pantry permitting

Panorama Grass-Fed Beef

Panorama Grass-Fed Beef was grilling up samples at the grand opening of Farmer Joe's Market over the weekend. I'm not normally one to clammor for free food, but I was anxious to try their product.  Despite my aversion to crowds, I managed to make it through the feeding frenzy to grab myself a slice and was rewarded with an extremely flavorful bite of steak.

The steak was so flavorful in fact, that I could not get it off my mind... all weekend, all Monday I had steak-brain. So later than Monday afternoon was I back at the store ordering up a small tri-tip steak for myself.

Since Erich is away this week, it was just a simple dinner for one Monday night. Because the steak samples were so flavorful off the grill, I decided to do a quick and simple pan fry at home, using the same slightly garlicy pan the I had used to saute the garlic for my side dishes. Once cooked, I sliced the steak on the diagonal and served it up with the garlic mashed potatoes and a sautéed abolone mushroom. Yummy. With just a little salt and pepper, the steak was as flavorful as the samples I tried over the weekend. The texture did have a few gristle bits to it which could be attributed to the cut of meat, but I practically licked the plate clean the steak was so flavorful. And not being a big meat eater, I had enough left for another meal or two.

About Panorama Grass-Fed Meats
At the stand, Panorama handed out a really attractive brochure on their products. (See cool logo above.) According to the brochure, Panorama's meat comes from family ranches throughout the American West, and are sustainably raised. The cattle are never fed anti-biotics, grain or animal products. The cattle are both are black and red Angus, which according to the brochure produce tender, tasty beef.

According to studies, cattle raised humanely and grass grazed produce more nutritious beef. Compared to grain-fed beef, Panorama beef contains 60% more omega, twice as much vitamin A and E, more conjugated linoleic acid (which may aid in weight loss) and unsaturated fats (good for heart health). [Source: Cynthia A. Daley Ph.D., Grass-fed Beef Research Update for ARI Project: 59060, June 2005]

In addition to our local Farmer Joe's, Panorama Grass-fed Meats are available other independent grocery stores, Whole Foods Markets in Northern California, Oregon and Washington, at many Trader Joe'sstores in the Western U.S.

For more information on Panorama Grass-fed Meats, visit their website: panoramameats.com.

Image from Panorama Meats.

Life's too short for cheap chocolate

It's been unseasonably cold the past few days here in Oakland, so I've been breaking out the hot chocolate the past couple of mornings. Sadly, I am out of the Scharffen Berger mix, so yesterday I had to resort to Hershey's syrup. Yuck, I just can't drink that crap anymore! Why is the standard for American chocolate so low?

Admittedly I am not a chocoholic-- in fact, I was known for most of my life as someone who was rather freakish in my indifference to chocolate. It was fine, it was good, but I usually would have preferred something on the fruit or caramel end of the sweet spectrum. In any case, some time after working near the Sharffen Berger chocolate factory in Berkeley my passion for chocolate was ignited. But, my passion is for really good chocolate...I guess I'm not a chocolate slut.

So today I resorted to melting down squares of a Cadbury chocolate bar into milk. I would've preferred dark chocolate and Cadbury isn't my favorite brand but it worked in a pinch.

What I can't seem to find anywhere is Poulain sweetend cocoa.During our Paris trip in December 2004 we rented a studio apartment in the Marais. It was cold, especially for those with thin California skins. So it would follow that I had chocolat chaud nearly every day. The brand I picked up at the market was Poulain, and despite being an everyday brand, it was incredibly good. So good, infact, that I brought home the open box because we ran out of time to buy a new one before our flight home. The powdered chocolate ended up exploding in my suitcase, imparting a pleasant chocolate scent to my clothes. Despute the mess, there was enough still left intact so I managed to enjoy it for a number of weeks after our trip.

So until they start importing Poulain to the States, at home I use Scharffen Berger. The sweetened cocoa powder does not mix so well with milk, but the taste is good. Scharffen Berger has an incredibly rich recipe for hot chocolate which they serve in the adjacent restaurant Cafe Cacao that involves several parts cream. It's good for a treat, but a bit much for every day. They also have the recipe in their gift shop, so if I come across it, I'll post here.

So what else is out there? Am I missing out?

Image: My empty can of Scharffen Berger cocoa powder.

Lavender Soda

Erich and I attended a wedding yesterday up in Davis (near Sacramento), and this lavender soda was among the non-alcholic beverages served.

It was refreshing without being too sweet, and did not have that artificial taste that some of the flavored waters do.

I looked up the site at drysoda.com and it seems that there are four flavors: kumquat, lemongrass and rubarb (a little leery of this one). Apparently the products are sold at Whole Foods, so I'll have to check that out the next time I am there. I am a fan of lemongrass tea so the lemongrass soda sounds quite lovely. Anyway, when I get a chance to try some of the other flavors I'll let you know!

More info at drysoda.com.

Image by Maja Brugos

Meyer Lemon Marmalade from Loulou's Garden

I can't quite decide which of Loulou's Garden products is my absolute favorite, but the Meyer Lemon Marmalade might be it. This is a zested marmalade, which means that there are small shreds of zest rather than the thicker cut skin. As a result it makes is a fruitier marmalade with a delicate touch of zest. The Meyer lemon is naturally sweeter than a standard lemon and lends itself well to marmalade. The marmalade has the perfect amount of tartness, tasting like a very ripe yet tart piece of fruit. None of Loulou's jams incorporate pectin, so they are very flavorful and spreadable. I prefer them to the more common pectin jams. Also check out the preserved whole kumquats...yummy!

Loulou's jams were recently part of Access Hollywood's gift baskets at the TriBeCa Film Festival. Her products have also been featured in a number of culinary publications. Besides being a great cook, Loulou (or Casey as she is known to her friends) is a nice person with a great sense of humor. She is also bilingual, so feel free to écrit en français. Buy her jam...good people deserve to do well!

Visit the Loulou's Garden site for more information.

Images from loulousgarden.com.