My husband and I recently decided to do a spur-of-the-moment mid-week trip to Lake Tahoe. He had bought new ski gear and we decided to go up and spend a few relaxing days in the snow.
On the way up, we encountered some harsh driving conditions, but we made it through.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel opened in a remote area of the Northstar resort in 2009. It is absolutely gorgeous and plush. And they have great mid-week rates. The rooms have gas fireplaces and our room had a beautiful snowy mountain view. There were several wonderful seating areas with fireplaces in the lounge.
It snowed on our way up and during our first night there. The conditions were ideal for skiing with light, powdery snow.
Although the snow was tempting, the spa was calling my name. A manicure and a pedicure instead of bundling up and braving the cold? Sure thing!
We never had to leave the hotel during our stay. There were three restaurant choices and all were good. The Manzanita dining room was fantastic. There we dined on cabbage soup, roasted beet salad, seared scallops with truffled potatoes and braised short ribs.
It was a lovely mini-vacation and leaving there was difficult. We have been checking our calendars for another date and time for a mid-week excursion before the snow melts.
We just recently returned from Provence where the focus of our Getaway was truffles! Black Perigord (tuber melanosporum) truffles, to be exact. We had a fun, energetic group and an active agenda for the week.
During our Truffle Getaway, we stayed in a gorgeously-remodeled farmhouse in the Luberon area of Provence, near the village of Goult. This farmhouse features five bedrooms, all with private bathrooms, a chef’s kitchen, a swimming pool, a luxurious living room with fireplace, a formal dining room and lovely grounds.
To start the week off, we went for a truffle hunt with a farmer and his dog, Griselle. Griselle found about a dozen truffles in the span of half an hour. What fun it was to see her start digging and then watch the farmer move in with his special truffle tool to complete the extraction of the truffle from the hole. Afterward, we watched an educational video about truffles and then enjoyed a hearty dish of scrambled eggs loaded with black melanosporum truffles.
Each day, we enjoyed spectacular truffle meals, both at home and in local restaurants. We also had special demonstrations on truffles and got to taste several different varieties in order to understand the differences.
We also cooked with a French chef and dined on our creations – brandade with truffles, chicken fricasee with truffled mashed potatoes and sauteed artichokes, and pineapple carpaccio and kiwi fruit with truffles.
We ate local cheeses, some with truffles and some not. We tasted local wines and olive oils.
We shopped at the local markets and ate favorite regional specialties, such as saucissons, Provencal olives, tappenade, pickled garlic, and anchovy aioli.
Did I mention that we had fabulous meals prepared for us both in restaurants and at the farmhouse, too?
I can hardly wait to do it again next year.
For more information and pictures from our truffle week, check out the Fresh Local and Best blog site.
A very special event, Les Printemps de Chateauneuf-du-Pape, is coming up on April 10th & 11th in France. This event is being organized by the young winemakers in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region. The event will showcase wines from 60 wine makers in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. One of the biggest attractions is that there will be a chance to taste old vintage Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines. In fact, there will be stations set up that focus on old vintage wines, on terroir, on the different grape varietals in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and on food and wine pairings. Sixty bottles of Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine will be given away in a lottery fashion to ticket-holders.
I will be organizing a trip for a small group to attend so contact me right away if you have an interest in going with us.
It has been raining - actually, storming would be more accurate – this entire week in Sausalito. However, even through the rain, the presence of sunshine is in my yard in the form of gorgeous yellow Meyer lemons.
Meyer lemons grow year-round here. They seem to really thrive on the weather in Sausalito. Meyer lemons are a cross between lemons and sweet oranges and have a mild flavor that is sweeter than more common lemons, such as Eurekas. I use them in both sweet and savory dishes. They are extremely versatile and highly fragrant. A bowl of Meyer lemons sitting on your countertop with give a delicate, citrus fragrance to your kitchen.
One of my favorite ways in which to use Meyer lemons is in this Meyer Lemon Pecan Shortbread Squares recipe. This recipe is so simple yet memorable and delicious. This makes a fantastic pairing with a double cappuccino or espresso.
Ingredients
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, at room temperature + 1 teaspoon for pan
2 cups plain unbleached flour
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 Tablespoon cornmeal
Zest of 2 Meyer lemons
½ cup toasted pecans
You will also need:
Large casserole or baking dish (approx. 13×9×2”)
Microplaner or zester
Mixer
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325oF.
Butter the baking dish with 1 teaspoon butter. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together in the mixer at medium speed until they are fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer and add the flour, salt and cornmeal. Mix until just incorporated. Stir in the zest and the toasted pecans.
Pour the mixture (it should still be crumbly, but moist) into the prepared baking dish. Press it down with your hands until it is even in the dish. Make decorative patterns with the prongs of a fork, if desired. Bake for approx. 30 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove the pan from the oven. Let the shortbread cool for about 5 minutes. Loosen the sides of the shortbread from the dish and cut into pieces. Do not remove from the pan for another 15-20 minutes, when much cooler and set. Remove carefully from the baking pan. Eat immediately or store for up to three days in an airtight container.
Makes about 2 dozen squares.
