Sac Foodies

By Christine Moravec

Last week I had the pleasure of finally experiencing a piece of wine country that I’ve been meaning to visit for years: COPIA, the American Center for Wine Food & the Arts, a nonprofit organization located in downtown Napa.

Fellow SacFoodie, Amy Kull, along with a small group from our San Francisco office (COPIA is a new and very exciting client for FH), came together for a day of meetings. We got to mix business with pleasure when we broke for lunch and joined the public for that day’s Taste of COPIA event.

COPIA describes these weekly lunches as “part cooking demonstration, part feast” and I would add that it contains equal part wine education with a pinch of comedy – it was a blast! Taste of COPIA is a lunch that is held every Friday and an occasional Saturday/Sunday, with a culinary theme that changes monthly. For the month of January the theme was From Here to the Next County: Sonoma.

We walked into the theatre-style room that features a beautifully staged demo kitchen. Each seat was set for a three course meal with three full wine glasses at each setting. The interactive cooking demo began with Jacquelyn Buchanan, director of culinary programs, who introduced the theme and various local ingredients that she would be using in that day’s meal. The full menu included:

• Dungeness Crab Bisque
• Cheese Tortellini with Roasted Butternut Squash, Goat-Cheese Walnut Sauce and Arugula
• Blood Orange and Campari Granita

While Jacquelyn began cooking we watched her via overhead flat panel TV screens that showed the view from cameras focused above the range. Lily Peterson, wine educator, introduced the wines and explained several different pairings that she would like us to explore during the meal. Like most of the ingredients, the wine also came from Sonoma Country: a sparkling J Cuvee 20 Brut, Landmark 2005 Overlook Chardonnay and Emeritus 2005 Pinot Noir. I was excited about the Emeritus because it was an inaugural vintage from the founder of Sonoma Cutrer: it was subtle and fruity and a fantastic complement to the walnut sauce in the main dish.

Jacquelyn prepared each dish as we were eating it; she answered questions regarding ingredient substitutions, cooking techniques, and where to find certain ingredients locally. At the same time Lily explained the wines in an approachable manner – why she chose the three varietals, how to pair wine with food, and how to identify certain characteristics in each – she also shared fun facts about the wineries themselves. Lastly, Nick Landino, the kitchen manager for Julia’s Kitchen, came on stage and prepared the Blood Orange and Campari Granita and accompanying Hazelnut Campari Biscotti while it was being served. Each attendee is given copies of the recipes to make at home. Our group loved it all: the food, wine, personalities, presentation – bravo!

Taste of COPIA is a great way to get to know wine and food and the relationship they have with each other. I can’t wait to take my next out-of-town guest, adding COPIA to the “Moravec special wine country tour.” Check here for the current month’s theme and menu; cost is $50 general/$40 member and well worth it. The theme for February is “A Mardi Gras Feast: Let the Bon Temps Roll!”

On a side note, COPIA grows ingredients in its on-site organic garden for use in the lunches, as well as in the menu at Julia’s Kitchen. It was raining the day we went, but here are a few fruit/garden shots:

This crazy-looking fruit is part of the citrus family. It smells fabulous and is called Buddha’s Hand.

Winter Citrus Fruit Bowl

By Jenna Kirkwood 

I had the pleasure of spending all last week in Mexico on vacation in the sunny, warm Riviera Maya town of Playa del Carmen. I know, poor me. Truth be told, we didn’t eat outside the resort often, because in an “all-inclusive” resort with all-you-can-eat and drink, why would you? However, we did venture into town one afternoon and enjoyed a couple of cervezas and a mucho grande plate of nachos con pollo.

While noshing through the nachos, I happened upon a giant pile of jalapenos, a pepper that I have typically avoided in the past. However, after this muy delicioso plate of nachos, I’ve realized that I really like jalapenos! Who knew? I will never pick around a jalapeno again. Maybe this will serve as inspiration to you to re-try a food you weren’t too sure you liked – your taste buds just might thank you!

And, P.S. – There was a really great story on CNN.com today about Playa del Carmen and the amazing ecological parks in the area, many of which we visited. Check it out if you’re interested in the area!

By Brittany Mohr

Mikuni. Fuji’s. Zen Toro. Kru. Nishiki. Name any sushi spot in the greater Sacramento area and odds are I have a story and a favorite roll to go along with it. But after sampling some of the best Japanese food that Northern California has to offer, I always seem to return to my favorite sushi joint – home sweet home. We’ve been rolling sushi at home for as long as I can remember and it just keeps getting better. We even have a home video somewhere that demonstrates my family’s longstanding love for the deliciousness that is rice, seaweed and raw fish. The (unfortunately long lost) video is of my sister’s second birthday party in which she adamantly demands sushi at the horror of all her cheerio-noshing friends.

