Sistercation in Bisbee, Arizona and Chocolate-Prune Cake with Chocolate Ganache, Salted Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream (all Gluten-Free)

My Traveling Tales by Linda

“Because there is one thing stronger than magic: Sisterhood."
~Robin Benway, The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June    
                                                                         

The Salvation Sisters: Michelle, Juliette and Linda (left to right) in Bisbee, Arizona. 

   We sisters gathered this past September in Arizona for our annual Sistercation. Last fall, Juliette and Michelle traveled to see me in Sonoma county, so this year it was my turn to hop on a plane since not only are my sisters there, but my mother, nephew and nieces as well. Admittedly, September is not the ideal time to visit the desert because it is still pretty hot (especially for this non-acclimated NorCal girl), but it seemed the only suitable time given that we all have work commitments that are just not that flexible. Thus I prepared to brave the heat, and I hoped for the best.

   Michelle who lives in Tucson with her family, picked Mark and I up at the airport with her husband Jay. We went directly (after a long day of hanging around the airport waiting for the mechanical trouble of our airplane to be repaired) to have a "Muy Grande" margarita and Mexican food at Mosaic, a small restaurant that Michelle and her family frequent. I am ashamed to admit that I neglected to get a photo of a woman flipping the largest flour tortillas that I have ever seen on a hot comal. It looked to us like she was tossing blankets in the air they were so big. I was mesmerized and kept insisting that Michelle turn around to look at her, at which point Michelle finally became exasperated and told me to shut up, relax and allow her to drink her margarita. Sistercation had begun.

   Friday was spent with our Mom while Michelle finished up a day of work. Mom treated Mark and I to lunch at Tohono Chul Park, one of our favorite spots to eat and to check out the beautiful gardens. It was great to have a leisurely lunch in the shade. The nearby fountain burbled, and I was able to watch butterflies and birds cavort in all of the lush plantings that surround the courtyard. We chose salads for our lunch entreés, and Mark's prickly pear lemonade inspired me to purchase locally made prickly pear syrup in the gift shop. To see Michelle's stunning photos of Tohono Chul and the once per year night-bloom of the famous Night Queen that grows there click here.

Mark and Mom patiently wait for me to snap a few photos on the patio of 
Tohono Chul's Garden Bistro.

Our lovely mother Dianne... aka Dede.

Our salads were delicious and we all loved the Prickly Pear Lemonade.

   On Sunday morning with the back of Michelle's Toyota 4Runner stuffed with luggage we set out to join up with Juliette in the historic town of Bisbee. Having lived in Bisbee myself in the late 90s, I was excited about visiting again since it had been about eight years since my last visit.

The vista from the High Road overlooking Bisbee at sunset with the moon just beginning to rise.

   Juliette owns the Guadalupe Baking Company in Bisbee where she produces artisan sourdough for her community in which she has lived for over 20 years. Juliette arranged for us to stay at the Gym Club Suites which is an historic landmark and just a few steps from her bread kitchen. Michelle and I started making our own sourdough breads from Juliette's starter a year ago, and we were both looking forward to seeing the pro in action, since we both have had enough bread baking experience on our own at this juncture, that seeing bread made by the master would be of great benefit. Michelle has become an accomplished bread baker in her own right, and won a blue ribbon for her Guava-Coconut-Orange Sourdough baguette at the Pima County Fair this past year. One of our days in Bisbee would be spent joining Juliette in the kitchen at dawn to do a double bake of her bread which is gaining new fans on a daily basis.

Our apartment at the Gym Club Suites had an enormous deck that we put to good use.

   We loved our spacious apartment at the Gym Club Suites. This apartment has the use of an amazing deck that overlooks "B" Mountain, the old Presbyterian church and the Copper Queen Hotel. It also has long views into Brewery Gulch and vistas toward the highway and out into the valley. We spent several warm desert evenings drinking margaritas, talking and laughing out on the enormous deck.

A Traveler's Tip: We prepared Margaritas in advance and used the empty 
tequila bottle to transport them.

I enjoy Margarita time in the warm desert air. Check out our recipe by clicking here.

