Column

I was with my Troop Group today packing goodie boxes for our guys and gals in the war zones. In the middle of the small talk, one of the ladies asked what I was reviewing this month. I said that I had reached way back to 1988 and was doing the little movie, Crossing Delancey. Immediately at least three or four of my sorority sisters gave a collected, ahhh! Evidently, I am not the only fan of this wonderful, refreshingly simple romantic comedy set amongst a cozy Manhattan backdrop.

Crossing Delancey (1988) is about Isabella Grossman (Amy Irving) a 33 year-old single woman who lives in a rent-controlled apartment in New York City’s Upper West Side. She has a fulfilling job at New Day Books handling a prestigious series where famous authors read from their works. Among them is Anton Maes (Jeroen Krabbe), an egotistical European poet who, smitten, offers her a job as his personal secretary. However, it becomes clear that typing and filing were not what Anton had in mind, and the beautiful Isabella is soon involved with him. On one of her regular visits downtown to see her Bubbie, (i.e. grandmother) played by Reizl Bozyk, Izzy finds out that her Bubbie has decided that Izzy needs a nice Jewish husband and she has employed a matchmaker. Enter Sam Posner (Peter Riegert), the pickle maker whom Izzy likes just fine, but at the moment she is infatuated with the arrogant Anton. Made today, this movie would be a predictable love triangle, in which one suitor was clearly unsuitable, but writer Susan Sandler (who adapted her own play) and director Joan Micklin Silver keep everything at street level; these characters act like grown-ups, with grown-up feelings. They are all excited about new love, but equally wary.

I love Amy Irving’s acting. She was born in Palo Alto, California and was raised in San Francisco. Her parents, actress Priscilla Pointer and influential theatrical director and producer Jules Irving literally raised her on stage. Amy was brought up in the world of theater, she was put on the stage from the time she was nine months old, her father the director and her mother the actress, they didn’t want babysitters for their children, so if she wasn’t performing, she would stay in the wardrobe department or her mother would put her in the second row center where she could watch her. And before she was 10 years old, she had already worked in several plays. At an early age, Amy Irving was trained at the American Conservatory Theater and London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. Although her divorce settlement from filmmaker husband Steven Spielberg was estimated at a cool 100 million, Amy went on to work in many movies and plays.

Crossing Delancey speaks softly but delivers some provocative observations on sexual politics, family pressures, loneliness, single life, love and romantic fantasies. So cuddle up on the sofa with a buttery bowl of popcorn and watch this delightful movie. As always, I invite your comments at www.CarolynHastings.com.

Some people associate June with weddings and graduations. I think of apricots. Not those dry little orbs at the supermarket, rock-hard and green at the stem. I dream of little velvet pillows, sweetly perfumed and dripping with juice. The kind of fruit many of us took for granted as kids.

There are plenty of reasons for the scarcity of that mythical fruit. First of all, real apricots need to ripen on the tree—which renders them soft and far too fragile for shipping. (In some parts of this country, fresh apricots are considered little more than an urban legend.) Many of the apricot orchards that once blessed California have been replaced by housing developments and office parks, thereby reducing the number of sources for tree-ripened fruit. Due to increased land values, apricot growers who held their ground and stayed in business now must often rely on sales to commercial canners and other fruit preservers in order to remain solvent. Along the way many of them also abandoned organic growing principles in order to meet production demands.

Scientists thought the answer was to develop new bruise-resistant apricot varieties designed to look quite glamorous on the outside for weeks at a time, and withstand all sorts of abuse during transit. Too good to be true? You bet. One bite, and you’ll know you’ve been had. It’s frightening to think there is an entire generation that believes this is how apricots should taste. If you want to experience a real California apricot that isn’t mealy or sour or flavorless—and there’s no tree in your own backyard—you simply have to buy them direct from the grower at the farmers’ market. And make it soon, for apricot season is short but sweet.

Should you tire of eating apricots out of hand (impossible as that may seem), their sweet-tart flavor is a natural in all sorts of desserts. One of the easiest is a crisp—similar to fruit pie, but without the angst. Serve this one with vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt, or a dollop of whipped cream. If you feel the need to jazz it up even further—or you’ve already eaten too many of the apricots you bought for the express purpose of making this crisp—toss in a handful of blueberries, raspberries, or halved and pitted cherries.

This is so good, some people have been known to eat it for breakfast on a warm summer morning. (I’m just sayin’….)

Fresh Apricot Crisp with Cinnamon-Walnut Topping
Apricots do not need to be peeled. Right before using, rinse them under cold water and pat dry. To halve and pit an apricot, use a small, sharp knife to cut along the visible seem that goes all around the fruit; then twist the halves gently in opposite directions, pull apart, and remove the pit.

