SF Fancy Food Show - Part 1 of 3

The euphoric excitement of the San Francisco Fancy Food Show has ended and the blissful reality of my life is settling back into my normal day to day routine. I've been spending the last few days pondering the best way to represent the many companies, owners and products I viewed at the show. Since it is almost impossible to write about each vendor at the show I've decided to break down the blog post into 3 separate articles based on the products that inspired me to cook either from my personal experiences in the past  present or future endeavors. Here's the line up: 

• Olive Oils
• Innovative products
• Specialty Food Favorites

Let's start with olive oils. For me olive oil is like sunshine after a rain... its essentials and always welcome. I use olive oil in my daily cooking, in salad dressings and an agent to boost flavor to most dishes. For some blog post readers who also view my Lady E Cooks Facebook page you might have seen my recent repost of how olive oil is made. The video featured the process of three granite wheels churning and crushing freshly picked olives (along with pits and leaves) into a rich paste. A process called cold pressed where the paste is pressed for hours causing the juice of the olive to drip slowly into vats. Ultimately the oil is separated from the water resulting in an "unfiltered olive oil". I'm sure there are a variety of ways to manufacture this golden liquid and for those who know me, knowledge is my "sweet spot" of happiness. But, in the end much like you...I just wanna grab a bottle off the shelf, crack it open and pour...lol.You might ask, but which olive oil is the one to buy? My answer to most questions is ...It depends.
 

It depends on what you're using the oil for? Salads? Might want to choose an oil with subtle hints of fruit. Cooking? Searing? Roasting? An oil with a rounded note might work. These are my favorites from the show:

• Enzo Olive Oil
• O Olive Oil
• Lucini Olive Oil and California Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

All of the olive oils mentioned above I personally buy and I have in my pantry. They each serve a different purpose for cooking and preparing meals. Enzo Olive Oil has a light flavorful note that pairs well with dishes highlighting fish, fruit or salad. I primarily use it to make herbed salads dressings. It has a fragrant flavor without being too overwhelming or sweet. However, it is flavorful unlike safflower oil or grape seed oil.  Bonus, its reasonably priced.  The olive oils shown in the photo are enhanced with either the essence of lemons, clementine or garlic which elevate all dishes that you prepare. I love having this option to experiment with all sorts of hot or cold food and these olive oils provide me that option. Excellent olive oil that is award winning and one of my favorites. To learn more about Enzo Olive Oil go to http://enzooliveoil.com/ for details.

 Next up...O Olive Oil has a rich full flavor that isn't greasy or oily on the tongue. Sound a little like the adjectives used to describe wine ... well, probably. Ever heard of an olive oil tasting. No? Go immediately if not sooner to one. For a foodie ... it's a good time to discover an olive oil just by tasting it alone like a fine wine. What I love about O Olive Oil is that it is interchangeable from a simple salad dressing to cooking a roasted chicken in the oven. It can be used for both. O Olive Oil adds a richness without being overpowering much like butter. Its a great oil to have on your shelf if you're not one to stock up on a variety of oils and just want one good overall oil. However, you use it ... it will not disappoint. In addition, O Olive Oil not only offers versatility in preparing dishes, but they also make a variety of vinegars to pair with their olive oils. To find out more about O Olive Oil click the following link: https://www.ooliveoil.com/

Last, but certainly not least is my go to olive oil for searing, roasting, marinating and dipping sauces is Lucini Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I can't buy a bottle big enough to keep it  in my cupboard. This is a rich, full bodied, heavy yet not greasy olive oil. I've tried to use it for salad dressings, but my preference is the lighter olive oils. It adds a richness that certain dishes require. For instances when I make my homemade pomodoro sauce ... the other oils are too light. This oil is perfect for long, slow, low heat cooking. Its rich enough to enhance the dish and bold enough to hold up to hearty herbs, like rosemary and whole garlic cloves. This company also makes a extra virgin olive oil called "California". One of my BFFs swears by this version of their oil. I prefer the Lucini ... but each to his/her own. To find out more about Lucini https://www.lucini.com/ see the beautifully designed website.

Whichever olive oil you choose or how you choose to use it .... remember cooking with love makes any recipe taste better.

Au bientot,
Lady E

Spring ....

Castello di Amorosa

Spring is just around the corner. And in most corners of the world, it means the crisp chill in the air subsides ever so slightly and a renewed warmth fills the air, the soil on the ground and vitality to branches the have been baron for months at a time. Napa Valley is no exception and it's one of my favorite times of the year to explore this quiet little area to be awed in it's new awakening.
Speaking of exploration and new awakenings, I have also risen from my deep slumber and hibernation from writing on my blog. To my world wide fans, I do apologize for my disappearance from the world wide web and culinary arts. Just like a blossom on a branch, I needed that spark of inspiration and I found it in the City of Calistoga.
 Its funny to me how one slight change can shift your viewpoint from "ho-hum" to "OMG". After having a delicious lunch at my usual haunt, Farmstead Restaurant, and instead of turning left and heading home. I decided to turn right and venture further North towards Calistoga. I have to admit the vineyards in this area are less commercial and small sites that allow you taste wine and shop to what seemed like a vortex that transports you to another Country, land or picturesque photograph.
The long driveways with breathtaking landscapes and hillsides that beckon you to ride to the top on a motorcycle (at least that what my Sweetheart says) and surprisingly .... Castles, with real live actual moats and one curious, yet vein Roster, to protect or amuse the visitors.


Roster ...I'll name him Valiant.

I had promised myself that I would not return to Northern California's wine country because of a "been there, done that" sarcasm and self inflicted yawn of boredom and venture to the South past Carmel for new adventures. But as my Sweetheart pointed out ...why? It's only an hour away and truthfully after venturing further North ...Obviously I've been limited in my scope and not the countryside itself. We didn't go into the wineries themselves and taste their spirits, but the strategic open eye from the vantage point of a motorcycle I might be yet again be inspired.

