White truffle hunting in Alba Whether you imagine a chocolate or a mushroom a truffle is sure to be something fragrant that dissolves in your mouth. The savory one, though gets attention around the world.  I grew up mushrooming in the Czech Republic but I came to Alba for a different kind of “shrooms.” These are no baby bellas and they don’t show off above ground. Truffles are mushrooms on steroids hiding under the ground as if they wanted to increase the anticipation by making you work for it.  Truffles are not made equal There are 4 different types of truffles The white truffle (Ta ..read more

Baked carpBaked carp with vegetables and cheese Carp is a very popular fish in the Czech Republic because it thrives in lakes and ponds, even in freezing temperatures. Fried carp is traditionally served for Christmas Eve dinner.  Some people, like my younger brother, don’t like carp because it has a lot of bones and therefore takes long to eat. Others, such as my stepmother, don’t like carp because of its fishiness. She does like this preparation of it, though. The fish absorbs the flavors of vegetables, cream and spices. My dad got this recipe from one of my sister’s former boyfriends, w ..read more

Winemaker Robert Rex and I making crab cakes in his beautiful kitchen on the ranch. I feel like a child who is about to meet her celebrity crush. And not just that. I am about to spent some time with this impressive person in their home. As my friend, photographer Patrice Ward, and I are driving up the long driveway towards the Deerfield Ranch, a beautiful hilltop retreat in Glen Ellen and the birthplace of the Deerfield Ranch Winery, I am getting excited to meet the award-winning Sonoma winemaker and superb chef Robert Rex and his wife PJ. Robert and PJ welcome me as if I were not a stranger ..read more

Halushky with brynza cheese “Brynzové halušky” (or halushky with brynza cheese in English) is considered the national dish of Slovakia. Czechs also make halushky but serve them with sauerkraut, not cheese. Halushky are small potato gnocchi resembling German spätzel. Brynza (or bryndza) is a Slovak sheep milk cheese, which is made in other countries as well (the Moravia region of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania). It’s white and has a characteristic strong smell. It has a creamy consistency and pleasant saltiness similar to feta.  Growing up, my mom and grandma made halushky with sauer ..read more

Potato salad alongside fried fish In the Czech Republic, potato salad is traditionally served on Christmas Eve alongside fried carp, rope sausage and pork chops. Besides of potatoes, it consists of hard-boiled eggs, peas and carrots, pickles and often cold cut meat. We use a soft-textured salami called “gothaj,” which resembles bologna or hot dogs, or even mortadella. In different parts of the country, people add other ingredients. My father leaves out onions. My mother substitutes half of the mayonnaise for plain yogurt to lighten it up, which saves some calories and adds a bit of tartness. G ..read more