Some things are worth the trip. Especially when they’re hand-crafted food products that are local, organic and gourmet. Yes, it’s worth the drive out to Queen Creek, Arizona to visit The Queen Creek Olive Mill where you can take in a factory tour or stroll the orchard, savor gourmet olives, sample fig or pomegranate white balsamic vinegars, try tasty tapenades and take home fresh pressed extra virgin olive oils infused with chocolate, white truffles, bacon, roasted garlic, Meyer lemon or blood orange. Then there’s the Tuscan-inspired eatery, wine tastings, music and dancing. The Queen Creek Olive Mill is Agritourism at it’s best, and the booming town of Queen Creek has had Arizona’s only olive working farm and mill all to itself for the last 17 years. If Queen Creek is too far of a trek, you can visit Queen Creek’s Oils And Olives at Kierland Commons in Scottsdale. But the Olive Mill is certainly worth the drive.
Owner Perry Rea started with 10 acres, 1000 olive trees and a retired career in the automotive industry. Now with 25 acres, 16 varieties of olives and 40 products under the Queen Creek label, many of us are happy that Rea switched from motor oil to olive oil. At the heart of everything that Rea does is creating a fun friendly atmosphere where families can gather around the table and enjoy good food, whether it’s at the olive mill or in your own home. So that brings me to my new favorite product from QCOM. Bacon infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil. What that means is you now get all the tantalizing flavor of bacon without any of the bacon fat. What better way to enjoy this dynamic duo of olive oil and bacon than with a good old fashioned Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing, the flavor richly enhanced by full-bodied Queen Creek Fig Balsamic Vinegar? This recipe was created just for you by Perry — for olive us to enjoy!
Recipe
Marinated Chicken Caprese
A beautiful plate of sliced tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil drizzled with a rich balsamic reduction was always a mainstay on our Italian table growing up. You have come to know and love it as Caprese or Insalata Caprese. (Have you ever noticed that this dish reflects the colors of the Italian flag?) Besides being a delicious and light salad or appetizer, Caprese is as versatile as a dish gets. So much so, that you’ll now find it in many variations and combinations with other foods. The Marinated Chicken Caprese is the perfect example and is sure to be a new favorite for you and your family! You can make the pesto and balsamic reduction from scratch or use store bought. The Chicken Caprese also answers that age-old pesky question; How can I come up with new ways to cook Chicken? Well, maybe I can help you at least for this week!
Carrot Soufflé
It’s people like Chef Lisa Brisch that makes me a better recipe writer, cooking instructor and just a better cook, period. Lisa is one of the instructors that I work with at Sweet Basil Gourmetware and Cooking School in Scottsdale. Right before Easter this year, I happened to be setting up for my class when hers was finishing up. She had prepared something I had never heard of; a Carrot Soufflé. The minute I tasted it, I immediately decided to add it to my Easter Brunch line up. Let me tell you the ending to this story. I could’ve easily dropped all of my other entrees and sides and just made 8 casseroles of Carrot Soufflé because my family literally drew straws to see who would take home the leftovers. Unfortunately, there were none. They practically fought over who would get the last morsel of this unbelievable side. Even if you think you’re not crazy for carrots, this dish goes beyond flavors you can imagine, and it’s as light and billowy as it gets. So, Lisa, I hope you don’t mind, but I want the world to taste this delicious treasure, because recipes like this are just too good to enjoy once a year for an Easter buffet. Just a word of warning. Have plenty of copies of the recipe handy. Your dinner guests won’t even finish the first bite without asking for it. Check out some of Lisa’s classes at www.sweetbasilgourmet.com.
White and Dark Chocolate Cigars
Celebrations like Cinco de Mayo come and go, but certain specialties that make up a delicious fiesta could…and should be enjoyed all year long. A perfect example; chocolate pecan “cigars.” They are so simple to make and just the right little “something something” when you’re having a chocolate craving or you want to surprise you dinner guests with a unique twist on dessert! With southwestern grocery stores so plentiful in Arizona, it’s easy to pick up the most important ingredient, corn husks. The next things you’ll need are delicious, decadent white and dark chocolate and some pecans. You’ll caramelize the pecans, chop them up, stir them into the melted chocolates and then spoon the chocolate into the corn husks. Then you wrap them up like little edible gifts and tie a corn husk bow around them. I originally made these for special occasions, but now I keep a container of them in my frig to satisfy my sweet tooth. Some southwestern traditions are just too good to make only once a year!
French Chicken with Vermouth Sauce
It’s delectable. It’s ever-so satisfying and a fantastic meal for weeknight, date night or anytime! The inspiration for this French Country Chicken came from watching Julie and Julia this week, a movie I’ve seen many times before. But this time, watching the iconic television chef and the food blogger who cooked one of Julia Child’s meals every day for one year, made me go hunting through my recipe collection for some of my favorite French classics. This French Chicken with Vermouth Sauce would make both the professional chef and the home cook rock stars in the kitchen! I taught this dish at one of my recent cooking classes at Sweet Basil Gourmetware and Cooking School in Scottsdale, and it was a joy to see the students sop up the succulent sauce with a piece of fresh crusty French bread. As Julia would say, Bon Appétit!
Festive Italian Easter Bread Rings
Planning an Easter egg hunt tomorrow? How about hiding those decorated ovals someplace you’d least expect to find them? That is, unless you’re familiar with the traditional Italian Easter bread called Pastelli di Pasqua (Bread of Easter). Brightly colored hard-boiled eggs are embedded into the braids of this slightly sweet dough, making it one of the more festive Easter heirloom recipes. Not only is the bread fun to look at, but also Pastelli di Pasqua is absolutely delicious when eaten plain or sliced and toasted with a little butter! Greece has it’s own version of the braided loaf called Tsoureki (pronounced too-reki). Both the Greek and Italian varieties are similar in flavor and texture to Jewish Challah bread. Normally, this recipe for Pastelli di Pasqua makes one large braided loaf or round. But in the spirit of Easter time fun, I’ve divided the dough into six braided rings, each one displaying a single colorful egg in the center. This is a great recipe to do with or for the kids in your life. It’s perhaps a new way to play Easter egg “hide and seek” with a recipe that’s centuries old.
