Soup's On!

Yes, indeed, Chef Riccardo (shown here cooking at home with friends) of Cafe Fiasco (that's what they call his home when he's in charge of dinner) slaved over a hot stove for about a half hour to make that Lavender-Blueberry soup you had for lunch today following our "Final Exam" hike.

Although Dick is a certifiable, trained, culinary amateur (who worked for about three years, from time to time, as a "volunteer cooking assistant" --- basically a scullery maid --- at Ramekins Sonoma Valley Culinary School), he is sure that you, too, can successfully make this recipe at home yourself. (Click here to view and print out the recipe. If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer you can print the document. Once you see the document on the "Scribd" Web site, click on the "Download" icon and then on the "PDF" icon to open the document on your computer).

Dick found this recipe in one of the two cookbooks by Chef John Ash available through the Marin County Library system. Dick ate many times in John's eponymous restaurant (sadly, now run by another chef offering cuisine that can't hold a candle to that John served when he owned the place) in Santa Rosa. Dick later worked as a cooking assistant for John at classes he taught at Ramekins. (Click here to learn more about John, who recently won the "Cooking Teacher of the Year" award for 2008 from the International Association of Culinary Professionals).