Jan 21 2011

An Evening with the Nimans

I had the pleasure of attending “An Evening with the Nimans” at the Citizen Hotel in Sacramento, CA last night. I found out about the event through Slow Food Sacramento and through following Grange Restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.

Bill and Nicolette Niman are owners and operators of BN Ranch – a seaside ranch in Bolinas, CA. They raise grass-fed cattle, heritage turkeys and goats on their ranch. Bill is a cattle rancher and the founder of Niman Ranch, Inc. Nicolette is a rancher, attorney, writer and author of the book Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms.  

The evening took place on the 7th floor – Metropolitan Terrace of the Citizen Hotel. The State Capitol was the perfect backdrop to a wonderful evening. Complimentary wine was provided by Frog’s Leap.

Frog’s Leap has been farming responsibly and producing wines since 1981. The literature we received shared that they have been farming organically since 1988. Frog’s Leap dry farms nearly 200 acres in the Napa Valley. I had a glass of their Sauvignon Blanc and look forward to making a special trip next time I’m visiting the Napa Valley.

Chef Michael Tuohy of Grange Restaurant introduced the Nimans to the crowd. Bill Niman talked about Sacramento being the bread basket of the world… pretty cool when you really think about it. There was mention of hopefulness and how we can move forward as a nation when it comes to how American meat is produced and what we as individuals can do to make it better.

Both Bill and Nicolette stressed the importance of getting as close to your food sources as possible. Growing your own, purchasing directly from local farms, farmer’s markets, CSA, and Co-ops. While some of the presentation included some pretty horrific slides of  “factory farms”, the message of the evening was a very positive one. We have the power as individuals to make sure that the meat/food we consume is healthy, nutritious, safe, humane and environmentally sound.

The presentation was followed by a book signing and special dinner in Grange Restaurant. I took some photos of the hotel lobby while my girlfriend Deede made a phone call outside.

We then waited in line at Grange for the book signing.

I opted to purchase a hardback edition of the Niman Ranch Cookbook. I will also be purchasing Nicolette’s book in the near future. (Next month’s paycheck, ha!)

The Niman Ranch Cookbook is filled with beautiful photographs of the farms, illustrated meat charts, cooking methods, easy to follow techniques and recipes contributed by famous chefs that serve Niman Ranch products in their restaurants. Suzanne Goin’s Grilled Tri-Tip with Black Olive Aioli immediately caught my attention as I flipped through the glossy pages.

Both Bill and Nicolette signed my cookbook.

Bill wrote: For Foodiddy, I hope this story inspires you to share it with others and in the kitchen as well.

Nicolette wrote: Best wishes in your writing on good food – keep it up!

I will proudly display my new cookbook with others in my kitchen, but first I have to finish reading it. 🙂

Deede and I stayed to partake in the special dinner option prepared by Chef Michael Tuohy and Grange Restaurant staff.

We were seated at a table for two in the upstairs dining area. (Note: It was very dark and hard to get decent photos while being discreet. I promise, the food looked way better in person).

The featured dinner was $35/person and included the following:

First course – BN Ranch Beef Sliders and Turkey Rillettes.

Main Course: BN Ranch Turkey Breast cooked “sous vide” with brussels sprouts & crisp bacon, whipped sweet potatoes, and natural jus.

Dessert Course: Butterscotch Pudding with Salted Butterscotch Cookies

I shared my first course with Deede and loved every bite. It was my first time eating Turkey Rillettes. “Rillettes” is a preparation of meat similar to pâté – in case you are unfamiliar with the term, I know I was.

The main event – I am not a huge lover of turkey,  it’s not my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal. That thought process changed last night. I have never tasted such moist/flavorful turkey in my entire life – No offense Mom and Dad, but I say we load into the car and spend Thanksgiving at Grange next year, or I’ll buy our turkey directly from BN Ranch. The brussels sprouts and whipped sweet potatoes were heavenly as well.

Speaking of my Dad, he has always been a butterscotch pudding fan. I usually opt for vanilla or chocolate. One bite of the butterscotch pudding and I could not put my spoon down. This was no “Kozy Shack” or “Jello” pudding… it melted in my mouth. Deede and I both agreed that the butterscotch cookies took the dessert to the next level. If I could order them by the dozen (weekly) – I would. Dan would be in cookie heaven.

Deede ordered from the daily menu so we could share everything. She had the Zinfandel Braised Niman Ranch Short Rib, Whipped Potatoes, Spinach and Gremolata. The Niman’s had shown a slide of their short ribs to compare grass fed vs. grain fed beef. We had short rib on the brain after that.

She also ordered a dessert to share.

Warm Winter Fruit Strudel with French Vanilla Ice Cream and Granny Smith Apple Butter – it was delicious. It triggered a childhood food memory and I still can’t pinpoint the familiar taste.

We had a really nice evening. I’m very proud to be part of such an amazing foodie community in Sacramento, CA. and I’m glad I got to share it with Deede. I also actually ran into someone from Co-op classes that I’ve taken and it was great talking to him and sharing thoughts on the evening and future classes.

