San Diego County Farm Tour

San Diego County Farm Tour
Sat, April 18th
10:30-4
$125.00

Hosted by Chefs Secrets which is a new collaboration between
Debs Kitchen
&
California Greek Girl

Meet up at
Mountain Meadow Mushroom Farm, Escondido

Farm Tour!
Do you know how mushrooms grow? You’ll learn everything about mushrooms that you need to know! Did you know that mushrooms are a nutrient dense food? Good for you!

Here’s a link to their website for more info
Mountain Meadow Mushroom Farm
Here’s a blog post about the farm & yummy Mushroom Risotto recipe from Mary at California Greek Girl
Mushroom Risotto

Next we’ll head over to
North County Olive Oil Co. and meet Sue Rober at her Sunshine Gardens location where we will taste and experience their True California Olive Oils with style.

Their vision is to share with you their experience in the California olive oil industry. They have selected a portfolio of top producers who make both extra virgin olive oils and vinegars from California olives and grapes. They represent a variety of regions which offer unique styles from many varietals and cultivars of local California olives. We look for producers that promote sustainable practices in the grove and throughout their day to day practices.

Our Olive Oil Tastings offer a unique experience created around a variety of artisan producers of California extra virgin oil, wine and specialty artisan products.

A cooking demo & lunch will be served by
Chef Debbi & Chef Mary

Menu*

Cheese Platter with Seasonal Vegetables & Fruit
Winter Salad with Pixie Tangerines
Mushroom Risotto
Road Home Brownies

*Menu subject to availability
One glass of wine will be served with lunch.
Lemonade & Spring Water will be available.

Don’t miss the great swag bags that you’ll get to take home!

We encourage car pooling, need a ride or want to provide a ride?
Get in touch with Chef Debbi here
debbi@debskitchen.com

Now taking reservations

Farm, Food & Wine Tour 2017

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Highlights from our annual Farm, Food & Wine Tour from 2017. Thanks everyone for joining us! We’re sold out for this year but save the date for Oct 23-25, 2020.

Fall Harvest Farm, Food & Wine Tour

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Fall Harvest Tour for Oct 26 – 28, 2018

Now Taking Reservations

Stay

Cambria Pines Lodge, Cambria, Ca

Hot Buffet Breakfast Included

Events

Friday Evening

Dinner and Culinary Demo with Chef Debbi and the Debettes

Saturday Farm, Food & Wine Tour

Climb aboard with The Wine Wrangler

We’ll travel to the Westside of Paso Robles to Halter Ranch Vineyard & Winery

Experience a private Cave Tour with a Barrel Tasting from 3 Cave Barrels

Private Tasting of Halter Ranch’s available vintages in the new Tasting Room overlooking their fabulous vineyards

Vineyard Picnic Lunch on Halter Ranch’s Patio Deck overlooking the vineyards

Created for you by Chef Debbi & her Debette team

After lunch climb aboard with The Wine Wrangler to travel to

Stepladder Ranch in San Simeon

We’ll visit with their Lamancha goats and taste a variety of cheeses made from their goat milk. This farm is accessible only by invitation and is hidden in the hills above San Simeon and the Pacific Ocean

Our last stop for the day will be a visit (and tasting) at The Hearst Ranch Tasting Room in San Simeon. Step out on the porch for an exquisite view of San Simeon Beach and Harbor

Return to Cambria for late afternoon & evening private time

Sunday Events

The Groves on 41 Olive Oil Farm Tour & Tasting

Picnic Lunch

Don’t Miss The Cambria Scarecrow Contest the month of Oct!

Limited Availability, First Come-First Served

Price is Per Person based on Double Occupancy for all rooms

New Cooking Class Venue

1 / 11 / 17

Cooking at Fullerton Arboretum

New Events!

Celebrating the seasons around the table with demonstration style cooking class and a specialty food tasting each month.

Join my friend Chef Louise Mellor and I in the beautiful gardens at Cal State Fullerton’s Arboretum for a meal as we celebrate the seasons. Learn how to stock your pantry and together we’ll use garden fresh, seasonal ingredients with classic French techniques to create simple, exciting dishes for special occasions and everyday meals.

We will also be sharing how to entertain with simplicity and style. Most importantly, we hope you will be inspired to get into the kitchen at home and share life around the table.

Full lunch servings will be offered and wine will be available if desired. Here are upcoming classes for Jan, Feb and March, take a look here for class registration and the schedule through summer! Hope to see you there~

Saturday, Jan. 21, 11 – 2
Book Signing and Demo

Soup from the pantry

Join us for a demonstration on soup basics and enjoy a hearty bowl of minestrone soup with puff pastry ‘rolls’.

