When we think of the great cooks whose culinary genius carved out modern Californian cooking - Alice Waters, Deborah Madison, Jeremiah Tower - we think above all of that state's produce, and how they respect it and use it.
These were the pioneers who supported farmer's markets and organic produce long before it was widely fashionable, so our Californian theme this year is based on simple ingredients, respectfully brought to their best.
"I can tell you what I see in the farmers' market here," writes a friend, Emily Green, who earlier this year moved back to Los Angeles from England. "There are beautiful oranges coming in . . . all the citrus fruits, my favourites are the Valencias. There are splendid kales, lots of nuts still, good broccoli, still lots of exotic gourds." For Christmas, "I am going to serve fennel soup, pork roast with garlic and rosemary, black beans and rice, lots of salad, and a lemon tart followed by clove biscuits with coffee. To drink, gewurz, I think, then maybe a white burgundy with the pork and Jameson by the fire afterwards." Sounds good to me.
Along with borrowing some ideas from Emily, a citrus theme runs through our Christmas menu, enlivening the palate, setting a teasing contrast for the festive wines, and if you want a truly Californian Christmas, then conclude the meal with fresh figs.
The ambition here has also been to create a series of dishes which, without a bird, constitute a complete dinner for vegetarians: the salad, the black beans, the stuffing, the flavoured butter melting over some roasted vegetables and the tart will constitute a smashing meal in themselves. Recipes are written to serve four.
To start, we have two simple dishes from the doyennes of Californian cooking, Alice Waters, of Berkeley's Chez Panisse retaurant and Deborah Madison. Radishes are now in season here.
Radishes with Butter and Salt
`No meal at Chez Panisse is quite complete without radishes. In one brilliant flash of red and green, they help define where and who we are," Waters writes.
"Radishes at Chez Panisse are served most often at the very beginning of the meal. They are brought to the table with bread and butter as soon as the guests are seated. A light sprinkling with coarse salt is really all the accompaniment needed."
Part of the success of staging the Christmas meal is to have simple starters which don't require much effort. This is just such a dish. Be sure to get the crispest fennel you can find and use the best Parmiggiano-Reggiano.
Fennel, Mushroom and Parmesan Salad
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 strips of lemon peel, minced
1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed under a spoon or in a mortar
4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8oz large, firm mushrooms, wiped clean
Pepper
1 fennel bulb
1 tablespoon fennel greens, chopped
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
Salt
2 to 3oz Parmesan, shaved into paper-thin slices
Pound the garlic and the salt in a mortar until completely smooth. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon peel, fennel seeds, and olive oil to make a tart, lemony vinaigrette.
Thinly slice the mushrooms, carefully dress them with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette and season them with plenty of freshly-ground black pepper. Lay a damp kitchen towel or a piece of plastic wrap directly over them to keep them from browning, and set them aside for one hour to marinate.
Trim the fennel bulb and cut it into quarters. Remove most of the core; then slice it lengthwise, very thinly, leaving the pieces joined together. Dress it with most of the remaining vinaigrette and half the herbs, and season with salt and pepper. Add the rest of the herbs to the mushrooms.
Layer the mushrooms, cheese, and fennel on each plate and spoon the remaining vinaigrette over the top.
The black bean (often labelled black kidney bean) is one of the quintessential modern Californian ingredients, reflecting the influence of Mexican cooking on this cuisine. Here we have concentrated on kick-starting the bean with chilli and lots of lime juice. Great served with brown turkey meat or roast pork.
Black Beans
8 oz black beans, soaked overnight
3 cloves garlic
2 onions
2 bay leaves
2 small, dried chillies
Olive oil
Fresh coriander
1/4 cup cream
1 lime
Place the beans in a saucepan of water just to cover. Bring to the boil, strain and refresh in cold water. Clean the saucepan, put back the beans and re-cover the beans with more water. Add two cloves garlic (left whole), one onion (peeled and sliced in half), the bay leaves and the chillies. Simmer for approximately one hour until softened.
When cooked, drain the beans, reserving the liquid. Remove the onions, bay leaves and chillies and discard. Fry the other onion (minced) with third garlic clove (minced) in a little olive oil. Season. When the onion is translucent, add one tablespoon of chopped coriander. Add the beans and 1/2 a cup of the reserved cooking liquid, plus the 1/4 cup of cream.
Pour the bean mixture into a casserole and bake for approximately one hour at 170C. Serve luke-warm, garnished with the juice of one lime and some more coriander.
