out any
flours you like), see
sunset.com/gluten-free.

To avoid pith, sweep

the orange over the
zester; dont scrub.
TIP
is better than overbeating.
4. Scrape half of egg whites onto cornflour batter and fold in until they are
partially blended, using this gentle technique to keep from deflating the whites:
Cut down the center with your spatula, scrape under the batter and up
the sides of the bowl, and then lift
the batter and let it drop over on itself. Fold in remaining egg whites just
until batter looks blended. Scrape batter
into a 10-in. (10 to 12 cup) tube pan with
removable bottom (ungreased) and
spread evenly. An ungreased tube
pan lets the batter climb the sides.
5. Bake until top of cake is golden brown
and a toothpick inserted into the center
comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, squeeze enough orange
juice to measure 6 tbsp. In a small bowl,
stir orange juice, lemon juice, honey,
and orange-flower water together.
7. When the cake is done, set the pan on
a rack. Immediately slide a very thin
spatula around sides of pan, and a thin
skewer around center tube, to detach
them. Poke cake all over with skewer and

slowly spoon orange mixture over cake,

letting it sink into holes and run over
the sides. Let cake finish cooling in pan.
8. To remove cake from pan, lift tube, then
slide a thin spatula between cake and
removable bottom, pressing against the
bottom to avoid tearing cake. Lift cake
off bottom: Cut a manila folder in half
crosswise, then slide on either side of
cake between pan bottom and cake. Or,
use two metal bench scrapers. Slide your
hands underneath the folders or scrapers,
and lift cake off tube to a serving platter.
Top with whipped cream topping and
candied orange zest, and slice with a serrated knife.
*Find orange-flower water at well-stocked
grocery stores and online.
MAKE AHEAD At least 3 days at room
temperature, still in pan and wrapped as
airtight as possible; up to 3 months frozen,
removed from pan and wrapped well. Bring
to room temperature before serving.

PER SLICE (1/12TH OF CAKE) 287 Cal., 35% (102 Cal.)

from fat; 5 g protein; 12 g fat (2.1 g sat.); 43 g carbo
(1.3 g fiber); 316 mg sodium; 87 mg chol. GF/LC/LS/V

WHIPPED CREAM
and CRME FRACHE

MAKES ABOUT 1 1/4 CUPS / 5 MINUTES

Crme frache adds a subtle tang to ordinary

n_`gg\[Zi\Xd%N_`g,fq%crme frache
with 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream and
1 tbsp. sugar until soft peaks form.

CANDIED ORANGE ZEST

MAKES 1/2 CUP / 20 MINUTES

Bring a small saucepan of water to boil.

Meanwhile, using a channel (cocktail)
zester, zest 2 large or 3 small firm, bright
oranges to make long, curly strips of zest.
Or, using a vegetable peeler, cut wide strips
of zest and then slice into -in. strips. Boil
zest 5 minutes. Drain; repeat. Put 1/2 cup
sugar and 1/4 cup water in pan and bring
to a simmer over medium heat, stirring
until sugar dissolves. Add blanched orange
zest, cover, and simmer 3 minutes. Transfer
zest and syrup to a small jar, let cool,
then chill overnight. Drain zest on paper
towels before using. Keeps at least 2
months, chilled.
SUNSET

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

89

Food & Drink

FA S T & F R E S H

WEEKNIGHT COOKING

Recipes in 30 minutes or less

SPICY LAMB TACOS

SERVES 4 / 20 MINUTES

3 cups thinly sliced cabbage (from 1 medium head)

