Peachy's Pantry: Miller's Blend by the California Olive Ranch is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know
It should come as no surprise that we highly recommend Miller's Blend as we have loved every product by the California Olive Ranch. What defines the Miller Blend and makes it different? It is a blend of their oils especially selected by their tasters to include the fruitiness of Arbequina and the slight pungency and mellow notes of Arbosana. Both of those we have previously reviewed. (Click on underlined item to see our review.) Do not forget, we have a special offer for our readers with this brand as it is one of our most favorite:
And do not overlook the fact that this brand made our Best of 2009 list:
Miller's Blend tasting notes: artichoke, green tomato, and almond.
The Whom You Know Panel unanimously loves it too! They said:
Miller’s Blend is another winner from the California Olive Ranch product line. Like its other oils, Miller’s Blend is better than any evoo I’ve bought in a supermarket or even specialty store. And now that I’ve established a favorite way to use each of the three others I’ve tried, I thought it would be a little more challenging to find a place in my repertoire for this particular oil. The label itself describes it as a fruity and fragrant blend, but some additional detective work on my part – a little taste and a sniff never hurt anyone! – and I knew I’d found a niche for this blend. Last night, I sautéed some prosciutto and thinly sliced brussels sprouts in some Miller’s blend and a couple pats of butter. Tossed that little mix with some fettucine with some fresh parmesan and (voila!) a gourmet dish for about a buck a serving. Now, I’ve made this once before and it was good, but last night’s was better than good. Tasted gourmet – really.. The difference? Well the only one I know of is the olive oil I used. For the first time, I finally tasted that “nuttiness” my mother-in-law always talks about when I tell her we’ve used brussels sprouts in a dish. Today, I was able to call her, brag about the dish and finally say with a straight face, “I just love the nutty taste they add.” Truth is, the nuttiness was no doubt the olive oil and not the brussels sprouts, but does it matter? All I know is I’ve got another tasty olive oil from California Olive Ranch in my pantry, one more way to make some of my signature dishes come alive.
An all –american all-purpose oil! The California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil, Miller’s blend is the perfect all–purpose oil. It contains no enhanced or modified ingredients, thank goodness. This helps it give a natural taste filled with hints of fruit. Its full body makes it great for dipping and dressings. I also tasted the flavor of artichoke which is delicious. It has a somewhat fruity flavor and would be delicious for fish dishes as well. I used it to make my favorite salad dressing with lemon and cayenne pepper and it helped bring out the freshness and zest of the dressing. I cannot wait to try it with a roast or to make my favorite pesto sauce. I liked it much better than my go to oil Bertolli’s. This Californian Miller’s Blend olive oil knocks out the rest of my bottles in the pantry! I look forward to trying some of their other blends as well.
By now, I'm already sold that California Olive Ranch is more than capable of producing extra-virgin olive oils (EVOO) that rival some of the best that the Mediterranean has to offer. And there are awards to back this up too! One such award winner is their Miller's Blend which combines the fruitiness and lightness of the Arbequena varietal and the more full-bodied and pungent Arbosana. I think this is a great all-around EVOO to keep in your pantry, it's vibrant and fragrant on its own, yet adds a nice flavor to bread, salads, sauces and meats. They're kicked up a notch without overwhelming with a strong olive essence. It's even been mentioned that Miller's Blend can be used for for dessert recipes as a healthy and flavorful substitute for butter and margarine. The freshness of its EVOO is something that California Olive Ranch is known for and is apparent when you first open up one of their bottles. For those of us stateside folks with the environment in mind, It's nice to know that we can choose to buy locally without sacrificing taste and quality.
With the Christmas holiday and New Years festivities on us it proved to be a great time to cook and experiment with new recipes after arrival of my California Olive Ranch "Millers Blend" Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The taste was incredible with delicious aroma, fruitiness and pungency. I tried several dessert recipes available on the California Olive Ranch website that were extremely helpful and were a rage with my guests. The nicest part is knowing there are no "trans fats " that we all don't like; but instead "polyphenols" that help to promote good health and prevent disease. Millers Blend had a wonderful fresh taste. Little by little I am learning to transition my saturated fat recipes to much healthier versions. Roasting vegetables with Millers Blend brought out the full flavor and was such a smart and simple way to prepare a quick meal which made it such a pleasure to serve my guests. We are so lucky to have the "Best" Extra Virgin Olive Oil right here in our own country at CALIFORNIA OLIVE RANCH. Their website is on my "favorites" list for future orders and recipes. Happy New Year to you all....
Upon my long day of packing up to move, I had this California olive ranch olive oil sitting out on my counter. I decided that because of the nasty weather and the fact that I hadn't eaten all day (it's now 2:00) I'd better experiment with items I had on hand. I opened all canned items: artichoke hearts, garbanzo beans, white tuna in water and chopped up some celery. Then I added the extra virgin olive oil with it's fruity fragrant and fresh blend. With a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper - and that was the culmination of the perfect afternoon gourmet salad thanks to the perfection: the Miller's Blend! They say that it is 90 minutes from the tree to the crush and I believe I can taste it. I am now energized to go back to my packing after a breif stint of a gourmet meal (I felt like I was actually in california for the moment!). It is fantastic olive oil - sublimy fresh and aromatic!
The attached label states "Freshest taste, aroma & color! Only 90 minutes from the tree to the crush. California Olive Ranch are serious when it coming to Olive Oils. The Miller's Blend is 100% California Grown. It tastes much more fruitier than other oils I have tried. The oil is all natural and unfiltered giving it a really fresh healthy taste. For all the health nuts, me included, this blend contains no trans-fatty acids. I first tried it mixed with half a freshly squeezed lemon and poured it over my salad. It had a wonderful zest to the taste and left a fresh zing to my taste buds. I then grilled fresh tuna, instead of using this in my cooking I just brushed a little on the top of the fish after it was cooked. It seemed to give more moisture and flavor to my tuna. Whether using the Miller's Blend on it's own with bread, or to blend, it sure is another winner from this fantastic company, California Olive Ranch. I look forward to trying this again with other recipes!
