A few weeks ago, a tidy little package arrived at my door. A bottle of
Pacific Sun Extra Virgin Olive Oil! It was the
Tehama County Blend, an
award-winning olive oil (most recently at the Los Angeles Inernational Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition) made in Northern California.
Typically, Mr. Eats and I prefer the smooth and mild flavor of Spanish olive oils, but I was certainly willing to give this a try. The Tehama County blend has a stronger olive taste; the acid really comes through but very pleasantly (not bitter at all). It's still quite smooth and has a peppery finish.
We tried it a number of ways and discovered that a good, stout bread is best for dipping; it didn't go so well with a sourdough, but that was not a surprise. Perfect with a crispy Tuscan loaf as well as some local "salt-rising bread" from the Mennonites. It was also a great oil for a caprese salad (which I will be eating a lot now that I can get excellent
fresh mozzarella from Lazzaroli, local tomatoes, and basil from garden).
Pacific Sun isn't available in stores, but is available to
buy online. Luckily, the prices are quite reasonable. And it may be worth it to go ahead and buy plenty (gifts!) to get the free shipping because I think we're hooked now!
1 comment:
Hi Lesley, I get my olive oil from the Olive Press in Sonoma. Most of them are really stout, peppery and flavorful because they are pure olive oil. It has been about 5 years since I have purchased chain grocery store olive oil because industrial olive oils don't have to be olive oil, rather a mix of other cheap vegetable, soy, rape seed oils with some olive oil.
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