This was a year filled with extraordinary food and beverage adventures.  It was difficult to narrow down a “Best of the Best” list, but here are my picks for 2011:

Best Overall Coffee Experience: Roasting beans and doing a comparative tasting with Scott Miller, owner of Ogeechee River Coffee Company, Savannah, Georgia.

Best new chocolate confection chef: Chris Kollar of Kollar Chocolates in Yountville, California.  Especially love his passion fruit, coconut and peanut butter chocolates.

Best foraging adventure on a farm: La Petraia in Radda in Chianti, Italy, with owner and chef, Susan McKenna Grant.  Foraging was followed by a cooking class and lunch that featured our foraged ingredients!

Best wine harvest experience: Goosecross Cellars, Napa, California. Was such a learning experience to follow Winemaker Geoff Gorsuch during the pressing and crushing of the grapes for their Viognier wine.

Best new chocolate bar: Askinosie Chocolate, Springfield, Missouri.  I absolutely adore their new single-origin bar made with cacao beans from Honduras.

Best organic olive oil discovery: Castelas’ Biologique Olive Oil, Les Baux de Provence, France.  Grassy, aromatic, spicy and delicious.  This is a perfect finishing oil.

Best dish using brussel sprouts: Bottega Restaurant, Napa Valley, California.  Their new crispy brussel sprout salad is phenomenal.  I was upset that they took their shaved brussel sprout salad off the menu but this new salad is truly superior – so full of flavor and crunch!

Best new diner: The Fremont Diner in Sonoma, California.  Farm-to-table, Southern-inspired dishes such as BBQ pork sandwich, collard greens and housemade biscuits.

Best sugar discovery: Wasanban from Shikoku, Japan.  Wasanban is a very fine-grained sugar that is made from a thin sugar cane plant grown in Shikoku.  A friend in Japan sent it to me.  I have been using it to sprinkle on dessert crepes and cookies and to sweeten tea.  I love its delicate texture and sweet flavor.

Best affogato (gelato with a shot of espresso): Poggio in Sausalito, California.  They dress their affogatos up with slices of toasted almonds and candied orange peel.  Exquisite!

Best caramels: Jacques Genin in Paris, France.  These caramels melt in your mouth and dance on your tongue.  The flavors are rich and the texture is perfect.

Best wine education experience: Les Printemps de Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France.  Was there in April for a tasting of grenache wines from several different soil types and microclimates within the Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation.

Best new artisanal salt: Jacobsen Hand-Harvested Pure Sea Salt from Netarts Bay, Oregon.  This salt has a wonderful crunch and a bright, clean flavor.  Excellent finishing salt.

Best hamburger in San Francisco: 4505 Meats, San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.  Haven’t tried every hamburger in town yet, but this was my favorite of the ones that I tried this year.

Looking forward to discovering what new “Bests” 2012 will bring!

Note: Top photo taken by Oliver Seidel and Nicky Stich of deliciousdays.com.

There is just something about the flavor of cardamom that makes a super pairing with espresso.  This ice cream is very simple to make.  It is made in the same style in which we made ice cream when I was growing up on my grandmother’s farm in rural Georgia – with fresh cream, milk, sugar and natural ingredients, but no eggs.  It is rich and creamy and intensely flavored!  My obsession with the cardamom ice cream affogato came to me a few months back while at Oxbow Market in Napa.   I spotted cardamom ice cream at the Three Twins Ice Cream shop.  Since it is right across from Ritual Coffee, I asked the Ritual folks to put a shot of espresso in the bowl.   I liked it so much that I started experimenting with making cardamom ice cream at home. 
 

Ingredients
1 cup cream
1 vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds (I buy whole seeds and crush them myself using a pestle and mortar.)
4 green cardamom pods (optional)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk

Espresso shots for serving

You will also need:
Small saucepan
Paring knife
Large spoon
Ice cream maker (I use a Cuisinart ice cream with a compressor in it).
Pint-sized freezer-safe container with tight-fitting lid
Espresso maker
Ice cream scoop
Glasses or dishes for serving affogato

Instructions
Pour the cream into a saucepan and place over medium heat.  Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the cream.  Drop the vanilla bean into the cream, as well. 

