PROGRESS ON THE NEW COMPONERE-KUNDE VEGETABLE GARDEN

We made major progress in the first phase of our new organic vegetable and herb garden last week. It’s a lot of work but it’s worth it to see a dream come true!

We’re finally going to be able to grow all kinds of unique heirloom vegetables for Componere Fine Catering and harvest them at the last minute, a long time dream of ours.

Kunde Estate Winery is providing the land and water and we’re developing the garden and managing it. Kunde is also providing half wine barrels for things like dwarf Meyer lemon trees, flagstone for the paths and cured logs to border the beds. It’s going to be beautiful when it’s finished. Planting in late May!

THE PEBBLE BEACH FOOD AND WINE EVENT

Tisa and I attended the Pebble Beach Food and Wine event last Sunday, compliments of the great folks at Classic Party Rentals.

Huge tents at the equestrian center in Pebble Beach were filled with booths from over two hundred different wineries and samples from several of the country’s top chefs. It was fun running into chefs I hadn’t seen in years, including Todd Fischer who was preparing the tasty Pan Fried Trout with Lobster and Fresh Peas pictured above. Our favorite sample of the day was a Chocolate Praline Truffle and Olive Oil Milkshake from the pastry chef at Coi in SF.

Unfortunately, at these types of events most of the food ends up being rather mediocre and this was no exception. It is a challenge translating a restaurant dish into a sample (prepared in a tent) for a couple thousand people.

We enjoyed some great wines but the highlight ended up being an incredible wine we had at our favorite casual spot in Carmel. It was so good I’m going to give it a separate post.

PUKING YOUR GUTS OUT FROM FOOD POISONING? DON’T BOTHER THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES

Many local health departments are underfunded and inefficient at dealing with outbreaks of food borne illness, as the NY Times points out in this article. Often, by the time the cause of illness is isolated it’s weeks later and too late to do anything about it.

Alemeda County, where our kitchen is located, is fortunate to have some good health department inspectors who are extremely thorough (they also have a knack for showing up as you’re packing out an event for four hundred). We were thrilled to get a perfect 100 on our last inspection, which you can view at Download Img-090422002954.

GETTING KIDS TO EAT VEGGIES, PART 2

In a previous post I mentioned how involving our three year old daughter in the garden helped her enjoy eating vegetables more. The other thing we have found helpful is having her assist us with cooking. We eat a lot of cooking greens and now we can’t pull out a bunch of kale or chard without Ella exclaiming “I want to help!”

One of her favorite jobs is pulling greens away from the stems and then washing them. After they are transported to the pot she gets to help stir. Once they make it to the table she is much less likely to reject something introduced with “these are the greens you made and you did a great job!”

It takes a bit longer to get things done in the kitchen but that’s made up for by the fact that you get dinner ready and spend quality time with your little one at the same time.

A few jobs that can be delegated to your little sous chef:

• Washing. Things like potatoes and carrots are great to start with because they’re quite sturdy.
• Peeling. One of Ella’s favorite activities BUT there is some danger of cuts, depending on what kind of peeler you have and how old your child is.
• Measuring. Even when specific measurements aren’t required, such as for pasta water, they can be measured and become great counting practice.
• Stirring. Another favorite, but around heat caution obviously needs to be used.

BOURBON BARREL SOY SAUCE

Bourbon Barrel Foods is using local Kentucky soybeans and old bourbon barrels to make soy sauce. It’s smoky and brothy with hints of oak and a mild sweetness reminiscent of fine Kentucky bourbon. Not a replacement for authentic soy sauce in Asian cooking but good for meat marinades.

You can purchase it at their website at Bourbon Barrel Foods, LLC – Bluegrass Soy Sauce.

TERROIR

I didn’t have an appreciation of terroir until I was fortunate enough to taste Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignons in culinary school (of course, I was 21 years old and more familiar with the Chico terroir of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale).

