Winery Highlights

My time in the Napa Valley is sadly coming to an end. With only five weeks left till I move on, my wine tasting experiences have become more frequent. This week I tried 11 new wineries. My favorites of the bunch were Stags Leep Wine Cellars, Schweiger Vineyards, and Dutch Henry. Culminating my week of wine tasting I went with a group of friends Friday night to a local restaurant named Farmstead. They have a beautiful outdoor seating area with a fireplace and couches. We used the opportunity to crack open 4 bottles of wine we had purchased earlier in the day. With the fireplace roaring and an amazing dinner being consumed around a beautiful setting, we had a lovely time making new friends and sharing our wine. In our group was an ex-employee of Duckhorn who shared with us his bottle of Golden Eye 2007 Pinot Noir. When I first arrived in Napa I was just discovering wine and figuring out my favorites. I am now happy to say I will never stop tasting, but I have arrived at my conclusion.  05' cabernet sauvignons are my all time favorite, but Pinot Noirs are my go to wine and my favorite of the bunch is the 07' golden eye, I was lucky enough to enjoy Friday night. Arriving at 6:00pm and closing the restaurant at 11:30 we met new friends, shared a glass of wine with 2 of our  Chef's from the CIA and talked to classmates dining there as well. The staff was very accommodating and did not even charge us the low $2.00 corkage fee. We later requested they do because it is donated to charity.

The farmstead burger is top in Napa. Served with home-fries and homemade ketchup and topped with arugula and a fried egg

DIY Olives

My Olives have now been sitting in salted water leaching their naturally bitter flavor and softening for a month. They are doing great. I expected them to take around 9 months to be fully edible, but after nervously tasting them I expect them to be done in around 1 or 2 months. One thing I noticed is the loss of color that is occurring. My prediction is that the salt in the water is having a reaction with the pigments in the olives. Purple fruits and vegetables contain a pigment called Betalaine. With the addition of an alkaline they become tender and dull in color. 


The promised recipe for home cured olives...
1 qt. ripe olives
room temperature water to cover
1/2 c kosher salt
place all in qt container mix and mix until majority of salt is gone. Cover container with a lid place upside down and leave untouched in room temperature until softened and no longer bitter. About 3 months (will update on exact time, once mine are finished)
Once done, drain olives and place in mason jars with flavorings. 

• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

This is only one recipe. Many spices, citrus, vinegars , and oils may be added. 

Recipe Box

Most will think I am crazy for saying this, but I am actually extremely sick of eating dinner at the Culinary Institute. I'll put it in perspective....Imagine yourself having to eat restaurant style food for every meal over months of time with no choice of what you are eating. It sounds like I am complaining for no reason, but seriously it gets to you.

My desperation drove me to the local safeway for a last plea of just plain soup. My food snob light bulb went off and my attention was re-directed to the seafood counter when I saw the sign that said crabs 1.99/lb. How could I not. The Seafood attendant even gave me one for free. I was able to buy two fresh, never frozen  dungeness crabs for less then the cost of the bottle of safeway brand mustard I bought to accompany it. Sounds sketchy right...The store had been sent double their order and for once the customers got to benefit. 

My simple dinner went in a slightly different direction, but it was still simple to make. Besides the crab, I used only what I had in my room to make this dinner. Yes, normal people do not have a full set of knives sitting next to their bed, but believe me I got creative.

Crab with Apple and Avocado Salad 

1 boiled, cleaned, and chilled crab

1 apple chopped small

1 avocado chopped small

1/2 sweet onion diced

splash orange liqueur

splash pomegranate juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine avocado, apple, and onion. Toss and season with liqueur, juice, salt, and pepper. Top with crab and enjoy!

When making in a true kitchen setting to refine the presentation I would mold the salad in a circle using a pvc pipe and take the crab meat out of the shell so that it has a layered neat look. 

Out of the Kitchen

On a recent venture to Sonoma I discovered a nostalgic candy store with many favorites I had not thought about in years. My friends and I had so much fun playing "remember this" and "Omg did you ever have that". With a name like  Tiddle E. Winks, how could anyone pass this store up. It is a very small store, but the walls are packed from floor to ceiling with everything from old Hershey Bars to Teaberry gum. Above the register the wall is covered with different versions of the Tiddle E. Winks game. I of course did not leave empty handed. I was able to resist opening my purchases in the car and a chewy bar and a few pieces of cinnamon hotdog gum (minus 1) made it home safe with me.