Savor California

Cheese Torta with Apricot ChutneyThe simpler the recipe the more important the quality of the ingredients is. This cheese torta is a perfect example. Simple, easy to prepare, and so tasty. Mari Rossi invited me to try this recipe in her kitchen at B & R Farms. Jim and Mari Rossi and their son Scott run this apricot ranch in Hollister, where they grow the Queen of Apricots, the Blenheim. Using recipes from Jim's mother Elsie and recipes developed by Mari, their products all use dried apricots from their farm. To make the cheese torta, we combined 8 ounces of Fromage Blanc and 2 cups of grated Goat Milk Cheddar. Cowgirl Creamery makes a number of fresh cheeses, including Fromage Blanc, Crème Fraiche and Clabbered Cottage Cheese, all of them award-winners from the American Cheese Society. (We use the Crème Fraiche in the recipe for Dried Fruit in Vanilla Wine Syrup.) Fromage Blanc is sort of a French version of cream cheese, only richer and yummier. The goats at Redwood Hill Farms are happy goats, and the cheese is wonderful as a result, a fact that is attested to by the numerous awards the farm has won. All the cheeses are made on the farm with milk from their own herd of goats. There is a cheese for every occasion (and every wine pairing): fresh chevre, the Camembert-style Camellia, earthy and robust California Crottin, raw milk Gravenstein Gold cider washed and aged, feta, cheddar and smoked cheddar. As Mari added the grated goat milk cheddar from Redwood Hill Farms to the Cowgirl Creamery Fromage Blanc, she was watching the consistency of the torta. She chose to add not quite the full 2 cups of cheddar. It's a matter of personal preference, and it helps to keep in mind that a little bit of liquid is still to be added. The ingredients to add to the torta mixture were a dash of hot pepper sauce, two tablespoons of dry sherry, three to four minced green onions, a quarter teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of curry powder. That's it! The torta was shaped on a plate, any shape will do. And it was topped with the B & R Farms Dried Apricot Chutney. Mari made sure that it was well covered, so that every single bite would have both cheese and chutney! To serve the torta, we used heart-shaped Lahvosh crackers. It makes a pretty presentation and a tasty backdrop to the cheese torta. Valley Lahvosh also makes round crackers and star-shaped crackers (nice at the holidays). Since we had opened a bottle of very good dry sherry to make the recipe, we had a little glass of that with the finished torta. Marvelous! It would also be nice with a dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer. A Sauvignon Blanc or off-dry rosé would pair well too.

Pancakes & SconesFor no-hassle treats at breakfast time, nothing beats these pancake and scone mixes. And the scone mix even comes with a matching tea! I made a visit to B & R Farms in Hollister when their Blenheim apricot trees were in bloom, and Mari Rossi and I made a scrumptious breakfast in her kitchen. Bo's Best Pancakes mixes are so easy to make and turn out so perfectly. We used the Buckwheat Buttermilk mix (my fave), and they also make Very Vanilla, Gingerbread, Chocolate Mocha and Chocolate Chip. In addition, Bo's Best makes fun mixes geared towards children (of any age): Vanilla Bean, Cinnamon, and Raspberry. The mixes are so easy, the flavors so good and the packaging so fun, that kids will actually help make them and relish eating them. They come with ideas for decorating the pancakes with fruit that will bring out the edible artist in your child. All we needed to make these pancakes was a cup and a half of water, 2 eggs, and a quarter cup of oil. We used grapeseed oil from in the Napa Valley, both in the mix and in the pan to cook the pancakes. Cooking with grapeseed oil is healthy, and the oil has a high smoke point, so you can take it to a high heat without scorching it. Nice fresh taste. The scone and tea pairing we used was from Tuscan Heights Lavender Garden up in Shasta County. You can visit this lovely garden on weekends during the summer. They sell lavender plants, bath and body items, and culinary lavender products. We were focusing on their Golden Apricot Lavender Scone mix and Golden Apricot Lavender Tea. The aroma was just fantastic. The only ingredient that the scone mix requires is whipping cream, and it's important to use exactly that. We used 3/4 cup at first, mixing it in as we added it. The dough just needs to come together in a ball. It will be sticky, that's fine. If it's needed to make the dough adhere, you can add up to another quarter cup of whipping cream; I added probably an extra tablespoon. On a greased baking sheet, they baked at 350 for 20-24 minutes and turned out beautifully. We had some delicious goodies to top our pancakes and scones with, starting with Meyenberg Goat Milk Butter. This butter has a beautiful color and an almost European taste. Many folks who are lactose intolerant can use this butter, and so can the rest of us! I love applesauce on pancakes, and Nana Mae's Blackberry Applesauce is a standout. Nana Mae's is helping to keep the apple farming tradition alive in Sonoma County, making a variety of apple products, including apple sauces, apple juices, and apple cider vinegar. Of course, since we were at Mari and Jim Rossi's B & R Farms, we were treated to their Dried Apricot Preserves and Dried Apricot Topping. Their products are made from the Blenheim apricots that they grow, and the Blenheim is the queen. Using the dried fruit in their preserves and toppings gives them an authentic, intense apricot flavor. Yum! If you're in the Monterey-Hollister area, you should stop at their ranch store at 5280 Fairview Road, Hollister. Once upon a time, there were cherry orchards where Silicon Valley is now. The Olson family is still keeping that tradition alive. On our pancakes we used C. j. Olson Cherries' Bing Cherry Jam and Cherry Blossom Honey. They'll ship you fresh cherries, cherry pie, dried cherries, cherry juice, or you can shop at the Cherry Stand at the corner of El Camino and Mathilda in Sunnyvale. Open from 9 am to 6 pm. Any fan of cherries will be in heaven.

