2011 – the year of no regrets

Here we are y’all…2011. Can you believe it? As each year passes, it’s always hard to believe that yet another one has come and gone. Personally, my 2010 was a wonderfully yummy year, filled with many fabulous meals and experiences shared with friends and family. If there is one thing I am sure of as we retire 2010, it’s that Sonoma continues to be one of the most heavenly places to live and I am beyond thankful daily that I am able to call this community my home. Yup, here it is, January, the time of year for reflections, resolutions and predictions. Happy New Year to everyone! Let’s make 2011 a delicious one!

Reflections

If I was to sum up Sonoma’s food scene in 2010, it would be the year of the “independent, passionate entrepreneur.” It’s no longer necessary to schlep to Napa! We now have amazing, hand-crafted breads thanks to Mike the Baker. Find his yeasty wares currently at the Friday Farmer’s Market. P.S. Have you experienced his stellar, fresh-from-the-wood-burning oven pretzels?! Karen Wakikki’s El Molino Central allowed us to skip the long lines at San Francisco’s Saturday Market and indulge in Blue Bottle Coffee, tortillas sent from heaven and artisanal Mexican cuisine right here in the Springs. The Fremont Diner continues to offer some of the most thoughtful, lovingly produced, good-for-you comfort food in the area. Their devotion to local and sustainable cuisine was proven in 2010 after developing their own farm and hiring full-time farm manager, Riley Nowicki. Their first Farm Dinner was easily one of my favorite meals of the year. Sheana Davis continued to grow her Epicurean empire by winning a blue ribbon for her Delice de la Vallee at the American Cheese Society, while also releasing her newest endeavor, Creme de Fromage. The Hot Box Grill proved that in 2010 it wouldn’t take big bucks, splashy decor or a Plaza location to earn a spot amongst our area’s most favored dining spots, but merely a whole lot of passion for good food, great service and well-sourced products.

Resolutions

I am not too big on resolutions. Especially ones that involve exercise, yuck. I am particularly not hip on New Year’s resolutions mostly because I am in the habit of setting goals every week that I usually break by Wednesday just to start all over again on Monday. This year I simply have one big intention, and that is to eat more of whatever is fresh now! Don’t get me wrong, I eat almost solely what’s in season, but I mean eat more of it so when it’s gone I am not so completely devastated. Like right now, tonight, I should be eating crab, and tons of citrus! Mushrooms are already on their way out and darn it if I didn’t get enough! Corn. What even happened to corn this year? It came and went and I hardly noticed! This year…more corn! For the most part, I am determined to eat more fresh peas and asparagus this spring. I actually said the same thing last year, but by July I was having serious regrets. In 2011, no regrets!

Predictions

I just know that 2011 will be an amazingly tasty year! Certainly, I will find my perfect, $10 bottle of Pinot Noir. A local farmer will definitely decide to grow something Southern…okra or black eyed peas perhaps? We will again, I hope, have a sushi spot or possibly an amazing deli open up in town. Duck fat will be the new bacon, the loaded baked potato will make a bold, much deserved comeback and we will – thankfully – say bye-bye to the cupcake….hello, pie? Please oh please I assure you that restaurants will discontinue the use of hokey descriptors such as “sammy” or “sando” and mass-produced mayonnaise. The coming year will unquestionably be the year of the vegetable, hello to “Meatless Mondays,” a fond farewell to meat-centric everything. I respect the art of butchery, am in complete favor of nose-to-tail eating, but live butchery demos? Really? Urban homesteading reigns supreme with a growth in home canning and preserving, beekeeping, gardening and raising chickens. And, without a doubt, one day in 2011, I will score a barstool at Hopmonk. Predictions or simply hopes, we’ll just have to wait and see.

On the Menu

The Olive Season’s always popular event, “Martini Madness,” is tomorrow, Friday, January 7. This always sold-out event, celebrating its tenth year, features a great selection of Sonoma’s most creative bartenders vying for the title of best martini maker. Held at MacArthur Place, guests will have the opportunity to sample each martini and vote for their favorite, while nibbling on appetizers and listening to live jazz. For more information call MacArthur Place at 996.1090, ext. 108. Tickets can be purchased by visiting macarthurplace.com.

Rob Larman chef and barbecue master extraordinaire is hosting a handful of delicious events in January that you won’t want to miss! First, on Friday, January 7, he’ll have his Cochon Volant BBQ at Napa’s once monthly street food festival, Food Truck Fridays, held at the Oxbow Marketplace. See oxbowmarketplace.com for more details. Then, on Thursday, January 13, he is helping Sonoma’s Best launch their cozy new tasting room with a three-course French dinner featuring his famous Cassoulet. Affordable wines will be available for purchase. The cost is a mere $35 and seating is extremely limited. Make your reservations by calling Sonoma’s Best at 996.7600. Visit their website at sonomas-best.com for more information. Larman will also be at Sonoma’s Best every Thursday, beginning January 20, with his mobile smoker cooking up finger-licking baby back ribs, barbecued pork and 14 hour smoked brisket sandwiches, all accompanied by radish slaw and red onion pickles. Find these items at Sonoma’s Best through the weekend while they last. cochonvolantbbq.com

Local olive curing expert, Don Landis, is at Jacuzzi this Sunday discussing the history of the olive and the methods for properly curing them during his famous and extremely popular “Olive Curing Workshop.” Following, enjoy tastes of olives with cheese and crackers. The event begins at 11 a.m. and is complimentary, but RSVP is required by calling 823.5097 or by emailing olivedon@hotmail.com.

Next Friday, January 14 at 4 p.m., Join Junipero & Co. for an informative evening with McEvoy Ranch’s nursery manager, Samantha Dorsey, as she discusses “Backyard Olive Tree Basics.” She will discuss the proper care for your olive trees and offer tips to help keep them happy and healthy. Following, enjoy light hors d’oeuvres prepared with McEvoy’s gourmet food products and their award-winning oil. Space is extremely limited, RSVP is highly recommended by calling 939.9065. Cost is $8 and a portion of the sales benefit the Sonoma Valley School Garden Project. Junipero & Co. is located at 115 East Napa Street, on the Plaza.

Meyer Lemon Cornmeal Cake

Recipe by Stephanie Kary
A lovely way to use all of those backyard lemons!
For Cake:
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. each baking soda and salt
2 sticks of butter softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 T. grated Meyer lemon zest (regular lemons can be substituted)
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed Meyer lemon juice (regular lemons can be substituted)
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk

For Glaze:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh-squeezed Meyer lemon juice (regular lemons can be substituted)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.  In a separate bowl, beat butter, sugar lemon zest and juice together until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time until well blended.  Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating each until the batter is smooth.  Pour into a Bundt pan and level top. Bake 55-65 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean.  Cool cake for 10 minutes and turn out onto plate.  While still warm make glaze. Mix together sugar and lemon juice and brush over cake (sugar crystals will be evident).  Store cake at room temperature for up to 4 days.