Be Mine: Four Local Valentine's Treats

This is the time of year I get flooded with PR emails touting special romantic dinners at various restaurants. Ah, if only...

I long ago gave up trying to keep up with the tsunami of Valentine's day romance packages, but I do love a heart-felt gesture. So, I thought I'd mention several delicious edible Valentine's Day options for gifts that I've come across.

First up is cheese. Cheese? Yes, Taste's Mary Palmer pulled this out of a cooler at the Little Italy Mercato and, oh, did I want it. It's a Coeur Fleuri Chevre--a heart-shaped French goat cheese decorated with dried pomegranate seeds and rose petals. Truly seductive for the cheese lover. $13.50 at the Little Italy, Hillcrest, and North Park farmers markets.

Then, there's gelato. Not just any gelato, but Millie's vegan gelato--or as owner/gelato genius Susan Sbicca says, plant-based. She's made four special Valentine's Day flavors: blood-orange creamsicle (perfect topped with fresh blood orange marmalade), chocolate mint swirl (I top this with Jackie's Jams new Stehly Farms raspberry jam), coconut bing cherry (lovely with chocolate syrup), and lemon raspberry (crazy good alone but reaches a whole new dimension with Katherine Humphus's balsamic port reduction). (Sbicca may also have a passion fruit gelato. Be sure to ask.) $10 a pint at the Leucadia farmers market.

Finally, chocolate. Well, of course, chocolate! Here are two of my very favorites with some intriguing variations on an age-old theme:

Caxao holds a special place in my heart. You know that saying that you can feel the love in food? Yeah, yeah, but with Beatriz Ledezma's confections, I really can. There's something so pure and soulful about what she creates. Maybe it's just the combination of ingredients, but I think she could be a character in Like Water For Chocolate. There's something of the magic realism in her that is expressed through those truffles and caramels.

For Valentine's Day Caxao has what Beatriz calls the Je Thé Adore Collection--a seven-piece box of ganaches infused with various teas, fruits, and spices. Je thé aime, for example, is an infusion of green tea, papaya, peach, oranges, and marigold petals with a white ivory ganache and covered in 70 percent dark chocolate. $18

Then there's her delightful Pink Champagne Heart Box--11 pieces of silky white chocolate ganache and pink champagne truffles. $35

Her yet-to-be named crispy treats in a take-out box (puffed rice, puffed quinoa, rice cereal, caramelized sesame seeds, almonds, peanuts, and organic 75 percent chocolate) are dressed up for V-Day and are $6.

And, if you just want to give a little bitty truffle treat, give an Emperor Truffle--dark chocolate ganache covered in 70 percent dark chocolate. All of $2.50.

All of these are available online or at her booths at the Little Italy Mercato and Hillcrest farmers market.

For a very different kind of chocolate, you'll want to try David Bacco's truffles. He's got a beautiful 12-piece assortment for $26.95 (at Seaside Market, Albertson's Del Mar, and online). These hand-crafted sweets feature the glossy  heart-shaped incantato, a blend of passion fruit, caramel, and milk chocolate ganache.

Then, there's his extravagant hand-painted edible heart box filled with two incantatos, serene (milk chocolate caramel ganache), citral (a fusion of lemongrass and 71 percent bittersweet chocolate, euphoria (a dreamy Hazelnut gianduja), and montserrat (Caribbean spices with ancho and chipotle). This package is $29.95.

Bacco is also collaborating with Sea Rocket Bistro for Valentine's Day dinner, with executive chef Tommy Fraioli using chocolate in each course, with a dessert created by Bacco that incorporates Sea Rocket's bacon jam.

Now, I'm sure I missed a lot. So fill in the gaps with your favorite Valentine's day edibles!

♥♥♥

P.S. My buddy Sam Zien, "Sam the Cooking Guy," is doing a special event on February 18 at 7 p.m. called "Sam Live." He'll be on the stage of the Joan Kroc Theater doing live cooking, showing video clips, telling behind-the-scenes stories, taking audience questions, and then signing books. You can learn how this frustrated biotech exec ended up with a TV cooking show. And, opening for Sam will be Australian bartender Hayden Wood from Woody's Liquid Kitchen (featured on Oprah and known as the most entertaining bartender in the world).

Here's the link for tickets--the big deal about this is that a portion of the proceeds will go to support Salvation Army/Kroc Center scholarship programs. General admission tickets are $60.

I've got two tickets to give away to this event. Just write a comment about the best edible Valentine's Day gift you ever gave or received. I'll pick what I think is the most moving (or funny) comment. The deadline for comments is noon PST on Monday, Feb. 13, 2012.