Add the crushed cardamom seeds, the cardamom pods and the sugar. Mix well.  When the mixture starts getting bubbles on the sides (just before a full boil), turn off the heat, cover the mixture and let it sit for about 20 minutes for the flavors to infuse.  

Remove the vanilla bean halves and the green cardamom pods.  Add the milk.  Cover and place into the refrigerator to cool for at least an hour.  

Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and pour into the container of your ice cream maker.  Freeze the mixture according to the instructions for your machine. 

Remove the ice cream from the machine, place into a freezer-safe container with a tigh-fitting lid and place into the freezer.  The ice cream will need to freeze to a firm consistency.  I find that overnight is best.
   

Makes 1 pint of ice cream.

To make the affogato, remove the ice cream from the freezer.  Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out a serving of ice cream and place it into a dish.  Pour a shot of hot espresso over the ice cream.  Serve immediately.

Harvest is such an exciting time in Napa Valley’s wine country. 

Last Saturday I was invited to spend the morning with winemaker and co-owner of Goosecross Cellars, Geoff Gorsuch, and his team as they pressed Viognier grapes and started the process of making their 2011 Viognier wine.

When I arrived, there were a number of bins of Viognier grapes there already.  They had been picked earlier that day in the Oak Knoll vineyards.  The grapes were a gorgeous shade of green with hints of russet.  Their skins were slightly tough and the grapes were sweet to the taste. 

After the harvesting of the grapes, the next step in the process was to remove the stems.  This process is called de-stemming.  This was done by transferring the bins of grapes via forklift to the de-stemming machine. 

The clusters of grapes were dropped into the de-stemming machine. 

The grapes were rotated through the machine as the stems were removed. 

The stems were spit out of the bottom of the machine, and the grapes were transferred over to a bladder press (the next step in the process).

Once inside the bladder press, the grapes were gently pressed to extract their juices.

Since the skins on the Viognier grapes were a little tough, this process took longer than it would with red grapes, for example, that have thinner skins.  The juice was transferred into a large tank and the skins and seeds were turned out into a bin to be discarded. 

Once inside the tank, the juice will rest for a couple of days in order for the sediment to settle to the bottom.  

The next step in the process is racking - moving the juice off the sediment into a fermentation tank.  Once inside the fermentation tank, the juice will enjoy a slow, cool fermentation. 

I so enjoy a number of the Goosecross wines, but their Viognier is one of my favorites.  It is known for its floral aromas.  I discovered Goosecross’ Viognier a few years back and have been a huge fan ever since.  I love its notes of honeysuckle and pears, and its hints of peaches, pineapple and grapefruit.  It is meant to be consumed at a fairly young age. 

We are drinking Goosecross’ 2009 Viognier right now.  It is a great match for my Salad of Fresh Greens, Pears, Candied Pistachio Nuts and Honey Vinaigrette Dressing.  I also enjoy it with my Roasted Chestnut and Date-Stuffed Pork Loin . 

Colleen Topper, one of the owners of Goosecross Cellars, has developed some great recipes that pair well with the Goosecross Wines.  There are several for pairing with their Viognier.  Take a look at Colleen’s Kitchen for some excellent suggestions. 

Goosecross Cellars is a must-visit when you come to Napa Valley.  Their wines are extraordinary and they only sell directly to their customers.  You will love the tasting room experience and the warmth, friendliness and knowledge of everyone at Goosecross. 

Find out more about their story and about their amazing selection of wines at goosecross.com.

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.