1 bunch radishes, sliced into half-moons
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
3 tbsp. lime juice
Salt
1 lb. ground lamb
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp. ancho chile powder
1/2 to 1 tsp. chipotle chile powder
1/4 cup beer
1 tsp. cider vinegar
8 warm corn tortillas
Toppings such as crumbled queso fresco (fresh
Mexican cheese), crema (Mexican sour cream) or
sour cream, chopped cilantro, pickled jalapeos,
and lime wedges for squeezing
1. Combine cabbage, radishes, cumin, cilantro,
and lime juice in a large bowl. Add salt to taste
and transfer to a serving bowl.
2. Saut lamb, garlic, and oregano in a large frying
pan over high heat, breaking up meat with a
wooden spoon until very little pink remains,
about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat. Add chile
powders, beer, vinegar, and salt to taste and
cook, stirring, until most liquid has evaporated,
2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer to a serving bowl.
3. Set out tortillas and toppings in separate bowls
and let everyone make their own tacos.
MAKE AHEAD

Cook meat and prep toppings the

night before.
PER 2-TACO SERVING 455 Cal., 56% (255 Cal.) from fat; 23 g
protein; 28 g fat (12 g sat.); 28 g carbo (5 g fiber); 249 mg sodium;
83 mg chol. LC/LS

90

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

Recipes by

J E S S I C A B A T T I L A N A , K A T E WA S H I N G T O N & A D E E N A S U S S M A N

PHOTOGRAPHS: ANNABELLE BREAKEY; FOOD STYLING: RANDY MON

EASY SWAP
Any ground meat
works well with
the seasoning in
these tacos.

Lamb makes for an interesting flavor break from

beef. If you prefer less spice, just reduce the amount
of chipotle powder.

ORECCHIETTE with
ESCAROLE, CAPERS,
and OLIVES
SERVES 4 / 30 MINUTES

Adding a bit of the cooking water at the end melts the

cheeses into a creamy sauce that lightly coats the pasta.

GRILLED CHICKEN and

KALE SALAD with
TAHINI LEMON DRESSING

SERVES 4 / 30 MINUTES

Grilling the kale leaves whole makes them slightly crunchy and
smoky tasting. Just make sure theyre completely dry or else theyll
steam and wilt.
11/4 lbs. boned, skinned
chicken breast, halved
lengthwise
1 tbsp. plus 1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. each salt and pepper,
divided
1 large bunch (10 oz.) flat
kale, such as dinosaur
or Lacinato, spines intact
3 tbsp. tahini (sesame
paste)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. honey
1 garlic clove, minced
2 small firm, crisp apples,
cored and chopped
1/4 cup chopped toasted
almonds
4 Medjool dates, pitted
and chopped (1/4 cup)

1. Heat a grill to medium-high (about

450). Brush chicken with 1 tbsp. oil
and season with 1/2 tsp. each salt and
pepper. Grill chicken, turning once,
until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Grill
kale until edges are charred and kale
is softened, about 2 minutes.
2. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large
bowl with tahini, lemon zest and
juice, honey, garlic, and remaining
1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper.
3. Roughly chop chicken, thinly slice
kale crosswise, and add both to bowl
of dressing. Add apples, almonds,
and dates and toss gently but
thoroughly.
PER 2-CUP SERVING 573 Cal., 48% (275 Cal.) from
fat; 36 g protein; 30 g fat (4.5 g sat.); 45 g carbo
(6.8 g fiber); 791 mg sodium; 91 mg chol. GF

12 oz. dried orecchiette pasta

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. red chile flakes
1 bunch (12 oz.) escarole, leaves separated and coarsely
chopped
1/3 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1 tbsp. brined capers
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1. Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook pasta
according to package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan over medium-high heat,
heat 1 tbsp. oil. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook
15 seconds, then add escarole in batches, tossing with tongs
until it wilts and shrinks in the pan, about 6 minutes. Stir
in olives and capers; set aside.
3. Drain pasta, reserving 3/4 cup pasta-cooking water. Set frying pan of escarole over low heat, add pasta and 1/4 cup cooking water, and toss to combine. Stir in remaining 1 tbsp. oil,
the butter, and cheeses. Stir to combine, adding more cooking water as necessary. Serve with more parmesan.
PER SERVING 492 Cal., 36% (177 Cal.) from fat; 16 g protein; 20 g fat (6 g sat.);
66 g carbo (3.1 g fiber); 1,716 mg sodium; 26 mg chol. LC/V

Food & Drink

NATURE
VS. NURTURE
SIP

Do you know whats in your wine?!