Wild Rice and Beef SaladTasty, easy, healthy and hearty – that’s this salad, which is just as good in the fall as in the summer. To start, we used a stovetop grill to cook the beef. You could also pan sear it, use an outdoor grill, or (my favorite) a George Foreman grill. We used a perfect London Broil cut from Nick Ranch. This ranch in Santa Margarita (just north and a little inland from San Luis Obispo) has been in the family since 1918. They sell only their own certified organic, 100% grass-fed beef, directly from their ranch. Nick Ranch beef is dry aged, which tenderizes it and intensifies the flavor. Plus, with less fat, this beef not only cooks quicker, but it is better for you. Bob Sibley, our grill chef for this recipe, basted the beef with Art of Chipotle’s Crazzberry Fiesta Chipotle Sauce, which has a delightful zing, not too hot. After the quick grilling, Bob let the beef rest for about 5 minutes and then cut it across the grain. The wild rice we used in this recipe is from , and for anyone like me who has never managed to cook wild rice to my satisfaction, this is absolutely a cinch. Open package, pour out contents, work with fingers to separate grains. That’s it! It’s fully cooked and vacuum-sealed. If you want to serve it hot, you can either microwave the open pouch on high for 2 minutes, or you can put the unopened pouch in a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes. After we added the sliced beef to the rice, we dressed the salad with the full flavored California Harvest Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade with capers and cornichons. We added a generous splash (or two) of Spindel Farms’ Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar. Then we tossed it all with some Nunes Farms California Crunchies (we used the Country Herb). We lined a bowl with Live Gourmet Butter Lettuce from 288 Not Found and put the salad in the middle. The garnish was fresh tomato wedges that just happened to come from my garden. When it came time to taste the salad with Pam and Bob Sibley, we accompanied it with a bottle of McCray Ridge Winery’s Luna Miel, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The label was designed by Pam Sibley’s Paloma Design Group. Chow, amici! Yummioso! Thanks to Pam and Bob Sibley of Healdsburg, California, for inviting us to shoot this video in their kitchen and for being part of the kitchen crew.

Sausages with Condiments and Pasta with Spicy Tomato SauceWe took a smorgasbord approach to this video, since there are so many wonderful items to choose from on SavorCalifornia.com. We just had fun trying various combinations of the sausages and condiments. This would be a great way to host a party, letting people mix and match. The two sausages from we served cold: Saucisson Sec, a dry, hard sausage, and traditional French-style Garlic Sausage. (Both are great for picnics.) We put Mark Brashear, our videographer, in charge of grilling the other sausages. They were: Two from Marcel et Henri: Saucisse aux Fruits de Mer (made with scallops, shrimp and snapper) and Saucisse Merguez d’Agneau (a spicy North African-style lamb sausage). Sonoma Sausage’s Hawaiian Portuguese. After Mark had grilled the sausages, Julie Simpson, Mark and I tried all the sausages with a variety of condiments. Among my group of friends, food experimentation is the better part of valor…..or something like that. Serration's Menu’s The Sauce. This is really hot; anyone who likes hot food will love this sauce. A Perfect Pear from Napa Valley. Spicy Ginger Pear Mustard. I particularly liked this mustard with the seafood sausage (but don’t let that influence your decision…). Russian River Fine Foods, both their Roasted Garlic Teriyaki Sauce and their Smokey River BBQ Sauce. These are rich and thick and can be used as a marinade as well as a sauce. With a juicy hamburger anyone? The three mustards from California Harvest were Green Olive & Lemon Mustard, Roasted Tomato & Balsamic Mustard, Chipotle Lime Mustard. Each of them paired naturally with at least one of the sausages. For instance, I liked the olive and lemon one with the chicken and artichoke sausage, and I liked the tomato balsamic one with the lamb sausage. That same evening we had a Sonoma County dinner party at Julie Simpson’s, with Julie, Mark Brashear, Pam and Bob Sibley and Julies’ friend Sue. Mark grilled up some more sausages and we combined Francis Coppola’s Pasta with his Arrabbiata Pasta Sauce. With the pasta we drank a bottle of McCray Ridge Winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon. The label was designed by Pam Sibley’s Paloma Design Group. Chow, amici! Yummioso! Thanks to Julie Simpson for inviting us to shoot this video at McCray Ridge Winery’s ranch in the hills west of Healdsburg, California.

