Welcome May!
May is a good time to keep things simple. To cook a few things well, return to them often, and let the season do most of the work. I’m looking forward to cooking through it with you.
In May, we’re leaning into:
Produce-led recipes that let spring ingredients lead without much interference
Effortless, unfussy ways to gather - picnic-style spreads, composed platters, simple bakes
Repetition as a kind of abundance - returning to the same ingredients in slightly different ways, across the week
For paid subscribers, you’ll continue to receive twice-weekly recipes, along with notes on how they connect - how one meal carries into the next, and how to build a rhythm that feels supportive rather than demanding.
From the Kitchen
At Flour Craft, the first local tomatoes are starting to come in, along with the return of the Dipsea Tartine - simple, bright, and built around those early-season gems.
Strawberries are at their peak right now - deeply flavored and hard to resist. You’ll find them worked into baked goods and salads throughout the menu, wherever they can shine.
We’re also welcoming back sunny weekend brunches in the courtyard at our Mill Valley café. It’s a space made for lingering - a gluten-free sourdough waffle with fresh strawberries, a glass of bubbles, and time to gather with friends.
For Mother’s Day weekend, our brioche french toast with strawberries and chocolate sauce will be making its return.
Stop by Flour Craft San Anselmo on Saturday, May 9th for a special pop-up with local florist, Petal Crafted, and grab an arrangement for Mom.
At The GoodLife Shop
May at The GoodLife centers around Mother’s Day. The shop is filled with a thoughtful mix of vintage pieces, tools for cooks and bakers, inspiring cookbooks, long-lasting florals, and specialty foods - things that feel both useful and a bit special.
We’ll also be celebrating our one-year anniversary on Saturday, May 9th. As a thank you, every purchase over $50 will include a small gift.
That same day, from 11-3, we’ll be hosting two pop-ups in the shop. Sara Marshall of Sara Florals will be offering seasonal arrangements and single stems, and Erika Honig will be showcasing her Saami handcrafted jewelry.
Mother’s Day can hold a lot, and we’re thinking of all the different ways people come to it - celebrating, remembering, nurturing, and being nurtured. However it meets you this year, we hope there’s a moment of ease.
Lemon & Berry Baked French Toast
Active Prep Time: 15 minutes
Active Cook Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
1, 16-oz loaf gf brioche or white bread, cut into 1-inch pieces, preferably stale
1 lemon, zested and juiced
12 eggs
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fine kosher salt
½ tsp ground cardamom
1 ½ cups frozen or 1 pint fresh blueberries
Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with foil and parchment.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cardamom to combine. Add the bread cubes and allow the mixture to rest for 15 minutes to soak up all the custard. Gently stir in the blueberries.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with a handful of sugar and a pinch of cardamom. Cover the top with parchment (touching the bread) and foil (to secure the parchment and seal the sides).
Bake covered for 35-minutes. Remove foil and continue baking, uncovered, for another 15-25 minutes, until the bread is puffed and golden. The center should feel set with no liquid emerging, when pressed gently with your fingers.
Allow to cool before cutting into squares. The cooler it is, the cleaner your cuts will be. Serve with berry coulis (recipe follows) and/or custard sauce. This dish can be made a day or two ahead and kept in the fridge until you’re ready- serve warm.
Simple Berry Coulis:
Start with 1, 10-oz bag frozen berries of your choice (blueberries, raspberries etc…). Place in a small saucepan with ½ cup sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 TB cornstarch, and a splash of lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar melts and the berries soften, 3-5 minutes.
Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, for another 5 minutes or so, until the berries have burst to release their juices, and the sauce has thickened to a spoonable consistency.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve if you want it to be ‘fancy’. Otherwise, serve the sauce, seeds and all, with the above bread pudding- or over ice cream, panna cotta, yogurt, pancakes etc….
