Raisins

Have a batch of raisins (or dried cherries, currants, figs, dates) that are particularly dry? Rehydrate them to plump them up before eating. Place the raisins in a bowl and pour boiling water to cover. They'll soften in minutes. This also works great when adding raisins (or other dried fruit) to recipes when baking. Consider rehydrating the raisins in fruit juice, or try a liquor (I love rehydrating raisins in rum before adding them to coffee cakes) for extra depth and added flavor.

  45 minutes. Serves 2 to 4 Sautéed apples 1/3 cup raisins 1/2 cup rum 3 apples, preferably Granny Smith, cored, peeled and each cut into 8 slices 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1. In a small saucepan, combine the raisins and rum over medium-low heat just until the rum warms and begins to soften the raisins. Remove from heat and set aside until the raisins are softened and plump.

REEDLEY, Calif. -- Raisins are the neglected icon of California agriculture, perceived as an old-fashioned industrial commodity, devoid of seasonal sizzle. At farmers markets, however, it's well worth searching out special varieties, freshly harvested and processed by small growers. One of the top grape vendors at local farmers markets, Linda and Brian Raphael of Apkarian Family Farm, produce high-quality raisins in small quantities, and they show up personally to sell them. On Monday, in anticipation of rain, they were pulling in the last of their trays from the drying yard in Reedley, in Fresno County, where almost three-quarters of the state's raisin crop is produced.

Dear SOS: On a trip up the coast of Maine, we found a wonderful bakery in Portland called Standard Baking Co. Everything was delicious, but my husband declared the oatmeal cookies the best he'd ever had, and we made a special detour on the return route to buy more cookies. I'd love it if you could obtain their recipe, so I could surprise him with a batch. Helene Morrison Arroyo Grande Dear Helene: If I didn't know how easy they were to make, I'd plan a vacation in the area just so I could get my fix of these cookies.

  Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes Servings: 4 Note: From Maze restaurant chef de cuisine Josh Emett in New York 1 cauliflower head 2 cups heavy cream Sea salt Finely ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon pink peppercorns 1/2 teaspoon Sarawak peppercorns 1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns 2 cups golden raisins 3 tablespoons olive...

Coachella and San Joaquin valley growers raised a record table grape crop last season. It totaled 64 million 23-pound boxes, worth $859 million, according to the California Table Grape Commission. Exports helped buoy the industry, and China is viewed as a key growth market, the trade group said. But growers complained that grapes from Mexico, which doubled to about 8 million boxes, created a great deal of competition.

When Lori Jones visits her brother in Newport Beach every summer, more than a sibling reunion draws her here. The 28-year-old resident of Longview, Wash., heads directly for the local swimwear shops. "California is the only place I can find a decent swimsuit," she said.

Oh, the indignities a raisin suffers. Crammed behind the banana chips at the salad bar. Shoved beneath the dried cranberries in the supermarket. Plumped to a puffy mush and plopped in bread pudding as an afterthought. And the humiliation! Folks thinking raisins grow on trees. Or worse, dismissing them as mutant prunes. Even asking for cinnamon rolls without them. But mourn not for the raisin. At least on this weekend, in this town, it's a star.

The "California Raisins" danced off the advertising stage six years ago as a marketing phenomenon par excellence--their sassy television ads so popular that raisin character spinoffs sold almost as well as the dried fruit they promoted. But six years after the soulful, animated characters left TV, raisin sales are lagging so badly that the campaign is coming back. Sort of.

Dear SOS: I'd love to get the recipe for the couscous at Hillstone (formerly Houston's) in Santa Monica. Many thanks. Meghan Tilley Venice Dear Meghan: We loved the fresh flavors and bright colors in this couscous, which makes for a great summer side dish or a perfect snack. Enjoy! Houston's couscous Total time: 40 minutes, plus cooling time Servings: 4 to 6 Note: Adapted from Hillstone Restaurant Group 3 cups water, divided 1/2 cup couscous 1/2 cup bulgur wheat 3/4 cup coarsely chopped radishes 3 tablespoons finely cut green onions 3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley 1/2 cup raisins 12 very small tomatoes, such as Sweet 100s 1/3 cup whole roasted, skin-on almonds About ½ cup whole fresh mint leaves 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, preferably Meyer lemon, more to taste 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 1. In a small saucepan, bring 11/2 cups water to a simmer.

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to hear an appeal from Fresno raisin growers Marvin and Laura Horne, who contend that the federal marketing program that can take nearly half of their crop is unconstitutional. Their case poses a significant challenge to the New Deal-era farm program that seeks to prop up prices by keeping part of the crop off the market. It also raises questions about the limits of the government's power to regulate commerce, an issue that sharply divided the justices in the major healthcare overhaul case decided in June.

