Pecan Crusted Trout with Orange-Rosemary Sauce

This week we are visiting my family in Santa Barbara, California for spring break. We're staying in the house where I grew up, and as I write this I am overlooking the very same enchanting rose bushes, Birds of Paradise, and citrus trees that were in my parent's backyard when I was a child. Every morning, Celia and Andrew go out into the yard and pick oranges from my mom's trees and squeeze fresh juice for the family. It's the perfect blend of sweet and tart, so that once I start drinking it I can't put the glass down.

In the afternoons, Celia goes outside and takes pictures of the flowers that to her seem so exotic compared to the daffodils and azaleas we see in Maryland. Solomon, being 15, sleeps half the day no matter what time zone we're in. Yesterday, my sister Sheba and I were cracking up as we looked out my mom's dining room window at all the quail, bluebirds and chipmunks, and I channeled Snow White singing to the forest animals.

Being surrounded by the abundant citrus in southern California inspires me to incorporate it into our meals. At home, I sometimes use orange juice from a bottle, but when I take the time to buy, or better yet, pick oranges and squeeze them myself (or have the kids do it), the food tastes that much better. The fresh flavor of citrus brings new dimensions and complexity of flavors to a recipe. This dish, a longtime Six O'Clock Scramble favorite, is adapted from a recipe from Shelley Schonberger, who I met when our kids went to nursery school together. It is so sophisticated and astoundingly delicious, but you won't believe how easy it is to make. 

What foods remind you of your childhood home?