The Olive Press & Wine Country Chocolates

Ready for the picking

Next up was another tasting adventure. But this time it wasn't sparkling whites or full-bodied reds that we would be swirling in our cups. This time it would be of liquid gold, olive oil! For centuries extra-virgin olive oil has been valued for it's curative properties and culinary virtues. Any foodie worth her weight in gold knows what the Mediterranean gourmand has known for centuries, that the magical flavor and aroma of olive oil is essential to healthy and pleasurable eating.

And I adore olives and olive oil. I seriously couldn't live without it. Especially olive oil. Fortunately, my friend M is as much a food enthusiast as I am. She prepared the day's itinerary for us but I might as well have drawn it up myself! It is inevitable that such like-minded individuals would have this much fun on a road trip together. Aside from the winery, she included visits to olive oil, cheese and chocolate tasting rooms. Ooh la la! Could that be any more delightful?!

the olive press outside The Olive Press

So after Viansa we proceeded to The Olive Press, a rustic old building with a state-of-the-art Pieralisi press located in the Jack London Village. Olive trees guard the entrance to the tasting room and Provençal-inspired gift shop. Inside is a plethora of all things olive. There are pretty baskets, olive-themed ceramics, assorted jars of tapenade, olive oil storage containers, table linens, kitchenware, cured olives, and various books about olives. On a shelf across the main entryway in neat rows of sleek dark bottles are the olive oils.

In the middle of the room, on offer are the various dipping oils infused with the freshest herbs and spices. Beside each variant is a dipping dish and chunks of crusty bread. I was in glorious oily heaven! I couldn't decide which one was my favorite but it was a close fight between the Basil Walnut and Roasted Garlic and Rosemary dipping oils. What I loved best were the tapenades which I sampled on baguette slices. They were delicious! At the rate I was going, I wasn't going to have any room for lunch!

Then there is the tasting bar where you can sample all the olive oils. Here is how to sample the oils: Pump some olive oil into a small plastic cup and warm it with your hands. Bring the cup to your nose and breathe in its bouquet of aromas. Place a drop of the oil on your bottom lip and taste the oil for its degree of sweetness. After which, sip the oil and using the sides of your tongue, taste for spiciness.

the tasting bar

Ha! Who am I kidding? I didn't do all that. After pumping, warming and sniffing I used the toothpicks provided to spear a bread cube and dip it into plastic cups which I then popped into my mouth. As I went down the line, I savored the delicate flavors, smoothness and richness. Some were fruity or buttery, others peppery. Some subtle, while most were intense. All pretty wonderful.

Beside the tasting bar is a window, through which you can watch the hammer-mill press if you are lucky enough to be there during milling season (Oct-Jan). For those who are not so fortunate, like us, there is a free video tour that demonstrates the entire process.

* * *

Just around the corner from The Olive Press is a small unpretentious store which would be easy to miss if it wasn't for the big sign on the sidewalk. Wine Country Chocolates is famous for their hand-dipped, flavored chocolate truffles. They specialize in exquisite creations filled with wine-infused ganache, made from quality wines in the region such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Port and Zinfandel.

In true wine-country style, they even had a tasting bar! I was literally a kid in a candy store! (Oh shush, I am still a kid at heart :) ) The very friendly lady behind the bar indulged our sweet tooth. We got a sweet lesson on the various compositions of chocolate, how the ratio between cacao solids to sugar and vanilla determines how sweet or bitter the chocolate is. I personally liked the 70% variety, which stayed true to its claim of having a "bold beginning and sweet finish".