February 11th, Saturday, 11 – 2
Cupid in the kitchen…
Chocolate Tasting

Roasted Spring Asparagus salad with Meyer Lemon vinaigrette

Elegant Beef Wellington Puff Pastry Tarts with Caramelized Onions, Maytag Blue Cheese, Sautéed Mushrooms

Dark chocolate hazelnut flourless cake with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh berries

March 25th Saturday, 11 – 2
I left my heart in San Francisco…
Olive oil tasting

Homemade herbed ricotta with lemon, Parmesan & blistered tomatoes served on sourdough crostini

San Franciscan style Cioppino with fresh seafood in a rich tomato white wine broth.

Blood orange olive oil cake with whipped Grand Manier marscapone

Tomato Confit

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Is your garden overflowing with tomatoes? I always grow too many and one of my favorite ways to make them go a little farther is to oven dry them. Much like sun dried, these concentrated gems pack a powerful punch and can be used in any dish where you’d use tomatoes. Especially nice on a cheese plate with some creamy goat cheese nearby.

To preserve them I turn them into a tomato confit and keep in my ‘pantry’ refrigerator. They can’t be water bath canned because of the oil, but they will keep for about 6 months in the refrigerator, if they last that long. The refrigeration will also help to preserve the oil and keep it from going rancid quicker. Use only fresh organic herbs and make sure you wash and dry them very well, you don’t want any water going into your beautiful confit.

Mangia (Eat!)

1 pound tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil, approximately
1 tablespoon basil, chiffonade
2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 clove garlic -- minced

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Arrange the tomato halves cut side up and close together on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, and herbs. Drizzle over tomatoes and bake until the tomatoes are soft and shriveled but still retain some moisture, 1-2 hours or more.

Let cool completely. Tomatoes can be stored in a glass jar, cover tomatoes with olive oil, add a fresh sprig of thyme, seal and refrigerate.

Photo: Chez Pim

Apple Recipes

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Apple, Pomegranate & Gorgonzola Salad

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 apple, tart
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
Pomegranate seeds
Salad greens

Whisk the vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Slice the apple into matchsticks.

Crumble the Gorgonzola cheese into small pieces.

Place your salad greens in a large bowl and toss with the seeds, pine nuts, cheese and apples, reserving a few of all the add-ins. Adjust the seasoning to your liking. Drizzle a little of the dressing onto the greens and toss gently. Drizzle just enough dressing onto the salad to lightly coat the leaves - not too much. Add additional salt and pepper if you like and scatter the reserved toppings over the salad.

Applesauce

3 pounds apples, Gala, Honeycrisp or Jonagold
2/3 cup apple juice, orange juice or water
8 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Core, peel and cut the apples into medium sized pieces. Place all ingredients into a saucepan with lid and simmer over low heat until apples are very tender, about 45 minutes. Put through a food mill to create a soft creamy applesauce or use a potato masher and serve chunky, best served warm.

French Yogurt Cake

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French Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 lemon, grated and zest
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup citrus olive oil

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°. Generously butter an 8 1/2-x-41/2-inch loaf pan and place the pan on a baking sheet. A cake pan, Bundt cake pan or any other pan may be used; you made need to adjust the cooking time.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Put the sugar and zest in a medium bowl and, with your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and aromatic.

Add the yogurt, eggs and vanilla and whisking vigorously until the mixture is very well blended.

Still whisking, add the dry ingredients, then switch to a large rubber spatula and fold in the oil. You’ll have a thick, smooth batter with a slight sheen. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan; it should be golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center will come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan. Unmold, and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

Glaze (optional)

½ cup lemon marmalade mixed with 1 teaspoon water

To Make the Glaze:

Put the marmalade in a small saucepan or in a microwave-safe bowl, stir in the teaspoon of the water and heat until the jelly is hot and liquefied. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the cake with the glaze.

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan

Fall Tour 2014

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Farm Tour Fall 2014

Windrose Farm

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I met Barbara and Bill Spencer sometime around 2004 when I was scouting heirloom tomatoes from Paso Robles farmers market. Barbara invited me out to the farm and so my husband and I trekked out there one morning. We didn’t want to disrupt their farm work but yet they stopped working when we arrived and gave us a thorough tour of their lovely little farm. It is such a peaceful unique farm you just want to lie down in the grass and daydream watching the clouds pass by. But a farmers work is never done and we wanted to get out of their way so they could return to their chores. Absolutely not! They insisted we stay for lunch and Bill pulled a beautiful roasted mutton out of the refrigerator and a loaf of freshly baked bread, yes Bill makes his own bread! Barbara foraged for greens and veggies for a salad and whipped up a delicious little dressing. We ate and chatted about life and the farm for what seemed like all afternoon and with sadness had to depart and leave this magical place.