Tuna & Bean SaladThis is a delicious and colorful twist on the traditional Tuscan tuna and bean salad, using superb ingredients from California. Pinquito Beans are a heritage variety of bean with a beautiful color and a rich taste: the perfect base for this salad. They’re so easy to prepare. You just pour the beans into a colander, remove the seasoning packet, and rinse them off. Then put them into a pot with 2 quarts of water and the contents of the seasoning packet. Simmer for two hours and bingo – perfectly cooked beans. In the days of the Santa Maria Valley ranchos during the 1800s, spring cattle branding finished up with a big barbecue. The vaqueros enjoyed a traditional feast that included beef barbecued over a red oak fire, served with Pinquito beans and salsa. Susie Q's Seasoning is that same recipe. If you want to use it for other dishes, you can also get it in a separate jar. The tuna we used is extraordinary. was founded with a commitment to the protection of wild fisheries and the health of their customers. The troll-caught albacore in the North Pacific fishery is lower in mercury because these migratory fish are smaller and younger than long-line caught fish. Naturally, the shorter time a fish lives and feeds, the less mercury it accumulates. We combined a can of the tuna with a couple of large spoonfuls of the Pinquito Beans and added diced scallions, diced red pepper and chopped cilantro. To dress the salad we took a couple more liberties with tradition and used ’s Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and a dash of champagne vinegar. started out with pure extra virgin olive oil and citrus olive oils (Meyer Lemon, Persian Lime and Blood Orange), that have been a huge hit with chefs and home cooks. They have since added Rosemary Olive Oil and Basil Olive Oil, so lots to experiment with. The Meyer Lemon Olive Oil is perfect with the tuna and beans in this salad. If you don’t feel healthy and invigorated after eating this salad, well, we can’t help you! Lucky me, I got to enjoy this salad on the deck overlooking McCray Ridge Winery’s ranch in Sonoma County.

Endive AppetizersIf you need to come up with a quick and easy appetizer that will put that blissed-out look on your friends’ faces, these two endive appetizers will fit the bill. Endive spears are a perfect base for any number of savory appetizers. They taste good and pair well with a wide variety of ingredients, they are healthy, and they are easy to eat with your fingers. Particularly for a stand-up party, it’s nice to have an appetizer that you can eat without ending up wearing it. Check out how endive grows! Yikes! I was totally surprised when I first saw them. Talk about a split personality. Ugly, brown, carroty looking root with a delicately colored, fragile-looking plant growing out of the top. For aesthetic reasons, I’m sure, you normally don’t find the endive still attached to the root in stores. These endive came from California Endive. The combination of red and yellow makes a very pretty presentation. Before we assembled the appetizers, we lightly coated roasted almonds with Vanilla Agave Syrup and sprinkled them with lavender salt. We roasted the almonds in a medium oven for about 10 minutes. Then the assembly began. Pam and Bob Sibley helped me put together two versions of the endive. For the first one, we used a lavender theme. Lavender is an herb that was used a lot in ancient times, and fairly recently is popular again. It works in both savory and sweet recipes. So, on each endive spear we put a half a spoonful of Purple Haze, a soft goat cheese with lavender mixed into it. We used two different nuts to top this: the almonds we had flavored earlier and Organic Natural Pistachios from 273 Not Found. Over that we drizzled a little bit of lavender honey. For the second endive appetizer, we used Pt. Reyes Farmstead Blue Cheese. You can buy it as a wedge or already crumbled in a tub. We tried three different accents on top of the cheese: 327 Not Found’s Dried Tart Cherries, glazed Chandler walnuts, 273 Not Found Organic Honey Glazed Cashews. Over that we drizzled Dark Balsamic Vinegar. We paired these appetizers with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. By the way, a marvelous salad can be made using California Endive, sliced width-wise, radicchio, and Live Gourmet Butter Lettuce from 288 Not Found, dressed with a light vinaigrette.