This time, we played it safe with the basic California roll ingredients: cucumber, carrot, crab meat, avocado, green onion and of course Japanese rice. We mixed it up when it came to the wrappers – with both traditional nori (dried seaweed) and a vibrant yellow soy wrap.

Before reading any further, please remember the trusty saying, “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.” On that note, I’d like to introduce you to BLT sushi. I first tried it at a hole-in-the-wall establishment in Hawaii and it was love at first bite. To make BLT sushi, simply prepare the ingredients of a BLT sandwich (bacon, lettuce and tomato) and wrap as usual. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, add some avocado and make it a BLTA!

By Shelly Kessen  

Last Saturday we found ourselves whiling away the afternoon at a coffee shop on the square in Sonoma. Between corralling our big boy and comforting the little one, my husband and I reminisced about our first introductions to coffee. For me, the love of the drink started when my great-grandma, Nanny, offered it to me when I was five. Now, before you gasp, you need to know that my ‘kindergarten coffee’ was a lot of milk and about a drip of coffee.

On the other hand, Nanny’s was just like herself – strong and no nonsense. She drank it steaming hot in a cream-colored chipped-up cup. The only school she knew was the old school; she was 74 when I was born and lived to be a remarkable 101.

As I was finishing my story, Tim looked at me and said, “Yeah, she would have slapped you for spending $4.00 on a cup of coffee,” in reference to the ‘jo in our hands. I laughed because I knew he was right. That’s when it crossed my mind that we could all do a lot worse than to live a good long life and be fondly remembered over a fine cup of coffee.       

By Kris Caputo Hurley   

When you bring in a selection of California cheeses to the office, the lunch room is never empty.  Patty Mastracco, an honorary member of our Fleishman-Hillard team, just returned from the National Association of the Specialty Food Trade’s Fancy Food Show in San Diego and brought back some delicious cheeses not even on retail shelves yet, plus an assortment of a few recent award winners.  I was a fan of them all, but there’s a hardly a cheese I meet that I don’t like.

• Fiscalini Purple Moon – a cabernet soaked cheddar combining two of my favorite vices
• Marin French Cheese Company Triple Crème Brie – triple crème brie says it all, not to mention all the awards
• Bravo Farms Silver Mountain – a bandaged-wrapped cheese that paired so nicely with a Sunsweet dried apricot
• Vella Dry Jack – definitely harder than a traditional Monterey Jack and equally as good
• Fiscalini Hopscotch – a brand new scotch ale cheddar with a hoppy bite
• Bellwether Farms Carmody – another award winner and for good reason
• Point Reyes Blue – we enjoyed this with honeycomb and walnuts
• Fiscalini San Joaquin Gold – unique to the brand, they don’t call it gold for nothin’

By Christine Moravec

Poached pears is a choice dessert menu item that I’ve always wanted to attempt at home. The variations are endless for this treat, and when searching for recipes online I found one on the California Milk Advisory Board’s Web site that particularly caught my eye: Port-Poached Pears and Ricotta. Pears, a port reduction sauce AND ricotta cheese? Sold!

The Web site also had an intriguing recipe for Baked Pears and Crème Fraiche, which I printed for my “to-try soon” pile…

I don’t have a corer at home, so I halved the pears for poaching, which turned out to be a great alternative. The key was finding pears that were ripe, but not soft. The recipe was surprisingly easy, and one I’ll definitely be recreating.

PORT-POACHED PEARS AND RICOTTA

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 cup California Ricotta cheese
Port-Poached Pears:
2 pears, such as Anjou or Bosc, peeled and cored
2 cups Port wine
3/4 cup pure maple syrup

Instructions:
Place pears, Port and maple syrup in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, turning pears occasionally, until they are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let pears cool in poaching liquid. Remove pears from liquid. Cut a small slice about 1/4 inch thick from the rounded bottom of the pear so it will sit upright on the plate. Set aside. Place poaching liquid over medium-high heat and cook until it becomes thick and syrupy. Set aside and let cool. Cut each pear in half vertically.

For each serving drizzle some of the reduced poaching liquid over an individual serving plate. Place one pear half on plate. Fill the pear cavity with 1/4 cup cheese. Reserve remaining poaching liquid for another use.

