Experiencing the Oregon Truffle Festival!!

Wow folks. What an awesome experience. I just recently found out about the Oregon Truffle Festival (OTF). The yearly festival celebrates the burgeoning local truffle industry.

Had an opportunity to catch up with the event at the OTF marketplace today. My gosh, truffle cheeses, truffle charcuterie, truffle ice cream : ) And some amazing local wines as well! All in all, a very tasty day.

Now it's time to find some yummy truffle recipes. First up? It's truffle fondue!!!

White Asparagus with Saboyan Sauce

Look what I found at the market today... white asparagus! Not something you see every day around here.

Today, I'm preparing this delicacy with an elegant olive oil based Sabayon sauce. Found a great recipe on the Saveur Magazine site.

What a treat!!

Cappuccino with Sugar

Good morning, sunshine : )  Just wanted to share a lovely, foamy cappuccino with you on this wonderful Wednesday.

Gelato!

Gelato!
Originally uploaded by pixelish
This photo of delicious gelato was taken mere moments before my beloved Nikon D300 slid off my shoulder and went crashing to the ground.

Well, I guess it was time for a new camera anyway! I'll be trying out various cameras over the next few weeks before I decide which direction I go in. Ping me if you have any suggestions. The Nikon D800 is looming large though, just gotta say it.

Hand Whipped Cream

Wow. Forgot what it was like to actually make whipped cream by hand. It's just two wonderful ingredients, 1 cup of heavy cream and 1/3 cup of sugar. Using a hand wisk, wisk it up for about 12 minutes or so, or until the cream gets thick and forms peaks.

Talk about scrumptious, wow.  Happy Thanksgiving you all!

Fennel with Water Drops

Fennel with Water Drops
Originally uploaded by pixelish
Stopped by a roadside stand on the way to Santa Barbara on Saturday. There some fruits outside, but the veggies were kept inside the cool, dark barn. The open door provided the only light source for this photograph.

0911SauvignonBlancGrapes_3380 copy

0911SauvignonBlancGrapes_3380 copy
Originally uploaded by pixelish

Beautiful stormy day last Saturday in the Santa Ynez valley. Led to some awesome light for these Sauvignon Blanc grapes.