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DECEMBER 2013
IN THIS ISSUE
ORDER NOW!


Order Limited Reserve

We're shipping our Limited Reserve. Master Miller Bob Singletary selects this special oil annually to represent the best pressings from the initial weeks of harvest. It's a great holiday gift. Order before Dec. 19 to get your oils before Christmas. 
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HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY

Enter to win an entire set of Anolon Gourmet Cookware and a year's worth of olive oil - 24 bottles! Ends midnight Friday. 
FACES AT THE RANCH


Liliana Alvarez huddles with colleague Logan Jennings at our Artois mill. Liliana is our Production Supervisor and Logan is our Production Operations Manager.
RANCH UPDATE
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Master Miller Bob Singletary explains what makes our Limited Reserve extra virgin olive oil different from other oils. You can also learn how Bob likes to use this special oil.
APPLES/OLIVE OIL

Amy Pennington - author of the new book Apples: From Harvest to Table
- talks with us about  cooking with apples and  olive oil. Get her recipe for the apple and celery salad in the photo.
FAN PHOTO

Facebook fan Denise Crystal Mcdonald shared her risotto with chicken, shrimp, scallops, broccoli, and snow peas. We highlight one fan a month. Please send your photo to [email protected] or post on Facebook.
REINVENTING HOLIDAY BAKING WITH OLIVE OIL
Orange-Glazed Olive Oil Cake
Greetings!

We wrapped up our harvest at the end of November and sat down to Thanksgiving with family and friends. After working around the clock, our harvest team caught up on well deserved shut-eye.

Now we're back and just finished bottling Limited Reserve, our finest first cold pressings from the first weeks of harvest.

As during Thanksgiving, we'll be using extra virgin olive oil in our holiday cooking and baking this month to reinvent our classic holiday recipes. We're particularly partial to baking with extra virgin olive oil instead of butter.

Mediterranean cooks have been doing this for generations. And it's becoming  increasingly popular in the U.S. among home cooks and restaurant chefs.
 
Good olive oil adds a wonderful, nuanced flavor to baked goods and keeps them moist. Using olive oil also contributes to a special, textured "crumb."

Besides, experts agree that olive oil is better for your heart than butter, among many other potential health benefits. So what's not to love?

We've assembled baking recipes as well as other dishes - prime rib and turkey - to serve during the holidays. (Click to substitute olive oil for butter in baked goods.)

For added inspiration, we spoke with Jeanne Ambrose, editor of Taste of Home, the largest food magazine in the world. She's a guru when it comes to good, healthy cooking.

From all of us at California Olive Ranch, enjoy your holidays - and have a wonderful New Year!  
Our Holiday Recipes Reinvented
Chocolate Pecan Cranberry Coffee Cake 
Chocolate Pecan Cranberry Coffee Cake You don't have to be vegan to crave a slice of this cake, which appears in vegan pastry chef Fran Costigan's new book: Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts. The cake includes a crumb topping and interior layer made from dried cranberries, pecans, rolled oats, olive oil and vegan chocolate chips. The chocolate-infused cake itself also is made from olive oil. Make it with  our Everyday Fresh or Arbosana. The latter pairs well with chocolate.

Get recipe
Olive Oil Cake with Grand Marnier 
Olive Oil Cake with Grand Marnier This lovely cake is infused with citrus extracts and a hint of Grand Marnier, which makes it aromatic and refreshing. The olive oil helps ensure the cake is moist and tender, and it delivers a more refined crumb than cakes made with butter. The recipe comes from the food blog Buttercream Bakehouse. Try making it with our buttery Everyday Fresh or our fruity Arbequina.  

 Get recipe
Blood Orange Cardamom Olive Oil Cake 
Blood Orange Cardamom Olive Oil Cake This cake - and the syrup drizzled on it - are made from the juice and zest of the blood orange, which is in season. Greek yogurt and fruity olive oil - like our Arbequina - contribute to a soft, delicate crumb. Cardamom provides yet another wonderful layer of flavor. The recipe is courtesy of Food52.  

 Get recipe
Walnut-Studded Dark Chocolate Brownies
These fudgy brownies - from Taste of Home Editor Jeanne Ambrose - are made with bittersweet chocolate and olive oil. They're laced with toasted walnuts and pieces of milk or semisweet chocolate. Make them with our Arbosana, which goes well with chocolate. And bring them to holiday parties as a hostess gift.