(And should you care?) By Sara Schneider

right? Just crush some grapes,

and the natural yeast on the skins will start eating the sugar in the
juice, producing alcohol. Once the sugar is gone, press the wine off
the skins and seeds, let it mellow, then siphon it off the sediment
and bottle it.
Im being simplistic, of course. Theres a little more to it than that.
And increasinglygiven the mind-boggling technological tools
availablemuch more than that.
Lets say youre a winemaker who doesnt trust the natural yeast
to be strong enough to see fermentation through to the end. You can
inoculate with a strain of yeast thats been commercially bred to
lend a particular flavor profile. What if you think your wine is too
pale? Add Mega Purple or Ultra Red; these color- and textureenhancing concentrates are derived from grapes, and therefore
natural (or so the argument goes). Acidity too low? Add acid from a
bag. Alcohol too high? Take some out with reverse osmosis. Wine
too cloudy? Clarify it with anything from egg whites to isinglass.
Im only scratching the surface of the processes winemakers are
using these days. And to be fair, theyre turning out some decent
affordable wine with these tools. But where on the spectrum of manipulation does a bottle lose its connection to a particular place and
time, and become the wine equivalent of a McDonalds burger?
Voices in the natural wine movement, especially strong in the
West today, would have it that even the first step away from basic
winemaking is a violation. The geek in me appreciates the argument;
I love a wine full of the nuances that come through from a special
vineyard in a great year. But Mother Nature is seldom a perfect nanny, and I believe that sticking with the purists nothing in, nothing
out mantra is to risk making wine that goes beyond funkiness thats
interesting, to funkiness thats downright revolting.
A conversation with Santa Cruz, California, winemaker Nicole
Walsh assures me that Im not alone in my position. Im not an absolutist, she says. Ill make simple adjustments if I have to. For
myself, I could make a completely natural wine thats very interest-

WINEMAKING IS A SIMPLE PROCESS,

ing even with huge flaws, but I wouldnt be able to sell it.
Walshs smart minimalism, as I call it, is the result of a decadeplus evolution at highly regarded Bonny Doon Vineyard. Collaborating with iconoclastic proprietor Randall Grahm in the early
2000s, she threw every tool in the book at their wine, which
quickly grew from a 50,000-case production to somewhere in the
neighborhood of 400,000 (including the enormous Big House label). Additive city is how she describes those days. Almost as
quickly, though, Walsh and Grahm started moving away from
interventionselling the Big House label along the wayin the
quest to produce true wines of place (terroir-driven).
Walsh continues to make Bonny Doon wines. But shes also
bringing a gentle touch to her own Ser Wine Company. Her approach is an anachronistic mash-up of tradition and science. On the
one hand, she still loves using her feet to punch down the cap on
fermenting wine. On the other, when she crushes grapes, she
doesnt just send a prayer to the gods that the natural yeast on them
will startand finishfermentation. She cultures it to produce a
strong starter to ensure success.
Wines like Serevery vintage different, all fascinatingare the
reason my hat is off to winemakers who work hard to keep their
hands off their wine but know just when to step in with simple adjustments in the cause of deliciousness.

More great picks! Get award-winning wines from the Sunset Wine Club: sunset.com/wineclub. And follow Saras tweets @SaraAtSunset.
92

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5 S U N S E T

Six
minimalist
picks
Bonny Doon 2010
Le Cigare Volant

(Central Coast; $45).

Savory and earthy
(violet notes excepted); plum and dusty
berries layered with
pepper, black olive,
and cured meat.