Terroir is a French term that refers a vineyard’s soil, exposure to sun, its drainage of air and water, and its shelter from such elements as wind and rain. I’ve heard it translated as “a sense of place” and it sums up all the unique growing conditions that can influence wine grapes.

Diamond Creek has multiple soil types within a small area and at the Culinary Institute of America we tasted Cabernets from Gravelly Meadow, Volcanic Hill and Red Rock Terrace. They were the same vintage and were made with identical technique. All were incredible wines but each was completely different based on the difference in terroir.

Tip: if you’re ever looking for a good wine tasting party idea try one focused on terroir.

Since I became an avid backyard gardener a few years ago I’ve also learned about the importance of terroir in growing vegetables. The carrot grown in rich, black soil full of organic matter tasted nothing like the ones simply stuck in some regular commercial potting soil. This is a reason organic produce often tastes better. The farmer can’t rely on an abundance of chemical fertilizers and instead must build rich soil, practice crop rotation, and so on.

FINDING KOREAN TACOS VIA TWITTER

I keep hearing about Kogi, the Los Angeles taco truck that offers Korean BBQ tacos. The food is supposedly awesome but the owners had a problem. They parked at different locations every day and people had trouble finding them. The solution? They now announce their location and their specials via Twitter. The result? Hundreds of people in line and the evolution of street food. Brilliant.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101881984

TOURING THE FRENCH LAUNDRY GARDEN

I recently visited the French Laundry garden. It made me even more excited that we’re developing our own large garden for Componere. We eventually want to grow over half of our vegetables and all our herbs.

THE FLAVORS OF JAPAN

The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture recently sponsored a free, invitation-only conference at Greystone in Saint Helena. The purpose was to educate “influencers” in the food world about various Japanese products, especially Wagyu beef.

Lunch alone was worth the trip. After an introduction from the Consul‐General of Japan, and some cooking demos, we feasted on an incredible lunch including Tuna with Black Garlic and Nagaimo Yam Fritter. We also had Wagyu beef sushi with level 5 Wagyu that melted in the mouth despite being raw. In typical Japanese fashion it was garnished simply and beautifully with an edible cherry blossom leaf to represent spring.

One of the highlights of the cooking demos was seeing Kimio Nonaga, from Nihonbashi Yukari Restaurant in Tokyo, break down a whole three hundred pound tuna. Chef Kimio was the grand champion of the “Iron Chef 2002″ and is one of the most well-known chefs in Japan. He is also one of only 55 Japanese Grand Chefs. In other words, he knows his stuff.

A separate demo Chef Kimio did regarding dashi was extremely educational. Dashi is a Japanese broth made using dried bonito and kombu seaweed and the smallest changes in technique can make a big difference. The subtle nuances of Japanese cuisine are amazing and I left inspired.

HOW TO GET KIDS TO EAT THEIR VEGGIES, PART ONE

More and more research is showing links between early childhood diet and future obesity, such as here.

Few things have succeeded in interesting our daughter in vegetables more than her participation in our home vegetable garden.

The first thing we planted was pink radishes because they grow so quickly. We watered them together every morning and eagerly awaited the first sprouts coming out of the ground.

When they finally did poke through she was amazed. I explained that the sprouts coming up were from the very same seeds we planted. Her sense of wonder was deepened even more after we pulled the first radishes out of the ground and served them with dinner. Ever since, she has loved radishes. The same thing has been repeated with unlikely candidates such as Portuguese kale and Chioggia beets. Veggies she previously detested get a second chance after she helps grow them. Her favorites are eating peas right out of the pod in the spring and devouring large quantities of cherry tomatoes in the summer. Growing the pumpkin we carved into a jack ‘o lantern was also a big hit.

As a bonus, gardening encourages kids to be active outdoors. It also offers opportunities to explain some basic scientific concepts to kids (e.g., a super-simplified version of photosynthesis) and even timeless principles such as patience and “you reap what you sow”.