This old-fashioned custard pie starts with a wonderful pecan-like base, but instead of going for the more traditional nut, cookbook writer Patty Pinner folds walnuts and raisins into the filling and spices the pie with orange zest and nutmeg in a recipe adapted from her "Sweety Pies. " The recipe is demonstrated at left by Test Kitchen manager Noelle Carter. Walnut raisin pie is one of the favorite holiday recipes we've collected in our "Los Angeles Times Holiday Handbook. " The book shares more than 110 seasonal recipes to help you celebrate Thanksgiving, Hanukkah , Christmas and New Year's.

Have a batch of raisins (or dried cherries, currants, figs, dates) that are particularly dry? Rehydrate them to plump them up before eating. Place the raisins in a bowl and pour boiling water to cover. They'll soften in minutes. This also works great when adding raisins (or other dried fruit) to recipes when baking. Consider rehydrating the raisins in fruit juice, or try a liquor (I love rehydrating raisins in rum before adding them to coffee cakes) for extra depth and added flavor.

REEDLEY, Calif. -- Raisins are the neglected icon of California agriculture, perceived as an old-fashioned industrial commodity, devoid of seasonal sizzle. At farmers markets, however, it's well worth searching out special varieties, freshly harvested and processed by small growers. One of the top grape vendors at local farmers markets, Linda and Brian Raphael of Apkarian Family Farm, produce high-quality raisins in small quantities, and they show up personally to sell them. On Monday, in anticipation of rain, they were pulling in the last of their trays from the drying yard in Reedley, in Fresno County, where almost three-quarters of the state's raisin crop is produced.

In the program for "Clybourne Park," Bruce Norris' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama at the Mark Taper Forum, Center Theatre Group artistic director Michael Ritchie lauds the play and "A Raisin in the Sun," the 1959 classic that inspired it and is running in revival across town at the Kirk Douglas. Ritchie goes on to say that they have equally potent things to say about race in America and that both shows offer people "a lens through which they can talk about race. " He concludes by hoping that "we as a community can use [the plays]

Phylicia Rashad, 63, who became famous playing attorney Clair Huxtable in "The Cosby Show," is director of the Ebony Repertory Theatre production of the classic "A Raisin in the Sun," now at the Kirk Douglas Theatre through Feb. 19. She also rejoins Tyler Perry as his character's mother in his new film "Good Deeds," which opens Feb. 24. After appearing as Lena Younger in "A Raisin in the Sun," which won you a Tony, how did you put your stamp...

Each late summer day, Paul Khasigian puts on his farmer's boots and heads down the crooked rows of his family's 100-year-old vineyard. Sinking in the powdery soil, he pops a Thompson seedless grape into his mouth and lets his tongue tell him if it's time to make raisins. But this season of harvest has left another footprint in the grape fields of the San Joaquin Valley.

Pity the poor raisin. It starts life as a middle-class grape and never attains the social status of its cousins: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and others destined to become fine wine. But it may soon get a boost. University of California researchers taste-tested the sun-dried delights and asked consumers whether they preferred those dried traditionally on paper trays to those dried on the vine.

They're stealing this small town's history. The bronze plaques that marked the wheres and noted the whos and whispered the back story of Selma, "raisin capital of the world," are disappearing. Gone are the testaments that an elementary school was a public works project built during the Great Depression and that the women's club has stood since 1911. There are no longer etched letters gracing the town mural in loving memory of Mr. Snodgrow, or a bronzed list of those who donated money to build the church hall at St. Joseph's.

Dear SOS: I'd love to get the recipe for the couscous at Hillstone (formerly Houston's) in Santa Monica. Many thanks. Meghan Tilley Venice Dear Meghan: We loved the fresh flavors and bright colors in this couscous, which makes for a great summer side dish or a perfect snack. Enjoy! Houston's couscous Total time: 40 minutes, plus cooling time Servings: 4 to 6 Note: Adapted from Hillstone Restaurant Group 3 cups water, divided 1/2 cup couscous 1/2 cup bulgur wheat 3/4 cup coarsely chopped radishes 3 tablespoons finely cut green onions 3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley 1/2 cup raisins 12 very small tomatoes, such as Sweet 100s 1/3 cup whole roasted, skin-on almonds About ½ cup whole fresh mint leaves 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, preferably Meyer lemon, more to taste 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 1. In a small saucepan, bring 11/2 cups water to a simmer.