Pasta... entrée or dessert?
Well just ask The San Diego County fair, and they will tell you that our Sweet Kumquat Pasta Pudding is a first place delight either way!
Helene entered the recipe contest this year and came out with a sweepstakes! Want to try out the delicious dish for yourself?
Sweet Kumquat Pasta Pudding
4 egg yolks
4 TBSP melted shortening
3 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 lb. medium noodles, cooked & drained
1 cup La Vigne Kumquat Conserve
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
4 egg whites
Beat egg whites in a bowl. Add shortening, sugar, salt, & cinnamon. Mix well together.
Add noodles, La Vigne Kumquat Conserve, raisins, and walnuts. Mix again.
Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry.
Fold them into the previous mixture gently but thoroughly.
Pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until set and lightly browned on top.
Let us know if you like it!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
La Vigne
So now you know a little bit about how The Beck Grove started.
What about La Vigne? In 1994, with an abundance of crops that Helene couldn't bare see go to waste, she started La Vigne, which gives people the opportunity to taste the exotic and innovative flavors of her products (such as fruit leathers, preserves, and syrups). "So few even know what a kumquat is, I have read through thousands of cookbooks and developed delicious recipes using these unique flavors", Helene comments, "People are becoming aware that natural food is their best medicine, and I feel I can help in a small way through my farming practices." As a visionary, she takes unusual fruit without much market presence, and creates exciting and innovative condiments. The quality of the soil and its nutrients makes a considerable difference in the flavor of the food grown.
In the Beck home, cookbooks from almost every culture line the walls of the study. "I have merged a long-time interest in multi-cultural cuisine with a passion for nutrition and a lifetime of gourmet cooking into La Vigne products," Helene says. That, coupled with a commitment to ecology, has contributed to the development of La Vigne's distinctive line.
What about La Vigne? In 1994, with an abundance of crops that Helene couldn't bare see go to waste, she started La Vigne, which gives people the opportunity to taste the exotic and innovative flavors of her products (such as fruit leathers, preserves, and syrups). "So few even know what a kumquat is, I have read through thousands of cookbooks and developed delicious recipes using these unique flavors", Helene comments, "People are becoming aware that natural food is their best medicine, and I feel I can help in a small way through my farming practices." As a visionary, she takes unusual fruit without much market presence, and creates exciting and innovative condiments. The quality of the soil and its nutrients makes a considerable difference in the flavor of the food grown.
In the Beck home, cookbooks from almost every culture line the walls of the study. "I have merged a long-time interest in multi-cultural cuisine with a passion for nutrition and a lifetime of gourmet cooking into La Vigne products," Helene says. That, coupled with a commitment to ecology, has contributed to the development of La Vigne's distinctive line.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Helene Beck
Meet Helene...
... an entrepreneur from Fallbrook, CA.
In 1982 the Becks moved from Los Angeles to Fallbrook to pursue a more healthy, rural lifestyle. They settled on an old avocado grove that was most definitely on the decline. Faced with the decision to revive the current trees or start new, Helene and Robert chose to make a fresh start with new crops.
The Becks decided that two main producers would be kumquats and persimmons. They wanted to bring these less conventional fruits to the public, and help familiarize the West with the Asian fruits. Filled with Vitamins A and C, the fruits can be used in so many ways other than the traditional (yet still scarce) uses seen in baking recipes. After testing the soil and beginning their new venture, slowly but surely The Beck Grove became certifiably organic and biodynamic, ensuring a closed system using all natural and historical methods to produce some of the sweetest blood oranges, kumquats, persimmons, and 12 other types of fruit crops as well!
The idea of living in an agrarian cycle every year was an appealing one, and they have embraced organic living ever since. Helene describes it in a refreshing way, "Seasons come and go and it's so exciting to see new crops develop each year. The process is invigorating and keeps us youthful."
... an entrepreneur from Fallbrook, CA.
In 1982 the Becks moved from Los Angeles to Fallbrook to pursue a more healthy, rural lifestyle. They settled on an old avocado grove that was most definitely on the decline. Faced with the decision to revive the current trees or start new, Helene and Robert chose to make a fresh start with new crops.
The Becks decided that two main producers would be kumquats and persimmons. They wanted to bring these less conventional fruits to the public, and help familiarize the West with the Asian fruits. Filled with Vitamins A and C, the fruits can be used in so many ways other than the traditional (yet still scarce) uses seen in baking recipes. After testing the soil and beginning their new venture, slowly but surely The Beck Grove became certifiably organic and biodynamic, ensuring a closed system using all natural and historical methods to produce some of the sweetest blood oranges, kumquats, persimmons, and 12 other types of fruit crops as well!
The idea of living in an agrarian cycle every year was an appealing one, and they have embraced organic living ever since. Helene describes it in a refreshing way, "Seasons come and go and it's so exciting to see new crops develop each year. The process is invigorating and keeps us youthful."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