Cool BeveragesIf you’re like I am and like cold beverages no matter what the weather, this is for you. The vineyards of McCray Ridge Winery are (no surprise) on top of a ridge that looks east towards Healdsburg, Geyser Peak and Mount St. Helena. It’s the perfect spot on one of those hot dry days in the Sonoma County summer when ice is required in your drink. We started with iced coffee from Thanksgiving Coffee of Mendocino County. Paul Katzeff, Thanksgiving’s founder, recommended that we use the Mirembe Kawomera (“Delicious Peace”) Dark Roast Uganda Coffee. The source of this coffee is an important reminder that people of goodwill can accomplish wonderful things together. The fair trade cooperative where the coffee beans are grown in Uganda is a joint effort with Jews, Muslims and Christians working together – to grow great coffee and to foster understanding between them. This coffee has such a rich taste, that even if you normally drink your coffee sweetened, you will love it straight. If you do want to sweeten it, you can try what we did: ’s Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup or ’s Hazelnut Agave Syrup. (We also tried the coffee with cream.) Both of the syrups gave a wonderful aroma to the drink and the tastes of both the coffee and the syrups were nicely balanced. Inspired by Italian flavored syrups, is made with 100% organic blue weber agave nectar and has a low glycemic index. The flavored syrups are versatile sweeteners that work in desserts as well as beverages. started with a simple concept: simple syrup. But, oh, what you can do with them if you have imagination (or if you use recipes they suggest). There are fifteen flavors, including the Vanilla Bean we tried with our coffee. Whether you’re a cocktail “mixologist,” a sorbet maker, or a pastry chef, these will come in handy. With our iced black tea, we tried lavender sugar, ’s Mint Infused Simple Syrup, and Robert Lambert’s Rangpur Lime Syrup. In each case, part of the pleasure was the “nose,” the lovely aroma of the lavender, mint or lime that we got before we even tasted the drink. Making refreshing lemonade with a gourmet twist is easy with Tuscan Heights Lavender Lemonade Crystals. A heaping teaspoon in water, ice, and it’s done. A pleasantly different take on an old standby. Making spritzers is great for a party, because everybody can try whatever they like – or more than one thing. We tried two totally different products made from grapes. Have plenty of soda water (or you can also use tonic water) on hand. Terra Sonoma’s Verjus is a version of a traditional French condiment made from unfermented green grape juice. Often used as a substitute for vinegar, its tart-sweet flavor is delicious mixed with soda water as a spritzer. We later tried adding a splash to a gin and tonic. Wow! A blend of organic red and white grape juices, Bela Juice could appeal to both adults and children, either straight or as a sprtizer. The rich taste of nothing but grapes is a pleasant surprise if you’ve only tasted the “other” kinds of grape juice.

