Posts from the ‘Sonoma Grown’ Category

SONOMA GROWN: SAINT BENOIT YOGURT

(This is the second installment of the Sonoma Grown column)

I have a thing for the French. Really. Almost as much as I do for the pig. Their wine (le vin!). Their cheese (le fromage!). Their bread (le pain!). Délicieux! And now, it seems, I also have a thing for their yogurt (le yaourt!).

Saint Benoît Yogurt began in 2004 by Benoît de Korsak who came to the Bay area after spending most of his life in France. He’s a big believer in words such as: terroir, sustainable, organic, seasonal, creamy & smooth.  The term handcrafted at Saint Benoît isn’t just a marketing term – its a visible fact. With production practices about as opposite as possible to ubiquitous Yoplait, Benoît’s yogurt consistencies are actually seasonal – they change throughout the season due to fluctuations in both the organic pasture conditions the Jersey cows graze upon (more or less water intake), and the fruit acidity/sugar levels in the locally sourced fruit.

Flavors such as honey, lemon, boysenberry & plum are sure to entice you and each yogurt comes in a quaint crock jar that can be brought back for a deposit refund (or used as virtually indestructible picnic wine glasses, the SCL way). As you peel off the foil cover, a layer of thick cream greets you: mix well to get to the decadent fruit spread resting at the bottom and settle in for French style Sonoma grown bliss.

Available at Whole Foods stores & Oliver’s Markets in Sonoma County.

SCL Pick: Honey flavor that has a thick layer of naturally sweetened honey resting at the bottom. Upend into a bowl, sprinkle with granola and fruit. Stop. Admire. Eat. Bon appetit!

SONOMA GROWN: LALOO’S FIG ICE CREAM

(This is the first installment of the new Sonoma Grown column)

Laloo’s (pronounced Lay-Looz) Ice Cream. Fun name, isn’t it?

It took me for-ev-er to remember it.

I first heard about this cult status ice cream as I tried to figure out what the new Petaluma creamery, LaLa’s, was all about. You can see how I might have gotten the names confused. After reading rave after rave after rave about this La-something ice cream (which I assumed was the same as the new La-something creamery in Petaluma), you can imagine my disappointment when I came to realize that no, they were not one and the same. Not even close. No offense to LaLa’s. But I was looking for some Laloo’s.

Laloo’s tagline had me intrigued: The Goat Makes it Good. Yes, you read that right. Goat, not cow. Intrigued yet?  So was I.

Founded in Petaluma by Laura Howard, an ex-LA entertainment executive gone yogi gone goat milk ice cream lover, she has a motto I can’t argue with: the shorter the journey from the earth to the table, the better the food usually is. Laura’s goats frolic on 350 acres of lush hills in Sonoma County where they’re probably giving dairy cows a run for their money in who has the best California real estate. Naturally low in fat and lactose, goat’s milk provides a wealth of healthy bonuses compared to traditional ice cream. And the subtle tanginess hiding in the finish of this yummy goodness makes you go in quickly for another bite…and another…and another.

Laura also uses the finest local Sonoma ingredients she can source. Black Mission Fig is Laloo’s signature flavor, so when I spotted it at Whole Foods, I had to snatch it up and see what all the fuss was about. One spoonful in and I knew. Oh. My. Without any hint of pungent goat cheese flavor, I was more than surprised. Instead, it’s sweet as regular ice cream, with luscious fruit and has an intense creaminess that made me look twice at the calorie fat count on the label.

Then the hubby came home and I decided to have fun-with-marriage and pull a blind taste on him. No prior warning about the milk source, or the flavor, as he’s not the biggest fan of either. I knew I had a winner when he smacked his lips with a smile and asked for another bite. You can imagine his surprise when I told him a) figs b) goat milk. Gotcha.

Other delicious flavors of the Laloo’s line include: Strawberry Darling, Capraccino, Rumplemint and more. There is also a line of probiotic packed frozen yogurt in flavors such as Cajete de Leche and the Bambini ice cream sandwiches are SCL approved. Lip smacking good, I can’t wait to try them all.

Laloo’s is nationally distrubuted in Whole Foods and other local grocery stores (there’s a store locator tool here on their website.)

Sonoma goat milk ice cream. Who would’ve thought.