THE WINEMAKER
AT WORK

1. Nicole Walsh of Ser Wine Com-

pany shining a light on a Pinot

Noir thats ready to be siphoned
o its spent yeast cells (racked
o the lees).
2. Adjusting the racking arm so its
just above the lees in the barrel.
3. Stirring Cabernet Franc ros gets
the yeast up into the juice to
keep the fermentation going.
4. Checking the population of an
indigenous yeast colony to see
if its large enough to inoculate.
5. Walsh and her toolsa wine thief
(to pull wine from the barrel) and
a glass.
6. Checking sulfur amounts using
an aeration/oxidation machine.

Im not an absolutist.
Ill make simple
adjustments if I have to.
NICOLE WALSH, SER WINE COMPANY

Cowhorn 2012
Grenache 20

(Applegate Valley,
Oregon; $45).
Tart red fruitjuicy
Rainier cherrieswith
crushed herbs, white
pepper, baking spices, and mocha.
Deovlet 2011
Sonny Boy (San-

ta Barbara County;
$40). Earth, pepper,
smoke, and mocha
on the nose of this
Merlot blend give
way to cherry, violet,
and fresh herbs.
Ser 2012 Cabernet
Pfeffer (Cienega

Valley; $35). Forget

your Cabernet reference pointsthis rare
variety is earthy and
floral at once. Bright,
spicy red fruit (cranberry, strawberry)
gets a hit of pepper
worthy of the name.
Siduri 2012 Pinot
Noir (Sonoma

Coast; $32). A
velvet-packed palate
of cherry, strawberry, and orange peel
under intriguing
cola and forest-floor
aromas.
Sojourn 2012
Gaps Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir

(Sonoma Coast;
$54). Loam and
violet aromas lead
to rambunctious
cinnamon-cherry
with hints of cola.

Photographs by

E VA K O L E N K O

Food & Drink

In the SUNSET KITCHEN

TIPS FROM
OUR TEAM

KN OW -HOW

Homemade
corn tortillas

SARA SCHNEIDER, WINE EDITOR

TO P TO O L

PRECISION
DRINKING

W E R E LOV I N G . . .

Instant
appetizers

In the Test Kitchen,

weve found that
a good jigger makes
a big difference in
getting precise
resultsfor, say, a
Sparkling Mai Tai on
New Years (drink
recipe on sunset.com).
Our pick, the Danesco
multilevel measuring
jigger ($13; amazon.
com), is unbreakable
and marked off by the
half-oz., ml., and tbsp.

These apple, pear, or citrus crisps arent just an upgrade on

dried fruittheyre cocktail partyworthy. Sunset wine editor
Sara Schneiders favorite combo: the apple chips ($5/15 slices;
simpleandcrisp.com) with Laura Chenel goat cheese and Iron
Horse Russian Cuve 2009 ($40).

A recent visit to the Santa Fe

School of Cooking
(santafeschoolofcooking.com)
reminded us how amazing
and easyhomemade tortillas
can be (try them with our
Spicy Lamb Tacos, page 90).
Youll need a tortilla press
($20; surlatable.com).

1. Put 2 cups masa harina and

tsp. salt (optional) in a bowl
and slowly add 11/4 cups hot tap
water, stirring until dough becomes a ball. Knead a few times.
Shape into 13/4-in. balls and cover
with plastic wrap until needed.
1/2

2. Line a tortilla press with 2

circles of thick plastic (cut from
a resealable plastic bag). Press a
ball between plastic to 6 1/2 in.

COOKBOOK OF THE MONTH

Green
evolution
If theres one cookbook that can hold us to our healthy-eating resolution
this year, its Greens + Grains: Recipes for Deliciously Healthful Meals
(Chronicle, 2014; $20). By former Sunset staffer Molly Watson, the
book turns these nutritional powerhouses into dishes that taste anything
but dutiful (heres to you, Farro, Chard, and Ricotta Casserole ). To start,
remember her rules for cooking greens: 1. Cook leaves and stems
separately (stems take longer to get tender). 2. To tone down bitter flavors of sturdy greens while preserving their color, blanch the greens by
boiling briefly, then cooling quickly. 3. Soften raw greens like kale by
massaging with salt and a bit of oil.

