Bay Area buffet

THE GOOD, THE MAD AND THE LOVELY 

Before I left to visit my sister and her family in San Jose, California, I thought about what food stories could come out of the Bay Area. Most of the time, I would be eating what Joyce prepared at home but I was sure we would go out and look for something special as well. I knew that there would be plenty of fresh, organic food and I could always find a farmers' market somewhere. Food trucks were also big in the San Area and that was something else I could focus on. And let's not forget Californian wine, San Francisco sourdough and amazing seafood.
    There's all that, and pleasantly, I found more.
    I am ashamed to say that, although I read everything I can about bread, I had never heard of Dutch Crunch, or Tiger bread, until I looked up the sandwich menu at Driftwood Deli & Market in Palo Alto. I had never tasted a pluot, a cross between a plum and an apricot, or Santa Maria tri-tip, or held a 35cm (14-inch) churro in my hand (every one of these items was excellent). And doughnuts with strange names and stranger toppings? Fuhgeddaboudit!
   And I'm going to be laughed right out of town for admitting this but I used Twitter for the first time to hunt down a food truck. Look, this social media stuff is not my thing, okay.
    So, yes, I did have plenty to write about for the newspaper column (and included a recipe for corn dogs), apart from several posts in this space on:

• visiting a farmers' market;
• preparing and eating artichoke;
• having a crab boil;
• the amount of meat I consumed; and
• wandering beyond San Jose.

    Of course, there's always room for more images by which to remember all the food and food-finding excursions.

Visit the Campbell Farmers' Market for fresh produce and freshly made food

Sam's ChowderMobile is well-known in the Bay Area. On the menu are clam chowder, lobster roll and Baja fish tacos

This no-name food truck sells cold drinks, packaged snacks and goodies like corn dogs and deep-fried burritos

    There's not been much baking in the past few weeks, and the most complicated thing I got around to when I got home was opening a packet of instant noodles and pouring water onto them. But as I write this, something I learned about in America – which I hope will turn out well – is proofing on my kitchen counter as the oven heats up.
    I think I might also try making a S'More doughnut , like the one from Psycho Donuts. This is how I plan to do it:

1. Buy a chocolate-covered doughnut.
2. Melt some marshmallows in the microwave oven.
3. Melt some chocolate in another bowl in the microwave oven.
4. Break up some graham crackers.
5. Spread the melted marshmallows on the purchased chocolate-covered doughnut.
6. Pile the graham cracker shards on the melted marshmallows, pressing them down lightly so they stick, and drizzle on the melted chocolate.

Now I just have to see if it actually works.