Topping:
2/3 cup California walnut halves and pieces
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
a generous 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling:
5 cups pitted and halved tree-ripened apricots, preferably organic (about 2 pounds, or 15
apricots)
1/3 cup granulated sugar (or more, depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Dash of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned and fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool, then chop coarsely.
2. Using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugars together until well blended. Gradually mix in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the walnuts.
3. Loosely pack the mixture into a heavy-duty plastic food storage bag or bowl. Seal airtight and freeze until very firm, at least 4 hours or as long as 1 month.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. In a large bowl, toss the apricots with the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking dish, forming an even layer.
5. Use a knife to cut and crumble the frozen topping, and scatter it over the apricots. Bake until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbly-hot, about 40 minutes. Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Serve slightly warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Serves 6 to 8.

Mind Your Manners at the Market

• Please leave pets at home. Tempting as it might be, Health Department regulations prohibit them from being inside the market area.
• Do bring your own bag(s) to carry home your purchases. If you don’t plan to go straight home after shopping, pack an ice chest in the trunk of your car.
• Arrive early for the best selection—and also to avoid crowds.
• Before making any purchases, take one quick trip around the market. This way you’ll be able to compare prices and determine what looks best to you.
• Ask questions! Danville is a certified farmers’ market, which means that every vendor is somehow involved in the production of whatever they are selling. You’ve got an expert right in front of you, so storage and cooking tips are free for the asking.
• Save money by buying in bulk. For the best deals, prearrange with friends and neighbors to share flats or crates of farm-fresh produce.
• Bring plenty of cash, preferably in small denominations.
• Plan where you’re going to stash your cash securely, and stick to your plan. Don’t absentmindedly stuff change from a purchase into random pockets or bags, where there is a good chance of losing it. There’s nothing more unsettling than finding a wad of cash on the ground at the market. (Well, okay, for a minute or so it’s exciting…until your conscience kicks in.) If you do find some bills-without-a-body—or you’ve lost some cash of your own—notify your Market Manager, Max Timms. He is the Official Lost and Found Department.

The Danville Certified Farmers’ Market, located at Railroad and Prospect, is open every Saturday, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. For specific crop information call the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association at 1-800-949-FARM or visit their web site at www.pcfma.com.

Later than usual, the annual Kings X Trivia Tournament will be held at WPLJ’s in Walnut Creek on June 27 from 11AM to 7PM. It is still called Kings X Tournament as a tribute to the long time home of Trivia in the Bay Area, “Kings X” Restaurant in Oakland. Drop by if you would like to see grown people get very competitive over worthless information. If you would like to play, let us know. The moderator will be Rich Berkery, last year’s champion and one of the games’ superstars. June is later than usual, but June is a great month. Speaking of that:
 

1. “June is Busting Out All Over” is a song from, to my mind, Rogers and Hammerstein’s greatest musical. What was that show?
2. A former NFL quarterback with the first name June coached University of Hawaii to great football fame a few years back. Who is he?
3. She passed away recently, but was made famous in the show “Gypsy” as Gypsy Rose Lee’s sister. Who was she?
4. One of the most beloved children of 1950’s TV had a mother named June. Who was the little boy and what was the show?
5. She played the “girl next door” in the movies of the 40’s and 50’s. She was Mrs. Glenn Miller in the “Glenn Miller Story.” Who was she?
6. “I like New York in June” is the first line in a great Burton Lane standard. What is the song?

MAY’S TRIVIA ANSWERS:
1. Dermot Mulroney
2. Doc Medich and Fritz Peterson
3. David Groh
4. Tiny Tim 5. Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco
6. “Get Me to the Church on Time” from “My Fair Lady”

MAY TRIVIA WINNER:
Stacey Norman of Alameda

WIN LUNCH ON BEN!
The first person to email or mail, no calls please, the correct answers to all of the above questions will win a $25 gift certificate at The Uptown Cafe in downtown Danville, compliments of Ben Fernandez!

Entries must be received by June 25, 2010. In the event of a tie, the winner will be drawn at random. Please email your answers to info@aliveeastbay.com, or mail to ALIVE East Bay, 199 East Linda Mesa Avenue, Suite 10, Danville, CA 94526. Employees and family members of employees of ALIVE East Bay are not eligible. Restaurant may be changed without notice.

Once again, scores of young people stand at the threshold of the future as they prepare for graduation. For some this year’s commencement is but another step in a path of higher learning, for others, their formal academic path complete, it is now time to venture into the “real” world.

In recent years I had the pleasure of congratulating my dearest niece and nephew for their accomplishments at graduation, but this year’s celebrations promise to be especially meaningful as my own son and his closest friends join the ranks of new graduates.

At the risk of bending to the temptation of offering parental advice, I ask that you indulge one proud father a few words that I would share with my son and all of the graduates of 2010. I promise this will be no laundry list of dos and don’ts, for I really have only one point to make, and it is this:

Always remember who and what you are, and remember that you can always depend upon His promises.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.”—Jeremiah 29:11-14.

I offer my heartfelt congratulations to you son, for I could not be more proud. And likewise to all graduates everywhere: may this be the beginning of a wonderful and exciting journey for you all!