94

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

3. Toast tortilla on a lightly oiled

hot griddle or cast-iron skillet
over medium heat, turning once,
until speckled brown, 4 minutes.
Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Wrap in a kitchen towel to keep
warm. Makes 10.

ANNABELLE BREAKEY (3); ILLUSTRATIONS: JOE MCKENDRY

Apple chips echo the fruit in

the sparkling wine, and theyre
delicious with cheese too.

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2014 Time Inc. SUNSET is a trademark of Sunset Publishing Corporation,
registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Food & Drink

In the SUNSET KITCHEN

KITCHEN TALK

A
HEALTHIER
YOU
This month we
asked you, our Facebook friends, to tell
us about the one
change you want to
make in your cooking this year.
Add your ideas at
sunset.com/
kitchenconversation.

F O U R WAYS W I T H

Flavored
popcorn
Sure, you can buy a bag of flavored popcorn, but a homemade version tastes a whole
lot fresher (and steers clear
of neon orange seasoning).

SEASONINGS

Furikake Use 3 tbsp. furikake (a mix of sesame seeds,

seaweed, and dried fish, sold

at well-stocked grocery stores
and Asian markets).
Salt & pepper Use 1 tsp. salt
and 114 tsp. pepper.
Garlic & parmesan Add
2 finely shredded or minced
garlic cloves to the melted
butter. Season popcorn with
1 2 cup grated parmesan
cheese and 2 tbsp. chopped
flat-leaf parsley.
Smoked paprika Add zest of
1 2 lemon to the melted butter.

Season popcorn with 1 tbsp.

chopped fresh thyme leaves
and 4 tsp. smoked paprika.
For Indian Spiced and
more fresh-popcorn
recipes, see sunset.com.

96 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 5

SUNSET

KARINE
MARCHAND

Make meatless Monday a standing tradition. If everyone

commits to just one
less day of consuming meat, it would
have a significant impact on the Earth.
PAMELA FLICK

WINNING READER RECIPE

COCONUT MILK SHRIMP

from
PERLLA
FONVIELLE

Seattle

SERVES 4 / 30 MINUTES

I grew up with this recipe in northeast Brazil, says Perlla Fonvielle. These
days, she makes it with wild Oregon shrimp.
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 tsp. red chile flakes
1 can (15 oz.) coconut milk
1 medium tomato, chopped

1 lb. shelled and deveined medium

shrimp (26 to 30 per lb.)
Steamed rice
1 2 cup chopped cilantro
Lime wedges

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook onion,
carrot, and chile flakes until onion is softened and translucent,
about 3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk. Add tomato and shrimp and cook
until mixture is simmering and shrimp are pink, about 4 minutes.
2. Spoon shrimp mixture over rice and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with
lime wedges for squeezing.
PER SERVING WITHOUT RICE 369 Cal., 75% (277 Cal.) from fat; 18 g protein; 31 g fat (21 g sat.);
8.4 g carbo (1.2 g fiber); 669 mg sodium; 143 mg chol. GF/LC

To eat more colors

of the rainbow. To
get my kids on board,
I like to have colorthemed nightsall
orange and purple
meals are fun!
KARIN ANDERSON
FROM LEFT: THOMAS J. STORY, ANNABELLE BREAKEY (FOOD STYLING: RANDY MON), JEFFERY CROSS

Heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

in a large pot over high heat,
add 1 2 cup popcorn kernels,
and cover. Shake pot often as
corn pops. When popping
slows to a few seconds between pops, remove from heat
and let sit until popping stops.
Transfer to a large bowl and
drizzle with 4 to 7 tbsp. melted butter. Toss well to coat
evenly. Sprinkle with kosher
salt and seasonings (below)
to taste; toss again. Makes
4 quarts.