I host several tours to Cambria and Paso Robles and I always finish the tour on Sunday with a day at Windrose Farm with Bill and Barbara. No-one ever wants to leave! I wish all of you could join us for a weekend discovering food and wine and a central coast lifestyle but if you can’t, I’d like to share a piece of Windrose Farm with you. Following is an excerpt from their website and a glimpse inside the magic of Windrose Farm. Join us Oct 24th – Oct 26th for a trip that includes a visit to Windrose.
Windrose is a small family farm located east of Paso Robles and tucked into a unique valley of 50 acres, 12 are in vegetable rotations, 6 are in apples and stone fruit and 5 are sheep pasture. The rest is habitat – full of animal, bird and insect life.

Owners Bill and Barbara Spencer have been certified organic from August 1999 to 2009, but are currently transitioning to biodynamic! The farm has been “clean” for twenty years; since its purchase in 1990.

In 1993 Windrose began going to the Farmer’s Markets with produce from their first small market garden. Having already discovered the enjoyment of growing many “specialty” varieties of vegetables – most particularly heirloom tomatoes and potatoes, they also found they loved selling to wonderful restaurants as well as to their friends at Farmer’s Markets.
In addition to tomatoes and potatoes, Windrose grows onions, garlic, green and dry beans, peppers, eggplant, winter squash, carrots, turnips, beets, cucumbers, melons and many varieties of greens. They also have apples and stone fruit. Their little valley is a unique micro-climate that is good for the diverse crops of lilacs, apples, super-sweet onions and melons.
Bill & Barbara state that “The longer we farm, the more enthralled we are with the old traditional seeds and plants. We strive as much as possible to use open-pollinated or heirloom varieties and have begun our own seed-saving program. Every day brings us more knowledge and a stronger belief in the principals and practices of sustainable organic farming. It is complex and labor-intensive – but the burst of life in the soil and the habitat of our little valley is astonishing.”

Our Philosophy

Barbara and Bill have often sought to better explain their philosophy about the environment that is Windrose Farm.

In this years Biodynamic calendar we found the following by Patrick Holden, a soils expert, long time organic farmer and advocate of the ‘biodynamic‘ philosophy:

“We subscribe to Rudolph Steiner’s* philosophy that the farm should be seen as an ecosystem in its own right, and that our striving should be to move towards building and maintaining plant and animal communities, which are ecologically suited to its unique combination of soil, climate and place.”

Barbara and Bill cherish their time at the ecosystem that is Windrose and sharing the bounty that it produces.
* Rudolph Steiner founder and creator of the “Biodynamic philosophy and principles.

Visit Windrose Farm at www.windrosefarm.org

Join Chef Debbi and The Debettes for our

Fall Farm, Food and Wine Tour

of California’s Central Coast

for more info click here

Fall Harvest Tour

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Fall Harvest Tour

Central Coast Fall Harvest Adventure

October 24th – 26th, 2014

Join Chef Debbi on another Farm, Food and Wine Adventure

Stay at the lovely Cambria Pines Lodge
Join Chef Debbi & her Debettes for a dinner party/wine tasting Friday evening

Saturday
Be escorted by The Wine Wrangler experts around Paso Robles to visit:
Pasolivo Olive Ranch for a tasting of local olive oils & more
Rangeland Ranch and Winery
Take a hay ride around the sustainable ranch and vineyards with owner Laird Foshay
Wine Tasting and Vineyard lunch with Lisa & Laird on the patio with a panaromic view of the hills

Wine tasting on Vineyard Dr. as we make our way back to Jack Creek Pumpkin Farm where you can pick up holiday pumpkins, gourds and more

Sat. evening explore local cuisine on your own and rest up for Sun!

Sunday we’ll caravan to Windrose Farm for a biodynamic tour of Bill & Barbara Spencers mystical farm
Chef Debbi, Barbara & Debettes will create a farm feast for you with what we’ve found on the farm that day
In season usually we can find luscious heirloom tomatoes, shishito peppers, potatoes, all kinds of greens and it’s apple season!

Don’t miss this limited seating tour. Drive yourself up the coast and meet Chef Debbi & her crew for a Farm, Food and Wine Adventure!

Oct 24-26th
$675.00, per person, double occupancy
I also have a special suite for a party of 5-6 ppl, call for a special rate
All rooms have fireplaces, hot buffet breakfast is included

SAVE!!!
$650.00 total fee if paid in full by Sept 1. Payment plan available, contact Chef Debbi @ info@debskitchen for billing

There will be a 2.9% fee added (listed as a ‘tax’) but it is a credit card fee that goes to Paypal

How to Make Mashed Potatoes

11 / 27 / 1311 / 5 / 14

How to Make Mashed Potatoes!