   We all had a welcome visit with Juliette's son Paul who I had not seen in many years. Paul is now a dad and was accompanied by his girlfriend Ericka and his two sons Devin and Parker that I had yet to meet. It was Parker's birthday weekend, and to celebrate the event Juliette whipped up not one, but two cakes. Juliette's favorite party cake is a rich Chocolate Guinness Cake that she often makes for special occasions. Her catering clients love it. However, with both Michelle and I being gluten-free, she made a truly delicious Chocolate-Prune Cake that she served with vanilla ice cream and then drizzled with a salted caramel sauce. It was heaven! Parker was over the moon with homemade pizza and multiple chocolate cakes made by his grandma "Juju".

Parker's daddy lights the birthday candles.

Older brother Devin gives Parker his big brother coaching and support.

   We will be returning with tales of our Tucson/Bisbee adventure. There is so much good food that we would like to share in the upcoming months. Michelle cooked for weeks in advance making things like her rich demi-glacé with which she made us an updated but classic presentation of Steak Diane and a Beef Bourguignon that would have made Julia Child proud. Pasta Bolognese was also on the Sistercation menu, and I also enjoyed tasting my first Sonoran hot dog which was wrapped and grilled with Hatch chiles and bacon. To complete the deliciousness, the dog was served on a homemade bun and topped with all the Southwestern fixings, including Michelle's Pinto Bean Chili con Carne. While in Bisbee, Juliette made her famous pizza , her rich Sopa de Albondigas, and homemade refried beans served with creamy chicken enchiladas. But for this week's post, we will end by sharing Juliette's delectable Chocolate-Prune Cake that she topped with rich ganache, vanilla ice cream and a buttery salted caramel sauce. Your guests will swoon over the delicious decadence of it all, and will never guess that it is gluten-free unless you choose to tell them.

A popular bumper sticker in Acacia where Juliette sells vintage clothes and collectibles.

Here's where the "Mayberry on Acid" part comes in...

We love the giant fly sculpture over the Sam Poe Gallery 
entrance... well, at least Michelle appears to.

Tombstone Canyon Road in downtown Bisbee as the sun begins to 
rise over the back of "B" Mountain.

A shop window with reflection of the downtown shops behind me.

I was so enamored of the vintage cake plate and cover with the acorn motif, 
that Juliette made me a gift of it. She found it during one of her thrifting excursions for three dollars.

Gluten-Free Chocolate-Prune Cake with Chocolate Ganache, Vanilla Ice Cream and Salted Caramel Sauce

Chocolate-Prune Cake

Tohono Chul Park, The Night Blooming Queen and Stuffed Poblano Chiles with Pepita Sauce

My Traveling Tales by Michelle

"There are no vacant lots in nature." ~Edward Abbey

"I don't want to sell the land. I don't want it cemented over. I want to preserve it."
                                                          ~Jean Wilson, former owner of Tohono Chul Park

   Thankfully there are living among us those brave souls who decline commercial real estate developers'  lucrative offers to purchase a family's prime real estate. The developer's goal, in the words of Joni Mitchell, is to pave paradise and put up a parking lot. Jean and Richard Wilson are a couple who loved their desert home and decided to preserve the land for the benefit and use of the general public. When Tohono Chul Park was officially dedicated as a desert preserve in 1980, Tucsonans rejoiced.
   Just west of one of the busiest intersections in Tucson, the park is a 49-acre oasis in the desert, with mountain views all around and wildlife scurrying about the property. It is a perfect place to take a walk on 1/4 and 1/2 mile desert loops, or to enjoy an early or mid day meal in the courtyard or on the patio. You will hear the birds sing and see the lizards scurry. I also saw a Gopher snake slide across the walking path on my last visit and a small bunny with a rather large puff of tail hop down the trail.
   Tohono Chul Park has planted the largest public collection of Night Blooming Cerus, a cactus that blooms once a year, on only one night, and under the full moon. The white blooms, as you will see in the photos below, are quite dramatic. It turns out the blooms are a much anticipated event. The Park sends Facebook alerts as to the progress of the blooms and then posts a final update the day before the blooms are to unveil themselves. In early July, the park was inundated with admires lining up to capture photos of the dramatic flowers, me included and my reluctant husband in tow.



