Summer is waning, evening breezes are blowing a little chillier and winter is now inevitable. So where to go for a little escapism? Palm Springs, of course…

Call it subconscious, call it serendipity, Independence day was the last thing on my mind when I whipped up these aromatic strawberry shortcakes. On a sunny summer weekend filled with the Tour de France, Wimbledon, and a huge basket of long-awaited Washington State strawberries, I made some scones on a whim to mop up the juices from my umpteenth bowl of the scarlet fruit.

My mind was on Wimbledon, where strawberries and cream have been a courtside tradition since the first Wimbledon tournament in 1877, and my native Scotland where scones and fruit are a summer staple. It was Mr V who noticed the entirely unintentional, but apropos creation, adding some bursts of sweet-tart blueberries to the mix and into our open mouths as we watched Nadal lose to Novak Djokovic.

Scones vs shortcake, I hear you ask? The lines between scone, biscuit and shortcake still appear fuzzy based on the wild variation in recipes you might find. More importantly, this dessert is incredibly fast to whip up – the scones are made in a single bowl by hand and bake fast. The elderflower also adds a nice floral complexity to the classic dessert without overpowering the timeless fresh flavors.

So, all that’s left is for me to wish you a happy strawberry season – and an unintentional Happy Fourth!

Looking for the perfect romantic getaway in Italy? I’ve found the place you dream of. A serene, peaceful hideaway near the Umbria/Tuscany border that will change you forever. Rustic yet luxurious, Villa Cerqualto makes a great base for touring Northern Umbria and Southern Tuscany or just relaxing in the countryside. It’s firmly on my shortlist of secret finds in Europe, and I hope you will fall in love as hard as I did…

Looking out over your very own vineyards...

Where?:
Nestled on a hillside amidst golden vineyards near Perugia, Villa Cerqualto looks out across a pretty valley and up to the medieval town of Monteleone d’Orvieto (not to be confused with the city of Orvieto). From the open air bedroom where gentle dawn breezes dissolve into warm morning sunshine, to the acres of grounds filled with vines, chestnut, pomegranate and citrus trees, relaxation comes effortlessly.

Airy master bedroom with views of medieval towns and rolling vineyards...

And whether you are familiar with the region or not, warm and welcoming property owner Countess Stephanie Ortenburg has impeccable taste and endless insider suggestions for dining and exploring.

The pool...shaded by olive trees.

Dining In:
With a rustic farmhouse kitchen and a pretty outdoor dining pavilion, save a few nights to cook lazy family dinners and plot your relocation to Italy. Stock up on supplies at the Supermercati PAM in Chiusi (it has two full aisles of pasta!) or the farmers markets in Citta della Pieve (Saturdays) and Orvieto (Thursdays and Saturdays).

Outdoor kitchen and dining pavilion...

Eating Out:
Just a few of my favorites in a region packed with outstanding restaurants – mostly casual and a little romantic:

La Tana del Gufo in Monteleone d’Orvieto: Casual, simple pizza, pasta good wine.
La Grotta in Montepulciano
Il Postale in Perugia: Modern Italian, creative, Michelin Star.
Trattoria dell’Orso in Orvieto
Tipica Trattoria Etrusca in Orvieto
Bistrot del Duca in Citta della Pieve

You won't leave Umbria hungry...

Around and About:
If you’re in the mood for exploring, Villa Cerqualto is very close to A1 (Italy’s main north-south arterial) – perfect for all day or half-day roadtrips. There’s also nothing quite like escaping back to the pastoral tranquility of your own country house for a sunset glass of wine after braving the tour bus crowds in Siena, Perugia and beyond.

Orvieto (40 mins / 39km): Good restaurants, shopping, dramatic clifftop setting.
Lake Trasimeno (40 mins / 35km): Castles, fishing and watersports.
Montepulciano (50 mins / 50km): One word – WINE (the San Biagio and the views are worth the drive too).
Cortona (1 hr / 53km): Setting for Under the Tuscan Sun.
Siena (1 hr 20 mins / 105 km): Don’t miss the Pecorino farm and factory tour
Montalcino (1hr 25 mins / 75 km): Many wineries, including Castello Banfi
San Gimignano (2 hrs / 150 km): Famous for its saffron or “zafferano”.
Perguia (1 hr / 40km): A definite trip highlight – the Perugina Chocolate Factory Tour.