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Cheese, Lite

Want to make a die-hard foodie crazy, absolutely loony? Start talking about reduced-fat or, better still, "lite" cheese. I know, because when I mentioned on Facebook that I was going to be writing about this topic, I got lectured and harangued by people who are convinced that the only good cheese is a full fat cheese and that if people just ate in moderation they could enjoy a triple cream Brillat Savarin, a Herve Mons Camembert, or luxurious Italian Gorgonzola Dolce.

And, for people who excel at moderation, I'm all for indulging in full-fat cheeses. But some of us have proven track records of excess and for those people, who need to cut back and need help doing it, there's an entire industry of cheese making that is offering products that are less fatty and lower in sodium than their counterparts. One of these company's Beemster, actually sparked this search. Their PR folks sent me a new product of theirs, Beemster Lite.

Now you won't find these "lite" cheeses, including Beemster Liter, at Venissimo or Taste Artisan Cheese in San Diego. Gina Freize, owner of Venissimo, explained that she doesn't carry reduced-fat cheeses because "True cheese is simply milk, salt and rennet. And milk naturally has fats. Of course, some cheese types are made with skim milk with naturally lowers the calories, but they are not altered in any other way."

Taste's Mary Palmer doesn't source for them either. She's tried a few so-called low- or reduced-fat cheeses and found that they seem to lose flavor, texture, richness, and many of the distinctive qualities we eat cheese for. But, she said, "I've had customers on restricted diets who are avowed 'cheese nuts' and so I try to search out the skim milk cheeses that deliver."

Now, as both said, some cheeses are naturally lower in fat. These include string cheese, part-skim mozzarella, farmers cheese, and Neufchâtel. Plus, goat cheeses tend to be lower in fat than cheeses made from cows milk. So, all is not lost, but other than the goat cheeses, these typically aren't exactly the most flavor-packing cheeses either. And, while you'll certainly find low-fat versions of Jack and Cheddar, Swiss and Muenster, you'll discover quickly that, by and large, the flavor is lacking and the texture rubbery. This is what has the foodies who lashed out so infuriated. And, they have a point. So, if you're looking for flavor and mouth appeal, are there any good options?

Armed with my package of Beemster Lite and in a quest to find other reduced-fat cheeses that might hold some promise, I headed to Trader Joe's, Taste, and Henry's to see what they had. I was already familiar with a couple of the cheeses, of the new ones some were quite palatable, even strikingly good; one was an utter bust.

Let's talk about the Beemster Lite first, since this is what launched my little quest. If you're unfamiliar with the Beemster name, let's just say that their Beemster X-O is a godly little Gouda. Made for centuries in The Netherlands, the cheese is matured for 26 months, which results in an intensely complex flavor and gritty texture, thanks to the moisture's evaporation, that makes it wonderful served on a cheese plate or grated like Parmesan. You can find it at Taste.

You can't say the same about Beemster Lite. Yes, it's in the same family but you simply can't get the same qualities in a cheese that contains 30 percent less fat than other cheeses and 20 percent less salt. That being said, if you can appreciate it as a different being, it still has a very clean, nice flavor that works for making a grilled cheese sandwich or even just munching on. You won't get that marvelous X-O texture, but it's not at all rubbery. I melted slices on homemade sourdough for breakfast and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

Then I turned to a cheese I've bought in the past and liked for the same reasons I liked the Beemster Lite. It melts well and has good flavor. That's the Kerrygold reduced fat aged cheddar. Henry's carries this cheese and I'm quite happy to grate it onto a tostada or bowl of chili or eat it in a quesadilla or on a piece of toasted bread with sliced fruit for breakfast. I probably wouldn't serve it on a cheese plate for company, but it's a good workhorse of a cheese for people who want a flavorful lower fat cheese but are looking to cut back calories.

Since these tasting games are more fun and useful with other people involved, I invited my friend Gayle Falkenthal over to help with the rest of the cheeses, which included a Cabot reduced-fat cheddar, a "lite" Celtic cheddar from Trader Joe's--not surprisingly called "Paddy Joe's"--a "lite" Brie, also from Trader Joe's, and a slice of Tomme de Savoie from Taste.

Clockwise from top: Kerrygold Reduced Fat Cheddar, Cabot Reduced Fat Cheddar, "Paddy Joe's" Reduced Fat Celtic Cheddar, Trader Joe's "lite" Brie, Tomme de Savoie

We ate the cheeses alone, with crackers, and melted a few on flour tortillas to make quesadillas.

The very orange Cabot reduced cheddar was fine, but nothing special. It melted well, it had a clear cheddar flavor but without any real sharpness or interesting texture.

On the other hand, the Paddy Joe's Celtic Cheddar was Gayle's favorite. It had a wonderfully crumbly texture as opposed to the usual reduced-fat rubbery quality you tend to get and it had a pure sharp flavor.