Ice Cream SodasThere’s no such thing as too much ice cream! One of my favorite memories was my Grandfather making us Black Cows (for the uninitiated, that’s a root beer float with vanilla ice cream). So we decided to make ice cream sodas California style, with spectacular combinations that you may not have tried before. In Deborah Geitner’s back yard in Healdsburg, California, Deborah, Amy and I did three rounds with different ice creams, sorbets and sodas. (Tough work, but somebody’s got to do it…!) For the first round we used two of the sodas from , Pinot Noir and Rosé, along with three flavors of Agave Dream ice cream. Vignette Wine Country Soda is made with wine grape juice, but has no alcohol, and their fresh, dry taste makes them perfect with food for those who want a non-alcoholic beverage. Since Agave Dream Ice Cream is sweetened with agave syrup, rather than sugar, it has a lower glycemic index than conventional ice cream. It’s also gluten-free. Deborah and I tried the Vignette Pinot Noir; she used Agave Dream Strawberry ice cream with hers, and I used Vanilla. Amy tried the Rosé soda with Pomegranate Açai Sorbet. In the sunlight the sodas really sparkled, and when the ice cream was added the bubbles were a beautiful pink color. The drinks looked so appetizing. Delicious and very refreshing! The second round was deliciously complicated. We made sodas using flavored syrups from , and topped them off with ice creams from both Silver Moon Desserts and Agave Dream. Made from fresh California fruit, the simple syrups from Sonoma Syrup can be used in cooking, baking, cocktails, and of course, sodas. We made our sodas using their Lime, Lavender, Mint, and Meyer Lemon syrups. The sodas were so tasty, even before we added the ice cream. Silver Moon makes extraordinary ice creams and sorbets that are infused with alcoholic beverages. Even the names of the flavors sound like a party. Deborah made two sodas using the mint Sonoma Syrup. She added Agave Dream Chocolate ice cream to one and Cappuccino to the other. She proclaimed the mint-cappuccino combination ”divine.” Amy made two sodas also, using Lime syrup and Mint syrup. She added Silver Moon’s Mojito Ice to both. She just couldn’t decide which she liked better. For my first soda I used Silver Moon’s Lavender Limoncello sorbet with the soda made with Sonoma Syrup’s Meyer Lemon. For my second one I combined Agave Dream Lavender ice cream with the Lavender soda. Both were yummy combinations, and the lavender one had a lovely aroma. Round number three featured Fentimans “botanical brewed sodas.” These are richly flavored, old-fashioned style sodas. Besides the Ginger Beer, each of their other sodas also has a touch of ginger. Crushed ginger is combined with the beverages in the 7-day brewing and fermentation process. Deborah started with Fentiman’s Mandarin & Seville Orange Jigger and added Silver Moon’s Orange Creamsicle ice cream – a twist on a classic. I tried the same soda and added Silver Moon’s Bourbon Vanilla Bean ice cream. Whew! Amy decided to drink her Fentiman’s soda straight up. For her final soda, Deborah used Fentiman’s Ginger Beer and Silver Moon’s Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream. This Ginger Beer is very light in color, so the total effect was creamy deliciousness. I added Bourbon Vanilla Bean ice cream to Dandelion & Burdock soda. Wow! This soda flavor was introduced to me by Fentiman’s, and I am now a big fan. It makes an outstanding ice cream soda with Silver Moon’s Bourbon Vanilla Bean. I shared it with Deborah, and she thought she might be able to get away with drinking the whole thing. This was our idea of a good day! And the three of us agreed that this would make a wonderful party theme.

Dried Fruit in Vanilla Wine SyrupIt's a good sign when a recipe starts out with a full bottle of wine! And this recipe is an outstanding dessert. Looks beautiful, smells wonderful and tastes fantastic. For this recipe you need a bottle of Riesling. Put the whole bottle into a saucepan, and add 2/3 cup of Vanilla Agave Syrup and one cinnamon stick. Simmer the syrup for 20 minutes, so that the cinnamon can infuse the syrup. Add about 1 packed cup dried apricots and about a dozen Valley Fig Growers' Calimyrna Figs, with the stems removed. Simmer the fruit in the syrup another 25 minutes until the fruit gets nice and plump. Of course, the apricots and figs are great on their own, so be sure to buy extra just to eat by themselves. B & R Farms' California Blenheim Apricots are in a class by themselves. Nothing at all like "ordinary" dried apricots. And if you haven't ever tasted a Calimyrna fig, it's a totally different color, taste and texture from the more common mission fig. They are bigger, a nutty brown, and even have a nutty flavor, not as sweet as mission figs, You can shop online for both B & R Farms apricots and Valley Fig Growers figs. Also, you can visit the B & R Farms store at their ranch in Hollister, east of Monterey. After the fruit has plumped up, remove it from the syrup, discard the cinnamon stick, and simmer the syrup another 25 minutes to reduce it to about 2 cups. You want to keep an eye on this. It may not look like anything is happening for a while, and then suddenly, the syrup will start to thicken. It becomes a gorgeous golden brown, and as Mari Rossi says, "Wow! The color and the aroma are absolutely divine!" Pour the syrup over the fruit and add the topping of your choice. Mari decided to top hers with 231 Not Found Organic Vanilla Yogurt (we also had the Wallaby Organic Plain Yogurt), and I chose the Cowgirl Creamery Crème Fraiche. Wallaby Organic Yogurt is so smooth and incredibly creamy. They make unusual flavors in both low fat and non-fat, and you won't miss the fat for one bite. Their Down Under flavors have lots of fruit topped with lowfat yogurt. To make the Cowgirl Creamery Crème Fraiche, organic cream is cooked at a very low temperature for hours. It thickens and develops a rich, sweet, slightly almond flavor. The American Cheese Society gave it a blue ribbon, and it's no wonder. We topped these fabulous creations with 273 Not Found Sliced Almond Delights. The very finely sliced almonds gave a delicious crunch to each bite. There really is a Maisie Jane, and she grows organic almonds in California's Sacramento Valley. If you're in Chico stop at her charming store for Maisie's own products as well as other local goodies. Try a Moscato or Sauterne wine with this dessert.