One of the revelations we discovered from our retail experience is the importance of allowing you to select and design your own gift basket combinations. 

As an example, the basket to the right included an award winning 

Picual EVOO from Spain , 

Aged 25 Year Old Dark Balsamic Vinegar from Modena, Italy

Pastas Sides by Tiberino - Italy,  

Black Truffle Salt and Himalayan Sherpa Pink Salt from San Francisco Salt Company, 

Coffee farmed by Women of Cafe Femenino -  Nahuala Guatemala, 

Lemon Infused Olives and yummy sauces from Sutter Buttes 

Global award winning Fifty-Fifty Eclipse Stout! 

Olive Oil "Sparti" Soap from Loconiko

All unique gifts for the discerning palate!

Check out our growing recipe section

Gifting an elegant bottle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil with yummy pasta side dishes, spices and salts  is a great way to show someone your appreciation for any occasion. 

Choose from our  selection of oils and vinegars  from around the world along with our other special food items like our salts, side dishes, coffees, and honey....all special in their heritage and location.

We are happy to include your personalized greeting card at no additional charge. We can build custom selections by the dozens and can suggest wonderful items that we currently offer in our store.  

Please email info@tahoegourmetbaskets.com for more information regarding product availability, shipping lead times and cost and we will help you choose your selection. 

Ingredients:

• 1 250 Ml GEA Styria-Prekmurje Pumpkin Seed Oil
• 1 Quart of vanilla ice cream
• 4 oz pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of water

Preparation:

To caramelize pumpkin seeds, bring water and sugar to boil, add pumpkin seeds to the pan and slowly heat until the seeds swell up and turn golden brown.

Put a few balls of vanilla ice cream in a dessert bowl, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of GEA Pumpkin Seed Oil per serving and decorate the dessert with caramelized pumpkin seeds.

You can also whip the ice cream in a blender until creamy. While whipping, add pumpkin seed oil and minced caramelized pumpkin seeds.

Bon appétit!

Other ways to incorporate Pumpkin Seed Oil in you baking!

Pumpkin Oil and Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of GEA Styria-Prekmurje Pumpkin Seed Oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup yogurt
• 3 oz of sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 oz dark chocolate (chopped into bits)
• Frosting of your choice
• Roasted pumpkin seeds (to sprinkle on top)

Preparation:

Separate the egg whites and egg yolks. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Mix in the egg yolks. Add the oil, flour, baking powder and chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the muffin tins and bake at 180°C for 20 min.

Once the muffins have cooled, top with a frosting of your choice and sprinkle with roasted pumpkin seeds.

Bon appétit!

There are hundreds of varieties of olive oil from all over the world. We have had the pleasure of tasting and adding dozens Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oils (EVOO) varieties to our own recipes and meal configurations over the last five years. Like grapes, olive oils have unique flavors based on the specific conditions of where the olives are grown. This includes the weather, the soil, the ripeness of the olives when they are harvested, how soon they are pressed and and at what temperature they are refined. Poor post harvest quality control can ruin the final product.

That being said, the Olive Oil industry is rife with quality control issues, so you can never be sure that you are getting top quality EVOO unless you investigate the source yourself. Like the wine industry, there is plethora of information about how to determine great olive oil brands and where they come from. The opportunity to learn about different olive oil varieties, how they should be matched to your recipe or meal configuration can make a huge difference to that configuration. 

Some well known varieties for your oil cabinet: 

Arbequina - Spain - A small olive with a large pit keeps the the taste very rich and creamy. because of its mild creamy taste, it is the most broadly used to have in your oil cabinet.

Cobrancosa - Portugal - rich, a sense of sweet and herbal in taste from ripe olives, fresh cut grass and a flowery traits are typical of this variety

Coratina - Italy - Powerful, robust and delicious, with  sometimes creamy taste

Hojiblanca - Spain - A light fruity taste with notes of nectarine, peach and apricot that works well with salads, over vegetables and baking

Koronecki - Greece - Creamy and can be mild or robust with notes of fresh green grass. Another must have in your oil cabinet. We recommend and offer a 2018 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition - Laconiko Koronecki Estate EVOO. 

Mission - USA - Robust, bitter and strong herbal flavor used with roasting meats, chicken and vegetables.

Picual- Spain - a common olive grown in Spain, our selection of the 2018 Gold medal winner at NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition  - Dehesa de La Sabina - enhances a green tomato, fresh cut grass, green apple and fresh fruit taste with a peppery finish.

Check out our recipe section

We are lovers of coffee. We found a unique source of coffee beans with a wonderful story about  women who own their own coffee plantations supported by a wonderful foundation 

In 2004, 464 women farmers in northern Peru decided to change this dynamic by separating their coffee production from the men’s. In that moment, for the first time, this group of women created their own product and income. Their coffee cooperative CECANOR joined their commercial partner Organic Products Trading Company (OPTCO) to create Café Femenino—a gender-focused program to support social justice and empowerment for women coffee producers worldwide.

The Café Femenino coffee program is one-of-a-kind ethical sourcing model committed to ending the cycle of poverty afflicting women coffee farmers across the world. Café Femenino provides direct compensation to women farmers, along with the opportunity and resources to enact positive change in their communities and on their own terms. Thousands of women with one powerful idea: Women farmers deserve credit for their crucial role in the coffee industry.

Café Femenino Foundation is an independent nonprofit that provides grants to select projects requested by Café Femenino’s women farmers to enhance the lives of their families and communities. In addition to generous consumer donations that help fund these projects, participating coffee roasters are required to donate a percentage of their coffee purchase to the Café Femenino Foundation. 

Women in remote and rural coffee communities face a host of challenges that keep them trapped in poverty.  Many of these isolated women live in male- dominated societies and have very little financial control or decision-making power.

We will be adding several coffee flavors from our local Truckee Coffee Bean Roaster - Twisted Tree Coffee Roasters who sources from the Café Femenino coffee program.

About Twisted Tree - Our local source 

Twisted Tree came about as an idea of creating “coffee with a purpose”. The tree itself is a piece of art that illustrates the forces of mother nature imprinting a story by weaving a design throughout  these trees.  And no matter how much the environment impacts them, they stand strong and majestic. In other words… Resilient!!

A twisted tree has endured the elements. It has withstood mother natures forces. Twisted trees are a metaphor for our life journey. What is your Twisted Tree story?