Views from Cortona

Getting There:
If you’re flying into Rome, rent a car and stay your last night at the sleek, modern H10. It’s a gem for tourists with rental cars – free parking just shy of the center of Rome. The hotel also features huge beds, big modern showers and a lovely rooftop deck with pool and hot tub. Nothing ancient about it and it’s shockingly affordable for Rome.

A foggy sunrise view from the bedroom of Villa Cerqualto...

Villa Cerqualto is located halfway between Rome and Florence in Città della Pieve, Perugia, Umbria. Rates from €700/week. While very romantic, the property also welcomes families with lots of open space, swings, cribs and space for nanny.

Photo Credits: All photos, Fiona Van Alstyne.

It’s Cinco de Mayo and as much as I’d love to be digging my toes into a warm sandy beach at Esencia, I’m feeling a little reminiscent about Mexico City – the smoggy, vibrant and surprisingly hip city where I never did get mugged, despite my best efforts (getting dropped off in a bad part of town, at the wrong address, late at night with my suitcase and shaky Spanish for company).

It’s not somewhere I might ever have gone of my own volition, but I got sent there for work a few years ago and I’ll forever be thankful for the experience. Sure it’s little sketchy and arrestingly smoggy at times, but Mexico’s Distrito Federal is an intoxicating mix of edgy hotels and nightlife, ancient and pop culture and some of the most fascinating museums in the world. It’s also surrounded by some daytrips of a lifetime – drive for less than an hour to Teotihuacán and you can see the immense Pyramid of the Sun and other barely A.D. ruins at the UNESCO World Heritage Site there. If you’re only in town for a layover, don’t miss Fonda el Refugio, which has a cult-like following and is considered by many to be the best Mexican restaurant in a city where the competition is understandably tough.

Cool, refreshing lemonade from a street vendor in Mexico City

In a city filled with diverse global cuisine and restaurants garnering international recognition (Izote, Pujol and Biko to name a few), Mexico City’s street food alone is worthy of a dedicated vacation. My favorite late night outdoor treat was Tacos al Pastor – filled with sweet and juicy marinated pork and tender roasted pineaple, carved from a shawarma/gyro/donner-like spit called a “trompo” in Mexico.

This recipe is an at-home version of Tacos al Pastor, with pineapple in the marinade (instead of atop a spit) to tenderize the pork. It’s wickedly good – full of big citrusy, spicy, savory flavors – and might set you up as competition for your favorite taco truck. It’s also surprisingly healthy and naturally low in fat if you skip the sour cream. Enjoy it with a cold Victoria, Negra Modelo or some Mandarin Key Lime flavor Oogave soda (which reminds me of Corona and lime without the alcohol).

Salud and Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Imagine a place where the lines between childhood and adult adventure are blurred. A place with sailboats, float planes, friendly little farms and a cool place to hang out with friends or loved ones to cook, drink and laugh together after a day of playing. Well pack your camera and your appetite, hop aboard a float plane or ferryboat and head to The Clam Cannery in Port Townsend, WA where you will find relaxation, adventure and rather surprisingly – a lot of good food.

Set in a thoughtfully restored brick canning plant, this unique overwater boutique hotel is a great base for exploring the culinary, scenic and maritime delights of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. With views of the Cascade and Olympic mountains, fully equipped gourmet kitchens with Sub-Zero and Bosch appliances, comfortable living/entertaining areas filled with the work of local artisans and salvaged materials (see if you can find the clamshells!), each of the four roomy suites feels more like a friend’s warm and welcoming vacation condo than a stark hotel room. Oh, and your four-legged friends are welcome too – plush dog beds await.

So what’s a hungry adventurer to eat? Stop at the Mt Townsend Creamery on the way into town to taste their hand-crafted cheeses and stock up on cured meats from Armandino Batali’s Salumi, chocolate from Seattle’s Theo and other local treats. The Seastack and Trailhead cheeses are my favorites, but you can’t go wrong with any of their lineup which includes varieties infused with black truffles, Kilt Lifter Ale and the delightfully smoky “Campfire”.

Then swing by Key City Fish Company to pick up some fresh, local seafood to cook while you enjoy the views across to Whidbey Island. Find more local eats – including an entire culinary itinerary – by exploring the Olympic Culinary Loop. Not in the mood to cook? The hotel doesn’t currently have a restaurant, but they have some unique and exciting dining options starting May 2011, and they’re located a block off the main street in town which is lined with restaurants, shops and bars (try The Fountain Cafe for dinner).

