This is a fundraising event that features a
Pro/Am tennis tournament with several professional tennis players as
well as over 40 food and
wine vendors from California presenting the best food and wine they
have to offer. There was a live and silent auction at the
event featuring tennis memorabilia from the top players in the world. At the end of the evening The Bryan Brothers Band played a concert!
The flags welcomed us to the beautiful Spanish Hills Country Club in Camarillo, CA!
This is a list of the businesses that were participating in the event!
After my friend Valaree and I got our tickets and wristbands, we were given plates with cup holders for our wine glass and we were off to explore the various wineries and food offerings that were available!
We stopped at Rocket Fizz that specialized in sodas and candy! Here are some of their soda offerings!
Here are more of their soda offerings! Valaree and I both had the Pete's Pumpkin Soda! It was as if Martinelli's replaced their sparkling apple cider with pumpkin! It was really that good!
I admit that I wasn't going to stop at Cold Stone but Valaree noticed that they had some unusual offerings! Check out the photo above! Two wine sorbets and a hard alcohol ice cream? Thank you for paying attention Valaree! They served us each one and it kept getting better and better! Only available at this location listed above, they are even willing to make you your own sorbet or ice cream for $50 which gets you about 5 or 6 of their small containers. Sorry, I actually forgot to ask them how big each container is!
Here is the address:
2390 Las Posas Road, Suite I
Camarillo,
CA
93010,
US
The Spanish Hills Country Club Catering department I think out shined everyone there with their Kung Pao Calamari! I love calamari and the combination with the spices and peanuts was just perfect! I admit that I ate about 8 servings of this!
We are looking at one of the beautiful bottles from Artiste Winery. This is their Daybreak wine which is a Barolo inspired blend of Nebbiolo, Barbera and Cabernet Franc. The winemaker works with an artist and describes their vision of the wine they are creating. The art is changed every quarter. The wine itself has a very bold flavor. One of my favorites of the evening.
My next favorite was from the Hidden Oak Winery, Their Peitie Sirah was a full bodied wine that had a lovely finish. I could pick up the aroma of cherry ans well as vanilla.
Next on my list was Magnavino Cellars and their Butterfly and Beauitful wines. The Beautiful wine was my favorite. It was a delicate white wine that was blended with six different grapes. These two wines are not found on their web site.
As some of you may know, I am a huge Port fan and this may be my new favorite. The Millesime Cellars is a small operation but they make this wonderful Millennium Nights wine. It was a Portuguese style dessert wine, so similar to a port. I could really taste the blend of cherries, almonds, coffee and a bit of butterscotch.
My last favorite was from the Pear Valley Vineyards. Inspiration is a delicate blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre. It was so named to honor friends who are fighting cancer.
Preheat oven to 350° and grease your mini muffin tin.
In
the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together
the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the oatmeal, flour, salt,
and cinnamon and mix until combined. (my mixer was struggling a bit
here, I would suggest using a wooden spoon. Add chopped walnuts
(optional) and mix until incorporated. Drop dough by tablespoon into the
greased wells of your mini muffin tin. Press down on the dough so that
it lines the walls and bottom of the well and forms a cup. Bake for 5-6
minutes.
While crusts are baking make the fudge
filling by heating the milk and chips over low heat until melted and
smooth. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Continue to stir the
fudge sporadically throughout the rest of baking these or it will start
to harden.
Remove the partially baked crusts
from oven (they should not be brown). If they’ve puffed up during
baking, gently press them back down using a spoon and not your fingers.
Fill each mini crust with fudge. If you miss and get some on the tin,
wipe it off before putting the tin back in the oven (it'll burn
otherwise). Return to oven and bake for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from
oven and allow to cool at room temperature. Chill in the fridge for 20
minutes or until firm.
Using a sharp knife,
gently pry the Fudge Cups out of the tin. They should pop out if you
greased properly and the cups are firm.
Walnut and White Chocolate Fudge ================= 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup cream 1/2 cup of butter pinch of salt 1/4 cup of white Corn Syrup 6 to 8 ounces Callebaut White Chocolate Walnuts 2 teaspoons vanilla
Add
the two sugars, butter, cream, corn syrup and salt into a sauce pan.
Place over medium heat. Stir while bringing to a boil. Lower the heat
and continue to stir slowly while the mixture cooks. After about 7
minutes, test by pouring a small amount into some cold water. You want
it to form a soft ball. (about 235°F to 238°F on a candy thermometer)
When it reaches soft ball stage, remove from the heat, and let rest for
about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, add the vanilla and the white
chocolate and stir until the white chocolate melts. You will notice
the the fudge starts to thicken almost immediately. Stir another minute
or two or until the fudge starts to lose its shine. Quickly add the
walnuts and pour into a buttered dish. TIP: Toast the Walnuts.
Win a pair of Oswald ears! These just debuted a few days ago in Disney California Adventure at Oswald's on Buena Vista Street! The giveaway begins today Saturday September 29th and ends on Friday October 5th! Good luck!