The lite Brie was dreadful. It has 50 percent less fat and 30 percent less calories, according to its label, and 100 percent less flavor or texture, according to our palates. I had left it out for two hours to come to room temperature and it remained a rubbery example of what not to do to cheese. We each had a bite and then I tossed it.

Now, the Tomme de Savoie was a whole other animal. This is an example of what Mary Palmer and Gina Freize were talking about, a semi-firm cheese naturally made from skim milk--in this case cows milk--with an earthy, almost mushroomy flavor. Tomme de Savoie is an AOC-protected French cheese from the Alps ("tomme" simply means wheel of cheese, so it's a wheel of cheese from the Savoie region of France). These cows are dining on mountain grasses and the skim milk is the leftover from the cream used to make butter and richer cheeses. So, it's naturally lower in fat content (between 20 and 40 percent) but still packs the flavor and has a lovely creamy texture and pleasingly sour rind.

While, by no means comprehensive, the little scavenger hunt proved instructive to me. I think I have to agree with my foodie respondents when it comes to high-fat cheeses like Bries. I don't think you can come close to replicating the pleasure in a lower fat version. Indulge if you must, but moderately if you can. But, I've been back to Taste for more Tomme de Savoie (and Beemster X-O), and will continue to buy the reduced fat Kerrygold cheddar as well as the TJ's copycat. Let me know if you have some favorite lower-fat cheeses you enjoy and where they can be purchased.



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Seeing Red on Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day food is just too easy to categorize. You have your aphrodisiacs like chocolate, honey, oysters, and ginger, your suggestive fruits like figs, and your liquid enticers like champagne. But, if you’re someone who just likes to play with your food and associates Valentine’s Day with all things red, break the mold, head to the markets, and have some fun.

It's easy to create gorgeous dishes with red foods, plus you’re giving yourself and your loved ones some wonderful antioxidant nutrients, most prominent of which is lycopene. It can dramatically lower the risk of developing prostate cancer, lung, breast, and stomach cancers, and age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s.

When we think of red foods, what first comes to mind, of course, are tomatoes, apples, watermelons, beets, red onions, and radishes. You can make a magnificent roasted red pepper soup or a divine cioppino with fresh seafood. You can bake an apple pie topped with toasted red walnuts from Terra Bella Ranch at the Little Italy Mercato.

But branch out a bit. Stunning sour cherry preserves found at our Middle Eastern markets are sexy and delicious spooned on a couple of scoops of French vanilla ice cream. Blood oranges make a colorful mimosa or margarita. Buy a bag of Trader Joe’s Golden Berry Blend of golden raisins and dried cherries, cranberries, and blueberries to create an eye-popping batch of scones or muffins.

Whether you’re preparing a special romantic dinner or having a group of friends over for Valentine’s Day, how about an appetizer of peppadews stuffed with lavender and fennel pollen-infused Cypress Grove Purple Haze goat cheese? Peppadews are a sweet piquanté pepper pickled in vinegar with salt and sugar. You can pick them up at Whole Foods and Bristol Farms, and sometimes at Taste Artisan Cheese, which is where I bought the goat cheese. Mary Palmer, who owns Taste with her husband George, offered a couple of useful tips for making these little treats. Make sure you thoroughly dry the peppers and simply cut a hole in the goat cheese package to  squeeze the cheese directly into the pepper halves. I topped each half with heart-shaped micro cabbage sprigs and a sprinkling of Alaea Hawaiian sea salt that I picked up at Specialty Produce.

In fact, Specialty Produce is a bonanza for finding red foods. They sent me home with a variety of micro greens and flowers from San Marcos-based Fresh Origins. I’ve got beet greens, dianthus, orchid blossoms, miniature radishes, opal basil, the micro cabbage leaves… All make beautiful garnishes not just on solid food dishes but for cocktails.

I also brought home some sweet little red carrots, red scallions, and a head of petite Pirella lettuce. With these I made a finger salad using each spear of lettuce as the utensil. Since the color of red carrots is only skin deep, I trimmed them and peeled just a couple of strands of skin, placing one carrot on a piece of lettuce. Then I sprinkled the plate with the Golden Berry Blend and slices of red scallions. I made a blood orange vinaigrette spiked with chipotle morita flakes, drizzled that over the salad, and finished it with a sprinkling of more chipotle morita. By the way, these chilis are a dark reddish purple variety of chili. They’re not smoked as long as the typical “ahumado” chipotle made from dried, smoked jalapeños, so they’re not considered to be the same quality as chipotles but they’re still very delicious and the flakes are colorful. 