Through the glass window, we watched a chocolatier at work. She made magic. She moulded and dipped more of those little pieces of heaven. I couldn't tell what flavor of truffle she was in the process of making, but it could have been any one of a wide variety of other flavors like Kahlua Irish Creme, Capuccino Tiramisu, Amaretto, Raspberry, or Champagne. I was fascinated with the molded designs they had on display, most of which were chocolate animals. They looked too good to eat. But we bought and ate them anyway. :)

The Olive Press

Jack London Village
14301 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen, Sonoma County
Tel: 800-965-4839

Wine Country Chocolate

Jack London Village

14301 Arnold Drive, Suite 2

Glen Ellen, Sonoma County

Up Next: Downtown Sonoma & the cheese factories

Viansa Winery & Italian Marketplace

Ahhh the wine country. Napa and Sonoma Counties which make up the Wine Country heartland are accountable for 90% of all wine produced in the U.S. Although Napa Valley is slightly better known, Sonoma County is actually the birthplace of California's wine industry. It is in her rolling hills that Colonel Agoston Haraszthy first planted zinfandel grapes in the 1850's. Today, more than just rolling hills and vines as far as the eye can see, it is home to over 70 wineries and has become a popular destination for oenophiles and non-oenophiles alike. And whereas I only dipped my foot into her waters many moons ago, I was determined to take the plunge this time and venture deeper.

So armed with printed pages from Google Maps, my friend M and I took turns at the wheel as we made our way upstate from SF. We both agreed to do only one winery on this trip so we would have time for all the other things we wanted to see and do while there. The day couldn't have been more perfect. Yhe sun was shining and the leaves were swaying gently. As we cruised along the country road, I felt a flood of happiness in my veins. Roadtrip with good friend, perfect weather, gorgeous scenery, prospecting fine wine & food, this is the stuff dreams are made of.

Our first stop was the Viansa Winery. Few places in the world are more romantic than a gorgeous villa surrounded by vineyards. We caught glimpses of the Italian hilltop villa through the olive trees as we made our way up the driveway and into the parking lot. I stepped out of M's camry and into what could have been a vineyard in Tuscany.

The Sebastiani family's Tuscan heritage is visible everywhere, from the architecture : the fountain in the courtyard ,the red-tiled roofs, frescoes, sculptures, traditional artisan iron-work to the things they produced: the food, olive oil and of course the wine. The winery was founded in 1989 by the Sebastiani family and produces some of the finest Italian wines in the region.

We checked out the cool cave cellar with its interspersed arching alcoves topped with a high vaulted ceiling before heading to the Italian Marketplace at the back of the villa. Barbera Rose, Prosecco, Dolcetto, Muscat Canelli are just some of the wines made in these grounds. Upstairs is the marketplace/tasting room, I was surprised to find a very extensive array of food products. They had salsas, jams, dipping oils, spreads, cheeses, side by side with Tuscan-inspired tableware, cookbooks and souvenirs. I made my rounds from table to table sampling everything, sparing none. Everything was so good, I almost forgot about the wines!

At the rear of the villa is the beautiful picnic grounds, a popular venue for wedding receptions. Here, the guests are treated to an expansive view of the countryside, a perfect backdrop for the rustic atmosphere. I could have sat there for hours, maybe even all day and into the night if I had a good bottle of wine with me and some pairings. But we had a long day ahead of us and it was time to move on. Still so much to see!

Viansa Winery & Italian Marketplace

25200 Arnold Dr., Sonoma CA 95476

Tel. 1-800-995-4740

San Francisco

My trip last October was all about reconnecting. So far I had travelled to three different cities (Mexico, Phoenix and Las Vegas) and spent quality time with friends and family, forming new memories in the process in the hopes that it would sustain us until the next time. Coming to San Francisco was no different and neither was it any less special. I spent good quality time with old friends who I haven't seen in a long time, and also took the BART to visit an uncle who lived out east in Bay Point. (He is my mom's only brother who I hadn't seen in over 5 years I believe. My aunt and cousin joined us for a nice pasta dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Concorde.)

However, unlike the other places I had just been to, this wasn't my first time in this splendid city by the Bay. Having visited SF twice before is not enough if you ask me. I can't get enough of her! She holds a piece of your heart captive each time you leave, making you want to linger and compelling you to vow to come back soon. It's no wonder really that she has inspired so many poets, novelists, musicians and artists. Did you know there are over a thousand songs written about this city?

