Salish

Sorry I've been so absent from this blog. I probably won't start posting regularly again until June.

On my way back from a trip to Joshua Tree National Park my family and I decided to stop by Temecula for dinner. Before we could even consider picking a place to eat, I had to go into the Temecula Olive Oil Company store.

When you first enter the store you see a gift shop for everything olives. Against the back of the shop is a bar where you can order ciabatta or baguettes to eat while you shop or take when you go.

To the left of the gift shop is the Olive Oil room. In this room you can find mustards, tapenades, olive oil, salt, salami, and more.

There is a tasting bar where you can try their seasonal olive oils. If you like butter you'll be amazed at the Misson olive oil that tastes just like butter. I prefer more of an earthy olive flavor so I was a big fan of their citrus and their Roturre di Oro oils.

While we were in the tasting room we picked up some salami sans nitrates which I devoured the following week. Usually I get heartburn from salami but this was perfect.

We also tasted their various gourmet salts and were blown away with the Salish. This fancy sea salt is smoked with alderwood which creates a campfire smell and a smoky taste. It's truly incredible and is only around 6 or 7 bucks for a jar that will last me a long time (if my husband doesn't eat it all).



So far we've used the salt on soft pretzels and asparagus and we're pretty much positive that it would be divine on salmon, chicken, steak (heck, any meat), and potatoes.

Next time you're in Temecula you must check out this store. It's gourmet heaven.

Temecula Olive Oil Company
1-866-OLIVE-YOU
28653 Old Town Front Street
Temecula, CA 92590

Popovers

Growing up I always loved eating popovers but never enjoyed making them because they took forever to bake and you had to lower the temperature. Then I discovered a recipe for popovers in Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties! that only takes 30 minutes and requires no fuss.

Ina Garten's POPOVERS
makes 12

1 1/2 T. unsalted butter, melted (plus softened butter for greasing pans)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 t. kosher salt
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups whole milk at room temperature

(how easy is this to remember?!)

Preheat oven to 425.

Grease popover pans with softened butter (I used veggie oil spray). Preheat pans.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, salt, eggs, milk, and melted butter until smooth. The batter will be thin. Fill the popover pans less than half full and bake for exactly 30 minutes. Do not peek!

Serve hot or reheat before serving.

NOTES: If you don't have popover pans be sure that you buy regular size pans (each pan makes 6 popovers so you'll need 2) and I recommend nonstick. I found mine at Williams Sonoma but I'm sure they sell them many places.

Serving Suggestions: You can serve popovers as a sweet breakfast filled with lemon curd, jam, powdered sugar, fruit sauce or you can have them for brunch or lunch with cold chicken salad (I once ate them with this great mango chicken salad), egg salad, etc. They are also good plain.

The infamous Black & Tan

Perhaps you've seen it on the news: "Ben & Jerry's apologize for new ice cream flavor name." After seeing this story on the news and reading about it online I was thoroughly intrigued.

It appears that Ben & Jerry's has upset a few people around the globe with their new flavor, Black & Tan. The ice cream was named after the popular beer drink made with Guiness and Harp so that it creates two layers, one black and one tan. However, Black & Tan is also the "nickname of a notoriously violent British militia that operated during Ireland's war of independence" (yahoo, 4/21/06).

While I absolutely DO NOT want to get in an argument, or even discussion, about whether or not Ben & Jerry's has chosen a poor name for the ice cream, I do want to comment briefly on the subject. I have been wondering what the hell they call a Black & Tan (the drink) in Ireland. Do they have a different name for it? If so, please clue me in! If they do have the same name, they should understand that Ben & Jerry's meant no harm by it.

As we all know, any publicity is good publicity. If I hadn't seen the story I wouldn't know the flavor existed. Especially since I try my hardest not to look at the Ben & Jerry's section of the freezer aisle since it's extremely fattening. However, I gave into temptation this past weekend and grabbed myself a pint of the cream stout ice cream mixed with chocolate ice cream.

Here is where I blush in embarassment. Yes, with the help of dear hubby, we managed to finish off an entire pint in one sitting. Not only in one sitting, but in what must have been 10 minutes or less.

You can quote me on this, Ben & Jerry, I am in LOVE with your new Black & Tan ice cream flavor. The cream stout ice cream is like nothing I've tasted before. When mixed with the dark rich chocolate it is truly divine. Usually I'm a gelato snob but Black & Tan is my new exception. There's nothing better. (At least not until I find a new flavor to obsess with.)

So, follow my lead, run to the grocery store and grab yourself a pint of this ice cream goodness. You might need a mature set of taste buds to appreciate the flavor as it is unique, but I think even the average ice cream lover with be pleased.

By the way, the Black & Tan ice cream doesn't taste like beer. It just tastes perfect.