Mt Tam – Cowgirl Creamery

MT TAM
Just North of the San Francisco Bay, Mt. Tamalpais rises like a monument to Northern California’s natural beauty. In deference, Cowgirl Creamery named its signature cheese MT TAM. It’s a smooth, creamy, elegant, 10-oz, triple-cream – made with tasty organic milk from the Straus Family Dairy. MT TAM is firm, yet buttery with a mellow, earthy flavor reminiscent of white mushrooms.

1st Place – Los Angeles County Fair, 2008
2nd Place – American Cheese Society, 2008, Chicago
2nd Place – California State Fair, 2009
2nd Place – American Cheese Society, 2010, Seattle

Harbison Cheese by Jasper Hill Farm

Harbison is a bark-wrapped bloomy-rind cheese with woodsy, sweet, herbal, and bright flavors. The cheese is named after Anne Harbison, seen by many to be the grandmother of Greensboro, VT. She’s active in the community, runs a bed and breakfast, and volunteers at the public library, and has known the Kehler brothers since they were children. The bark, cut from Jasper Hill Farm’s woodlands holds the delicate cheese together, provides flavor to the creamy paste, and allows for an ideal presentation as the centerpiece of a cheese plate.

Milk Type: PasteurizedCow
Herd Size:45
Rennet:Traditional
Style: Bark Wrapped Bloomy Rind
Aged: 6=8weeks

Great article in the New York Times  April 2012 featuring Harbison.

Grilled Fajita Chicken

GRILLED FAJITA CHICKEN – Happy Cinco de Mayo
8 each boneless skinless chicken breasts, 6-8
ounces
4 ounces olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic minced
2 tablespoons shallot minced
2 tablespoons jalapeno, seeds removed, minced
4 tablespoons whole cilantro leaves, chopped fine
4 tablespoons lime juice fresh
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Method
FOR THE FAJITA GRILLED CHICKEN

1. In a large mixing bowl, marinate chicken beast with
olive oil, garlic, shallots, jalapeno, cilantro leaves, lime
juice, tamari soy sauce, worcestershire sauce and cracked
black pepper.
2. This can marinate for up to 24 hours.
3. After chicken is marinated, grill over wood grill or
charbroiler until chicken is medium well or cooked
through (do not over cook), remove from grill, set aside,
and cool.
4. Julian or hand tear chicken for salad preparation.

KENT RATHBUN CHEF OF ABACUS RESTAURANT, DALLAS

Mother’s Day Flowers, Plants and More!

Mother’s Day Flowers, Plants and More! 

This year we have an incredible selection of orchids, plants flowers and more to choose from. A perfect Mother’s Day Gift!   We can deliver as well! 

Foxglove: Iconic woodland flowers that will often  carry on flowering for several weeks in summer

Mandevilla:  Heat tolerant and water efficient, the mandevilla is the  perfect for summer pots by the pool or patio.

Cinco de Mayo – Grilled Fish Tacos

Recipe: Grilled Fish Tacos – Happy Cinco de Mayo

yield: Makes 4 servings

These tacos don’t come from a particular town or restaurant; rather, they incorporate elements from many different Yucatán grill masters. The preparation may look complicated, but it’s actually pretty easy-because your guests assemble the tacos themselves.

ingredients
2 cups chopped white onion, divided
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1/4 cup olive oil
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexica n)
1 pound tilapia, striped bass, or sturgeon fillets
Coarse kosher salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon milk
Corn tortillas
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, sliced
1/2 small head of cabbage, cored, thinly sliced
Salsa Verde
Lime wedges

preparation:
Stir 1 cup onion, 1/4 cup cilantro, oil, 3 tablespoons lime juice, orange juice, garlic, and oregano in medium bowl. Sprinkle fish with coarse salt and pepper. Spread half of onion mixture over bottom of 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange fish atop onion mixture. Spoon remaining onion mixture over fish. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Turn fish; cover and chill 30 minutes longer. Whisk mayonnaise, milk, and remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice in small bowl.

Brush grill grate with oil; prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill fish with some marinade still clinging until just opaque in center, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Grill tortillas until slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side.

Coarsely chop fish; place on platter. Serve with lime mayonnaise, tortillas, remaining 1 cup chopped onion, remaining 1/2 cup cilantro, avocados, cabbage, Salsa Verde, and lime wedges.

 

courtesy: Epicurious.com

Arugula Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese Recipe

Arugula was popularized a few years ago as a central component of California cuisine. In this recipe the goat cheese mellows the pepperiness of the arugula, while the beets offer a sweet contrast to its bitter quality. Chopped walnuts add a little more texture to the salad.

Arugula Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese Recipe

Salad Ingredients:

• Beets – (boiled until a fork easily goes in it, about an hour), peeled, sliced into strips
• Fresh arugula – rinsed, patted dry with a paper towel
• Goat cheese – chevre
• Walnuts – chopped

Dressing ingredients:

• Olive oil
• Lemon
• Dry powdered mustard
• Sugar
• Salt and pepper

METHOD

The amount of ingredients depends on how many people you are serving and how much salad you intend to serve them. The important thing is that this is a good blend of flavors. I didn’t try tossing this salad; each plate was composed individually.

The dressing for three individual salads was 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/2 lemon, 1/4 teaspoon of powdered mustard, 3/4 teaspoon of sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Actually, it is all to taste. These are only approximate measurements.

Assemble the salad according to how much you want. A handful of arugula leaves, a few beet juliennes, some crumbled goat cheese, garnish with chopped walnuts. Use a vinaigrette salad dressing.

source: Simplyrecipes.com

Beets nutrition facts:

Beets are highly nutritious and “cardiovascular health” friendly root vegetables. Certain unique pigment antioxidants present in root as well as top greens have found to offer protection against coronary artery disease and stroke, lower cholesterol levels in the body and have anti-aging effects.

Botanically, the root vegetable belongs to the beta vulgaris species. Scientific name: Beta vulgaris. Swiss chard is another member of the beta genus grown for its edible leaves.

Cheese: Ubriaco al Prosecco

Ubriaco al Prosecco is a raw cow’s milk cheese from the Veneto region in Northeast Italy, home to the Prosecco growing region and several superb sparkling and still wines. During the maturing process, it is covered by Prosecco grape must (skins), giving the cheese a sweet, delicate aroma of the wine and complex finish.  Pair with Pinot Noir or Moscato, but enjoy with a flute of bubbly Prosecco – it’s a match made in heaven!