San Francisco Cable Car

Just like Sheila, my friend in Phoenix, the friends I was staying with and visiting on this trip are friends I've had since 5th grade. They're identical twins (for purposes of this blog, I will refer to them from hereon as B1 and B2) and they're both married and living in the East Bay. I stayed with B2 in her house in the Oakland hills where she lives with her husband, her super adorable 5 month old son and his nanny. They have a beautiful 5 bedroom house with a swimming pool and jacuzzi nestled at the foothills of a reserve, the Redwood Regional Park.

B1 picked me up at the airport and she took me straight to Burlingame to meet up with her husband for cocktails. We chatted over mojitos and finger food and it was almost 10 pm when we finally crossed the Bay Bridge into Oakland. I had never stayed in the East Bay before so they made a detour up Skyline Blvd. by the redwood reserve to show me the spectacular view of San Francisco at night. It was breathtaking! I even saw wild deer, like four or five of them from the car. I wasn't fast enough with my camera though, but I have their deer-in-the-headlights look forever imprinted in my memory.

We finally got to B2's house where she had dinner waiting for hours on the table. I had almost forgotten what a riot it is when you have the twins together. They are a hoot and a half, and I missed them immensely. This was going to be a fun 10 days, I thought.

* * *

And how right I was. It was not without thought that I chose SF to be my last stop. Not only could I not resist the opportunity to come back here, but I also wanted to slow down a little, take the pace of my trip down a notch. And this was the perfect place to do that because I didn't have to run around playing the crazed tourist. I did not even make any plans for my 10 days here. I decided to let fate take it's course and let each day bring with it what it wanted.

I spent a lot of time with B2's baby boy who I fell head over heels in love with. (Boy, did it tug at my heartstrings when I said goodbye to him on my last day!) I did a lot of shopping, all the last minute orders of family and friends and buying pasalubongs (gifts for people back home). There was one entire day that Tom, B1's husband, was kind enough to offer to drive me anywhere I wanted. He insisted on being my chauffer when I protested, so I let him take me to Target & Emeryville where we hit some of my favorite stores: Old Navy, See's Candies, Crate & Barrel, Barnes & Noble, Bath & Body Works, Pottery Barn, and Williams-Sonoma, to name a few. In return, I treated him to pizza and a Jamba Juice. :)

Many of my dinners were had in B1's house where her mom would cook us the most amazing Spanish meals. Her mom had a couple of Spanish restaurants back in Manila which were famous for her traditional recipes, Rock Ola being the more famous of the two because it had a young bar crowd as well. I found myself looking forward to these dinners with the entire clan which were always casual, noisy and fun. This was much better than sitting in a stiff and crowded restaurant in downtown Oakland or Berkeley any day.

Stunning views from uphill

I was seeing SF from a whole new perspective, from an East Bay-er perspective this time. Quite different from when I used to stay in San Bruno or South San Francisco during previous visits. I found myself crossing the Bay Bridge at least twice a day, presenting me with spectacular views of the SF skyline during each westward crossing. I loved approaching the city at dusk, when everything turns a hazy orange and looks so serene.

B1 took a day off from work to spend time with me. She asked me what I wanted to do, and I told her to just drive around and so we did. There are few places in the world more diverse than right here. We navigated the hilly streets and drove from one vibrant neighborhood to another.

We headed out to the Presidio, a park under the Golden Gate National Recreation Area which boasts some of the most amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay. Here we parked the car at the foot of the world's most famous bridge and strolled on the dunes among bikers, kite-flyers, joggers, folks with their dogs and sunbathers. It was a beautiful clear day and I was glad to be outdoors. We continued over to the Legion of Honor which commands a magnificent view of the city and the bridge and took some pictures.

