Monday was my last day at work… It happened a little suddenly (and secretively), because my office didn’t have a two-week notice policy; the day you choose to leave is your last. So I went to work, had a fabulous last hurrah and finished up some loose ends, spent the day with people that I really really like and am going to miss terribly, and then sent out my final email which included a picture of puppies.
Wait… why might you ask would I quit my awesome start-up job in San Francisco right when things are getting exciting? Well, to move back to New England! Essentially, we thought to ourselves – is this where we want to be in five years? Ten years? And the answer is, not really. Mostly because I want to be close to my family and friends, and also, a teeny tiny dwelling roughly the size of your mom’s garage (technical term there) will cost about 1.3 million dollars in our neighborhood. That wasn’t going to happen any time soon.
In about two weeks, we are selling most of our things, packing up the car and going on a road trip! The journey will take us to Reno, Salt Lake City, Denver, Omaha, Chicago, lunch stop in Ann Arbor for some Zingermans, Cleveland, Syracuse, and then finally the ‘Shire, until we can get our act together and move to Boston. I’m going to need plenty of good recommendations for road food in these cities.
Among the master list of things to do before an outrageous move, I’ve spent the past couple of weeks making a concerted effort to clean out my freezer. First, I took everything out and created a long list of the contents. Aside from the usual freezer items, I had some very special items I’ve been saving up (aka hoarding) and now I get to actually eat! The Skillet Bacon Jam that Seattle Tall Poppy brought me was particularly exciting, as was the chocolate babka made by Michael Kalanty (author of How to Bake Bread), and perhaps best of all – a bag of tart and sweet wild huckleberries that was foraged by the legendary Connie Green (author of The Wild Table). Who for the record looks exactly like Meryl Streep.
I decided to do something special with these huckleberries – a huckleberry buckle! (Okay, mostly because it is fun to say). While searching yesterday for suitable/off-beat information about huckleberries on the internet I found this: apparently Stone Temple Pilots have a song on their new album called “Huckleberry Crumble”. The song has nothing to do with baking, and as far as I can tell may be about a bad relationship and has some offhand references to Alice in Wonderland.
I had saved this particular recipe from Saveur a few issues back that I had been meaning to try with blueberries (until I remembered that I had a whole bag of huckleberries in my freezer). The cake is moist, crumbly and sweet – suitable for afternoon tea, dessert, or even breakfast.
Huckleberry Buckle
(Adapted from Saveur Issue #122)
This could be easily made with fresh or frozen blueberries, but huckleberries are a particular treat if you can find them. Also, this actually great as it sits, so you could definitely make this a few days in advance of a barbecue or picnic, and you’d be the party pleaser.
8 tbsp. unsalted butter,
softened, plus more for pan
6 tbsp. plus 1 3/4 cups flour,
plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 lb. huckleberries or blueberries
1. Set the oven to 350˚. Butter and flour a 9″ (or in my case, 10″) springform cake pan and set aside. For the topping, put 4 tbsp. butter, 6 tbsp. flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together, and squidge with your fingers until the mixture comes together into small clumps. This is possibly the most satisfying step of the recipe, so have fun here.
2. In the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer, beat the remaining butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and egg and beat until smooth. Add the flour, salt, baking powder and stir to mix. Add the milk and mix for 1 minute. Add the huckleberries and, using a rubber spatula, fold them gently into the batter. If you do this aggressively you batter will turn bright purple, so gently is the key!
3. Spoon the batter into prepared pan, gently spreading to an even layer, and sprinkle with crumbly topping. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool before serving. Spoon into bowls and top with softly whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream (or, if you feel like being slightly uncouth – just pour on some half and half) .
Sorry to see you go Sam. I really enjoyed hanging out with you and wish you all the best wherever your path takes you.
Happy, safe travels and many, many blessings.
Shine On,
Renee
Congratulations on your move and road trip. Alas, I have never eaten a huckleberry but it is one of my favorite words. Someday I shall!
Bummed you are leaving but looking forward to your foody posts from wherever you may be. Thanks for all the fun, Sam! -Eve Lynch
I’ll miss you, and I’ve been wondering where you were! Now that I read your last post I see why you haven’t been at Omnivore. Please keep in touch, and let me know of any good food you find on the road between here and Colorado!
Wow Sam I am sure going to miss you! We never did go out for Turkish food! Have a great road trip and I look forward to staying in touch via your blog and Twitter… (sniff sniff)
Wow! Congrats on the move and all the changes. I regret not making it up to Omnivore, I always felt that visiting would open amcan of worms – do I really need another cookbook? And now when I visit (because it is definitely still on the list) I won’t have a personal guide to show me all her favorites!
Best wishes for a smooth road trip, see you in the blogosphere…
I’m going to miss you!! 🙁 But I hope you’re super happy out there. You’re going home, and that’s always a good thing. Maybe I can come visit sometime.
.-= Stephanie – Wasabimon´s last blog ..Goan Clams =-.
Seriously sad you are leaving Sam! I feel like we never had a chance to hang out at all (except for that one day during FoodBuzz where we went to the beach). Sadness.
But I understand. Hopefully I’ll see you at some food conference or another, and, of course, there is always Twitter. Ah the interweb makes everyone feel like they are neighbors…
Aw, Sam, gonna miss you! I know you are going to rock the next place just as hard as you did this one, and that I am not alone in saying that you always have a home here with us crazy Bay Area peeps.
Wherever you go, they will love and adore you as much as we do!
.-= Luna´s last blog ..Tillamook Sandwich Week =-.
My best friend went through a very similar thought process and though things in SF were good for her, she decided to move back home. I think it takes a lot of gumption to reckon with the actualities of what you want in life and then do a 180 if you find yourself not currently where you want to be. So I say go for it and send you my best for a memorable, fun roadtrip and all of the stuff that comes after.
Oh no!!! Granted I left, but I’m sad to hear that you are–for purely selfish reasons, of course. But it sounds like you are off on new adventures, and one that lies perhaps closer to heart. This is always the right thing.
Sorry I don’t have road food recs for you (I’m a west coast gal), but I will be very happy to follow along as you write your new chapters. I’m am sure they will be full of fun, good challenges, and even better food.
holy moly, congratulations! I’m sorry we never did get a chance to hook up and eat our way through the city… I hope you keep up this site so we can keep in touch.
.-= foodhoe´s last blog ..Ikaros Greek Restaurant in Oakland =-.
Bummed to hear you have left the oh so sunny (err foggy) city of San Francisco; but, completely understand your pain. We have the same conversation about 4xs a year, every season to be exact as well as every open house we pop into. I have to say, you picked a great city to land in. If, and when we make the move it will be the same area. L is from Somerville, the city of dreamers; so we may be neighbors sometime “soon”.