A golden stuffing for the bird, from Alice Waters. This works well for turkey, chicken or duck.
Corn Bread
3/4 cup white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1/4 lb unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
1 cup milk
1 egg
Preheat the oven to 400F. Place a 9-inch, cast-iron skillet in the oven from the start of the preheating.
In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cornmeal. Put the butter and milk in a small saucepan and heat until the butter is melted.
Break the egg into another bowl, beat lightly, and whisk in the milk and butter. Make a well in the flour mixture, pour in the liquid ingredients, and stir just until smooth.
Take the skillet out of the oven, put in a lump of butter, and swirl it around to coat the pan. Pour in the batter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the corn bread comes out clean.
Corn Bread Stuffing
1 small carrot
1/2 stalk celery
1 small onion
2 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons cream
2 1/2 cups corn bread, crumbled
The corn bread should be made the day before you plan to make this stuffing to give it time to dry out. If baked the same day, break it into large pieces and let them sit out for a few hours. Crumble the corn bread and put it into a large mixing bowl.
Peel and trim the vegetables and chop into fine dice. Cook them gently in the butter with the thyme and bay leaf, seasoned with salt and pepper. When softened, add them to the bowl of corn bread, add the cream and mix well.
Flavoured butters are one of the pillars of Californian cooking, with a slice cut from the roll and allowed to melt over white turkey meat, or over roasted or steamed vegetables. Away from Christmas, you will find that they are also good with grilled squid or as the basis of a pasta sauce. You can cook and freeze them in advance. The vinaigrette - a vegan alternative - can be used in much the same way. Both ideas come from Richard Whittington's book on Californian cooking, Cutting Edge.
Saffron, Mustard and Pepper Butter
2 tablespoons dry sherry
16 threads of saffron
1 tablespoon Colman's mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
225g (8oz) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 2cm (3/4 inch) dice
Heat the sherry in a small pan, remove from the heat and add the saffron threads. Leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Stir the mustard powder to a smooth paste with the saffron liquid, adding a little water if the mixture is too thick. Add the salt and pepper. Pulsechop with the diced butter. Scrape on to foil, roll into a cylinder and freeze.
Chilli Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 fresh, hot, red chilli
1 large, fresh, mild green chilli
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
Cut the stem end off the chillies and slide them on to skewers. Roast over a flame until just blistered. If you do not have gas, do them on a metal tray under the grill.
Put the chillies in a zip-lock bag or in a covered bowl to steam for five minutes. Remove, rub off the skin, cut in half and scrape out the seeds. Cut the flesh into small dice.
Put this into a bowl with the vinegar, salt and pepper and stir until the salt has dissolved. Stir in the oil and add the coriander only just before serving.
Dessert must be special on the big day, and here is a very special tart. Gorgeously light, zesty with the hit of citrus. This is adapted from The Cuisine of California, by Diane Rossen Worthington.
Lemon-Orange Tart For the pastry
8oz cream flour
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons icing sugar
4 oz unsalted butter, frozen and cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup cold water
For the filling
4 eggs
1oz unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
For the garnish
1 1/2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 lemon, peeled and segmented
1 cup fresh, whipped cream
To make the pastry: Combine flour, salt and icing sugar in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process for a few seconds to blend. Add butter and egg-yolk and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about five to 10 seconds.
With the blades of the processor turning, gradually add the cold water until dough is just beginning to come together and will adhere when pinched.
Transfer to floured pastry board or work surface. Press into a round shape for easy rolling. Roll out into a circle large enough to fit an 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom or flan ring that has been placed on a baking sheet. Press circle into tin and chill.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake pastry blind for 15 minutes. Remove beans and paper and prick the crust with a fork. Return to oven and bake until light brown, approximately seven minutes. For the filling: in a mixing bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Add butter and sugar and beat until thick and lemon coloured. Add orange and lemon juice and zest. Mix well (it will be quite liquid).
Pour filling into pie crust and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350F and bake an additional 12 to 15 minutes until the filling is slightly brown, set in the centre, and moves just slightly when pan is moved. Remove from oven.
Preheat the grill. Sprinkle tart with icing sugar through a strainer so that the top is uniform. Place lemon segments in the centre of tart, radiating from the centre to resemble a star. Grill, checking carefully, for 60 to 90 seconds. Tart should be completely brown around lemon star. Serve at room temperature. Pass whipped cream separately.