Earlier in May, I visited San Francisco with my girlfriends and my sister. I used to live in San Francisco (1999 to 2001) so I loved seeing my old neighborhood, being in the city and meeting up with old friends. I absolutely adore San Francisco.
And we couldn’t go to San Francisco without going to wine country. . Napa Valley.
Our first stop was to Round Pond Estates. “Round Pond Estate, owned and operated today by the second generation of the MacDonnell family, is a Rutherford farm and winery that specializes in the creation of pure, expressive wines, artisan foods and unforgettable experiences—all from the heart of Napa Valley.” This was my first time visiting this winery and the visit was great. Round Pond is absolutely beautiful!
They have a lovely second story tasting lounge and a covered terrace offering panoramic views of the vineyards and the Mayacamas Mountains. The view is breathtaking . . you’ll just have visit to see it for yourself!
What I loved about Round Pond was that they have an olive mill right across the street. . so, after our food and wine garden pairings, we purchased some wine and headed across the street for their Olive Mill Experience.
We learned about olive cultivation, harvest, and Round Pond’s artisan methods of olive oil production.
Then, we had a guided tasting of Round Pond’s fresh olive oils and red wine vinegar blends. The olive oil and vinegar blend tastings were so delicious! We sampled a small selection of garden inspired small bites using fresh organic produce and locally sourced meats and cheeses, all developed by Round Pond’s Estate chef. They even gave us the recipe cards for everything we tasted so we could re-create the fabulous recipes at home.
We tasted the following:
- Burrata Cheese with roasted asparagus, arugula pesto and crunchy quinoa
- Smoked Salmon Lollipop
- Roasted Yellow Beets with Blood Orange Oil and Sea Salt (SO GOOD!!)
- Baby Lettuces with Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Seasoned Pork Tenderloin with Herb Argo Dolce and Huckleberry Compote
- Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- Pomegranate Gelee
- Blood Orange Brownies
I love it when I try something unexpected and different and it’s delicious.
We ended the Olive Mill Experience with a Strawberry and Ginger Shrub Mocktail, with . . Blood Orange Olive Oil and Pomegranate Syrup. It was absolutely delicious!!
You guys, if you ever are in the Napa Valley, you need to stop in at Round Pond Estates and you have to do the Olive Mill Experience. . it’s amazing!! To get a more detailed look at their Mill Tasting, check out their feature from their blog, the Feed: “Three New Olive Mill Experiences“.
To say that these olive oils are delicious is an understatement. I love the different flavors and the Blood Orange Brownies left a lasting impression with me . . like these are the best brownies I have ever tasted.
And they were even better when I baked them at home.
So, I have to share the recipe with you today! And make sure you enter the giveaway below so you can try these olive oils, vinegars and syrups and make these brownies!
These brownies obviously use the Round Pond Blood Orange Olive Oil shown above and you can also drizzle with their Blood Orange Citrus Syrup on the brownies as well before serving. Amazing!!!
You can bet that I’m going to try this recipe with the Meyer Lemon Olive Oil next!
Enter the giveaway below. . you have to try these olive oils and syrups!!
Note: I doubled this recipe!!
Blood Orange Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
- 3 tablespoons Round Pond Blood Orange Olive Oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 oz Round Pond Estate Blood Orange Citrus Syrup optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick baking spray if desired.
- Melt the butter and chocolate together in a medium pan over very low heat. Stir together and remove from heat. Let cool for a minute or two. Add the Blood Orange Olive Oil, sugar and vanilla, mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating into the mixture rapidly to avoid cooking the eggs. Stir in the salt, cocoa and flour.
- Spread the brownie mixture into your prepared baking pan and bake until set, for about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool before cutting with a sharp knife and drizzle with Blood Orange Citrus Syrup before serving if desired.
Recipe from Round Pond Estates. Shared here with permission.
The Giveaway!!
(Giveaway open to residents within the United States only)
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. The giveaway alone is sponsored by Round Pond Estates. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own.
