>> coming up on "california country": think this sweet treat just cab't get any better? think again. >> oh, my!

it's ready. >> it's ready? >> it's ready. >> then find out why this meal was 52 weeks in the making. >> i would like you to know that this morning at the farmers' market, we purchased everything that you're gonna have for dinner tonight. >> next, learn the hidden ranching roots behind hearst castle. and they're a summertime favorite--see what you can do with some of the season's best frt. it's all ahead, and it starts now. [captioning made possible by california farm bureau federation] >> ♪ la la la la la la da da da da... ♪ >> here at birk's restaurant in santa clara, they're known for being a south bay institution. since 1989, plate after heaping plate has been served up to a pretty discriminating crowd. and no matter how full they are, most leave room for dessert, desserts that are

almost too pretty to eat--almost. >> here we have the orange- creamsicle-flavored ice cream. it sits on a carved-out half of a navel orange. so here is our desserts for our v.i.p. table, special guests, of course. >> chef maurice dissels believes in keeping the menu as unique as possible, and for his desserts, he relies on a local girl done good--sheri tate. >> she brought a sample of her ice creams and sorbets, and as they say, the rest was history. >> it comes as no surprise, really, that ice cream has been called the great american dessert for a reason. each american consumes an average of 23 quarts of ice cream, ice milk, sherbert, and other commercially processed frozen dairy products a year. but even the gre american dessert can get a makeover every now and then, and that's where sheri tate comes in. she came up with an idea to combine two of her favorite