(Easy Peasy)

1 medium organic* russet potato person

1 tablespoon Kosher salt

1 -2 tablespoons butter, REAL BUTTER, unsalted

1/2 cup milk (cream if you want to be decadent, or mix the two)

Sea Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon sour cream, optional

1 teaspoon chives, optional

1 tablespoon grated cheese, optional

Wash potatoes and then cut into large chunks, place into a large saucepan and cover with cool water. Add a tablespoon of Kosher salt, bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes.

Heat the butter with the milk (I use the microwave). If you use the microwave wait to heat until the potatoes are cooked. Drain the potatoes and peel the skin off with tongs. For creamy soft mashed potatoes slip through a ricer into the still hot saucepan that you cooked them in (without any water!) If you don’t have a ricer just put the chunks back into the pan, place on the stove over low heat for a minute or two. This helps to dry them a little further so they absorb the butter and milk more evenly.

Add enough butter and milk (or cream) to the potatoes and lightly mashed with a potato masher, they should come together easily. Don’t overwork the potatoes or they can turn gummy. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste and add any optional ingredients, serve.

If you’re making potatoes for a crowd they can be made about 1 hour ahead of time and kept warm on low in a preheated slow cooker! (I don’t remember where I learned that trick but thank you to whoever it was that shared it)

*Organic potatoes, all kinds of pesticides and sprays are used on conventional potatoes to keep bugs from eating them while they grow. Then to harvest them and finally to keep them from sprouting in the store. Choose organic for your health.

What do you do with a bumper crop of tomatoes?

8 / 27 / 13

I usually freeze my tomatoes until I have time later to make sauce, ketchup or just can some chopped tomatoes for later use. (I freeze them by washing and drying them, placing them on a baking sheet and freezing until solid. No, I do not peel or seed them as the skin comes off easily when they are defrosted. Once frozen, I place into an airtight freezer bag and return to the freezer. This allows me to defrost one or ten, however many I need at the time.)

I like to do ‘small batch’ canning, which means I can do a few jars at a time. Of course when my tomatoes come in all at once, I haul out the big canner and fill it up. The basic procedure for canning small or large batches is the same only the equipment varies slightly. If I’m canning a small batch instead of the big canner, I can usually use a large stockpot, deep enough for the water to cover the jars by 2″. I use a cake rack for the bottom of the stockpot so the jars don’t sit on the bottom of the pot where they could possibly break. That’s it!

Tomatoes-I do not peel or seed my tomatoes, just pack them raw
Tomato juice (you could also use hot water)
Lemons
Sea salt
Fresh herbs, optional

For Processing Tomatoes You will need:

A stockpot or regular canner (tall enough so the jars are submerged by 2″ while processing)
A rack for the bottom of the stockpot or canner
Canning lifters (for jars & for lids), wide mouth funnel
Canning jars, lids and screw bands
Several clean tea towels
Baking sheet

Place the rack in the bottom of your stockpot. Make sure to choose a deep enough pot so that the jars will be covered 2″ of water.

Fill the pot with water and begin to bring to a boil. Line a baking sheet with a clean tea towel.

Wash and dry the jars, lids and screw bands. Place lids into a small saucepan with hot water.

Prepare tomatoes by washing and lying out on a towel to air dry (they don’t have to be totally dry). If desired, cut tomatoes into quarters and set aside. I don’t peel or seed my tomatoes before packing as the skin comes right off when I take them out of the jar. If I don’t want to use the seeds, I simply strain them out.

Heat jars by placing them into the stockpot while you bring the water to a boil. Remove them to the cloth lined baking sheet when you are ready to fill with tomatoes. (The water in the stockpot should be boiling or very close to it).

Place one or two slices of lemon on the bottom of your jar.

Fill your jars with tomatoes, really squish them in there, and use a wooden spoon to smash them down. Add a sprinkle of sea salt and a tablespoon of lemon juice (from a real lemon). You can also add herbs such as basil, thyme or parsley. Using a plastic knife or chopstick, slide it down the side of the jar removing any air bubbles. Add tomato juice to cover the tomatoes and a slice of lemon at the top of the jar before sealing. Leave a 1/2″ headspace.

Wipe the top of the jar, removing any debris from the screw area and the top of the jar. Place the lid and the screw top on the jar, closing only finger tight, and place on the rack in the canner or stockpot. Make sure the jars are covered by 2″ water, bring to a boil and time for 40 minutes (for pints) or 45 (for qts). The water must be boiling the entire 40 minutes or you’ll need to restart the timer from the beginning. Remove to a cloth lined baking sheet and let cool for 24 hours before moving.

After 24 hours, if the center of the lid still moves up and down the jar has not sealed properly. You can reprocess this jar once or just put it in the refrigerator and use within a few days.