A Day of Exploration

When my friend Luisa texted me inviting me to join her on a day trip over to Sonoma County, I immediately said yes. Luisa and I have this common bond over the joy of adventuring... we get so much satisfaction from meeting new people, hearing their stories, and visiting unique or beautiful places. When we head on a trip together it usually means we'll be stopping multiple times whether for a photo op on the side of the road or to find the best place for a local lunch.
We started our day out at David Little's ranch, "Little Organic Farm." Luisa works at a restaurant in St. Helena that gets product from David and she has been wanting to get out and see his farm for quite some time. Little Organic Farm specializes in dry farming which produces some incredible sunchokes, tomatoes and potatoes. As Luisa explained to me on our winding drive through cattle country in Petaluma, the tomatoes he produces have a thick skin but an incredible flavor. Googlemaps easily led us to the little farm, nestled in the hillside down a long tree lined driveway.

We made it! Fresh english muffins in hand from Model Bakery as a gift to Mr. Little. There was no one around so Luisa gave David a call. He said he was in the field and promised he would be back shortly. 45 minutes later, after we had self toured the farm, he showed up. Gotta love farm tempo... the sense of urgency is a little different then what we are used to in a kitchen. David grumbled about being short of time and going out of his way to give us a tour and we glanced at each other sideways, wondering if we had just put ourselves on the farmer's bad side. As he showed us around, explaining a little more about his methods to us, he warmed up to our charms. He even started getting excited, seeing our interest and enthusiasm regarding potatoes and the dirt they grow in. By the end of our tour he had us packing into his 2 seater truck with his dog running across our laps bumping over the property to see his other fields. After our drive, we had a chance to sit down with David and enjoy the fabulous packed lunch Luisa made for us. It was so interesting hearing his story, about life as a contractor before farming, and the contentment he has now from his job.

The Joy of Local Shopping

My brother and I have been traveling to Oakland every other week to visit the different farmer's markets there. It is fun to make the beautiful drive into the East Bay and the markets offer many more options than the super local markets in Napa Valley. We had already lucked out on first trip with half of a giant pig head for only 10$! We cooked the head all day, picked it apart and made a luscious bolognese out of it. When the time came to serve it up, we made a party of it, inviting a few friends over and rolling out pasta together. It was an incredibly satisfying meal and we got to make the most of a piece most people don't want! 

This last trip we headed straight back to the pig head stand. Although there are abundant produce stands throughout the market, I can't help but seek out the meat first! We checked into their offal situation and they happened to have pig liver and pork fat. Without even having an idea in mind, I purchased both at a very low cost, mind you! By the time we were home that day I was dreaming of the creamy pork liver mousse I had made back in the days of working at The Local Butcher Shop. I remember it being quite a challenge, something that required some technical prowess. After doing some research online I came up with a pretty easy recipe and went for it. The mousse turned out fantastic and I have been eating it all week.

Pork Liver Mousse

1# pork liver

10 ounces pork fat

1 medium onion

3 oz brandy

6 pieces of sage

1/4 c heavy cream

2 eggs lightly beaten

s&p to taste

Julienne onion and caramelize, adding sage just near the end of cooking. Deglaze with brandy. Cool mixture. Bring all ingredients to room temperature. In the meantime, line your vessel of choice (a terrine mold or a loaf pan works best) with saran wrap. In a blender, combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Pass through a sieve or chinois into a bowl leaving any chunks behind. Pour into vessel and place into a water bath that reaches 1/2-3/4 of the way up your container. Place into your 350F degree oven and bake for 40 minutes to an hour. Most instructions will dictate you cook your mousse to 150F internal temperature. We simply poked ours and pulled it out when it felt firm! 

Enjoy this recipe. It's quite delicious on toast. 

This recipe is loosely based on a Danish Pork Liver Pate recipe found online

Who Are We?

This is us. Brandon and Laura Fox: just married 20-somethings who are in love with life! We moved from Orlando, Florida to New York 4 years ago so that I could fulfill my dream.. attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. We lived in the quaint little town of Rhinebeck, New York where we embraced a real farm-to-table culture and immersed ourselves in a wonderful little community. After 21 months, I graduated, and we wondered what was next. During our time in New York, I spent 4 months living in Berkeley, California while doing an internship at Chez Panisse. Brandon visited numerous times and we took a couple of trips to Napa Valley. We were in love with the Valley... A place with a small town vibe that is obsessed with food and wine. We dreamt about moving on our visits, when we would dine in Yountville or walk through St. Helena, but we never thought it would become a reality. Our ambition and determination overcame our doubt and insecurities about the future, and we decided to follow our dreams. We packed up all of our things and our 3 animals, and moved across the country, again! We have been settled in the most wonderful home in St. Helena for just over 18 months now. We are both involved in the food and wine world and hope to one day have something of our own. Nailing down exactly what that special little place may be is the hard part but we are well on our way! Life is an adventure and we strive to appreciate every minute of it. 

" Che bella vita... What a beautiful life! "