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Showing posts with the label Holman Ranch

Jarman Tasting Room: The Holman Ranch Family Empire Expands

Last month, the family behind  Holman Ranch   opened up their doors and invited bloggers from all over to visit and learn about the family empire. From the ranch (event venue extraordinaire) to the Holman Ranch Vineyards Tasting Room to their newest acquisitions - the Jarman Tasting Room and Will's Fargo Restaurant - owners Hunter Lowder and Nick Elliott were the consummate hosts. I joined up with the crew that included some blogging pals - Susan of The Wimpy Vegetarian and Marlene of Nosh My Way - for wine tasting and dinner. Though I have participated in online events with these gals throughout the years, we've never met in person. So it was a treat to put a face with the name. Earlier in the day, they had toured the ranch and tasted wines at the Holman Tasting Room. This was my first time at the Jarman Tasting Room (ever!) and Will's Fargo Restaurant (in probably two decades!). Jarman Wines  is a tribute to Jarman Lowder who died nearly 5 years ag...

Locavore Cooking Class + Wine Pairing Dinner Donors - THANK YOU!

A few months ago a friend asked if I would be willing to go in on donating a dinner to a local auction. I agreed. All I needed to do was secure the wine donations and come up with a menu and the recipes. Done! I am going to keep the menu a secret for now, but wanted to thank the donors for making this a success. I will be cooking with CSA goodies from High Ground Organics in Watsonville.... And we'll be pairing wines from Scheid Vineyards in Greenfield, Halter Ranch Vineyard in Paso Robles, and Holman Ranch in Carmel Valley. Stay tuned for the menu and recipe posts from the event which is happening tomorrow night. Very excited.

#winePW: Duck Legs + Off-Dry Pinot Gris

When I saw the invitation from David , at CookingChat , for a food + wine pairing blogging event, I was in. Instantly. "Do you enjoy the interplay of good food and wine?" Yes . "Do you relish the challenge of finding a great wine pairing for your weekend meals?" Yes! David writes about how a good wine pairing enhances a meal. I agree wholeheartedly. And I knew that, for this kick-off post, I wanted to pour the just released off-dry Pinot Gris from Holman Ranch : .5 Degrees Brix. A friend had given me a bottle for my birthday and I was intrigued. Not completely familiar with the terms 'off-dry' and 'degrees Brix,' I did some reading. Turns out degrees Brix is a sugar code akin to the IBUs in beer. Where IBUs reveal the bitterness of a beer, degrees Brix measures the percentage of sugar content in a liquid. There is a more scientific explanation with percentages of sugar translating to percentages of alcohol. Suffice it to say: low residual...

Warmed Brie with Fennel-Cherry Mostarda {Crème de la Crème Menu}

For the first course of Nonna's birthday Crème de la Crème dinner...we poured Holman Ranch 's 2012 Virgin Chardonnay. Click to read about the first time I tried the wine: The Magical Caves at Holman . I warmed two small brie rounds and one goat cheese brie in the oven.  For the larger round, I sliced it in half while cold, then I filled it with a Fennel-Cherry Mostarda . I heated it till soft to the touch. To serve, I spooned more of the mostarda over the top. As surprise tidbits, Riley served some of the mozzarella he had made with Nonna - more on that soon! - while he was home sick from school yesterday. He wanted it on crackers with a kalamata olive and a piece of basil leaf. And Dylan opened up a jar of his Pickled Green Tomatoes . This was the first time we've tried them. They were a fabulous part of our antipasto plate.

"Nonna's the best!" She is the Crème de la Crème. {Menu}

When Nonna requested a birthday dinner, I immediately came up with a theme when the boys declared, "Nonna is the best!" Okay.  She's the crème de la crème…so I created a cream-based menu, paired the courses with some of my favorite wines from Holman Ranch , and showcased two creamy creations from the brand-new Kai Lee Creamery . Recipe posting to come. Warmed Triple-Crème Brie with a Cherry & Fennel Mostarda Autumn Greens with Homemade Buttermilk Dressing Paired with Holman Ranch’s 2012 Virgin Chardonnay Roasted Pheasant in Cream Sauce with Mushrooms Truffled Pommes Anna with Crème Fraîche Paired with Holman Ranch’s 2010 Hunter’s Cuvée Pinot Noir Tiramisù Lemon Cream Pie  and Ginger Honey from Kai Lee Creamery Served with House-Roasted Coffee Beans from Guatemala These are the mini-ghost pumpkin candleholders that Dylan made for Nonna last night.

