Winter Fancy Food show: NorCal report

Buongiorno - just got back from the Fancy Food Show at San Francisco's Moscone Center with some serious finds! The producers have outdone themselves -  now it's up to us, the cooks, to do justice to these amazing ingredients. I'm already plotting some menus, and future Cook Here & Now pairings...

Here the foods I fell madly in love with at the Fancy Food Show:

Petaluma's Rouge et Noir Triple Creme Brie (see above) had me at bonjour. They also make French-style Camembert and Blue in our own backyard, but the Brie was Proustian - I actually ran across the convention floor just to sample it again before the show ended. The flavors are so layered, complex and creamy, it reminded me of the kind of Brie the French never export. In fact, this Rouge et Noir beat the French at the 2005 World Cheese Awards in London ... sacre bleu! Try it and thank me.

Redwood Hill Farms Camellia from Sonoma is a huge crowd-pleaser: a rich but mild Camembert-style goat cheese from a pioneering Certified Humane cheese-maker, a family-owned operation for over 40 years. Pair it with an easygoing, redfruit Russian River Pinot Noir.

Sustainable Tsar Nicoulai California-raised caviar is a decadent, guilt-free treat: bursts of briny, tangy intensity, all sustainably farmed. Considering that all 27 species of sturgeon are on the endangered species list and this is one of the first 100% sustainable hatcheries worldwide, I say: all hail the Tsar. My favorite product of theirs is the Vanilla-infused trout roe  - it's a well known fact among my friends that I'm developing a vanilla problem. Look for the Tsar soon at one of our upcoming tastings...

How can you follow locally produced caviar, you say? With SF's newest local chocolate, naturally. Tcho is based on Pier 17 and labels their bars according to a few basic flavor principles: fruity, nutty, etc. I was very taken with their "chocolatey" one. Rubust as coffee, with a slow-melting, long-lasting velvety mouth-feel like a good Pinot.

Shout out to the South Bay: look out for Lula's Chocolates. This specialty brand is new but the chocolate is a family tradition, since the chocolatier's grandmother was a chocolate maker. My favorite was the array of truffles with 8 different sea salts arranged in the long box. Their enthusiastic attitude about the work they're doing shows in the flavor.

Maisie Jane's sustainably farmed, organic almonds from Chico. The tamari ones are just right: slightly salty with extra umami to make them the perfect snack.

Corto Olive Oil from Lodi: a lush, mild-flavored, versatile Californian olive oil. Instead of bitter Tuscan style oils, try this one for seafood and other cooking that requires a more delicate approach. Better still: the price point is even cheaper than bland supermarket varieties, at about $9.95/liter retail.

I also found two non-California producers introducing superior ingredients to the market - and since our readers are now across the country and their stories are so inspiring, I had to tell you about them.

Timeless USDA certified organic legumes from Montana were familiar to me, since they produce the lentils I buy at Rainbow (haven't been able to find California lentils). But the big find today was black chickpeas - Alison wants to use it to make some extreme hummous. They're pioneering organic varietals and keeping coming up with new crops - I'm keeping an eye out for those garbanzos and organic red barley at the Cheese Board and Rainbow.

Dulcis in fundo (saving the sweetest for last): Herb and Kathy Eckhouse's La Quercia artisanal cured meats from Norwalk, Iowa. I couldn't believe these guys were American after I sampled their products - this meat reminded me of home. Aha! Turns out they lived 3 years in Parma (the cured-meat capital of Italy) and found their calling: to elevate American meat-curing with artisanal meats that make an Italian salivate at first whiff. Humanely and sustainably raised pork, a wide selection of Italian-style cured meats, and most importantly, the first American-made coppa and prosciutto worthy of the name (sorry Fra' Mani and Boccalone, no contest here). Grazie Herb and Kathy!

Speaking of flavors that transport me back home: I found the  Urbani Tartufi White Truffle oil I use at our place in Italy from California distributor (and fellow Roman) Francesco Mazzini, and stocked up. I know, I know, it takes fuel to get it here, but this pungent Perugia white truffle has been wildcrafted and artisanally produced in the same way for over 100 years - and since a bottle is smaller than one of those travel-sized hotel shampoos, it'll hardly add a pinky toe to my carbon footprint. I've missed it so much, I'm bringing an empty suitcase next time I go to Italy... luggage fees be damned.

 

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

Comments

[Mini]

oh my god, this is way too distracting in the midst of a work day ...

[Wine Blog]

You have such an awesome blog with amazing foods and great pictures! I would love to exchange links with you if your readers would benefit as much as mine with the content.