Cibo has become one of our favorite cafes in Sausalito.  I am very picky about espresso drinks and coffee, and Cibo serves Blue Bottle Coffee.  They use two shots of espresso in their coffee drinks so they have a deep, robust coffee flavor.   Cibo features a seasonal menu, and they have specials that change daily.  They serve both breakfast and lunch seven days a week.  Some examples of their breakfast menu include granola with yogurt, toast with housemade conserve, steel cut oats, a seasonal vegetable frittata, and poached eggs with creme fraiche.  For lunch, they serve a variety of seasonal paninis along with soup and salad.  Some of my favorite lunch menu items are their yellow and red beet salad, their dungeness crab panini, the wild mushroom panini and their lentil salad.  Today their specials included a winter vegetable and farro soup, a stuffed artichoke and a meatball sandwich. 

Cibo is owned by the Ancona family of Sausalito, also owners of Angelino Restaurant here in town.  They are open daily from 7am to 5pm. 

Cibo
1201 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA  94965
(415) 331-2426

In making homemade cocktails, I start with great ingredients.  That typically means a trip to my garden or else to the farmers market for seasonal fruits.  In this recipe, I use strawberries but you can substitute other fresh fruit, as well.  Don’t be afraid to experiment.  As long as you have a fruit (such as strawberries), an acid (such as fresh lemon or lime juice), simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar) and a high-quality alcohol (good Tequila), you are good to go! 

I make my own simple syrup and have it available in the refrigerator.  To make a batch of simple syrup, I combine two cups of water and two cups of sugar.  I heat them slightly and stir to melt the sugar.  Then I refrigerate in an air-tight container until I am ready to use it. 

Ingredients
1/2 Meyer lemon (for wetting glass rims)
Sea salt (fleur de sel) for the rim (optional)
4 parts fresh pureed strawberries
1 part simple syrup
1.5 parts Meyer lemon juice
2 parts Tequila
Ice
Fresh lemon verbena for garnish

You will also need:
2 margarita glasses
Shot glass
Cocktail shaker

Instructions
Rub the rims of the glasses with the Meyer lemon half.  Place rim-side down onto a bed of sea salt.  Twist slightly to make sure you have salt on the rims.   Set aside. 

Using the shot glass, measure the strawberry puree, simple syrup, Meyer lemon juice and Tequila and pour them into the cocktail shaker.  Add ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. 

Pour into the prepared margarita glasses.  Garnish with the lemon verbena sprigs. 

Sip S-L-O-W-L-Y.    Serves 2.

We recently went to Bottega in Napa Valley (Michael Chiarello’s restaurant in Yountville).    The polenta with balsamic-wild game sauce, the rabbit sugo, the gnocchi and the burrata were all outstanding.  (It is truly wonderful to experience Michael Chiarello’s cooking again in Napa Valley!)

We decided to order the Chiarello Family 2006 Bambino Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany our meal.  This wine was a true find.   It was earthy, with hints of vanilla, blackberry jam and ripe black cherries.  Although it is a young wine, it was very drinkable.  I looked up the wine when I got back home and found out that Spectator gave it a 91 rating.  This wine sells for $40 per bottle at Napa Style and on the Chiarello Vineyards website.

I tasted this wine recently at my friend’s wine cave in Chateauneuf du Pape, and it just blew me away!  This wine is 100% Roussanne and the grapes are from 80 year old vines.  It has been aged in oak.  It tasted like a beautiful vanilla caramel, and I wanted to savor it for hours.  I bought a bottle and paired it with a sea bass with fennel.  It was luscious!  It sells for about $36 Euros per bottle and is available from http://www.caveduverger.com/ .

We recently enjoyed another wine discovery brought to us by Marcy Roth of Bacchus and Venus Wine Shop in Sausalito.  This time it was 2002 Le Bizou from Falcor Winery in Napa Valley.   This wine is a blend of 44% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot grapes.  This wine is full of ripe blackberry fruit flavors balanced nicely with tannins and new oak.  It also has hints of cedar and tobacco with a subtle earthiness.  It has a long finish.  I chose this wine to pair with our Braised Lamb Shanks but was worried that it would overpower the food.  It did not at all – it was a lovely pairing.  This wine sells for $40.00 per bottle and is available at www.bacchusandvenus.com .