You’re also going to need something to sip as you watch sunset over the water, and I recommend a stop at Finnriver Farm and Cidery. Their small-batch organic ciders are dry, refreshing and pair beautifully with food. Stay awhile to wander their orchards and blueberry fields, and taste their naturally carbonated Champagnoise cider (be sure to pick up some fresh eggs for breakfast on your way out)! Make a last call at The Wine Seller for a well-considered selection of Northwest wines and some inspired picks from South America and beyond. Be sure to chat with the rather interesting owner, Joe Euro, who also hosts tours to wine regions of Europe. If you’re still thirsty, take a trip to some idyllic Olympic Peninsula Wineries.

Stay for a weekend, stay for a week. Bring your friends, a loved one or escape by yourself. Go sailing, take a flying lesson, get a massage, read, write, watch your favorite obscure indie flick on the flatscreens hooked up to Netflix. Whatever you’re in the mood for, this is a blissful place to enjoy some downtime, Northwest style.

The Clam Cannery is located in Port Townsend, WA and can be reached by ferry or float plane from Seattle or Vancouver.

Photo Credits: All photos, Fiona Van Alstyne.

EAT: Les Apéritives by Paris Caramels. Jewel-colored, soft and fresh flavored, these petite pâtes de fruits are designed to serve with cocktails. A perfect antidote to predictable cocktail snacks, the conversation inspiring flavors include Corsica Lemon, Strawberry Basil and Tomato Olive. Available at Dean and Deluca in the US.

READ: Tuscany by Phaidon Press. A gorgeous coffee table book that you’ll actually want to cook from, and a reference on Tuscan food that won’t make you cringe. Part culinary tour, part recipe book, “Tuscany” is arranged by province and filled with exquisitely rustic photography and 50 simple, authentic recipes that will leave you hungry to visit. Be sure to try the Garmugia – a spring vegetable stew from Lucca, and the Castagnaccio alla Pistoiese – a Pistoian chestnut cake. Now if only Phaidon would publish a similar tome on Umbria…

STAY: Ikies, Santorini. Enjoy lazy breakfasts on the private terrace of your Greek Island pied-a-terre while you plan a magical day of catamaran sailing, horse rides on the beach and a visit to the Siglas Winery. Head out to Grace Santorini for a long, loungey dinner then watch sultry sunsets over the caldera from your indoor/outdoor hottub, before hitting the impossibly comfortable beds or the all-night clubs…

PLAY: BYKI is a fun (really) standout in a sea of language learning tools. Slick, practical and addictive, you can play with it for an hour or a few minutes wherever you are. Use it to brush up on rusty languages, to perfect your French menu skills, or learn something completely new for your next overseas adventure. I recommend the iPhone version for ease of use, but a full desktop version is also available. Try it out for free or see their huge lineup of languages in the iTunes AppStore.

The trouble with travel, with being an expat, is that you leave little pieces of your heart scattered across the globe. A sizeable chunk of mine resides in France, and spring is a season that leaves me longing for long picnic lunches in Paris or gentle hikes through the lavender fields and cherry orchards near Aix-en-Provence. So I fix myself a little plate of radishes, butter, sea salt and baguette. Maybe with a barely-dressed green salad and an icy glass of rosé. It’s not the same as decamping to, say, La Bastide de Moustiers for the season, but it certainly soothes the wanderer’s malaise.

This classic French combo of Radis, Beurre and Sel de Mer is often served on tartines – open-faced sandwiches, so I translated them into hors d’oeuvres size to serve at a recent French wine tasting. They’re light, bright and a nice way to balance out a heavier lineup of small bites.

It’s worth the effort (all five minutes of it) to make your own creamy, fresh ricotta for these. If radishes aren’t your thing, you can also top the ricotta with sliced figs and a drizzle of honey, or arugula and proscuitto – whatever takes your fancy. By all means use some rustic baguette slices if you prefer – I typically use the cutouts, simply because they are so easy to eat mid-conversation with a glass of wine in the other hand.

Who were your heroes growing up? Mine were a rather eclectic, and in retrospect partially embarrassing collection of chefs, musicians and writers. One of my enduring favorites is Antonio Carluccio, an Italian chef, lifelong champion of foraging and early Jamie Oliver mentor. Digging in the dirt with bare hands, scraping earth off mushrooms and truffles with a pocket knife, before conjuring it all into something sizzling and frequently involving bread or pasta, his TV shows were a perpetually hungry child’s dream. If you’ve read his books, you know they’re also a visual and edible treat, filled with gorgeous earthy photography of simple, real food like this Spring Herb Pesto – a variation of one of his recipes that I’ve been making for years.