By Kim Bedwell 

As I’ve mentioned here on a couple of occasions, I love to bake. The blending together of butter, sugar, vanilla and flour brings me so much happiness. I especially love baking in the winter because of the added warmth it brings my kitchen and the sweet aromas it spreads through my home.

While my favorite cookie is the classic chocolate chip (which I’ll need to share my recipe for one of these days), my husband loves a good Snickerdoodle. Before I met him, I don’t think I’d ever made one, and it’s a shame, because it’s truly the perfect cookie…sweet, buttery and a little crispy. I tried out a few recipes before stumbling upon this one from baking goddess Gale Gand. These cookies are super simple and come out perfect every single time.

Snickerdoodles (Recipe courtesy of Gale Gand)

For the topping:
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

For the cookie dough:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside. To make the cookie dough, stir together the dry ingredients. In a bowl with a paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add the sugar and continue to mix, then add the eggs, corn syrup, and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Chill dough 1 hour if it’s sticky or difficult to handle.  Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll balls of dough about the size of a walnut then roll them in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Place on parchment paper lined-cookie sheet pan 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes until puffed up and the surface is slightly cracked. Let cool on the sheet pan a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Downtown’s top restaurants come together for week of fine dining at an unbelievable price! 

By Melinda McRae  

Through this Friday Jan. 18, local chefs from 22 of Downtown’s top restaurants will create special three-course dinner menus for only $30 per person at participating venues. It’s a great way to experience the best of Downtown Sacramento’s dining scene.  We tried McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood on Saturday night and were quite impressed with both the quality, and quantity of food. Participating restaurants and pre-fixe menus can be found on the Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s Web site.

By Kim Bedwell 

No one was happier than me when news broke that the Food Network was bringing back Jamie Oliver. I remember when the Naked Chef left the Food Network on not the best terms, and I was relegated to following Oliver on TLC and other cable outlets as he helped improve the eating habits of England’s youth. But now he’s back and I’m giddy with excitement.

To tease his new show, “Jamie at Home,” Oliver faced off against Mario Batali on last night’s “Iron Chef America.” I won’t spoil who was victorious in “Battle: Cobia” (a fish I had never heard of until last night) in case you happen to catch a re-airing during the week, but Oliver’s take on fish and chips (naturally) looked heavenly.

Following the battle, Food Network debuted “Jamie at Home” which had a very rustic, home-grown feel. This was accentuated by Oliver’s attire of a camouflage hoodie and beanie, which I found terribly endearing. Each episode features food that’s grown on his farm and the premiere featured peppers and chillies (yes, with the double “l”, according to the program). I was in foodie heaven for all 30 minutes and can’t wait to catch the show at its regular time on Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. I can’t think of a better way to kick-off the weekend!

By Christine Moravec

I was thrown for a loop a few weeks ago when my Grandma (hi Oma!) announced that we would be having Turducken for our Christmas Eve dinner. This time it wasn’t her thick German accent that was throwing me off – “Yeah, TUR-DUCK-EN” she enunciated and quickly explained: a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken. I instantly had two thoughts running simultaneously: either my family is crazy or we had just created the mother of all culinary inventions.

I later found out that Turducken wasn’t our family’s invention at all, but rather a very popular holiday feast in the southern states. Tante Evelyn (my aunt ~ did I mention we’re German?) had seen Turducken featured on the Food Network and thought it would be a fun addition to the dinner table this year.

All three birds are boned except for the drumsticks on the turkey and literally stuffed into one another then surrounded by a Cajun pork stuffing. I know, I had a hard time wrapping my brain around it, too.

Tante Evelyn ordered the pork-ish, gamey poultry from CajunGrocer.com who shipped us the deboned and stuffed bird(s) packed with dry ice straight from Louisiana. We unpacked and cooked similar to a traditional turkey: covered and baked at 350 degrees for four hours, then uncovered and continued to bake for an additional hour. The house smelled amazing all day.

Cutting the bird was one of the most fun “packages” we opened that night – everyone gathered around my Dad in the kitchen as he sliced and identified the different layers as they were exposed. The surprise factor for me was how evenly and perfectly moist every part of the bird turned out. I was a little nervous about the chicken and duck meat drying out in the oven for five hours, but somehow the combination of everything worked really well together.

When you eat the bird you can taste the different flavors, and the spicy pork sausage stuffing not only held everything together logistically, but also complemented the flavors and added a nice spice.

My final analysis: Turducken is an experience that tastes as good as it is fun to say

Deboning three birds is more than intimidating to me, but here’s a recipe for the brave, sans pork stuffing: Turducken Recipe, courtesy of Paula Dean.