I said I needed a new hobby over a year ago. From fashion girl to foodie girl, what a difference a year makes. While I loved selling designer clothing, I don’t miss having a second job. It sure allows me the extra time to do things I really love.

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=3290

Jan 18 2011

Apricot and Raspberry Brie Cups

Phyllo, filo, or fillo – you decide. I’m going with fillo because the box I used has it plastered on the packaging. I picked up one of those little appetizer mini recipe books at the grocery check out before Thanksgiving. I promised myself that I was going to make every recipe in it for the hundreds of holiday parties that I was going to be invited to. I then found myself at home on Friday and Saturday nights watching movies with Dan. I decided that I no longer needed an excuse to make such a decadent treat. I purchased the missing supplies and got to work.

As soon as I had my fillo cups, ginger snaps, brie, and apricot preserves on the cutting board, I thought of another combination to try.

Kind of cheesecake like. Graham crackers, brie, and raspberry preserves.

  • 1 package frozen miniature fillo tart shells
  • 3 tablespoons crushed gingersnaps/crushed graham crackers 
  • 4-6 ounces brie cheese, rind removed, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup apricot and raspberry preserves

The first step was to crush the ginger snaps and the graham crackers. Rather than dirty the food processor, I placed them into bags and used the flat side of my Pampered Chef meat tenderizer to do the job.

I set the oven for 350 degrees F. and then got my fillo cups placed onto a baking sheet.

I spooned the ginger snap crumbles into 1/2 the cups and the graham cracker crumbles into the other 1/2.

I removed the rind from the brie and then cut it into small wedges and placed them on top of the crumbles.

I then used a small rubber scraper to place the preserves on top of the brie.

Once I finished with the apricot, I moved onto the raspberry preserves.

I placed the baking sheet into the oven and set the timer for 5 minutes. They ended up taking almost 10 minutes – I think my brie pieces were too thick.

The apricot/ginger snap cups tasted incredible – I am a huge fan of apricot preserves. I usually like them on toasted sourdough with butter – never peanut butter. Peanut butter and apricot doesn’t do it for me. I like my creamy PB with strawberry preserves if I’m going the sandwich route.

The raspberry cups were just as good. Very different tasting. Dan is a huge fan of peanut butter and raspberry preserve sandwiches, so I knew he would like them more.

These were a fun evening snack – they would be perfect for an appetizer/dessert buffet. It was hard to get good photographs, I jumped back and forth from my 18-55mm to my 60mm macro and still had lighting issues. I can’t WAIT for spring and summer when I get more natural light hours.

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=3260

Jan 13 2011

Did she say toast for dessert?

January’s Food and Wine Magazine came through once again. I found a gem located five pages after the Nordic Winter Vegetable Soup recipe. There weren’t any photos, but based on the description, I knew I needed to recreate New York City chef April Bloomfield’s Toasts with Ricotta and Warm Balsamic-Caramel Apples. The Food and Wine article shared that April will be publishing her memoir and cookbook, tentatively titled A Girl and Her Pig, in 2012. The book will feature recipes from her three restaurants – including The Spotted Pig.

It was back to the grocery store for me. I picked up items I didn’t have on hand and got my ingredients ready for the photo shoot.

I used a more rustic bread than was suggested and I substituted white almonds in sea salt (I already had them) for Marcona almonds. I could have sautéed my white almonds in a little oil, but didn’t think it was necessary.

Link to the recipe and ingredients on the Food and Wine website.

The recipe suggested using a white bakery bread or Pain de mie – I went with a Pugliese bread, my local store has a great artisan bread selection and it was fresh out of the oven. I don’t know about you, but I can’t ever walk by fresh bread without adding some to my shopping basket or cart.

I sliced my bread and melted my butter in the microwave.

I used a rubber brush to give both sides of my bread a good coating. Once browned (it took a little longer than the recipe suggested  – 6 to 7 minutes in my oven)  – I set them aside on a plate while I prepped the apples.

I put the remaining butter in the sauté pan and cooked the apples over high heat for a good 5 minutes before I started seeing some browning around the edges.

Once more apple pieces started turning brown, I added the sugar and cooked them over moderately high heat until they caramelized. The process took just under 5 minutes. I then added my balsamic vinegar and water to the apple pan.

I simmered over low heat until the sauce became syrupy. I then used a slotted spoon to place the apple mixture onto my toasted bread pieces.

I measured out my ricotta cheese and chopped up my almonds and then added them to my apple toast pieces.

I made four of them for the photo shoot and Shhh, don’t tell anyone – I ate all four of them – one after another. They were incredible! The flavor profile pretty much rocked my world. I had some goat cheese and used it on one of the four pieces – it was also delicious, but I just loved the texture and flavor of the ricotta.

Sweet and savory, now that’s my kind of dessert. Food and Wine suggested a frizzante Moscato d’Asti as a good pairing – I happened to have a bottle of Moscato in the fridge, so I was good to go.

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=3226