Put some love into your Valentine's Day breakfast
This Sunday, instead of going out for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner, you can treat your sweet babboo to something a little different: an intimate breakfast in bed, complete with fresh squeezed juice and coffee.
And, if you take the time to source your ingredients from local farms and producers you'll get points for the added love on your plate.
At Estero Cafe in Valley Ford, husband-and-wife co-owners Samantha and Ryan Ramey draw upon the west county's free-range egg farmers and artisan producers to elevate their hearty all-day, every-day breakfast dishes. On many mornings, the cafe is filled with the same farmers they source from, who stop by to fuel up for the day.
“Making breakfast for Valentine's Day is kind of a nice idea,” said Samantha, 30, who runs the front of the house. “You could bring some flowers and create a special coffee drink, like a latte topped with cacao and cinnamon.”
At Estero Cafe, one of the most popular dishes is the Breakfast Salad, featuring warm slices of bacon and sauteed mushrooms plus a poached, pastured egg from Hands Full Farm in Valley Ford, served on top of fresh spring mix dotted with avocado and Pug's Leap Chevre from Petaluma.
“It's well balanced, healthy and really filling,” Samantha said of the salad. “The bacon, egg and cheese are pure protein. It's everything you want for breakfast in a salad.”
Another heart-warming egg dish from the homey cafe is the Sonoma Omelet, filled with local spinach, onions, Mycopia mushrooms and the nutty, sweet Estero Gold cheese from the Valley Ford Cheese Co. The spinach, onion and mushroom filling is cooked in one pan, and the eggs are cooked in another.
“The secret is the flip,” Samantha said. “If you can't flip it in the pan, cook it in a cast-iron frying pan and finish it in the oven.”
If you want really dress up the plate, you could also fry up some crispy hash browns that you've prepped the night before.
“We start with Yukon Golds and parboil them until they are three-quarters of the way cooked,” Samantha said. After the potatoes cool, they are thrown into the refrigerator until morning, when they are grated and tossed with salt, pepper, cilantro and green onions.
“Make sure your cast-iron pan is nice and hot, and the oil has heated up,” Samantha said. “That way the potatoes won't stick.”
If your sweetie likes a bite of something sweet in the morning, the Estero Cafe has just the thing: a French Toast that's so easy, even a child could make it.
“We whisk the eggs and add Clover milk, fresh cinnamon and housemade vanilla extract,” she said. “Then we top it with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.”
The secret is the eggy brioche bread from Village Bakery of Sebastopol.
Although everything is made from scratch, there is rarely a long wait to get into the cafe, which seats seven at the counter and about 25 at tables.
“It's breakfast,” Samantha said. “You can count on being fed within an hour.”
The couple purchased the Estero Cafe a little over a year ago. Samantha, who also manages the Bodega Bay Farmers Market, grew up on Long Island in a confirmed food family. Her grandfather and father were in the wholesale meat and provisions business, delivering high quality meats all over New York City.
She met her husband, Sonoma County native Ryan Ramey, while working in a restaurant in San Diego. The couple moved to Bodega Bay five years ago and started cooking at the local farmers market while Ryan cooked at Tolay Restaurant & Lounge at the Sheraton in Petaluma. Then they decided to start their own business, Northwest Catering.
One of Samantha's favorite Valentine's Day memories is when Ryan woke up early to toast bagels he had made from scratch.
“It took him three days,” she said. “Coming from New York, I love bagels.”
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The following recipes are from Samantha and Ryan Ramey of Estero Cafe in Valley Ford. They source their brioche bread from Village Bakery in Sebastopol and use organic Driscoll raspberries from Watsonville.
French Toast
Makes 2 servings
Sliced Brioche bread
2 eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
1/4 of a vanilla bean, scraped (or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
1/4 vanilla bean, scraped (or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Clarified butter or oil for cooking
- Organic berries
- Maple syrup, to serve
- Butter, to serve
Whisk eggs in a large bowl and mix in milk, a quarter of the vanilla bean (or extract) and cinnamon.
Dredge slices of brioche in the egg mixture (2 - 3 slices per person). While you let them soak: With an electric mixer, or by hand, whip cream with a quarter vanilla bean (or 1/4 teaspoon extract) and a tablespoon of maple syrup till peaks stand on their own - transfer to container and refrigerate.
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