Oak Trees

There is a point, at the eastern edge of San Juan Capistrano, where Orange County's seemingly boundless labyrinth of tile-roofed homes, ranch-style boxes and multimillion-dollar estates gives way to a largely unspoiled expanse of rivers, canyons and trees. Here, with one border snuggled against the city's last neighborhoods and another ushering in the Santa Ana Mountains, is The Oaks, the 20-acre home of Joan Irvine Smith, her horses and her oak trees.

The previous night's winter storm has subsided, and the rising sun now punctures holes in the morning mist, casting the lush karri forest in a gentle silhouette. With the windows open, I cruise down the eucalyptus-lined highway. My eyes are on the road, but my mind is on the mission. I am prospecting for black gold. And I will find it here in Western Australia, 3 1/2 hours south of Perth. This is not the outsized outback of red dirt and snapping crocs and sweltering heat. South-Western Australia is a distinct territory -- verdant, enchanting and largely untouched . The treasure lies in the Great Southern Forests region, in groves of oak and hazelnut trees, away from the typical tourist spots of Oz. Sometimes, I think I am the sole proprietor of this secret, but then I remember that Thomas Keller, Ferran Adrià and Michael Mina know it too -- so well that they're already using Western Australia's Périgord black truffles, this black gold, this diamond of the kitchen, in their restaurants around the world.