Market Toast from Santa Monica

I realize I haven't posted since early last week, but I can explain.  I was in Santa Monica for the weekend with my sister visiting one of my best friends and spending time with two new ones.  And now that I've returned to NYC I have some pretty serious California envy.  Probably more than is healthy.  I spent one day at the Getty picking through 300+ year old sketchbooks, touching pages that Jacques-Louis David actually touched (!!) while my sister wandered the museum and managed a magnificent sunburn on our "indoor" day.  

The rest of the time we walked on the beach, sat by the pool, and ate.  Seriously, I am proud of all of our eating and I owe much of it to our hosts.  There was a wine bar and a Mexican joint, Cha Cha Chicken and Chinese.  But perhaps the best culinary experience was the walk to the farmers market and the resulting breakfast from heaven.

I didn't bring my camera to the market, and good thing.  I was way too overwhelmed to focus.  While berry season has perhaps not quite reached us in NYC, in Santa Monica it is in full force.  We bought strawberries and peaches, citrus fruits I'd never heard of, as well as a log of goat cheese anointed with a cinnamon-cranberry chutney.  Oh yes. (By the way, cinnamon and cranberry does not need to be a holiday combination. It was perfectly at home in the summer, tart and sweet and bright.)  We took our booty back to L's house (L's house, with a yard and a dog and a gazebo in back for al fresco dining, and an herb garden.  It's paradise.  I have the pictures to prove it.) and made french toast from some thickly cut Texas toast which came from the neighborhood bakery.  We slathered the toast with knifefuls of cranberry goat cheese and topped with fresh strawberries and peaches.  You don't need a recipe for that, of course, just immensely good luck and people who know where to find these things.  Thanks girls, for a beautiful weekend!