More to come. More to explore. 

 







Where did all the cool Cafe spots go?

It's a sunny day and I woke up with a smile on my face and a skip in my step because it's Sunday. Sunday to me means after my Church and chores I get to do the thing I love the most... write. Writing for me has become my found joy. And each day I discover different ways to express the written word either by writing for the blogs or writing my 3 different novellas with the goal of one day becoming a published Author.
So on this particular Sunday I thought it might be a great idea to find a local Café, like the ones you see on TV, and eat croissant drink coffee with my computer in front of me ready to receive the words and thoughts filling my head. So I googled Cafés in Oakland and Berkeley. What I found on the internet was quite disturbing No Cafés were in the search results. Only Bars, Restaurants or Coffee houses. I wrote down a couple and ventured out to see what was what.

The first place was truly not the setting for me. First, they didn't have croissants only stale pastries,, but the cappuccino was made perfectly. The furniture on the website was very different than the actual furniture on site. They were dirty old couches that either needed to be reupholstered or recycled into something else. This place was definitely a local haunt for College students to let off steam before, during or after exams. Not a place to foster creative thinking for a writer. Even the sign outside the front door screamed, "Be QUIET!"

SoSo , what's a potential a writer to do? Walk to the next destination and hope for the best.  Happy to say, I wasn't disappointed. The Kitchen with it's mile high biscuits and freshly made summer jam was delicious and the quiche was warm, flaky crust and cheese that was to die for. Definitely a place to venture to again and again. The Restaurant name? Appropriately named The Kitchen at 388 Grand Avenue in Oakland, Did I ever find the Café to write? Nope...I did not. I fear the places that Jack London sat in for hours sipping coffee and staring out the windows for inspiration are long gone. But, the good news is the restaurant business in Oakland is booming with places that are worth investigating. Maybe one day I'll create a corner in our world designed for writers, readers and where food is a highlight not the main focus. Until then, I will continue to write, eat ... and do it all with love.

Fall is on the horizon ....

I took these photos couple of weeks ago when summer in California was coming to a close, but the weather was still warm from sunrise to sunset. It's interesting to me to see the fruits of our labor come to life in some of the most amazing ways. Gourds that look more like geese and pumpkins that are larger than a small child. It's a magical time of the year when the weather cools down and the chill brings family, friends and loved ones closer together. Here's to Fall and the cooking that can come from it.  I haven't been cooking lately...but, that will change soon. More to come from Lady E Cooks.

Aw, Summer...fare thee well.

Aw, sweet summer has come to an end. Or, has it. Today's temperatures in Oakland, California were in the low 70-80s.Clear blue skies and rain averted for another day. Last week at the Farmers Market with an abundance of ripe, sweet, red, delicious tomatoes. Ripe for the taking... or in this case the buying for an assortment of meals, dishes or canning.

My favorite use for large ripe tomatoes? Giada De Laurintis recipe I found years ago that includes puff pastry, pesto and salmon. The juicy sweetness of the tomatoes cuts the richness of the puff pastry and pesto and adding a freshness that only this genuinely versatile fruit can bring. Fruit? Tomatoes are a vegetable, right? I think ... not. According to most science articles the tomatoes is developed from the ovary of the base of a flower, similar to the blueberry. It's confused with a vegetable based on its use in savory dishes rather than sweet. And, plus my Mom said so!

What did I do with his fruit at home. I let them ripen on the counter... For God sake, please do not, I repeat DO NOT put tomatoes in the fridge... its ruins the integrity and they taste yucky! I used them in salads for work. Diced them up for bruschetta and finally in chicken soup on a cool Fall night. Run.... don't walk and stock up on these beauties before the summer is gone.

 

Cook with love... it makes everything taste better. 

On second thought ...

After I write an article for the blog I typically go through my digital camera and delete photos covered in the article or that are being saved in the “cloud”. Doesn’t the “cloud” sound like an ominous place that we can never retrieve or manage our work again??? Anyway, I digress …. So, while viewing the photos I came across the pixs from the exterior part of the tour known as the Grounds and the Gallery.

Once the initial part of the interior tour is complete the group took a walk outside to tour the grounds.  Outside any kind of barbeque, wood fire or tandoori cooking was done. Since it was well over 90+ degrees outside … all the oven, fire pits and tandoori ovens were off.  Thank God! Heat upon heat…not my kind of party. I fell in love with the food fire pit where they cook pizzas, calzones and flat breads.

Walking further we saw outside patio dining, which looked very lovely amongst the trees. The school was closed and it was after lunch, therefore no crowds to serve.  Walking a little further …yes, the grounds are very large you wind up back inside the school’s front entrance. Inside the Gallery is open to purchase anything under the sun that has to do with the culinary arts.

What caught my eye were the handmade chocolates with melt in your mouth ganache and an intense flavor of raspberry, mango, pistachio or my favorite chocolate-on-chocolate-on chocolate.  On the opposite side was a Café to order sandwiches, salads and daily special for a casual style meal rather than the formal meal presented by Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant.

I highly recommend the CIA however, Come for the tour, but stay for the food, ambiance and historical landscape.

Thanks for reading… all comments are welcome and appreciated.

Cooking with love makes any recipe taste better.

Lady E

 

I WANT one!

I am in love with this product. My fellow foodie at work in San Francisco gave me a clipping of an article of this amazing product.

It's call the Porthole  designed by Martin Kastner of Crucial Detail design studio ( see website for details of the products design, creation and inception) http://www.theportholeinfuser.com/

Not only is it visibly beautiful, but functionally efficient and multiple purpose. My kinda invention. Take a venture into something new.