The salad can be a prelude to a dish of baked polenta rounds topped with sundried tomato pesto. It’s an easy dish to make. You can make polenta from scratch and pour the batch into greased ramekins. let them set and unmold, or just buy a tube of prepared polenta at the market, and slice half-inch rounds. Brush each round with olive oil and then slide them into a mound of grated parmesan cheese. Cover them completely in the cheese and place on a greased pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. While they’re baking, in a food processor blend drained sundried tomatoes from an eight-ounce jar with a couple of cloves of garlic, Marsala wine, grated parmesan cheese, toasted walnuts, pepper, and enough olive oil to get a creamy consistency. When the polenta comes out of the oven, top with the pesto. You can also use the pesto to stuff chicken breasts or flank steak, toss with pasta, or even top a baked potato.

Of course, you need dessert. Pick up some gorgeous strawberries now growing in Carlsbad at your local farmers market and make my friend Susan Russo's beautiful "Seductive Strawberry Zabaglione." You can also substitute or mix in raspberries. It's easy to make and who doesn't love a rich and creamy dessert? And, if you still feel you need that hit of chocolate, pick up some truffles from Eclipse Chocolat.

We’ve been talking dinner, but this year Valentine’s Day falls on Sunday. How about brunch? French toast with homemade challah is a perfect and perfectly easy dish (try the wonderful challah recipe from Peter Reinhart’s masterful cookbook The Bread Baker’s Apprentice). And, sure you can top it with maple or blueberry syrup, but let’s stick to our red theme and go with a gorgeous raspberry puree. Make this a day in advance and then bring it to room temperature. All you need to do is combine a pint of fresh raspberries, ¼ cup of sugar, a tablespoon of blood orange juice, and a tablespoon of cointreau (or just double up on the orange juice) and a small saucepan. Stir in a cup of cold water thoroughly mixed with two tablespoons of cornstarch and bring the whole thing to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes. Let it cool and then either use an immersion blender to puree the mixture or put it in a blender or food processor. You can then strain it through a sieve if you want a pure liquid sauce or enjoy the texture as it is. When you’re ready to serve the French toast, simply pour it over and garnish with some extra raspberries.

 

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Say Cheese! At Taste. Again.

One of my favorite places in town to shop and enjoy good conversation is Taste Artisan Cheese in Hillcrest. I've written about them before, but this past week I stopped by to see what owner Mary Palmer had in stock and got samples of lots of interesting, some even astoundingly good, cheeses. Here are a few I wanted to share.

Roquefort Carles. This is, surprisingly, the last handmilled Roquefort that's made and made exclusively with Rye bread. This sheep's milk cheese is the specialty of Aveyron district of south central France. Crumble it on a salad or in pasta, add it to a sauce or, of course, eat it on its own. It pairs well with Sauternes or Port or even Sherry.


Rogue River Blue. I love blues and this one is simply spectacular. It's a domestic cow's milk blue cheese made by Rogue Creamery in Salem, Ore. What adds to its unique flavor is their technique of wrapping each wheel in local grape leaves that had been macerated in Pear Brandy. Not only does this add to the sublime flavors but it helps keep the cheese moist and creamy. Then, according to Mary, the cheese is aged at least a year in limestone. I took a wedge of this home with me. It's that irristible.


Five-Year Farmers Gouda. I'm a sucker for cheeses that give that little bit of crystalized crunch. Ten-year Hook's cheddar is one. Five-year Farmers Gouda is another. It's just a happy, sweet and nutty cheese that I don't want to pair with anything. I just want to cut in and nosh on it endlessly. This is what Parmigiano-Reggiano would taste like if it had a little butterscotch in it. I've been nibbling on it with little triangles of brown sugar shortbread I baked last week. Mary says it's great with dark chocolate. Try it with a glass of Port or Sauternes, a full-bodied red wine or dark beer.


Mary also sent me home with a container of shredded cheese. It's kind of a mystery as to what's in it, although it definitely includes some of the wonderful Farmers Gouda.


I wanted to see how it would melt, so yesterday I took the last "everything" bagel one of my LA cousins brought me from the great Western Bagel company, sliced it in half and did a preliminary toast in my toaster oven.


Then I sprinkled the cheese on the bagel and put it back in the toaster oven. It did a lovely melt.


It was wonderful on the bagel, but now I know I can add it to pasta for a creamy melt. It'll be great in an omelet or scrambled eggs, incorporated in risotto, sprinkled on a salad or tostada or in a taco, or melted over polenta. And, let's face it, it's got the fabulous flavors that the packages of shredded cheese you can buy at the supermarket are sadly lacking.

Along with the cheeses, my friend Diane and I sampled some olive oils Mary and her husband George are considering stocking. You can also find a selection of chocolates, Rey Knight's salumi, baguettes from Charlie's Best Bread in Pacific Beach and an assortment of condiments that marry well with cheese. If you've got any questions for Mary about cheese, twitter her @shreddedblend. She's a kick and will enjoy chatting with you.

Taste is located at 1243 1/2 University Ave. in Hillcrest.

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