  Get recipe
Herb-Crusted Standing Rib Roast
Herb-Crusted Standing Rib Roast For a show-stopping entr�e, go no further than this standing rib roast, which was developed by chefs Marge Perry and David Bonom for Anolon Gourmet Cookware. The herb crust features olive oil, mustard, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Use our Everyday Fresh oil to make the initial herb paste.

Get recipe
Cranberry Quinoa-Stuffed Turkey with Herb Pesto Rub

Cranberry Quinoa Stuffed Turkey with Olive Oil Herb Pesto Rub This succulent turkey - from our friends at Alter Eco Foods - initially gets rubbed with a pesto-like paste made from olive oil, parsley, celery, basil, thyme, lemon zest, and lemon juice. The bird is stuffed with a flavorful, festive quinoa combining cranberries, pecans and parsley. Our Everyday Fresh would be perfect for this dish. Drizzle the sliced turkey with our fruity Arbequina for added flavor.
Food and Nutrition a Part of Her Genes
Jeanne Ambrose
Photo by Jim Wieland, Taste of Home
Jeanne Ambrose grew up surrounded by food. Both grandfathers were professional bakers. At home, her father did the cooking and her mom the baking. Fresh fruits and vegetables from the family's backyard garden were served regularly at meals. Today, Ambrose is the editor of Taste of Home, the largest food magazine in the world with 3.2 million subscribers. She's also the co-author, along with her daughter Lindsey, of Heartbreak Recovery Kitchen: Recipes and Remedies for Mending and Moving On.

Growing up, what were your favorite meals at home - and where did you live?

I grew up in Flint, Mich., which is now a shell of its former self. We had a huge backyard garden, so dinners always were memorable. Depending on the season, we had fresh asparagus, green beans, corn, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, garlic, onions, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, cabbage, and potatoes. We had big salads with every meal. And we canned or froze enough to eat our way through the winter.

How did you develop your interest in food and nutrition?

I think it's in my genes. Both of my grandfathers were professional bakers. My dad was the cook in our family and was amazingly creative in the kitchen. My mother was the baking queen. So I come from good stock. Professionally, I am a journalist who has been lucky enough to work in some amazing places, including Guam and Hawaii, which further expanded my palate. In Hawaii, I was the health/medical reporter at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, which piqued my interest in the relationship between health and food. Eventually, I became a food and nutrition editor at Better Homes and Gardens. And now, tah dah, I'm the editor of Taste of Home magazine.

How did you and your daughter come up with the idea of writing a cookbook together?

Everyone has a reason to throw a bummer bash now and then, right? It just so happened that my daughter Lindsey and I were hit by a bunch of heartbreaking moments at once. It started when I suddenly was downsized from a much-loved job. I was jobless, along with many co-workers. The next morning, my newly carpeted basement flooded. And I was a single parent supporting a daughter in college. My daughter - Lindsey - was going through some tough times, too. We realized that food and friends and laughter always make everything better. Hence the birth of Heartbreak Recovery Kitchen: Recipes and Remedies for Mending and Moving On.  

We wanted to include recipes that comfort, cheer and boost your mood. We show you how to throw a 'pity party' in style (including a Deep Blue Funk Cocktail). And, yes, there are chocolate recipes.

How do you like to use California Olive Ranch's olive oil in your home cooking?

I actually use it a LOT. In the morning, I drizzle my skillet with it when I cook eggs. I do a lot of roasted vegetables that always get tossed in it along with sea salt and herbs. Simple and so good. There's the obvious: pasta and salad dressings. There's the not-so-obvious: Walnut-Studded Dark Chocolate Brownies from our cookbook.
 
What's your best advice for home cooks with little time, but who want a healthy, balanced meal for their family - especially during the holidays?

Make friends with vegetables. I regularly cut up whatever veggies are on hand, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and pop them in the oven to roast. Carrots, onion wedges, potatoes, squash, parsnips, green beans. It doesn't matter too much what you mix together. It's all good. Kids love cauliflower "popcorn" (roasted cauliflower pieces) and roasted carrot stick "fries."

What's your fondest holiday food memory?

Our family traditionally makes Eggs Benedict for brunch when we gather for holidays. We get an assembly line going. Someone poaches the eggs, another toasts the English muffins, someone else is in charge of the Canadian bacon, and one person makes Hollandaise sauce. During one holiday, when Lindsey and I couldn't travel to be with family, we tweaked the tradition by making a Mexican-style Benedict for two. We used chorizo sausage, then topped the egg with avocado and a lime hollandaise sauce. Then we sprinkled everything with cilantro.