Albany Dish: Cook 'n' Scribble

Showing posts with label Cook 'n' Scribble. Show all posts

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Tasting Olive Oil with the Head Cowgirl

Five little sampling cups of oil with numbers, apples, water and a jellybean were waiting on our place mats at the Longhouse Revival as we entered the busy barn kitchen/theater with the giant round table on Sunday morning. I plunked down my backpack and was joined by Rose, herself with long hair, diminutive form, and eyelashes that wouldn't quit. When our tasting guide, Mr. Singletary, told us we'd be doing things with olive oil that we had probably never done before I raised my eyebrows silently at Rose and pretended to snort the oil. The eyelashes sort of fluttered a bit and then we were both distracted by our chatty companion who joined the table. Companion brought up the cookbook conversation that she and Rose had apparently begun earlier in the weekend.

When I discovered that the cookbooks have to do with Rose wanting to have a large and famous cookbook library my librarian instincts caused my attention to snap to her. I had lots of questions.

But there was an olive oil tasting going on so we all turned our unruly attention to Mr. Singletary.

Bob Singletary took over the floor, and proceeded to walk to us through the history of olive oil and a description of the operations of the California Olive Ranch. Harvesting with a grape harvester to collect the fruit at its peak, they organize their operations so that they can get the olives harvested for the most fresh, mostly fresh, and everyday oil that's merely ok.

Then it was time to take the capped sample cups into our hands and begin the four S's of tasting.

First up was

Swirl

to warm the oil and get the molecules to waft around.

Next was taking off the little cap to give the oil a

Sniff

to get the smell sense attuned to what was wafting.

Next up was

Slurp

necessitating a specific ridiculous embouchure and quick breath intake that lets the oil slide across the tastebuds on the sides of the tongue and bounce around in the back of the throat so that it can be lifted up into one's nose.

What with the peppery qualities of fine olive oils and everything some oils are categorized by the number of coughs one experiences in the slurp. Some Spanish oils are so-called 4 cough oils, for example.

After this assault on the senses one then at last exercises the final S of olive oil tasting, the

Swallow

Analogous to another deeply sensual experience? Go get your olive oil and decide for yourself.

Apple and water were for cleansing the palate and a bit of tasty recovery between oils. We had to wait until the end to find out, but the jellybean served quite an important purpose. Bob instructed us to really get a good pinch on our noses so that nothing could go through it, then pop the jellybean into our mouths and chew while holding them. After a few chomps he said to let go of our noses. WOW. It was an instant and powerful demonstration regarding how much of our experience of taste involves our sense of smell.

Bob Singletary is Head Miller for California Olive Ranch and he does a very lovely presentation that's both educational and amusing.

Their post on the 4 S's http://www.californiaoliveranch.com/our-olive-oil/tasting-olive-oil

Their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaOliveRanch?fref=nf

After all that tasting I wanted to let Rose know that I organize collections in exchange for food and lodging. That snapped Rosebud's Tripple R Ranch attention to me. She gave me her card, which read:

Rose Rajokvic Head Cowgirl Rosebud's Tripple R Ranch

When I told her I didn't have any cards along with me at the moment she said: "get in touch with me" and included one of those looks which meant that she is serious. I'm serious too. Getting a cookbook library together for the Head Cowgirl of the Triple R Ranch sounds like something right up my alley. Santa Fe, here I come!

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Looking Back and Saying Goodbye to Longhouse Revival 2014

So why did I post all those teensy posts? To try to give a sense of in the minute experience of a quite interesting foodie weekend from Rensselaerville. [To see all the teensy posts click on the Longhouse Revival 2014 tag below]

So isn't the only foodie experience in Rensselaerville to be had at the Palmer House Cafe?

Nope.

If you watch for it, the Longhouse Revival is an event that's a little difficult to pinpoint, but if you stare at a few websites and rub your eyes and read and have patience, the Revival will appear. Cook N Scribble or One Big Table are the folks to watch. You'll have to figure it all out for yourself on the website(s). I can't pretend to understand all the layers of what is going on, and that's most of what I like about its genius.

So I don't know exactly what happened this weekend, but I know that it had to do with food producers, chefs, food writers and media professionals gathering in the back of nowhere to tell stories, to make stories and to have some great food. It seemed small, but it was big. The stories are powerful stories about producing good food in our interesting times. Plus, we had landjaeger in our swag bags. Oh yeah.

The rustic setting is what it always is: charming, beautiful, away from city life and a pain in the ass. The chill and rain on Saturday afternoon threatened to dampen spirits, but being foodies, the wise organizers brought out the cheese and bourbon just in the nick of time. Nine hours of sitting downwind from the fire pit caused a sinus rebellion in my poor cold aching body, so I headed back to Albany before the reward of the slow cooked dinner. Returning to sun drenched fields today (Sunday), my spirits were back in place and I was drawn into the stories told by the articulate and sophisticated participants.

The Twitter hash tags are #lh2014 and #cooknscribble - see what others have to say about this wonderful oddball event. Is it a conference? a festival? a symposium? a circus? a chance to mingle with stars of the foodie world and eat the food of top chefs? Yes.