To take more time

to eat my meals and
enjoy them!

Go on, indulge.
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ASK SUNSET
H AV E A Q UE S T I O N A B O U T L I F E I N T H E W E S T ? W E H AV E T H E A N S W E R S .

FIND ART
INSIDE AND OUT
AT LACMA.

Q: Whenever I bake
brownies, I burn the
bottoms. What am I
doing wrong?
H.L., BREMERTON, WA

running hot (check it with an oven

thermometer), there are two likely
culprits. First, oven position: Dont
put the rack on the bottom rung. In
most ovens, that spot gives extra
browning on the bottom of food
great for a pie crust you dont want to
be soggy, but not good for brownies.
(Setting a rack on the top rung will
brown food more on the topnice for
a gratin, say.) The best place for
brownies is in the middle of the oven.
Second, consider your pan. Dark
ones tend to brown food faster than
shiny metal ones. Some people feel
that glass pans cook faster, and they
turn down the oven temperature 25
when using them or bake for a shorter
time. By the way, its easy to overbake
brownies. Check for doneness early,
and take them out of the oven when a
toothpick stuck in the middle comes
out with crumbs attachedif it comes
out clean, you waited too long, and
the brownies are going to be dry.

Q: For our anniversary, my husband agreed to a big-city

cultural weekend trip. Where should we go? R.D., VISALIA, CA
DEAR R.D. We suggest you head down to Los Angeles. Heres why: Through June 7, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (lacma.org) is hosting Nature and the American Vision: The Hudson River
School, a major showing of paintings from the New-York Historical Society. After they got done
painting the Hudson, member artists like Albert Bierstadt traveled West to portray Yosemite and
the Rockies. The exhibit includes these unforgettable works. For a nearby place to stay, try the
sleek Hotel Wilshire (hotelwilshire.com), which also has a good restaurant. And about 8 miles east,
the postmodern Walt Disney Concert Hall is well worth a visit for the architecture alone (tours are
available most days), to say nothing of hearing a concert by the great L.A. Philharmonic (laphil.com).

Q: Visiting
the South
of France,

I fell in love with

the pines in Juanles-Pins. Will they
grow where I
live? MELANIE
WOODWORTH,
NEWPORT BEACH, CA

DEAR MELANIE The trees you swooned over are

Italian stone pines (Pinus pinea)and they are
magnificent, each maturing into a tall, flat-topped
umbrella of limbs as broad as 60 feet across (these
are very big trees). Like most Mediterranean native plants, theyll thrive in much of the West and
particularly in Newport Beach (your stretch of
coast isnt dubbed Southern California Riviera
for nothing). Your stone pine will need little water
once established and no fertilizerhowever, it will
require well-draining soil and lots of room.

Email your questions about Western gardening, travel, food, wine, or home design to asksunset@sunset.com.

SUNSET (ISSN 0039-5404) is published monthly in regional and special editions by Sunset Publishing Corporation, 80 Willow Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025. Periodicals postage paid at Menlo Park and at additional mailing
offices. Vol. 234, No. 1. Printed in U.S.A. Copyright 2015 Sunset Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations. Sunset, The Magazine of Western Living, The Pacific Monthly, Sunsets
Kitchen Cabinet, The Changing Western Home, and Chefs of the West are registered trademarks of Sunset Publishing Corporation. No responsibility is assumed for unsolicited submissions. Manuscripts, photographs, and
other submitted material can be acknowledged or returned only if accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sunset, Box 62406, Tampa, FL 33662-4068, or call
(800) 777-0117. U.S. subscriptions: $24 for one year.

FROM TOP LEFT: MASCARUCCI/CORBIS, DAVE LAURIDSEN; ILLUSTRATION: ERIN OTOOLE

DEAR H.L. Assuming your oven isnt

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