Here's the latest recipe from chef Jill Fisher! Jill, a licensed Personal Chef, teaches cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks and has written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living. In December 2009, Jill and her friend released their cookbook "i found my sanity in...My Best Friend's Kitchen."

CLICK HERE for Jill's other recipes published in Conejo Valley Guide!

“Happy Fall ya’all! “  That is what they are saying in the South right about now.  However, as I look outside my window and see the thermometer creep towards 80 degrees at 8:00 in the morning, it reminds me that Southern California really doesn’t get to experience Fall.  We don’t get much of the “crisp” in the air – it is more like the roar of the Santa Ana winds.  We don’t pull out our sweater collection – rather we switch to Fall colored tank tops.  Not a whole lot of hayrides going on in the 100 degree heat but the beach has never been so lovely.  And we definitely are not ready to start in on the Fall comfort food cycle.

But on the bright side, we as Southern Californians are blessed with a different kind of Fall – it is an extension of summer.  Our calendar is just a bit tilted – summer didn’t exactly arrive when it was supposed to so Fall collides into Winter. But because of that, we still get to enjoy the backyard bliss of grilling and the accessibility of fantastic produce from our local Farmer’s Markets. 

To try and subtly show myself and my family it is indeed Fall regardless of the current weather situation, I start to put out Fall-like decorations slowly to temper the process - a bowl of nuts, a jar of candy corn or this simple Fall bouquet.  It is a mixture of adorable Pumpkin Tree (found at my local Trader Joe’s) and a few of the last of the season orange roses from my garden.  It doesn’t scream Halloween yet – it just lets us know that it is around the corner.

For dinner last night, we had pleasure of enjoying beautiful white corn and juicy tomatoes from the Oxnard Farmer’s Market.  The corn was prepared on the grill (Fire Roasted Salt & Pepper Corn) and the tomatoes were sliced and served with a tapenade from the store We Olive.  Have you checked out We Olive yet?  It is a fantastic find for the galloping gourmet in all of us.  It is an olive oil tasting bar and shop in Ventura.  They have a wonderful variety of olive oils, vinegars and related products.  The Black Olive Tapenade is especially tasty on a slice of a warm beefsteak tomato.

So I hope I have inspired you to enjoy the beginning of Fall, Southern California style.  Coming to your nearest computer soon will be a “Just Ask Jill” blog.  It will include recipes, great local food finds, “What’s for dinner?” daily blog, local restaurants and dishes to try (example – I hear the Ritz has a killer drink called the Cucumber Collins.  It is mixture of cucumber vodka (who knew!), basil, lime and topped with club soda).  As always – cheers and enjoy!

Fire Roasted Salt & Pepper Corn

Fresh white corn cobs

Olive oil

Coarse ground sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

Shuck corn and clean off all of the hairs.  Break the cobs into thirds, halves if the cobs are small. Bring a large pot water to a rapid boil.  Blanch corn in the boiling water for 4 minutes, just enough to plump the kernels and brighten their color.  Remove from water and drain on paper towels.

Put corn pieces in a large bowl and toss with a generous amount of olive oil and season with the coarse salt & pepper.  Place corn into a barbeque grill pan.  Place on medium high heat on barbeque and grill, turning often, until corn is lightly browned (to your taste).