Blender magic

Something about whirring blades can transform ingredients. Here are some twists on classic recipes and some completely new ideas you might not have thought of. You could make an entire meal with these recipes.

Beverages are a natural in blenders. Meyenberg Goat Milk has recipes for two fruit smoothies: Strawberry Shake and Orange Smoothie (above).

Choclatique makes an unusual shake with staples of the American diet: Peanut Butter & Jelly Milkshake.

When life gives you pumpkins, make this Cream of Winter Squash Soup (above) using Salute Sante's Grapeseed Oil. Served with a salad and good rustic bread, it�s a nourishing meal.

Wedges of pita bread or raw vegetables are excellent ways to enjoy two dips from Salute Sante: Fava Bean Dip and Artichoke Dip (above).

Salad dressings are easy to make in a blender. Sparrow Lane suggests a classic Tarragon Mayonnaise.

Happy Chocolates makes an avant garde Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette.

For the main course, Executive Chef Thomas McNaughton of Flour and Water Restaurant in San Francisco used Bellwether Farms�s Crescenza Cheese in a delicious ravioli recipe on ABC 7's "View from the Bay� � Crescenza Cappelletti

Top veggies (such as green beans, pictured above) or a salad with Salute Sante�s Tarragon Vinaigrette.

Finish up in spectacular style with Goat Cheese Truffles made with Cypress Grove Chevre's Fromage Blanc.

This truffle recipe was created by Rachel Riggs of Quel Fromage, Bellingham, Washington.

Super Bass-O-Matic

Any mention of blenders brings to mind Dan Ackroyd�s famous comedy sketch on �Saturday Night Live�:

�Super Bass-O-Matic 76 is the tool that let�s you use the whole bass, with no fish waste, without scaling, cutting or gutting.

�Here�s how it works. Catch a bass, remove the hook, and drop the bass � that�s the whole bass � into the Super Bass-O-Matic 76. Now adjust the control dial, so that bass is blended just the way you like it.

�Yes, it�s just that simple!�

B & R Farms Celebrates 80th Anniversary!

Jim Rossi is the third generation at B & R Farms. In 1929 Jim�s grandfather started with 22 acres, planted to prunes, apricots and walnuts. When competition from growers in the Central Valley made prunes unprofitable, Jim�s Dad pulled them out. But he stuck with the apricots, known as �cots to local farmers.

Mari Rossi married into this farming family. �The closest I had come to farming before I married Jim was that my father owned a tractor dealership," she laughs.

�In 1981 I started selling our sun-dried apricots from the trunk of our car,� Mari remembers. Then she added preserves and toppings made from her mother�s and mother-n-law�s recipes.

At one time the Blenheim Apricot was king and San Benito County was its throne. The Rossis are among a small group of farmers in the area working to preserve this special apricot variety.

Visit the farm in Hollister, just east of Monterey, or order online.

Ice cream sodas video

We had a great time stirring up tasty combinations of ice cream and sorbets with sodas from Savor California! A video of the pairing session with Deborah and Amy is posted on Recipe Videos.

Starting with Vignette Wine Country Soda, Deborah and I each did a pairing with their Pinot Noir using Agave Dream�s Strawberry and Vanilla ice creams. Amy tried Vignette�s Ros� with Agave Dream�s Pomegranate A�ai sorbet.

In the second round we used syrups from Sonoma Syrup Co., as well as ice creams from Silver Moon Desserts and Agave Dream. First we made four sodas using a syrup and soda water. We paired the Meyer Lemon soda with Silver Moon�s Lavender Limoncello, and the Lime soda with Silver Moon�s Mojito Ice. Then we tried the Mint soda with two of Agave Dream�s ice creams, Chocolate and Cappuccino, and the Lavender soda with Agave Dream�s Lavender ice cream.

Last, but not least, we used Fentimans sodas. We put a scoop (or two) of Silver Moon�s Orange Creamsicle ice cream into the Mandarin & Seville Fentimans soda. Then we tried Silver Moon�s Bourbon Vanilla Bean with Fentimans Dandelion & Burdock soda and Fentimans Ginger Beer.

Oh, so good!

Let them eat cake

Using oils in cakes and pastries is a great way to add flavor and also make the finished product more healthy. Here are some tasty examples:

The taste of walnuts is in every crumb of this Carrot Cake with Roasted Walnut Oil (above) made with La Tourangelle Walnut Oil.

Sparrow Lane uses their olive oil in a delicious Orange Pecan Cake.

Blood orange is such a spectacular flavor, and Stella Cadente Olive Oil's recipe for Blood Orange Bundt Cake raises this cake to gourmet status.

The upside-down apple tart called Tarte Tatin is a classic of French cooking. It originated at the Hotel Tatin in the Sologne region and was made famous at Maxim's in Paris.

This right-side-up Apple Tart (above) is Salute Sant�!'s version, made with their Grapeseed Oil.

This is the perfect time of year to make a cake with pears. Since pears are the specialty at A Perfect Pear from Napa Valley, they sent us this recipe: Pear Cake with Caramel Glaze (above with a dusting of confectioner's sugar).

What's new

New to Savor California, Deb Deb's Rub Rub has already participated in the San Francisco Professional Food Society�s annual barbecue, and in our booth at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

At both events, one thing they made was their easy Saut�ed Shrimp. Simply toss peeled raw shrimp with Deb Deb's Cajun-inspired Blackout Rub! Saut� in unsalted butter just until no longer pink.

Mix Grub Rub! with plain yogurt for a great dipping sauce for the shrimp.