California Living and Eating

California Living and Eating by Eleanor Maidment is a handsome coffee table book celebrating the food and lifestyle of the Golden State with 80 tasty recipes.

One of the joys of travel in California is the wonderful food on offer, whether it’s from a cheap and cheerful taco truck to some of the top tables in the USA with acclaimed chefs like Thomas Keller, Wolfgang Puck, and Alice Waters.

It helps, of course, that there is so much fine produce grown in the state, and a firm belief in the concept of farm-to-fork or farm-to-table.

These are the things that inspired author Eleanor Maidment to travel the length and breadth of the state to produce this hefty 224-page coffee-table book with eighty original recipes. These go alongside essays about some quintessential Californian foods like sourdough and avocados.

California Living and Eating: Introduction

In her introduction the author points out that it isn’t only the freshness of the food that makes for tasty eating. The best California cuisine is also about being bold with experimentation, caring about the art of beautiful presentation, serving seasonal dishes, a natural concern for healthy eating, and a fusion-style of cooking embracing California’s ethnically diverse population.

The Author

Eleanor Maidment is a London based food writer and food stylist who spent seven years as Food Editor of Waitrose Food magazine, creating and testing recipes for the readers on a daily basis.

California Living and Eating: Contents

After explaining how the book came about, and information on both the ingredients and the equipment she likes to use, the author gets into the opening chapter: Morning Sun. This covers one meal that Californians really know how to do well, brunch, and begins with our own personal brunch favorite, the Mexican breakfast dish, Huevos Rancheros. Merely seeing the photo has our mouths watering immediately.

Photography

The wonderful photography in California Living and Eating is by Nassima Rothacker, originally from Melbourne but now London-based and with a special interest in food and travel photography. She’s certainly brought California and its food to life on the page.

The recipes range from the original (Coconut Jumbo Oat Granola) to new takes on old favorites, like Buttermilk Pancakes and Breakfast Burritos.

Maidment then makes her way through the day, with lunch and supper suggestions, before winding up with one chapter on sides and sauces, and a final chapter on cakes, cookies, and tarts.

Where to Eat in California

Also included at the back of the book is the author’s personal choice of the best places to eat in California. They are the places – including two farmers’ markets – which inspired the recipes in the book, and cover Sonoma, San Francisco and the East Bay, the Central Coast, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

With names like Chez Panisse and Nepenthe in there, and the wonderful Santa Monica Farmers Market, there’s no arguing with the choice.

Buying California Living and Eating

You can find this lovely book on Amazon, and though there’s a less expensive Kindle version we’d recommend splurging on the hardback. It will definitely get used in the kitchen.

Other books pages

Pacific Coast Highway Moon Guide
Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip guide from Moon covering California, Oregon and Washington
Washington State Travel Guide
The Washington State travel guide from Frommer's covers hotels in Seattle, driving the Pacific Coast Highway, Olympic National Park, where to eat and more.
Gardens Of the Pacific Coast Highway
Plant lovers can visit hundreds of gardens along or near the Pacific Coast Highway,ranging from lush gardens in the Pacific North-West to southern California.
Vintage Hollywood
Vintage Hollywood in Los Angeles is an extract from the Lonely Planets book Culture Trails.
Santa Barbara Guidebook
The Santa Barbara Guidebook from Moon Handbooks also covers California’s Central Coast with Ventura, San Luis Obispo, wine country, and Hearst Castle.
Brewpubs and Good Beer on the West Coast USA
Brewpubs and good beer are at the heart of the Good Beer Guide to the West Coast USA which lists the best bars and breweries from Seattle to San Diego.
The Best Coast Book Review
The Best Coast is a west coast travel guide, sub-titled A Road Trip Atlas it doesn't use photos but instead has hundreds of beautiful illustrations.
Cycling the USA West Coast
Lonely Planet's Guide to Cycling the USA West Coast is a bicycling guidebook for anyone touring California, Oregon and Washington by bike.
Pacific Coast Highway Guides. Book and ebook hotel guides to PCH
Pacific Coast Highway guides include our own printed book and ebook guides to the best hotels along the PCH, available in paperback, PDF and Kindle formats.
Free San Francisco Kindle Guide to Free Attractions
101 free San Francisco attractions and things to do are in the Kindle guide, 101 Free Things to Do in San Francisco, in the Travel Free eGuidebooks series.
Green Guide USA West
The Green Guide to the USA West from Michelin covers California, the Pacific North West, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, New Mexico, and even Kansas and Alaska.
California Camping Book Review
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's California Camping book review rates the 20th anniversary edition of Moon's complete guide to over 1400 tent and RV campgrounds.
Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast
Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast, published by Voyageur Press, is a guide in words and pictures to historic lighthouses along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Road Food Guide
West Coast Road Eats is a road food guide covering the Pacific Coast from California through Oregon to Washington, giving the best road trip food stops.
Coastal California Guidebook
Lonely Planet's Coastal California guidebook is the ideal travel guide for driving or cycling the Pacific Coast Highway from the Oregon border to Mexico.
Northwest Wine Country
Northwest Wine Country is a food and wine lover's guide to vineyards, fine dining, accommodation, restaurants in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia.
Guide to the Olympic Peninsula
Moon's Spotlight Guide to the Olympic Peninsula covers hotels, restaurants, and sights, including Forks, the Olympic National Park and other places.
West Coast RV Parks
One of the best guides to West Coast RV Parks, covering campgrounds in California, Oregon, and Washington, is West Coast RV Camping from Moon Guides.
Culture Trails
Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the book Culture Trails by Lonely Planet, which has a section on Vintage Hollywood alongside 51 other perfect weekends.
John Steinbeck California Guide
This John Steinbeck California Guide, A Journey into Steinbeck's California, shows readers how towns like Monterey, Carmel and Salinas influenced the author.
Los Angeles Travel Guide
The Los Angeles travel guide book from Lonely Planet also covers San Diego and Southern California, including Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, and Disneyland.
Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide
Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide book covering the drive from Vancouver to San Diego.
Olympic Peninsula Travel Guide
Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews an Olympic Peninsula Travel Guide published by the Beautiful Pacific Northwest website.
California Bed and Breakfast Inns
The guide to California Bed and Breakfast Inns lists over 250 boutique hotels, wine country cottages and more.
Frommer's Guide to Seattle
The Frommer's Guide to Seattle has good information about the city and side excursions to the Olympic National Park and elsewhere, plus free city and area map.