The "Painted Ladies" and the SF skyline behind them, taken from Alamo Square

We headed towards Haight Street, a stretch of vintage shops and bars where the vibe underscores the city's counterculture, where we stopped for a crepe then drove through colorful Castro district, the mecca of the gay community and venue of the world's biggest gay pride parade. We proceeded to Marina, one of my favorite neighborhoods, where you can find the Palace of Fine Arts, then finally through quaint Victorian houses that make up most of Noe Valley and Western Addition district. We stopped at Alamo Square and sat in the sun enjoying the view before we headed home to get ready for the party. This is a great way to see the city, just driving around the neighborhoods and stopping at cafes and parks as you please.

Haight St. boutique

* * *

On the Saturday before Halloween, we attended a private "pimp n ho" party at a friends house out in Marin County. We immediately headed to Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley to find something to wear. Stepping out into Telegraph Ave. you are immediately transported back to the '60s. Browsing the record shops and vintage clothing stores, I felt so...ordinary! It was almost liberating to be surrounded by so much individuality and people who exuded a devil-may-care attitude about the way they dressed or spoke or lived for that matter. Needless to say, the party and seeing everyone in pimp and ho mode was a blast!

There are tons of reasons why I love San Francisco so much. It's a vibrant, liberal city where anything goes. It is so culturally diverse that each neighborhood might as well be in a totally different country. The unparalleled epicurean delights are endless, ranging from budget friendly to luxe, and representing all corners of the globe. The climate is usually mild though unpredictable at times, the vistas are spectacular, it is a peninsula surrounded by water (a big plus!), I can name you a hundred reasons. But I won't. Instead let me show you two more of them:

Blondie's Pizza and....

clam chowder on sourdough bread!

No trip to SF is complete if I don't have at least one of my three favorite foods from there, the third being dungeness crab. :)

Blondie's Pizza
64 Powell St. , near the end of the Powell cable car line

Boudin Bakery
Macy's Dept. Store, Union Square

Up Next: Sonoma Valley

Hummus and Baba Ghanoush

Foreword:
Happy new year everyone! I hope you all had a nice time surrounded by people you love during the holidays. : ) I don't normally make NY resolutions because I don't like succumbing to the pressures of making resolutions just at the beginning of a year. I prefer making resolutions throughout the year which, in my experience, results in a higher success rate. But I found myself at the brink of the new year with a lot of blogging to catch up on. There is still the last leg of my October trip I'd like to finish documenting. So i resolved to stop slacking and start posting more often!

So here I go, my first post for 2007. I decided to start with a food post, particularly food which I included in the feast my sister and I prepared for us to enjoy as we ushered in the new year.

After I graduated from university, I went on an extended vacation to the US and Canada. I had never had more than a 2 month vacation since I became a kindergartener at the age of 4, so I was really looking forward to this hiatus. Since I finished with a double degree, wasn't it only fair that I also got a double vacation? Of course! So I went away for 4 fabulous months! I stayed in the Bay Area for a little over a month, with side trips to LA & Lake Tahoe, before making my way north to Vancouver, BC where I visited my sister and her family for the remaining 3 months. Needless to say, these were some of the best months of my life and when began my little romance with this beautiful city.

My sister is a stay-at-home mom so we spent a great deal of time together. Much of this time was enjoyed in her kitchen as she prepared dinner for her family. I tried to watch and learn from her while I balanced her then 7 month old son on my hip or painted and colored with her 3 year old daughter on the breakfast table. Because I didn't write anything down, I forgot most of what I learned.

Except for these two dishes...hummus (creamy chickpea dip) and baba ghanoush (creamy eggplant dip). I don't remember if I tried them for the first time that time, but I vividly remember happily eating either one at least twice a week either as an appetizer or as a side, and even sometimes as our main meal and always with some pita bread.

I've only bought hummus once, from a supermarket in London. Blech. That was the last time I had store-bought hummus. No matter how lazy or tired you are or, what's that? You're a kitchen-virgin? Have no fear! Not only are these delicious and healthy, they're unbelievably easy to make. I make hummus quite often at home, sometimes eating little else for a week.