A Night Blooming Cereus (Peniocereus Greggii) illuminated by a flashlight held by my husband.

When inquiring minds asked about my night viewing the flowers, I jokingly responded that I saw a lot of ass. I saw way more behinds than flowers because most folks were bent over taking photos.

The Garden Shop at the entrance of the La Entrada Greenhouse.

   There are three former homes on the property. The bistro is established in the house built in 1963 in the hacienda-style with a formal courtyard and fountain. The lushly planted back patio seats more people than the courtyard. Fortunately both outdoor spaces are equally delightfully locations to enjoy breakfast and lunch. Enjoy a prickly pear flavored lemonade and buy a bottle of Cheri's Prickly Pear Cactus Syrup to take home with you. The syrup is made in Tucson from fruit picked on a prickly pear cactus farm located in the Santa Cruz Valley, about 45 minutes south of Tucson.
   There is also indoor seating when the temperatures rise to the point of being uncomfortable, typically only in the summer months and approaching mid to late afternoon. Mornings in Tucson are usually gorgeous year round with the exception of the winter months when it can be quite chilly in the desert. Every couple of years, much to the delight of citizens, Tucson seems to receive a storm that scatters a light dusting of snow on the mountain ranges, palm trees and cacti.
   If you are seeking gifts, the La Fuente gift shop and adjacent La Entrada Greenhouse and Garden Shop offer unique items made by local artists. The La Entrada Greenhouse offers an interesting variety of desert plants for sale, including succulents, cacti, wildflowers, plants, shrubs and trees. The Propagation Greenhouse is open twice a year and offers buyers specimens and cultivated hybrids that are not available elsewhere in town.

The West House features a courtyard and fountain. Enjoy breakfast or lunch al fresco.



Two very large agaves near the patio of the West House.

Al fresco dining at the Bistro.

Rattlesnakes do their best to avoid humans. Do your part by staying on trails.

The Courtyard with bubbling fountain.



Do you see the smaller door within the larger door?



A "Tree of Life" made of clay. I have a gigantic tree of life made of metal in my home.

  Tucson and surrounding areas are a bird watcher's paradise. According to the Tohonol Chul Official Guide, "Thirty-eight species of birds make their permanent home at the Park while another 57 migrant species visit the Park seasonally."  The Park also features a hummingbird garden that is planted with fauna that attract hummers.

  The colors associated with the desert - yellow, orange, red and purple - are reflected in the 50 species of wildflowers that can be viewed on the grounds in the appropriate seasons. I couldn't help but photograph "each tiny freaking miracle of nature", as Juliette likes to say.

This brave bird was quite determined to snack on the Desert Lupine even though I was acting like a paparazzi.



Penstemon, also known as beardtongues (really?), bring gorgeous color to a garden.



Mallow flowers require little water making the plant a perfect blooming addition to a desert landscape.



Golden Columbine thrive in the desert and will attract butterflies to a garden.

Delicate Parry's Penstemon lightly dance on a breeze.

I liked this repeating combination of pink flowers against a pink wall.

Cholla (pronounced choy-ya) and lupine on a sunny morning at the Park.

The Santa Catalina mountains form a backdrop for these white spikey flowers.

I am partial to agaves.

Art imitates nature.

   There's no telling what type of wildlife you might spot on the grounds; everything from reptiles to mammals. Similar to my advice when I wrote about the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, for a walk around the Park, it is wise to slather your entire epidermis with high SPF sunscreen. For best results, place a wide brimmed hat on your head and wear closed toe shoes. Carrying water with you is also a good idea.

 

Desert Spiny Lizards are friendly but skittish.

I was walking down the path minding my own business when this gopher snake decided to cut in front of me. Sheesh!

 

A view inside the La Entrada Greenhouse.

   The Mission of Tohono Chul Park is, "to enrich people's lives by providing them the opportunity to find peace and inspiration in a place of beauty, to experience the wonders of the Sonoran Desert, and to gain knowledge of the natural and cultural heritage of this region." I say, mission accomplished.

Roasted poblano chiles are quite tasty stuffed with rice and sausage or leftover mashed potatoes.



Stuffed Poblano Chiles with Pepita Sauce