Fast forward to this winter in London, as we hurried back to our flat through South Kensington, hungry and looking for shelter from a driving snowstorm. Spotting a Carluccio’s – part of an international chain he started but has since sold – we ducked inside. We were warmly welcomed with good wine, fragrant pillows of freshly baked focaccia and a table right next to (gasp) Carluccio himself as he enjoyed a holiday dinner with family and friends. Besides a walking cane (carved himself, with a samurai knife no less…), he was no different than he appeared all those years ago on TV, eagerly attending to his guests and customers with characteristic ebullience and not a hint of superiority. Full, happy and incredulous at the randomness of life, I don’t think I even noticed the ice cold sleet on the way home.

In typical Carluccio style, this simple dish is bursting with fresh, earthy flavor, yet none of the herbs are overpowering. It’s a staple at my house throughout spring and summer, and I often play around with the mix of herbs – maybe adding some thyme and oregano or whatever is abundant in the garden. Serve alone with rustic bread and a lighter red, or a crisp and herbal New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Serve it as a side to just about anything – spring lamb, roast pork tenderloin or your favorite roast chicken. Enjoy!

Antonio Carluccio is the author of numerous books, including The Complete Mushroom Book. Be sure to take a peek at his friendly and instructional iPad/iPhone app called “Antonio Carluccio’s Simple Cooking” ($6.99 from the iTunes App Store)

I’m quite in love with the vignette of a perfect weekend morning – a fat NYT, international editions of the Guardian and Le Monde and something sweetly-scented and rustic to stab at with a fork while I consume the trials and triumphs of the week along with too much espresso. Such morning idleness, however, is a rare occurrence these days and I’m trying to spend more time enjoying the first meal of the day. Yesterday, a perfectly composed breakfast sandwich at Homegrown in Melrose Market on Seattle’s Capitol Hill – a softly fried egg, Beecher’s Flagship cheese, aioli and applewood smoked bacon. The delicate antithesis of a heavy, greasy, flavorless fry-up smashed into a tough English muffin. Today, this fragrant brioche toast baked in a skillet with a vanilla cardamom custard.

I love cardamom in sweet things. It’s just a little more complex than cinnamon, yet not too clever for breakfast time. A dominant flavor in Nordic pastry, Indian food, middle-eastern coffee and chai, it pairs beautifully with peaches, strawberries and oranges in particular.

Somewhere between a bread pudding and a french toast, this lazy weekend dish can be prepared the night before and baked in the morning (sleep in, stumble into kitchen, throw pan into oven, enjoy) or whipped up while you peruse the Sunday broadsheets and ready yourself for the week ahead. Serve with seasonal stone fruit or macerated strawberries, whipped cream or ice cream, and lots of maple syrup…

What on earth was I doing eating chocolate chip cookies in Paris? I get to spend such limited time there these days. This familiar city used to be only a short flight or train ride away, accessible for frequent and impromptu weekends of gluttony and carefree fun armed with only an overnight bag, a list of new restaurants and a whim. But now I live a 10 hr flight away and my must-eat lists are long and seldom satisfied. So I’d never have picked these cookies out myself during our Christmas visit, but Mr V returned from a snowy morning pastry run with one and I’ve been craving their salty-chewy-sweetness ever since.

Alas there are no Eric Kayser outposts in Seattle (although he does run BREADBAR in LA), so I’m making these from memory and some notes I took at the time. They taste pretty close to the real thing as I remember it, and this recipe is all about the details. The very finely chopped nuts are critical to create the uniformly chewy bite, and make sure you add all of the salt. Chocolate chips or baking chunks are designed to hold their shape during baking, so I used couverture chocolate wafers (Guittard Brand 61% Cacao) quite intentionally so they would melt into cratered pools of chocolate throughout the cookies. I know chocolate-chip cookies are a very personal thing, so I’ll spare you the superlatives and simple say that this recipe is now my personal favorite.

Maison Eric Kayser has locations all over Paris and runs BREADBAR in LA. Fellow salty-sweet lovers, be sure to check out Kayser’s new book: Mes petits: biscuits sucrés et salés. Unfortunately available in French only, but it’s good practice for those of us who are a little rusty or you can use Google Translate to help you out!