Holman Ranch Hosts Sweet Elena {In Your Own Backyard}

Last year, for my birthday, I headed to Holman Ranch Tasting Room with some girlfriends to meet the Queen of Quince . We  tried our hands at rolling Yalanchi Sarma , Armenian stuffed grape leaves, nibbled on quince leather, and feasted on various mezze , including pickled cauliflower, black olive dip, spiced feta, and more. And we sipped on different varietals from Holman Ranch Vineyard, including a chardonnay and a pinot noir. It was a fantastic evening. So, when I saw that Holman Ranch Tasting Room was kicking off their "In Your Own Backyard" 2013 series with a cooking demo by Sweet Elena's Bakery and Cafe, I signed us all up. We love Elena! She baked the cheesecakes for my wedding and has continued to dazzle us with her baking prowess. Elena Salsedo, former Ventana Inn pastry chef and current proprietor of Sweet Elena's in Sand City, demonstrated making moqueca , the Brazilian seafood stew (recipe to follow!), and Nick Elliott of Holman poured a compleme...

C4 Tart - It's "the bomb!"

Jake asked me what I was going to call this tart, between crumbly, chewy, chocolatey bites. "I don't know. What should I call it?" Silence. Punctuated with lots of 'mmmmm's. No help from him. I settled on C4 because it explodes with flavor and, well, it has Chocolate, Cranberries, Cayenne, and Coffee in it. This was inspired by A Thought for Food's Chocolate-Cranberry Galette . Of course I tweaked a bit, adding the other two c's and changing the crust. Maybe I'll eventually learn how to follow a recipe. Probably not though. Tart Crust 2 C flour 1/2 C organic powdered sugar 3/4 C butter, at room temperature 2 T cold water Blend all the ingredients - except the water - together to form pea-sized chunks. Add the water and gently press together until it forms a ball. Press the dough into your buttered baking dish. Chill in the freezer while the oven heats. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Filling 3 C frozen, or fresh, cranberries 1/2 C...

Holman Ranch + Edible Monterey Bay = Pop-Up

Two of my favorites are joining forces to offer up Edible Monterey Bay' s August pop-up event...and for a good cause. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Food Bank for Monterey County. Edible Monterey Bay 's new pop-up series brings people together to learn, feast, and celebrate the food of our region; I have been fortunate to attend three of the events since they kicked off earlier in the year. Holman Ranch will host the August Pop-Up Supper Club with an evening in its Millennium Vineyard where guests will enjoy a four course al fresco , family-style meal prepared by Wild Thyme and Michael’s Catering. You'll also have the opportunity to enjoy Holman Ranch Vineyard and Winery wines. Their grapes are estate grown and hand-harvested. I love their full-bodied Pinot Noirs, especially Hunter’s Cuvee.   Date: Tuesday, August 28th Time: Event begins at 6:00 p.m. Location: Holman Vineyard Cost: $95 inclusive ...

Drizzled with Olive Oil

As a mothers' day present to myself, I bought a few bottles of olive oil from Holman Ranch in Carmel Valley. It's organic, estate-grown and bottled from Holman Ranch's one hundred Tuscan varietal olive trees. And it is tasty!  Truth be told, I actually bought three bottles, fully intending to keep one and give the other two as gifts. Buuuuuuuut, well, let's just say, I selfishly decided to keep all three bottles for myself. I use olive oil in everything. I cook with it. I bake with it. I make salad dressings with it. And with especially tasty olive oils such as this one, I drizzle it on barely steamed vegetables sprinkled with a little bit of sea salt. Tonight, my cooked veggie of choice was broccoli. Che squisito! If you're interested in getting some Holman Ranch olive oil for yourself, email them: info@holmanranch.com . They'll set you up.