On Saturday, January 18, 2014, our day began with a
leisurely drive from the Hofsas House in Carmel-by-the-Sea. It was a gorgeous
day with comfortable temperature and the sun shining brightly. The drive was along
PCH with beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean
with rolling rocky cliffs and sea arches carved by years of crashing waves.
Another interesting sight was seeing cattle along the hillsides. The only other
place I have seen this mix is the Big Island of Hawaii. The cattle had a great
vantage point while they munched away or relaxed in the sun.
The small town of Big
Sur is encompassed by carved rock and deep green
forests of redwood trees. The Ventana Inn is perched above the forest with
vistas overlooking the ocean and hosted the “Fungus Faceoff” on the patio of The
Restaurant at Ventana. The setup was done perfectly with a nice flow through
the line and food & wine interspersed throughout. There was an array of
mushrooms on display, probably picked during the “Foraging Hike in the Forest” earlier that day. The friendly competition
featured chanterelles and other fabulous fungi dishes prepared by Big Sur
Roadhouse, Hyatt Carmel Highlands,
Esalen, Big Sur Bakery, Fernwood Resort, Bernardus Lodge, Carmel Valley Ranch, The
Restaurant at Ventana, and Ripplewood Resort. Let’s take a look at what they
made:
Ripplewood Resort presented Russian Boar and Truffled Wild
Mushroom Rillettes served with red onion quince marmalade, horseradish crème
fraîche, and apple on rye toast. Beautifully presented, it had just the right
balance of flavors and textures – rich pork rillette, sweetness from the onion
marmalade, stunning yet creamy crème fraîche, crisp yet tart apple, and nutty
flavor from the rye bread. It was a great bite but the mushroom flavor was lost.
While this was my second favorite dish of the event, it went on to win the
“Most Complex Flavors Dish” award.
To read more and see slideshow, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/article/fungus-faceoff-at-the-2nd-annual-big-sur-foragers-festival-big-sur-ca
Mahalo,
OC Food Diva
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