There are countless variations to hummus, in fact I probably don't make it the same each time. I just throw everything into the blender and add a little of this and a little of that to taste. Every country in the Middle East, Northern Africa and along the Mediterranean has their own version of this ancient dish as well.

I prefer to use roasted garlic instead of raw garlic because the taste is nuttier and sweeter. However, when I'm in a rush or making it at someone else's place, I just use raw garlic which makes it delicious nonetheless. And since I'm a garlic fiend, I put lots of it. So for starters, you can use this recipe and tweak it as you please. The kitchen is your playground, and this hummus is your ummm, oyster!

Basic Hummus

1 can garbanzos (chickpeas, canned or cooked - I buy Molinera)
2-3 tbsp. Tahini (sesame seed paste)
6 cloves of crushed garlic (preferably roasted)
juice of 1 lemon
4-5 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt or to taste
1/4 cup water (optional, if you like a smoother and more liquid consistency, though I usually just add more olive oil and lemon juice to achieve the consistency I want)
fresh parsley or olives
paprika

Mix everything (except parsley and paprika) in a blender. Pour in a bowl, drizzle with some olive oil then sprinkle with parika and garnish with either olives or parsley. This is best eaten scooped up with warmed pita bread but you may also spread them on melba toast, crackers or french bread. It is also excellent as a vegetable dip.

For some variety, I like to substitute the garbanzos with black beans or fava beans and adding some chili powder or cayenne for a little kick. This will produce a dip similar to ful medames or simply ful, one of Egypt's national dishes. You may also add peeled roasted red peppers or kalamata olives to the basic recipe for a more Mediterranean or Greek flavor.

To make Baba Ghanoush, use the same ingredients as the recipe for hummus above but substitute the garbanzos with 4-5 small (or 2 large) eggplants. What you do is, first pierce the skin of the eggplants and broil them until they're black on all sides. Place them under cold running water while you peel the skin off, then mash the flesh before combining it with all the other ingredients. Serve in a bowl drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, paprika and garnish with parsley or an olive.

The definitive banana bread

I have a confession to make: I am a banana bread snob. There aren't many I've tried that I genuinely like. In my opinion, all banana bread/loaf/cake/muffins can be found at either one of the two extremes on the flavor pole: dry & bland or moist & delicious. Even if they are ok, yet don't measure up to those in the moist & delicious camp, they might as well be banished to the other end of the pole because I won't waste my calorie count on them (IF I was counting calories heh).

My sister used to make banana bread that was the bomb! I haven't had it in years because she moved to Canada 15 years ago. (mental note: bug her for her recipe!). A few years ago at a cooking and recipe forum I used to be active in, someone had posted this recipe and a promise that all other banana bread recipes would pale in comparison. The reaction for months after was nothing short of a craze. Everyone who had tried the recipe gushed about it, prompting its inclusion to the forum's recipe hall of fame.

All of this, I discovered happily later, was well-deserved. It became the definitive banana bread to which I have since compared every other one to. I have had this recipe for over 4 years now I think, but I regret not taking down the name of the lady who originally shared it with us so I can give her credit it now.

I prefer my loaf to have a streusel topping because I love the added crunch so that part is my own addition. You may choose to omit this, of course.

Banana Bread

2 cups flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cup very ripe bananas, mashed (about 6, depending on the size)
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°.

Grease and flour loaf pan (or muffin pan). Stir & toss together flour, salt, baking soda then set it aside. In a large bowl combine butter, sugar, eggs and bananas. Add the combined dry ingredients until batter is thoroughly blended. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with the streusel topping.

Baking time:
banana bread loaf: about 1 hour.
muffins: 15 mins.

Check center for doneness with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's ready. Remove from oven then let cool for 5 minutes before inverting.

Streusel Nut Topping: (from BHG Cookbook)

1/2 C packed brown sugar
6 T all-purpose flour.
4 T butter
2/3 C chopped walnuts

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and flour. Then using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the walnuts. Sprinkle this on top of the loaves or muffins before baking.